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pradmer posted:
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Nov 10, 2021 00:58
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Anyone have any comedic fantasy or sci fi to recommend? I've read all of discworld, and space team, just looking for some good fun reads. Was working my way though the magic of magic series but it got kinda weird in the last book and the opening of the new book was just kinda ugh, so I'm looking for something new. I've enjoyed the Hard Luck Hank series, believe the author is a goon. Nine books and two short story collections which I haven't read yet. Reminds me of a mix of Pratchett and Harrison Stainless Steel Rat. Each book has a different enough take on the universe to keep the series fresh for me.
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Nov 10, 2021 01:57
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I'll xpost this here as wellNoneMoreNegative posted:I posted about enjoying Blake Crouch's RECURSION awhile back, it has a big written-for-Hollywood energy but is still a lot of fun; a quid the next 24h It starts off a little slow but gradually picks up pace until the back third is blowing your hat off.
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Nov 10, 2021 03:09
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pradmer posted:The Kingdom of Copper (Daevabad #2) by SA Chakraborty - $2.99 Amazon description posted:"the best adult fantasy I’ve read since The Name of the Wind" (#1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir) Is that suppose to be praise or a warning? 
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Nov 10, 2021 04:52
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Evil Fluffy posted:Is that suppose to be praise or a warning? Hard for me to imagine a series less like the name of the wind than the city of brass trilogy, and that is intended as praise.
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Nov 10, 2021 04:56
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Boody posted:I've enjoyed the Hard Luck Hank series, believe the author is a goon. Nine books and two short story collections which I haven't read yet. Reminds me of a mix of Pratchett and Harrison Stainless Steel Rat. Each book has a different enough take on the universe to keep the series fresh for me. EAT SUCK, SUCKFACE! Yea I've read all those and they are all pretty awesome. Even those that aren't great are weird enough to be fun. Didn't like how the last one ended though.
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Nov 10, 2021 09:05
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MockingQuantum posted:I'm looking for some fantasy that's heavily inspired by Norse mythology, or just stuff that has a similar feel. I've read The Broken Sword (which was great, and definitely the sort of thing I'm looking for) and I know LotR draws heavily from a lot of mythology and folklore of the area, but anything else? I'm sure there's obvious stuff I'm forgetting that I've read, but I'm curious if there's anything out there I've overlooked entirely. I know there's a fair amount of viking- and Norse-flavored fantasy that is quietly (or not so quietly) white supremacist, so it's hard to know what's actually good and what's just getting pushed because somebody has an agenda. Elizabeth Boyer wrote very Norse myth fantasy. Goes much deeper than just the normal Viking inspired stuff.
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Nov 10, 2021 16:02
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MockingQuantum posted:I'm looking for some fantasy that's heavily inspired by Norse mythology, or just stuff that has a similar feel. I've read The Broken Sword (which was great, and definitely the sort of thing I'm looking for) and I know LotR draws heavily from a lot of mythology and folklore of the area, but anything else? I'm sure there's obvious stuff I'm forgetting that I've read, but I'm curious if there's anything out there I've overlooked entirely. I know there's a fair amount of viking- and Norse-flavored fantasy that is quietly (or not so quietly) white supremacist, so it's hard to know what's actually good and what's just getting pushed because somebody has an agenda. Juliet Marillier's Saga of the Light Isles has this flavor, though it's really just part of the set dressing.
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Nov 10, 2021 16:23
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MockingQuantum posted:I'm looking for some fantasy that's heavily inspired by Norse mythology, or just stuff that has a similar feel. I've read The Broken Sword (which was great, and definitely the sort of thing I'm looking for) and I know LotR draws heavily from a lot of mythology and folklore of the area, but anything else? I'm sure there's obvious stuff I'm forgetting that I've read, but I'm curious if there's anything out there I've overlooked entirely. I know there's a fair amount of viking- and Norse-flavored fantasy that is quietly (or not so quietly) white supremacist, so it's hard to know what's actually good and what's just getting pushed because somebody has an agenda. I'm reading The Scavenger Trilogy by KJ Parker right now, and while it's not heavily Norse mythology it's much closer to what I envision Norse life was really like. though that starts in the second book after they get out of fantasy England Very low magic, the only magical thing in the first book is a god who's fairly close to the older interpretations of Odin. There's a little more in the second where I'm at now but not much. Quality wise they're alright, definitely some of her early works where she's starting to find her voice. First book is very much Candide while the second is starting to give a Slaughterhouse Five vibe. Plus the full trilogy is $7 right now on Kindle.
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Nov 10, 2021 16:26
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Macdeo Lurjtux posted:I'm reading The Scavenger Trilogy by KJ Parker right now, and while it's not heavily Norse mythology it's much closer to what I envision Norse life was really like. though that starts in the second book after they get out of fantasy England Very low magic, the only magical thing in the first book is a god who's fairly close to the older interpretations of Odin. There's a little more in the second where I'm at now but not much. Reminds me of how most people used to think "KJ Parker" was a woman, until we learned it was a pseudonym for Tom Holt. This still makes me laugh.
