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Is there a speculative fiction book or series set in the modern day in a fantasy universe? I don't mean urban fantasy exactly, but rather a world that developed from a typical medieval high fantasy setting. I'm mostly looking for one where the author really thought hard about how things would be different if wizards and dragons and hobos were a matter of course throughout history. How would cities be laid out? How would a global economy work? How would technology have progressed differently? Would magic people become the global 0.01% or would they be brutally pressed into wage slavery because of how productive they could be? Issues like that.
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Dec 22, 2021 00:02
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Michael Swanwick kinda explores these ideas in the Iron Dragon's Daughter and Dragons of Babel.
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Dec 22, 2021 00:27
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Manager Hoyden posted:Is there a speculative fiction book or series set in the modern day in a fantasy universe? I don't mean urban fantasy exactly, but rather a world that developed from a typical medieval high fantasy setting. I'm mostly looking for one where the author really thought hard about how things would be different if wizards and dragons and hobos were a matter of course throughout history. How would cities be laid out? How would a global economy work? How would technology have progressed differently? Would magic people become the global 0.01% or would they be brutally pressed into wage slavery because of how productive they could be? Issues like that. It’s definitely the craft sequence by Max Gladstone where wizards are basically fantasy m&a lawyers
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Dec 22, 2021 00:41
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Manager Hoyden posted:Is there a speculative fiction book or series set in the modern day in a fantasy universe? I don't mean urban fantasy exactly, but rather a world that developed from a typical medieval high fantasy setting. I'm mostly looking for one where the author really thought hard about how things would be different if wizards and dragons and hobos were a matter of course throughout history. How would cities be laid out? How would a global economy work? How would technology have progressed differently? Would magic people become the global 0.01% or would they be brutally pressed into wage slavery because of how productive they could be? Issues like that. Kushiel's Dart + sequels is kind of like this, but it's Renaissance times rather than modern day. Basically, what if religious writings / religious figures were interpreted in a somewhat different way and also, mild magic exists. What would the world be like? The books are pretty divisive here because they acknowledge sex exists and genre fiction fans aren't always comfortable with that. The books are good imo and better written than most fantasy.
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Dec 22, 2021 16:09
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What authors most successfully write scenes that are convincingly dreamlike?
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Dec 25, 2021 16:28
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I'll probably get poo poo on for these, but GRRM wrote two good ones (Ned's Tower of Joy dream in Game of Thrones, and the Red Wedding scene which, while the pov character is not asleep, reads like a fever dream where everything is just slightly off and you can't put your finger on why). The Stephen King short story 1308 is also incredibly well executed. It starts off completely rational and sober and slowly, so slowly, it becomes an insane nightmare. And it's impossible to pick out the moment it goes off the rails -- you're just going along with the narrator's internal monologue and all of a sudden you realize, "hey! This is crazy, and actually has been for awhile and I just didn't notice"
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Dec 25, 2021 16:54
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FPyat posted:What authors most successfully write scenes that are convincingly dreamlike? Cartarescu, Malaparte, Bouanani, Fuentes, Yuri Herrera e: Moresco Take the plunge! Okay! fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Dec 25, 2021 |
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Dec 25, 2021 17:17
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Andrey Bely's Petersburg and Kotik Letaev are probably the most dreamlike books I've ever read, really wild poo poo held together by a subconscious logic of fear and desire, phonetic associations and synesthesia.
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Dec 25, 2021 18:59
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FPyat posted:What authors most successfully write scenes that are convincingly dreamlike? I think Murakami’s style is very much this at times. The flow of weird focal points and encounters communicated in this credulous stream of consciousness prose is close to a dream. Thinking about the wind up bird chronicle and the town of cats in particular. I think the 20th century Belgian weird movement is also like that, as a genre but I can’t remember any of the authors rn. An excerpt from Town of Cats https://biblioklept.org/2011/08/29/read-town-of-cats-a-story-by-haruki-murakami/
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Dec 25, 2021 19:29
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FPyat posted:What authors most successfully write scenes that are convincingly dreamlike? Satu Waltari, although she cheated and wrote a novelization of Hieronymus Bosch's paintings.
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Dec 25, 2021 19:43
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AnnaKavan when she felt like it (Ice, Sleep Has His House). Calvino from time to time.
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Dec 25, 2021 19:49
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FPyat posted:What authors most successfully write scenes that are convincingly dreamlike? China Mieville's Perdido street station triggers the same feelings as a really bad nightmare for me, not the "wake up screaming" kind, more like the "everything is wrong in a way you can't define and someone you love has died" ones.
