/sffg/ - Science Fiction and Fantasy General

[Anonymous No.21553468]

Crystal Power Plant Edition

Previous Thread:>>21541240

>Recommended reading charts (Look here before asking for vague recs)
https://mega.nz/folder/kj5hWI6J#0cyw0-ZdvZKOJW3fPI6RfQ/folder/guIyhAzS

>Archive
>>/lit/?task=search2&search_subject=sffg

>Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1029811-sffg

[Anonymous No.21553501]

You WILL read female written scifi and you WILL like

[Anonymous No.21553571]

So I started reading Victorian 'romances' and fairy tales, starting with Phantastes by George MacDonald. The protagonist is just trying to fuck everything. There's a beautiful fairy at the beginning that he mindlessly gropes for. Then in fairy land the flowers and trees all have human forms that come out at night and he spends a night cuddling with a beech tree that saves him from an evil ash tree. Then he finds a statue woman and sings a love song to her until she wakes up and runs into the trees, but when he chases after her he gets tricked by an alder tree pretending to be another hot woman.
It's pretty nice so far.

[Anonymous No.21553619]

I never read Tolkien, I really liked the movies, are the books much better? Sometimes I ignore reading/watching the same thing because I think it kills the surprise but im curious about the books

[Anonymous No.21553662]

Bakker is King

[Anonymous No.21553811]

>>21553619
The films are a flashy synopsis

[Anonymous No.21553908]

>>21553619
I think broad concensus among non-Tolkien knobgobblers is LotR movies were better than the books because they omitted all the boring shit from The Two Towers, but The Hobbit was better as a book because the movie trilogy adds a lot of bloated fan fiction dialog.

[Anonymous No.21553916]

Just finished the city & the city. The dream logic of it was cool but sometimes a bit unsatisfactory because the ending feels somewhat unexpected or confusing, like the dead end of some reverie you wake up from and don't really know what to make of it. I know Mieville intended for a very weird spin on detective novels as well as a "setting" that defies most others, but it's hard to make art out of dreams.

[Anonymous No.21553918]

>>21553811
>>21553908
should i start with hobbit or lotr?

[Anonymous No.21553927]

>>21553918
Most people say to start with hobbit first but it doesn't matter. Just read what you feel like

[Anonymous No.21554005]

>>21553918
The Hobbit. Easy and fun to get through.

[Anonymous No.21554092]

>>21553918
The Hobbit is first in publication order and series chronology. A lot of the problem with the movies is they try to reformat it as a prequel to LotR by adding redundant context.

[Anonymous No.21554168]

>10 chapters of Paranoid Mage to catch up on
I binged this one quickly and what a fucking ride it was. I believe I enjoyed the earlier bits to the later bits but I like it as a whole and I'm looking forward to seeing how he ends the overall series with the fifth and final book.
>30+ chapters of DCC I could read
Not sure if I want this momentum to die so I may finally stop letting it build and read up to the current content. Glad I got web2epub working on the patreon upload site.

[Anonymous No.21554180]

>>21554168
Oh no, it's only 28 chapters. Not 30+.

[Anonymous No.21554184]

Read The Wandering Inn, Read Mother of Learning, Read I Shall Seal the Heavens.

Also read The Prince of Nothing, Neuromancer, Cradle, A Song of Ice and Fire, Hyperion, Between Two Fires, The Poppy War.

[Anonymous No.21554186]

>>21554168
>Paranoid Mage
I really like the story but the guy can't write dialogues for shit. Any interactions between Callum and any other character is frivilous shit with pointless lines.

[Anonymous No.21554207]

>>21554186
Some of the writing is amateur sure but I don't believe much of the dialogue is quite that bad. I also take it in stride considering how suspicious/paranoid the fucker is.
For me, the only outwardly jarring thing is probably the random casual time skips.

[Anonymous No.21554218]

>>21554184
Hyperion sucks tho

[Anonymous No.21554230]

>>21554207
It's not gonna make me drop the series but I notice it every time. I guess every writers have their quirks but this one bothers me. Think braid-tugging but in dialogue form.

[Anonymous No.21554237]

>>21552854
>>21553126
I looked through it and there wasn't any cunny. It's not going to magically appear If I read it.
Again, the only thing that can be construed as cunny is in the first ~80 pages out of 4000 there is 1 cunny scene which is a rape scene with a 9-year-old that has 1 detail which is a metaphore. That's it.
You are just not well-read if you think that constitutes a cunny book.
It was also just non-stop contextless poorly written dialogue, which isn't a plus.

[Anonymous No.21554262]

>>21554207
Not your previous poster.
I've read Paranoid Mage but I dropped 10 chapters ago because of the bad characterization. After some point the only real people in this story are Shahey and Callum. I also don't understand how exactly Callum can be described as "paranoid" when everything he does is perhaps the quarter of what a paranoid person would do in his situation. Even before I was dropping I told myself "Fuck, why didn't he think of [insert reasonable strategy fallback plan against reasonable threat]?" continuously and I raged multiple times because of how ridiculous it got that Callum kept winning when he clearly shouldn't have. It also didn't help that other characters like to underline how "paranoid" Callum is at all times. I'll admit book one was great albeit a bit weird on a moral standpoint, though.

[Anonymous No.21554283]

>>21554230
I get you. That's fair.
>>21554237
Is it a humiliation fetish? Why does a minimum of one newfag take every opportunity to embarrass themselves in front of everyone in every thread?
>>21554262
>stopping at the start of book 4
Considering the circumstances, his paranoia is justified which makes it silly when he's lambasted for it in-book. But sure, there is/are a number of other methods he could have employed and of course he'll continue to win since he's the MC. I thought he would be in deep shit once he was caught on his way to the final study visit with Gayle but nope. I do believe that having a child was a fucking retarded decision.

[Anonymous No.21554289]

>>21554283
Pedo site. Newfag.

[Anonymous No.21554347]

>>21552896
Maybe, maybe not. It's a plot point that the greater the consolidation, the greater the force pulling it apart. So it's concievable that a sequence -1 would just instantly explode back into a dozen sequence 0s. Or maybe there's some method to moving a step forward. In that case you have to think about how "God" is ONLY the earth and the solar system, and equal or superior beings could exist in every solar system. But then again that scale is so ludicrous you'd have a hard time fitting it even in most xiaxia systems.
I mean theoretically you could have the mc be a sentient solar system and have the "cultivation world" be the entire galaxy, but it's so abstract and inhuman it'd either be impossible to understand, boring, or abstracted to the point where it's a standard setting and people just use funny names for things.
My prediction is that part two will be mostly angel level, with the MC eventually coming into play against MAYBE ONE lovecraft-esque super-god from beyond the stars where he has to team up with the outer gods and gattai into a giant gurren lagaan
It's really unclear what's left to do in part two desu, he's already used all the setting, plot twists, characters, etc... What else is there to do that isn't just a repeat?

[Anonymous No.21554349]

>>21554218
Shut the fuck up retard

[Anonymous No.21554400]

>>21554218
This, I have no idea why everyone fellates this garbage so hard. There are some cool ideas, priest's story is pure kino, but as a whole it is incoherent mess filled with tedious padding. Shrike is literally just author himself invading the story to get the plot going when it loses momentum or just spice things up with an action sequence.

[Anonymous No.21554421]

3/4 done with Children of Dune. I sure hope Emperor is the promised land you faggots described it as, because Messiah and Children are some of the worst fucking sequels written to a masterpiece ever.

[Anonymous No.21554444]

>>21554349
>but it's ... le cool!!
So are Koreans twinks, it doesn't change the fact that the series lacks depth, unique character and locations, it's as replaceable as popcorn.

[Anonymous No.21554449]

>>21554444
Shut the fuck up retard

[Anonymous No.21554597]

Good mystery books?

Or good hard-fantasy mystery books or hard-science-fiction mystery?

(Basically, that an established consistent logic is present.)

[Anonymous No.21554613]

>>21554597
you can look into the 7 1/2 deaths of evelyn hardcastle and see if that looks appealing to you

[Anonymous No.21554625]

Good cunny books?

Or good hard-fantasy cunny books or hard-science-fiction cunny?

(Basically, that an established sexy little girl is present.)

[None !SFFG.n1h7M No.21554667]

>>21553468
Tress of the Emerald Sea - Brandon Sanderson (2023)

Sanderson wrote that he intended this to be adjacent to a grown-up fairy tale and in that regard I think it's a complete success. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. He also wrote that it was only shared with his wife, as a gift to her, and I think the passion of that also comes through. It's different in meaningful ways from anything I've ever read from him, which may be a problem for those expecting more of the same that's typical of his Cosmere writings. It's by far the most humorous work I've read from him, not so far in that I'd call this a comedy or a satire, but it goes a long way towards that. His humor for me has mostly been a miss, but I found it amusing enough this time around. He's definitely become more proficient in a style of humor of being crude and lewd in an obscured way. His practice of making suggestive political and social commentary while also providing life lessons is also here as well. I don't find anything wrong with that, but some might.

The primary theme for this novel is about taking chances and pushing your boundaries because then you may discover what truly motivates you in life, and it may well be something you hadn't even the slightest idea that it could be. It's a tale told by Hoid of self-discovery, courage, determination, friendship, loyalty, and of course, love. If you find those ideas to be trite, then this book will have substantially less to offer you. For me it was a considerable amount of visceral joy, especially near the end.

