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Exmond posted:I'm at work, so I can't phrase this better. The Black Jewel series is great, but can be "problematic". I doubt it would get published today. Problematic is a useful word, and that sums up my feelings about it and Written in Red too. I'll keep reading both books because I'm curious about where they go, but yeah. Yeah.
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Nov 19, 2019 00:48
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Exmond posted:I'm at work, so I can't phrase this better. The Black Jewel series is great, but can be "problematic". I doubt it would get published today. “Problematic” is the perfect word for it.
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Nov 19, 2019 03:01
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Page 64 of Circus of the Damned, third book in the Anita Blake series: while Anita finishes fighting a giant snake with the aid of a bunch of vampires and werewolves, she takes the time to confirm that yes, werewolves in this universe have dicks, unlike movie werewolves. Good to know.
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Nov 19, 2019 04:20
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StrixNebulosa posted:Page 64 of Circus of the Damned, third book in the Anita Blake series: while Anita finishes fighting a giant snake with the aid of a bunch of vampires and werewolves, she takes the time to confirm that yes, werewolves in this universe have dicks, unlike movie werewolves. Good to know. Anita hasn't seen the right movies. We all know that wolfman's got nards.
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Nov 19, 2019 13:25
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StrixNebulosa posted:Page 64 of Circus of the Damned, third book in the Anita Blake series: while Anita finishes fighting a giant snake with the aid of a bunch of vampires and werewolves, she takes the time to confirm that yes, werewolves in this universe have dicks, unlike movie werewolves. Good to know. Well, you couldn't really include them in your all-male sex-power harem if they didn't have dicks, could you?
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Nov 19, 2019 15:00
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DreamingofRoses posted:I used to love Redwall a lot, but I eventually got tired of the way it handled weasels/ferrets/stoats/rats Yeah, if you like rats, you're more likely to burn Redwall-books then read them.
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Nov 19, 2019 20:02
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Libluini posted:Yeah, if you like rats, you're more likely to burn Redwall-books then read them. It didn't help that they were just the same story over and over and got tired pretty quickly.
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Nov 19, 2019 20:36
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Well, you know, they were written for children...
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Nov 19, 2019 20:39
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Daric posted:Well, you know, they were written for children... Yeah, I know, that's when I read them and got bored by their sameyness.
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Nov 19, 2019 20:43
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Daric posted:Well, you know, they were written for children... That's no excuse! There's lots of good YA that doesn't do paint by the numbers plots, and middle-grade too.
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Nov 19, 2019 20:44
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StrixNebulosa posted:That's no excuse! There's lots of good YA that doesn't do paint by the numbers plots, and middle-grade too. Pretty much. I agree one hundred percent. Just because it's for kid's doesn't mean it has to be subpar.
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Nov 19, 2019 20:47
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There's a vast difference between Young Adult and Children. Redwall was written for the latter and the first book came out in 1986, which up until that point, there wasn't a whole lot in the genre aimed at children. Anyone can go back now and say "oh they're very samey" which no poo poo, that's on purpose because it helps the children comprehend. You could take any children's book and claim the plot isn't complicated enough, you're an adult, not the target audience.
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Nov 19, 2019 21:17
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Daric posted:Well, you know, they were written for children... That's even more horrifying! Teaching children to hate certain animals... I know imagine some grown-up later biting the head off a rat and, while chewing, saying "I read Redwall-books as a kid" the horror, the horror
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Nov 19, 2019 21:21
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Daric posted:There's a vast difference between Young Adult and Children. Redwall was written for the latter and the first book came out in 1986, which up until that point, there wasn't a whole lot in the genre aimed at children. Anyone can go back now and say "oh they're very samey" which no poo poo, that's on purpose because it helps the children comprehend. You could take any children's book and claim the plot isn't complicated enough, you're an adult, not the target audience. I don't understand the point you're trying to make.
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Nov 19, 2019 21:51
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The point I'm trying to make is that you are not a child, presumably, and judging a book from an adult's perspective it's obvious you'll find them a waste of time. But for a child at the time they came out, they were a great introduction into long-form novels and the hero's journey. Now, obviously, most people would give their children Harry Potter, but as a kid growing up in the early 90's, Redwall was what got me into reading. And they still have the best descriptions of food in any fantasy story.