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Dec 26, 2021 14:54
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i'm looking for good books where mass surveillance technology plays a central role, but without being sci-fi/speculative or focused on international espionage. the important thing is that the setting is contemporary and the tech actually exists, so something like how the wire uses wiretaps, cameras, and stingrays as part of the storyFPyat posted:What authors most successfully write scenes that are convincingly dreamlike? bruno schulz, definitely. erofeev's moscow-petushki also has a fever dreamlike quality to it, or maybe more like a drunken haze
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Dec 26, 2021 16:28
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FPyat posted:What authors most successfully write scenes that are convincingly dreamlike? Eimear McBride and Jon Fosse
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Dec 26, 2021 23:00
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yaffle posted:China Mieville's Perdido street station triggers the same feelings as a really bad nightmare for me, not the "wake up screaming" kind, more like the "everything is wrong in a way you can't define and someone you love has died" ones. to me it triggers a nightmare of the 'the writing is insanely bad' kind
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Dec 26, 2021 23:02
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Karenina posted:i'm looking for good books where mass surveillance technology plays a central role, but without being sci-fi/speculative or focused on international espionage. the important thing is that the setting is contemporary and the tech actually exists, so something like how the wire uses wiretaps, cameras, and stingrays as part of the story Autonomous by Annalee Newitz.
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Dec 26, 2021 23:21
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Man this is depressing me, most of the books you guys recommend are not at my local library but we have plenty of Glen Beck, f*** Florida
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Jan 6, 2022 07:13
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Junkie Disease posted:Man this is depressing me, most of the books you guys recommend are not at my local library but we have plenty of Glen Beck, f*** Florida Are you checking Hoopla and Libby as well?
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Jan 6, 2022 14:09
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Embrace digital, Orange County has a huge ebook selection. I also signed up for Broward County's library using my Orange County address and there was no issue at all. I should edit, I'm not assuming you live in Orange County, just that you may be able to get an OCLS card because you live in Florida. There is a way for non residents to pay for one but there also may be options for a Florida resident. Humerus fucked around with this message at 14:44 on Jan 6, 2022 |
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Jan 6, 2022 14:29
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Yeah, most major city/county libraries have a requirement of 'state residency'for a card. Those cards give you access to digital checkouts.
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Jan 6, 2022 16:06
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Doesn't NYC or another major city allow library cards to out of state people for digital services? I only use my city's library card for Hoopla and Libby. It would be sweet if I could increase my options, but I haven't looked into it much.
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Jan 6, 2022 16:09
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Captain Monkey posted:Yeah, most major city/county libraries have a requirement of 'state residency'for a card. Those cards give you access to digital checkouts. Yeah I'm using Hoopla, and holy poo poo, well then gently caress this right wing library branch with "popular poo poo" like "the REAL Dr. Fauchi" This is great news I just gotta figure out if orange county allows for online sign up Upsidads fucked around with this message at 16:34 on Jan 6, 2022 |
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Jan 6, 2022 16:31
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I upgraded my kobo because the new ones had integrated library access, but so far every single book I’ve looked for hasn’t been in the catalogue and the rare ones that have been there I’ve had on hold for the last 6 months because we seem to have about 2 licences. It’s a nice idea, at least
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Jan 6, 2022 17:17
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Well known product that is hard to replicate, ebooks. Lmao. Same here though i signed up for my library's ebook program, and when I finally found a book I wanted the estimated time to check it out was over half a year.
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Jan 6, 2022 17:43
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Franchescanado posted:Doesn't NYC or another major city allow library cards to out of state people for digital services? I only use my city's library card for Hoopla and Libby. It would be sweet if I could increase my options, but I haven't looked into it much. Brooklyn does for $50/year. It's well worth it and I do it. Between that and my free Orange County one I very rarely have to wait for books, and even new releases I might wait just a few weeks.
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Jan 6, 2022 18:35
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Junkie Disease posted:Yeah I'm using Hoopla, and holy poo poo, well then gently caress this right wing library branch with "popular poo poo" like "the REAL Dr. Fauchi" https://www.ocls.info/using-library/get-or-replace-your-card Looks like its $125 if you don't live in Orange County, which is disappointing. If you're in Winter Park or Maitland you can get a free one though. Also, looks like the Sanibel library - https://sanlib.org/library-card/ - has a $10 fee for a yearly card if you don't live in Lee county, I don't know how far that is but Florida has lovely libraries it looks like which sucks.
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Jan 6, 2022 20:29
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I like Glen Cook, Joe Ambercrombie, Robert Jordan fantasy novels. Any recommendations for old school fantasy novels? I am just now getting back into reading having just finished Jordans Wheel of Time and am now working on Glen Cooks Black Company series of novels.
