SF & F Mega-thread: I had to google 'spock pirate depilatory'

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anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Son of the Morning is great, make sure to write a trip report.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2019 18:43

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# ¿ May 16, 2024 17:55

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Munin posted:

Any good non-bleak and/or uplifting scifi or fantasy? given my excessive news consumption I need a palate cleanser.

Anyone suggest Bridge of Birds yet?

# ¿ Oct 7, 2019 16:35

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

MockingQuantum posted:

I'm about a third to halfway through Quantum Thief and I'm having a hard time deciding if I like it. I think to some degree I'm kind of over sci-fi novels stubbornly refusing to explain things, but at the same time I'm happy it hasn't taken the time for big exposition dumps. I think maybe I feel like it just has too much going on so far? I like it enough to keep reading, so I'm hoping it all kind of shakes out in an interesting way by the end of the book.

A lot of that book is setup, the last third is when it comes together.

# ¿ Oct 15, 2019 21:29

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

StrixNebulosa posted:

My review of Steel Frame by Andrew Skinner:

Rook is the protagonist, a women who flies giant mechas, who spent her career rescuing downed jockeys from battlefields and getting them to medics. PTSD caught up with her, and a traumatic incident put her in jail, into a chain-gang on a giant starship stationed in the broken part of outer space.

The Eye. The ocean, a region of space that has so much debris and strange physics going on that it's an ocean instead of void. Time works differently here. The various megacorps who constantly fight each other for the rest of space have a tense truce in the Eye, because it's all unexplored and there are treasures inside. Maybe.

So Rook has been taken from prison and put into this region of space and because her megacorp isn't sure this place is profitable, its ships are crewed by an increasing ratio of convicts.

This is where she meets the Juno. Her new giant mech, her shell. It's an antique, a prototype that's violent when she first meets it: it's rebelling, breaking from its restraints and trying to eke out a bit of space in its hangar. The only reason they can talk it down from more violence is because Rook is given its old jockey's helmet, which she uses to talk to it - but it forgives the deception and takes her as its pilot.

Juno's old and traumatized from losing its old pilots. Rook's traumatized from losing jockeys she couldn't rescue in time. They're both traumatized but they fly well together, and if you as a reader cannot approach these two characters ready to try to understand them, this book won't work. It's entirely from Rook's POV.

The plot? The plot is: Rook's part of a four-man unit of jockeys sent to explore some of the ruins in the ocean. They don't so much find horror as it finds them, and the plot escalates in action and horror: there's a devastating virus, there's an imprisoned thing, there are the other megacorps, and there's Rook's unit: Hail, another convict who leads them all. Salt, a giant of a man who carries his own trauma. Locust. Andrade.

This book goes surprisingly wide, filling in details about the wars outside the ocean, where these broken convicts came from. It fills in the story of the megacorp they work for, the ones they're aiming against, everything.

The book stays narrow, staying in Rook's head and following only what she's involved in.

It's so deep, though. Rook is so, so compelling and understandable, and the Juno alien in the right ways, understandable in the right ways.

I didn't know I could find a sci-fi book that hits everything I want: military sci-fi action, deep introspective psychological drama, horror, alien things, etc. Everything in this book sings just right and I didn't know it could exist without me having to write it.

Author? You did good.

Reader of this review? You gotta read this book. You gotta. The prose is hypnotic and you could drown in it. You deserve to enjoy this book.

I want you to know I am holding you personally responsible for my fantasy backlog. First Gideon, then Sagara and now this.

e: At least it seems short. And hey, giant robots.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 17:48 on Oct 17, 2019

# ¿ Oct 17, 2019 17:43

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Don't know about Stableford, the only thing of his was a bog-standard alternate history of Europe except everyone is vampires and I don't think I even finished that.

e: Pretty telling I remember the name of the author and not the book. Something of fear or horror or something like that.

# ¿ Oct 19, 2019 20:27

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

I would suggest spoilering at least some of that, it's a pretty new book and the mystery is a big part of it.

# ¿ Oct 19, 2019 23:54

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

coolusername posted:

Anyone have recs for books similar to Gideon in the vein of 'Snarky but not intolerable protagonist on an adventure with a buddy s/he has a complex relationship with?' in sci-fi or fantasy genre?

The Bartimaeus books by Jonathan Stroud. Technically YA and the protagonist is really snarky to the point of annoying some readers, but the central relationship is of a djinn and its master which makes for a fairly interesting dynamic.
Plus it's really fun to read.

# ¿ Oct 22, 2019 21:52

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Absurd Alhazred posted:

If you read Hyperion, there's a hint as to how Simmons might have preferred to write it, vs. what the publisher forced him into, in Martin Silenus` story.

Yeah, I'm not sure about that. It's a pretty stereotypical story of Artist Held Back By Tasteless Plebeian Market; granted I have no idea what Simmons was going through back then but he's showed himself to be enough of an rear end in a top hat for this analogy to be at least suspicious.

