Speculative Fiction Edition
Recommendations:
>Fantasy
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>Sci-Fi
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/4chanlit/images/a/a6/Scifilit.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100710233344
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http://imgur.com/A96mTQX
>what are you currently reading?
>favorite speculative fiction author?
>favorite speculative fiction novel?
Old Thread >>7553481
>>7580399
>what are you currently reading?
Not a SFF novel so I refuse to answer.
>favorite speculative fiction author?
The fat man.
>favorite speculative fiction novel?
ASOIAF, The Silmarillion, The Gone-Away World, The Voice of the Fire, The Second Apocalypse
Thoughts on the Elric saga?
>>7580455
I liked the rape, gay and incest in Elric saga.
>>7580455
I liked the first one a lot, but after that one writing becomes worse and overall less interesting so I stopped at the third.
>>7580399
>what are you currently reading?
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights - Salman Rushdie
>favorite speculative fiction author?
Either Neal Stephenson or Brandon Sanderson
>favorite speculative fiction novel?
Anathem or the entire Wheel of Time series
>>7580469
There is all that actually
reposting since I was at the tail end of last thread
So if you had to compile the best Fantasy authors of all time, who would you pick? Looking for personal recommendations. I've been out of the reading loop since I was a fucking kid. So far I have the best works from
>Jack Vance
>Gene Wolfe
>Zelazny
>Tolkien
>T.H. White
read Tolkien as a kid (like 7-12 years old) so I plan on rereading them now
lined up to read. Looking for comfy/complete/interesting worlds with great adventure stories told in them
currently reading "The Long Ships" and fucking loving it but it's just a historical fiction adventure novel, as excellent as it is
been playing The Witcher 3 and got over the initial love of ASOIAF and I have that sort of nostalgic longing for fantasy that I used to have as a kid
recommendations greatly appreciated!
Has anyone read The Worm Ouroboros?
Is it worth looking into?
>>7581253
was recommended in the last thread, you can get it for a dollar on any ebook store
Where do we go to download fantasy and sci fi novels illegally?
>>7580399
>mfw somebody put bakers boy in the fantasy recommendation list
Assholes.
>>7580455
Do you mean elric of melnibourne?
I've been meaning to read that.
I'm going through some bullshit right now and need some pure escapism. Nothing about love or sex. Dragons, spaceships, I don't care as long as it's as generic as possible.
>>7581527
Horus Heresy? No romance, up until book 6 where it's of little relevance.
>>7581200
You've got a solid list so far - I'd add China Mieville's Bas-Lag books (especially the first two, Iron Council was a bit of a step down) plus Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Also the Witcher games are loosely based on novels by Andrezj Sapkowski, so you could check those out.
>>7581374
>Where do we go to download fantasy and sci fi novels illegally?
http://gen.lib.rus.ec/ ?
Does anyone have any recommendations for survivalist / Robinson Crusoe type of story? Just some guy or people trying to surive and improve their surroundings. Last time someone recommended Tunnel in the Sky and it was excellent, thanks for that
>>7581374
You go to the board sticky and you lurk.
Thoughts on the Dune saga?
>>7581200
I would recommend the Wheel of Time series over ASOIAF. For starters, it's actually finished, and it's generally better written.
>>7581253
It is stylin'. Here's a page with a bit of Le Guin commentary - she used it as an examplar of fantasy in her essay "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie."
>>7582178
But the it's important to remember that neither is particularly good
>>7582036
You wanna maybe try and convince me that China Mieville is worth another shot? Because I read Iron council, and that shit was garbage on so many levels. Unless his other stuff is vastly better, I'm not sure its worth it.
>>7582481
IC is probably his worst one - he likes to experiment with different genres (horror, hard SF, noir, police procedural, etc) and for whatever reason "Western" wasn't a style that worked (plus it's his most political book, and got sort of preachy).
Perdido Street Station and The Scar are more straightforward urban fantasy, lots of good world-building and creature design. Basically all the monsters and races are original - there's humanoids with big scarabs for heads, weird types of Remade, conglomerations of junk machinery that gain sentience, all sorts.
I can totally understand if you're not a Mieville person, though, most seem to either REALLY like him or not at all.
There's a 72 hour freeleech on bibliotik if any of you have an account and want to grab something from the surviving torrents after the longest downtime in history.
>>7581200
I wouldn't recommend Wheel of Time as someone else did, it's honestly quite shit. If you want to read a massive series go for Malazan Book of the Fallen instead.
Other than that, check out the Zimiamvian trilogy by ER Eddison. Have fun
I have this. Is this an acceptable place to start in the Hammerverse, or is it just a collection of side stories instead of containing the main story?
>>7580399
Are there even any decent Urban Fantasy books? I want something with magic in todays world (or maybe somewhere between the 50s and the future?) and as far as I can tell most of them are pretty shit tier.
I've heard people say the Dresden Files are decent but since there are some 15 of them I'm not quite convinced. It seems a bit.. mass produced?
Anything /lit/ can recommend or am I shit out of luck and have to stick to tradtional wizards in pseudo medieval towns?
