/sffg/ - Science Fiction & Fantasy General

Greece is the greatest
I am a Greek

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Continuing through book 2 of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories, I read The Seven Black Priests, a thirty page novelette from 1953. Here, the tall barbarian and his shorter thief companion are journeying through the cold hills and wastes when they see a strange volcanic hill in the distance, one with an indistinct impression of several giant faces below its summit. They spy a gleaming rock set within an 'eye' and resolve to steal it. This is a light hearted adventure tale, buoyed along by the pair's sardonic banter and their encounters with the stone's order of protectors, who ambush the protagonists in variously sudden, desperate, and inventive ways. This is also somewhat of a travelogue with much description of the cold landscape, its rock formations, frozen plains and suspicious cave mouths, along with scenes of outdoorsmanship, camping and hunting. A couple of twists prevent a predictable ending to an entertaining piece of low fantasy, which merits a rating of two thumbs up.

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>book of the new sun
What a coincidence I made a new meme for that.

>>9543094
What is the deal with that book?
It keeps getting recommended no matter what people ask for.

>>9543097
Because it has just about every genre trope out there.

>>9543101
That sounds pretty bad mon ami.
Is is actually any good?

>way of kings score is 4.64 on goodreads

What the fuck is this shit? Is this a meme? What did they mean by this?

>>9543105
It's easily the best work of science fiction or fantasy ever written, so yes.

>>9543113
>goodreads scores.

Even the Name of the Wind is a 4.55.

>>9543116
Can't tell if you're memeing or not because it has pretty mediocre ratings all round.

>>9543113
>>9543123
Goodreads is full of women, that's why.
They're genetically predisposed to having shit taste.

I've read Stranger (good) and Moon (amazing) by Heinlein, which of his books do I read next?

Also, any other early-ish sci-fi you think I'd enjoy?

>>9543134
"Ratings"
Are you retarded?

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>>9543080
>Jack Vance
>Spatterlight Press
Oh Jesus

>>9543137
Ratings are unless useless for your average book.
For 'great' books they're usually pretty reliable.

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>>9543142
>only useless*

Sorry i'm ill and tired.

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>his book doesn't even have a magic system!

Is Void Star any good lads? Has anyone here read it, and what did you think of it? The ratings on amazon and goodreads are quite different.

>>9543142
You so funny anon :3

>>9543167
I'm not saying that books with great ratings are great books, I'm saying that if someone tells you a book is great but the ratings aren't even much above average then you know they're talking tosh.

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Hey /sffg/, my brother just got out of the navy and I want to give him some books. He absolutely loves Isaac Asimov and Dune, but I don't really read sci-fi and I don't want to get him Asimov because chances are he's already read them.Help an anon out?

>>9543220
a safe bet would be an anthology. he might discover some new authors that way

>>9543232
Oh shit. Good idea. I didn't even think of that. Got any recs?

>>9543220
dune -> foundation -> hyperion -> culture

what i did, think it worked out great

>>9543080
Malazan is the best High Fantasy series of all time, I would say prove me wrong but you can't, it has the greatest worldbuilding of any series of any genre, and has amazing characters, depth, symbolism and foreshadowing.

>>9543238
Big Book of Science Fiction
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy
Mash Up

>>9543205
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/338798.Ulysses?ac=1&from_search=true
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59716.To_the_Lighthouse?ac=1&from_search=true
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14884300-don-kichote
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/289774.Combray
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27037.Confessions
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12287.Endgame

All of these have a lower rating and a bellow average rating, I'm not sure what it is exactly implying outside the fact that plebs aren't exactly known for their fine taste.
Or does this only apply to fantasy where it will compete with the ratings of say Rothfuss and Rowling?

>>9543239
Thinking about giving him Hyperion, thanks man.

>>9543248
Thanks man, you're a cool dude.

>>9543245
Have you gotten out of your anime phase recently or is it still a thing?

>>9543258
Fug he got me.

"High power levels yeah malazan and stormlight are fucking gay the characters are just too strong"

Implying malazan Isn't deep, "gritty" and doesn't have character development.

>>9543293
Yeah, "deep, gritty and great character development" is how a 16 year old would describe Attack on Titan, which is why I asked, alongside the whole Malazan being complete garbage thing.

>>9543309
>alongside the whole Malazan being complete garbage thing.
Malazan is okay for what it is. No need for this garbage business.

>>9543309
Bitch I doubt you even read Malazan, was 10k pages too much for you brainlet?

>>9543080
Anyone read The Night Circus? Thinking about getting it.

>>9543325
do you think it's for some reason more impressive because it's long?

Anything with ninjas?

>>9543325
Ey mate, Malazan's alright, but you're just making it sound worse with every post.

>>9543341
You Haven't read it.

Tell me about whiskeyjack vs kallor who lost and why?

>>9543341
Yes. It shows that I actually have an intact attention span and dedication

>>9543352
Are you memeing?

>>9543325
>>9543341
>>9543350
malazan is the infinite jest of modern fantasy--too many pages, not enough substance

>>9543366
Hey fuck It I know he didn't read it.

Also not an argument.

>>9543359
The thing about literature and reading in general, as you, if you get out of your anime phase, will learn is that it's not a linear race. Just compare say Absalom, Absalom! to... well Malazan.

>>9543352
>>9543359
you're reading trashy fantasy you utter pleb.

stop acting like a special snowflake just because you pretend to have read a shit series that no one else cares about

>>9543378
>not enough substance
I honestly don't think that is fair.

>>9543394
Don't bother Anon these guys are the real genius's they haven't read the book, so its obviously just full of filler (Toll the hounds, maybe) and its fantasy so how good could it be.

>>9543389
Have you read it though, so how do you know its trashy?

>>9543401
>>9543407
Holy fuck. Contain your autism.

>>9543407
because there are reviews by people with expertise greater than anyone here. and malazan has not earned the status of even tolkien (who isn't even the best modern fantasist).

>>9543413
The series has received widespread critical acclaim, with critics praising the epic scope, plot complexity and the introspective nature of the characterization, which serve as social commentary. Fellow author Glen Cook has called the series a masterwork of the imagination that may be the high water mark of the epic fantasy genre. In his treatise written for The New York Review of Science Fiction, fellow author Stephen R. Donaldson has also praised Erikson for his approach to the fantasy genre, the subversion of classical tropes, the complex characterizations, the social commentary — pointing explicitly to parallels between the fictional Letheras Economy and the US Economy — and has compared him to the likes of Joseph Conrad, Henry James, William Faulkner, and Fyodor Dostoevsky.[24][25][26]
Reviewing for SF Site, Dominic Cilli wrote, "Steven Erikson's The Malazan Book of the Fallen has single-handedly raised the bar for fantasy literature," praising Erikson's ambition and humor:
"The world building is done on an unprecedented scale and Erikson has left a lifetime's worth of novels on the table in the world of the Malazan Empire. So what is left to talk about? It's simple, the writing. I can tell that Steven Erikson's writing is filled with wit, charm, philosophical brilliance and a sense of imagination that would humble the most creative of authors. You will be hard-pressed to find his equal in any genre."[27]


Fuck guess I edited wikipedia as well.