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Nov 19, 2019 21:59
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Daric posted:There's a vast difference between Young Adult and Children. Redwall was written for the latter and the first book came out in 1986, which up until that point, there wasn't a whole lot in the genre aimed at children. Anyone can go back now and say "oh they're very samey" which no poo poo, that's on purpose because it helps the children comprehend. You could take any children's book and claim the plot isn't complicated enough, you're an adult, not the target audience. I'm glad you completely missed post that I read them a child and thought they were samey THEN. It's why I stopped reading them, in fact! Like there was other issues but it didn't stop me from reading until I got to like the fifth book and realized I had just read the same book like four times. Like seriously, I was eight. Writing the same exact plot over and over doesn't make children comprehend. It's being lazy. They're not toddlers. The Animorphs are for children too with a billion entries and it doesn't repeat nearly as much. EDIT: And really, I can understand emphasizing plot points in an individual story or giving a complete introduction to the series's plot every book, that's different and what I think you think we're talking about, but there's a difference between 'uncomplicated' and 'if you read one you've read them all'. Kchama fucked around with this message at 22:05 on Nov 19, 2019 |
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Nov 19, 2019 22:01
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Daric posted:The point I'm trying to make is that you are not a child, presumably, and judging a book from an adult's perspective it's obvious you'll find them a waste of time. But for a child at the time they came out, they were a great introduction into long-form novels and the hero's journey. Now, obviously, most people would give their children Harry Potter, but as a kid growing up in the early 90's, Redwall was what got me into reading. .... I said Middlegrade. What do you think that is Also come the gently caress on, Redwall isn't a series written for toddlers, it's written for children and they can absolutely get bored of a story that gets told the same way all the time.
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Nov 19, 2019 22:04
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StrixNebulosa posted:.... I mentioned the Animorphs as a good series for children and it's pretty amazing how it actually isn't the same story book after book and can tell coherent non-repeating arcs and actually have consequences and hosed up poo poo happening!
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Nov 19, 2019 22:09
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We’ve gone pretty far off-topic here so I’ll just say we’re going to have to agree to disagree. I enjoyed Redwall for what it was, which was a series that provided comfortable low-stakes stories that acted as a gateway into me reading more long-form novels. You can say that they’re samey, and that’s fair, but I believe that was part of the point. You could pick up a Redwall novel and know exactly what you were getting beforehand. Now to get back on topic: I’m halfway through my reread of Skin Game and i don’t know if I read this in a drunken haze or what but I remember almost nothing so far. I totally forgot it was a heist book. I should be done in a couple of days and then it’s back to waiting for Peace Talks.
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Nov 19, 2019 22:20
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Daric posted:We’ve gone pretty far off-topic here so I’ll just say we’re going to have to agree to disagree. I enjoyed Redwall for what it was, which was a series that provided comfortable low-stakes stories that acted as a gateway into me reading more long-form novels. You can say that they’re samey, and that’s fair, but I believe that was part of the point. You could pick up a Redwall novel and know exactly what you were getting beforehand. You're not even disagreeing that they're all the same, you were just arguing that children books should be samey and bad for some reason. So no wonder we disagree. I'm probably never going to reach Skin Games.
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Nov 19, 2019 22:23
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This discussion made me remember some of the (very short, very simple) children's books I've read in my childhood that were astonishingly gruesome. But they were equal-opportunity gruesome, as for every animal harmed, there was a child getting eaten. Or had some of its limbs chopped off Is it weird to feel nostalgic for some ancient 19th century crap that your parents had randomly lying around the house? Edit: To be a bit more topical, non of those very simple stories repeated themselves, as far as I can remember poo poo I read nearly 30 years ago.
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Nov 19, 2019 22:24
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Daric posted:Well, you know, they were written for children... Like Kchama notes, just because it's for kids doesn't mean it has to suck. The Harry Potter books were for kids, as were Susan Cooper's books. Neither of those series sucked or sunk into boring sameness. Skin Game wasn't one of my favorites of Dresden, but I did appreciate the bit about how Cerberus is actually "Spot." That was fun.