>>7583329
Well, fuck it. Guess I'll just read Fevre dream instead.
>>7583329
This, and...
>>7583329
read Vurt by Jeff Noon
>>7583450
...this, are pretty good "cops encounter and/or use magic" books.
>>7583329
Aye, Dresden Files has a few good ideas/characters and a lot of generic filler. Butcher just churns stuff out in general, he's got 8 "Furies" books that are... rough.
>>7583450
>>7583457
Thanks, put them on my list. To be honest I just really want to read something with Wizards.
I once tried the Black magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan which was.. meh. She has the habit of basically having two or three stories in her book and alternating between them and by god, some of the side shit is SO fucking boring.
Also you can really feel the feminism/SJW Influences pretty hard in her books with obvious "oh there are gays in here but gays are shunned and I have to show how bad shunning gays is". I mean I do like some political issues in my fantasy, but when it's so blatantly "I'm looking at you, society!" it can fuck right off.
>>7583454
Well that plot summary sounds trippy. Maybe not quite what I was looking for but I have to admit I'm interested.
>>7583471
On the hunt for good urban fantasy I found a recommendation that said you have to "hang in there" because it takes like 3 books for the Dresden files to kick into gear.
That's quite harsh man. Expecting me to sit trough A LOT of mediocre stuff before it starts getting good.
>>7582614
He really flubs the endings imho
>>7580399
>Speculative Fiction Edition
Hi Harlan.
hey /sffg/ do you think a short fantasy story formatted like a Buzzfeed/Cracked insider perspective article could get published in a literary journal?
>>7583569
There's more literary journals than readers so probably.
>>7583573
I meant a good one, like Tor or something
in b4:
>Tor
>good
>>7583578
I don't see why not, C.S. Lewis did something similar with a bunch of his Christian stuff.
>>7583590
The problem is usually articles like those have images which probably don't mesh well
How would you do a plague in an industrial revolution/colonialism era alternate history?
>>7583500
>Expecting me to sit trough A LOT of mediocre stuff before it starts getting good.
It's like you don't even watch anime.
>>7583691
Beginning of Pratchett's Nation.
>>7581200
If your standards are low Magician is pretty comfy and fun. Just don't read after first two books. Gene Wolfe is neither comfy nor filled with great adventures. Zelazny Lord of Light is great but it is more sf then fantasy. Amber is imo shit esp later. Dunno about the rest.
>>7583721
Second Amber series is pretty bad, yeah. Stick with Corwin. They're fast reads, too, everything by Zelazny is. And Lord of Light is more myth than SF or fantasy.
>>7581527
If you are in deep shit I rec not reading. It is imo better to watch something and easier to find fun stuff without it being completely braindead.
>>7582173
No real ending makes me sad.
>>7582792
Is it worth having acc there?
>>7583329
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/359375.Night_Watch
This is ok.
>>7583749
It was before the downtime. Might take a while for the site to recover. Some people say that because of the freeleech the economy won't be as good (ie you could basically get people to upload/buy whatever by putting a big enough bounty on it but if everyone is floating in buffer no more free books.)
You can only properly use the site if you have Overdrive or another source of retail ebooks to upload from though.
If you guys have books you want from bib I can snatch them for you.
>>7583763
*retail
>>7583500
Could also try Charles Stross - The Atrocity Archives series, China Meiville - The City and the City, Kraken, and also Un-Lun-Dun (strictly speaking YA but a good read).
>>7583561
Who? Some cunt asked us to rename the general to speculative fic general, said no, and instead we would make it an "edition".
>>7581200
Best entry level comfy adventure book would be Hobbit.
If you like Witcher, The Last Wish is excellent. The rest of the books aren't on the same level sadly.
I'd add Robin Hobb and Guy Gavriel Kay to that list. Ignore Hobb's shitty titles that make her novels sound like edgy teen wank. I avoided it for so long, but it turns out Assassin's Apprentice is a slow, but brilliant and emotional character driven story.
>>7582178
Don't listen to this madman, some of the books are okay but overall it's an absolute mess of a series. The Way of Kings by Sanderson is a better alternative if you want something that feels like classic plot driven fantasy with a great setting.
>>7584249
WoT feels like a trashy anime desu
>>7582481
Enjoyment of Mieville's work is almost entirely dependent on your political leanings; College kids loved him, but as they grew up they found it much more difficult.
>>7584256
Stop that shit anon. It feels nothing like anime.
It feels like traditional fantasy, just not very good.
>>7584259
It does though, in parts. Specifically, Rand's harem of tsundere chicks and TEAM FORSAKEN BLASTING OFF AGAIN!
>>7581527
Age of Zeus by James Lovegrove. Lovegrave? On of the two.
>>7582178
lol
>>7583329
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan is really good. Usually found in the Horror section. It has a couple of sequels which aren't as good as the initial book but are decent enough.
>>7584258
This only really applies if you're really into politics in the first place and therefore notice that kind of stuff in people's work.
>>7584291
>This only really applies if you're really into politics in the first place and therefore notice that kind of stuff in people's work.