>>9543421
>glen cook
a mediocre author. his prose style is one of the plainest and least imaginative i've encountered in fantasy.

>donaldson
another mediocre author derivative of tolkien, only le darker and edgier.

>nyrsf
pretty much anyone from that publication has bowed to SJWs and need not be taken seriously.

>dominic cilli
literally who


the people with actual critical status required to praise great works in modern fantasy don't have to be harold bloom, but they certainly aren't these yokels.

>>9543421
Not sure if you know, but those critics are critics who only read (or write) trashy fantasy. And comparing Malazan to even the worst of Faulkner or James is just perverse.

>>9543439
Obviously. But this anon hasn't posted anything negative about him and even respected people have positive things to say.

I mean name a better high fantasy series.

>>9543421
You don't know how to think, so you copy and pasted stupid opinions from wikipedia. Lurkers of this thread may take this as proof that fantasy readers are dumb.

>social commentary
Give a good example of this from Malazan. It's probably within the limits of Wheel of Time tier social commentary.

>>9543448
Lord of the Rings and The Worm Oruboros. Maybe The Wizard Knight too. From my limited experience with HF.

>>9543448
The Lord of the Rings, duh.

Are there any books with characters similar to Thrawn from Star Wars ?

I've been meaning to read Hyperion for a while now but I've seen it compared to Dark Tower levels of decline in quality.
How true is this?

>>9543476
>>9543487
LOTR was good for its time (no disrespect, haven't read worm or wizard knight.
>>9543456
Lether, the Tiste Edur, The Malaz city Evacuation. Hobbling of X.

>>9543557
>lord of the rings was good for its time
>le critical modern man
kys

Any scifi about futuresports outside of that Culture story?

>>9543573
Well it was infact it defined the genre, but reading it now it seems almost cliche (because it created or popularised many of these cliches). Also good job on the second part of my arguement but since you haven't read the books I guess you won't be able to refute that.

>>9543557
1. you haven't read LotR, Worm, or Wolfe.
2. you probably haven't even read Malazan
3. you think your opinions are worth anything

Stop posting anytime

>>9543557
And am I supposed to understand what these mean? Post an excerpt of the actual events, instead of non-descript titles, you low effort faggot.

>>9543149
tfw reading a book that stops several times to make it clear that magic can't have clear rules

It's pre-Sanderson but it feels like a deliberate rebuke of the recent trend for anime magic

>>9543601
If youd read the book you would get it, if I described it it would just sound shit anyway.

but for example the letherian economy is basically the U.S and other modern economies, all of the money is "artifical" it exists on paper but doesn't actually exist in real life. In paticular it resembles the pre GFC conditions of subprime mortgages and rampant greed. And it highlights how people are dispossesd by this evil empire.

In the malaz city evacuation the local people turn on a returning army because they have been told similar to "blood libel" that the wickans (who are black) have done all sorts of crimes, even though the wickans literally died and bled for their country kinda like the jews did in ww1 for germany but even worse.

>>9543607
Name of the book?

>>9543581
Lord of the Rings is still good now you pleb, as is The Hobbit.
Why would I care about the second part of your 'argument'?

>>9543623
Malazan. not him tho

>>9543614
>the letherian economy is basically the U.S
This has been done in German, Chinese, and American literature already, in America's case, even before the GFC. And our economy isn't even primarily paper anymore.

You manages to make a high concept sound mundane, which is all too common in modern sff. Also, Dispossession is already covered in French literature and Dickens, so how does Malazan do things that haven't already been done? Additionally, government exploitation already has tons of coverage in modern literature. Why read fantasy for subjects that are already addressed in realistic literature, and with more depth, substance, and relateability (since most people don't live in lands with dragons and orcs)?

>>9543633
well that was just one example, there are more and its just a part of the books. For example and I Say this with 100% sincerity the only writer with similar level and depth and amount of subtle and less subtle foreshadowing is shakespeare. Canny reader is rewarded and even those who miss the subtle stuff will get the more obvious stuff.

>>9543085
I am greek

Anyone read Chronicles of an Age of Darkness and can give their general impressions of the series?

>>9543557
There's not such thing as a good for its time book. If it's shit, it's always shit. If it's good it always is. Very simple concept. Tolkien is still, just like he always was, a great writer and that's easily confirmed by his influence on quality writers (and no, it's not the dark lord and eagles or whatever you plebs seem to get from it).
>>9543581
It didn't define the genre at all. Unless we count the now forgotten clones that nobody knows because, well, they are dead LotR clones. LotR is a very myth driven novel and none of trash fantasy is anything like it. Not even sure which tropes people got from it specifically. There's a lot more Fafhrd and Grey Mouser and Conan in trash fantasy/video games for that mater.

>>9543643
Oh for fucks sake I know you are still in high school, but this is taking things too far even considering.

>>9543581
>>9543601
This is what I don't get when people talk about LotR's influence. It was a best seller, sure, but most of modern fantasy is clearly descended from pulp and D&D, high fantasy just trying to do what they do but with morals.

>>9543672
Well pretty much every fantasy author has read it, that's automatic influence.

>>9543652
Like bad Malazan, characters are super overpowered and its very gamey. Very chaotic, not bad though.

>>9543677
....no. I'd bet every fantasy author has read the New Testament, but it would be extremely dumb to claim it influenced them only because of that. When something influences writing, it shows, very much so. A breath of Tolkien is very, very rare, unless we mean the whole let us be edgy by NOT being like Tolkien at all.

>>9543643
"It was just one example, and yet if it only has a barely modern spin for a high concept field like economics, the rest of it would probably be shit"

>muh subtle writing
Post this masterful writing and analyze its techniques and depth instead of talking about it, as if its brilliance should be taken for granted.

>>9543660
I'll opt to ignore that idiot unless someone takes him up on shilling Malazan properly. If fantasy readers can't read with collegiate aptitude, what they shill should not be taken seriously.

>>9543245
Malazan's long and at times only semi-coherent

People assume this means it must be good and deep but in reality it's just a bad transcription of the author's DnD game

>>9543332
>Anyone read The Night Circus? Thinking about getting it.
It's alright but I got bored before the end.