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Jan 7, 2022 02:14
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Hollismason posted:I like Glen Cook, Joe Ambercrombie, Robert Jordan fantasy novels. Any recommendations for old school fantasy novels? I am just now getting back into reading having just finished Jordans Wheel of Time and am now working on Glen Cooks Black Company series of novels. brandon sanderson's the guy that did the last few books of WoT, so if you liked those you might want to give his stormlight series a shot i liked malazan, but it is a bit of a slog to read only read the first two, but i liked the raven's shadow books robert jordan's conan books are p decent once and future king isn't as fantastical, but it's a very good book if you prefer something a bit more literature-ish
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Jan 7, 2022 03:17
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Hollismason posted:I like Glen Cook, Joe Ambercrombie, Robert Jordan fantasy novels. Any recommendations for old school fantasy novels? I am just now getting back into reading having just finished Jordans Wheel of Time and am now working on Glen Cooks Black Company series of novels. Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, starts with The Dragonbone Chair
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Jan 7, 2022 03:23
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What's a good book about the history of Oxford University
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Jan 7, 2022 04:00
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Hollismason posted:I like Glen Cook, Joe Ambercrombie, Robert Jordan fantasy novels. Any recommendations for old school fantasy novels? I am just now getting back into reading having just finished Jordans Wheel of Time and am now working on Glen Cooks Black Company series of novels. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever is kind of the OG of dark, gritty fantasy. So much so that about 20% into book 1 there's a scene that is a deal breaker for a lot of people. I think it works in the context of the story but it definitely makes for a complicated protagonist. If I could have one fantasy series adapted by HBO or someone willing to spend the money, this would be it. But that scene above, they'd have to cut or drastically change. In any event, if you do read these you must stop after the first trilogy.
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Jan 7, 2022 06:22
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Hollismason posted:I like Glen Cook, Joe Ambercrombie, Robert Jordan fantasy novels. Any recommendations for old school fantasy novels? I am just now getting back into reading having just finished Jordans Wheel of Time and am now working on Glen Cooks Black Company series of novels. Raymond Feist's "Magician" books are pretty good fantasy, first three at least. David Gemmell's Drenai books are ok as well.
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Jan 7, 2022 09:01
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My favorite sword & sorcery fantasy is Heroes Die and its sequels by Matt Stover.
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Jan 7, 2022 13:17
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yaffle posted:Raymond Feist's "Magician" books are pretty good fantasy, first three at least. David Gemmell's Drenai books are ok as well. Re: Feist: read in chronological order and the ones with Jenny Wurts are also good. After that the quality does start to drop, although I like the Dirty-Dozen esque The Serpentwar Saga. So that's, following my full recommendations: The Riftwar Saga Magician (1982), republished in two parts in the United States in 1986 as Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master [note: this is why it's either 3 or 4 books depending on your editions] Silverthorn (1985) A Darkness at Sethanon (1986) The Empire Trilogy Daughter of the Empire (1987) with Janny Wurts Servant of the Empire (1990) with Janny Wurts Mistress of the Empire (1992) with Janny Wurts Krondor's Sons Prince of the Blood (1989) The King's Buccaneer (1992) The Serpentwar Saga Shadow of a Dark Queen (1994) Rise of a Merchant Prince (1995) Rage of a Demon King (1997) Shards of a Broken Crown (1998) [after here be dragons]
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Jan 8, 2022 03:55
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regulargonzalez posted:The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever is kind of the OG of dark, gritty fantasy. So much so that about 20% into book 1 there's a scene that is a deal breaker for a lot of people. I think it works in the context of the story but it definitely makes for a complicated protagonist. Before I find this book can I get an idea of what happens?
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Jan 9, 2022 03:02
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Ropes4u posted:Before I find this book can I get an idea of what happens? The main character thinks the whole thing is a hallucination so he rapes a woman . This was enough to make me put the book down and walk away, but others have said it's worth sticking with it, YMMV.
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Jan 9, 2022 03:05
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wheatpuppy posted:The main character thinks the whole thing is a hallucination so he rapes a woman . This was enough to make me put the book down and walk away, but others have said it's worth sticking with it, YMMV. Thank you, might have to skip past that section
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Jan 9, 2022 03:11
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Ropes4u posted:Thank you, might have to skip past that section It kind of informs the whole arc of the main character and gets mentioned a lot (It's been a while since I read them though).
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Jan 9, 2022 04:38
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yaffle posted:It kind of informs the whole arc of the main character and gets mentioned a lot (It's been a while since I read them though). this is true. regulargonzalez posted:In any event, if you do read these you must stop after the first trilogy. I read the second as well and eh. Was alright. Ended really unsatisfactorily for teen me. Few years back I learned there was a third but I have too many good books to read
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Jan 9, 2022 04:42
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yaffle posted:Raymond Feist's "Magician" books are pretty good fantasy, first three at least. David Gemmell's Drenai books are ok as well. These are both great recommendations. Gemmell's Rigante quartet is good, too, especially Ravenheart and Stormrider. Neither Feist nor Gemmell have incredible prose or anything (and honestly, some of Gemmell's early writing is very clunky) but they're both great with characters. I read Feist first back in like, 1992? I was a boy but I still remember a lot of those characters.
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Jan 10, 2022 06:18
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