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No judgement, I read a romance series about two groups of fae and biker gangs and poo poo. First two books were good but the ending was meh, I wanted more conflict. Trying to remember the name.
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Jan 23, 2023 14:46
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DreamingofRoses posted:So I’m probably going to get ragged for this because they’re *technically* romance, but the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews really hits the urban fantasy itch for me. Honestly for being paranormal romance, all of Ilona Andrews stuff is pretty good. There’s some of the “hurr I’m a big tuff alpha shapeshifter” crap so prevalent in the genre, but it never devolves into outright porn like so many do and you can skip the 2-3 hot chapters per book and still have a decent urban fantasy story out of it.
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Jan 23, 2023 16:59
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I'd like to recommend The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes. It's got vampire, were horses, fae, but not Mab, mage and an Agency. The blurb from amazon: Some people are born boring. Some live boring. Some even die boring. Fred managed to do all three, and when he woke up as a vampire, he did so as a boring one. Timid, socially awkward, and plagued by self-esteem issues, Fred has never been the adventurous sort. One fateful night – different from the night he died, which was more inconvenient than fateful – Fred reconnects with an old friend at his high school reunion. This rekindled relationship sets off a chain of events thrusting him right into the chaos that is the parahuman world, a world with chipper zombies, truck driver wereponies, maniacal necromancers, ancient dragons, and now one undead accountant trying his best to “survive.” Because even after it’s over, life can still be a downright bloody mess. I really recommend the audio books, Kirby Heyborne does an amazing job on every character. No one ever talks about it in this thread and that makes me a little sad, because it's better written than a lot of the UF stuff out there, and probably the best depiction of a romance. immoral_ fucked around with this message at 17:06 on Jan 23, 2023 |
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Jan 23, 2023 17:03
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I haven’t read the Fred series because I confused it with Bill the Vampire, which IIRC used the f-slur the same way regular authors use punctuation. I’ll give Fred a shot!
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Jan 23, 2023 17:29
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immoral_ posted:I'd like to recommend The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes. Yeah, this sounds really fun. Thanks for the rec!
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Jan 23, 2023 17:54
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How heavy is the romance element, I'm resigned to that being a factor in all uf, but I'd rather it be on the low end.
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Jan 23, 2023 18:28
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immoral_ posted:I'd like to recommend The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes. I'm seconding this rec! The series is a collection of slightly episodic short stories with an overarching narrative. Most of the problems are fairly low stakes. I found as a breath of fresh air since a lot of urban fantasy is about magic cops. Edit: The romance is very very light. Fred and his girlfriend are just dating. Their relationship is usually in the forefront when it's something like planning a vaca around him not being able to go in the sun. KellHound fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Jan 23, 2023 |
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Jan 23, 2023 18:40
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Soonmot posted:How heavy is the romance element, I'm resigned to that being a factor in all uf, but I'd rather it be on the low end. For Hidden Legacy, it gets stronger as the books continue in (there are two sets of three books that each follow a couple, and neither couple starts off as a couple right away so it grows through the set of that makes sense) but the story and characters stand on their own and the world building is super interesting.
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Jan 23, 2023 18:54
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Soonmot posted:How heavy is the romance element, I'm resigned to that being a factor in all uf, but I'd rather it be on the low end. It's treated as an everyday thing, nothing overt, Fred is your "typical accountant" in that he's mild mannered and doesn't do PDA. Krystal is an Agent with a bit of a wild side. So there's elements of it that are played for a laugh(never malicious), and there's some heartstrings pulling. But for the most part they are a couple of people that are in love.. It's not a story about them being in love.
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Jan 23, 2023 19:05
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‘Unusual’ or different urban fantasy recs that I enjoyed (at least in part): The Adam Binder novels by David R. Slayton, and The Corpse Eater Saga by Leod Fitz. The latter is super gross, though.
