|
ClydeFrog posted:And let's be honest. Even those of us that are really into the sex, very often do not want to read terrible descriptions written by authors either very much sharing their specific kink, or just absolutely ruining the physical act with terribad descriptions and words. At best, you might take away some inspiration from a book for your own play, but at worst you can always just skip over it - which is what I end up doing most of the time.
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 12:43
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 08:01 |
|
|
anilEhilated posted:Sure is. Long Way has some discussion and fades to black just as the foreplay is starting, if that helps.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 13:13
|
|
|
I think sex tends to be about as well written as the rest of the book is, and you can take that how you want it as far as whether I'm being complimentary or not the way any talk of sex scenes always evokes handwringing about them always feels really juvenile to me at best are sex scenes almost universally badly written, cringey af, gross, unusually pandering to the author's special interests, etc? my dude this is the SFF thread, everything in it is almost universally badly written, cringey af, gross, author service, etc sorry I just get cranky and it's past my bedtime
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 13:19
|
|
|
neongrey posted:I think sex tends to be about as well written as the rest of the book is, and you can take that how you want it as far as whether I'm being complimentary or not I basically wrote and rewrote this post 4 times, so you're not alone at least.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 13:33
|
|
|
I finished reading The Jasmine Throne today. Enjoyed it quite a lot though it took probably until the halfway mark for things to get going. Priya and Malani are great. I wanted more Bhumika POVs. I also appreciated that while there was a romance arc, both of the characters involved were like we have more important things to do so while this was nice, this is also the end and there should be more books like this. Have just started on A Memory Called Empire and every time I read an imago dialogue line, the angled brackets really throw me off. I assume I'll get used to it eventually but for now, it keeps making me think of placeholder text or HTML. ClydeFrog posted:Well written sex scenes are very rare because it's such a matter of taste. Fairly certain the problem is that 99% of the time, the explicit depiction of the sex act doesn't really advance character, plot or setting because usually the fade to black conveys everything a reader needs to understand the story. The last non-fade to black sex scene that I read and thought was well done would have been in Fonda Lee's Jade Legacy. That said, when I read the sex scenes between the same characters in Jade City, I didn't think they were necessary. Thinking back over the series now, I do wonder if that scene in Jade Legacy would have worked without the scene in Jade City as a contrast; I suspect the emotional impact wouldn't land quite as heavily if those earlier scenes were a fade to black.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 13:36
|
|
|
BlankSystemDaemon posted:Sex, ultimately, isn't as much fun to read about when you can instead be having it. I’m in the “you can just skip it” camp usually for recs like this, but you have to consider this is a request for audiobook recs, which are harder to skip through if you’re listening while driving or something. Also the possible situations the audiobooks might be requested for, like road trip with a small child and ultra-christian grandma or something
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 15:27
|
|
|
Stuporstar posted:I’m in the “you can just skip it” camp usually for recs like this, but you have to consider this is a request for audiobook recs, which are harder to skip through if you’re listening while driving or something. I'm trying to imagine being an audiobook narrator and having to read out some of the sex scenes I've seen. It must be like the competitions you get at SF cons to see how much of The Eye of Argon you can recite without laughing.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 15:38
|
|
|
Just finished Kaiju Preservation Society which was a very light and fun romp. Suffers a little from "every character is basically the same" but with everything else going on i needed a nice chill easy read. Any one have any other sorta lighthearted quasi earth based scifi. I enjoyed the bobiverse, old man war, expanse and the weir books too. E: I typically skip sex scenes in novels mostly cause I find they never advance the plot in a meaningful way and can be cringey
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 16:07
|
|
|
Yeah. It's not hand wringing because of prudishness, it's more often the author is extremely good at world building, future science, intrigue or whatever and then not as good with the sex stuff. Game of Thrones for example. Writing about sex well seems to be a specific skill. Some of the best I've read really relate far more to the intensity of emotion or import around it rather than who is putting what where. It's like horror writing for me. The most effective lets you scare yourself, which is often why films of horror books don't always translate to screen well because now you're looking at someone else's idea of what is scary - and this is not conveying anything like the "argh" I put myself through.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 16:28
|
|
|
Optimus_Rhyme posted:Just finished Kaiju Preservation Society which was a very light and fun romp. Suffers a little from "every character is basically the same" but with everything else going on i needed a nice chill easy read. Any one have any other sorta lighthearted quasi earth based scifi. I enjoyed the bobiverse, old man war, expanse and the weir books too. I thought it was fun except for how every character talked like they were posting on the internet.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 16:29
|
|
|
Optimus_Rhyme posted:Just finished Kaiju Preservation Society which was a very light and fun romp. Suffers a little from "every character is basically the same" but with everything else going on i needed a nice chill easy read. I quit the audio book of this (narrated by Wil Wheaton  ) less than two hours in. It was like the whole book was making a soyface.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 16:30
|
|
|
Jedit posted:I'm trying to imagine being an audiobook narrator and having to read out some of the sex scenes I've seen. It must be like the competitions you get at SF cons to see how much of The Eye of Argon you can recite without laughing. Now I’m imagining all those voice-acting scenes from Toast of London, and want Matt Barry to actually get into audiobooks, just do the absolute worst sff novels for a laugh
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 17:23
|
|
|
anilEhilated posted:Sure is. I don't know where you stand on children's fantasy novels, but the entire Dark Is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper is on audible, and I don't remember it having anything in it along those lines. They still hold up for me as an adult, though I keep re-reading my physical copy so I can't speak for the quality of the audiobooks. e: while I am throwing out recommendations that are probably not remotely what you were looking for, there is an absolute ton of PG Wodehouse on audible. It always feels like a completely different world to me, and they are usually entertaining. There are often complicated farcical romantic subplots but no sex at all that I've ever encountered. The Blandings Castle books are a great place to start. The Sweet Hereafter fucked around with this message at 18:32 on May 6, 2022 |
