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pradmer posted:The Traitor Baru Cormorant (Masquerade #1) by Seth Dickinson - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V351EOM/ I hear this one is worth at least the $2.99
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Dec 2, 2023 00:15
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I like to pair my books with my trips. Had been saving Daryl Gregory's Revelator for the next trip back to the family farm in more-gators-than-cellular-service-bars Louisiana, which I just got back from. Damned good book. Moonshiners, cults, cosmic horror, but not at all in the HPL mythos style those words are conjuring up. I love how Gregory writes families. His books always feel like SF&F that got mis-shelved in Horror because they're unsettling. Just this refreshing refusal to stick to genre conventions that apparently has his publisher flumoxed. Not my favorite of his novels, that's The Devil's Alphabet about the societal effects of a genus of extremely disfiguring and mind altering virus that is extradimensionally transmissible told through a burned out cook's trip back home to bury his father, but strong recommend and a palette cleanser I needed.
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Dec 2, 2023 00:50
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Devil's Alphabet sounds dope I'm buying that poo poo. I want to read about that burned out cock's trip home to bury his father this is how I misread the sentence at first scan
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Dec 2, 2023 01:03
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The Doomed City is a trip
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Dec 2, 2023 02:19
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I enjoyed the murderbot character in the first one, but I don't really think they're compelling enough to carry a whole series. I did read the next two, but they seem like essentially the same novel. I managed to skip Rogue Protocol and was quite a bit through Exit Strategy before I realized, went back and lost interest halfway through.
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Dec 2, 2023 03:00
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team overhead smash posted:Is the Saevus Corax stuff that K J Parker has released recently any good? And does it tend towards his darker work or his more recent lighthearted but still dark Sixteen ways stuff? it's more of the same, which suits me fine tends towards his "lighter" stuff but keep in mind it's still kj parker lol Slyphic posted:I like to pair my books with my trips. Had been saving Daryl Gregory's Revelator for the next trip back to the family farm in more-gators-than-cellular-service-bars Louisiana, which I just got back from. Damned good book. Moonshiners, cults, cosmic horror, but not at all in the HPL mythos style those words are conjuring up. I love how Gregory writes families. His books always feel like SF&F that got mis-shelved in Horror because they're unsettling. Just this refreshing refusal to stick to genre conventions that apparently has his publisher flumoxed. Not my favorite of his novels, that's The Devil's Alphabet about the societal effects of a genus of extremely disfiguring and mind altering virus that is extradimensionally transmissible told through a burned out cook's trip back home to bury his father, but strong recommend and a palette cleanser I needed. oh, he's good 1. spoonbenders 2. raising stony mayhall/pandemonium 3. revelator 4. alphabet i hope he writes more spoonebenders-type stuff, I'm not much of a horror fan
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Dec 2, 2023 03:50
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team overhead smash posted:Is the Saevus Corax stuff that K J Parker has released recently any good? And does it tend towards his darker work or his more recent lighthearted but still dark Sixteen ways stuff? Yeah, it’s a fusion of both of his personas, a lazy cash grab that he’s clearly making up as he goes along, and as of in 72 hours and five minutes, I will have bought all three of them the instant they are available. At full price. Goddamn, genre publishing is a study in perverse incentives; why spend 3 years writing a masterpiece when you could crank out septuple of the low-effort stuff that pays off sooner? Masterpieces have a long tail but (disposable genre stuff I also love) recoups faster with lower effort. Remulak fucked around with this message at 06:22 on Dec 2, 2023 |
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Dec 2, 2023 06:10
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I also inhaled the first two books, groaned when his characters made yet another siege engine, but I was just cackling at the whole sequence with the cook. Interesting post from him here btw https://www.deviantart.com/sregan/art/The-world-of-KJ-Parker-s-Siege-trilogy-906725483
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Dec 2, 2023 06:53
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My favorite novel of Daryl Gregory was "We are all Completely Fine". Really dug it.