What was most surprising for me is how little I minded the length considering its content. Usually when I'm reading Sanderson I think that it could be much shorter. It's not even that he's necessarily better at short length, he has some awful short fiction. The content for a full three-quarters of the book is being on ships sailing. I don't know if that makes it nautical fantasy, but there's certainly an argument for it. There's not much to do fill several hundred pages worth of being on a ship other than discussion, experimentation, and a few dangerous events on the high pollen seas. Yes, the seas are filled with pollen, twelve varieties around the world that each have their own magical effects.

There's a twist, but considering the extensive foreshadowing it receives to where it's all but stated multiple times, I don't know if it really counts as one. I thought I caught it early on, but at the end, the book literally tells the reader when the earliest point they could've known and how. Considering how obvious it was in retrospect, I was rightfully put in my place. As to whom Hoid is telling all of this, it's indirectly stated near the very end, but that requires having read the relevant novella and remembering. As to why he is, I guess that's just a Hoid thing to do.

I'm very pleased by this simple and straightforward story that's filled with heart.

Rating: 4/5

[Anonymous No.21554681]

Gameplayers of Titan was great. Its weird how in PKDs books he doesnt really describe much its mostle dialogue but yet i get a pretty clear image of the strange delusional worlds he makes.

Also i finished The Great Hunt. Liked it way more than the Eye of the World. Theyre kinda comfy but i wish i wouldnt have started them. I shoukd have listened. Now i feel invested though ill probably keep going. The world is pretty cool but the characters suck.

[Anonymous No.21554715]

>>21554421
Children is a bit of a slog, but if you didn't like Messiah you'll probably get filtered by God Emperor too.

[Anonymous No.21554770]

>>21554715
>Children
Is it aptly named, or is it just postmodern-nonsense naming?

[Anonymous No.21554787]

I need help.

I need a book, preferably sci-fi, that was released from 1950 to this year that clearly tackles philosophical issues. I know Le Guinn and Lem wrote such stories, but I need one specific that I know is going to have philosophy.

I'm having a philosophical history exam the next month and the professor allowed us to pick one book from the newest times to answer one question from it.

[Anonymous No.21554796]

[Anonymous No.21554863]

>>21554770
It's about Paul's children

[Anonymous No.21554873]

>>21554787
It might be better to name the sort of philosophical problem you're interested in. Naming random books may not get you one you have any interest in. If you don't know what kind of philosophical problem you're interested in then that may be a problem in of itself.

[Anonymous No.21554914]

>>21554667
Is this good to read as a standalone if I've never read any of the other Cosmere stuff or do you miss out on too much?

[Anonymous No.21554925]

>>21554787
1984
Brave New World
Roadside Picnic
almost anything by Philip Dick
2001: A Space Odyssey
Frankenstein

I think most good fiction touches on philosophy.

[Anonymous No.21554976]

>>21554914
I don't know how much you define "too much" as. You'll miss out on stuff, but it's only references to other Cosmere works. There isn't anything integral to the story that requires having read other works. This takes place on a new planet, so in terms of setting it's all new. There's one character who is in basically every Cosmere work that's in this. However, not not knowing anything may actually have you appreciate some of it more because you'd have less of an idea where's it's going. In terms of spoilers for other Cosmere books, I'd say they're rather minimal.

[Anonymous No.21555039]

>>21554613
I note this. Thanks.

[Anonymous No.21555045]

>>21554625
Conny?

[Anonymous No.21555055]

>>21555045
Oh... You're making fun of me. I shouldn't have feed.

[Anonymous No.21555089]

>>21554597
Six Wakes
Gone World
The Dispatcher

[Anonymous No.21555094]

>>21554625
Fledgling

[Anonymous No.21555121]

>>21555094
>10-year-old
A whee bit too old.
>African-American
Pass.

[Anonymous No.21555136]

>>21555055
Jesus Christ is this entire board full of pansy faggots or is it just /sffg/?

[Anonymous No.21555141]

>>21554925
None of what you listed "touches on philosophy".

[Anonymous No.21555148]

>>21555136
I was tired and don't write much to avoid being noticed normally

[Anonymous No.21555152]

>>21555089
I note that. Thank you.

[Anonymous No.21555155]

>>21555148
Maybe >>>/soc/ or >>>/reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/ is more your speed.

[Anonymous No.21555156]

>>21555121
Obviously Japanese works are overflowing with relevant material. There's self-published Western material as well. It'd be rather difficult to find traditionally published works.

[Anonymous No.21555162]

>>21555141
That's what happens without specifying.

[Anonymous No.21555164]

>>21555094
If the book was older, it would be a little more impressive. Actual published Japanese authors have been doing the old with a child's body meme in ero since at least the 80s. And those books have pictures, which make them inherently superior.

[Anonymous No.21555218]

>>21554667
>>21554976
your """reviews""" are shit
FUCK OFF

[Anonymous No.21555222]

>>21555155
"Conny" instead "corny" of course that without the proper word I wouldn't have directly guessed + tired+ make sure to avoid the troll

---

But then who cares? Why does it bother you? It's not like I'm the retard who asks for books with little girls. Why doesn't it bother you in the board? It's just because you don't care and you just want to feel superior.


You can reply to me but I won't reply anymore, the kind of "discussion" you're trying to set up with me is just a waste of time.

[Anonymous No.21555243]

>>21555222
I suggest you take your meds. And little girls are far better than whatever shit you masturbate to, that's fax.

[Anonymous No.21555244]

>>21555218
Your dedication to replying which may encourage others to reply because the more replies a post has the more likely it is that even more will reply. Thank you, I appreciate your free service.

[Anonymous No.21555250]

>>21555222
Also, you replied to me first, again, medication.

[Anonymous No.21555268]

>>21555244
>because the more replies a post has the more likely it is that even more will reply
/lit/ard confusing correlation with causation.

[Anonymous No.21555269]

Arabian Nights is better fantasy than most

[Anonymous No.21555280]

[Anonymous No.21555369]

>>21553619
Books are better. In my opinion films cut out a lot of what made the Fellowship and Two Towers great. The suspense of evading the Nazgul is portrayed way better in the first book than in the film, although it makes sense because film doesn't have that much time for it.
I could recommend audiobooks. Either one by Rob Inglis for great narration or one by Phil Dragash for sound affects and such.

[Anonymous No.21555377]

>>21553501
No, and in general I stopped reading sci fi and fantasy and instead read about history and the live out my own fantasy settings while listening to music.

[Anonymous No.21555410]

>>21555377
Why are you in here? Are you the shitposter who is obsessed with responding to our reviewautist?

[Anonymous No.21555411]

>>21555377
Then why are you posting in this thread?

[Anonymous No.21555421]

>>21555410
>>21555411
Nah. I don't know, I visit here like once a month. I guess hoping that I see something that captures my interest.

[Anonymous No.21555427]

>>21555410
>reviewautist
He is more of a closeted homosexual or a tranny.

[Anonymous No.21555431]

>>21554667
Good writeup
I feel the same way, really pleasantly surprised by the book.

Who do you think hoid was telling the story to at the end?

[Anonymous No.21555432]

Name a better protagonist than Meng Hao. He is entirely made up of, what the Japanese would call, pragmatic DNA.

[Anonymous No.21555433]

>>21554914
>>21555218
>T.Doug

[Anonymous No.21555439]

>>21555218
I like them , shut up

[Anonymous No.21555444]

My brother got me Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" for Christmas and I've been putting it off to read 1077 BC. Is the book any good?

[Anonymous No.21555448]

>>21554976
I actually think it's totally spoiler free from the rest of the cosmere.
The only thing that could be a spoiler is where a certain character came from, but it's never outright stated 'what' he is anyway so you only really make the connection if you have read both books. Which is well done imo.

[Anonymous No.21555465]

>>21554667
>It's a tale told by Hoid of self-discovery, courage, determination, friendship, loyalty, and of course, love. If you find those ideas to be trite, then this book will have substantially less to offer you. For me it was a considerable amount of visceral joy, especially near the end.
Why do you even post here? Go make some romance/lgbt tranny general and discuss relevant books there. Stop shitting up /sffg/.

>>21555218
Correct.

[Anonymous No.21555470]

>>21555427
Thank you for this insightful comment, 2016+ shitposting newfag trash.

[Anonymous No.21555477]

>>21555465
call him a tranny again /b/ro!!

[Anonymous No.21555480]

>>21555431
I think it's obvious it's someone from the Drominad system, First of Sun. As to who specifically, either the protagonist from the Sixth of the Dusk or someone new.

>>21555448
Yes, it does require reading other books to understand. But, I err on the side of caution in that regard.

>>21555465
Because I want to, there's no other reason.

[Anonymous No.21555501]

>>21555465
eh , no , most people here like them. You are the problem.

[Anonymous No.21555522]

>>21555501
No, lgbt trannies, fags and sjws are a problem, here and everywhere else.

[Anonymous No.21555525]

>>21555480
Hi

[Anonymous No.21555535]

>>21555525
Oh, hi. Any follow-up to that?

[Anonymous No.21555552]

please stop talking about books in the shitposting and mommy issues general

[Anonymous No.21555555]

>>21554667
Good review, will probably pick it up.

[Anonymous No.21555567]

>>21555552
Do you know of any book with a mommy who is also a shitposter because of her issues?

