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I'm looking for something where the protagonist tends to get either beaten up on, or gets their plans ruined on a regular basis, Genre doesn't really matter although I like horror, something with Humor and Action in it preferably. Stuff I liked: Dresden Files, Sandman Slim, Felix Castor, The Name Of the Wind, The Laundry Series
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Jun 21, 2016 20:13
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KildarX posted:I'm looking for something where the protagonist tends to get either beaten up on, or gets their plans ruined on a regular basis, Genre doesn't really matter although I like horror, something with Humor and Action in it preferably. Night by Elie Wiesel
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Jun 21, 2016 20:29
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KildarX posted:I'm looking for something where the protagonist tends to get either beaten up on, or gets their plans ruined on a regular basis, Genre doesn't really matter although I like horror, something with Humor and Action in it preferably. If you like urban fantasy, it's worth reading the Noir classics. Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, etc.
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Jun 21, 2016 20:34
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KildarX posted:I'm looking for something where the protagonist tends to get either beaten up on, or gets their plans ruined on a regular basis, Genre doesn't really matter although I like horror, something with Humor and Action in it preferably. You're painting with broad strokes. For horror-comedy pulp, you should try the Andrew Mayhem series by Jeff Strand. The first two books are fun, as is his book Mandibles. Pretty cheap on Kindle. You might like The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston or The gently caress-Up by Nersesian. Or Palahniuk; Choke is the only one I'd recommend to try, but a lot of people like Haunted. Bret Easton Ellis and Irvine Welsh are better at these kinds of books, though. My favorite of this "Loser" Genre is James Gunn's (Guardians of the Galaxy, Super, Slither) only novel The Toy Collector. It's very good, and I love to recommend it to people, especially if they like Super. For something actually Good/Great (depending on the critic), there's Kurt Vonnegut's books Slaughterhouse-5, Breakfast of Champions and The Sirens of Titan or Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice, and Bukowski's novels Post Office and Factotum.
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Jun 21, 2016 20:37
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Isn't "the hero gets beat up" the plot of every noir written?
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Jun 21, 2016 20:40
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Mr. Squishy posted:Isn't "the hero gets beat up" the plot of every story?
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Jun 21, 2016 20:44
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KildarX posted:I'm looking for something where the protagonist tends to get either beaten up on, or gets their plans ruined on a regular basis, Genre doesn't really matter although I like horror, something with Humor and Action in it preferably. Well, for plans getting ruined on a regular basis and humor, you could do worse than Donald E. Westlake's Dortmunder books. Small-time crook John Dortmunder and his buddies pull off clever capers only to have them get messed up, and they have to plan and carry out more clever capers to make up for what went wrong, and so on. I haven't read all of them, maybe about half, but the first one, The Hot Rock, is probably the best of the ones I've read. They're not "Literature" by any means, but they're amusing.
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Jun 22, 2016 00:47
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district 12 posted:I am looking for some recommendations for quirky, quick read novels along the lines of Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto. Especially women authors. I like Zadie Smith a lot, too, if that offers a general idea of what I'm looking for? Can be from any period, and preferably ones I can get on eBook. In order of most to least quirky: Kelly Link, Ali Smith, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
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Jun 22, 2016 02:00
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KildarX posted:I'm looking for something where the protagonist tends to get either beaten up on, or gets their plans ruined on a regular basis, Genre doesn't really matter although I like horror, something with Humor and Action in it preferably. Ignore every other recommendation. Read the Takeshi Kovacs novels by Richard K. Morgan. It's funny, it has weird body-horror stuff, it's smart. Or, if you really don't like sci-fi, read A Land Fit for Heroes, same author but not as nail-on-the-head (although it's still funny and the 4 heroes all get their asses kicked on the regular). e: Oh, poo poo, read Assassin's Apprentice, by Robin Hobb. There's three trilogies mostly involving the heroes recovering from wounds, with a long-term psycho-physic-magical wound overarching all of it. Good times! wellwhoopdedooo fucked around with this message at 08:27 on Jun 22, 2016 |
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Jun 22, 2016 08:23
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district 12 posted:I am looking for some recommendations for quirky, quick read novels along the lines of Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto. Especially women authors. I like Zadie Smith a lot, too, if that offers a general idea of what I'm looking for? Can be from any period, and preferably ones I can get on eBook. You're going to love Amélie Nothomb, I think. Start with "Fear and Trembling" (the title is very much tongue in cheek), then choose whichever of her novels sounds more interesting to you, they're all good.
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Jun 22, 2016 09:29
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High Warlord Zog posted:In order of most to least quirky: Kelly Link, Ali Smith, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Burning Rain posted:You're going to love Amélie Nothomb, I think. Start with "Fear and Trembling" (the title is very much tongue in cheek), then choose whichever of her novels sounds more interesting to you, they're all good. Thanks! i'll check these authors out.
