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on the topic of better books, I recently read Octavia Butler's short story collection Bloodchild and it's fantastic, especially the title story
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Aug 8, 2021 15:19
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Horizon Burning posted:please take your terrible internet books back to the web serial thread Commonweal is neither terrible nor a web serial.
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Aug 8, 2021 15:29
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ulmont posted:Commonweal is neither terrible nor a web serial. yeah it's honestly one of the better things i've ever learned about from this thread. it is a strange, experimental passion project that one guy makes basically negative money writing, but there's a lot to it to like (e.g.: the entire way gender is handled is very internally consistent in a specific way but i think literally never explained lol) eke out fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Aug 8, 2021 |
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Aug 8, 2021 15:42
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eke out posted:yeah it's honestly one of the better things i've ever learned about from this thread. it is a strange, experimental passion project that one guy makes basically negative money writing, but there's a lot to it to like (e.g.: the entire way gender is handled is very internally consistent in a specific way but i think literally never explained lol) Any links to the books or store page? Googling "Commonweal" is coming up dry for me. Also i don't think it's a good idea to try claiming that the scrfi and fantasy thread is too good for web serials.
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Aug 8, 2021 15:49
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Sibling of TB posted:Any links to the books or store page? Googling "Commonweal" is coming up dry for me. here you go, i think all the official versions are on google books according to the author's blog: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/The_March_North?id=MoIOAwAAQBAJ
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Aug 8, 2021 15:50
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quantumfoam posted:Jack Chalker was a public school teacher IRL who wrote multiple SFF book series that revolved around involuntary forced gender reassignment/involuntary forced species reassignment, rape, bestiality and domination kink. Technically Jeffrey Rosen was Trump's last AG, taking over from December 13 until January 20th after Barr resigned.
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Aug 8, 2021 18:22
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i liked the first commonweal book, the rest was mind-numbingly boring edit: book 5 goes back to the military fantasy of the 1st book so i might check that out
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Aug 8, 2021 18:27
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:It's not directly on point to your request but if you like this sort of thing you'll probably also like The Misenchanted Sword by Lawrence watt Evans, and probably some of his other books too.
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Aug 8, 2021 18:35
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Doctor Jeep posted:edit: book 5 goes back to the military fantasy of the 1st book so i might check that out So does a big chunk of book 4.
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Aug 8, 2021 18:41
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The commonweal is like gardens of the moon, in that you have no idea what the gently caress is going on but if you go back after 5 books everything is understandable. Only it is 10 times worse in that regards compared to the first malazan.
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Aug 8, 2021 18:45
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wizzardstaff posted:And if you want to make your own litrpg, you can look up Apothecaria, a solo journal-writing game (aka a gamified set of random writing prompts) about being a novice witch in a cozy village making healing potions. ooh thanks for this recommendation. I just bought the collection of her map-drawing games yesterday. My favourite solo journal-writing game is Thousand Year-Old Vampire but it's the opposite of cosy.
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Aug 8, 2021 18:54
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Horizon Burning posted:please take your terrible internet books back to the web serial thread Someone ITT asked for examples of a genre and I provided one so why don’t you take your gatekeeping and gobble my knob instead?
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Aug 8, 2021 20:38
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I'm reading Earthsea for the first time right now. One of those series I put off for one reason or another forever, but it finally felt like the right time. shockingly, ... its really good. who could have possibly known? 
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Aug 8, 2021 20:40
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shirunei posted:The commonweal is like gardens of the moon, in that you have no idea what the gently caress is going on but if you go back after 5 books everything is understandable. Only it is 10 times worse in that regards compared to the first malazan. That's actually the kind of thing I like, does anybody have suggestions for things like that?
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Aug 8, 2021 20:54
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Aardvark! posted:I'm reading Earthsea for the first time right now. One of those series I put off for one reason or another forever, but it finally felt like the right time. Went back through the first three Earthsea novels during the corona year, after reading them the last time in 90s. I did enjoy then again, they were truly beautiful novels: But Tehanu I absolutely loved. Just having hit 40, the whole theme truly struck a chord with me. And I know if I’d have read it back in 90s in my teens, I would have been mightily bored after the original trilogy.