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Dec 2, 2023 09:39
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Black Leopard, Red Wolf (Dark Star #1) by Marlon James - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DP5W1LT/ A Man of His Word: The Complete Series by Dave Duncan - $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0732J6PN5/
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Dec 2, 2023 18:51
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Doktor Avalanche posted:oh, he's good Daryl Gregory's Spoonbenders, Chapter 1 posted:Just before it happened, he was kneeling in a closet, one sweaty hand pressed to the chalky drywall, his right eye lined up with the hole at the back of an unwired electrical outlet box. On the other side of the wall was his cousin Mary Alice and her chubby white-blonde friend. Janice? Janelle? Probably Janelle. The girls—both two years older than him, juniors, women—lay on the bed side by side, propped up on their elbows, facing in his direction. Janelle wore a spangled T-shirt, but Mary Alice—who the year before had announced that she would respond only to “Malice”—wore an oversized red flannel shirt that hung off her shoulder. His eye was drawn to the gaping neck of the shirt, following that swell of skin down down down into shadow. He was pretty sure she was wearing a black bra. Doesn't quite set up the story promised on the back of the book about MK Ultra / Yuri Geller / Men Who Stare At Goats shenanigans. It delivers that story for sure, it's just that a couple of the characters are teenagers and not the sexless Disney channel automaton's you normally read about protagonizing.
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Dec 2, 2023 19:29
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Just finished Forging Hephaestus by Drew Hayes which I really enjoyed. It's about a villain going through an apprenticeship to join the villains guild in a superhero setting, and both the powers and characters were fun. Decently written too, better than average KU (I didn't even remember it was KU until I went to buy the sequel). Bonus, it's not an Evil Superman story either, and their world isn't completely corporate evil. 👍
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Dec 2, 2023 21:44
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I was informed that Walter Jon Williams is working on the second sequel to Metropolitan, more than twenty years after the earlier books came out. The magical ecumenopolis setting does sound like it has enticing potential.
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Dec 3, 2023 11:48
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I read the first of Hobb’s Farseer books and have a general question: How often do dogs die because of their association with Fitz? The deaths of Smithy and Nosy broke me in a way that had me crying over my own dog, who looked at me with some concern. I’m not sure if I can handle the rest of the books if it’s a common occurrence.
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Dec 3, 2023 17:08
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secular woods sex posted:I read the first of Hobb’s Farseer books and have a general question: How often do dogs die because of their association with Fitz? The deaths of Smithy and Nosy broke me in a way that had me crying over my own dog, who looked at me with some concern. I’m not sure if I can handle the rest of the books if it’s a common occurrence. Hel fucked around with this message at 18:10 on Dec 3, 2023 |
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Dec 3, 2023 17:57
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A Betrayal in Winter (Long Price Quartet #2) by Daniel Abraham - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003K15OHK/ The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay - $4.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OCXHUY/
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Dec 3, 2023 18:40
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I was looking the the Google books store of the best of 2023 because I obviously hate myself and saw a book called the Fourth Wing. Are new books just blatant slapping together of other books ideas and calling it good? And not even make any real innovation? Because the summary read as what if they dragon riders of pern went to Hogwarts and Hogwarts was in Westeros? I mean, I get mashing up 2 concepts to make something new. That happens all the time, but I didn't realize it was going to be that blatant . Am I just old and cranky?
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Dec 3, 2023 20:02
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Yeah. There have always been books that felt derivative but were super popular. Probably there always will be. And, honestly, if it's bringing money into publishing, good. I don't believe the people buying the latest BookTok sensation would be spending their money on "better" books otherwise, I think they'd just not be spending it on books. I can rag on Sanderson all day, artistically, but he probably pays for my advances. (The other stuff he pays for is a bit more complex  )
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Dec 3, 2023 20:13
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Fair enough. Maybe it's just that I haven't looked at the general population's idea of best in a while since I have a backlog that's already big enough that, mathematically, I'll die before finishing it. But it just through me for a loop how unabashedly blatant some of the one to one copies are. But I guess people getting into fantasy today won't have read Pern or even GoT and are more likely to be reading Shadow and Bone, I guess? Like you said, at least they're reading. While I haven't read Fourth Wing, if its doing as you say to at least get people reading them that's better than the alternatives.
