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Patrick "Porn Analogy" Rothfuss posted:
Oh, good. He's becoming somewhat self-aware... Patrick "Porn Analogy" Rothfuss posted:
Never mind.
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Oct 13, 2015 18:19
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”But the priests of Ammon hold that a name is an omen, and it may be that mine brought me peril and adventure and sent me into foreign lands. It made me a sharer in dreadful secrets—secrets of kings and their wives—secrets that may be the bearers of death. And at the last my name made me a fugitive and an exile.”  Sinuhe, the former royal physician, is in the third year of his exile. Weary, he decides to write of his life during the zenith of Egyptian power and culture. Raised the son of a poor man’s physician, and risen to the graces of Pharaohs, Sinuhe has lost all he has loved. He has travelled foreign lands, felt depravation and greatest luxury, known the secrets of kings and queens, and seen all that humanity is. In Egypt Sinuhe was at the centre of the religious revolution and utopian experiments of Pharaoh Akhenaten, a mad but valiant visionary who sought to change what cannot be changed. Sinuhe is a lonely witness to history, a tapestry of the lives and fates of commoners, priests, kings, and gods, and has learned bitterly that mankind will be the same in all ages and in all places. A strange candidate for a classic Finnish novel, The Egyptian is a historical epic with a universal scope. Equally intellectual and sensitive, existential and romantic, bitter and triumphant, Waltari's novel is both a philosophical epic and a stirring adventure. In Sinuhe, the weary physician, he has created one of the most compelling voices in literature. Waltari's prose is direct yet poetic, unassuming but resonant in its insight, and pithy in its description of human mania and folly. Reading The Egyptian, one is certain that mankind is, in its essence, eternal. As a chronicle of human experience, it has few equals. A man who has once drunk of Nile waters cannot quench his thirst elsewhere. The Kingkiller Chronicle, at over twice the pages, cannot compare. BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 20:48 on Nov 18, 2016 |
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Oct 13, 2015 19:55
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The fact Sinuhet isn't a complete asshat tends to help too.
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Oct 13, 2015 23:09
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anilEhilated posted:The fact Sinuhet isn't a complete asshat tends to help too. For example, he makes mistakes and regrets them heavily. He fails, and there is nothing to compensate for it. Sinuhe is an outsider to the corrupt society of Egypt, but this costs him, and does not simply underline what a swell guy he is. It also ties into the theme of the book, the unchanging essential nature of humanity. The novel was written at the end of WWII, so it's actually about something that was important to and concerned Mika Waltari, and people in general.. This is something shared by all my recommendations: they're all stories about something. As anilEhilated mentioned before, Kingkiller Chronicle is not really about anything, which is a crippling flaw in any story. Even fans and positive reviews are unable to say what the stories are actually about.There are vague references to a "coming-of-age story" or "subverting tropes", but I have seen no indication that there is an ultimate purpose to the story. This seems to be a trend in genre fiction, where "adventure" and "magic" are seen as goals unto themselves. White Tiger is an iconoclastic look at india's dysfunctional, exploitative society. Baudolino is a comic adventure about how meaning is created. Wolf Hall is about the clash of political ideals and base reality. Sinuhe is about human folly. Lord of the Rings is about something. It's about loss, about the passing of of what we hold dear, about the indescribable yearning for what cannot be. Rothfuss seems to have also realised this, so I can respect his decision not to write anymore. BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Oct 16, 2015 |
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Oct 16, 2015 08:54
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I wish there was less in these books about how poor Kvothe is and how much he's obsessed with Denna, and more about him learning magic and poo poo, and putting it to practical use. Kvothe is a stupid and unlikable character than is in a world that I find really interesting. I'm reading through Wise Man's Fear for the second time, hoping that maybe the only reason I remember disliking it was a loving third of the book being taken up by literal loving. But reading it again made me realize what a meandering and unpleasant read it is. I don't even think I can finish it a second time, because I know what's coming up. I really hope he pulls this all off in Doors of Stone or whatever, or has something else in the same world, because I find it so interesting. e: I know I can just get some things from BravestoftheLamps posts as far as story goes, but does anyone have recommendations of similar books with a focus on the magical systems in their worlds and how they work?