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Jun 22, 2016 18:47
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KildarX posted:I'm looking for something where the protagonist tends to get either beaten up on, or gets their plans ruined on a regular basis, Genre doesn't really matter although I like horror, something with Humor and Action in it preferably. The Greatcoats series by Sebastien de Castell is right up your alley. Anything else I can suggest depends on whether you also like varying but marked levels of angst.
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Jun 22, 2016 19:17
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Looking for some high fantasy with unconventional settings (basically, not based on medieval Europe). Would be interested in stories inspired by antiquity or other parts of the world.
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Jun 23, 2016 03:33
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Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart.
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Jun 23, 2016 03:58
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Also City of Stairs/City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett--they revolve around fantasy versions of Russia and India.
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Jun 23, 2016 08:17
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Not traditional high fantasy but more people should read The Orphan's Tales by Catherynne M Valente. Definitely if you want exotic settings.
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Jun 23, 2016 09:52
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bowser posted:Looking for some high fantasy with unconventional settings (basically, not based on medieval Europe). Would be interested in stories inspired by antiquity or other parts of the world. My typical recommendation here is Guy Gavriel Kay, but even he's mostly Europe, just not England -- one book is set in fantasy reconquista era spain, etc. He does have some recent books set in fantasy China though, so check those out. There's Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light, which is technically science fiction, but at the "indistinguishable from magic" level of technology. The basic plot is that the rulers of a future colony planet have set themselves up as Hindu dieties (complete with working reincarnation if you follow the regime, etc.); one of them rebels and sets himself up as Buddha to undermine them.
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Jun 23, 2016 13:11
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I haven't read it yet, but Ken Liu's The Grace of Kings seems highly regarded.
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Jun 23, 2016 17:23
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bowser posted:Looking for some high fantasy with unconventional settings (basically, not based on medieval Europe). Would be interested in stories inspired by antiquity or other parts of the world. anilEhilated posted:Not traditional high fantasy but more people should read The Orphan's Tales by Catherynne M Valente. Definitely if you want exotic settings. This. And Deathless, which is a Russian fairy tale set before and during World War II. And...everything she's written, really. Carol Berg's Rai-kirah trilogy is more Arabian than European.
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Jun 23, 2016 19:49
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Looking for a book or series set in something like the world of darkness or the secret world, in the USA and about investigating / fighting monsters,not being them. Gonna try for an audio book on audible but any info appreciated. I feel weird adding this but I want it to be good? Like I read an old xfiles and wod and I want more than that. American gods and neverwhere were good but not quite what I'm talking about. Jack B Nimble fucked around with this message at 17:11 on Jun 24, 2016 |
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Jun 24, 2016 17:05
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Well, neither is a perfect fit but maybe try the Harmony Black books by Craig Schaefer (FBI agent sent on magical cases) or Laundry series by Charles Stross (warning: British and very much so). Neither of them is as dark or complex as the WoD, sadly. Both are also more on the side of fun fantasy than horror. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Jun 24, 2016 |
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Jun 24, 2016 17:14
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Jack B Nimble posted:Looking for a book or series set in something like the world of darkness or the secret world, in the USA and about investigating / fighting monsters,not being them. Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry which is Tom Clancy meets Eleventh Hour meets Victor Frankenstein...not published by Baen books, or George Chesbro's Mongo series. Neither one has any supernatural but both are loaded with weird science.
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Jun 24, 2016 18:02
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Jack B Nimble posted:Looking for a book or series set in something like the world of darkness or the secret world, in the USA and about investigating / fighting monsters,not being them. John Dies at the End, although it's more silly/gonzo than the WOD. If you want to go old school, maybe Manly Wade Wellman's Silver John and/or John Thunstone books.
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Jun 24, 2016 18:17
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Also old school Carnacki the Ghost Finder by William Hope Hodgson http://www.forgottenfutures.com/game/ff4/ has the stories there. My favorite is The Horse of the Invisible.
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Jun 24, 2016 19:07
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I'm fond of the various Rivers of London books by Ben Aaronovitch--Jack B Nimble posted:in the USA crap, never mind A stretch, maybe, but the various Bobby Dollar books by Tad Williams did come to mind-- Jack B Nimble posted:but I want it to be good? crap, never mind Maybe one of the five million Charles de Lint books would work for you, but they're mostly the calm fairy-like sort of magical realism, not the fighting-y sort. Same with the old Neverwhere/Borderlands shared-world anthology stuff. Uh. I'm beginning to sense a gap in my reading history. Pardon me.
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Jun 25, 2016 05:26
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Picayune posted:Also City of Stairs/City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett--they revolve around fantasy versions of Russia and India. Are there any additional modern fiction books that take place in fantasy/alternate versions of Russia? Or I guess any non-traditional (western?) locales.
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Jun 26, 2016 02:28
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Picayune posted:Robert Jackson Bennett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkmW_j9IhAA
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Jun 26, 2016 03:17
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I think I'm going to read Frankenstein for the first time, and now I'm curious whether I should go for the 1818 or the Revised 1838 edition. Opinions?