What? You literally can't miss it, It's so fucking obvious and in your face.
>>7583721
Wolfe can be adventurous and comfy in Wizard Knight. Otherwise, generally no. Some short stories and Sorcerers House.
>>7584306
>Projecting
>This hard
>>7584258
I read Perdido Street Station about 12 years ago and I still remember thinking at the time regarding some sort of flying oppressor squid beast employed by the inexplicably ruthless and omnipotent city police that "this sounds like an LF post".
>>7584319
>Y-Yeah the average reader totally understands my campus-tier politics
>Three disappointing sale numbers later
>M-Most people aren't put off by books that tell them they're evil oppressors, R-Right?
>>7584308
I don't think that's what he is doing bud. You know how faggy it is when people on the left cry about Heinlen? It's just as faggy when people on the right cry about Mieville.
>>7584329
Nobody was crying about Mieville yet OP immediately went on the defensive.
>>7584301
Not if you're reading for the story, prose, characters, world and ideas instead.
>>7584341
Okay, word police, whatever the hell you call that little panic about a book containing politics differing from your own. Most people don't have a problem reading books by authors with different political leanings, even if their politics come across in the book.
>>7584341
That wasn't me.
>>7584350
Problem with Mieville isn't that his politics are Marxist, it's that he is annoying and shitty about it
>>7584355
I'm fine baby doll, I'm not the one that is incapable of reading books that contain beliefs contrary to my own.
I am a right-winger and I immensely enjoyed Embassytown. Couldn't get into PSS for reasons unrelated to politics.
so I just came off getting spit-roasted by douglas adams and terry pratchett.
what're /lit/'s suggestions on amazing sci-fi/fantasy stories that might rival these two gods of creation?
>>7584836
You could try The Long Earth.
>>7584836
Jack Vance
>>7584856
This. First book is best (Lobsang actually does stuff), but it's a pretty solid series in general.
>>7580399
I'm going to be a THAT GUY and write a 40k novel to send to BL.
Is around 150k too long for a Warhammer novel?
>>7585775
Good luck and Godspeed
>>7586095
Thanks anon
If GW ends up not publishing i'll post the pastebin here
>>7586118
Tbh I want more good wh audiobooks I've listened to all good ones
Is there a series similar to the Dark Tower except it isn't shit? I really liked the first book but after that it's just been disappointment.
>>7585775
>Golden Experience
>Golden
>>7586433
The question is in what way similar?
>>7585775
Death to Heretics
I just read this and it was enjoyable. The prose was cringe-tier at times but otherwise serviceable. But I've been hearing that the series turns to shit after book 3. What are your opinions?
Also, is the tv show good?
Hi guys. I mistakenly opened a thread looking for recommendation, didn't know this one is up. Haven't been on /lit/ in a while.
Anyway, what do you think about The Chronicles of Amber?
>>7587324
>"...kickass space opera."
What an awkward thing to put on a book
I picked this up used at a local store because the title made me laugh and it was like $0.25. Picked it up out of boredom one day and read the whole thing in two sittings. One of the craziest and most entertaining sci-fi reads I've had in awhile. It's by no means a masterpiece, but it was a hell of a ride.
>>7585775
Making it 160k long then dive it in four "chapters" so you can have four 40k long 40k short novels
>>7587324
The fourth book is probably the weakest one, but fifth picks it back up again in my opinion.
>>7587491
I just read exactly the opposite opinion.From a Jeb supporter.
>>7586433
>yfw they're considering a black actor to play Roland
>>7587500
>caring this much
>making an issue out of literally nothing
>>7587500
who cares. it's fucking stephen king. i'd be more upset if idris elba actually stooped to play that shitty role.
>>7587500
Filthy dumb Avatarfag scum
>>7583329
The Magicians
>>7587697
>not reading the series
>not knowing about Detta
>not knowing about the important actions between a racist black woman from '60s NY and a main white character she views as THE White Man
Not surprising to see that members of /lit/ share the same plague of any other board that discusses media with people injecting opinions about something they have not read.
What are your guy's thoughts on dune? I'm about 70 pages in so far and it's pretty good
>>7588082
Imo the storytelling is atrocious. No surprise or tension whatsoever. Everything is explained before it happens. Pretty stupid imo
>>7587755
WoT probably isn't in the top 50 fantasy series ever written.
anyone got a good heist book set in a fantasy era?
>>7588213
>Everything is explained before it happens. Pretty stupid imo
I know, right?
>>7588220
name 5. I'm willing to be wrong here, but I've dug around a lot and nothing has been as interesting or compelling.
>>7588247
m8 the main character having super powers and shit doesn't mean that ridiculous exposition about Dr Yueh doesn't make the first 100 pages of the book boring
>>7582178
Although It is a long series its actually an easy read. Its not hard to keep people and places from getting mixed up. It was my first big fantasy series and I think it was a good basic series to start with.
>>7588258
Different anon here but I am reading malazan book of the fallen. I enjoyed the fuck out of WoT but Malazan is ten levels above it. Hands down my new favorite series of all time.