And it's more literary fiction cribbing from genre fiction than outright fantasy

>>9543623
Obsidian Trilogy, so far it's slow paced generic heroic fantasy but I'm willing to give a book a lot of time when the hero having to remain a virgin so unicorns don't kill him is a plot point

>>9543094
one does not "make" memes

Other than the the Three Body problem, is there any chink novel worth reading?

>>9543749
Yes

>>9543220
get him some Heinlein, who, incidentally, was in the navy

>>9543761
Which ones?

>>9543766
Fat Years is good, Cat Country if you're willing to go old school.

Other than that it's just a case of working out what acclaimed stuff has actually been translated

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>First books is fairly generic but interesting enough, with an "evil king" who isn't actually particularly evil, and a "good" queen in exile who is actually a power hungry bitch
>Second book completely derails this by having the king go literally mad and deciding to fuck over the main character for absolutely no reason, and the main character put up with it for absolutely no reason, and everyone goes along with all this for no reason at all
>The main heroine ends up getting fucked by a manlet and is never heard from again

Wow, usually series don't get this bad until the third book at least. I honestly regret reading this.

>>9543780
SOIAF?

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>>9543794

>reading Wolfe and Tolkien after a while of reading trashy fantasy novels
I actually have become a bit retarded now. It's sort of hard to get through. Tolkien's Beowulf translation is amazing

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>>9543838

Ok so I have shadow & claw here along with gardens of the moon, which series do I start? Will reading book of the new sun ruin malazan?

>>9543937
New Sun and Malazan do similar things with their narratives. I'd go with New Sun, simply because BotNS is self contained, shorter, and with praise by Le Guin and Asimov, is more of a classic fixture in sf. I don't think it would ruin reading Malazan, as Malazan has a more sustained study of sociology, which is something that people would be interested in, regardless of whether it stands up to BotNS.

>>9543749
Cixin's short stuff is good

>>9543937

Read Shadow & Claw but do it slowly and carefully, paying attention to every sentence. If you rush though it, you'll miss all the important stuff.

>>9543996

Take this example passage from Shadow of the Torturer:

"The picture he was cleaning showed an armored figure standing in a desolate landscape. It had no weapon, but held a staff bearing a strange, stiff banner. The visor of this figure's helmet was entirely of gold, without eye slits or ventilation; in its polished surface the deathly desert could be seen in reflection, and nothing more. This warrior of a dead world affected me deeply, though I could not say why or even just what emotion it was I felt...

"There's your blue Urth coming over his shoulder again, fresh as the Autarch's fish...." "Is that the moon? I have been told it's more fertile." "Now it is, yes. This was done before they got it irrigated. See that gray-brown? In those times, that's what you'd see if you looked up at her. Not green like she is now. Didn't seem so big either, because it wasn't so close in - that's what old Branwallader used to say. Now there's trees enough on it to hide Nilammon, as the saw goes."

Question: What does the picture actually depict?

>>9544025
>"There's your blue Urth coming over his shoulder again, fresh as the Autarch's fish...." "Is that the moon? I have been told it's more fertile." "Now it is, yes. This was done before they got it irrigated. See that gray-brown? In those times, that's what you'd see if you looked up at her. Not green like she is now. Didn't seem so big either, because it wasn't so close in - that's what old Branwallader used to say. Now there's trees enough on it to hide Nilammon, as the saw goes."

what the fuck, i have Shadow of the Torture on my bedside cabinet and planning it read it next week, how much of it is this level of blurhg?

>>9544035
Blurgh as in that sounded boring to you?

If you're that much of a pleb, hurry up and kill yourself, don't read Wolfe, and stay out of the Wolfe pack. No fandom needs your kind.

>>9544052
It doesn't sound boring, I'm sure I'd be keen to follow whats underway in the novel because I hear so much good shit about it. It's just, thick. Thick, viscous writing. I'm struggling a bit to even understand what I quoted but maybe it's just because it's out of context.

>>9543220

Forever War
Blindsight
Harlan Ellison (no mouth and must cream)

>>9544065
There are a number of proper names so I can see what you mean. Stripped of those, it's just someone commenting on the appearance of the earth, from the pov of the moon, then pointing out that the moon isn't green like in their future world, as it hasn't been terraformed yet.

>>9543138
That cover for Bad Ronald looks like a Goosebumps book.

>>9544072
Oh wow that actually explained it 100%. Less worried now, thanks

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I literally just now started Tales of the Dying Earth. Dude has just met Pandelume and been told to get the amulet. So what am I in for with this series?

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More weird tales, and more Clarke Ashton Smith: The Uncharted Isle from 1930. After a shipwreck, a New Zealand sailor is washed onto a Pacific island where he encounters anachronistic phenomena, including beings of an inscrutable and preoccupied ancient race. This is ultimately a tonal piece containing little action, where the author depicts extensively the sailor's feelings of disassociation through the first person perspective. It's also an ambiguous story because it is unclear whether the protagonist's experiences are imaginary, paranormal, or actual; seawater induced hallucination, time-slip, ghosts, or an isolated species of primordial man. 3/5

>>9544125
The best pulp ever written. Amazing imagination and a helluva ride.

>>9544121
So yeah, Wolfe doesn't dumb down things, but unlike obscurantist writers, the way he offers a layered alternative perspective view of things we are already familiar with is substantial, with plenty of allusions and esoteric context. Very worth reading.

>>9544188
>The best pulp ever written
That's Conan

>>9544305
I've read Talos' play like five times and still have no idea what the fuck is happening. For me, that was easily the densest part of the series. If that guy is struggling with that simple Neil Armstrong part, God help him for when he encounters the play in full.

>>9543178
Might follow through, but will be a shitty translation with typos.

>>9543549
If you like Zahn's stuff, try Isaac Asimov's Foundation for sure. It's pretty easy to read, there is a high density of plot twists and sympathetic characters and I feel like Zahn borrowed a whole bunch of stuff from Asimov too.

It's the original Foundation trilogy and then Prelude/Forward. with context from the Robot's series. It's so good.

>>9544331
The seller ended up cancelling the order, citing technical difficulties, and closed his account. Maybe it was a ruse to get payment info? I don't know how that works with Amazon and third party sellers.

>>9544330
Although the talos play isn't complete, thankfully some of wolfe's other short stories in botns pretty much wrap up the story.

>>9543135
Starship Troopers
Red Planet
Citizen of the Galaxy

Is there a market for fantasy smut? I ind of want to write a fantasy of manners in a royal court, but instead of it being about intrigue and war and politics, people are just fucking all the time surrounded by fabulous wealth.

