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OneTwentySix posted:I'd rather see a third book, hopefully from Myfanwy's point of view again, because The Rook was completely amazing. Not really expecting much from this series, but could always be surprised I guess. I'd also like to stick with Myfanwy - while I liked Felicity/Odette as characters I missed Myfanwy's consistent point of view- but I hope in the case of a third book the audiobook producer/director looks up how she pronounces her name. Unless of course I missed somewhere that she decided to use the correct pronunciation to break from Thomas...
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Mar 15, 2019 17:13
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cell posted:I'd also like to stick with Myfanwy - while I liked Felicity/Odette as characters I missed Myfanwy's consistent point of view- but I hope in the case of a third book the audiobook producer/director looks up how she pronounces her name. Unless of course I missed somewhere that she decided to use the correct pronunciation to break from Thomas... I'm pretty sure there is a section in The Rook specifically about that.
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Mar 15, 2019 17:28
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biracial bear for uncut posted:I'm pretty sure there is a section in The Rook specifically about that. There is. Do you know the name of the body you are in? It’s Myfanwy. Myfanwy Alice Thomas. I would say that it’s my name, but you’ve got the body now, so I suppose you’ll be using it. People tend to mangle its pronunciation, but I would like it if you at least knew how to say it. I don’t embrace the traditional Welsh pronunciation, so for me the w is silent and the f is hard. Thus, Miff-un-ee. Simple. In fact, now that I think about it, it rhymes with Tiffany.
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Mar 16, 2019 00:29
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So I've been trying to read more urban fantasy lately (since it's the genre I write in), and have just finished the first two Alex Verus books. Unfortunately, I wasn't particularly impressed with the writing (or how the author handled their female characters, particularly in book 2). I suppose I'm asking if the books get significantly better and/or whether they're worth continuing? For comparison, I've quite liked the Peter Grant, Faust, and October Daye books, but didn't really like the first Laundry Files book. I'm a big fan of the Craft Sequence too, but I'm not sure if everyone would consider that urban fantasy. Dresden's okay I guess. Happy to take suggestions for any other good UF series if anyone has them too.
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Mar 17, 2019 06:09
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Verus ends up having a glut of female characters that are, for the most part, well-handled. It's one of those series that gets better as the cast expands. I like it more for the voice and characters/interaction than I do the prose itself, but I'm never confused when I'm getting into Verus, which is of note for a series with a fair amount of action scenes and a lot going on. Series hits its stride in 3/4, imho. Two probably would have been better without Meredith.
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Mar 17, 2019 06:23
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Daphnaie posted:So I've been trying to read more urban fantasy lately (since it's the genre I write in), and have just finished the first two Alex Verus books. Unfortunately, I wasn't particularly impressed with the writing (or how the author handled their female characters, particularly in book 2). I suppose I'm asking if the books get significantly better and/or whether they're worth continuing? Go read the michelle sagara books, first is Cast in Shadow. They're Police Procedurals mashed up with Fantasy City Slice of Life mashed up with Mystery, so they're a very different take on the usual Urban Fantasy stuff. If you aren't bothered by romance in your books, you can also give Illona Andrews a try. They're wildly popular as an author, but I guess I'd suggest starting with their kate daniels stuff for the most clearly UF. (The later books were romantic times bestsellers for UF books, really) They're particularly worth looking into if writing is more on the career side than the hobby side for you, and their blog has some insight into their process on the 'sell the book' side.
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Mar 17, 2019 07:07
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Anias posted:Go read the michelle sagara books, first is Cast in Shadow. They're Police Procedurals mashed up with Fantasy City Slice of Life mashed up with Mystery, so they're a very different take on the usual Urban Fantasy stuff. If you aren't bothered by romance in your books, you can also give Illona Andrews a try. They're wildly popular as an author, but I guess I'd suggest starting with their kate daniels stuff for the most clearly UF. (The later books were romantic times bestsellers for UF books, really) They're particularly worth looking into if writing is more on the career side than the hobby side for you, and their blog has some insight into their process on the 'sell the book' side. Kate Daniels as a series is really fun UF. It's about a lady in post-Apocalyptic Atlanta who fights monsters for a living. I've read the first three and while there are some romantic overtones, it's so much of a slowburn that they're not a couple yet. Instead it's been focused on "who killed this dude" or "why is this girl being chased by tentacle demons" or other fun plots.