>>7588258
>>7588334
>>7582178
why aren't there "fan edits" of books? I mean people spend fucking years trimming down bloated films but I've never seen any kind of serious effort to "fan edit" books even though it should be a fucking million times earlier. Just cut out the shit, cut out the repetition, clean some straying plot lines up, etc. I might do this on my next read through of A Storm of Swords. Just read it on my computer and every instance of Caitlyn remembering everything she has felt or said before or every instance of "it was all he/she could do to..." right the fuck out. could probably cut some Arya running around in the rain doing fuck all for 30 pages as well
>>7588339
how is Malazan compared to the Book of Amber?
>>7588345
Because fanfiction is much easier, more creative and less legally troublesome to write. Publish a 'fanedit' and the lawyers will be on you faster than you can blink.
>>7588347
Have not had a chance to read Amber yet but is is on my list.
>>7588358
shit, im surprised that communities like fanedit.org haven't been able to be established
>>7584319
That's funny, because when I read Perdido Street Station a few months ago all I could think about is how for the second half of the book all he does is introduce one dimensional nonhuman after one dimensional nonhuman, sperg about how dangerous they are and how they'll totally be able to solve the problems of the book, and then proceed to have them killed off immediately. It was like a child playing battle with his favourite imaginary friends.
Not to mention the whole ridiculous justice scene at the end of the book. And his constant overuse of the word 'pugnacious'.
>>7588363
Well videos can ONLY reuse stuff that exists. You could refilm parts of it but without a good camera and good actors you can't achieve nearly that level of quality. You could use stock footage, voiceover and vfx, especially if you were talented at using programs such as After Effects or Premiere Pro but creating something entirely new would be a major issue, especially if you are trying to stylistically blend the lighting/quality/resolution of the original product with your newly made sections.
With text anyone can potentially create anything new. All that is required is the ability to use a text editor. There would be many more fan products, however they would greatly vary in terms of quality because the entrance barrier is much lower. The aim therefore falls upon people to tell an entirely new story, a new setting or a new ending or to establish an alternate point of view. Because it takes considerable time to type out text, people might believe that writing an entirely new plot or a significant modification of the original plot is a more worthwhile use of time then editing the original product (because most of their audience has potentially already read the book.)
The thing with writing is that you could swap out some names, plot points and mechanisms and you can end up with an entire novel that you could theoretically sell, as opposed to the film industry which requires a large number of inputs (from the director, people who create the sets, people who write scripts etc), so the better or more well connected authors are most likely less likely to create rehashes of original work.
Also, fan communities do exist for writing (ArchiveofOurOwn and Fanfiction.net come to mind) but you are more than likely to end up with porn for girls than you are to end up with slightly altered/enhanced plot, much like doujinshis.
I'll tell you something, I have never been as disappointed by an ending as I have been by the Dark Tower's. Here goes a spoiler alert to any unlucky bastard that is struggling through bad prose to get somewhere great and gorgeous at the end, I tell ya, this SUCKS. It's no ending at all, it's some stupid clichè in an already built mountain of clichè. So. Fucking. Pretentious. How can a writer praise himself so much, even put himself in the fucking book and use poor physics to deliver something so truly horrible... Shameful. At least now I can say I'm never going back to reading Stephen King ever again. This thing has almost put me off of sci fi and fantasy out and out, but I know it's not a matter of genre now, but the genre really has some of the most phony shit out there.
>>7588258
Most of Gene Wolfe which is lets say 5 series.
All of Tolkien.
Most of Fritz Leiber
Elric
Conan
Hannish Cycle
Dick since he is basically fantasy
Bulgakov so Heart of a Dog and Master and Margarita
Amber Chronicles
>>7588668
>Idris Elba is based though.
Apart from you already know he's going to try his hardest to do a Denzel impression.
>>7587994
You relinquished your abilility to have your opinion taken seriously when you started avatarfagging with images related to YA fantasy.
>>7588234
Lies of Locke Lamora
Started reading The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, what does /lit/ think of that? Somewhat intriguing story so far but the prose is kind of childish and clumsy IMO (in the english translation) and it's not nearly as hard as my homeboy Greg Egan's stuff.
What would you file a story in the vein of the film Groundhog Day (i.e., a repeating day in a world that's otherwise exactly like ours) under?
The premise I'm writing under seems flexible enough to work alongside any other theme, and that film best matches my "act 1".
>>7589118
>the prose is kind of childish and clumsy
Pretty much everything prose I've read from China could be described like that or "simple".
Are there any books like Redwall but are not so black and white in morality? I just want to read about animal people killing each other.
>>7589138
Give the visual novel Cross Channel a try, it's relatively short and have a good time loop plot.
>>7588247
Mistborn
I am looking for a first contact novel. I've read a few and will recommend two. Mote in god's eye, pretty good. The other is Crossfire. What I liked best in these two were it happened far from earth, with no invasion content and focused on the scifi with little politics. I didn't like the second book of crossfire though, as the scifi and most of the world from the first book was mostly set aside.
I am currently reading blightsight. Any other hard scifi with first contact theme, preferably far from earth?
