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The only litrpg that's worth a drat is the caverns and creatures series 
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Dec 24, 2018 17:50
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uberkeyzer posted:In the intervening 20 pages we decided no one wanted to hear about unreadable WoW fanfic. So thanks but get the gently caress out. Technically Dodge Tank was unreadable FFXI and FFXIV fanfic, but close enough.
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Dec 24, 2018 23:35
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:The only litrpg that's worth a drat is the caverns and creatures series I've heard good things about King of Sartar, but haven't ever managed to track it down myself.
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Dec 24, 2018 23:37
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Tias posted:Hi thread! I just started watching Travelers and I really enjoy it! It had me thinking about Fringe, which I also liked quite a lot, and I think it's the presence of (not too convoluted) time/dimension jumping that's really cool. I feel the same way about GURPS Infinite Worlds, for instance. ^ ^ ^ Isn't King of Sartar a game supplement for Glorantha? Unless I'm just missing the joke. I know I'm a bit late to this party but Spaceling by Doris Piserchia is about an interdimensional conspiracy. It's a bit dated (it's still got that 70s worry about overpopulation as a background element) but it really grabbed my attention as a kid, was one of my favorite books. Surprised no one recommended the Laundry series by Charles Stross has some similar themes to Fringe though less dimensional jumping. Also the Travis Chase books by Patrick Lee, starting with The Breach. Those latter are pretty schlocky thrillers but they at least make use of their mysterious artifacts for story purposes and there is at least one Fringe-like plotline in the second book. I read all three despite them being kind of eyerollable power fantasy in places.
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Dec 24, 2018 23:38
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:The only litrpg that's worth a drat is the caverns and creatures series Caverns and Creatures is a cute idea brought low by the fact that every protagonist is a massively unfunny rear end in a top hat who probably deserves to be trapped in a D&D dimension tortured by an insane wizard god.
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Dec 24, 2018 23:54
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ToxicFrog posted:Caverns and Creatures is a cute idea brought low by the fact that every protagonist is a massively unfunny rear end in a top hat who probably deserves to be trapped in a D&D dimension tortured by an insane wizard god. That's...why we like it? If you want the cute idea, go back 20 years and read Guardians of the Flame by Joel Rosenberg.
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Dec 25, 2018 00:07
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I'm currently reading three books and I'm gonna tell you folks about 'em, because it's Christmas Eve and I feel like sharing: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews. I don't usually read urban fantasy, but I met a friend who reads nothing but this genre (or paranormal romance) and she swore to me that this was an actually good book, and one of the best places to start in the genre. I'm about halfway through, and y'know? She's right! It's a murder mystery mixed with interesting world-building. The concept is, magic came back and it comes back in waves, so one hour your car and lights could be working, and the next they'd just out and out die. Hope you have magical lights! The world is coping with this, and our sassy heroine is a mercenary who has a magic sword and a leather jacket. So. Her guardian dies, and she gets into investigating, and it looks like whatever killed him is also killing the local were-critters, and I'm enjoying it! Not high lit, but genuine fun! Cyberstealth by SN Lewitt: Top Gun + sci-fi war + there's a spy among us!! + cyberpunk interfacing with the stealthplanes to fly 'em + the main character is one of the Romani. This is one of those wild books you can only really get in sci-fi - it's short, 220~ pages, but it's dense with solid character drama and an intriguing plot. One of the flying sequences was one of the best sequences I've read in a book, full of wonder and exhilaration. Queen of Angels by Greg Bear: I respect the author, he's way more educated than I am. The semi-stream of consciousness style with very few commas is really neat to read. The premise is another murder-mystery, but again the world-building really makes this shine. I've talked about this book before in this thread, so I'll keep this short. Suffice it to say that I really, really love this book. The concept of sending a probe to explore planets - with a setup so it literally grows its own AI computer when it arrives at its destination is really cool sci-fi.
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Dec 25, 2018 00:19
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occamsnailfile posted:^ ^ ^ Isn't King of Sartar a game supplement for Glorantha? Unless I'm just missing the joke. It's all setting stuff, presented as in world scholarship,with no game rules, so vaguely in the same kind of place as Dictionary of the Khazars.