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Dec 3, 2023 20:33
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Ravus Ursus posted:I mean, I get mashing up 2 concepts to make something new. That happens all the time, but I didn't realize it was going to be that blatant .
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Dec 3, 2023 20:36
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Ravus Ursus posted:I was looking the the Google books store of the best of 2023 because I obviously hate myself and saw a book called the Fourth Wing. Yeah. There's always been rip-offs, and rip-offs that get popular. The answer is to reaffirm that there's all kinds of cool and original stuff being published even today. What do you want to read?
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Dec 3, 2023 20:38
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Arsenic Lupin posted:You may have heard of The Sword of Shannara? Straight-up Tolkien ripoff. Even The Wheel of Time started off as a Lord of the Rings knockoff in many ways. Not nearly as much as The Sword of Shannara, but enough to be noticeable. Kchama fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Dec 3, 2023 |
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Dec 3, 2023 21:21
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Speaking of weird original books, has anyone read The Cusanus Game by Wolfgang Jeschke? It's German sci-fi/weird that I'm curious about :quote:Biologist Domenica Ligrina fears her planet is dying. She might be right. e: fuckit, curious about this one too: Amatka by Karin Tidbeck quote:Vanja, a government worker, leaves her home city of Essre for the austere, wintry colony of Amatka on a research assignment. It takes some adjusting: people act differently in Amatka, and citizens are monitored for signs of subversion. StrixNebulosa fucked around with this message at 21:38 on Dec 3, 2023 |
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Dec 3, 2023 21:36
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StrixNebulosa posted:Speaking of weird original books, has anyone read The Cusanus Game by Wolfgang Jeschke? It's German sci-fi/weird that I'm curious about :
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Dec 3, 2023 22:04
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FPyat posted:I was informed that Walter Jon Williams is working on the second sequel to Metropolitan, more than twenty years after the earlier books came out. The magical ecumenopolis setting does sound like it has enticing potential. really liked metropolitan and city on fire but i'd rather he wrote more quillifer. There's probably space for a bit more dagmar shaw, given how toxic some technology has made parts of society.
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Dec 3, 2023 22:06
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StrixNebulosa posted:Amatka by Karin Tidbeck Read and loved this a few years ago. It's much more interested in its weird idea than it is in its characters, but if you can roll with that, you'll probably like it.
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Dec 3, 2023 22:21
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branedotorg posted:really liked metropolitan and city on fire but i'd rather he wrote more quillifer. There's probably space for a bit more dagmar shaw, given how toxic some technology has made parts of society. I'm a long-time WJW fan, but I always thought Metropolitan and City were among his lesser works. I agree that I'd rather see more Dagmar. I'd also love to see him take another look at sci fi (as opposed to space opera).
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Dec 3, 2023 23:03
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StrixNebulosa posted:Yeah. There's always been rip-offs, and rip-offs that get popular. Fair enough, a friend just reminded me about 50 shades of grey. I'm good on books, between the rec from here and what I've already got, I could never get another rec and id still have a lifetime of reading. I think my TBR is over 600books at this point. Though I tend to slap entire series on there so it can teim quick if I don't dig something. After Alex Verus I'm not going to slog through something because I'm hoping it'll improve. Right now it's Hill House and Werewolf in Paris before I crack into Hyperion.
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Dec 3, 2023 23:06
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Ravus Ursus posted:I was looking the the Google books store of the best of 2023 because I obviously hate myself and saw a book called the Fourth Wing. All of Fourth Wing discourse on YouTube and Twitter is basically "tell me you haven't read Pern without telling me you haven't read Pern". I haven't read the book because it sounds intensely not my thing: it is apparently a romance with fantasy aesthetics with very little fantasy plot, blurb not withstanding.
