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I'm working on wizard school book where no one understands how magic works--magic can't be taught because the rules are different for every wizard. The faculty have to come up with various ways to put pressure on the students without accidentally killing them. There's a series of tests that gradually increase in difficulty and danger until they're impossible to complete without breaking physics. I'm having fun making the cost of magic different for each student. One girl can't do magic unless she's embarrassed, and she's the type of person who can't let go of humiliating memories. She can only do illusions. Another guy can only do magic he learned in the kitchen. He can't cast a fireball, but if there's a fire, he has very good control over temperature. Magic only works for him if someone is hungry (including himself).
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Mar 28, 2023 00:45
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I'm reading Caves of Steel. I can smell the tobacco and asbestos and tabacco-flavored-asbestos
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Mar 28, 2023 00:53
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MartingaleJack posted:I'm working on wizard school book where no one understands how magic works--magic can't be taught because the rules are different for every wizard. The faculty have to come up with various ways to put pressure on the students without accidentally killing them. There's a series of tests that gradually increase in difficulty and danger until they're impossible to complete without breaking physics. Weirdly, and I truly do not mean this to be a comparison in any way other than the vaguest of superficialities and most assuredly not in terms of the author being anything like you, that reminds me of the first xanth book.
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Mar 28, 2023 00:53
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They seemed neat when I was a kid and were popular for a reason. Jacks got good ideas.
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Mar 28, 2023 00:57
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Vita Nostra is the best wizard school book I've read. Mostly because they're sorta not wizards, but also because the Dyachenko's Ukrainian background gives it a much different flavor than most of the fiction I've read. And the ideas get really wacky. The only drawback is that while it's competently translated, its not as well translated as their other book "The Scar". I wish I could read all their books but those two and one other are the only ones translated into English. It's crazy cause in 2005 they were voted the best science fiction authors in Europe and yet the majority of the world only has access to a few of their books. And sadly I just found out that Serhiy Dyachenko died in 2022...
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Mar 28, 2023 01:00
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Ccs posted:Vita Nostra is the best wizard school book I've read. Mostly because they're sorta not wizards, but also because the Dyachenko's Ukrainian background gives it a much different flavor than most of the fiction I've read. And the ideas get really wacky. That book was so good and was a mind gently caress. I wish more of their stuff was translated.
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Mar 28, 2023 01:23
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A messed up Xanth-style wizard school would be cool, but I'm doing a kid friendly book under a different name. I feel like Lev Grossman out perved anything I would do with the geese and foxes in The Magicians.
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Mar 28, 2023 01:34
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tokenbrownguy posted:I'm reading Caves of Steel. I can smell the tobacco and asbestos and tabacco-flavored-asbestos This is the only Asimov novel that I've ever read. Can't say I had any any great desire to explore the rest of his catalogue afterwards.
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Mar 28, 2023 03:42
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Ccs posted:Vita Nostra is the best wizard school book I've read. Mostly because they're sorta not wizards, but also because the Dyachenko's Ukrainian background gives it a much different flavor than most of the fiction I've read. And the ideas get really wacky. They literally published a sequel earlier this month. Assassin of Reality. It's not as good, but not a terrible read. I believe there will be a third book coming by just the wife that they plotted out together.
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Mar 28, 2023 03:56
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I'd read Foundation if nothing else. On another note, I was just thinking how interesting it is that scifi and fantasy love the idea of ancient precursors with better technology. Or advanced lost civilizations. I guess the whole thing is based on the outdated idea that post roman Europe was a dark age. But here we are in 2021, and there's an actual real chance that people in 3021 could view us as a lost precursor civilization if climate change goes bad enough. 
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Mar 28, 2023 03:57
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VostokProgram posted:I'd read Foundation if nothing else. We're in 2021 right now?
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Mar 28, 2023 04:42
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How fitting that a time traveler would out themselves in the sci-fi/fantasy megathread.
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Mar 28, 2023 05:42
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I don't know why I wrote 21 instead of 23. I'm definitely not a time traveler though and this post was most certainly not a violation of the temporal prime directive
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Mar 28, 2023 05:49
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Ccs posted:Vita Nostra is the best wizard school book I've read. Mostly because they're sorta not wizards, but also because the Dyachenko's Ukrainian background gives it a much different flavor than most of the fiction I've read. And the ideas get really wacky. calandryll posted:That book was so good and was a mind gently caress. I wish more of their stuff was translated. For the Vita Nostra fans, Jenna Moran has cited it as an influence on her recent work, particularly The Night-Bird's Feather. I can't say for certain how apt the comparison is, since I haven't read Vita Nostra yet, but Moran spoke quite highly of VN, and "the ideas get really wacky" and "a mind gently caress" are extremely accurate descriptions of Night-Bird.