# ¿ Oct 24, 2019 15:59

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Hand Row posted:

Thank you thread for recommending Son of the Morning, it was a delightful surprise. How is the sequel? It�s so cheap I will get it anyway, but curious since these books don�t have much for reviews.

Slightly weaker, still great. Really looking forward to the third one.

# ¿ Oct 25, 2019 17:40

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

To be fair the book makes it pretty clear they are both horribly broken people. Nothing to do with gender.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Oct 29, 2019

# ¿ Oct 29, 2019 21:13

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Ben Nevis posted:

Just finished Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. It's a fantasy set in 1920s Mexico where a young woman working as a servant for her extended family stumbles across a deposed god of the underworld and must help him regain his throne. Story is decent, and decently paced, but the draw here may well be the Mayan mythology. It delves a lot into Xibalba, the Land of the Dead, as well as other demons, spirits, etc all while travelling across a Jazz Age Mexico from a tiny village to a resort in Tijuana. If you're one of those who enjoys fantasy that draws from other traditions, this might be a good one for you.

Goddamnit. I'm sure I'll find the time for it in about a year.

# ¿ Nov 6, 2019 20:39

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Obligatory question: how much romance/sex is there in The Dawnhounds?

# ¿ Nov 10, 2019 10:04

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

MockingQuantum posted:

I'm looking to start a long(er) fantasy series for the holiday season because that's when I'm simultaneously my most mentally taxed at work and have the most free time. What are some good longer fantasy series that aren't Discworld, Wheel of Time, or LE Modesitt? Doesn't need to be the greatest books ever known to humankind, just something engaging and fun that'll keep me busy for a while.

Malazan!
For something less dense, Shadows of the Apt by Tchaikovsky.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2019 20:45

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Lester Shy posted:

Was anybody else frustrated by the Broken Earth trilogy?

I'm just going to say that giving your oppressed minority mass murdering superpowers is a completely idiotic idea no matter what statement you are trying to make.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Nov 13, 2019

# ¿ Nov 13, 2019 20:31

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

I also really appreciate you telling me what I missed and insinuating I agree with mass murder; real classy, that.

The trouble with the metaphor isn't just the power dynamics - it is that she has written a literal master race kept down by the non-gifted masses. I don't know what she was trying to say, but it ended up being loving Ayn Rand.

# ¿ Nov 14, 2019 17:39

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Oh hey, so everyone should put their trust into the Benevolent Master Race. Much better.

# ¿ Nov 14, 2019 17:47

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

MockingQuantum posted:

Ironically I liked Ninefox the most out of all three books in large part due to how much poo poo it just threw at the reader, it felt like a really unique setting to me, and the other two books didn't quite have the same impact for me (though admittedly both were more plot- and character-driven than setting-driven)

Same here. I suspect the primary reason for that would be that Jedao just isn't that interesting a character once you scrape off the initial mystery.

# ¿ Nov 18, 2019 23:23

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

FuzzySlippers posted:

What's the thread's opinion of the Witcher books? I have a friend who has been bugging me to read them for ages so I grabbed Blood of Elves. It was pretty disjointed and I didn't care for it. Too many of the chapters were characters sitting around just talking about the political situation or whatever. Apparently I did it wrong and I should've started with The Last Wish so I'm giving that one a try to mollify him.

I cannot comment on the English translation, however you should definitely start with the short stories; the novels (starting with Blood of Elves) are basically one big crossover event and their pacing sucks (most of the first two books is foreshadowing). I think the payoff is worth it but you'll probably find out whether you like Sapkowski simply from the short stories.

# ¿ Nov 19, 2019 23:27

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

mewse posted:

NK Jemison was streaming some video game on twitch last night, it was kinda fun. Only 40 viewers lol

I genuinely enjoy her streaming more than her writing.

# ¿ Nov 21, 2019 11:04

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

mewse posted:

Possibly. I love dry brit humour but I don't enjoy the wit of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams - don't know why. I'll check this one out, thanks for the recommendation.

The first one is really weird tonally with the protagonist being a complete rear end in a top hat to mostly innocent people. It gets better from book two on when there's actual bad guys.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 12:53 on Nov 22, 2019

# ¿ Nov 22, 2019 12:49

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Could be just differing tastes since my favorites are two and four, i.e. when Cabal gets pitted against an even more absurd antagonist.

# ¿ Nov 22, 2019 15:22

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

BadOptics posted:

Finished The Scar last night and it was a great story, but if I ever see the word "puissant/puissance" again I'm gonna have a stroke.

So I've got some bad news for you about the rest of Mi�ville's books...

# ¿ Nov 29, 2019 01:04

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

SurreptitiousMuffin posted:

how does it stack up next to Kraken's "retroeschatonaut"?

To be fair that is just Kraken being a lot more playful when it comes to language - it's a word invented to fit the situation; on the other hand, bathoses and puissances in descriptions are just Mi�ville having showing off this new thesaurus he bought.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2019 11:41

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Larry Parrish posted:

Even though I liked it I think The Thousand Names did essentially the same concept but better.