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Dec 3, 2023 23:54
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Leng posted:I haven't read the book because it sounds intensely not my thing: it is apparently a romance with fantasy aesthetics with very little fantasy plot, blurb not withstanding. This is typical of the new wave of popular booktok "fantasy" fiction by all accounts. (Not that p/horny romance fantasy hasn't been a constant genre in fantasy forever)
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Dec 4, 2023 00:41
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There's been a big marketing push for "Romantasy" lately. As far as I can tell, it's just another expression of the whole "YA with a thin veneer of being for adults" thing, just like New Adult was before it, all driven by BookTok and Bookstagram aesthetics and gif-filled Goodreads reviews. It's cynical, but whatever keeps the lights on for the publishing industry, y'know?
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Dec 4, 2023 01:10
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pradmer posted:The Doomed City by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky - $0.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F9KHTVI/ Thanks, this looks like a good use of credits. cptn_dr posted:gif-filled Goodreads reviews I'd be more mad about these if they weren't such a good way to identify reviews to skip.
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Dec 4, 2023 01:21
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cptn_dr posted:There's been a big marketing push for "Romantasy" lately. In fairness I would say the Fourth Wing is, if nothing else, very Adult.
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Dec 4, 2023 06:10
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Kchama posted:Even The Wheel of Time started off as a Lord of the Rings knockoff in many ways. Not nearly as much as The Sword of Shannara, but enough to be noticeable. That was a lot more "start in very familiar territory to help the reader ground themselves" than anything else. It differs from Shannara and such in kind, not just in degree, from the very beginning. Which is also a very good reason why writers tend to deliberately derive from other works - endlessly trying to reinvent the wheel for the sake of being Original is likely to alienate readers and get in the way of the story you're trying to tell. More importantly, your (often edgy) attempts at being Original will probably wind up following the same wheel ruts anyway, because that's a path well-traveled for a reason.
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Dec 4, 2023 06:26
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cptn_dr posted:There's been a big marketing push for "Romantasy" lately. if it's marketed as such, that's actually a win, I'm so sick of recommendations, especially amazon ones that don't distinguish between romance/porn with a sci-fi cover and sci-fi (replace with any genre i regularly read). fair go if that's your thing but it isn't mine and any added tag or sub genre that helps categorisation is a win for me.
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Dec 4, 2023 07:05
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Deliberately deriving from other works is not the exclusive alternative to trying for originality. Usually, you find both being done at the same time.
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Dec 4, 2023 07:07
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Following a RandomWaffle image led a friend to enlighten me with this collection of SF cover art by French imprint Chute Libre in the 70s.  for illustrated nudity/sex/gore. Some very cool images here, I'd love to get a blown-up poster of the Atrocity Exhibition one. https://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2012/08/23/chute-libre-science-fiction/
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Dec 4, 2023 09:41
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Gertrude Perkins posted:Following a RandomWaffle image led a friend to enlighten me with this collection of SF cover art by French imprint Chute Libre in the 70s. Moebius sure did love him a bit of hentai, didn't he?
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Dec 4, 2023 10:23
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Personally I'm okay with books being a pastiche of other books. It's hard enough to find new stuff to read for my uncultured rear end, so if a new book is hailed as a combination of two other books I really liked, chances are I might like it. Even then, different authors can bring such a different feel to the same subject matter that I'm not sure how much it matters.
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Dec 4, 2023 13:05
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City of Stairs (Divine Cities #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J1ISJFA/ The Tiger and the Wolf (Echoes of the Fall #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018SIYVAU/ City of Saints and Madmen (Ambergris #1) by Jeff VanderMeer - $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QGLWB3H/ Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0087GJ5WI/ The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorate #1) by Neon Yang - $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MTMY52H/
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Dec 4, 2023 19:06
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