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Dec 25, 2018 00:21
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What resonates about Gibson isn't the technological predictions (which are just things that existed in the 80's but with goofy sci-fi names and plugged directly into your brain) but the social ones. It's not important how many megabytes a computer has or whether it's surgically inserted into your brain or carried in your pocket but the attitudes of global alienation and dehumanization. Even if we accept the idea that technological progress can be measured and compared, the results of 50 years of semiconductor development (automation of previously labor-intensive information tasks like payroll processing, inventory management, and calculation, solar panels, LEDs...) doesn't seem that much greater than the effects of industrial automation, steam power, electrification, or artificial nitrogen synthesis. But as a society we've accepted that technological progress is a line on a graph and it's going up, UP, UP!, and Gibson captured how that makes people feel.
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Dec 25, 2018 00:30
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Thranguy posted:It's all setting stuff, presented as in world scholarship,with no game rules, so vaguely in the same kind of place as Dictionary of the Khazars. Yeah, it definitely doesn't fall into the same bin as litrpg. Litrpg is novelized MMO sessions down to the xp gain being enumerated. King of Sartar, well, is definitely not that. Dictionary of the Khazars is an apt comparison.
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Dec 25, 2018 00:42
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andrew smash posted:Yeah, it definitely doesn't fall into the same bin as litrpg. Litrpg is novelized MMO sessions down to the xp gain being enumerated. King of Sartar, well, is definitely not that. Dictionary of the Khazars is an apt comparison. To be fair, not all LitRPG enumerates every single EXP gain, though it's a pretty common trope. If you really want to encapsulate LitRPG in an idea, it's that the heroes shortcut the process of learning and practicing skills through game or gamelike elements.
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Dec 25, 2018 01:56
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Victorkm posted:That's...why we like it? Idk, I just don't really find books about a bunch of people I hate being dicks to each other forever to be fun? It's like, ok, sometimes they get the upper hand, sometimes the GM does, but in either case the winner is someone I hate. For me to enjoy a book I generally want at least one or two main characters who I don't feel nothing but loathing and disgust for. There are parts of those books I enjoyed, but I stopped reading once I realized I would find any conclusion unsatisfying because it would still be these assholes reaching it.
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Dec 25, 2018 02:21
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I mean, at least Julian is pretty cool, right?
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Dec 25, 2018 02:23
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Victorkm posted:To be fair, not all LitRPG enumerates every single EXP gain, though it's a pretty common trope. Shut the gently caress up nerd (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST) (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Dec 25, 2018 03:05
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Yea, Julian is kinda the everyman character who has no real idea what's going on. The rest of em (cept partially Dave) are asshats. Dave... Dave is less of an rear end in a top hat than Tim or Cooper but he's still not exactly a good guy. That's why I love the series though. Batshit insanity, jokes about Dave's mom, and seeing how many different ways Julian can kill a horse.
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Dec 25, 2018 05:16
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Speaking of Caverns and Creatures, the first four books are on sale for $0.99 for the 2 hours. https://www.amazon.com/Caverns-Creatures-Books-Robert-Bevan-ebook/dp/B01BK7D738
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Dec 25, 2018 06:04
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Captain Monkey posted:Speaking of Caverns and Creatures, the first four books are on sale for $0.99 for the 2 hours. To not be completely negative, this StrixNebulosa posted:Queen of Angels by Greg Bear: I respect the author, he's way more educated than I am. The semi-stream of consciousness style with very few commas is really neat to read. The premise is another murder-mystery, but again the world-building really makes this shine. I've talked about this book before in this thread, so I'll keep this short. Suffice it to say that I really, really love this book. The concept of sending a probe to explore planets - with a setup so it literally grows its own AI computer when it arrives at its destination is really cool sci-fi.
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Dec 25, 2018 19:42
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anilEhilated posted:is a very solid recommendation; Queen of Angels is awesome. Yessss. I haven't finished it yet, but between how good it is and how good Heads was, I went ahead and ordered Eon. This is what I'm looking for in my hard sci-fi - lots and lots of cool ideas and a semi-plausible future with excellent writing.
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Dec 25, 2018 19:58
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Eon is pretty straightforward but I still loved the book. I ended up rereading it a number of times because the ideas behind it are cool.
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Dec 25, 2018 20:25
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Pleasantly surprised by Stevereads' Best of SFF list this year:
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Dec 27, 2018 15:22
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I love Glen Cook too much but Port has to be on there on the back of being so weird.