>>7589353
Greg Egan - Incandescence
Pretty far-out, the first contact theme plays on 2 levels, very post-human.
Poul Anderson, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, David Brin, Nancy Kress and Frederik Pohl - Murasaki
More of a traditional humans-colonize-alien-planet story, plays exclusively on the spaceships and the double planet system itself with a nicely craft world and story.
Just finished a Wizard of Earthsea
Thought it was pretty good. Should I continue the series?
>>7589542
Just the first three.
>>7589353
Blindsight by Peter WattsAnathem by Neil Stephenson< Seriously, knowing that this book is a first contact novel is pretty spoiler-y
How come /lit/ seems to love Mistborn but Hate Kingkiller?
>>7589673
>this book is a first contact novel
But it isn't.
>>7588339
Malazan is kinda awful except for Tehol
>>7589701
Because they are shit.
>>7589101
I didn't like this one very much. I've read it a long time ago, though, I don't remember all the details. The first book was okay until the ending, but the second book made me drop it.
>>7583329
>I've heard people say the Dresden Files are decent but since there are some 15 of them I'm not quite convinced. It seems a bit.. mass produced?
Yeah, I didn't care much for the Dresden Files either. I think I almost finished the first book long ago.
Anyone has a good book about wizardry? The Name of the wind left a gap I am looking to fill. I didn't find any with a good world building. Has anybody read the book that came recently about Auri, by the way?
>>7589822
>Anyone has a good book about wizardry?
The Soulforged
>>7589754
Thanks. Now I can read and keep thinking that maybe it really isn't.
>>7589701
What the hell is going on in this webm?
>>7582614
>>7582481
>>7583534
I think the main thing is that China's characters are incredibly passive. This creates progression problems in the book that make them feel more slow-paced than they have any right to be when you have the subject matter and worlds that he is introducing. It also causes the lackluster endings, because everything that happens, just happens to the main characters for the most part.
>>7589701
Only like 2 people here like Sanderson
I just finished reading Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. It was the first 4 star book I've read since 2014. The plot was sad but predictable. Definitely worth it if you're into the young adult / children's stuff.
My favourite author and book are A Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss.
>The plot was sad but (slightly) predictable. Definitely worth it if you're into the young adult / children's stuff.
Ignoring that I'd like to talk about David Gemmell. I read his Rigante series a while ago and it was fantastic. He does a great flawed hero. So I tried to give his much longer, though earlier, Draenei series ago. The first book was quite frankly a child's attempt compared to the content of Rigante. So my question is when does the man who wrote Legend become the man who wrote A Sword in he Storm? is it worth grinding through or should I Skip to a later book? when did he get good?
>>7581200
Peter V. Brett
David Gemmell
Garth Nix
and Sanderson deserves a mention, for the volume of solid work
>>7582178
Malazan might be a better comparison and recommendation.
>>7588339
I dropped Malazan half way through book 8 - Toll the Hounds. I had always hated that character kept getting abandoned throughout the novels, but the new characters had always been fantastic. Until book 8. Is it worth pushing through?
>>7589542
Absolutely not.
But you will ignore my advice and read on anyway.
When you get to the grind that is the start of the second novel, know that it never ends.
I know this is a very late response but:
>>7574890
>silmarillion
>tolkien in general
>good prose
>poetry
HAHAAHAHAHAhahaha
The Silmarillion is only enjoyable if you already have an interest in the legendarium. It's Tolkien showing off his world-building and not much else. Even Tolkien fans mostly struggle to read it, to the point that having read the Silmarillion marks you as a official Tolkien fan™ in the eyes of the niche that even knows what the Silmarillion is but isn't personally interested in the legendarium. In other words: The book's so fucking uninteresting besides providing background for the rest of its setting (granted, it definitely wasn't made to stand on its own) reading it is seen as a rite of passage.
Dune drags on for too long far too often, but at least it can stand on its own as a work of literature. I never had to force myself through it sans God-Emperor, to which I can make a similar complaint to the one I make about the Silmarillion; it's there mostly to provide background for the next (in my opinion, much better, or at least more entertaining) 2 books.
>>7589701
you have it backwards
MIstborn was great until about book 3 when the author tried to write some high level military strategy. He failed miserably, and I dropped the book. Lucky he caught on and took it easy in Stormlight with a simplistic 12p king of the hill "strategy."
Kingkiller is still going strong because it's kept to world building.
>>7589822
>Anyone has a good book about wizardry?
The painted/warded man.
Earthsea.
Abhorsen.
>>7580399
72 redditors
>>7587334
g-guys pls
>>7590135
It will make you really despise the adjunct and it has the cheesiest DINDU NUFFIN redemption arc ever.
Also if you loved philosophical rants while marching in the desert, you will LOVE the last two books.
>>7590168
Some people come here to actually talk about books they like without having to deal with the endless stream of memes, unjustified elitism and general e-penis shaking that is /lit/. Stand-alone threads tend to get drowned among the Pepes and the uppity liberal art majors yelling about philosophers they haven't read a single line from.
What does SFFG think about the Books of Ember? I remember really liking the first one.
>>7590177
Tavore?