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Nov 10, 2021 16:37
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MockingQuantum posted:I'm looking for some fantasy that's heavily inspired by Norse mythology, or just stuff that has a similar feel. I've read The Broken Sword (which was great, and definitely the sort of thing I'm looking for) and I know LotR draws heavily from a lot of mythology and folklore of the area, but anything else? I'm sure there's obvious stuff I'm forgetting that I've read, but I'm curious if there's anything out there I've overlooked entirely. I know there's a fair amount of viking- and Norse-flavored fantasy that is quietly (or not so quietly) white supremacist, so it's hard to know what's actually good and what's just getting pushed because somebody has an agenda. If you don’t care about there being real magic or gods, The Last Kingdom series by Cornwall is really great, it takes place in 9th Century England and the main guy is a Saxon raised as a Dane/Viking. The characters all believe in magic, foretelling, curses, etc. but no one is casting fireballs or anything like that. Highly highly recommend.
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Nov 10, 2021 16:55
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You've probably read Njal's saga, right? I think the mythological dimension is basically restricted to dreams and prophecies but it's a really fun read.
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Nov 10, 2021 16:58
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coathat posted:Elizabeth Boyer wrote very Norse myth fantasy. Goes much deeper than just the normal Viking inspired stuff. Came here to recommend the Boyer books -- particular the Wizard's War series (first book is "The Troll's Grindstone"). These are really good, and still stand up -- I dug out my beat paperbacks recently and it was still a fun read. Unfortunately they don't appear to be available as ebooks or have been republished recently, so you'll probably have to track down the old Del Rey mass market paperbacks.
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Nov 10, 2021 18:00
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Book 2 of Scavengers does have that vibe. I think it would be pretty okay as a standalone and I think it's better than both of the other two books in the trilogy. Also LMAO, very excited that someone else is reading it right now can't wait till you get to the good part
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Nov 10, 2021 18:08
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Not fantasy, but if Norse stuff trips your trigger then you have no excuse to not read The Long Ships.
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Nov 10, 2021 18:38
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anilEhilated posted:You've probably read Njal's saga, right? I think the mythological dimension is basically restricted to dreams and prophecies but it's a really fun read. Well there is that bit at the beginning where the whole chain of events is started by a lawsuit over a divorce settlement where the reason for the divorce was that the groom's penis was too large for his bride. Which again was allegedly because he'd previously had an affair with the dowager queen of Norway, who'd placed a curse on him when he left so that he would not be happy in his marriage.
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Nov 10, 2021 21:39
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Ben Nevis posted:I've read all of them except Midnight Bargain, and I'd definitely put Only Good Indians and Piranesi above Trouble the Saints. I'd need to double check my reviews, but I'm betting I put Mexican Gothic over it too. To be clear, it's good, they all are, just it's probably the bottom of the 4 of those I read. I got halfway through Trouble the Saints and quit. Stock noir characters and an inordinate amount of the main character brooding over how compromised and damaged she is. In an odd way it reads like Book 2 of an urban fantasy series. Midnight Bargain is a rote Regency romance with by-number story beats. Its fine. Nothing about it is special in any way. I would recommend Shades of Milk and Honey which is the exact same book except better executed.
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Nov 10, 2021 22:18
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Groke posted:Well there is that bit at the beginning where the whole chain of events is started by a lawsuit over a divorce settlement where the reason for the divorce was that the groom's penis was too large for his bride. Which again was allegedly because he'd previously had an affair with the dowager queen of Norway, who'd placed a curse on him when he left so that he would not be happy in his marriage. The Long Ships is also a good rec for a very Vikingy book.
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Nov 10, 2021 22:25
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Thanks for all the recommendations, friends. I admit I haven't read Njal's Saga or The Long Ships (or any of the Eddas, etc) so they're the obvious starting points.
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Nov 10, 2021 22:46
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anilEhilated posted:Wow, I forgot about the curse. Njal's saga all the way then. Long Ships is absolutely excellent. Not precisely fantasy, more of "historical fiction" with an attempt to write in the style of a saga, but it's very enjoyable.
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Nov 10, 2021 22:47
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If you liked The Broken Sword, you might also like Anderson's adaptation of Hrolf Kraki's Saga.
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Nov 10, 2021 22:55
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anilEhilated posted:Wow, I forgot about the curse. Njal's saga all the way then. quote:The Long Ships is also a good rec for a very Vikingy book. Absolutely, it's a classic.
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Nov 11, 2021 00:24
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McCoy Pauley posted:Came here to recommend the Boyer books -- particular the Wizard's War series (first book is "The Troll's Grindstone"). These are really good, and still stand up -- I dug out my beat paperbacks recently and it was still a fun read. Unfortunately they don't appear to be available as ebooks or have been republished recently, so you'll probably have to track down the old Del Rey mass market paperbacks. Some of her books are on Open Library but not all of them sadly.