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Mar 17, 2019 12:04
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StrixNebulosa posted:Kate Daniels as a series is really fun UF. It's about a lady in post-Apocalyptic Atlanta who fights monsters for a living. I've read the first three and while there are some romantic overtones, it's so much of a slowburn that they're not a couple yet. Instead it's been focused on "who killed this dude" or "why is this girl being chased by tentacle demons" or other fun plots. Yeah, I like the Kate Daniels series. Other ones with kick-rear end heroines are the October Daye and Mercy Thompson series.
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Mar 17, 2019 13:51
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One series I really enjoyed and don't see mentioned here is Delphic Division by Paul Crilley. It's just two books so far and the second one is slightly worse (mostly on account of changing the setting from Durban to, you guessed it, London), but it's all good - although somewhat dark - UF fun. Also features a talking dog who is actually fairly likeable so it could be a pretty good antidote for, say, Hearne.
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Mar 17, 2019 14:42
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I enjoyed Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson, and would recommend either, even if both feel like they skew slightly more toward a paranormal romance than UF at times. I don't say this intending slight- I read paranormal romances from time to time. I would also recommend Sandman Slim with the caveat that you've got to go into it eyes open, knowing that it's a little rough and over the top. When I saw people talking about it, describing it, I wrote it off because it seemed like the world's dumbest power fantasy. But it's not. When I finally gave the series a shot, it won me over, warts and all. His interactions with Lucifer and the book's depictions of him are fantastic. The way he riffs about LA is always funny. And honestly? I think the author does a better job depicting Jimmy's PTSD than Butcher does with Harry's. I know it's a small thing, but there was a scene in the last Sandman that earned it some brownie points with me. One of the central cast was revealed to be gay, and in a relationship. There's no hint of playing it for laughs, or Jimmy being shocked. And then they have a short conversation about why the character finds it easier to act straight and let people assume. Jimmy tells him ( Carlos ) that he'd have his back. Carlos says he knows, but that Jimmy can't always be there. And then he asks that Jimmy drop the subject, and Jimmy does. Standing ovation.
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Mar 17, 2019 14:56
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Daphnaie posted:So I've been trying to read more urban fantasy lately (since it's the genre I write in), and have just finished the first two Alex Verus books. Unfortunately, I wasn't particularly impressed with the writing (or how the author handled their female characters, particularly in book 2). I suppose I'm asking if the books get significantly better and/or whether they're worth continuing? I read the Alex verus book 1 in one day. Book 2 in two days. They are pulpy and while the women writing didn’t bug me I can see your point. Kate Daniels might be up your alley. How are you with some old paranormal romance tropes? They play heavily at the start (or well,not as bad as bitten but the gripes are there). Downside ghosts by Stacia Kane is about a witch with a coke habit. It’s gritty and the character is well established on who she is by book one. The series is unfinished though Try dead witch walking. I can’t remember if they do the damsel in distress but it was interesting.
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Mar 18, 2019 03:05
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StrixNebulosa posted:Kate Daniels as a series is really fun UF. It's about a lady in post-Apocalyptic Atlanta who fights monsters for a living. I've read the first three and while there are some romantic overtones, it's so much of a slowburn that they're not a couple yet. Instead it's been focused on "who killed this dude" or "why is this girl being chased by tentacle demons" or other fun plots. I read a bit of this series after seeing it get hyped on the forums here I found that as the series progresses it moves way too hard into the "mate of the millionaire alpha pack leader" bullshit. After a few books in the badass mercenary monster hunter has been relegated to being repeatedly saved by her millionaire super-alpha werebeast boyfriend every time serious poo poo goes down. I've generally got a pretty high tolerance for lovely genre fiction, but this got bad enough that I returned the entire series on kindle, and I almost never do that.
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Mar 18, 2019 07:22
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biracial bear for uncut posted:I'm pretty sure there is a section in The Rook specifically about that. ulmont posted:There is. Yeah, that's what I mean - in the audiobook for The Rook it's pronounced as Thomas describes throughout it but in Stiletto both the narration and Myfanwy herself use the Welsh pronunciation. I just want a little consistency!
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Mar 18, 2019 09:43
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Oh, one more fun series I keep forgetting about - the Joe Pitt Casebooks. Admittedly, it's about vampire gangsters, but most of the focus is on noir-style mystery and they're real page-turners. Another plus, it's actually finished.