How could I hate her after her lady friend's death scene?
Also I hate deserts.
I'll give it a miss, I think.
>>7581253
I'm currently halfway through, it's been a rewarding read so far. I highly recommend it if you're on the fence
>>7590112
Why is Brett on that list? Curious choice.
>>7589822
>Has anybody read the book that came recently about Auri, by the way?
I thought it was the best of the three.
ok, lets get this straight
what's better, Malazan of Wheel of Time? Both seem to be the go to recommendations for elaborate and adventurous fantasy series apart from ASOIAF, but people recommend and call both complete shit
I'll probably avoid WOT since my biggest complaint about ASOIAF was the bloat it built up as it went on and WOT is apparently even more notorious for that
Apparently Book of Amber, Hyperion, and Zimiamvian Trilogy come also highly recommended
so what's shit and what isn't?
>>7590371
Different tastes. I could get in to whether I think one persons taste is better than someone elses but I don't like doing that. Try them both and see which you like better.
>>7590381
what's the common critique of Malazan then? I seriously have a low tolerance for bloat/filler/repetition
>>7590393
It's DBZ. It's not quality by any means but some find it entertaining. It's like Warhammer.
>>7590371
Those series are crazy different. Amber starts with an amnesia plot of a guy in modern (70s) America who finds out he's part of a crazy reality-bending royal family, and remembers he wanted to become king, and takes some trusted brothers and sisters to gather a multi-dimensional army to take over the royal city. Betrayal ensues, stakes get heightened. It's not Zelazny's best but it certainly is his most. Expect vernacular English, nonstop action, and niece incest.
Hyperion is SF written with a fantastic feel to it, elevated prose, and generally an aim for greatness. Doesn't really make it in my opinion but it was really fun, at least the first two books. Couldn't get into the second half, there's some really heavy Catholic allegory there. Expect Chaucer references, time-traveling spike robots, and attempted sex with time-traveling spike robots.
Zimiamvian I don't know much about, only that it's written by Eddison, a pre-Tolkien, pre-Lovecraft pulp-era author who also wrote Worm Ourobouros. Expect a feeling of grandeur, loving descriptions of fights and decorations, and the word "languid."
>>7590393
I usually see people complaining about it being confusing and poorly written. I'd say both points are pretty fair although I think the main reason there is confusion from some readers is because it isn't written that well. It's not bad though, I didn't find it too confusing and the writing wasn't bad enough to make me stop reading.
I haven't finished the whole series and I don't plan on finishing it anytime soon but I don't regret reading what I read of it.
>>7590482
that sound pretty neat then. I've actually been meaning to get into warhammer but there's so much shit of ranging quality
I've heard that Abnett is a good start for 40k but even then knowing what order to read shit in is obnoxious to try and find out
>>7590298
He's been killing it with demon cycle. Especially the second book.
>>7590393
The Author doesn't like to keep characters around between books. Not many of them die (certainly not permanently) and even if they don't, they get no chapters in the later books.
New characters are consistantly introduced though, so it never runs into the problem of ASOIAF where you've crossed off all the characters you like and there's nothing but Cersei chapters.
>>7590371
The first Hyperion book is decent. If you read the full series, you quickly learn that the author is lazy and stopped caring.
>>7590618
But the third book was very lackluster, and while I haven't read the fourth book, I've heard nothing but bad things about it. I do agree that the first two books were surprisingly good but it seems he's gone done the path of writing filler about pointless side characters, or placing undue importance toward main characters like that whore Leesha.
>>7589701
Man, Ultraman has really gone to shit.
Are the Space Odyssey sequels worth reading? I really enjoyed the first one.
can you recommend me good audiobooks or voice actors?
Guys, help me, I forgot the title of a book and I can only remember a major plot key from it:
a guy gets teleported through time and space constantly but shows up in his hometown every seventeen years or something. That's it. I know nothing about the author except that it's a science fiction novel.
Any idea what it could be?
>>7589822
Iron Druid Chronicles
>>7590891
Sounds like something Ray Bradbury would write. Can't help you otherwise.
>>7590741
I liked the third, the fourth was by far the worst
>>7590905
don't listen to this guys bullshit
>>7590865
Brent Weeks' graphic audiobooks, all of them.
>>7590949
What you got against iron druid?
>>7590960
I have never read a lower quality trash tier book.
It's worse than twilight and 50 shades.
>>7590741
>Shits on any series
>Enjoys reading Sanderson, AKA the John Green of Fantasy fiction
>>7590947
I found myself only enjoying the parts with Arlen and Rojer in the third book, and the ending was pretty decent with that final fight. I really do like Arlen as a character and a main character.
>>7590994
You can easily look through the archives to find otherwise but I understand the propensity to create lies in order to continue living a happy life with pre-conceived biased notions.
so I started reading Clive Barker's Imajica (pic related) and I cannot put it down. I'm also reading through his books of blood and I like how all the stories have the perfect balance of getting into the meat of things and build-up
>>7591066
How is The Last Unicorn? I saw an interview of R*thfuss creaming himself over it and kinda feel like watching an animated film so I thought maybe I could read the novel first.