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 18:16
|
|
|
I actually just reread those. No sex scenes whatsoever, and one reference to an attempted assault that happened years prior to the series.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 18:27
|
|
|
Legend of Broken is losing me like 50% of the way through. It definitely has its moments, but then there will be a huge block of a very boring or depressing character’s story.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 21:47
|
|
|
Dark is Rising is a lot of fun but I haven't read them as an adult.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 22:06
|
|
|
Stuporstar posted:Now I’m imagining all those voice-acting scenes from Toast of London, and want Matt Barry to actually get into audiobooks, just do the absolute worst sff novels for a laugh gently caress yeah I'd listen to him read anything.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2022 22:31
|
|
|
The Sweet Hereafter posted:I don't know where you stand on children's fantasy novels, but the entire Dark Is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper is on audible, and I don't remember it having anything in it along those lines. I haven't read a lot of YA but would I be right in assuming that this is true for most of it? I vaguely recall a reviewer commenting that in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines series, there's plenty of violence but only one extremely vague reference to sex, and apparently assuming this meant Reeve was American (he's British). But I'd think most YA is going to be, at most, in fade-to-black territory regardless of the author's culture.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 00:10
|
|
|
freebooter posted:I haven't read a lot of YA but would I be right in assuming that this is true for most of it? I vaguely recall a reviewer commenting that in Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines series, there's plenty of violence but only one extremely vague reference to sex, and apparently assuming this meant Reeve was American (he's British). But I'd think most YA is going to be, at most, in fade-to-black territory regardless of the author's culture. There's certain to be YA out there that fits the bill, I just can't think of any right now. I'd guess that if discussion and foreplay are iffy for the OP then YA is probably a minefield of teenagers with hormones. Anything aimed younger than YA should be fine though - hence why The Dark Is Rising sequence came to mind for me, since one of the main characters turning eleven is a memorable part of it. The Redwall books are probably also fine, off the top of my head.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 00:32
|
|
|
To clarify, I meant SFF YA - which is the only kind I've read and which in my limited experience steers clear of sex, which yeah, I imagine is a bigger deal in general teen drama YA.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 00:35
|
|
|
Shitstorm Trooper posted:Dark is Rising is a lot of fun but I haven't read them as an adult. I actually read them a long time ago in college. The first one, Over Sea Under Stone is really "kiddy" not bad, just not that much for anyone over the age of nine or so. Starting with The Dark Is Rising the series is more enjoyable for all ages. Still clearly for kids but not just for kids. There was also a movie made from The Dark Is Rising called The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising. It was... okay and pretty good at the start. I vaguely remember them playing with something involving quantum physics but it ultimately went nowhere. The biggest problem I had with it was it starring Ian McShane and Christopher Eccleston because the movie itself couldn't compete with the movie in my head which had Wizard Al Swearengen facing off against Dark Rider Ninth Doctor.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 01:22
|
|
|
Stuporstar posted:Now I’m imagining all those voice-acting scenes from Toast of London, and want Matt Barry to actually get into audiobooks, just do the absolute worst sff novels for a laugh Very Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, although that was horror based
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 01:36
|
|
|
neongrey posted:I think sex tends to be about as well written as the rest of the book is, and you can take that how you want it as far as whether I'm being complimentary or not Thanks for this post. When anti-sex-scene stuff comes up in fantasy and science fiction discussions, arguments for universally giving them the fade to black treatment give off a weird vibe, like a lot of readers have really internalized the concept of genre.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 01:40
|
|
|
anilEhilated posted:Speaking of audiobooks, I'm looking for some recommendations for good genre stuff that, and that is important because me being me, has absolutely no sex scenes in it. I'm pretty close to running out of Discworld and that's about the only series I remember that fits the criteria. Any others? Is this no sex scenes at all, or is fade-to-black type stuff still ok? Trying to think. A lot of Zelazny's stuff might qualify, I don't remember anything explicit in his work, but there might be fade-to-blacks here and there. A Night in the Lonesome October should be clear. Maybe Prydain Chronicles since they're YA. I don't remember anything explicit in Robert Asprin's Myth series or in Jim C. Hine's Jig the Goblin series. Not 100% sure any of these are 100% clean though.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 02:22
|
|
|
Hieronymous Alloy posted:A lot of Zelazny's stuff might qualify, I don't remember anything explicit in his work, but there might be fade-to-blacks here and there. A Night in the Lonesome October should be clear. 1. October yes, Amber has fade to black as early as book one. The Atlantis analogue. 2. The Prydain Cheonicles is clean as best I recall but it’s been a while. 3. Myth is highly suggestive once Tanandra enters but I don’t remember anything explicit and not even a fade to black. Book one of Jig is fine iirc but I didn’t keep going.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 04:12
|
|
|
If you're into 40k at all, the production of their audiobooks is almost universally fantastic and the sexual content almost never gets above mild innuendos.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 04:27
|
|
|
The Red Rising series has good audiobooks IIRC. It doesn't have any explicit sex scenes, but does have sexual violence in the background of at least the first book.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 05:28
|
|
|
ulmont posted:Myth is highly suggestive once Tanandra enters but I don’t remember anything explicit and not even a fade to black. There's nothing explicit, no. The closest thing to a sexualised character in the Myth books is Bunny, the Don's daughter who is sent to Skeeve to be his moll. She starts out trying to be hypersexual arm candy with him, but when he doesn't respond she switches to offering her actual competence.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 10:38
|
|
|
Hey, thanks again for all the suggestions, didn't expect to take over the thread quite like that. Fade to black is fine, Zelazny is an excellent suggestion since I wanted to revisit his stuff for a while. I only really know 40K from games and there's a lot of it, any suggestions for good introductory (or just good) books?
