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Aggro posted:Authors that I've really enjoyed, in no particular order: Ann Leckie, Anthony Ryan, Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks, Brian McClellan, Brian Staveley, Daniel O'Malley, Django Wexler, Joe Abercrombie, John Gwynne, Kameron Hurley, Mark Lawrence, Michael J. Sullivan (although honestly, each book has been worse than the last), N.K. Jemisin, Nicholas Eames, Richard Morgan (A Land Fit for Heroes), Richard Swan, Robert Jackson Bennett, Robin Hobb, and Sam Sykes, Scott Lynch. You can't fool me, it is in a particular order and the order is alphabetical by first name.
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Nov 20, 2023 03:44
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Aggro posted:It's been a long time since I've asked for recommendations, but I have somehow managed to burn through my entire backlog. Murderbot?
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Nov 20, 2023 03:58
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Alexandra Rowland's A Conspiracy of Truths was pretty great, and I don't think I've seen it mentioned here before. Has a bit of a KJ Parker vibe. You'd also probably like Max Gladstone's Craft Sequence based on your list (though I'm not as much of a fan of his other works), a plus to those is that the first couple work as stand alone books. Finally check out Aliette de Boudard's Obsidian and Blood series - urban fantasy/mystery, but the city is Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire circa 1480, which I've never seen used as a fantasy setting before. An added benefit is that the current ebooks have a nice essay at the back where de Boudard talks about her process for writing the series, and where she includes a reading list if you want to learn more about Aztec history.
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Nov 20, 2023 04:12
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Alastair Reynolds is my guy. House of Suns is his standout.
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Nov 20, 2023 04:27
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Aggro posted:It's been a long time since I've asked for recommendations, but I have somehow managed to burn through my entire backlog. Buy my book
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Nov 20, 2023 05:02
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Buy his books
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Nov 20, 2023 05:03
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FPyat posted:Alastair Reynolds is my guy. House of Suns is his standout. Been on a bit of a Reynolds bender lately. I recently read two of his books in the Revelation Space periphery (Chasm City and The Prefect) and really enjoyed them. Also Pushing Ice which was very neat, and strangely a book I bounced off a couple of years ago but really dug this time around. Anyone got any strong opinions on Inhibitor Phase? Seems like a lot of people kinda hate it? I liked most of it and thought it was interesting to get some more details on how the Inhibitors work, but I felt like it fizzled out a bit at the end, especially concerning the ultimate fate of the Nostalgia for Infinity. Nuclear Tourist fucked around with this message at 05:16 on Nov 20, 2023 |
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Nov 20, 2023 05:14
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pseudorandom name posted:Buy his books This! Baru is awesome. General Battuta posted:Buy my book Buy my book too. Edit: Actually, buy all the goon books. Leng fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Nov 20, 2023 |
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Nov 20, 2023 05:15
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I also recommend buying the Baru Cormorant books. As well as Christopher Buehlman's books like The Blacktongue Thief, Between Two Fires, and The Necromancers House (his other books are good too but more horror than fantasy.) And if you like Joe Abercombie you might also enjoy KJ Parker, especially The Engineer trilogy and The Folding Knife.
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Nov 20, 2023 05:25
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General Battuta posted:Buy my book They are very good and you will like them (the flagrant shill Baru Cormorant) Also Gideon the ninth and its two sequels, which are gene Wolfe levels of densely rereadable
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Nov 20, 2023 05:32
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FPyat posted:Alastair Reynolds is my guy. House of Suns is his standout. He (almost) always fails the landing IMO, I've never finished one of his books feeling satisfied with the ending, mostly I've felt "huh, that's how it ended?"
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Nov 20, 2023 05:45
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I thought the ending of house of suns was fine although it's kind of similar to the ending of Contact (at least the movie; I haven't read the book)
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Nov 20, 2023 05:49
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It's a fine ending I guess for a Reynolds book, always sorta bleak though. But ends much better than a lot of the inhibitor books were a lot of the plot is solved outside the story and we just get told what happened. And the overall end of the inhibitor books is really bleak.
