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If you go manga, One Punch Man Turns into the psychology of existentialism when you’re just too good. What’s the point of the improvement or the pursuit of success if nothing is a match for you?
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Sep 19, 2022 01:27
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ahobday posted:Usually I ask for more specific recommendations but this time I'm going to ask a broad question and see what falls out: Cradle. A clever kid who is discriminated against by the circumstances of his birth works hard and gets a few lucky breaks which set him on the path to eventually becoming the (literally) strongest person on the planet. It's a cultivation story written by a western author; so it avoids most of the pitfalls of the genre. It's also at least the author's third series in this general milieu so his style is pretty well refined by this point. Unfortunately, despite that refinement, the books in the series follow the star trek rule with about every other being seriously disappointing and the other half being amazing. The author is pretty cool and used to give away the earlier books in his series whenever he released a new book. Pretty much anything written by David Gemmel is a solidly entertaining power fantasy. He's written more-or-less the same book 20 times. The Legend of Deathwalker was the first one I read so it's my favorite. They're fairly standard coming-of-age stories about a bad thing happening to a normal kid who then goes on a journey and becomes super awesome. Probably the most notable thing about them is the warrior-monk group that makes frequent appearances. It's been... wow, at least half a decade since I read one of his books but I remember the themes and overall messaging, especially from the warrior-monk storylines being wholesome. At least as wholesome as stories where lone men slaughter whole armies can be. Honorable mention goes to Simon R. Green's Nightside series. It's more noir detective than power fantasy, but the threat escalation eventually moves on from fighting angelic armies to triumphing over powers and dominions older than the planet. This series is not even remotely wholesome. It is his second successful Noir detective series and benefits from his previous experience. Surprisingly, his attempts to write a third detective series that he wrote after Nightside (e.g. the druid ones) are pretty bad, so I'd stick to Nightside or his earlier works. Hawk & Fisher are genuinely good detective shorts and I was almost always surprised by the twist, even though they're extremely violent.
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Sep 19, 2022 02:28
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I was considering reading the Ron Chernow biography of Alexander Hamilton, but it has some iffy reviews. Is there an authoritative, Caro-like text?
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Sep 19, 2022 05:44
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Another request, if you will. Since we're getting close to October, I've been hankering for a style of horror novel I don't think I've seen in a while. Something along the lines of IT, or Summer of Night by Dan Simmons, or Stinger by Robert McCammon. Stranger Things also is in this vein. Small town, usually out in the middle of nowhere, is beset by some supernatural or alien threat. Naturally there's the plucky kids who figure it out while the grown-ups are clueless if not outright interfering with handling whatever it is. I feel like I used to read a lot of books like that back in the day, but other than the 3 I mentioned I can't bring any to mind. Not sure if it's a distinct sub-genre or just something my brain latched onto. I'd appreciate any recommendations, with an emphasis on non King books as I'm a bit done with his works.
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Sep 20, 2022 22:49
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CaptainCrunch posted:Another request, if you will. Since we're getting close to October, I've been hankering for a style of horror novel I don't think I've seen in a while. Something along the lines of IT, or Summer of Night by Dan Simmons, or Stinger by Robert McCammon. Stranger Things also is in this vein. I'll give the obvious answer: Something Wicked This Way Comes.
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Sep 20, 2022 23:35
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Chris Miller's The Damned Place is supposed to be that. I haven't read it but I liked the book of his I did read
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Sep 21, 2022 00:00
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CaptainCrunch posted:Another request, if you will. Since we're getting close to October, I've been hankering for a style of horror novel I don't think I've seen in a while. Something along the lines of IT, or Summer of Night by Dan Simmons, or Stinger by Robert McCammon. Stranger Things also is in this vein. It's not horror but you might enjoy Brittle Innings
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Sep 21, 2022 03:09
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CaptainCrunch posted:Another request, if you will. Since we're getting close to October, I've been hankering for a style of horror novel I don't think I've seen in a while. Something along the lines of IT, or Summer of Night by Dan Simmons, or Stinger by Robert McCammon. Stranger Things also is in this vein. American Elsewhere was exactly that kind of book for me.
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Sep 21, 2022 03:25
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Maybe try Ronald Malfi's December Park since it's basically 100% that and a fairly decent read. Edit: Except for perhaps the supernatural part, kinda.