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Oct 21, 2015 16:25
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What do you find so interesting about the world? It was bog-standard generic medieval fantasy last time I checked.
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Oct 21, 2015 16:27
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SpacePig posted:I wish there was less in these books about how poor Kvothe is and how much he's obsessed with Denna, and more about him learning magic and poo poo, and putting it to practical use. Kvothe is a stupid and unlikable character than is in a world that I find really interesting. I finished that book just recently and I kinda felt the same, the obsession to Denna is getting way too much, looks like Patrick is definitely setting everything up for Kvothe to murder her for his own "justice" reasons or something like that. There's definitely something odd how Denna seems able to constantly find Kvothe everywhere (or the opposite). I'm still really drat curious to know what the heck will happen on book 3 but this really went down in quality from book 1.... oh well time to move to other stuff.
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Oct 21, 2015 17:02
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anilEhilated posted:What do you find so interesting about the world? It was bog-standard generic medieval fantasy last time I checked. I may have misspoke. I don't really read much fantasy, and what really caught me up in this one is the system of magics and such. They're all inter-related, based on the same basic principles, and pretty well described and specified within the story. I would seriously read nothing but Kvothe learning and applying different bindings and such and using them in clever ways. The second he leaves the university is pretty much the exact second it starts going irrecoverably downhill for me. I don't care how quick-witted or poor he is. I just wanna have him do clever poo poo with his bindings and names. Maybe I'm a simpleton or something, but that's seriously all I want out of these books.
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Oct 21, 2015 17:14
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SpacePig posted:I may have misspoke. I don't really read much fantasy, and what really caught me up in this one is the system of magics and such. They're all inter-related, based on the same basic principles, and pretty well described and specified within the story. I would seriously read nothing but Kvothe learning and applying different bindings and such and using them in clever ways. The second he leaves the university is pretty much the exact second it starts going irrecoverably downhill for me. I don't care how quick-witted or poor he is. I just wanna have him do clever poo poo with his bindings and names. You might enjoy the magic system in Garth Nix's Abhorsen series. The system is based off "Charter marks" which are basically ancient runes. Half the plot of the series is that the continent has been split in half, one of which is a super mundane world which is basically 1920s England called Ancelstierre. The magical half is called The Old Kingdom, where necromancers have free reign and use their magic without fear. Huge chunks of the books consist of the heroines studying Charter magic and trying to fix the sources of magic. The second protagonist, Lirael, goes into a lot of Charter magic theory and coming up with mindbending ways to break the rules or otherwise bend Charter magic away from its regular uses, such as using Charter magic in the world of Ancelstierre. The first book is called Sabriel and it's a self contained adventure so you're not committing to the whole series by reading it. If you like it then please pick it up because the Abhorsen books deserve more credit and love.
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Oct 21, 2015 17:33
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HIJK posted:You might enjoy the magic system in Garth Nix's Abhorsen series. The system is based off "Charter marks" which are basically ancient runes. Huh, I read Sabriel once years ago but don't remember it very well. It's on my to-reread list along with the rest of the series, and I think you just convinced me to bump it up in priority. Nix had a short story in the "Rogues" anthology that I liked. (I also liked Patrick Rothfuss's story in that anthology a lot too - we need more material from Bast's point of view.) Also, SpacePig, I feel the same way about the Kingkiller series - Kvothe is a horrible smug little poo poo, but the magical system is my favorite of all the fantasy books I've read. You can definitely tell that Rothfuss has most of a degree in ChemE, just because magic (at least sympathy) follows the rules of thermodynamics in a clear, predictable way. I'm not happy about alchemy in the series though - you can sort of tell that Rothfuss did fine with the engineering side of ChemE, but struggled with the chemistry side, like several of the people I went to school with.
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Oct 21, 2015 17:50
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HIJK posted:You might enjoy the magic system in Garth Nix's Abhorsen series. The system is based off "Charter marks" which are basically ancient runes. MenschMaschine posted:Huh, I read Sabriel once years ago but don't remember it very well. It's on my to-reread list along with the rest of the series, and I think you just convinced me to bump it up in priority. Nix had a short story in the "Rogues" anthology that I liked. (I also liked Patrick Rothfuss's story in that anthology a lot too - we need more material from Bast's point of view.) Sounds like it's right up my alley, then. Seems pretty well reviewed. I'll check it out next chance I get. Thanks!