>>9544517
Yes. It's pretty niche though, so I don't know how big you're trying to get with it.

You also need some semblance of a plot.

>>9544517
Piers Anthony made a whole career out of it

>>9544517
Feline aspected?

>>9544517
Congratulations, this is next to the worst post in /sffg/ all year.

>>9544517
>>9544646
Now you know why 99% of fanfiction and books are shit.

>>9543105
It reinvents them and gives them new context and greater meaning

>>9544125
Fix up of short stories

>>9544646
what was the worst then?

>>9545004
Nothing that concerns you pleb

What's the best first-contact novel out there?

It seems to be a bit of trend in modern scifi

>>9545028
BLINDSIGHT

or Three Body Problem

>>9545028
solaris
childhoods end
blindsight
war of the worlds
three body
the mote in gods eye
contact (sagan)

in that order from best to great

>>9545028
Blindsight

actually this, and the sequel, are the only nonpulp scifi out there, everything else is trash.

>No posts are currently quoting you, loser.
What the fuck

>>9545026
Wow you're so cool

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Are the Conan books worth reading?

>>9544646
Why, whats wrong with it? I ask because I want to contribute only the highest quality posts to the community.

>>9545186
You may contribute either by converting to Catholicism, or by killing yourself. Preferably the latter, filthy swine.

>>9545207
But I'm a Catholic already.

>>9545210
Then act like it. Maybe you should kill yourself anyway, hell needs more fuel to power heaven's saunas filled with orgiasts.

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>>9543672
Are you implying D&D wasn't inspired by LOTR?

>>9545169
There is only one Conan "book," and that is The Hour of the Dragon. Other than that, Howard mostly wrote short stories. And yes, they're worth it. They're amazing. Some of the best fantasy fiction you'll ever read.

/r/ recs for good fantasy

Black company was ok, wolfe was great, almost done with bakker.

>>9545218
But suicide is a mortal sin. Why would I want to do that?

>tfw too dumb to understand descriptions of physics in hard sci fi novels

>>9543421
"Supple, yet magisterial.......Erickson goes hard in the paint and ends up making whatever book you read last look like a fucked up piece of poop" -Cynthia Ozick
I gotchu, stevepai.

>>9545233
Viriconium
Return to Neveryon
Year of Our War

>>9545269
Thanks

>>9545227
Only superficially, like the inclusions of hobbits. In terms of it's thematic or aesthetic approach to anything, it's more influenced by pulp fantasy.

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>come in general
>update
>140 new post
>hmm what we have here
>Tolkien da best!
>Malazan genre slum scum
>anything new is trash
>i didn't read, but I know it's trash
I'm not sure if it's the original dinosaur come back (aggressive and arrogant as him), or an e/lit/ist from outer lit looking for fun.

Is Three Body Problem fun scifi or makes you think scifi?

Haven't got the energy for the latter right now

>>9545356
cant it be both?

it can be read passively but the 2nd book requires more attention

>>9545314
Witness roleplaying summerfags engaged in bizarre mating dance of the imageboard troll. Our fields awash in their monstrous juices, nary a crop grows. Truly we are an accursed people.

>>9545433
>engaged in bizarre mating dance

You fucked up idiot.

Also why mix biblical tones with a detached scientific documentary voice? Do you even think before you post?

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>>9545433
I got the perfect meme foe them.

>>9545452
>You fucked up idiot.
It was unwieldy either way. I assure you the result is intentional.
>Also why mix biblical tones with a detached scientific documentary voice?
Apathy? Inadequacy? Ineffability?
>Do you even think before you post?
No honey, it's quite unnecessary :3

>>9545028
>>9545060
>>9545133
Solaris is significantly better than Blindsight, FYI.

>>9545492
>No honey, it's quite unnecessary :3
All right, you seem like a fun person. I take back what I said.

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>>9544025

>>9545554
Perhaps I am...
>>9545500
We try. What currently tickles your literary fancy?

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>sci fi books have made the top 100

what do you guys think? is it time to move out of /sffg/ and onto the main board?

>>9545492
Hi Canada / catfag
what you reading?

>>9545611
Why do you keep thinking im canadian (im not)? just curious.

Also where did the cat fag thing come from this time

>>9545596
>tfw I didn't get to rig the votes because I haven't checked the catalog in weeks
Feels bad man.

>>9545616
Catfag is the only one that does ":3". And you know that you are Vince sama from Canada

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>there will never be a western release of BOTNS using amano art
why live

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>>9545616
Pay it no mind. We humor his little fantasies in the service of harmony. Perhaps you would like a turn as Canada?

>>9545669
You live, so when you eventually an hero, it makes a bigger impact. Especially when you "save" others while an heroing.

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>>9545677
>let's humor the retard
On a scale of 1 to 14 how autistic are you?

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>>9545694
>everyone who has a fidget spinner is autistic
I focking knew it. Jesus christ those fidget spinners are selling millions of units... So it was true that the fluorine in the water is causing retardation?

>>9545711
nigga they are even called autism toys

>>9545694
>On a scale of 1 to 14 how autistic are you?
:3

>>9545028
Without a doubt blindsight.

Solaris (which really reads like a spiritual predecessor) is also really great, so is the 3 body problem.

Additionally you can get the blindsight ebook for free from the authors website.

>>9545759
>itt pleb opinions

solaris might be overtaken one day, but here you're wrong.

Can someone explain to me why retards on this board say "no genre fiction" but then everyone's circle jerking in these? THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH GENRE FICTION. Fuck off, honestly.

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>scifi is still mostly space operas and related shit
we failed him bros

>>9545768
>Taking semi-ironic trolls seriously

Leave

But yeah some genre fiction's fine

>>9545763
>here you're wrong.
My personal enjoyment is not wrong, but I was never able to read the original "Solaris" just the translation so my judgement it self is flawed.

Also I am probably a bit biased, as I read blindsight before Solaris, so the whole theme wasn't as new.

In the defense on Blindsight, I have to say that the writing and the characters are superior (again I am comparing it with the Solaris translation), Watts really managed to write characters which feel inhuman which fits the plot (of them being enhanced by computers) really well, it also feels a lot more modern and provides additional commentary on the future human-computer interaction.

>>9545768
Define genre fiction to us.
Midway through you should begin to understand.

>>9545789
>judging sf by characterization as if medieval era literary criticism is appropriate for the genre.

jesus christ you're fucking stupid.

>>9545797
Science fiction is for a large part about the the themes the author chooses to investigate but for the book to work as a whole you need to be able to write characters who fit the story.