[Anonymous No.21555568]

>>21555555
>>21555552
>>21555535
>>21555525
>>21555522
>>21555501
>>21555480
>>21555477
>>21555470
>>21555465
>>21555465
>>21555448
>>21555444
>>21555439
>>21555433
>>21555432
>>21555431
>>21555427
>>21555421
>>21555411
>>21555410
>>21555377
>>21555369
>>21555280
>>21555269
>>21555268
>>21555250
>>21555244
>>21555243
>>21555222
>>21555218
>>21555164
>>21555162
>>21555156
>>21555155
>>21555152
>>21555148
>>21555141
>>21555136
Sneed

[Anonymous No.21555571]

>>21555568
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc3vAdsiPV4

[Anonymous No.21555573]

>>21555568
bless you

[Anonymous No.21555575]

>>21555555
May as well. Hopefully the rest of the secret project books are as enjoyable.

[Anonymous No.21555577]

The problem with people here is that they are stuck in the past, all good authors nowadays are self-publishing on sites like royalroad and scribblehub. They think that our current institutions (NYT BEST SELLER) select for quality, but in fact they select for conservatism, which is funny as the NYT employee shitting out those lists are probabbly 22-24 year old women from a suburban Jewish family.

[Anonymous No.21555580]

>>21555575
Sigzil's flight through the Cosmere is the first Sand I've looked forward to in years.

[Anonymous No.21555611]

>>21555577
The only problem here is this thread is full of circle jerkers from shitreads

[Anonymous No.21555612]

>>21555580
It's always nice to be able to feel like that, especially when it's warranted.

[Anonymous No.21555662]

>>21555611
I remember arguing with a goodread fag about not putting their life's work on a proprietary service, and they said "who cares amazon can manage my data better than me" and then like a month or 2 later they shut down their api.

[Anonymous No.21555666]

>>21555577
That's quite clearly untrue. You may like the self-publishing authors, but they aren't selecting for quality either. They're pandering to the basest desires of their readers, sometimes literally writing whatever whomever pays them the most to the detriment of their free readers. That's not a bad thing per se, but it's not a good thing really either.

Saying that the current institutions select for conservatism is also misleading. They select for what they believe will sell among their customer base as well. The serialized form isn't anything new. It's older than the current novel form. They aren't accepting litrpg, isekai, cultivation, progression, dungeon core, base building, harem, and whatever else, but that's to be expected. If they have enough sales they eventually will be accepted, in terms of bring viable commercial products anyway. As far as I can tell when an author becomes popular enough on serialized sites they leave them behind.

[Anonymous No.21555683]

>>21555662
As now as was then, the API is irrelevant. All the user data can still be exported at any time with only a few mouse clicks by using their export service. I do this regularly and I write it up in local text documents before posting as well.

The reasons have not changed. It's a matter of trade-offs between visibility and control and effort.

[Anonymous No.21555684]

>>21555577
I dont give a fuck about anything written post-2000

[Anonymous No.21555696]

>>21555666
>>21555683
>>21555684
Cope.

[Anonymous No.21555701]

>>21555684
not even Call of the Crocodile?

[Anonymous No.21555726]

>>21555666
>As far as I can tell when an author becomes popular enough on serialized sites they leave them behind.
Yeah, they self publish on amazon.

[Anonymous No.21555738]

>>21555666
>That's quite clearly untrue. Old media rates Old media very highly, New media is base(d)

[Anonymous No.21555760]

Just finished Oathbringer. Wow, most fantasy (or stormlight readers) are brainlets. It easily clears Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. I think most fans of this series tend to hate women for simply existing and they don't enjoy characters like Shallan, Lift, Jasnah, and Navani. Oathbringer is a good book. Can't wait to start Rhythm of War.

[Anonymous No.21555763]

>>21555726
So, wouldn't that be where the good authors are instead of the serialized sites? Also, they seem to have involvement with publishers that specialize in serialized works as well, so it's not really self-publishing at that point for most of them.

>>21555738
I'm unclear what your argument here is, if there is one.

[Anonymous No.21555764]

>>21553908
>I think broad concensus among non-Tolkien knobgobblers
read: dumb normies

[Anonymous No.21555817]

>>21555764
>normies
Fuck off.
1) It's normalfag.
2) Tolkien is the most basic bitch entry /lit/ around, right behind "みんなうんち"

[Anonymous No.21555829]

>>21554925
Fuck, thanks for reminding me I read Brave New World and Island recently, I hope it will be enough.

[Anonymous No.21555857]

>>21555760
Based. You should check out the brandon sanderson subreddit and discord! We discuss him exclusively there!

[Anonymous No.21555863]

>>21555857
Not exclusively enough, it seems.

[Anonymous No.21555952]

>>21555763
it makes sense to make money from good literature and moving to amazon after successful start on rr is the easiest way to do it. The publishers you talk about I am not sure, what I have seen is successful independant authors with large following just start their own publishing company, basically become a business that sell (their own) books, it could make sense for accounting/tax reasons etc

[Anonymous No.21556004]

>>21555760
>most fans of this series tend to hate women for simply existing and they don't enjoy characters like Shallan, Lift, Jasnah, and Navani.
What?

Most people I met like those characters.

[Anonymous No.21556014]

>>21555952
The main one seems to be https://aethonbooks.com/

[Anonymous No.21556140]

I was thinking earlier that it was a waste that so much time had been devoted to explaining the various ways that Beyonders on one pathway could switch to another pathway when none of the characters even end up doing that only for the next tier of beyonder advancement to revolve around those beyonder connections. The best thing about Lord of the Mysteries is that everything links up. Everything is explained long before it happens. All of the weird rules and motivations and actions of all the players make sense in the end. Even things as miniscule as architecture and spooky bodies hanging from the ceiling are explained and make sense in the end beyond simply being an aesthetic horror choice.

[Anonymous No.21556149]

>>21556140
>spooky bodies hanging from the ceiling
tfw no adventure into Karazhan book

[Anonymous No.21556487]

[Anοnymous No.21556607]

if gods and demons both existed in a fictional universe, how would a human achieve infinite reincarnation without relying on said gods and demons?

[Anonymous No.21556618]

>>21556607
what

[Anonymous No.21556623]

>>21556607
Cultivation, duh.

[Anοnymous No.21556624]

>>21556618
how do I live forever without relying on the powers of gods/demons?

[Anonymous No.21556626]

I think at this point I just have to admit that I have shit taste. I know this series is garbage and steals a ton from other books (I've found a couple of lines that are almost 1 to 1 lifted from The Name of the Wind) but I still read all but the latest entry in the series and really enjoyed it.

[Anonymous No.21556642]

>>21556607
however you want, it's make believe.

[Anonymous No.21556663]

>>21556642
>>21556626
>>21556624
>>21556623
>>21556618
>>21556607
>>21556487
>>21556149
>>21556140
>>21556014
>>21556004
>>21555952
>>21555863
>>21555857
>>21555829
>>21555817
>>21555764
>>21555763
>>21555760
>>21555738
>>21555726
>>21555701
>>21555696
>>21555684
>>21555683
>>21555666
>>21555662
>>21555612
>>21555611
>>21555580
>>21555577
>>21555575
>>21555573
>>21555571
sneed

[Anonymous No.21556678]

>>21556626
It's generally highly rated by /sffg/ and was one of the /sffg/'s most read of books published in 2022.

[Anonymous No.21556682]

>>21556626
>>21556678
I cannot imagine how much of a cuck you must be to enjoy this. The book is one scene after another of the main character getting cucked by intersectionals in a dystopian helliverse.

[Anonymous No.21556689]

>>21556682
I haven't read it and wasn't interested in doing so. I might have to give it another chance though, if only because it'd upset you personally. There are other reasons of course though.

[Anonymous No.21556695]

>>21556689
I wouldn't be mad, I'd just be sad for you. I doubt you could force yourself through the misery porn anyway.

[Anonymous No.21556699]

>If I spam again, maybe people will love me!

[Anonymous No.21556700]

>>21556682
The goodreads group is full of newfags, and as much as I'd like to say it isn't true, that particular category of specimen runs amok within the halls of this thread.

[Anonymous No.21556704]

>>21556700
What's a newfag to you? I've been on /lit/ since 2016 or so.

[Anonymous No.21556707]

>>21556695
Sometimes misery porn is fine and other times it isn't. It's really a case by case basis. I meant that in a joking manner, after all what's a few trolls and bants among friends. I'm serious that I would do it just for a reaction though. I've read worse for less.

[Anonymous No.21556717]

>>21556682
What does this post even mean?

[Anonymous No.21556722]

>>21556717
It's an Extremely Online expression of identity politics and culture war disapproval.

[Anonymous No.21556725]

>>21556722
I still don't understand. Is he saying MC is getting cucked by identity politics?

[Anonymous No.21556727]

>>21556722
I looked through the archive and people were still being edgy and/or political in /sffg/. But it seemed to be around 2016-2017. I wonder if it was better before the whole election tourist thing.

[Anonymous No.21556731]

21556704
lol

[Anonymous No.21556736]

21556731
passive aggression isn't cool

[Anonymous No.21556740]

>>21556725
Intersectionals refers to intersectionality, which in itself refer to the intersection of belonging to multiple marginalized groups in a specific context. Example would be gay black man or a disabled lesbian.

>>21556727
/sffg/ didn't begin much earlier than that, so not really. Overall there's been quite the changes over the years since the site's founding. Mostly for the worse.