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Dec 27, 2018 15:35
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Solitair posted:Pleasantly surprised by Stevereads' Best of SFF list this year: I've been so enmeshed in feminist sci-fi lately that I have to wonder: why are there so few women on that list?
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Dec 27, 2018 15:40
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StrixNebulosa posted:I've been so enmeshed in feminist sci-fi lately that I have to wonder: why are there so few women on that list? Slightly higher mean, slightly lower standard deviation.
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Dec 27, 2018 16:22
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What book series should I read next? YH Lee’s Machineries of Empire J McDevitt’s Alex Benedict stories N Asher’s Polity series A Reynold’s Revelation Space There’s also The Expanse but I know that would win any poll here
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Dec 27, 2018 16:50
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pmchem posted:There’s also The Expanse but I know that would win any poll here But it's bad, why would you want to read it? You should read Ninefox Gambit.
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Dec 27, 2018 17:12
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pmchem posted:What book series should I read next? All of those are worth reading but my personal order (descending) would be Lee, Asher, McDevitt, Reynolds. More body horror in Asher and Reynolds.
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Dec 27, 2018 17:35
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StrixNebulosa posted:But it's bad, why would you want to read it? Or not. It is not really that amazing that goons pretend it to be. Reynolds is probably first priority since Revelation space is a classic by now. Asher if you want something Bankslike without the subtlety.
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Dec 27, 2018 18:05
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pmchem posted:What book series should I read next? I've read all of those except McDevitt and I'd rank them Reynolds, Lee then Asher. Machineries of Empire is a very close second to Revelation Space so you can't go wrong with either imo. Asher is okay but it's more like airport level sci fi. If you're set on reading Asher for some reason then the Spatterjay trilogy is way better than the Polity. Edit - I should clarify that I'm pretty sure The Spatterjay trilogy takes place in the polity universe. I'd recommend it over the Agent Cormac series is what I meant to say. johnsonrod fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Dec 27, 2018 |
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Dec 27, 2018 18:08
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Solitair posted:Pleasantly surprised by Stevereads' Best of SFF list this year: e: Oh, yeah, Blackfish City is pretty fun even if nothing groundbreaking.
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Dec 27, 2018 18:18
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Foundryside was very bland YA.
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Dec 27, 2018 18:34
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Cardiac posted:Or not. Ninefox Gambit gets recced because it's interesting - the world-building, the characters, the entire thing with Jedao - it's interesting, unusual, and worth reading. The plot itself isn't the best, as it's a flawed book, but I figure it's different enough to reliably rec. Unlike, say, The Expanse which doesn't have enough to justify itself as interesting sci-fi, imo.
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Dec 27, 2018 19:24
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anilEhilated posted:Overpriced. This is correct. Waste of a dollar.
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Dec 27, 2018 22:13
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anilEhilated posted:Gnomon is the best SF that came out this year, haven't read the second Baru or the KSR yet, rest sounds pretty meh. When I said pleasantly surprised, it was mostly because of Baru, Blackish, Gnomon and that Vorrh sequel. Are those Sylvain Teuvel books any good?
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Dec 27, 2018 23:16
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Solitair posted:When I said pleasantly surprised, it was mostly because of Baru, Blackish, Gnomon and that Vorrh sequel. Are those Sylvain Teuvel books any good? It’s presence on a list of good books makes the entire list suspect.
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Dec 27, 2018 23:20
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pseudorandom name posted:It’s presence on a list of good books makes the entire list suspect.
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Dec 27, 2018 23:24
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Read man in the high castle and then startrd watching the show. The inconclusive ending to the book was annoying but, albeit this is based on the first two episodes, it seems like the show is just way dumber than the book
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Dec 28, 2018 03:46
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StashAugustine posted:Read man in the high castle and then startrd watching the show. The inconclusive ending to the book was annoying but, albeit this is based on the first two episodes, it seems like the show is just way dumber than the book The book and the show barely have anything in common, so it's best to put the book out of mind if you want to watch the show.
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Dec 28, 2018 05:52
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crazy to think about the concept of a world where the nazis won.. can you imagine?
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Dec 28, 2018 07:15
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A human heart posted:crazy to think about the concept of a world where the nazis won.. can you imagine?
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Dec 28, 2018 09:59
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Finished up The Gone World and yep, that's a mind fucker alright. Good book though, just damned weird.
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Dec 28, 2018 11:26
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