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Oct 22, 2015 03:05
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SpacePig posted:I may have misspoke. I don't really read much fantasy, and what really caught me up in this one is the system of magics and such. They're all inter-related, based on the same basic principles, and pretty well described and specified within the story. I would seriously read nothing but Kvothe learning and applying different bindings and such and using them in clever ways. The second he leaves the university is pretty much the exact second it starts going irrecoverably downhill for me. I don't care how quick-witted or poor he is. I just wanna have him do clever poo poo with his bindings and names. Max Gladstone's Craft series sounds right up your alley. The magic system is not as verbose as it is by Rothfuss. Instead it builds on the repercussions of a society where magic is prevalent. The magicians are called craftsmen and they convert soul and starlight to all sorts of interesting magical constructs. The system itself is like a mix between accounting, engineering, and contract lawyering. For example. Fire suppression insurance is based on payment to pay for the energy required to magically put out the fire. And entire cities rely on it. Three Parts Dead was the first novel published. Although all the novels are independent stories with a few overlapping characters. I think you can reasonably choose whichever cover blurb most catchs your interest and pick that one to start with.
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Oct 22, 2015 03:39
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SpacePig posted:I wish there was less in these books about how poor Kvothe is and how much he's obsessed with Denna, and more about him learning magic and poo poo, and putting it to practical use. Kvothe is a stupid and unlikable character than is in a world that I find really interesting. If you want to watch an author give way too much of a poo poo about his magic system, read more Sanderson. EDIT: Sorry for being flip - if what you like is guys who really thought out their magic stuff and then make a lot of the book around cleverly manipulating that system, Brandon Sanderson is very seriously your guy - start with the Mistborn trilogy. Personally, I care a lot more about character development than world-building, but that is not most popular SF/Fantasy books seem to be about these days. Karnegal fucked around with this message at 06:02 on Oct 22, 2015 |
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Oct 22, 2015 05:59
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Karnegal posted:If you want to watch an author give way too much of a poo poo about his magic system, read more Sanderson. If what you want is dialogue, characterization, or storytelling, on the other hand, you should avoid him.
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Oct 22, 2015 06:15
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Khizan posted:If what you want is dialogue, characterization, or storytelling, on the other hand, you should avoid him. M_Gargantua posted:Three Parts Dead was the first novel published. Although all the novels are independent stories with a few overlapping characters. I think you can reasonably choose whichever cover blurb most catchs your interest and pick that one to start with. And as for magic systems, I'll just throw in Steven Erikson - it is consistent, but it isn't ever completely explained and the characters who try are often misinformed and/or wrong. If you like figuring the stuff out on your own, that's your ticket.
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Oct 22, 2015 06:40
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theghostpt posted:I finished that book just recently and I kinda felt the same, the obsession to Denna is getting way too much, looks like Patrick is definitely setting everything up for Kvothe to murder her for his own "justice" reasons or something like that. There's definitely something odd how Denna seems able to constantly find Kvothe everywhere (or the opposite). Considering early in the first book Chronicler says something like "this is a man who's seen and killed an angel" I'd be really stunned if he doesn't kill Denna, or do something stupid that gets her killed. Like pick a fight with a certain rear end in a top hat noble who happens to be only a few deaths away from the throne. Khizan posted:If what you want is dialogue, characterization, or storytelling, on the other hand, you should avoid him. Shadows of Self has more storytelling than both Kingkiller books combined. 
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Oct 22, 2015 06:48
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anilEhilated posted:He's reading Rotfhuss, it's pretty safe to assume he does not. This is more or less true. Thanks for all of the recommendations. I think I'll end up trying out Sabriel and Mistborn first. The Wikipedia page for Mistborn has a goddamn chart to describe the magic system, so I know it's probably worth checking out.
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Oct 22, 2015 15:48
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Thanks for the recommendation of Sabriel, gents. I'm only two hours into the audiobook, and this is highly engaging and well written, with none of Kvothe's poverty, pride, total lack of self awareness, or other digressive faffing about. Sabriel kind of rules. Solid recommendation, I'm going to read or listen to all three before finishing Seveneves a second time.