[Anonymous No.21556755]

>>21556725
Story is about a noble son of a far distant future galaxy-spanning feudal empire. His dad is an evil white male. His brother takes after his dad's views and thus is an evil white male, too. He, however, sees how evil humans and his station as a noble is so he can be a hero. His mentor is a magical negro of wisdom who gets horribly murdered by has father because he's too uppity. He has a crush on a female pilot who is secrely part of his lesbian mother's harem. His dad has no use for him so he gets sent off to the church, but he escaps (alongside a gay couple) on a transport vessel. However the transport vessel rips him off and leaves him stranded in a scrapyard slum that abuses alien slave labor. He lives as a hobo and falls in love with a poor woman who dies of a plague that he's immune to because of his superior noble genetics. Then he becomes a gladiator and catches the eye of two gay barons and becomes the tutor for their children. Then he meets a smart woman of color scientist who everyone hates and has a crush on her but then he walks into her room just after she had some sex with a guy and that's when I dropped the book.

[Anonymous No.21556767]

>>21556755
It's really weird how different people can experience books. Also, I guess I just completely tuned out the fact that Valka and Gibson were black. Anways, isn't the whole idea of genetic super race kinda against "woke" culture? Also throughout the series, I thought the author did portray the evil "white" man empire as kind of a good thing

[Anonymous No.21556783]

>>21553619
As far as Hobbit goes, the book is much better. The Hobbit trilogy (one book, heh) is a travesty, with every change being for the worse. It hurts how bad they butchered even the battle of the 5 armies, which in theory should look better in a visual adaptation. I recommend book instead of bleach for eyes after watching the Hobbit.
Now for the LotR: it depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for distilled moments of epic fantasy, D&D style party adventure and battles, then you've already seen all that you desire in the movies. Because I have to be honest, battles are underwhelming in the books. Some scenes like Legolas' "Ai! Ai! A balrog! A balrog is come!" just sound funny. Of course I love the books as well and I encourage you to read them. Because they are quintessential high fantasy and were the inspiration for most of what was to come. But their main strength is worldbuilding, which depending on your type of autism, may or may not be up your alley .

[Anonymous No.21556792]

sci-fi le Guin has been pretty comfy, I've read Eye of Heron, The Dispossesed and now The Word for World is Forest. How are the Earthsea books?

t. 31 year old

[Anonymous No.21556808]

>>21555141
Sure they do. You can spin most sci-fi books to suggest they have a philosophical elements to them.

>1984
political philosophy
>Brave New World
political philosophy, philosophy of psychiatry
>Roadside Picnic
philosophy of science, limits of science, etc
>almost anything by Philip Dick
metaphysics, gnonsticism, mysticism, what is reality
>2001: A Space Odyssey
philosophy of technology, AI
>Frankenstein
shit I don't know, What does it mean to be human?

[Anonymous No.21556811]

>>21556808
But that's simply cope, all of those books are entertainment first, and none of them were written by philosophers.

[Anonymous No.21556813]

>>21555218
>>21555465
>>21555522
I have to call based

[Anonymous No.21556818]

Oh man I want to read some, gee I wonder what I should read, Aha I know I'll go to 4chan and read the random reviews in /sffg/ written by a clear neofag.

[Anonymous No.21556826]

>>21556811
so you say..checked.. but surely a book can be philosophical and/or have philosophical elements to it without being written by a philosopher, right?

[Anonymous No.21556863]

>>21556826
Just like a book can contain math without being written by a mathematician. The quality and quantity are the difference maker. How much effort does the reader need to put in to get 95% out of the book, and how useful is that knowledge.

[Anonymous No.21556917]

>>21556792
The first 3 are pretty great.

[Anonymous No.21556970]

>>21556811
>you need to fail as an entertainer to qualify as philosopher
Philosofags are mentally ill.

[Anonymous No.21556977]

>>21556970
Who are you quoting? Don't forget that today is Saturday; is there something you forgot to take this morning?

[Anonymous No.21557044]

>>21556977
Kill yourself, midwit.

[Anonymous No.21557117]

Any good detective sf or f?

[Anonymous No.21557151]

>>21556624
AI

[Anonymous No.21557163]

>>21556977
Its sunday anon

[Anonymous No.21557165]

>>21557151
>>21556624
Not AI, but anti aging technology and human cybernetic augmentation. If you mean physical/biological immortality. If you mean something spiritual then I dunno.

[Anonymous No.21557167]

>>21557117
Garret P. I. maybe.

[Anonymous No.21557220]

>>21557165
Only an AI can invent those technologies, human technological prowess has stalled, the next big discovery will not happen for another 500 years, worse if a human discovers some way to prolong life he will keep to himself and only sell it to mega rich.

[Anonymous No.21557269]

> if a human discovers some way to prolong life he will keep to himself
I see no problem with that

[Anonymous No.21557283]

>>21557269
The problem with that is you are not going to be that human and will probably die in your early 60s due to variety of factors.

[Anonymous No.21557328]

>>21557220
>worse if a human discovers some way to prolong life he will keep to himself and only sell it to mega rich.
I doubt it, unless that tech costs so much. But if it can be scaled down then I don't see a problem of adapting it for wider population. Especially if that means that you can have low birth rates but still stable enough population of fit people, not geriatrics.

[Anonymous No.21557354]

>>21554449
cool image what's it from?

[Anonymous No.21557378]

>>21557328
Why would anyone want to share that kind of power with general population?
If you have that kind of technology what can you ask for it? money becomes irrelevant when you literally selling something that is priceless, you can just sell it to the worlds richest and you will make a hundred 100 billion, even that amount is pointless and has no meaning compared to the power that you hold, and most people are a scum who simply want to just consume and destroy, why would you share such a thing with them? With all that money and technological knowledge might as well get rid of 95% of population instead of letting them live longer.

[Anonymous No.21557380]

>>21557378
Dunno, I would share it because it would be a moral thing do from my point of view. That and I could just see people forcing you to share technology like that because it's a matter of life and death. Sorry.

[Anonymous No.21557382]

>>21557283
You are very popular at parties, aren't you anon?

[Anonymous No.21557390]

>>21557380
oh the moralfag...

[Anonymous No.21557396]

>>21557382
I don't attend large gatherings of drunk people. Drinking is degenerate, drunk people act like retards. I see no appeal there.

[Anonymous No.21557400]

>>21557396
nice

[Anonymous No.21557405]

>>21554421
they're all boring as fuck you're wasting your time

[Anonymous No.21557437]

>>21556811
>But that's simply cope, all of those books are entertainment first, and none of them were written by philosophers.

>I need a book, preferably sci-fi, that was released from 1950 to this year that clearly tackles philosophical issues
Reading comprehension?
And Aldous Huxley was a philosopher.

[Anonymous No.21557472]

>>21553619
the books are obviously better, as is the case with everything - however, you should be aware that it takes fucking ages for them to get out of the shire in the books.

>>21553918
up to you, just be aware that the hobbit is a kids' book

[Anonymous No.21557516]

Fantasy with big blonde woman with large booba and an ass that's fat

[Anonymous No.21557605]

>>21554168
samefag here
Would anybody know why web2epub would list chapters in a reverse order? Or a way to fix that? It's annoying to have to manually choose my chapter every time I finish one. First time it's happened but also first time with that particular website.

[Anonymous No.21557644]

>>21557605
I'm kinda sure that there is a BIG option to reverse the chapters order in web2pub

Did you even try to search before asking?

[Anonymous No.21557796]

>>21556140
I wish the potions were more interesting, only the last few levels were important, the rest of the time it was just "buy/randomly find ingredients and recipe, one chapter vision quest, done" The acting too, didn't have enough of an impact imo. I did like how every sequence was pretty different an switched up how things worked, but while they each got a decent amount of time I think they always lacked flavor compared to the "canonical" examples in other beyonders. It would have been more interesting if Klein really had to struggle with deviations more at each stage. In general things were too smooth up till the endgame. If the whole story had been at that level it would've been way better. Probably twice as long though so I see why he didn't want to/culdint write it that way.

If I were to rewrite it I'd Have the other reincarnators active at the same time and competing, with the gray fog protecting them against outside threats but NOT each other. Would be way more dramatic and threatening, and also explain how the fuck he survived so long without Amon finding him if he was busy with dozens of others. Also would tie more deeply into the theme of multiple bodies, split personalities, marionettes, etc... Essentially all the reincarnators are just puppets who think they're real people, running around without their master to control them, and the only way to survive is to accept that and absorb the others while also retaining hold of your identity so you don't go nuts and lose control.

[Anonymous No.21558189]

reccomend me some books

[Anonymous No.21558246]

>>21558189
Blue Core

[Anonymous No.21558271]

>Want to actually write fiction
>Currently settle for bottom of the barrel trash creative output (blogging, D&D, 4chan Quests, ERP, etc.)
>Realize that even writing a single novel would be far beyond my capabilities

How does one set themselves to the task of doing something so big as writing an actual novel, or God forbid, a series of novels? Like how can you not lose interest halfway through forging a fantasy world and adjoining characters, fiction, lore, magic, etc and not want to move on to other topics? Or even more, how can you keep it all straight and presented to the audience without contradicting your own work? I've always been a big fantasy person, and yet I am not blessed with the autism to have kept to a single "worldbuilding" project, simply throwing together whatever I like at the time to whatever I'm doing. I just don't get how people can do it and I feel like I lack the ability to create a full and complete fantasy world or story.

[Anonymous No.21558356]

>>21558271
Short fiction exists. It doesn't have to be a novel. It sounds more like you lack passion. You just think it's something you want to do. You like the idea far more than the actual process. You are only providing excuses that aren't even relevant or real.