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Nov 11, 2021 02:22
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Groke posted:Reminds me of how most people used to think "KJ Parker" was a woman, until we learned it was a pseudonym for Tom Holt. This still makes me laugh. Oh, it was probably here that I saw she/her used, so I've just kept with it. Didn't know the real writer was identified.
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Nov 11, 2021 04:37
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Abercrombie’s Shattered Sea books are very Norse inspired fantasy. I’m also a big fan of the manga Vinland Saga. They made a show out of it that’s pretty good too.
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Nov 11, 2021 04:45
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Obscure enough that it's not on Kindle (but the paperbacks are cheap) I always enjoyed Dennis Schmidt's Twilight of the Gods trilogy. Which is a norse myth inspired Heroic Fantasy, with bonus other mythologies poking in around the edges.
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Nov 11, 2021 22:47
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 WOOOP WOOP GOOD BUNDLE ALERTThe Many Worlds of Weird Fiction Bundle https://storybundle.com/weird 11 Books total Beat the average to get: Member by Michael Cisco Black Light by Elizabeth Hand The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delany Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach by Ramsey Campbell All of which are by great authors
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Nov 12, 2021 06:29
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The Long Ships rules
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Nov 12, 2021 09:30
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Ccs posted:Abercrombie’s Shattered Sea books are very Norse inspired fantasy. Yes, and in fact the whole thing is clearly set in a far-future post-apocalyptic Scandinavia/Baltics region where it's Vikings time again.
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Nov 12, 2021 09:44
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A Carly Rae Jihad posted:The Long Ships rules Nth-ing The Long Ships. Come to think of it there is a sparseness to the prose, in Chabon’s translation, that’s similar to Vance.
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Nov 12, 2021 13:49
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Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003RRXXMA/ Best Served Cold (First Law) by Joe Abercrombie - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GUK7JQ/ The Curse of Chalion (World of the Five Gods #1) by Lois McMaster Bujold - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC11AQ/ Foundryside (Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077RG422Z/ The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08191MPPS/ Tyrant's Throne (Greatcoats #4) by Sebastien de Castell - $0.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TS264GD/
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Nov 12, 2021 19:08
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I finally read Piranesi and wow that was unbelievable. So good and such beautiful writing.
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Nov 12, 2021 19:22
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Best part of Long Ships is Orm having a decades long pissing match with his mate about who can come up with the best poetry off the cuff.
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Nov 12, 2021 19:29
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last chance to sign up for the Secret Santa! https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3982810
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Nov 12, 2021 20:30
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Strom Cuzewon posted:Best part of Long Ships is Orm having a decades long pissing match with his mate about who can come up with the best poetry off the cuff. That was a historically accurate thing. Norse dudes really respected a guy who could do that.
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Nov 12, 2021 23:28
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Groke posted:That was a historically accurate thing. Norse dudes really respected a guy who could do that. There's a story about a poet named Egil Skallagrímsson who were declared an outlaw after killing the king's son. After living on the run for a while he approached the king's court simply to see what would happen. It was assumed that he would be sentenced to death but Egil composed such a good poem in praise of the king that it would dishonorable for him to sentence Egil to death.
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Nov 13, 2021 07:21
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MockingQuantum posted:I'm looking for some fantasy that's heavily inspired by Norse mythology, or just stuff that has a similar feel. I've read The Broken Sword (which was great, and definitely the sort of thing I'm looking for) and I know LotR draws heavily from a lot of mythology and folklore of the area, but anything else? I'm sure there's obvious stuff I'm forgetting that I've read, but I'm curious if there's anything out there I've overlooked entirely. I know there's a fair amount of viking- and Norse-flavored fantasy that is quietly (or not so quietly) white supremacist, so it's hard to know what's actually good and what's just getting pushed because somebody has an agenda. if you like things that are very old and dated, Del Rey's Day of the Giants which iirc was the first Del Rey I ever read
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Nov 13, 2021 07:42
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Has anyone read the new Anthony Ryan? It's not bad, it's first person story about a young thief recounting his adventures from old age. Low fantasy, no magic (yet) and pretty readable but I'm only 1/4 of the way through. ** The pariah ** also now some magic has sort of appeared. It's probably the thing of his I've enjoyed the most, after some very up and down stuff. branedotorg fucked around with this message at 09:53 on Nov 13, 2021 |
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Nov 13, 2021 08:33
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On Arrakis the conditions are so harsh that the fremen have to recycle their own body fluids. But they still have water enough to brew coffee.
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Nov 13, 2021 08:38
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Alhazred posted:On Arrakis the conditions are so harsh that the fremen have to recycle their own body fluids. But they still have water enough to brew coffee. As long as you catch the steam you wouldn't have to waste any water, it'd just be some extra effort to squeeze it out of the coffee grounds.
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Nov 13, 2021 09:22
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