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Nov 20, 2023 05:52
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Aggro posted:I find it more enjoyable to follow modern authors and anticipate the release of new novels. So, if anyone's got some cool poo poo from the last 10-20 years that I've missed, hit me. Coming back with a pile more that I've really enjoyed:
If you like Mark Lawrence, one of the finalists for this year's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off is Daughter of the Beast by E C Greaves which is currently on my TBR. Author is a cool dude from NZ who cites Mark Lawrence as an inspiration, and the book apparently has zero humans—every character is apparently from Ukranian or Russian myth/folklore.
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Nov 20, 2023 06:03
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House of Suns is... fine? I don't understand the love it sometimes gets here. It starts slow with minimal stakes and goes to great lengths to paint how even the stakes that do exist don't really matter because it's told on a scale of time that is so enormous that everything becomes nearly irrelevant except to the narrators. And the central Crime at the heart of it is more or less an inverse Roko's Basilisk and it's so silly how little it could (or would) matter if you (or the characters) really stop(ed) to think about it. Especially with the ending. Which neuters any urgency the book did manage to build up. Not to drain the joy others found in it, just a dissenting viewpoint. Yngwie Mangosteen fucked around with this message at 06:11 on Nov 20, 2023 |
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Nov 20, 2023 06:05
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Rain Brain posted:Alexandra Rowland's A Conspiracy of Truths was pretty great, and I don't think I've seen it mentioned here before. Has a bit of a KJ Parker vibe. quote:Obsidian and Blood series - urban fantasy/mystery, but the city is Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire circa 1480, which I've never seen used as a fantasy setting before. An added benefit is that the The author is a Byzantine historian, and it shows. E: if you like Ann Leckie, you owe it to yourself to try Martha Wells's Murderbot novels. It has the same alien viewpoint going on. Murderbot is acculturated to human society, but it is not a member. Arsenic Lupin fucked around with this message at 06:22 on Nov 20, 2023 |
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Nov 20, 2023 06:16
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pradmer posted:Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - $2.99 Three bangers - just finished The Spare Man, which I bought simply because it was grouped with the other two. And I couldn’t finish her series The Calculating Stars (although I do love The Thin Man movies, which absolutely inspired this one).
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Nov 20, 2023 06:38
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Aggro posted:It's been a long time since I've asked for recommendations, but I have somehow managed to burn through my entire backlog. You'll probably enjoy thread fave Lois McMaster Bujold's World of Five Gods series Have you read Le Guinn's Earthsea series? Or Le Guinn in general? If you want an emerging talent to follow Gareth Hanrahan is very good. Another recommendation for Seth Dickinson as well. Steven Erickson's Malazan series has a big gate of a first book but is well worth persisting through especially if you like profound world changing consequences. None of that in Jack Vance's Dying Earth but it's a stone cold classic for a reason. fez_machine fucked around with this message at 06:45 on Nov 20, 2023 |
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Nov 20, 2023 06:39
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Hello thread, I want to get back into contemporary sci-fi after not reading any for years and I’d like to get some recommendations. I was thinking about what specifically I felt like reading and it’s something like, a sprawling, epic space opera, with action, political intrigue, and potentially cosmic/apocalyptic stakes. Bonus points if there’s a well executed love story or star crossed thing going on. Even more bonus points if there are leftist political themes. I don’t know if anything like that exists, but approximations are ok too. Also reading that back I realize I basically want the Macross anime but for adults and you know, well written.
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Nov 20, 2023 07:40
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Murderbot is indeed pretty good, but the pricing on it is ridiculous. They've been asking the same $15 new for everything from the novellas to the one full novel. It looks like 1-6 (of 7) are all in Kindle Unlimited right now, which would be my suggested way to go about it. e - or a library! support your local library, if you have one. Ceebees fucked around with this message at 07:55 on Nov 20, 2023 |
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Nov 20, 2023 07:48
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Macross is well written.