[Anonymous No.21558426]

Why does Shawn Keys always love to bang then magically impregnate older women?

[Anonymous No.21558437]

Are all Black Library books (WH40k and WHF) fanfiction-tier shit? I've read a few Gotrek & Felix books, and now reading Horus Rising (the first book in the Horus Heresy series) and it reads like a netflix adaptation

[Anonymous No.21558478]

>>21554184
>Read The Wandering Inn, Read Mother of Learning, Read I Shall Seal the Heavens.
Those look like fucking garbage, I won't.

[Anonymous No.21558495]

>>21558478
>>21558437
>>21558426
>>21558356
>>21558271
>>21558246
>>21558189
>>21557796
>>21557644
>>21557605
>>21557516
>>21557472
>>21557437
>>21557405
>>21557400
>>21557396
>>21557390
>>21557382
>>21557380
>>21557378
>>21557354
>>21557328
>>21557283
>>21557269
sneed

[Anonymous No.21558501]

21558495
>spam

[Anonymous No.21558520]

>>21558437
>I've read a few Gotrek & Felix books
Some say that those ones are indeed pretty good. I personally don't care for them since I only like dark elves in warhammer, and even then, mostly for the aesthetics.

[Anonymous No.21558691]

>>21558478
TWI and MoL are preaty good. I haven't read ISSTH

[Anonymous No.21558706]

>>21558691
TWI is shit
MoL is okay
ISSTH is meh

[Anonymous No.21558715]

>>21558478
>>21558691
>>21558706
TWI = good
MoL = super good
ISSTH = kino

[Anonymous No.21558734]

Mol is super shit

[Anonymous No.21558767]

>>21558734
Better than ISSTH and The Wandering Shit

[Anonymous No.21558815]

>>21558437
>Are all Black Library books (WH40k and WHF) fanfiction-tier shit?
Yes but that's miles ahead of wannabe-tolkien shite that usually discussed here.

[Anonymous No.21558823]

>>21558767
NTA

I like TWI much more. MoL is good but the dry writing (especially during planning) does it a diservice.

[Anonymous No.21558842]

Ray Nelson sounds really cool from interviews I've seen of him, plus he knew PKD very well. They Live also happens to be my favourite movie.Sadly, I can't find his books besides Ganymede Takeover online. Maybe I'll just shell out some money for used books of his. It sucks when authors aren't that well known.

[Anonymous No.21558857]

Are all of gemmels drenai books standalone but in the same universe? Because i think anon reccomend book 7 to me a while ago The Legend of Deathwalker but i havent read all of the others

[Anonymous No.21558859]

I read

Scanner darkly
Ubik
Gameplayers of titan

Which one should i read next?

[Anonymous No.21558867]

>>21558859
VALIS is my favourite book of his, but I found it hard to finish because I was homeless at the time and I've had schizophrenic episodes similar to those described in the book. It was like looking in a mirror for the first time and realising that I was insane. But PKD is very very smart so whatever strange experiences he had becomes some of the most thought provoking art.

[Anonymous No.21558901]

I liked the Southern Reach books. I heard the Borne series is weirder, and the Ambergris trilogy is a lot more accessible & plain. Is there any truth to that?

[Anonymous No.21558911]

>>21558501
>>21558520
>>21558691
>>21558706
>>21558715
>>21558734
>>21558767
>>21558815
>>21558823
>>21558842
>>21558857
>>21558859
>>21558867
>>21558901
sneed

[Anonymous No.21558917]

>>21558901

[Anonymous No.21558950]

>>21558271
I'll tell you a little something anon. My father retired. He worked for the national telephone company for most of his life. Since he had a lot of free time he started binging crime novels and tv shows, and managed to publish three books of short crime stories with a small local publisher. You can do it, too.

[Anonymous No.21559030]

>>21558917
>8%
I don't think I've ever dropped a book at only 8% of the way in. I typically try to go like 10-20% to see if it maybe gets interesting. Sometimes I'll drop it at like 30 if it becomes clear that there's no actual pay-off to anything.

[Anonymous No.21559051]

>>21559030
NTA but I've dropped quite a few books where the author says something mind-blowingly stupid during the introduction.

[Anonymous No.21559077]

>>21559051
I don't even consider "not liking the first page enough to drop it" as even really starting in the first place, but fair enough I've done that too.

[Anonymous No.21559085]

>>21558271
Honestly i think you are young. Under 30 still counts as young. Your brain is either not fully developed or just barely so, and in general young people live a weird combination of fomo and procrastination. I was like that too, started a lot of shit, didn’t finish anything, until i finally found my place in life. So after everything settled (married, kids, the job i wanna have) i realised that there’s not much to miss out on and that i finally have the peace of mind to actually do things that aren’t only 20 hour projects tops. So i finished the best novel idea i had, and i’m working on the second. It’s out there. And no, of course i won’t out it here, but my point is you gotta let things settle. Your young brains and livesare just… too fast for writing longer things. You’ll get there. If that’s what you really want. Good luck!

[Anonymous No.21559260]

>>21553468
Some anon recommended me Dresden Files. I listened to the first novel while painting miniatures and lifting today. Super readable stuff. Devoid of anything deeper, but entertaining enough. Reminds me of Monster Hunter series. Similar vibes, similar quality. Although, I don't see how it's supposed to be a Christian book, it's absolutely devoid of anything ideological or even approaching thought of any sort on any topic.

[Anonymous No.21559264]

>>21558271
you can try to write a anthology of various short stories, then try to weave them together into a single cohesive world

[Anonymous No.21559303]

How does this make you feel?

[Anonymous No.21559313]

>>21559260
Not a christian book but a, rare, very nice representation of a christian man in Michael Carpenter

[Anonymous No.21559315]

Cute and funny books

[Anonymous No.21559425]

>>21558867
Alright ill check it out thanks. Yeah doesnt seem like PKD would be good to read if ur schizo. Some of its almost uncomfortable to read for me because it reminds me of a very bad mushrooms trip i had

[Anonymous No.21559566]

>>21559030
I think this is the only normal book that I ever 8%-ed. Not counting self-pub or series that take a nosedive after several books.

[Anonymous No.21559607]

>>21558901
I didn't feel confused with Ambergris. Only Finch gets a little strange but I devoured that book.

just an fyi the Ambergris omnibus cuts stories which were in the later editions of City (check out the City wikipedia article)
would try to get stand-alones.

[Anonymous No.21559624]

I haven't read it yet, but I constantly hear it's the best book in it's series and overall great read on it's own.

[Anonymous No.21559644]

Where to start with Laird Barron?

[Anonymous No.21559712]

>>21553501
A Wizard of Earthsea is growing on me the deeper I get into it, but I think ultimately it's proving to me that I prefer too many words over too few. I'm glad doorstoppers and long series have become the norm

[Anonymous No.21559724]

Standalone fantasy recc anyone? Darker would be preferred.

[Anonymous No.21559928]

I just finished reading LOTM, although I haven't finished all the supplementary works yet. I don't think I'll read pt2 until it reaches its conclusion.

What should I read next? RI?

[Anonymous No.21559929]

>>21559712
>I'm glad doorstoppers and long series have become the norm

[Anonymous No.21559994]

>>21553501
No, I don't think I will

[Anonymous No.21560030]

>>21559724
Well, to kill two birds with one stone, >>21559624 is probably as good a pick as any. It's far disconnected from the rest of it's series so don't worry about that and it's dark, if in a more somber tragic/romance/seral killer kind of dark than mudcore fantasy swears a lot kind. Ruminations on dragon holocausting, and relationship fuckery with real violence being comparitivly sparse and peaking when a character pulls off what amounts to a red wedding massacre sequence.

Because you can basically smell that the idylic starting places of generally excellent life prospects for all characters is going to fall apart from bad foreshadowing on all cylinders you think it'll go bad and the happy relationships try to stay afloat when the whole foundations start falling out from under them but it keeps going and you realize you're only halfway through. There are killings and betrayals and dysfunctional families and a war going on in the background and powerful usage of magic, telepathy and future sight take up huge backseat driving rolls in pretty much every chapter that is almost as interesting as the drama itself as the namesake dragon of the book falls further and further.
One of my go-to’s when recommending books for younger readers. WoF is some of the best middle grade around, and Darkstalker is indeed the best of wings by a fair margin after largely shedding itself of the kidsy exterior to laser focus in on a Love tragedy/Fall from grace plot. If Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker were well-written and, y'know, dragons, it would be this book.

[Anonymous No.21560033]

>>21559994
It's for you

[Anonymous No.21560134]

Hey SFFG just read The Broken Sword on your recommendation. Was Odin really a jackass like he was in this book? What was his master plan? Just stopping the Gotterdamerung?

[Anonymous No.21560177]

>>21559724
>The Deep
>Between Two Fires
>The King of Elfland's Daughter
>Boy in Darkness

[Anonymous No.21560182]

>>21559724
Also this >>21560134

[Anonymous No.21560187]

>>21559724
The Dragon Waiting

[Anonymous No.21560483]

>>21560030
Looks interesting but this is a series?

[Anonymous No.21560488]

i have a glabella and i must lampoon
>>21559928
>I don't think I'll read pt2 until it reaches its conclusion.
Why? You'll still be getting two chapters a day/4000 words a day. That's still like a full-length book you could follow every month.

[Anonymous No.21560529]

>>21560488
Damn, I can't argue with that logic. Really makes you wanna put a monocle over your right eye and have your scalp go numb.