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Oct 23, 2015 02:46
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anilEhilated posted:Seconding Gladstone recommendation, his stuff is amazing. Also, his books are mostly standalone with one exception - Full Fathom Five more or less requires knowledge of Three Parts Dead and Two Serpents Rise. It's honestly best to read them in the publication order. Part of me thinks that reading Last First Snow before Two Serpents Rise would be a good idea, but it seems like either order would have some benefits. In any case, I'm thirding the Gladstone recommendation.
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Oct 23, 2015 03:26
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SpacePig posted:This is more or less true. It's oddly refreshing to see someone who knows exactly what they're looking for in a book, even if it is not remotely what I'm interested in.
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Oct 23, 2015 05:35
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SpacePig posted:This is more or less true. Codex Alera has a better handling of charecter than Sanderson, and although it doesn't delve overmuch into the mechanics of its
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Oct 23, 2015 09:11
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Sabriel is one my favourite books ever  I don't like the sequels as much but they're still good. I was considering reading TNotW again to take a break in between Malazan novels but now I think I might re-read Sabriel again instead.
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Oct 23, 2015 15:51
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J. Strange and Mr. Norell is a good book that includes a deep study of the magic system present without becoming uninteresting or unnecessarily opaque.
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Oct 23, 2015 15:59
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Strom Cuzewon posted:Codex Alera has a better handling of charecter than Sanderson, and although it doesn't delve overmuch into the mechanics of its This wins for now. Not only by merit of being the only book immediately available on my library's e-book system, but also because of this: "Wikipedia posted:The inspiration for the series came from a bet Jim was challenged to by a member of the Del Rey Online Writer’s Workshop. The challenger bet that Jim could not write a good story based on a lame idea, and Jim countered that he could do it using two lame ideas of the challenger’s choosing. The “lame” ideas given were “Lost Roman Legion", and “Pokémon”.[1]
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Oct 23, 2015 19:51
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I'm going to have to try the book as well because that's pretty drat funny.
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Oct 23, 2015 19:58
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SpacePig posted:This wins for now. Not only by merit of being the only book immediately available on my library's e-book system, but also because of this: He recounts the story here and it's quite funny: https://youtu.be/ylKRYe0ZWHo
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Oct 23, 2015 20:01
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Re: Codex Alera I love the series to death, and actually just finished up a re-read of it a month or so ago. The first book of the series is not the best. Its good, but I had trouble getting really into it until about halfway through. That said, books 2-4 are universally amazing, and then 5-6 are still really good.
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Oct 23, 2015 21:10
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Donkey posted:Part of me thinks that reading Last First Snow before Two Serpents Rise would be a good idea, but it seems like either order would have some benefits. In any case, I'm thirding the Gladstone recommendation.
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Oct 24, 2015 00:11
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I think that Last First Snow first would be an awful first choice. Three Parts Dead has so much of the basic background info that I think it really needs to be the starting point, and a lot of Last First Snow depends on the contract law magic system and the Deathless Kings and all the other stuff that got setup in the earlier books. Publication order is easily the best order, IMO.
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Oct 24, 2015 01:30
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Khizan posted:I think that Last First Snow first would be an awful first choice. Three Parts Dead has so much of the basic background info that I think it really needs to be the starting point, and a lot of Last First Snow depends on the contract law magic system and the Deathless Kings and all the other stuff that got setup in the earlier books. Publication order is easily the best order, IMO.
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Oct 24, 2015 10:28
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Benson Cunningham posted:J. Strange and Mr. Norell is a good book that includes a deep study of the magic system present without becoming uninteresting or unnecessarily opaque. I don't know if I would describe Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell as having a magic system as such, other than possible "oh my god nerf magicians plz". It does have loads of cool details, though.
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Oct 24, 2015 18:16
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Rand Brittain posted:I don't know if I would describe Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell as having a magic system as such, other than possible "oh my god nerf magicians plz". I'll say whatever it takes to make people read that awesome book.