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Nov 20, 2023 07:52
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Ceebees posted:Murderbot is indeed pretty good, but the pricing on it is ridiculous. They've been asking the same $15 new for everything from the novellas to the one full novel. It looks like 1-6 are all in Kindle Unlimited right now, which would be my suggested way to go about it. Get it from the library like an adult.
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Nov 20, 2023 07:53
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Gaius Marius posted:Macross is well written. I actually agree, kind of, I mean I love it, but I’m looking for something with a less cartoony tone is maybe the more accurate way to put it.
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Nov 20, 2023 08:01
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nemesis_hub posted:Hello thread, I want to get back into contemporary sci-fi after not reading any for years and I’d like to get some recommendations. I was thinking about what specifically I felt like reading and it’s something like, a sprawling, epic space opera, with action, political intrigue, and potentially cosmic/apocalyptic stakes. Bonus points if there’s a well executed love story or star crossed thing going on. Even more bonus points if there are leftist political themes. Artifact Space? It's light. The protagonist is a bit of a Mary Sue but the author owns it. Slightly mil sci fi space opera. Lots of intrigue, action, and a bit of mystery/discovery.
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Nov 20, 2023 08:14
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Lead out in cuffs posted:Artifact Space? And if you like it, Cameron wrote exactly the same book but in a flintlocky fantasy setting 'masters and mages' Plus his (fantasy) red knight series, his new bronze Age fantasy series, his (historical fiction) chivalry series... Miles / Christian Cameron is a prolific writer.
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Nov 20, 2023 09:05
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nemesis_hub posted:Hello thread, I want to get back into contemporary sci-fi after not reading any for years and I’d like to get some recommendations. I was thinking about what specifically I felt like reading and it’s something like, a sprawling, epic space opera, with action, political intrigue, and potentially cosmic/apocalyptic stakes. Bonus points if there’s a well executed love story or star crossed thing going on. Even more bonus points if there are leftist political themes. How long were you out? And what have you already liked and read? Bujold's Vorksogian series might tick a lot of boxes Robert Reed's Great Ship series David Zindell's Neverness Stephen Baxter's stuff Ken Macleod's stuff Legend of Galactic Heroes was translated fairly recently fez_machine fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Nov 20, 2023 |
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Nov 20, 2023 09:05
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Legend of the Galactic Heroes is one of the few times I'd recommend the show over the books. The battle scenes and classical score add a lot of drama to what in text form is an intensely interesting but very dryly written series.
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Nov 20, 2023 09:11
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You should buy the novels anyways though because I want the Arslan and Tytania stuff translated.
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Nov 20, 2023 09:14
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Ceebees posted:Murderbot is indeed pretty good, but the pricing on it is ridiculous. They've been asking the same $15 new for everything from the novellas to the one full novel. It looks like 1-6 (of 7) are all in Kindle Unlimited right now, which would be my suggested way to go about it. Back in 2020 Tor did a week-long promo where Mon Tues Wed Thurs there was a different Murderbot short available to download for free on the runup to the full book publishing, I mean they were OK but if I'd paid full whack for them I'd have been less enthusiastic.
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Nov 20, 2023 11:34
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Yngwie Mangosteen posted:House of Suns is... fine? I don't understand the love it sometimes gets here. I had to stop after a few chapters, it seemed to stumble from one event to the next and felt the need to scale up figures without scaling the story with it. Why have 1 ship when you can have 1000, why have 1000 years when you can have 1000000? All while the characters were in constant state of confusion about what's happening around them. You don't last that long without having smarts, and the leads felt particularly provincial for being so self-sufficient for that long. Maybe it got better, but I doubt it.
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Nov 20, 2023 12:26
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Yngwie Mangosteen posted:House of Suns is... fine? I don't understand the love it sometimes gets here. It starts slow with minimal stakes and goes to great lengths to paint how even the stakes that do exist don't really matter because it's told on a scale of time that is so enormous that everything becomes nearly irrelevant except to the narrators. Most of the plot events are whatever, it's the big fun spaceships and the excitement of the first space battle that gives me a positive appraisal of the book.