If you write a story about a super intelligent alien species and they talk like niggers from the ghetto, you have failed as an author.

This was the point I was trying to make.

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>>9545804
*blocks your path*

I just finished first year college French and I'm looking for something light to read en français over the summer (other than petit prince). Any good French SF or fantasy people would recommend (at a fairly easy reading level)?

>>9545813
Actually I should have said francophone books, not French. I don't care if it's from Belgium or wherever.

>>9545811
>*blocks your path*
>What did he mean by that?

(I sadly haven't read the book yet)

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Give me the honest truth about Wheel of Time. Now admittedly I only read the prologue and part of the first chapter of the first book, but I was not impressed. Writing felt amateur and derivative.

>>9545881
First book is amateur and derivative, second book branches out, third book hits its stride. Starts to fall off from book 7 to 11 because the author was literally dying. 12/13/14 are adequate but Sanderson bungled most of the more subtle plotlines and flanderized a bunch of minor characters and one major character. Still, it turned out better than most replacement authors.

You should read it at least once, it's maximum comfy and has a much more original setting than the vast majority of modern fantasy.

The Americlaps are sleeping. Qu-QUICK. POST WHAT YOU'RE READING BEFORE THEY WAKE UP!

>>9545813
Camp of the Saints.

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Hyperion was excellent, and I really enjoyed Fall of Hyperion too. Taking a little break before starting Endymion, though.

>>9543749
>Throughout the centuries, with the rise and abrupt terminations of many civilizations, Trisolarans have learned to predict the movement of the suns for several years at a time, and evolved to be able to hydrate and dehydrate their bodies to adapt to the environment of the Stable Eras and Chaotic Eras. However, eventually research determines that there is no solution to the three-body problem. With no definite pattern to the suns' movement, Trisolaris may be destroyed at any time in the future. In the face of this existential crisis, Trisolaran society evolved to become highly totalitarian and fully dedicated to the exploration of habitable planets in outer space to colonize and resettle upon.
Why not just approximate numerically? That's like a first year physics problem

>>9545903
Back to your containment board please

>>9545903
kek

>>9545921
I just wanted to give him the true France experience.

>>9545804
>needing characters for a narrative
>the ideas themselves and their assorted speculative musings don't serve as characters

again, you're fucking stupid.

>>9545477
this is gold

>>9545941
That is not what I fucking said, retard.
Learn to read before talking about books.

It is clearly evident that I was talking about the fact that a book can't carry itself only by its themes, if the writing contradicts the theme (I gave an example) you end up with a shit book.

I never argued that "all (sci-fi) books need characters", only that narrative and writing have to be complementary to one another which is really not a revolutionary opinion.

>>9545796
Sci Fi and Fantasy are both genre fiction. I think it's stupid that people just can't admit they like genre fiction on here. Especially when these threads are some of the most popular on here, like come on lmfao.

>>9545954
That's not what you said at all, you lying sack of shit. You said:
>for the book to work as a whole you need to be able to write characters who fit the story.

You said characters, not themes. That much is clearly evident. Stop failing at moving goalposts, you literal imbecile. Since you failed to communicate otherwise, that was a failure on your behalf. Since it is clearly evident you are not capable of critical thought, it is clearly evident that you will be a mediocre failure for the rest of your life.

Clearly and evidently.

>>9545968
>You said:
>>for the book to work as a whole you need to be able to write characters who fit the story.
Nice quote mining.
If you had read the CONTEXT you would have understood that I was comparing 2 specific books and why I preferred one over the other.
More specifically I generalized the intent of scifi in general (themes) and then explained why my in this SPECIFIC case good characters are beneficial to the themes and how that applies to characters in general.
Are you seriously not understanding this? It is a very simple concept.
Stop straw manning.

>Stop failing at moving goalposts, you literal imbecile
Really? You were the one who moved from a discussion about 2 specific books unto scifi in general.

>it is clearly evident that you will be a mediocre failure for the rest of your life.
Why are you getting mad?

>>9545981
No you didn't, not really. If you had context in mind you would have said that, and not characters. You didn't think that far ahead and are lying out of your ass.

>>9545981
He's right you know. You're not very good at expressing yourself. It's almost like you went to public school.

>>9545987
Are you retarded?

How are you even denying that I was arguing about specific books and how my interpretation of theme vs. writing influenced my opinion of them?
It is completely clear if you read my previous posts.

That was all I was ever talking about.

I never made the claim that sci-fi has to follow any specific structure, just that themes and style (and yes the writing of characters is style) need to fit together.

>>9545994
More likely it is because I am not a native speaker.
>It's almost like you went to public school.
?

>>9546004
>itt plebs who can't think

>>9546020
>What did he mean by that?

>>9546024

That you're stupid.

>>9545895
"Literally dying" hardly makes novels worse. Look at Bolano and Flannery O'Connor for example.

>>9546050
That certainly is a great argument...

>>9546059
It sure is against stupid people like you.

>>9546055
Different books, different authors. Jordan was only half way through his series, he was pressed for time and in a whole lot of pain. Imminent death affects different people in different ways.

>>9546064
Ad hominems (such as calling someone stupid) are arguments only used by stupid people themselves.

If someone makes a bad argument debunking it should be easy.

>>9546070
muh ad hominem

the real world doesn't obey nerd logic kiddo

>>9545218
Degeneracy ain't great, I'm with you on that one, brother, but telling people to kill themselves might as well be a sin too. Stay Christ-like, bro, and offer love even unto the (perceived) sinner, or other sinners.

>>9546073
>the real world doesn't obey nerd logic kiddo
Great argument, something tells me I am not the stupid person here.

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>first chapter
>man tells archers to "fire"
Dropped.

>>9545881
>derivative
pseud

>>9546083
bought this and it has sat on my shelf for about 4 months now. every once in a while i get the urge to read it but there's just so many other things to read before.

>>9545596
>the holy bible
In what translation? Because I've read most parts of it in local translations and I really did not feel like it held any kind of qualities meriting being called the third top book.

>>9546175
The Bible is shit. I got 1/2 way through it when I was about 10 and dropped it.

>>9546182
I agree with you, with some exceptions mostly in OT it's quite shit but would you really trust your 10 year old self to judge a book?

>>9546188
Well I found it quite readable if not quite didactic. I also found it too episodic.

>>9545768
This is a containment thread

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Is Dune the only sci fi work that didn't have Islam magically dissapear in a few decades?

>>9545813
I remember liking Les Chevaliers d'Emeraude and Amos Daragon back when I was a kid.
I'm not sure if they're actually good or if I just had shit taste.