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Mar 28, 2023 06:25
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MartingaleJack posted:I'm working on wizard school book where no one understands how magic works--magic can't be taught because the rules are different for every wizard. The faculty have to come up with various ways to put pressure on the students without accidentally killing them. There's a series of tests that gradually increase in difficulty and danger until they're impossible to complete without breaking physics. He will be unto a god in a third world country.
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Mar 28, 2023 10:06
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Kestral posted:For the Vita Nostra fans, Jenna Moran has cited it as an influence on her recent work, particularly The Night-Bird's Feather. I can't say for certain how apt the comparison is, since I haven't read Vita Nostra yet, but Moran spoke quite highly of VN, and "the ideas get really wacky" and "a mind gently caress" are extremely accurate descriptions of Night-Bird. Will have to check that out then. Vita Nostra stayed with me for awhile.
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Mar 28, 2023 10:39
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Beware of Chicken sequel comes out today. Pretty excited, I absolutely loved the first one. They've been releasing chapters on Royal Road or whatever for a long time now but I can't read books like that.
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Mar 28, 2023 12:13
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Dragging this post over from the "identify that story/book" thread because I want to help a goon out and y'all know about fantasy:Aliased posted:Does anyone remember a fantasy novel from a few years ago about a guy who leads a city of women in defending themselves? I think the setup may have been that a majority of the men were away with the army when the enemy came calling, and that the guy was like a retired General or mercenary or something.
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Mar 28, 2023 13:39
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Rewording what I remember in case it jogs memories better: This was a fantasy or a medieval city. The city's army may have been captured, defeated, or lured away, not sure. But the premise was basically that *most* of the men were absent for some reason or another so the wives and daughters were going to have to stave off this oncoming army, and this one grizzled old warhorse of some kind or another, mercenary, retired general, I'm not certain, was going to teach them how to do it.
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Mar 28, 2023 13:42
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Actually this might be jogging my memory, could it have been Sixteen ways to defend a walled city? I haven't read it but I have read other KJ Parker books and he owns.
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Mar 28, 2023 13:45
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It does remind me of the historical tale of Sun Tzu training the Emperor's concubines.
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Mar 28, 2023 14:06
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Aliased posted:Rewording what I remember in case it jogs memories better: Was it a Discworld book? Just checking to be sure.
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Mar 28, 2023 15:42
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A Proper Uppercut posted:Beware of Chicken sequel comes out today. Pretty excited, I absolutely loved the first one. They've been releasing chapters on Royal Road or whatever for a long time now but I can't read books like that. I was desperate enough for more chicken beware-ing to read some of it on royalroad, I'm pretty pumped to read book 2 on a Kindle, as god intended.
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Mar 28, 2023 15:45
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Aliased posted:Rewording what I remember in case it jogs memories better: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1022658.The_Ladies_of_Mandrigyn ?
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Mar 28, 2023 19:22
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StrixNebulosa posted:Actually this might be jogging my memory, could it have been Sixteen ways to defend a walled city? I haven't read it but I have read other KJ Parker books and he owns. No, but it does sound like KJ Parker, somehow.
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Mar 28, 2023 22:13
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General Battuta posted:Was it a Discworld book? Just checking to be sure. Yeah that description does sound quite a bit like Monstrous Regiment, though it is not that recent.
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Mar 28, 2023 22:26
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What? It sounds nothing at all like Monstrous Regiment.
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Mar 28, 2023 22:28
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StrixNebulosa posted:Actually this might be jogging my memory, could it have been Sixteen ways to defend a walled city? I haven't read it but I have read other KJ Parker books and he owns. I thought it was when I went back to find this book. That's why I'm lost and confused. I had remembered it as sixteen ways, but then I went and looked at the book page and it sounded like something completely different. About an engineer defending a city with his team of engineers, not about a war vet teaching women how to defend a city.
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Mar 28, 2023 23:09
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No, specifically said in the first of the two posts I believe it's not that. *Maybe* it is after all, but I thought I remembered a recently published book. Like the last 3 years or less, five at the outside.
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Mar 28, 2023 23:10
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ToxicFrog posted:What? It sounds nothing at all like Monstrous Regiment.
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Mar 28, 2023 23:12
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Aliased posted:No, specifically said in the first of the two posts I believe it's not that. *Maybe* it is after all, but I thought I remembered a recently published book. Like the last 3 years or less, five at the outside. lol I'm sorry, I skimmed the rest of the post after seeing what you were looking for any chance it's the steel seraglio by mr carey? although probably not, it's too different from what you describe.