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Nov 20, 2019 00:24
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Written in Red: who wants to watch the alpha werewolf kill and eat some dudes on-screen? He also gets super-angry at the heroine because she doesn't smell like prey. I'm actually enjoying how he's not being portrayed at hot at all - our heroine basically instantly decides that she needs this job and she's going to learn it ASAP so she can never interact with her boss again, because he scares her.
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Nov 20, 2019 00:30
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StrixNebulosa posted:World of the Lupi: The cover says paranormal romance, the writing says urban fantasy, it winds up being an interesting fusion of the two genres. Lily Yu is a cop, Rule is a werewolf prince, she instantly gets horny when she spots him and goes "what the gently caress" and tries to stick to solving the werewolf murder she's assigned to. The book spends a lot of time world-building and working on their relationship as they solve the murder, and when Rule reveals that they've been blessed with a magical soulbond, Lily's first reaction is "hell no" and I love how the writing basically dissects the concept as they grow to at least like each other. The plot is kind of standard - murder, evil people kidnapping Rule's friend, blah blah - but the execution was a lot of fun and grandma weretiger made me perk up. Also Lily's cat named Dirty Harry? He totally cockblocked Rule at least once, and it was great. So this caught my eye and as I'm hip deep in the semester, slogging through my never-ending pile of non-fiction, I thought "Why not? The library has basically the whole series available through the Libby app, let's load this sucker up and have a laugh." I'm currently on Book 8. This stuff is delightful, binge-read junk food. It is pretty well written, with engaging characters, and a surprisingly well plotted through-line for the series as a whole. The interesting thing about the whole "soul bond" angle is what it creates physical desire, but not love or trust - that's on the couple. So it very quickly goes from hot sexy werewolf sex to a committed couple who are making a real effort to build and maintain a strong relationship, while trying to save the world from an Ancient Evil with the help of their ever-expanding circle of family and friends. Seriously, Rule's dad is the best character in the series, followed closely by Lily's Grandmother. Also, the first book came out in 2004, but as of book 8 (2011), only about 14 months have passed in-story - but the author kept up with tech trends. So it's been amusing tracking the evolution of the early aughts, as seen by UF. In the second book, Lily is taunted by a baddie with pictures burned to a CD-R. In the fifth, she gets an iPhone.
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Nov 20, 2019 18:34
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Fighting Trousers posted:So this caught my eye and as I'm hip deep in the semester, slogging through my never-ending pile of non-fiction, I thought "Why not? The library has basically the whole series available through the Libby app, let's load this sucker up and have a laugh."  I'm looking forward to reading more of it, whenever I finish my #1 parade. Do note that the series is one book away from being finished, so don't get yourself cockblocked at the very end.
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Nov 20, 2019 18:47
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Fighting Trousers posted:Also, the first book came out in 2004, but as of book 8 (2011), only about 14 months have passed in-story - but the author kept up with tech trends. So it's been amusing tracking the evolution of the early aughts, as seen by UF. In the second book, Lily is taunted by a baddie with pictures burned to a CD-R. In the fifth, she gets an iPhone. To be fair the only thing dating that is that it's a CD-R and not a DVD-R. Maybe I'll take a look into it. My own poo poo sucks so maybe I should read someone who does good stuff.
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Nov 20, 2019 20:51
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"This is Vladimir Sanguinati," i'm howling that's the least subtle vampire name you can pick
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Nov 21, 2019 00:26
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Kchama posted:To be fair the only thing dating that is that it's a CD-R and not a DVD-R. People still burn files to physical media? I can't remember the last time I did that. It's a pretty good series. My only real criticism would be that occasionally characters lapse out of their voices and into Exposition Mode, which gets kinda  .
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Nov 21, 2019 00:37
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Been reading the Soul Eater books after getting the first 3 for cheap. They're alright. Egyptian mythology, vaguely Noir-ish start. Characters are a little bland, but nothing really objectionable about them. Definitely short books, not a lot of side plots. Just straight threw the plot and action for the book and on to the next. Decent enough read, probably worth the $3-4 they cost.