>>9545538

Very good!

>>9543556
Read books 1 and 2, absolutely don't read 3 and 4.

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>>9543097
Because it's categorically the best of its era

Mid 20C psychadelic fantasy at its peak

>>9543116
2nd best maybe, Don't forget about Malazan.

>>9546541
The weird-ass fusion religious traditions in that were hilarious tho, like Zensunni, and the autistically Newtonian mentats

>>9545914
It's more advanced than first year, but it's undergraduate level yeah.
Basically the equations don't allow you to predict the position of the bodies at a given future time. What you can do though is integrate in time, that is, given the current positions/velocities etc predict numerically what happens at the next time step, and so on.
That's what people do for many problems that are not directly solvable and what you propose. The problem with this kind of approach is that you accumulate errors and approximations, and the farther ahead in time you try to predict, the more error you accumulate.

This problem is intrinsically linked with computation time/power (with more computation time you can go in increments of smaller time steps and have smaller error accumulation so you can predict correctly farther in time), and also with chaos theory (you need infinite precision at your initial time step in order to have no deviation from what will actually happen). That's why we can't forecast weather so well for instance. In the case of planets/stars, the precise relative positions of the bodies is extremely hard to measure, even with actual modern technology.

>>9545538
Not him but honestly with only the first part of the quote and without context, I wouldn't have guessed.
Urth and Moon gave it away though

>>9545669
you live because you can custom bind books.

Someone recommended Snow Crash to me but it really sounds like anime shit, is it any good?

>>9546083
Good. It's a shit book. It's an Asian trying to reinvent the Olympus mythos to match glorious, prosperous Chinese.

>>9545314
>What is this radio receiver set doing in your photography along with the automobiles?

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>>9546541
>>9546626

You forget the best part where Jews are still their own thing after tens of thousands of years.

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>>9546509
That we created ourselves. This is the most popular thread in lit. We always reach 310+ posts, outer lit doesn't like that.

P.s. Hi lit sama.

>>9543134
You honestly believe men have good taste don't you?

>>9546707
>photo is called dinosaurs
>bunch of old fossil fuels books and devices
>wants to know why an old as tv/radio set is included

>>9545907
Curious for a reaction to Endymion, and Rise of Endymion if that gets read too because I felt the same as you about the first two books, but I thought Endymion was mediocre and Rise was garbage

>>9546070
Calling someone stupid isn't ad hominem.
You are wrong because you are stupid- ad hominem
You are wrong and you are stupid- insult

>>9546714
that interaction was the most cogent microcosm of this whole fucking site I swear to god

>>9546765
No.
>You are wrong and you are stupid
is ad hominem
>You are wrong because you're stupid
is a valid argument, provided you have evidence that they are indeed stupid.

>>9546710
The spacer guild? Or the navigators or whatever they were called - it's been years now

>>9545907
Don't read Endymion, my friend. Please don't.

>>9545618
It's a fake, somebody got butthurt and mocked it up in Paint. Real thread here
boards.4chan.org/lit/thread/9545944

>>9546743
>Explaining the joke
Well done, citizen.

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>>9546805
No problem mien property

>>9545813
I would love to recommend Jaworski's Janua Vera and Gagner la Guerre but honestly they are probably too hard for your level.
If you still want to give it a try, you should start with Janua Vera as it's a collection of short stories where Jaworski builds the world in which his next (longer) novels take place. Janua Vera can be read as a stand alone though.

https://www.babelio.com/livres/Jaworski-Janua-Vera/88737
https://www.babelio.com/livres/Jaworski-Gagner-la-guerre/117385

I know I'm not really fitting your criteria of a light novel, but I've really wanted to shill this author for a while now. He's the best thing that's recently happened for French sf afaik.

>>9546777
Them too, but there are literal jews mentioned in the Appendices of Dune.

>tfw we're gonna be the daycare of /lit/ for the next 3 months

>>9546945
Stock up on memes to deter the interlopers.

>>9546945
Summer is and have always been a myth. It's not like kids don't have time to browse 4chan during the rest of the year.

>>9546945
hence why we need a specialised captcha for /sffg/ requiring you to answer a question on dune or lotr

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Let's try and get this thread back onto Wolfe. The Fifth Head of Cerberus is my favourite out of all of his work. Here's a question I posed to Marc Aramini which he might answer if he logs back into Goodreads sometime this year. Maybe one of you subhumans can answer it first.

>Ingenuity on Sainte Croix

What has me wondering is Dr Marsch's communication with his fellow prisoners following his arrest on Sainte Croix. I know that he only successfully communicates with the one prisoner but his neighbor in the next cell attempts to communicate with him via a different method to Prisoner 47's coded tapping The first time I read the story I didn't think much of Marsch's neighbor's intelligible banging, but on my second reading I realized that the description is a clear echo of something stated in one of Marsch's investigation notes.

-some of the earliest explorers farther south are supposed to have reported signal drumming
on the standing trunks of hollow trees by the Annese; they are said to have used no drum-sticks,
striking the trunk with the open hand as if it were a tom-tom, and like all primitives they would presumably
have been communicating by imitating, with the sound of their blows, their own speech—“talking drums.”)-

This excerpt of Marsch's notes is immediately followed by Marsch proudly explaining how he was able to work out the code used by his fellow prisoners to communicate between cells. Then later on before he gives the details of his arrest he notes down something about his neighbor.

-If I had a stone I could rap on the walls of my cell loudly enough for those on either side to hear.
As it is, the prisoner to my left raps to me—I do not know with what, but it makes every sort of
strange noise, not just a rapping or ticking—but does not know the code. The wall on my right
is silent; possibly there is no one there, or, like me, he may have nothing with which to speak.-

And later

-The prisoner next to me knew I was back, too, and began tapping and scraping the wall between us
in the old way, but still has not learned the code or is using a different one I cannot decipher.
The sounds are so various I think sometimes he must be trying to talk with his noises.-

You can probably see what I'm getting at now. The prisoner in the cell next to Marsch's is trying to communicate like a primitive abo could be expected to. If everyone on Sainte Croix is an abo incapable of dexterity or ingenuity due to not being compatible with human living then the prisoner's behavior is explained. As an abo they are incapable of mastering the tap-code like Marsch was. However this explanation doesn't work, because from Marsch's description of prison life it seems as though his neighbor's behavior is the exception rather than the rule, and that everyone else understands the code. I can't see how this is possible.

>>9547010
Not really true. My sibs cant be on the pc for more than 1hr a day, and they use that for school. During the summer the rents work, so were nor poor, fat autism anons.