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Sep 21, 2022 07:08
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I'm loooking to re-live my first time reading through A Song of Ice and Fire (particularly the first three books), something to really sink my teeth into. I read a comparisson of ASOIAF and Tolkein saying Tolkein's world has depth (as in a lot of intricate history and languages etc) where as ASOIF has bredth (lots of moving parts and things happening at the same time, but not historically rich), so with that I'm looking for something with more bredth if that makes sense? Something with a lot of intrigue, strategic politics, backstabbing etc. Doesn't necissarily have to be fantasy, but preferably low magic if it is. Dune and the Storm Light Archieves tend to get brought up a lot in this category, both of which I've already read.
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Sep 21, 2022 14:25
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Malazan is an obvious choice. Note that they start off a little rough as Erikson develops his writing skill, and while there is the breadth you're looking for, it's a very different kind of world then asoiaf. They're both "dark and gritty" but Malazan is much more mythic -- characters becoming demi-gods, gods playing an active role in the world, etc. Definitely not low magic, although the magic is usually dark and consequential. And Erikson uses a specific type of character a bit much (ultimate badass who is hard as steel and tough as nails, but deep down he's a softy). Sounds like I'm making GBS threads on it but it's legit good and worth reading.
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Sep 21, 2022 14:34
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CaptainCrunch posted:
If you don't want King, how about his son, Joe Hill? NOS4A2 starts out just as you want, although in the second half the protagonist is all grown up and hellbent on saving her child. But it is very King...
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Sep 21, 2022 14:48
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A Wrinkle in Time and sequels would fit too, if you're ok with (good quality) YA fiction. E: ah, you're looking for specifically horror and A Wrinkle in Time is more sci fi thriller / horror-adjacent. regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Sep 21, 2022 |
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Sep 21, 2022 15:00
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Tea Bone posted:I'm loooking to re-live my first time reading through A Song of Ice and Fire (particularly the first three books), something to really sink my teeth into. I read a comparisson of ASOIAF and Tolkein saying Tolkein's world has depth (as in a lot of intricate history and languages etc) where as ASOIF has bredth (lots of moving parts and things happening at the same time, but not historically rich), so with that I'm looking for something with more bredth if that makes sense? Something with a lot of intrigue, strategic politics, backstabbing etc. Doesn't necissarily have to be fantasy, but preferably low magic if it is. I believe the Book of the New Sun quadrilogy is also an appropriate comparison and just a great series all around. Lots of Gene Wolfe is like that, actually. Have you read the Hedge Knight stuff? I loved those but for different reasons than the ASOIAF main novels.
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Sep 21, 2022 15:31
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Tea Bone posted:I'm loooking to re-live my first time reading through A Song of Ice and Fire (particularly the first three books), something to really sink my teeth into. I read a comparisson of ASOIAF and Tolkein saying Tolkein's world has depth (as in a lot of intricate history and languages etc) where as ASOIF has bredth (lots of moving parts and things happening at the same time, but not historically rich), so with that I'm looking for something with more bredth if that makes sense? Something with a lot of intrigue, strategic politics, backstabbing etc. Doesn't necissarily have to be fantasy, but preferably low magic if it is. Joe Abercrombie's First Law and Age of Madness I think would be pretty good for this? Lots of perspective characters, characters tend to be motivated by a couple of straightforward gut motives that then mingle in a contradictory fashion (the honorable, proud duelist - what happens when his pride and his honor conflict?), its much more about seeing how a whole bunch of chess pieces on a giant board eventually start intersecting than it is about understanding how they wound up on the board.
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Sep 21, 2022 15:46
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Tea Bone posted:I'm loooking to re-live my first time reading through A Song of Ice and Fire (particularly the first three books), something to really sink my teeth into. I read a comparisson of ASOIAF and Tolkein saying Tolkein's world has depth (as in a lot of intricate history and languages etc) where as ASOIF has bredth (lots of moving parts and things happening at the same time, but not historically rich), so with that I'm looking for something with more bredth if that makes sense? Something with a lot of intrigue, strategic politics, backstabbing etc. Doesn't necissarily have to be fantasy, but preferably low magic if it is. regulargonzalez posted:Malazan is an obvious choice. Note that they start off a little rough as Erikson develops his writing skill, and while there is the breadth you're looking for, it's a very different kind of world then asoiaf. They're both "dark and gritty" but Malazan is much more mythic -- characters becoming demi-gods, gods playing an active role in the world, etc. Definitely not low magic, although the magic is usually dark and consequential. And Erikson uses a specific type of character a bit much (ultimate badass who is hard as steel and tough as nails, but deep down he's a softy). Second recc for Malazan - though there's a very brutal misogynistic bit in one of the later books (I want to say somewhere in 7, 8, or 9 out of 10) that is written entirely as horrific and awful, but may be triggering. It also lasts a while - don't let that stop you from reading the first few though if that is a trigger, they're good and interesting and the world is weird as gently caress.