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Jun 26, 2016 04:57
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moctopus posted:Are there any additional modern fiction books that take place in fantasy/alternate versions of Russia? Or I guess any non-traditional (western?) locales. There's the Night Watch series by Sergei Lukyanenko (Night Watch, Day Watch, Twilight Watch, and so on). Granted, it's been years since I read those, so they may not be as good as I remember. The movies they made from the first two books were pretty good, too. Yeeah, don't read that one.
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Jun 26, 2016 06:23
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Picayune posted:The movies they made from the first two books were pretty good, too. Were they really? That's not how I remember them.
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Jun 26, 2016 23:56
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Night Watch I thought was OK. Daywatch was just kind of nothing.
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Jun 26, 2016 23:59
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I examined some of the recommendations and nothing really grabbed me; my own searching didn't turn up much either, aside from something called the "Urban Fantasy" genre. Problem is, looking at a tile of book covers on a web page is literally judging a book by it's cover. It's weird though, this genre, Urban Fantasy or whatever you'd call it, isn't obscure. If I was going to name shows or movies like this I, someone who's not at all a movie buff, could rattle off: X-Files Angel/Buffy Brimstone Supernatural Blade, Underworld, etc (there comes a point where a "vampire" movie is crossing into WoD territory, but I'm not sure where I'd draw the line?) And that's just off the top of my head, but when I go looking for books I come up empty. I know these books have to be out here, but I look at a dozen "Urban Fantasy" novels with dime a dozen romance novel art work and I can't tell what's good, and I don't trust a random google search to guide me through a genre that's just go to be packed with fetishistic schlock. Thanks for the input, I ended up spending my audible credit on the first Wheel of Time book instead. I'm sure I can find something good in this vein. Like, I mean, did anyone here read Winter's Bone? Something like that but with magic would be great (not great like the original, more of a genre page turner, but you know). Spooky creepy stuff going on in the methy Appalachians.
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Jun 28, 2016 01:45
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Jack B Nimble posted:Looking for a book or series set in something like the world of darkness or the secret world, in the USA and about investigating / fighting monsters,not being them. Dresden Files fills that market niche right now for U.S authors. The Rivers of London / Peter Grant series is the best current series I'm aware of in this vein but it's set in London.
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Jun 28, 2016 01:51
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Jack B Nimble posted:I examined some of the recommendations and nothing really grabbed me; my own searching didn't turn up much either, aside from something called the "Urban Fantasy" genre. Problem is, looking at a tile of book covers on a web page is literally judging a book by it's cover. You might like All the Birds in the Sky.
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Jun 28, 2016 02:02
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bowser posted:Looking for some high fantasy with unconventional settings (basically, not based on medieval Europe). Would be interested in stories inspired by antiquity or other parts of the world. Samuel R. Delany's Neveryon Cycle are set in a sort of African-Mediterranean empire, it's deliberately vague but distinctly non-European. Also someone is translating the Heroic Legend of Arslan novels by Yoshiki Tanaka, which are set in a fantasy Persia basically. The first one is complete. You can find them here: https://arslansenki.wordpress.com/
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Jun 28, 2016 03:19
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Jack B Nimble posted:
Old Nathan by David Drake. It's set in 18th-19th century Appalachia.
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Jun 28, 2016 08:13
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Jack B Nimble posted:Like, I mean, did anyone here read Winter's Bone? Something like that but with magic would be great (not great like the original, more of a genre page turner, but you know). Spooky creepy stuff going on in the methy Appalachians. I just recommended them up-page, but Manly Wade Wellman's John the Balladeer / Silver John novels and stories are all about weird goings-on in the Appalachian South. They're set sometime in the mid-20th century, so a bit pre-meth. Here's one of the stories if you want to check it out.
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Jun 28, 2016 15:24
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Counterpoint: The Silver John novels are not that good. (Some of the short stories are alright.)
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Jun 28, 2016 16:03
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I need to add $15 worth of stuff to get free shipping on my Amazon order. My current cart has a $14 shipping price anyway so why not get some (sort of) free books? Recently I've read and enjoyed a few Cormac McCarthy books, as well as Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age. This is a vague suggestion request but I'm not too picky on what I'm getting, though I don't want anything that's part of a series. Alternatively if anyone knows something that sells for $15 on Amazon that's a life changer, let me know. I'll check back in the morning.
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Jun 30, 2016 03:24
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Fun Times! posted:I need to add $15 worth of stuff to get free shipping on my Amazon order. My current cart has a $14 shipping price anyway so why not get some (sort of) free books? https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Birds...s+barry+hughart https://www.amazon.com/Neil-Gaiman-Charles-Vess-Stardust/dp/156389470X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Light-Roger-Zelazny/dp/0060567236 https://www.amazon.com/Night-Lonesome-October-Rediscovered-Classics/dp/1556525605
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Jun 30, 2016 03:42
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