>>9547097
Marsch has no opportunity to learn the code before his imprisonment and is only able to master it through a process so elaborate that I have trouble imagining it being within the capabilities of anybody with less than a genius intellect. I can't understand how the prisoners learn this code. Is it something known among criminals and/or revolutionaries on Sainte Croix outside of the prison which they exploit once caught? Did Marsch go through an irregular arrest process and other prisoners have time together before being isolated? Or did they all work it out on their own? None of these seem likely to me. And they all leave the issue of Marsch's neighbor open. Regardless of the explanation I think that the prison's tapping system may be a subtle way of hinting that Marsch's neighbor is fundamentally different to him and the other prisoners, or perhaps that Marsch's neighbor is normal (relative to Sainte Croix) and that the rest of the prisoners are fundamentally different (possible, since Marsch's imprisonment, like Maitre's selling of abnormal clones, is supposed to bring to mind a crippling intolerance for abnormality).

Is a significant portion of Sainte Croix's prison population exceptionally intelligent? Or even more unlikely, not abo? The neighbor's behavior seems to deliberately be described in a way that evokes abo-ness, while Prisoner 47's is distinctly different. Is Prisoner 47 not an abo? Is he an abo who was developing non-abo traits which would potentially have made him more suited towards Sainte Croix's human environment, however, like Number Five's unfortunate brothers, these traits marked him for removal before he could be given the chance to prove his value over the rigidly accepted norm? I think that this explanation makes the most sense of what I've come up with so far but it still feels full of holes and incomplete. I think that understanding the nature of this prison and its inmates could be vitally important to fully understanding the social implications of Marsch's section of the novel.

>>9543080
Who is Mervyn Peake and why have I seen his name so much recently?

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>>9547100
he's talking about the myth not your one particular case

>>9543085
>no science fiction
Why did the Greeks hate entertaining literature?

>>9547111
>Moot

Who?

>>9547126
The guy who owned this place before Hiro but after Girlvinyl.

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what's the "start with the Greeks" equivalent of /sffg/?

>>9547175
Start with the dinosaurs.

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>>9547175
Any piece of science-fiction or fantasy that isn't improved by starting with the Greeks isn't worth reading. The 'start with the Greeks' of /lit/ is 'start with the Greeks'.

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>read old sci-fi book
>philosophy and politics overload

>read new sci-fi book
>its an action movie written down

Where did the thinking man's science fiction go?
Why is it mostly guns, space piracy, or otherwise american action movie inspired, and at best it has some not too subtle comment on the effects of technology on daily life?

>>9547175
Start with the Greeks is something you tell people new to books, so they can start with difficult material that they can't appreciate, and quit reading and go back to playing League of Legends while listening to Top 40 Dance Songs April 2016.

Its like /fit/ telling people to do legs on their first day, fully knowing they won't be able to walk the morning after, and won't be able to go back to the gym for a week at least.

>>9547109
He wrote Gormenghast trilogy (pretty good Gothic low fantasy)

>>9547204
you're reading the wrong modern scifi

>>9547111
Yes, for the site as a whole that is probably true. However, this thread in particular has some properties that I would posit amplifies any small increase.
1. It's a General
2. It's the only longstanding active general on this board
3. It's the obvious stopping place for newfags who like books but haven't started with the greeks yet
Perhaps just autism talking, but it really feels like a pattern here.

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>>9547242
Post the right modern sci-fi.
I'll take a list of five to start with.

>>9547204
>read old sci-fi books
>highly aclaimed works and authors that have stood the test of time

>read new sci-fi book
>random shit that you have no way of knowing how good it's going to be.

There's your problem.

>>9547245
Blindopraxia
Liu Cixin's short stories
Too like the lightning

Get reading, busy boy

>>9546541
That's for the best, SciFi authors understanding of Religion comes from Star Trek and burnout parents who couldn't leave Buddhism where it belonged back in the 60's.

>>9547111
Moot is an idiot.
The traffic during summer only increases a little, but it's a known fact that a good fraction of people go on vacation during summer, and don't browse the web like they do the rest of the year. This fraction of people is more than balanced by newfriends, and that's what moot noticed.
If at a given time during summer 15% of people are on vacation somewhere, and even if the increase in traffic is only about 15% in summer, it means that out of 115 people during summer, 30 are newfriends. It's not the 5-7% that people think when they see this copypasta.

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>>9547097
>Let's try and get this thread back onto Wolfe
This isn't wolfe fiction and fantasy general, it's sffg. We discuss many other works. Every fucking thread doesn't have to be about Wolfe, Aram-sama.

>>9547385
nice autism but all he was asked was whether traffic increases in summer, not to give a thesis on the topic of whether summerfags are a real phenomenon

>>9547218
Or /a/ reccing boku no pico, or /g/ telling you to remove thermal paste to make your processor /gpu go faster, or securing your motherboard with woodscrews.

>>9547411
>or /g/ telling you to remove thermal paste to make your processor /gpu go faster, or securing your motherboard with woodscrews.

I fucked up guys.

>>9547422
Don't forget delete system 32 and reboot.

>>9547422
If you are running Windows, just run a magnet over your HDD to activate the hardware repair service.

>>9547175
When they tell you to start with Dune, or lotr. Both books aged badly, and a modern person going into them will be turned away from the genre entirely if they think that shit is the best to offer as entry level.

>>9547449
What would you recommend? Wheel of Time is like the generic fantasy equivalent of Harry Potter in a way - easy to digest, long, character ages along with the reader, hits all the cliches.

>>9547449
>>>/co/

>>9547459
I would rather read LoTR than read WoT, and LoTR was utter shit. Couldn't even finish the series.

>>9547475
>and LoTR was utter shit
How to spot a pleb in one easy step

>>9547471
What you on about fucboi? Wrong post you quoted. Nothing in my post referenced co and it's utter infestation of tripfags.

>>9547475
The children of Hurin is my favorite fantasy book, and its made better by reading LotR, so I'd say its well worth it.

>>9547483
>holding up LoTR as the best in the genre because of muh nostalgia
How to spot a manchild who attends DnD conventions dressed up as Frodo.
Do you also wear a ring on a chain around your neck?

>>9547487
Hobbit is the best thing Tolkien wrote that I read. LoTR is shit.

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>>9547492
>Do you also wear a ring on a chain around your neck?
Delete this now

>>9547243
How many newfags do you think go to /lit/ of all places?

>>9547506
Practically none, but 10 would be overwhelming if they all funneled here.

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>>9547492
lmao

>>9547523
This is the equivalent of random soccer moms saying their favorite video game is "Mario".