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Jan 23, 2023 21:39
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Saltpowered posted:I’m looking for a recommendations of a new book or series to start (preferably series or an author with several books). What I’ve read recently in a rough good to bad order: I'd third Eric Carter as a series, it goes to some interesting places. Also the Twenty Palaces series from Harry Connolly, however I would not read them in publication order because he throws you in the deep end and only gets to the start of things after his publisher deal fell apart with a novella. There is also Peter McLean's Drake trilogy which is a bit of nitty-gritty England, however be warned that it likely won't have a conclusion past the third novel. It ends well enough but there's a cliffhanger. If you want to stretch the Urban Fantasy bit a little more he has a recently concluded 4 book set starting with Priest of Bones in a sort of Early Modern era where a country just came out of it's Great War and is picking up the pieces. Richard Kadrey did a similar book, the Grand Dark, that gave me big Weimar Republic vibes. Anyhow, there's a lot of stuff out there, just cast your net and hope you don't hit Prof Croft.
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Jan 24, 2023 06:09
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Saltpowered posted:I’m looking for a recommendations of a new book or series to start (preferably series or an author with several books). What I’ve read recently in a rough good to bad order: As a laugh, I recommend reading the Anita Blake series to see how far you get. It's a strangely effective sliding scale from 'urban fantasy police procedural' to 'what if the World of Darkness ran on Letters to Penthouse' in terms of where you fall on the magical realism/supernatural creatures/romance triangle of the genre.
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Jan 24, 2023 09:43
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Thanks for all the recommendations. I’ll pick up Eric Carter and Twenty Palaces to start. The romance aspect doesn’t bother me as long as it’s no more than you see in Seanan McGuire or Patricia Briggs books: A relevant subplot that has some short easily skippable sex scenes. There’s a lot of UF that I’ve not even considered or put for too much or really poorly written romance that impact enjoyment of the rest of the book.
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Jan 24, 2023 13:12
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To be clear the Fred series has nothing more salacious than some kissing. And a couple of bawdy jokes.
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Jan 24, 2023 14:42
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The Laundry Files by Charles Stross series is definitely good but straddles the UF/Horror line so it's hard to know if it's disqualified or not.
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Jan 24, 2023 16:00
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Masonity posted:The Laundry Files by Charles Stross series is definitely good but straddles the UF/Horror line so it's hard to know if it's disqualified or not. I should have put this on the list. I fell off this series pretty hard when the super hero book came out. Really enjoyed most of the books up until that point and the setting. I think the book after the super hero book wasn't bad either but the super hero book just really soured me on the series. Maybe I should look at the other books that came out after.
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Jan 24, 2023 16:41
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Someone mentioned the Broken Room a few pages back and I read it and it's very solid. Like a Reacher novel but with light fantasy / horror elements.
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Jan 24, 2023 17:07
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Someone mentioned the Broken Room a few pages back and I read it and it's very solid. Like a Reacher novel but with light fantasy / horror elements. Probably me. And Broken Room is really good. So is Paradox Bound by the same author even though it's completely different (time travel/treasure hunt romp).
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Jan 24, 2023 17:28
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It's some years since this thread started, and many years since I started the big Dresden Files threads that ultimately lead to this one. My tastes have changed, a lot. I think Twenty Palaces (always start with the prequel) is my favorite urban fantasy series nowadays. The two recent ones are just great. I was a bit cold on them when they came out, but the addition of the prequel and the self-published follow-ups show that this is the ultimate Series That Could Have Been a Big Deal. But not entirely. I still really like the middle Dresden novels (from Summer Knight through Changes), despite the "she boobed boobily down the stairs" crap. The Jelly Donut is probably my favorite climactic moment from the entire genre. My favorite individual book in the genre remains The Rook. I don't even know how to describe a theoretical book that would top it. The Rook is basically perfect, and its most perfect chapter is the one about the Oracular Duck.
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Jan 24, 2023 18:02
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I still haven't read twenty palaces -- never started since it was unfinished -- but overall my pick for best UF book is either library at mount char or the first shadow police book. I didn't like the sequels nearly as much but that first one is brilliant and you can imagine a great series following it. Pau Cornell has another uf series out now, novellas, witches of something, fairly solid.
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Jan 24, 2023 18:11
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:I still haven't read twenty palaces -- never started since it was unfinished -- but overall my pick for best UF book is either library at mount char or the first shadow police book. I didn't like the sequels nearly as much but that first one is brilliant and you can imagine a great series following it. I still feel that Library at Mount Char falls really flat after Carol (major spoiler) wins access to the library. The extended denouement just doesn't work for me. It's not bad at all, but the rest of the book is amazing, so it feels worse in comparison than it really is? I've re-read the book twice now, and every time I have gotten partway into that section and just sigh. Also, I liked the Shadow Police but not nearly as much as the rest of the thread. It's...fine? I enjoyed it but don't have much urge to re-visit.