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Nov 20, 2023 12:41
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General Battuta posted:Buy my book
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Nov 20, 2023 13:10
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I'm surprised Exordia's release date has creeped up on us so quickly.
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Nov 20, 2023 13:13
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Giragast posted:I had to stop after a few chapters, it seemed to stumble from one event to the next and felt the need to scale up figures without scaling the story with it. It did not. Not judging anyone for liking it at all, it just didn't grab me and I agree with the spoilered bits.
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Nov 20, 2023 15:28
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Arsenic Lupin posted:An excellent SF book that is based on Aztec culture is A Memory of Empire. All about culture clash, culture shock, and realizing that you don't quite fit into either culture any more. Also about imperialism. The world building is first rate, the protagonist is fun to ride along with, the emotional and political stakes are both high. Oh duh of course! I was the biggest shill for Memory, which was my favorite book the year it came out, and then the sequel deeply disappointed me to the point I'm not sure I'm going to read another of Martine's books (tho at least the cover for Rose House is cool). I tend to be a very accepting reader world-building/"realism" wise if the story and the characters grab me, but the whole translation plot line of Desolation Called Peace was stupid - in an empire with near endless resources I just could not buy in they'd let Mahit anywhere near that work, which she was sublimely unqualified to do. Also the not-Tribbles felt cheap even if they did look like kittens, and I'm a sucker for kittens. Glad to hear that the sequel to Conspiracy is good - I'll be moving that up my too long To Read list. Rain Brain fucked around with this message at 15:52 on Nov 20, 2023 |
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Nov 20, 2023 15:50
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Daughter of the Empire (Rfitwar: Empire #1) by Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurts - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073TJH5XR/ Edgedancer (Stormlight Archive) by Brandon Sanderson - $0.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1LBM91V/ Starless by Jacqueline Carey - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0756JDH91/ The Mask of Apollo by Mary Renault - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DCGJ6V8/ The Legend of Eli Monpress series by Rachel Aaron The Legend of Eli Monpress (#1-3) - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058ECNXU/ The Spirit War (#4) - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005SCS70A/ Spirit's End (#5) - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007BGQ4P6/
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Nov 20, 2023 16:49
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Ccs posted:I also recommend buying the Baru Cormorant books. As well as Christopher Buehlman's books like The Blacktongue Thief, Between Two Fires, and The Necromancers House (his other books are good too but more horror than fantasy.) And if you like Joe Abercombie you might also enjoy KJ Parker, especially The Engineer trilogy and The Folding Knife. folding knife is probably my favorite kj Parker, but the punchline to Prosper's Demon is easily the funniest thing he's ever written
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Nov 21, 2023 00:11
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Rain Brain posted:Oh duh of course! I was the biggest shill for Memory, which was my favorite book the year it came out, and then the sequel deeply disappointed me to the point I'm not sure I'm going to read another of Martine's books (tho at least the cover for Rose House is cool). Nemesis_Hub, another thread favorite is the Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. Intergalactic intrigues powered by necromancy. Will flip your head sideways multiple times as you realize (or don't, in my case) what was really going on.
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Nov 21, 2023 00:56
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pradmer posted:Daughter of the Empire (Rfitwar: Empire #1) by Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurts - $1.99 I just want to say, once again, how much I appreciate these posts and the money I have saved from them. SOOO, you get an AV! But I would like to crowd source it so folks, if you have benefitted from this daily book intel, please suggest a fitting av for Pradmer!
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Nov 21, 2023 01:02
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branedotorg posted:And if you like it, Cameron wrote exactly the same book but in a flintlocky fantasy setting 'masters and mages' Lol true that. I've just finished reading Against All Gods / Storming Heaven, and I feel like the writing in Storming Heaven suffered a bit, most likely due to him being busy on too many other loving projects (like the sequel to Artifact Space). Like it's not top of the list or must-read or anything, but it scratches a particular itch.
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Nov 21, 2023 01:18
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