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Nov 21, 2019 14:05
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Next Alex Verus first draft is almost done, expect publication next winter, title is almost certainly going to be Forged. http://benedictjacka.co.uk/2019/11/15/finish-line/
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Nov 21, 2019 15:26
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Paul Cornell has a series of urban fantasy novellas out, "witches of lychford." Fourth one hit earlier this week, they're not bad. Same guy who wrote London Falling, friend of Aaronovitch.
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Nov 21, 2019 15:43
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Paul Cornell has a series of urban fantasy novellas out, "witches of lychford." Fourth one hit earlier this week, they're not bad. Same guy who wrote London Falling, friend of Aaronovitch. I've already received Severed Streets and Who Killed Sherlock Holmes?. I'm expecting London Falling to arrive any day now and then I can finally start reading the series.
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Nov 21, 2019 16:14
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Paul Cornell has a series of urban fantasy novellas out, "witches of lychford." Fourth one hit earlier this week, they're not bad. Same guy who wrote London Falling, friend of Aaronovitch. It's a shame that Cornell's main series is DOA, however I am interested in more witches.
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Nov 22, 2019 07:18
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The first book of the Faust series is on sale on Audible. I just figured I'd mention since I grabbed it myself.
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Nov 24, 2019 15:59
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I feel obliged to point out that ending the latest Anno Dracula book on a cliffhanger was a massive dick move. Well played, Newman. I just hope the follow-up will be actual words and not a comic.
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Nov 26, 2019 17:04
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Written in Red by Anne Bishop, Others #1: I want to give this book a five stars on goodreads because it was a page-turner and tons of fun and I fell in love with the characters...but god, those problematic elements. I've been over the native american erasure, but I also need to give a massive heads up to anyone who might want to read this book: it features self-harm in graphic detail. Anyways, the good bits: magical girl escapes an evil lab, makes it to territory controls by supernatural critters, and proceeds to befriend all of them. All of them. It's well-written wish-fulfillment as she entices an entire gathering of cannibal predators to want to protect her, and by the end of the novel even the elementals kick up a storm when the lab sends people to kidnap her. What makes this book more than wish-fulfillment though is the excellent tinge of horror, the interesting interplay between the various predators, and - yes - the world-building. The concept of humans living side by side with terrifying predators is explored and it's fascinating. I will be reading the next book immediately because it's so much fun to read.
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Nov 27, 2019 20:58
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I finally finished my re-read of Alex Verus, and just wrapped up Fallen at 5am this morning. That book sure went places. Anyone got a link to where we talked about this? I want to see what others thought! Edit: Found it! On or around page 273-274 ConfusedUs fucked around with this message at 01:35 on Nov 28, 2019 |
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Nov 27, 2019 21:47
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Coming up on the end of Skin Game in my reread. Really glad I went the Audiobook route this time, Marsters doing all the voices really makes the characters come to life. I was worried at the beginning of this that Harry's stupidity and general lack of wokeness may sour my love for the books but I was wrong, I do still love these books. Yeah, they're a little heavy-handed in the beginning and Harry could stand to be less of a misogynist. And I never felt like Harry describing every woman character's breast size or fuckability was necessary but the other parts I enjoyed. I definitely want to see more of what becomes of this world. Now, how much are we betting that Murphy dies in Peace Talks and becomes a Valkyrie? Seems like that's her path as she's clearly not going to be a knight.
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Nov 27, 2019 22:33
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Daric posted:Coming up on the end of Skin Game in my reread. Really glad I went the Audiobook route this time, Marsters doing all the voices really makes the characters come to life. I was worried at the beginning of this that Harry's stupidity and general lack of wokeness may sour my love for the books but I was wrong, I do still love these books. Yeah, they're a little heavy-handed in the beginning and Harry could stand to be less of a misogynist. And I never felt like Harry describing every woman character's breast size or fuckability was necessary but the other parts I enjoyed. I definitely want to see more of what becomes of this world. I'm mostly hoping that in Peace Talks we get some interaction between Thomas and Ebenezer as grandson and grandfather.
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Nov 27, 2019 23:37
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Everyone posted:I'm mostly hoping that in Peace Talks we get some interaction between Thomas and Ebenezer as grandson and grandfather. Yeah that would be great since it seems like that whole mess will have to come to a head sooner or later. I also think there will be a way down the road that Harry loses the Winter Knight mantle without dying.
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Nov 27, 2019 23:40
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