>>9547506
A lot, we get posted to Reddit on a bi-monthly basis m8

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>>9547199
The 'start with the Greeks' of SFFG should be start with the pulps. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Lovecraft, Robert Howard, Fritz Leiber.

>>9547204
On this matter, the pulp writers have an amount of classical allusion and subtext while still being action-led.

>>9547459
Wheel of Time is way too fucking long for a starting point and it's filled with references to Greek, Norse, religious, and Arthurian legend. Though the references are superficial and it's not necessary to get them. In the time it takes to read you could develop a much better foundation of fantasy literature.

>Epic of Gilgamesh
>Beowulf
>Edda
>Volsunga Saga
>The Iliad/The Odyssey
>The Bible
>Le Morte d'Arthur
>Journey to the West

These are the bare minimum prerequisites before reading any modern fantasy.

>>9546083
I just read the sequel and was not impressed.
>first three quarters of the book is basically nothing but flashbacks and nothing of interest happening
>remember that character you liked? now they're a asshole or got killed by another character who turned into a asshole
>evil mongolvikings with cow dragons in the most boring invasion ever
>lesbian character gets forced into a marriage with a man

>>9547738
You are doing the "start with the greeks" crap that will get people to quit. It is completely unnatural to start with these.
What almost all of us did was read material referencing the legends and myths, get interested, read the legend and myths, go "ooooh i get it" and re-read the initial books, now knowing more.

Who the fuck has the Epic of Gilgamesh as their first fantasy book?
The only people who want to read that are people who are already reading fantasy.

>>9547738
Lol nice try.

>the morte de arthur meme
>Journey to the FUCKING WEST

>>9545356
TBP is literally the best sci fi to come along in years and you're pooh-poohing it away.

First of all, no one likes it because of some wishy washy desire to see more translated fiction. How facile and pandering. I have literally never read a worse thought.

Second, and this is tied to the first point, it's laughable that the only part of any relevance is the Cultural Revolution section. Again this pandering oriental fascination. Read a history book if it's so eye-opening. That said, the historical context of China is well utilised for the plot, and it all comes together so magnificently.

It's truly reminiscent of golden age sci fi, with big ideas and lots of science. It's exciting and fresh, and yeah The Dark Forest does just take it to the next level. This isn't a book about fucking characters - it's a book about scientists and existentialism (by the way The Dark Forest is a beautiful love story) and it works perfectly for that. There are issues with translation and this is mostly in dialogue, but honestly there was some killer writing in there. But oh no sorry Station Eleven is just so beautiful it made me cry. Give me a break. This is far and above a lot else out there.

tl;dr appreciate, fools.

Addendum: I went to a seminar in Sydney with Cixin Liu was speaking. I have never seen such a packed event. A university lecture theatre filled with Chinese students (and me and like 5 white dudes). During question time there was a literal stampede of people wanting to ask him questions. And no, not questions like 'how do you find time to write?' or some lame bullshit Western audiences would ask, but deep and meaningful questions about science and the future of China.

That day I saw the West die.

>>9547076
>dune
but we want the redditors out too

>>9546135
>bought this and it has sat on my shelf for about 4 months now. every once in a while i get the urge to read it but there's just so many other things to read before.
It was the first book loaded onto my newest ereader (broke the last one)

A year later and I've never gone beyond page 5 or so

>>9547738
Disregard this. Start with Asoiaf.

>>9547770
Strange. I agree with almost everything you've said, and I loved Remembrance of Earth's past start to finish, but I could have sworn I've seen this entire thing written out before.
Like ctrl+c/v written before. especially that last part. have you got this on a .txt and whip it our for special occasions?

Not trying to undermine your point, Cixin is great, but just curious

>>9547770
You saw the west die because a bunch of kids ask a genre fiction author a bunch of cliche answers? uwotm8

>>9547411
>or /g/ telling you to remove thermal paste to make your processor /gpu go faster, or securing your motherboard with woodscrews.
No.
/g/'s entry meme will always be "install Gentoo" which is exactly the kind of advice as "start with the Greeks" and exactly as appropriate an answer for an idiot asking a dumb question.

>>9547770
Is this pasta?

It certainly is the most autistic thing I have read today.

Why bother responding if you go on 4 separate tangents without answering the question?

>>9544125
best sci-fi i ever read

>>9547738
At the very least for writing fantasy. A lot of these hacks just played dnd and read Tolkien and some shit. Then decided that was enough to start writing (looking at sanderson, Erikson, and rothfuss)

>>9548078
Erikson never read Tolkien before he wrote his books. He was a fan of Glenn Cook and D&D. Also, he studied anthropology in college and it shows in the way he writes, the scope he takes in describing things. He's got more ambition in his projects than any other 3 authors on the planet.

Sanderson I'm pretty sure has some kind of compulsive need to write like those autists who write a million word fan fiction epics. Only he managed to have enough creativity to write about his own intellectual property.

Rothfuss to me seems like a kid who got a lot of positive reinforcement in middle and high school and was probably the teacher's pet of a few Creative Writing teachers. I'm about 50% serious when I say he only writes fantasy because it was the best way to publish his collection of poems and songs.

Hello everyone, I am a new reader, can anyone recommend me some good sword and sorcery series? I am not looking into big good vs evil battles anything, just a protagonist on a quest with fights and magic. Thanks in advance.

Never read Wolfe before, best way to get in to him?

Dr Death > Cerberus > BOTNS?

I own BOTNS part 1 but i've been told it's better to work up to it.

>>9548142
Gemmell is the master of this

>>9546541
Which novels (besides the first one obviously) in this series are worth reading?

>>9548150
I read BotNS first and absolutely loved it. I think you'll be fine if your not a brainlet. Don't be afraid to look up words.

>>9545813
Why not go for the comics? They are excellent for entry level and Soleil has some solid entries every year.

>>9548150
I read BOTNS as my first Wolfe and enjoyed it. As long as you're able to get through books that are heavy to read you'll be fine.

>>9547729
I feel everyone unjustly forgets about Clarck Ashton Smith, he had the less iconic setting but his writings is better than Howard or Lovy.

>>9548496
first four

NEW THREAD

>>9548752
>>9548752
>>9548752
>>9548752

>>9544065
It takes some adjusting on the reader's part, especially if they have subsisted on a steady diet of modern sff shit. Take your time and savor. There are beautiful things in this book if you just relax and read.

>>9548616
Clarke just isn't as accessible. He's great, but he's who you read if you enjoy Lovecraft and are accustomed to the era - for many, he requires too many trips to a dictionary, an offputting thing for people newly in the habit of reading outside of school.

>>9547853
It's pasta famalam