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Oct 24, 2015 19:14
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Codex Alerra were very mediocre. Each book recapitulates the last. The big plot twist hinted at in book one, re-hinted at in book 2 to the point of insulting obviousness, is finally revealed in book something to be exactly what you expected. The magic system, while initially cool, is disappointingly utilized. It is easily Jim Butcher's weakest series. I am, however, hearing great things about his new steampunk series. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell is fantastic. The audiobook version from audible is amazing, so will read that it's preferable to the actual book. Brandon Sanderson is a good recommendation, and I do not like his Mistborn books, save for the first one. The follow ups are very weak, but enjoyable in a schlocky direct to video way. Check out The Way of Kings or The Emperors Soul. My favorite is actually his superhero series, which is really just another Brandon Sanderson Magic system dressed up in comic book clothing. I really like Matthew Stover's Heroes Die. It's like Dolph Lundrum kickpunching elvish whores for 500 pages. Howls Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones is another favorite of mine, though I do not like the ending much. Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker books are all about the magic system. The first three are really good. But then he went completely insane and I'm pretty sure the follow ups were written by Scientologists or the Mormon sex slaves. He keeps in his hatrack river dungeon. MartingaleJack fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Oct 24, 2015 |
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Oct 24, 2015 20:18
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anilEhilated posted:Yeah, you probably won't appreciate Last First Snow without knowing what's going to become of those characters. The big reason I was leaning towards reading Last First Snow before Two Serpents Rise was that I though it lost a bunch of tension since I already knew the fate of almost all of the characters (in the same way that I can kinda extrapolate what happens to Kvothe based on his condition in the framing story). For all I know, there might be other problems with reading it in chronological order, though. Either way, I agree about reading Three Parts Dead first and Full Fathom Five last.
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Oct 24, 2015 23:07
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Benson Cunningham posted:I'll say whatever it takes to make people read that awesome book. That makes sense. I heard, if you read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, magical people will come out of your wardrobe and do your laundry for you! And, all your belly fat will vanish!
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Oct 24, 2015 23:13
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Rand Brittain posted:That makes sense. And the magical people hardly ask for anything in return. Heck, their requests are so reasonable, you could get them all done in your sleep!
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Oct 25, 2015 00:02
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It's certainly worth a write-up.
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Oct 25, 2015 00:58
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BananaNutkins posted:Codex Alerra were very mediocre. Glen Cook's Black Company is fun because it's a world with kick rear end sorcerers running poo poo and warring with each other, but written from the POV, mostly, of a bunch of mundanes. I feel like Wheel of Time is everything Brian Sanderson wants to be but isn't, but that's just my take. Jim Butcher is fun if you're into that. OSC sucks and has always sucked how don't we know this yet? And frankly Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell is so good it's head and shoulders above most of this. Garth Nix and Diane Wynne Jones do pretty good, well, I'd call it YA fiction but that's apparently supposed to mean whiny protagonists and stupid love triangles and every authority figure being so unreasonable I mean God Mom it's not a big deal...
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Oct 25, 2015 01:21
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Donkey posted:The big reason I was leaning towards reading Last First Snow before Two Serpents Rise was that I though it lost a bunch of tension since I already knew the fate of almost all of the characters (in the same way that I can kinda extrapolate what happens to Kvothe based on his condition in the framing story). For all I know, there might be other problems with reading it in chronological order, though. Either way, I agree about reading Three Parts Dead first and Full Fathom Five last. Eh. I think that knowing that Temok's stand was doomed made the whole ending just that much better. When I know the outcome, I can appreciate it more because I'm not wondering about the outcome, I can just go with the flow. And knowing that he gives his son the Eagle Knight cuts made all their early interactions just that much better. the JJ posted:OSC sucks and has always sucked how don't we know this yet? Cause Ender's Game is really awesome if you read it when you're 13.
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Oct 25, 2015 01:35
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BananaNutkins posted:Brandon Sanderson is a good recommendation, and I do not like his Mistborn books, save for the first one. The follow ups are very weak, but enjoyable in a schlocky direct to video way. Sanderson is becoming the Marvel universe of fantasty. Lotta volume, consistently entertaining, lots of connections between the books. He just hasn't gotten to his Avengers equivalent yet.
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Oct 25, 2015 02:18
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