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Mar 18, 2019 10:26
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anilEhilated posted:Oh, one more fun series I keep forgetting about - the Joe Pitt Casebooks. Admittedly, it's about vampire gangsters, but most of the focus is on noir-style mystery and they're real page-turners. Seconded.
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Mar 18, 2019 11:59
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anilEhilated posted:Oh, one more fun series I keep forgetting about - the Joe Pitt Casebooks. Admittedly, it's about vampire gangsters, but most of the focus is on noir-style mystery and they're real page-turners. This is funny coming from me, a person who paid full price for Murderbot novellas, but they are very short books and all of them are priced at $11.99 for the kindle versions. I bought the first book, and while OK I personally didn't think it was worth the $48 to buy the others.
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Mar 18, 2019 12:06
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cell posted:Yeah, that's what I mean - in the audiobook for The Rook it's pronounced as Thomas describes throughout it but in Stiletto both the narration and Myfanwy herself use the Welsh pronunciation. I just want a little consistency! Hang on, isn't that a plot point? She runs into her long lost sister who calls her by the Welsh version, and as the "new" Myfanwy she starts thinking of herself and using the Welsh version to distinguish her new self from her old erased version.
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Mar 19, 2019 05:00
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I thought that was Myfanwy vs. Thomas.
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Mar 19, 2019 05:19
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Miffany is just really fun to say.
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Mar 19, 2019 09:11
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jng2058 posted:Hang on, isn't that a plot point? She runs into her long lost sister who calls her by the Welsh version, and as the "new" Myfanwy she starts thinking of herself and using the Welsh version to distinguish her new self from her old erased version. I suppose the problem might be in the first Audiobook rather than the second - when her sister shows up Katy Carmicael continues to read the name as 'Miffany' in all situations. However, Myfanwy distinguishes herself from her old personality by calling the old her Thomas and herself Myfanwy, I don't think it's ever explicitly said that she adopts the Welsh pronunciation at any point. Shantay also never comments one way or the other, and she's the only one (apart from the Grafters) in the first book who knows about the sister making contact.
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Mar 19, 2019 20:38
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As a Welshman, I nearly put the book away when I read "sounds like Tiffany".
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Mar 19, 2019 22:43
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I know Welsh is sometimes kind of impossible for this, but can you write out phonetically how it should be pronounced? I'm imagining maybe a dropped syllable like Mifnee or MYfneh
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Mar 19, 2019 22:46
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Muh-van-oo-ee is probably the closest, with the "oo-ee" being one syllable.
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Mar 19, 2019 23:20
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Junkenstein posted:Muh-van-oo-ee is probably the closest, with the "oo-ee" being one syllable. How close is this video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s885Ek2T85M&t=24s
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Mar 20, 2019 01:14
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cell posted:I'd also like to stick with Myfanwy - while I liked Felicity/Odette as characters I missed Myfanwy's consistent point of view- I liked Stiletto all right up until the ending, which was horrible. Like, holy poo poo I have never seen a story bail on its central conflict so completely. Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Mar 20, 2019 |
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Mar 20, 2019 05:08
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Junkenstein posted:Muh-van-oo-ee is probably the closest, with the "oo-ee" being one syllable. To be fair, I googled it to find out what the hell and it looks like a lot of people use various pronunciations and Miffany is one of them. Might just be an ease of use thing when they're primarily associating with non-Welshmen.
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Mar 21, 2019 02:18
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Daphnaie posted:So I've been trying to read more urban fantasy lately (since it's the genre I write in), and have just finished the first two Alex Verus books. Unfortunately, I wasn't particularly impressed with the writing (or how the author handled their female characters, particularly in book 2). I suppose I'm asking if the books get significantly better and/or whether they're worth continuing? I made it three books in on Verus and stopped for the same reasons you did. If anything, I felt like the handling of female characters was getting worse. An older series that I'd consider to be foundational is Garrett P.I. Starts with Sweet Silver Blues which is more adventurey, but it quickly settles down into noirish urban fantasy. Author is Glen Cook. The Nightside series by Simon R. Green is good. He also has a more fantasy, and older, series about Hawk and Fisher in Haven. First book is titled "Hawk & Fisher" but you can usually find the series gathered up in one or two omnibus books at this point. Threads been talking a lot about the Rook lately, so you're probably already aware of it but its unique enough to be worth mentioning anyways. The Magicians by Lev Grossman has different story beats from most UF, but if you can handle a high degree of darkness may be worth a look. I'm going to throw three more kinda iffy suggestions out too: My House of Horrors is a webserial that's pretty good despite glaring translation issues and edging into urban horror. Pact by Wildbow (of Worm fame) is another web serial. It tries some different stuff and his karma and magic concepts are worth a look even though its not as strong as his first web serial. I personally detest Sookie Stackhouse enough that I feel bad lumping it in with the other two suggestions here but my wife loves it and it was popular enough to get a TV series (True Blood). LLSix fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Mar 22, 2019 |
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Mar 22, 2019 17:38
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I enjoyed Pact a whole lot but it's not really as well received as Worm was, which I think caused him to truncate it a lot. Still worth the ride imo, but the ending is a little unfulfilling.