>>7590135
original anon you asked here. to be honest thats the same spot I am at. Im not a huge fan of toll the hounds but from what I have heard the ending of the series is pretty amazing. I know the author cant put out his best work every time so Im going to finish it.
>>7589762
You are wrong.
>>7591068
second times the charm anon
>>7590112
Re-reading Brett right now. I kill through these books. Easy reading, interesting enough story, and pretty solid characters. Nothing too heavy, but enjoyable nonetheless. Haven't read the 3rd one yet, so I figured I'd re-read the first 2. Hopefully the 3rd book is decent.
bro that captcha just made me think: what did they call sub rolls before submarines exist?
>>7590243
She turns out to be a really selfish person.
>>7591076
It's good as long as you don't get too hung up on the fact that it's basically a book for precocious children. You can probably get through it in a few hours, definitely worth it.
>>7583329
The Magicians trilogy is some of the best fantasy written, let alone urban fantasy.
>>7590845
They're not really that great, but they aren't a waste of time either. 2010 and 2061, at least, were decent. 3001 really felt phoned in but wasn't unreadable trash the way the Rama sequels were.
Why is this thread on the literature board?
>>7591841
Take it up with the mods.
>>7583828
>He doesn't even know who Harlan Ellison is
>>7591841
Becauseur a faget
>>7591802
Clarke's short stories are criminally underrated.
http://www.mayofamily.com/RLM/txt_Clarke_Superiority.html
>>7581200
Definitely Sanderson. His worldbuilding and character development are phenomenal
>>7591960
Not yet, anon. Not yet. Another forty years of ball-busting ten-hour writing days might hone him into a legend, but not yet.
Alright anons, post your sci-fi/fantasy guilty pleasure and reason why you like it.
>>7591979
Pic related combines my inner child's love for base/fortress building, surviving in a apocalyptic scenario, applying modern day knowledge to solve problems, and OP main character.
![the-collected-stories-of-arthur-c-clarke-9780312878603[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/wjDAW6H.jpg "the-collected-stories-of-arthur-c-clarke-9780312878603[1].jpg")
>>7591932
Barnes & Noble were selling pic related a few years back, I bought it and read through it. Agreed on being underrated. Seems hard for authors who wrote any good novels to get much recognition for short stories in general though. I'm sure if Ted Chiang ever gets around to writing a novel in 15 years no one will much remember his short stories.
>>7590169
Corwin stuff is ok, rest is terrible imo. There are better books out there but if you are desperate or dont care much go wild.
>>7587334
Amber is one of my favorites, at least for the first five books starring Corwin. The rest of the books with Merlin aren't nearly as good but I still liked them.
I also highly recommend Zelazny's Lord of Light which deservedly won the Hugo.
>>7591979
I still like the Belgariad even though it's very formulaic.
>>7590969
Are we talking about the same series by Kevin Hearne?
Is it because you hate dogs? Or you are an atheist, and the notion that gods are real(plot, kinda) is what pissed you off?
>>7591034
He's right though, you shit on Rothfuss all the time.
>>7591979
>>7591841
Because we are actually discussing books, and not memeing, philposting and shitposting in general.
Mods would rather a thread that is 100% on topic, than some trump thread discussing elections on the fucking literature board .
>>7588347
Malazan is definitely better
>>7592321
To be fair Trump has written some incredibly useful books on Business.
>>7591979
sci-fi as a genre is a guilty pleasure.
>>7592332
Not becuase he wrote books you can speak of his fuckin presidential run.
It's not on topic. Speak of the fucking book, but they don't. They spout a bunch of stromfront memes and bs in those threads.
The whole problem is that they don't discuss anything. There is a board for philosophism and political discussion.
>>7592291
Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1)
by Kevin Hearne
I have nothing against dogs, and don't mind the Irish mythology. Sword in the Storm is one of my favourites actually, and it features the Morrígu as the only reoccurring character.
But the story is so weak. The whole point of mythological fantasy is that it is supposed to add depth.
>>7591076
It's based. Ignore the fact that Rothfuss is a drooling neckbeard beta faggot, he's actually right about this one.
>>7591527
hoagie rolls?
>>7589353
It's not far from earth, but Childhood's End is a classic of the genre that you should read.
Despite being one of the most influential first contact novels, it somehow remains one of the most unique.
>>7592370
why
>>7592112
Merlin's stories have a couple of cool concepts, like the Ghostwheel and... I think there was something else, too.
>>7592375
Try more than one book, where did you stop?
As a fant reader, you know it sometimes takes more than one book for the Authors to find their footing (Dresden being a prime example ).
>>7589353
Rendezvous with Rama?
>>7590584
Read Horus Heresy in order, first 3 and after those only Abnett and Aaron Dembeski Bowen. Everything else is absolute trash, even as dumb fun.
>>7590633
> the problem of ASOIAF where you've crossed off all the characters you like and there's nothing but Cersei chapters
This is bait right? Nobody is so retarded as to actually skip all of a character's chapters and read them when you've got nothing else to read right?