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 11:11
|
|
|
anilEhilated posted:
Eisenhorn trilogy. It’s pretty decent, way above anything else 40k and on par with rather solid genre stuff. IIRC no sex scenes in the trilogy.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 12:00
|
|
|
anilEhilated posted:Hey, thanks again for all the suggestions, didn't expect to take over the thread quite like that. Fade to black is fine, Zelazny is an excellent suggestion since I wanted to revisit his stuff for a while. Eisenhorn trilogy, particularly if you'd like to read about 40K stuff that is away from the battlefield and space marine stuff. Almost anything by Dan Abnett is good -- maybe Brotherhood of the Snake if you'd like to read about Space Marines. The Night Lord's trilogy is also good in that regard. There's a new(-ish, I think) line of 40K crime novels which are also solid -- Bloodlines by Chris Wraight was great. So far as I can recall from all of those books, no sex except possibly some mild innuendo or reference to it happening far off screen as it were. There's a pretty active 40k book thread here where folks might have more recommendations.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 15:10
|
|
|
anilEhilated posted:I only really know 40K from games and there's a lot of it, any suggestions for good introductory (or just good) books? Brutal Kunnin is da best.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 15:23
|
|
|
I enjoyed the Gaunts Ghosts series by Abnett, and I also enjoyed the Ciaphas Cain novels. The 40k setting can be a lot of fun.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 16:31
|
|
|
Ian Watson's Space Marine. I have no idea if there is an audiobook.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 16:52
|
|
|
Zelazny definitely has some sex in Lord of Light and then Creatures of Light and Darkness has the whole sexcomp bit.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 17:19
|
|
|
Rand Brittain posted:Zelazny definitely has some sex in Lord of Light and then Creatures of Light and Darkness has the whole sexcomp bit. The warning is appreciated anyway, as are the 40K tips. I think I may have actually read some of the Ciaphas Cain novels, since someone told me it was Flashman in space.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 17:48
|
|
|
90s Cringe Rock posted:Ian Watson's Space Marine.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 17:53
|
|
|
No Pants posted:Thanks for this post. When anti-sex-scene stuff comes up in fantasy and science fiction discussions, arguments for universally giving them the fade to black treatment give off a weird vibe, like a lot of readers have really internalized the concept of genre. It might also be that I've read a lot of absolutely terrible male gaze written sex scenes that make me wonder wtf they are even thinking and would prefer to just not to. Like, please stick to the things you are good at. I will read well-written anything. It just doesn't happen very often in this arena. This isn't exactly news and has nothing to do with my own proclivities or ideas about what should "be allowed" in genre. Don't make me start quoting Peter Hamilton now. No one deserves that. When it's just dropped in without thought because "it's time for our hero to gently caress in order to demonstrate further mastery of stuff" it's so rarely good and reads like those terrible readers letters pages in old porn mags. Look at Baru Cormorant. Passionate, intense, white hot emotions throughout because the relationship was a core part of the narrative. I don't even remember specifically what they did or didn't do physically, but Baru and Tain Hu are something extremely memorable as a pair. As a friend said to me "those two were hot as gently caress". But again. I accept it's all very subjective. ClydeFrog fucked around with this message at 18:45 on May 7, 2022 |
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 18:28
|
|
|
DACK FAYDEN posted:That's the one that's just full of gay sex, right? Cause afaik there's not even an ebook. Well as i recall, there's no explicitly sexual content. There's some massive homoeroticism, but completely missable when read by the average teenage boy of the 80's that was the target market.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 19:19
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 08:01 |
|
|
Edit: Never mind.
Silver2195 fucked around with this message at 19:45 on May 7, 2022 |
|
#
?
May 7, 2022 19:20
|
|