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Jan 24, 2023 18:51
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ConfusedUs posted:
Yeah, that's how I feel about the second two books. The first I found genuinely frightening though which is really rare for me for fiction. Witches of Lychford is his new series, it's, like, fine + ConfusedUs posted:I still feel that Library at Mount Char falls really flat after . . . The extended denouement just doesn't work for me. It's not bad at all, but the rest of the book is amazing, so it feels worse in comparison than it really is? I've re-read the book twice now, and every time I have gotten partway into that section and just sigh. Any time you light a fire there's gonna be a pile of ashes at the end. Without the denoument explaining everything (the answers at the back of the book!) there's no story just a series of increasingly wacky events. It's structurally necessary. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 18:57 on Jan 24, 2023 |
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Jan 24, 2023 18:55
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Any time you light a fire there's gonna be a pile of ashes at the end. Without the denoument explaining everything (the answers at the back of the book!) there's no story just a series of increasingly wacky events. It's structurally necessary. Oh I agree it's necessary, but also I think it could have been done better. It does too much tell and too little show. It's like an 80-page exposition dump.
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Jan 24, 2023 19:04
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ConfusedUs posted:My favorite individual book in the genre remains The Rook. I don't even know how to describe a theoretical book that would top it. The Rook is basically perfect, and its most perfect chapter is the one about the Oracular Duck. Speaking of The Rook, I finally finished the 3rd book of the series (Blitz). Part of it sorta captures the magic of The Rook : new member of the Checquy, fish out of water, and the absurd backdrop of magic world coupled with mundane bureaucracy (god I love that genre. I had hoped Laundry Files would hit those notes but I've bounced off that series). At times I didn't particularly care about the parallel POV/timelines and honestly the payoff felt kinda weak. I don't think I liked the second half / ending as much. I don't remember much of the second book (Stiletto) besides really not loving it as much as The Rook, but I swear at the very least the 2nd book sticks its landing better. Still, if you liked The Rook, thought Stiletto was okay, you should think of Blitz as okay as well. I want more of the series. I want more books that have mundane absurdity worldbuilding (any other series that hit similar notes?). Also, re: the ending of Lynette Did I zone out during the exposition while listening to the audiobook? When Lynette was being debriefed, her and the dead cousin share the same mother? Is this explicitly a mistake by the Checquy? Was it not Nazi lightning guy knocking up multiple wartime prostitutes?
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Jan 25, 2023 04:42
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Xtanstic posted:Speaking of The Rook, I finally finished the 3rd book of the series (Blitz). Part of it sorta captures the magic of The Rook : new member of the Checquy, fish out of water, and the absurd backdrop of magic world coupled with mundane bureaucracy (god I love that genre. I had hoped Laundry Files would hit those notes but I've bounced off that series). At times I didn't particularly care about the parallel POV/timelines and honestly the payoff felt kinda weak. I don't think I liked the second half / ending as much. I don't remember much of the second book (Stiletto) besides really not loving it as much as The Rook, but I swear at the very least the 2nd book sticks its landing better. Still, if you liked The Rook, thought Stiletto was okay, you should think of Blitz as okay as well. I want more of the series. I want more books that have mundane absurdity worldbuilding (any other series that hit similar notes?). I am finishing up the second book in L.E. Modesitt's Grand Illusion trilogy and it is nothing but bureaucracy with occasional spates of violence. The setting is a sort of Estates General with three branches of the Council elected but no one is allowed a majority, so shenanigans happen. Also, there are Empaths who can sense emotions and others who can influence others. Then there's those who are blanks, unable to be read/influenced by Empaths. Chaos ensues, also there are may Croissants served in a 19th century setting.
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Jan 25, 2023 07:17
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Xtanstic posted:Did I zone out during the exposition while listening to the audiobook? When Lynette was being debriefed, her and the dead cousin share the same mother? Is this explicitly a mistake by the Checquy? Was it not Nazi lightning guy knocking up multiple wartime prostitutes? Lynette was an orphan found in the street by the police. Nobody knew anything about either of her birth parents.