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Sep 21, 2022 16:21
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drat, that's quite the list, thank you! hahaha, how did I miss Something Wicked? I think I have a blind spot for Bradbury's work in general.
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Sep 21, 2022 16:25
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Tad William's stuff could also qualify. Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn and City of Golden Shadows series, fantasy and technology respectively.
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Sep 21, 2022 17:28
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MockingQuantum posted:Thanks for these! How are the earlier books? Should she skip straight to Drowned Hopes? Looks like our library has The Hot Rock available, but most of the other ones are out. I only read Dancing Aztecs and really enjoyed it a lot, not sure why I didn't keep reading in his oeuvre as they are funny and breezy
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Sep 21, 2022 18:45
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Tea Bone posted:I'm loooking to re-live my first time reading through A Song of Ice and Fire (particularly the first three books), something to really sink my teeth into. I read a comparisson of ASOIAF and Tolkein saying Tolkein's world has depth (as in a lot of intricate history and languages etc) where as ASOIF has bredth (lots of moving parts and things happening at the same time, but not historically rich), so with that I'm looking for something with more bredth if that makes sense? Something with a lot of intrigue, strategic politics, backstabbing etc. Doesn't necissarily have to be fantasy, but preferably low magic if it is. A Dragon Waiting by John M For was very influential on GoT and will hit the mark most accurately. Aspects is pretty good as well but unfinished. Anything by CJ Cheryh Ken Liu's The Dandelion Dynasty, James S. A. Corey's work (they worked with GRRM for a long time), Daniel Abraham's Long Price and The Dagger and Coin series, Steven Brust's Taltos series, Paul Park's Starbrige Chronicles. Dorothy Dunnet's Lymond chronicles. Bilirubin posted:I only read Dancing Aztecs and really enjoyed it a lot, not sure why I didn't keep reading in his oeuvre as they are funny and breezy Dancing Aztecs is great but I don't typically recommend it because it has some problematic racial depictions.
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Sep 21, 2022 19:47
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Tea Bone posted:I'm loooking to re-live my first time reading through A Song of Ice and Fire (particularly the first three books), something to really sink my teeth into. I read a comparisson of ASOIAF and Tolkein saying Tolkein's world has depth (as in a lot of intricate history and languages etc) where as ASOIF has bredth (lots of moving parts and things happening at the same time, but not historically rich), so with that I'm looking for something with more bredth if that makes sense? Something with a lot of intrigue, strategic politics, backstabbing etc. Doesn't necissarily have to be fantasy, but preferably low magic if it is. Martin was inspired by Maurice Druon's Accursed Kings series of historical novels about France on the eve of the hundred years war, they are very good, and political backstabbing is very much the focus. Its French, but there is a good translation in paperback that I enjoyed a lot.
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Sep 22, 2022 07:16
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Thanks everyone. Malazan has been on my list for 10+ years now, one day I'll get to it. Think I'm going to start off with The New Sun Quadrilogy then revisit the rest of the reccs.regulargonzalez posted:Sounds like I'm making GBS threads on it but it's legit good and worth reading. Simultaneously claiming it's worth reading while having nothing but complaints seems 100% in line with the ASOIAF experience to be honest.
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Sep 22, 2022 10:37
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fez_machine posted:A Dragon Waiting by John M For was very influential on GoT and will hit the mark most accurately. Aspects is pretty good as well but unfinished. Its very much of its era as I recall, but I read it in like the early 80s so my recollection isn't super sharp. Thanks for the reminder!
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Sep 23, 2022 01:29
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first law is objectively the correct choice here. malazan is great and well worth reading, but first law is the series you're looking for. bonus that it's a tight trilogy instead of a sprawling mess.
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Sep 23, 2022 05:33
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I'm coming to the end of the Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold, and I'd like more of it (sci-fi, to be clear). But I don't really know how to describe what I like about it. Probably that it's so focused on fun characters. And interesting stuff happens. It's got decent world-building. But I don't find the books slow. The action happens at a decent pace. Something I've seen recommended but haven't tried yet is the Honor Harrington series. Are those similar to Vorkosigan in the ways I've mentioned?
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Sep 24, 2022 20:02
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ahobday posted:I'm coming to the end of the Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold, and I'd like more of it (sci-fi, to be clear). But I don't really know how to describe what I like about it. The earlier books maybe, but the further you go in the series, the more bloated they get with multiple character viewpoints and long drawn-out political infighting. I like the Lt Leary series by David Drake for some decent swashbuckling. I don't think he's got the same character skills that Bujold has, but he can write a good battle.