>>7592897
My friend did that. He had no idea what was going on in half the latter books because he skipped Cersei and Brienne chapters, maybe Bran too. I don't fucking know man.
Regardless I don't think that's what the anon meant, I think he meant that all the characters whose chapters you like die and you're only left with shitty ones. (Though I liked Cersei chapters.)
Need a recommendation, /lit/. Student of mine won an essay contest and, for some reason, I was given a small cash award as well as her. I want to use it to get her a book or two. I know she is really into fantasy, and I would like to get her something that can work off that interest but will also be a bit more "literary" than what she is used to. I know nothing of the fantasy genre, really, so I could use some help. I was thinking something Philip K. Dick maybe? I recently read Radio Free Albemuth and thought that might work? What do you think?
>>7592960
Well, is she into sci-fi or proper fantasy (like swords and magic)? How old is she? Would she enjoy gritty fantasy or would she prefer something more light-hearted?
>>7592960
The answers always Jack Vance.
>>7592960
Borges and Wolfe shorts
>>7592988
I think moreso what you call "proper fantasy", but some sci-fi, too. She's in 10th grade (15 years old). Her interests seem to lie somewhere in the middle as far as lighthearted vs. gritty. Not so dark as something like Lovecraft but not My Little Pony, either.
>>7593027
The Earthsea cycle is pretty good for what you described but you should ask her first if she read it, because it's fairly popular.
>>7593027
I don't really know much about sci-fi, but I think The Last Wish, the first book in the Witcher fantasy series, is excellent. It's a collection of short stories. The second book is pretty good too, but keep in mind that the rest of the books are shit. Also, since she's 15 she might enjoy Brandon Sanderson's books. Try Elantris or The Final Empire.
>>7593024
>Borges
Hmm, hadn't thought of him. Good idea, though, I'll definitely consider it.
>>7593031
If it's even remotely popular, I'm pretty sure she's read it. I also don't want to ask because I want it to be a surprise that I'm getting her something. Thanks for the rec, though.
>>7593041
I'll look into them. Like I said, I'm looking for something that would be considered more "literary", which is why I liked the Borges rec from the earlier anon. Would your recs meet that criterion?
>>7593041
You can't really judge the main witcher story by the short stories since they're very different. Also I found the English translation unbearable
>>7592960
I know this maybe off topic... but are you:
-female
-a mother
-wears business(sexy suits) to work
-do you get wet by the thoughts of your sex starved students wantonly ravaging your body
-would you take a 25 yr old kissless virgin's vcard
>>7593059
Sanderson and Witcher books are not litarary at all.
Earthesea was popular before I believe but now as far as I'm aware it isn't well known, heck less than her other works.
>>7593059
You won't find much "literary" fantasy. Your best bet would be to get her something she would want to read. If you want to give her something literary, just give her something you like and stop pretending the gift is actually about her.
>>7593087
There is plenty of literary fantasy and it's pretty easy to find
>>7593108
Depends on how broadly you define fantasy.
>>7593165
Tolkien is quite fantasy is is literary. So are Borges, Wolfe, Chesterton, Le Guin, arguably Dick.
>>7593087
>stop pretending the gift is about her
No need to be a dick. It is about her.
I stated pretty explicitly that I'm looking for something to bridge the gap between what she currently reads and works that are of more "literary merit". I don't see why it should be seen as such a bad, narcisisstic thing to want to encourage a student to read deeper, more complex works when she already shows great interest in reading and writing.
So if you don't have a recommendation, kindly fuck off with your negative, projecting, armchair psychology bullshit. Thank you.
>>7593238
In case you still don't get it, I'm not necessarily looking for "literary fantasy". I simply stated that I noticed she tends to enjoy reading fantasy (her writing assignments frequently are of a fantasy bent as well), so I am looking for something that she might like given that interest.
>>7593238
You seem pretty upset. Get her whatever you want, it doesn't matter. Just be sure you're okay with the fact that she may not be in to what you get for her.
I don't know this girl at all, but a lot of time kids that only read fantasy or science fiction have some fucked up stuff in their life and they don't want anything serious, books are their escape. If she is just a normal kid that likes reading and just prefers fantasy, get her whatever.
>>7593238
If she's fine with the occasional graphic sex scene, get her Hyperion.
>>7591034
>You can easily look through the archives to find otherwise but I understand the propensity to create lies in order to continue living a happy life with pre-conceived biased notions.
He has juvenile prose and his plots and characters are straight out of vidya. He's a bad writer and only appeals to the "le gamer" demographic.
I picked up The Drowned World after I saw one of my favourite (non-SF) authors give a glowing recommendation of Ballard. Hasn't arrived yet, but should on Monday.
Did I do good /lit/?
>>7584319
LF?
>>7593192
I didn't know Wolfe was so strictly Christian
probably explains why he's so GOAT
>>7593059
Well, Borges is always a good bet. Might wanna try some magical realism? García Márquez, Isabel Allende.
>>7593359
You didn't get the whole Severian becoming a Christian? That's essentially the point of the story in his own words.
>>7593399
only read fifth head of cerberus