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Jan 25, 2023 08:09
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Ninurta posted:I am finishing up the second book in L.E. Modesitt's Grand Illusion trilogy and it is nothing but bureaucracy with occasional spates of violence. The setting is a sort of Estates General with three branches of the Council elected but no one is allowed a majority, so shenanigans happen. Also, there are Empaths who can sense emotions and others who can influence others. Then there's those who are blanks, unable to be read/influenced by Empaths. Chaos ensues, also there are may Croissants served in a 19th century setting. For anyone familiar with Modesitt's food fixation, prepare to read 'quince paste' maybe 1000 times per book. I did enjoy them though.
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Jan 25, 2023 17:47
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Nullset posted:For anyone familiar with Modesitt's food fixation, prepare to read 'quince paste' maybe 1000 times per book. I did enjoy them though. Was it a hard, white cheese? Was the bread brown and nutty? Was the pear wine tart?
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Jan 25, 2023 18:14
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Ninurta posted:I am finishing up the second book in L.E. Modesitt's Grand Illusion trilogy Oh, wow, I've read approximately 1 zillion of Modesitt's books but somehow missed 3 newer ones, so thanks for the headsup.
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Jan 30, 2023 04:02
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The Recluse and Spellsong books are the only ones of his that I've really gotten into. His sci-fi have interesting ideas but never really grab me for some reason. And Imager lost me midway through book 3.
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Jan 30, 2023 04:38
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immoral_ posted:The Recluse and Spellsong books are the only ones of his that I've really gotten into. His sci-fi have interesting ideas but never really grab me for some reason. And Imager lost me midway through book 3. It's an older book, but I'd recommend the stand-alone Archform: Beauty Meanwhile I'd like to third or fourth the recommendation for the Fred the Vampire Accountant books by Drew Hayes. Really fun. No creepy gross sex stuff. Enjoyable characters. They're great. Everyone fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Jan 30, 2023 |
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Jan 30, 2023 17:49
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I don't think I've heard anything about the Laundry Files audiobooks. Are they any good? Just standard? Bad?
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Mar 9, 2023 23:25
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The ones I listened to were read by Gideon Emery, and were good. You should be able to dig up listen samples if you're unsure.
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Mar 10, 2023 04:35
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I wouldn't say any of the reader especially leaped out to me as brilliant. But none of them were bad. They were all perfectly fine.
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Mar 10, 2023 19:49
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For anyone not following releases, the new InCryptid book and the first book in Max Gladstone's newest craft sequence seriesboth came out on Tuesday.
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Mar 10, 2023 22:02
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I'm curious how the new Craft book is described as the start of a series to end the series, but also a good entry point to the world
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Mar 10, 2023 22:36
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xsf421 posted:For anyone not following releases, the new InCryptid book and the first book in Max Gladstone's newest craft sequence seriesboth came out on Tuesday. audio or text only? I'm on the second sara book for incrytpid and I love these books but goddamn they're so loving straight.
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Mar 10, 2023 22:51
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Soonmot posted:audio or text only? Not sure, I only buy text. She introduced some queer characters in the next book from where you are I think.
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Mar 10, 2023 23:01
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M_Gargantua posted:I'm curious how the new Craft book is described as the start of a series to end the series, but also a good entry point to the world The craft books are all out of order. Read the first one published, if you like it, read the rest in pub order. They are good poo poo.
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Mar 11, 2023 07:02
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The key to the first five Craft Sequence books is that they all have a number in their title, and that number is their chronological order. So the publication order is: Three Parts Dead, Two Serpents Rise, Full Fathom Five, Last First Snow, Four Roads Cross. but the chronological order is: Last First Snow, Two Serpents Rise, Three Parts Dead, Four Roads Cross, Full Fathom Five. Past this point the number-in-the-title thing stops because they're no longer jumbled up chronologically and they happen in the order they're published in. To confuse things more, the author also did two interactive fiction games in the same setting, Choice of the Deathless and Deathless: The City's Thirst, which are canon and which, IIRC, happen before anything in the books.
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Mar 11, 2023 08:51
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