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Mar 29, 2023 00:02
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Just finished up a book by Frank Neary called Some Time. It was a random kindle recommendation, and I gotta say I am really surprised at how good it is. The plot synopsis makes it sound dumb as hell, but it's actually a pretty good story. It's nothing like what I expected and I was pleasantly surprised at a random KU recommendation was well written and interesting. There's a sequel I plan to read but it might have to wait until after the BTC book. Stupid_Sexy_Flander fucked around with this message at 03:49 on Mar 29, 2023 |
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Mar 29, 2023 02:26
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Doktor Avalanche posted:lol I'm sorry, I skimmed the rest of the post after seeing what you were looking for It is not, but that one sounds cool and is on my list now, thanks!
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Mar 29, 2023 02:29
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A Proper Uppercut posted:Beware of Chicken sequel comes out today. Pretty excited, I absolutely loved the first one. They've been releasing chapters on Royal Road or whatever for a long time now but I can't read books like that. Yeszzz. Books used to have to contain novel ideas or amazing prose for me to enjoy them, but ever since my brain started vaporizing itself daily with chronic migraines, KU has been there to cuddle my brain.
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Mar 29, 2023 03:54
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MartingaleJack posted:Yeszzz. Books used to have to contain novel ideas or amazing prose for me to enjoy them, but ever since my brain started vaporizing itself daily with chronic migraines, KU has been there to cuddle my brain. I mean an isekai protagonist deciding "Screw this 'power up and rule as god-emperor poo poo.' I'm gonna go be a medium-sized fish in a really tiny pond and just be a normal farmer." is actually a somewhat novel idea. Granted that it doesn't really work out for him as he planned....
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Mar 29, 2023 13:08
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MartingaleJack posted:Yeszzz. Books used to have to contain novel ideas or amazing prose for me to enjoy them, but ever since my brain started vaporizing itself daily with chronic migraines, KU has been there to cuddle my brain. As I've gotten older I've definitely left a lot of my media snobbery behind. I'll listen to 90s pop music, I'll watch some rom-coms or stupid comedies, and I'll enjoy reading stuff that leaves my brain as soon as I'm done reading it. I've never been good at critical thinking anyway, so gently caress it.
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Mar 29, 2023 13:32
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grassy gnoll posted:I haven't gotten to Swordheart itself, but Ursula Vernon, the human behind the Kingfisher pen name, is one of the few humans I would trust to write seemingly-saccharine junk and still have it come out well-written and meaningful. She's real good. Catching up on old posts but I have been blasting through her Kingfisher books over the past week. It’s horny romantic pulp fantasy if it wasn’t written by weirdos & creeps; it’s super fun fantasy junk food. It’s definitely a little cliche; lots of middle-aged slice-of-life mature fantasy people falling in love & getting sexy with one another but like, they’re all pretty healthy relationships without all the hosed-up power dynamics and psycho relationship poo poo that so many other “romantic” fantasy series have
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Mar 29, 2023 14:48
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idiotsavant posted:Catching up on old posts but I have been blasting through her Kingfisher books over the past week. It’s horny romantic pulp fantasy if it wasn’t written by weirdos & creeps; it’s super fun fantasy junk food. It’s definitely a little cliche; lots of middle-aged slice-of-life mature fantasy people falling in love & getting sexy with one another but like, they’re all pretty healthy relationships without all the hosed-up power dynamics and psycho relationship poo poo that so many other “romantic” fantasy series have I haven’t read those ones yet, but it sounds like exactly what I need for my own migraine muddled head right now
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Mar 29, 2023 16:06
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idiotsavant posted:Catching up on old posts but I have been blasting through her Kingfisher books over the past week. It’s horny romantic pulp fantasy if it wasn’t written by weirdos & creeps; it’s super fun fantasy junk food. It’s definitely a little cliche; lots of middle-aged slice-of-life mature fantasy people falling in love & getting sexy with one another but like, they’re all pretty healthy relationships without all the hosed-up power dynamics and psycho relationship poo poo that so many other “romantic” fantasy series have They're just like barely too horny for me but maybe I'm just barely too repressed.
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Mar 29, 2023 16:23
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Aliased posted:It is not, but that one sounds cool and is on my list now, thanks! It's a good book. If you like it check out The House of War and Witness by the same authors - it's the other book that Carey wrote in collaboration with his wife and daughter. On the subject of Mike Carey: his new book Infinity Gate is due out tomorrow in the UK. First part of a duology.
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Mar 29, 2023 16:32
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