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Sep 24, 2022 22:03
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I'm looking for non-Lovecraft cosmic horror that is available on Audible por favor
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Sep 26, 2022 22:32
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regulargonzalez posted:I'm looking for non-Lovecraft cosmic horror that is available on Audible por favor I've only read them so dunno what the narration quality is like, but a few of my favourites that are on audible: John Langan - The Fisherman Laird Barron - The Croning Brian Hodge - The Immaculate Void
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Sep 27, 2022 00:06
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regulargonzalez posted:I'm looking for non-Lovecraft cosmic horror that is available on Audible por favor The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell The Cipher by Kathe Koja The Ceremonies by T.E.D Klein
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Sep 27, 2022 01:08
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Real solid recs here, I can’t think of many others. Maybe that American Elsewhere that I’m talking about a lot lately.
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Sep 27, 2022 01:11
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Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but "The Children of Read Peak" by Craig DiLouie
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Sep 27, 2022 02:26
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Kerro posted:I've only read them so dunno what the narration quality is like, but a few of my favourites that are on audible: fez_machine posted:The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell tuyop posted:Real solid recs here, I can’t think of many others. Maybe that American Elsewhere that I’m talking about a lot lately.
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Sep 27, 2022 04:15
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ahobday posted:I'm coming to the end of the Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold, and I'd like more of it (sci-fi, to be clear). But I don't really know how to describe what I like about it. Which Vorkosigan books did you like best? While they are all science-fiction, that's a broad brush. Some of the books in the series are basically mysteries, one or two are military sci-fi, and others are basically adventure stories that just happen to be set in space. I'd recommend Lt. Leary over Honor Harrington if you're looking for military sci-fi. The Leary series has much more human characters and spends more time investigating people's motives. Honor Harrington is very black and white. The Honor Harrington novels focus more on how many missiles the spaceships shoot than why. Also, the author, not just the characters of Honor Harrington is a monarchist. For general adventure it's hard to do better than the Interstellar Patrol by Christopher Anvil. It's an older series, and consequently it's treatment of women as damsels in distress has not aged well, but it's otherwise great, and there's very little SciFi that isn't problematic in some way. If you like the sections where Miles commits crimes with wild abandon, maybe try the Stainless Steel Rat series (they were written with the expectation that readers wouldn't have necessarily read any of the others so you can start wherever). I don't read much mystery, so I don't have a suggestion there, but I'm sure some other kind goon can help if you decide you liked Cetaganda or one of the other mystery-heavy Vorkosigan books best.
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Sep 27, 2022 04:32
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regulargonzalez posted:Thanks! Are these listed in order of your rankings of them? For me, yes though the first two are very closely tied. The Croning and The Fisherman are two of my favourite horror novels of any kind.
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Sep 27, 2022 04:43
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regulargonzalez posted:Thanks! Are these listed in order of your rankings of them? Nah, they're just good stuff but YMMV
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Sep 27, 2022 04:45
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I'm looking for a book, it can be dry, about technology of indigenous american tribes, aboriginals, south americans, or even something of a cross sectional comparison. What technology did they have, what medicines, what textiles, what farming techniques, etc.
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Sep 28, 2022 23:40
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Salt Fish posted:I'm looking for a book, it can be dry, about technology of indigenous american tribes, aboriginals, south americans, or even something of a cross sectional comparison. What technology did they have, what medicines, what textiles, what farming techniques, etc. I haven't actually read it yet but just last week I checked out a copy of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer who is a member of the Potowatomi Nation and also a biology professor so I'm pretty excited to see this combined perspective.
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Sep 29, 2022 01:58
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Salt Fish posted:I'm looking for a book, it can be dry, about technology of indigenous american tribes, aboriginals, south americans, or even something of a cross sectional comparison. What technology did they have, what medicines, what textiles, what farming techniques, etc. 1491 is an excellent and accessible overview of the people living in the Americas immediately pre-colonization. It also has an extensive bibliography you can refer to for deeper dives on particular subjects.
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Sep 29, 2022 02:05
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Need a recommendation on whether to continue with a book. Last House on Needless Street, early in the book, his mom is making him leave the kitten in the forest . Maybe I'm soft but I had to stop and don't really see myself continuing unless someone super recommends it.
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Sep 29, 2022 02:10
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Vienna Circlejerk posted:I haven't actually read it yet but just last week I checked out a copy of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer who is a member of the Potowatomi Nation and also a biology professor so I'm pretty excited to see this combined perspective. Yeah this is a good recommendation, and an absolutely spectacular book
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Sep 29, 2022 03:14
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