[Anonymous No.21560651]

I didn’t understand this shit at all
But I still enjoyed it

[Anonymous No.21560802]

>>21560483
It's a spin-off and intentionally far removed from other goings on. You won't need to pre-fill on other parts of it's series to enjoy it no.

[Anonymous No.21561145]

>>21560802
Is the rest of the series as good?

[Anonymous No.21561239]

>>21558189
The Anubis Gates

[Anonymous No.21561246]

>>21558859
don't read too much at once, save them

[Anonymous No.21561267]

>>21554667
It's going to be soppy garbage like everything else he writes.

[Anonymous No.21561301]

>>21553468
where my Analog bros at?

[Anonymous No.21561312]

>>21561301
the old magazine?

[Anonymous No.21561334]

https://i.4cdn.org/wsg/1674006418351636.webm

[Anonymous No.21561366]

>>21554787
Out of the Silent Planet or BotNS

[Anonymous No.21561373]

>>21555280
>gulp

[Anonymous No.21561377]

>>21553468
Having trouble with setting and need some advice

I originally planned for the majority of the planet (old Earth) to be a desert, but I realized that doesnt really make sense in context of my characters being a bunch of giant birds and their enemies being from the caves in the Oceans.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to resolve this dilemma? I feel the desert is sort of characteristic to the story, yet almost works against it in context.

[Anonymous No.21561383]

>>21561377
>Having trouble with setting and need some advice
That’s simple, just go to the writing general that’s dedicated in helping aspiring writers with their problems. >>21560326

[Anonymous No.21561386]

>>21561377
why don't you make it what it was before humans, forest and grasslands

[Anonymous No.21561388]

>>21554184
How dare you mention such vile piss as wandering in in the same breath as mother of learning! Go drink bleach (in minecraft)

[Anonymous No.21561422]

>>21561383
Kill yourself

[Anonymous No.21561427]

>>21561386
>he still thinks there was a time before humans

[Anonymous No.21561444]

>>21561386
Ive considered this but it just feels like a cop out, and calls into questions some other aspects of the story. The drawings in Microsoft Paint Ive done all show the characters near mountains however. At this point the image of the vast desert landscape is so stuck in my head that its sort of left me in between choices.
>>21561427
Ive thought about this too and how that would all make sense. The story sort of works with it however.

[Anonymous No.21561461]

I forgot to check the recommended reading charts in OP's link. Someone remind me to check the recommended reading charts. There's a chart or 2 that I need to check.

[Anonymous No.21561475]

>>21561388
what can i say man, i like everything

[Anonymous No.21561499]

>>21559260
Dresden is best enjoyed by listening to it. I enjoyed it while doing yard work last year and it was better than just reading the novels

[Anonymous No.21561517]

>>21561499
For me? I read Dresden Files on the train while backpacking in Japan

[Anonymous No.21561521]

>get to the end of Well of Ascension
>mfw Lord Ruler did nothing wrong

[Anonymous No.21561523]

>>21561444
My story has a massive desert because Ayy Lmao's sort of glassed the planet for a while in the past and turned everything to sand. Pls dont steal. Maybe yours could have a desert because all the humans nuked eachother to death and turned everything into sand or something idk

[Anonymous No.21561532]

>>21561521
he did plenty wrong just not as much as they think

[Anonymous No.21561547]

>>21555444
If you’re fine with paint by numbers stories and aren’t expecting anything more than a good but not amazing book then you’ll enjoy it.

[Anonymous No.21561561]

There's no sqt/qtddtot thread, and this is the only general that actually reads books, so here goes:

What's the best (ebook) edition of Count of Monte Cristo? I have Penguin Classics version with TL by Robin Buss.

[Anonymous No.21561607]

>>21561521
Lord Ruler is based as fuck. He did what had to be done

[Anonymous No.21561613]

>>21561444
I don't see how it's a cop out, it's accurate

[Anonymous No.21561617]

>>21555444
I like Sanderson, he's not an exceptional writer but his stuff is enjoyable. The "rocks and crabs" world it takes place in is cool as fuck, the story is your typical "man loses everything and gains much more through effort but also magic". Although Kaladin becomes insufferable in later books, this one is where he shines.

[Anonymous No.21561621]

>>21561521
He fucked up pretty bad but his heart was in the right place and it's hard to criticize him.

[Anonymous No.21561638]

>>21561521
Good intentions poor execution
The novella sheds some more light on him

[Anonymous No.21561653]

>>21561617
Sanderson seemed to make Kaladin an amazing character by accident. He was great in Way of Kings, comes into his own in Words of Radiance, and then just gets a hard reset done on his personality in the next book, and again in book 4. So it's like Sanderson had no idea how to progress him so just forced him to go through the same angst-ridden arc three times. If he gets reset again in book 5 I'm probably done with the series.

[Anonymous No.21561697]

>>21554787
Slaughterhouse Five. It's philosophy is explicitly anti-war. Starship Troopers if you feel like pro-war.
Deus Irae if you support religion, Dune if you dislike religion.

[Anonymous No.21561738]

>>21561697
I always thought Slaughterhouse Five was anti-ambition

[Anonymous No.21561743]

>>21561738
Good take. There's an entire aspect of predetermination and accepting your fate. An alternative to that would be Galapagos, where a small group of people survives the apocalypse by wild chance.

[Anonymous No.21561761]

>>21561743
nah I'm just trolling bro, it is a good book but I think any marker who sees a guy picked Slaughterhouse V will be like "here's a fucking mediocre student" kek. I haven't real Galapagos, I really should

[Anonymous No.21561802]

>>21553468
Who are your favourite antagonists from sci fi or fantasy?

[Anonymous No.21561808]

>>21561697
>anti-war
Yeah that's the main philosophy, but there's also a sense of time as simultaneity which was really cool, from the Tralfalmadorians to Billy Pilgrim's quasi schizophrenic experiences of time and space travel. Apparently it came from Vonnegut's experiences of time as happening all at once. It reminds me of Boethius' consolation of philosophy which has eternalism in it.

[Anonymous No.21561839]

>>21561802
Iucounu (known across Almery as 'the Laughing Magician')

[Anonymous No.21561868]

I avoided Poul Anderson because I think his name is stupid, but I'm going to read his stuff next.

[Anonymous No.21561886]

>>21561868
>name
It's Danish. I think The Broken Sword is amazing and enjoyed The Star Fox immensely. He has a lot of stuff, but you can pick whatever; sci fi tends to be "hard" and uses contemporary scientific understandings, whilst his fantasy is well researched in terms of literature he read, e.g., sagas, eddas.

[Anonymous No.21562007]

>>21554597

- The Devil and the Dark Water


I wonder why it takes a sub-genre to have a coherent whole

[Anonymous No.21562036]

>>21561802
Cunt from Ubique because he's the most despicable and vile piece of shit imaginable.

[Anonymous No.21562052]

>>21561802
Steerpike because he is literally me desu

[Anonymous No.21562115]

>>21561499
>>21559313
I'm starting to see why many dislie Dresden Files. The protagonist is a white knight and most characters are pretty stupid and events unfold because someone makes a really, really stupid mistake.

[Anonymous No.21562141]

[Anonymous No.21562167]

>>21561839
Dude just wanted to build a bone mech

[Anonymous No.21562189]

>>21561377
How does it not make sense? Deserts and oceans border each other and birds can easily fly long distances.

[Anonymous No.21562200]

>>21561521
His only fault was being a dumbass. Honestly props to him for managing to not wipe out all life on earth immediately.

[Anonymous No.21562204]

>>21561802
The inherent nature of man.

[Anonymous No.21562219]

>>21562200
Was he really a dumbass for making major decisions based off information he did not obtain until Ascension? It's not like the Terris knew about space.

[Anonymous No.21562224]

>>21561267
You may not want to read it then.

[Anonymous No.21562240]

>>21562219
>didn't know about space
Cavemen knew about space. And it was proven that literally all he needed to know was what everything was supposed to look like so he could put it back in the right place. An incredibly basic understanding of any system of astronomy would have let him easily figure out where the sun was supposed to go. Honestly even a normal person with no knowledge of astronomy should have sufficient experience LOOKING UP to figure that part out. Also all of the fixes he made to cover up that mistake led to other obvious problems that could have been easily predicted.
Face it, he was pretty dumb. Still, as retarded as he was he at least didn't fuck up as bad as he could have, and also realized that he should quit fucking around while he was ahead.

[Anonymous No.21562482]

>>21561802
The two final ones from Practical Guide to Evil

[Anonymous No.21562550]

I don't want to be mean, but I never got why people with learning disabilities want to be writers. Pic related is Bucknell.

[Anonymous No.21562577]

>>21562550
You got his name wrong twice. Tobias S. Buckell. One would think you'd have more sympathy. Why wouldn't they? A blind person may want to be a pianist. Mozart became deaf and yet he still composed. People with physical disabilities may still want to play videogames. That there are difficulties doesn't mean a person won't be able to succeed in doing it well.

I hope you eventually come to understand why people who gave adverse conditions still want to struggle to do what they love.

https://www.tor.com/2011/10/10/holding-out-for-a-sequel-in-praise-of-vernor-vinge/

[Anonymous No.21562594]

>>21562577
They don't even enjoy nor understand what makes a novel, nor a short story. He says there he just skims and uses rasterization. What the fuck? Just go do something else because you're incapable of enjoying or understanding it to begin with. I have dealt with ADHD, dyslexic "writers" before personally, and they just write movie-tier visualised garbage, since they don't understand language on a page.
Why do we live in a world where everyone is a "winner" for trying something they're shit at? I don't pretend I can be a scientist nor mathematician, and that's mainly because I have low spatial intelligence from schizophrenia. So don't tell me about adverse conditions. Be fucking realistic.