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Mar 22, 2019 17:59
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To each their own and all, but how can someone criticize Verus for its treatment of women characters and then offer up Nightside as an alternative?
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Mar 22, 2019 18:30
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Ornamented Death posted:To each their own and all, but how can someone criticize Verus for its treatment of women characters and then offer up Nightside as an alternative? Or The Magicians?
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Mar 22, 2019 18:39
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I understand the criticism of the female characters in Verus due to the first two books being what they were, but most of the faults and quirks of their characters also appear in the male side of the cast. Anne made me go "eh" a few times in the later books. As for the Sookie Stackhouse series, I read the first one. It was... fine? It wasn't great, wasn't bad. It read like a more adult and self-aware Twilight. I can't remember much of anything about it, except the last paragraph or two.
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Mar 23, 2019 15:39
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I really liked the parts in several differnt books where there's a culture clash, like when in Iron Druid his old druid master gets revived. Are there any urban fantasy books where the main character discovers our modern world for the first time ? Most interesting would probably a female viewpoint. Which gets me thinking, I often feel many books start in the middle of the story, with the character already well established in his world instead of discovering all the weirdness along with us. And then lots of backstory gets told over many books, and eventually prequels migth be added. Why is that so often the case ?
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Mar 23, 2019 17:57
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Because the alternative is portal fantasy with a lot of infodumps, see: mostly everything by Gaiman.
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Mar 24, 2019 15:23
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Laundry Files got picked up for a potential series. https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1109882891897589760
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Mar 24, 2019 22:47
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MonikaTSarn posted:I really liked the parts in several differnt books where there's a culture clash, like when in Iron Druid his old druid master gets revived. Are there any urban fantasy books where the main character discovers our modern world for the first time ? Most interesting would probably a female viewpoint. Origin stories are often super lame without context of the character as they turn out to be. I only care about teenage harry dresden because I care about adult harry dresden and finding out how he started is now interesting. A story about how the dame walked into the office and I knew right away that she was trouble because I'm the only wizard in the phonebook isn't a story about teenage apprentices to an evil wizard who obviously fall in love and dooooooom aaaaaaaangst doooooooooom. I doubt I would have finished the latter story as written by Jim Butcher as a new author. In fact, I'm sure I wouldn't have.
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Mar 25, 2019 23:42
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MonikaTSarn posted:I really liked the parts in several differnt books where there's a culture clash, like when in Iron Druid his old druid master gets revived. Are there any urban fantasy books where the main character discovers our modern world for the first time ? Most interesting would probably a female viewpoint. Backstory remains in the back, barely visible, until it becomes relevant.
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Mar 26, 2019 00:21
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Rivers of London wouldn't be half as interesting if it had started with Nightingale's story, as opposed to however we're getting it now, supposedly.
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Mar 26, 2019 01:32
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I'm about 2 hours off the end of the most recent verus book - it's definitely improved in the last couple of books but I'm sort of thrown off by just how loving cruel the author is to Anne.
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Mar 26, 2019 08:19
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biracial bear for uncut posted:Rivers of London wouldn't be half as interesting if it had started with Nightingale's story, as opposed to however we're getting it now, supposedly. I feel like Nightingale in Wizard Boarding School would have to be at least as interesting as Peter loving Grant.
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Mar 26, 2019 09:09
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biracial bear for uncut posted:Rivers of London wouldn't be half as interesting if it had started with Nightingale's story, as opposed to however we're getting it now, supposedly. Are you kidding me? "Nightingale and the I Armored Corps": I'd read the poo poo out of that.
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Mar 26, 2019 14:00
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