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Aug 8, 2021 21:04
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Aardvark! posted:I'm reading Earthsea for the first time right now. One of those series I put off for one reason or another forever, but it finally felt like the right time. Same! God her prose is amazing.
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Aug 8, 2021 21:22
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Lunsku posted:Went back through the first three Earthsea novels during the corona year, after reading them the last time in 90s. I did enjoy then again, they were truly beautiful novels: Reading Earthsea right now for the first time, just finished Tehanu and it's my favorite of the four so far.
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Aug 8, 2021 22:37
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Le Guin's prose literally ruined most fiction, genre or otherwise, for me. If it's not either beautifully written or so fun / conceptually intriguing that I'm willing to forgive its prose, I really struggle to get invested.
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Aug 8, 2021 22:44
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fritz posted:That's actually the kind of thing I like, does anybody have suggestions for things like that? Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle.
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Aug 8, 2021 22:55
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That reminds me, a while ago I bought some cool looking Penguin hardcovers of The Left Hand of Darkness, along with The Once and Future King. Need to get on those.
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Aug 9, 2021 00:48
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packetmantis posted:Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle. I need to re-read those, it's been a long time.
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Aug 9, 2021 01:36
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Kestral posted:Le Guin's prose literally ruined most fiction, genre or otherwise, for me. If it's not either beautifully written or so fun / conceptually intriguing that I'm willing to forgive its prose, I really struggle to get invested. Yeah, I'm really snobby with prose quality now. It doesn't have to be *amazing*, but nothing turns me off a book faster than clunky prose.
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Aug 9, 2021 01:45
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fritz posted:That's actually the kind of thing I like, does anybody have suggestions for things like that? Michael Moorcock's "Second Ether" trilogy (although I don't promise you'll be able to understand what was going on even after you finish).
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Aug 9, 2021 02:08
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navyjack posted:Someone ITT asked for examples of a genre and I provided one so why don’t you take your gatekeeping and gobble my knob instead? Eh, that series gets pushed here ever so often in this thread and it is essentially a worse version of Black Company. Damning with faint praise. To me it is obvious that the author is either a goon or friend of a goon, otherwise why would an self published series get pushed so hard in this thread. Especially considering book 2-3 are mind numbingly bad and in serious need of an editor.
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Aug 9, 2021 10:09
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sometimes people like self-published work by people they have no connection with, not even parasocially
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Aug 9, 2021 10:13
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and sometimes people enjoy reading bad stuff (this should not need to be said in this thread of all places) and will recommend it when it fits someone's specific requests and it's contextually relevant it may even be, gasp, a good recommendation to the person asking for that kind of stuff!
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Aug 9, 2021 10:23
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edit: blah, not worth it
Horizon Burning fucked around with this message at 10:30 on Aug 9, 2021 |
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Aug 9, 2021 10:26
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neongrey posted:and sometimes people enjoy reading bad stuff (this should not need to be said in this thread of all places) and will recommend it when it fits someone's specific requests and it's contextually relevant A. Given the average quality of what is published as sci-fi/fantasy, one can be certain that self published is on average horrible since it has not even passed a basic quality check by editors. There is no lack of bad published books in this field. B. Self published stuff is another thread as far as I know. C. Given that it is basically only this series (March north) that gets pushed here, it is kinda obvious someone is using this thread to advertising. I would be ok with this if I can get my money back for book 2-3 which were boring as hell.
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Aug 9, 2021 11:36
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There's nine posts about it in the last year, seven of which started yesterday i.e. the current conversation. What's your definition of "pushed"? I've not been following this thread all that long, so perhaps I'm missing some historical perspective... silvergoose fucked around with this message at 11:45 on Aug 9, 2021 |
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Aug 9, 2021 11:42
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Kestral posted:Le Guin's prose literally ruined most fiction, genre or otherwise, for me. If it's not either beautifully written or so fun / conceptually intriguing that I'm willing to forgive its prose, I really struggle to get invested. Try reading Lord Dunsany if you haven't. He was very clearly a *huge* influence on her writing style, especially Earthsea. Start with " Idle Days on the Yann", which is a free download.