[Anonymous No.21562670]

So, I was looking through Forgotten Realms novels and found this David Pontier, that wrote some serie about Artemis Entreri, and seemly pic related or can very well be a name coincidence
Has someone read about this author, or at leats the Entreri books? Liked The Sellsword so perhaps if they involve the same character they could be similary good.

[Anonymous No.21562676]

>>21562594
Being a reader is different from being a writer. That he doesn't understand, let alone enjoy, are unfounded statements. Clearly he enjoys both reading and writing. I don't see any basis for stating otherwise. A lot of commercially successful writers write in a similar way. Many successful artists say they have aphantasia which means they don't have mental imagery, which is why they draw it so that they can see it.

A "winner" is an arbitrary definition. Of you mean in financial terms there are very few winners in terms of writers. What do you mean by "winner"?

There have been many scientists and mathematicians who have had schizophrenia. A Beautiful Mind is one example. Your comment about spatial intelligence isn't relevant.

Even if you fail due to adverse conditions, that doesn't mean others do, or will. That is being realistic.

[Anonymous No.21562679]

>>21562670
Warosu.

[Anonymous No.21562690]

>>21562670
I assume you mean this:
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/52532/the-art-of-being-entreri

It clearly states it's fanfiction. If that's what you like then, ok. I read a lot of Salvatore's work, and far more of the Forgotten Realsms, a long time ago, but I haven't the slightest interest in fanfiction.

[Anonymous No.21562698]

>>21562690
Darn, I though it was something more official
that explain is not even mentioned in warosu

[Anonymous No.21562770]

>>21559607
>I didn't feel confused with Ambergris. Only Finch gets a little strange but I devoured that book.
That's what I was asking, dingus! Apparently Ambergris is a boring trilogy.

[Anonymous No.21562808]

>>21562676
>Being a reader is different from being a writer.
Yet every writer has to read. Dyslexics fundamentally do not understand glyphs on a page. ADHD people would rather go do something impulsive than sit and contemplate.
>Clearly he enjoys both reading and writing
How do you know? That's unfounded. He writes fucking Halo novels for money.
>winner
Like participation trophies. We just award people for doing mediocre work.
>There have been many scientists and mathematicians who have had schizophrenia. A Beautiful Mind is one example. Your comment about spatial intelligence isn't relevant.
You're a dumbass wikipedia user. If you knew anything about John Nash, you'd know he was falsely diagnosed and had Bipolar. There are literally no schizophrenic scientists.

[Anonymous No.21562813]

>>21553916
Haven’t read, but Perdido Street Station is le…GOOD, actually.

[Anonymous No.21562828]

>>21561802
Varthlokkar from the dread empire

[Anonymous No.21562834]

>>21562813
I'll borrow it. Should be alright.

[Anonymous No.21562867]

Can I get recommendations for low fantasy that's not especially dark? Maybe something like Spice and Wolf with more action.

[Anonymous No.21562884]

>>21562808
>Yet every writer has to read.
That's not true. There are blind writers who only use voice to text and only listen to audiobooks.

>Dyslexics fundamentally do not understand glyphs on a page.
That's not really true. If someone presented you a sentence composed entirely of anagrams and you said you couldn't read it, that doesn't mean you don't understand, it just means it takes considerably more effort.

>ADHD people would rather go do something impulsive than sit and contemplate.
Just because a person would rather do something else doesn't mean they're incapable of doing what's difficult for them. Personal discipline and perseverance exist.


>Like participation trophies. We just award people for doing mediocre work.
The work may be mediocre to you, but doesn't mean others don't enjoy it. I don't think the various awards, Hugo, Nebula, Goodreads, or whatever else mean much about the quality of a writer's work, but clearly others do and that's their decision. If you think they are being unfairly rewarded, as are many others, that's your opinion, but it doesn't mean others have to go along with it. What do you think is the proper way to award people? How does one determine what are the best works?

>How do you know? That's unfounded.
From your image. Why he put so much effort into understanding if it didn't enjoy doing so? Why would he have so much published work, even if it isn't making that much from it, if it he didn't enjoy doing it?

>He writes fucking Halo novels for money
That's by no means all he's done. What's wrong with that? For what purpose does being so contemptuous serve? The same could be same of any genre work, or anything written for commercial purpose rather than the purely aesthetic. That's how one narrative goes anyway.

>John Nash
It's quite possible that he was, as it's not as these conditions literally exist. There's even schizoaffective which combines the two. Then there are various other overlapping sorts in the versions of the DSM. Then there's also the WHO. It can't be definitively known at this point that he had Bipolar instead. I think you may be overly invested in this narrative as coping mechanism for why you ought not to try anything yourself though.

[Anonymous No.21562893]

>>21562884
To clarify, I mean the WHO's ICD.

[Anonymous No.21562898]

>>21553468
Remember that gigantic torrent that used to get put in the OP, the one with books sorted by decade? I just got around to reading some of them and almost every file has fucked up text problems. Even normie stuff like Stephen King

[Anonymous No.21562906]

>>21562898
That hasn't been my experience. It may be something that you're doing on your end or bad luck in picking stuff.

[Anonymous No.21562917]

>>21562884
>That's not true. There are blind writers who only use voice to text and only listen to audiobooks.
That's pedantic. That's still reading, although in a format for someone whose brain isn't retarded. Milton was different to an ADHD dyslexic.
>What do you think is the proper way to award people? How does one determine what are the best works?
Good books, like the Arabian Nights or even Lord of the Rings, can stand the test of time. It isn't awarded by one set of criteria; it comes about through generations of well read people finding value in it. I think there are formal reasons for why this is the case, but there's no need to get into that.
>From your image. Why he put so much effort into understanding if it didn't enjoy doing so? Why would he have so much published work, even if it isn't making that much from it, if it he didn't enjoy doing it?
It didn't indicate that he was enjoying anything inside the book. He just said he did. Usually if I discuss books with friends who read, they give me a good idea of what cadence they liked, what verbiage, or what style.
>contemptuous
Movie and game tie in novels are usually always bad. I know because I have tried to enjoy reading them. I found that it's better off merely responding to other books in your writing, since it shows a greater awareness of form.
>as it's not as these conditions literally exist.
What do you mean? We've viewed schizophrenia and bipolar since antiquity, and there is good reason to believe that it is to do with genetics.
>There's even schizoaffective which combines the two.
Yeah but people who armchair psychologise with schizoaffective usually leave out key criteria. There's even an idea of a psychotic spectrum now which I find wishy washy.
>There's even schizoaffective which combines the two.
I am very happy with my achievements in anything but STEM. Thanks for being an armchair psychologist though.

[Anonymous No.21562928]

>>21554444
>So are Koreans twinks
no they are notffaggot. it's good to see that anti-hyperion shills are underage women or you are a troon.

[Anonymous No.21562940]

>>21554421
if you didn't like messiah you failed your human status, sorry. Subhumans like you and this nigger here >>21557405 will not enjoy it.

[Anonymous No.21562953]

>>21554667
I was close-minded to Sanderson and was content to just write off any fans of his as plebs, but this review shifted me towards wanting to try it ('it' being this book specifically) and form my own opinion.

I'm sure I won't be able to shed my bias and I have a hard time with doorstoppers but I'll give it aho. Thank you for that review, anon.

[Anonymous No.21562961]

>>21556863
this retarded drivel that you posted has no relation whether specific sci fi touches philosophy or not. it does not matter if it's primary function is entertainments, you would know this if you were not low IQ subhuman. But don't worry your time is almost over, time is ticking and rope is tightening.

[Anonymous No.21562963]

>>21562961
He really needs to read the texts.

[Anonymous No.21562965]

>>21562961
Epic post, fellow 2016+ newfriend!

[Anonymous No.21562968]

>>21562482
>Practical Guide to evil
its one of the novels which gets recommended frequently.
And then i try to start reading it and it opens up with, a normal 14 year old girl beating up an tall, muscled man who is also an experienced fighter in a fair 1 on 1 fight. No magic involved.
Quite a shame because i remember liking the style.

[Anonymous No.21562997]

>>21560651
so good

[Anonymous No.21563000]

>>21562917
So your primary criterion is that generations of elites decide the value of books. I don't agree with that, but it's a valid way.

>Usually if I discuss books with friends who read, they give me a good idea of what cadence they liked, what verbiage, or what style.
Clearly that isn't here and I don't know why you're in this general. That's a very technical way of assessing value. Most people would describe instead how it made them feel in general terms and what it evoked emotions. In other ways it would be what ideas they liked and what it made them think about.

>What do you mean?
I mean they aren't the same as diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, prions, or whatnot. They are a cluster of behavior whose descriptions have changed over time. The modern idea of schizophrenia has only been since the late 1800s and bipolar disorder has only been since 1980 with the DSM-III. The behaviors existed before then but the formal conditions didn't. What exactly they mean is constantly changing. It's a highly politicized process. Homosexuality used to be listed and now it's not. Antiquity was mostly about demon possessions and humors. The humors perspective lasted a long time.