Wexler definitely did Magic Napoleon better; too bad about all the cringy romance.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2019 15:17

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

You just gotta keep digging that hole, don't you.

e:

Fart of Presto posted:

Charlie Jane Anders.
I have All The Birds in the Sky on my Kindle but still haven't read it. She won a Nebula and Locus award for that.

It's pretty good for YA. Predictable but a very enjoyable read.
A bit too much focus on the romance for my liking, but that applies to any focus on any kind of romance in any kind of book.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Dec 20, 2019

# ¿ Dec 20, 2019 19:44

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

branedotorg posted:

Also really disliked the one about the monkey fighter pilot but YMMV.

Yeah. The weird thing about that one is that it started its life as a pretty good short story but the novel version is just awful.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 01:31 on Dec 23, 2019

# ¿ Dec 23, 2019 00:58

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

fritz posted:

How about the Conjoiners in Reynolds's Revelation Space series?

Not really a hivemind, more of an information network you can tap into freely. They're still individuals.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2020 02:19

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

gvibes posted:

Is it worse than furies of Calderon? Is such a thing even possible ?

Yes. The Pokemon books are just boring, this one manages to be boring and offensive at points.
Measure of how the society has moved on, I suppose.

# ¿ Jan 12, 2020 20:46

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

coffeetable posted:

Graydon Saunders has just released A Mist of Grit and Splinters, book #5 in his Commonweal series. If you're not familiar with it, the first book is The March North, and is best described as granite-hard military fantasy. They're heavy on the worldbuilding, heavy on the logistics, and replete with show-don't-tell. I think the best indicators for liking it would be liking Watts or Rajaniemi, who similarly omit a lot of context and expect the reader to keep up.

Sounds like bargain bin Malazan.

Black Griffon posted:

So Emperor's Soul, Warbreaker and Mistborn in that order then?

It honestly doesn't matter, they have basically the same (utterly flat) character cast and extremely similar plots. The only difference is in the magic systems, so if you care about that...

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Jan 19, 2020

# ¿ Jan 19, 2020 18:47

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

avoraciopoctules posted:

Master Li in Bridge of Birds was absolutely superb. I don't remember if he ever shot fire out of his hands, but I really enjoy it when the point of view character is also having fun.

Any recommendations?

Sorry if obvious, but there are two sequels. Not quite as amazing, but still good.

Apart from that and since you mentioned Butcher - how about some urban fantasy? Alex Verus starts as a Dresden derivative but becomes a lot better as the series goes on. Also, Rivers of London seems to fill your criteria pretty well.

e2: Max Gladstone's stuff features plenty of wizards and flashy wizardry... For a certain definition of the terms. Start with Three Parts Dead and see if you like lawyer necromancers.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 11:22 on Jan 21, 2020

# ¿ Jan 21, 2020 11:16

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Is it any good, though?
I mean, potsherds aside.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2020 18:38

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Megazver posted:

The first book was like early Sanderson writing flintlock fantasy. I dropped it, but I have a friend who loves it.

I'd say this is a bit of disservice to Greatcoats - the author knows how to pace the story, making it a pretty entertaining romp if nothing special. It's nowhere near as bad as your average Sanderson.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 17:16 on Jan 28, 2020

# ¿ Jan 28, 2020 14:10

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Does Unto Leviathan count?

# ¿ Feb 3, 2020 21:03

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Kalman posted:

Can�t just recommend this without a seeeeerious warning for rape and sexual abuse in this one. I think it�s still worth reading but that�s a big up front caveat.

Yeah, I'd honestly feel iffy recommending any Donaldson.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2020 19:36

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Does Embassytown count?

e: If you don't mind it being from the seventies, there's also the Giants series by James Hogan, starting with Inherit the Stars; that's basically nothing but scientists trying to make sense of a mystery. It gets away from the science angle in further books (book 2 is about first contact with very, very polite aliens) but reading about the way they imagined what the future will look like in the past is usually funny.
I'd say Inherit the Stars at least is definitely worth a try.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Feb 9, 2020

# ¿ Feb 8, 2020 23:37

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

StrixNebulosa posted:

Year of Our War: this scene is straight up fantasy EDF as an army tries to stand against infinite giant ants. It's deadly serious but I'm hooting anyways because it's just... it's EDF. Here come the bugs!

That's a fun series, although it feels the quality drops a bit as it progresses. EDF formed out of extremely dysfunctional bird-people is really just the start.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2020 11:11

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Proteus Jones posted:

Maberry also riles up the "too much virtue signaling!" and "why can't you leave these non-political? Too much SJW" crowd, so it's a plus for me.

Really? I've read some summaries after he was mentioned in the UF thread and it sounded like the standard right-wing wankery to me - heroic US marines gunning down evil Arabs who want to unleash zombie viruses and so on.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2020 22:34