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Aug 9, 2021 11:51
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On something more relevant, I finished Carrier Wave which was your bog standard zombie apocalypse story. The supernatural elements was kinda meh. What strikes me about zombie/vampire/alien/plague apocalypse stories is that they are not really horror stories but rather power fantasies. You have blank slate ie how society is holding the protagonists back and of course they would survive and prosper when 99.99% of humanity dies. You have original sin in that humans are punished for their crimes except the righteous. Strong man with a gun is also a compulsory theme.
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Aug 9, 2021 11:52
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I don't know if there's a way to search the first thread, which is archived, but it's me. Im the graydon saunders march northposter58. I don't remember where I heard about it from, possibly the james davis nicoll review. I havent even read saunders' usenet posts, which is where a bunch of people know him from. I'm sorry cardiac.
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Aug 9, 2021 11:55
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Cardiac posted:On something more relevant, I finished Carrier Wave which was your bog standard zombie apocalypse story. The supernatural elements was kinda meh. Like wasn't a major theme that everything was completely arbitrary based entirely on which of the four space assholes' turn it was to save a fragment of the race like sure there were some Hard People Making Hard Decisions (the lady at the Costco where they only turn the lights on for an hour comes to mind) but I don't know, I don't think the rest is a fair comparison
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Aug 9, 2021 11:57
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people say they like a thing? well that's proof it's a secret advertising campaign, because i didn't like that thing
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Aug 9, 2021 12:20
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Authors of the Forums: for £10 a month I will not recommend your books using an account with which I discuss web serials and litrpgs.
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Aug 9, 2021 12:23
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Try reading Lord Dunsany if you haven't. He was very clearly a *huge* influence on her writing style, especially Earthsea. Start with " Idle Days on the Yann", which is a free download. I picked up a paperback of Tales of Wonder and it's amazing how much I enjoy reading tiny fragments of stories. I love authors who can deftly imply a larger world like that. He does it, Le Guin, CJ Cherryh. Not just dumping you in it - starting in the middle, but skillfully giving enough information without actual exposition dumps. I'm fascinated by that skill.
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Aug 9, 2021 12:31
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Cardiac posted:C. Given that it is basically only this series (March north) that gets pushed here, it is kinda obvious someone is using this thread to advertising. I would be ok with this if I can get my money back for book 2-3 which were boring as hell. I've mentioned the Commonweal books several times and this post serves as official forums notification that I have no conflicts of interest. Dated this day Monday the 9th of August 2021 Not signed because you don't sign posts on this forum
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Aug 9, 2021 13:19
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In actual thread content, I read and enjoyed 'Redemption's Blade' by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and then read but did not particularly enjoy the sequel by Justina Robson. The basic schtick is 'the (particularly nasty for the type) Dark Lord has finally been defeated, now what do we do with the rest of our lives' which I liked a bunch and would like to see more of in this genre.
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Aug 9, 2021 13:24
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Cardiac posted:A. Given the average quality of what is published as sci-fi/fantasy, one can be certain that self published is on average horrible since it has not even passed a basic quality check by editors. There is no lack of bad published books in this field. The books do have an editor, the one he pays for. I have no relationship to the author, i just happen to like all the books enough to read the Google group about it. I started reading them as a consequence of a recommendation outside this thread.
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Aug 9, 2021 14:17
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I personally would enjoy seeing more "advertising" in this thread. Please show me more weird cool books I've never heard of, provided that they're actually worth reading. It's VERY hard to find books that aren't from major publishers due to the literal tidal wave of garbage, and there just aren't as many good book review blogs out there as there should be. Yes, I'm being snobby towards the ones that already exist.
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Aug 9, 2021 14:55
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