>genetics
Yes, but the genetics are still not well understood and aren't used in diagnosis. Maybe eventually there will be a time when a person's genome can be analyzed and said with certainty that a person will develop some disorder or another, but that isn't now. All the major diagnostic tests are still choice based and from interviews. Unfortunately inter-rater reliability isn't that high for a lot of disorders wither.

>I am very happy with my achievements in anything but STEM.
That's good. I meant as an explanation for why you didn't succeed in STEM if you tried, but I didn't write that way. My mistake.

[Anonymous No.21563009]

>>21562965
t. newfag

[Anonymous No.21563043]

Revelation Space or The Expanse?

[Anonymous No.21563048]

>>21563000
>I don't know why you're in this general
I found a lot of good authors here, like Poul Anderson or Philip K Dick, so I don't see why I can't have my own ideas about novels and writing. It may be more "technical" or based in tradition, but people do pick up on rhythm even if they don't realise it. I'm guessing you hate to read exposition after exposition without evocative language; good writing usually comes from a sense of flow. PKD can be very sparse and even reuse words in The Divine Invasion, but he does it in a way that seems well constructed.
>changing definitions
Schizophrenia can be caused by infections in the womb, or usually very causative things like drug abuse.
Well, anti-psychiatry rhetoric begins to seem a bit false when they equate current diagnosis of schizophrenia with slow schizophrenia in the Soviet Union. That was obviously politically motivated. In my case, I thought people I knew were going to put me in jail, when no one was going to, beyond maybe being gossipy about me. I fail to see how a political establishment was behind that. The anti homosexual sentiment was probably due to the political milieu, but I don't understand how that carries over to wanting people not to have brain damage or to be homeless from schizophrenia. I guess that is political, but it isn't controlling.
Science gets better. And there's no need to say all of psychiatry is therefore wrong.

[Anonymous No.21563050]

>>21562953
There's only so much time that anyone has, so being close-minded can serve as a beneficial filter. It may lead to the optimal results, but something has to be done. I think being entirely indiscriminate would be worse.

I do think there's value in the experiences of others when they lead to positive outcomes after testing though. If it turns out that there wasn't predictive value for someone personally, then it may be best to ignore that specific person if that continues to be the case. If you do read it, let me know what you think. Regardless, I'm glad that it may have had potential value for you.

[Anonymous No.21563078]

>>21563048
I'm all for you having your own ideas. I'm only saying those aren't the only way and you seemed dismissive of all other ways.

>I'm guessing you hate to read exposition after exposition without evocative language
Not really. I don't have any major problems with exposition or evocative language in prose. I do have a problem with obscurantism, but that's a different matter. I don't like most poetry though.

I've read a lot of PKD. I'm with the seeming majority opinion that he has great ideas, but isn't much of a writer. That's understandable though given his conditions, both professional and personal.

>Science gets better. And there's no need to say all of psychiatry is therefore wrong.
Science is a process indeed. Even if it were wrong it can still be useful.

[Anonymous No.21563223]

Before I buy a lesser known book I look it up in the archive to see what anons have said about it. I discovered someone had an autistic hate boner for the book so naturally I bought it

[Anonymous No.21563237]

>>21563223
That seems like a rather unreliable way of choosing books you'd enjoy. Has it worked out well for you?

[Anonymous No.21563254]

>>21563237
No.

[Anonymous No.21563260]

>>21562968
eh , she is not normal.
She is close to 16 (about to get kiccked out of the orhanage) , she is experienced in the pit and she is obviously Named potential.

The first volume is indeed a YA novel and has all the tropes assosiated with it. But even later on there are tons of pro multicultural and lgbtq mentions so if a only a girl beating up a buff dude puts you off then skip it.

[Anonymous No.21563462]

>>21561839
The villains in those books are so kino it's hard to pick one.

[Anonymous No.21563478]

>>21563223
I thought it was alright. Especially coming from the post-2010 GAE hellscape.

[Anonymous No.21563539]

>>21563050
If you're the review guy, do you think Tress is a fine into to Sanderson or should I pick something else?

[Anonymous No.21563665]

>>21556487
What's this from?

[Anonymous No.21563672]

>>21563539
I noted in what I wrote about how it differs from his other works. If you read it and like it for exactly what it is, you may have the opposite problem and not be as happy with his other works. I don't think it's that representative of his Cosmere works. If the problem is that his other stuff is too long, then I agree. It can feel like quite a commitment to start. As I wrote in >>21554976 I think it's entirely fine to start there otherwise. >>21555448 said the same. If you want something even shorter, then The Emperor's Soul is the common recommendation. If you want something even shorter, then Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell is an alright choice.

I consider ever now and again using a different tripcode for replies and general posting. I've done so before, but it doesn't tend to last long. Maybe I will again in the future.

[Anonymous No.21563686]

>>21563665
The Golem and the Djinni, as it says in the filename.

[Anonymous No.21563695]

>>21563686
My bad.
But thank you for the answer, kind anon.

[Anonymous No.21563737]

>>21560177
Just got king of elfland's daughter, what am I in for? I'm on the last book of BotNS so I'm gonna read that next for a quick read.

[Anonymous No.21563779]

>>21563737
BotNS level characters in a traditional anglo fantasy setting with overwrought prose.

[Anonymous No.21563852]

>>21553468
Is it possible for a civilization to set foot on other planets before developing computers?

[Anonymous No.21563915]

>>21563852
Yeah, with outside interference

[Anonymous No.21563954]

>>21563852
all you need to get another planet is a rocket, some smart dudes, and a helluva lotta luck

[Anonymous No.21564044]

>>21563852
Easily possible, but very unlikely. Depends on the planet though, some smaller ones you can practically jump into orbit from a running start, some bigger ones it's entirely impossible to get to space without nuclear fusion bombs.

[Anonymous No.21564087]

Getting into reading last year. Last books I read was Between Two Fires, the first 3 Black Company books and I'm reading The Blade Itself. Enjoyed/ing all of them.

Any favorites/recommendations?

[Anonymous No.21564158]

>>21564087
>Between Two Fires
reddit
>Black Company
reddit
>The Blade Itself
super duper reddit

[Anonymous No.21564217]

I started reading this again. Besides the annoying japanese names I'd forgotten the bizarre sexual fetishes that pervade the work.

[Anonymous No.21564255]

>>21563852
Yes, but Dune isn't an example of this.

[Anonymous No.21564265]

>>21564217
It's funny that you posted this in /sffg/, but I guess it really is appropriate. By annoying Japanese names I'm going to assume you mean the annoying habit of inventing made up names for lightly fictionalized versions of historical characters, as if you were reading a book about an American revolution led by "Dorge Vashington."

I read all the (historical setting) James Clavell adventure novels several years ago, and I don't remember how Shogun fit onto the scale of overall fetishism. I'm pretty sure there was weird fetish stuff in Tai-Pan and the others as well.

[Anonymous No.21564271]

>>21564265
In the first few chapters, they haul the naked main character out and all the women marvel at his dick and then all the sailors fuck geisha. Then they have one of the sailors taken out and boiled alive while the samurai leader ordering gets aroused and fucks a geisha and a boytoy while engaging in some masochism shit.

[Anonymous No.21564601]

>>21561802
commas

[Anonymous No.21564680]

>>21559724
Demon Chains. It's technically the second in a trilogy but you don't need to read the first to really understand it. The majority of the book takes place in two parts, with several small chapters and fast-paced happenings. It follows not!Batman tracking down a dude who is running around raping other dudes and little boys, with the help of a demon thrall.
The only DARK I've found that actually features only male rape, of all things.

[Anonymous No.21564707]

>>21561377
If the planet still has life, oceans, and plate tectonics it should be more than just desert

[Anonymous No.21564717]

>start catching up on DCC 6 material
>first new chapter is the prologue, with some Mordecai/Odette exposition
>Weell I might not even include this in the book and their backstory may come later instead roflmao
erj34i2o5yh329ufgeo gh9e4w to34 h5t why even write it then holy shit

[Anonymous No.21564800]

>>21564717
Is that supposed to be an encoded message? As to why, someone or a group would solve it and spread it. It's so not everyone can readily see it who doesn't want to be spoiled.

[Anonymous No.21564811]

>>21564800
No it's me being frustrated. And no, that wasn't his reasoning.
>Hello everyone. We're going to jump right into the next book soon. This prologue scene may or may not actually appear in the next book. It'll depend on whether or not we deal with this arc this book, of which I'm not certain yet. Either way, the folks over on Royal Road aren't going to get this.
>This isn't the end of that story either, obviously. A lot happens on the 11th floor. Hopefully by the time the whole series is over, you have a clear picture of the full dynamic between Mordecai/Odette and few other people we haven't yet met.
I know it's minor but shrug

[Anonymous No.21565021]

>>21563737
A very quiet book without much plot. More about atmosphere and creating otherworldly set-pieces than overall structure and character, although there are a small number of characters who have some understated arcs. Overall, you're in for a really beautiful read.

[Anonymous No.21565134]

>>21553501
I DID just read The Murderbot Diaries and I DID like it!

Give me more like it!!!

[Anonymous No.21565185]

>>21565134
Don't worry, it goes off the rails fast.

[Anonymous No.21565215]

>>21564087
I haven't read any of those (yet) but you seem to like the gritty ones. Have you read any of the 40k books?

>Damnation Alley
>The Dog Stars
>The Three-Body Problem

Just some assorted totle you might like. Ignore the other faggot calling your tastes reddit.

[Anonymous No.21565524]

New thread
>>21565496