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Xik posted:I'm looking for a change of pace from Space Opera, something where the main character(s) are thief's, pirates or something along those lines. If it's fantasy then something where they pick locks, break into rich folk homes etc. If it's science fiction then perhaps ~space pirates~ or something similar to Firefly. I'm honestly not really sure what I'm looking for and am pretty open to suggestions, I'm mostly just after something where the main character goes around robbing poo poo. Can anyone recommend me something? The Lies of Locke Lamora if you want fantasy, or The Quantum Thief if you want sci-fi.
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Jun 20, 2013 23:00
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andrew smash posted:The trojan war bit is fine, and the moravec robots are interesting, but the part that threw me was the GLOBAL CALIPHATE creating an anti-jew virus and a species of anti-jew murderbots I haven't read those but that sounds about right considering how Simmons is just one of those writers that went completely nuts after 9/11. I remember hearing a synopsis of one of his recent books and it was something like "30 years in the future, America is in ruins because of Obamacare. Also, Mexicans are still illegally crossing the border despite the US being a shitpile".
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Jul 7, 2013 17:18
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fritz posted:stuff about a terrible person Yikes. Talk about a stellar case study of that geek social fallacy thing. So go ahead and shatter my faith in humanity a little more: have there been any attempts to boot him out of the SFFWA or is it the sort of organization where as long as you meet the basic requirements they don't care about anything else?
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Jul 9, 2013 16:49
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House Louse posted:Probably, although SFWA is being precise about what they're doing, which is "considering complaints". This is the best summary I've seen (scroll down to July 4). I read somewhere that part of the issue was that SFWA can't throw someone out without an unanimous vote (it's an organisation of 1800 people) but I hope I'm misremembering; that sounds bizarre. With the term "geek social fallacy" I was mostly referring to this old article http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Essays/five-geek-social-fallacies.html though I will admit it was mostly a guess on my part based on well, general nerd culture-isms. Anyways that's a great point. I'm glad that a lot of people are bringing this stuff out in the open, as giving that sort of thing proper attention can go a long way.
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Jul 9, 2013 19:01
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Of those 4 books I'd say go with Lies of Locke Lamora. It's part of a series that has been going slow since the author has had some personal issues, but nearly all of the first book is self-contained. It's also the best match for the criteria you laid out.
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Aug 4, 2013 22:08
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fritz posted:Oh in other news related to Jemisin, did y'all see that SFWA kicked out Vox Day/Theodore Beale this week? That's pretty good. Though it is dumb that it took them that long to boot him out. He is an awful person with truly despicable opinions. Nice to see the hand wrangling about "we don't want to kick people for their personal politics" amounted to nothing though, considering that his "personal politics" were things like ranting that black people were uncivilized subhumans. Srice fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Aug 16, 2013 |
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Aug 16, 2013 03:55
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snooman posted:Piers Anthony's books suffer a lot once you get exposed to better authors and realize what a shady perv he sounds like. Sounds? Dude literally wrote a preface in one of his books that defended pedophilia (the action, not the being attracted to children part). IIRC the same book had a story in it about how it's unfair that men are punished when little girls seduce them.
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Aug 28, 2013 18:49
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fritz posted:Who wants to see more terrible opinions from a white dude about the state of science fiction today? Everybody does? Cool. Ugh, people that get picky about what genre something *actually* is are the worst. Kinda says a lot if the biggest criticism you can put forth is "It's not part of X genre but actually Y!". Also that quote sounds like he was dissing Dumas and if so, that's not cool 
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Sep 6, 2013 18:41
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I don't mean to make a judgment either way by saying this, but one thing that really helped Sanderson's popularity was finishing a long running book series that was quite popular. At the very least it made a lot of people aware of his name.
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Sep 11, 2013 23:38
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:I tried to read it, but I stopped when I got to the sentence "I don't like being angry, it makes me angry." Yeah that sentence really stuck out in my mind too. There are some good qualities buried in the book but it really felt like it was edgy for the sake of edginess. I actually like reading about protagonists that are terrible people, but I couldn't find Jorg compelling at all since he was so ridiculous. I mean, the book opens with him and his army raiding a village. He (a 13 year old boy) rapes a few women, and then slaughters the village by burning them to death. Lawrence does have some talent as a writer, but sadly he squanders it by going in a stupidly grimdark (ugh I hate that word but it really applies here) direction.
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Sep 27, 2013 16:23
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Wasn't Bakker the guy who defended the sexism allegations by saying something along the lines of "I'm not a misogynist, I'm a misandrist" or am I thinking of a different fantasy author? Regardless I gotta say, do not look up the personal views of 99% of sci-fi/fantasy writers. It is a painful road.
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Oct 14, 2013 05:31
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Geek U.S.A. posted:Anyone here read the latest Locke Lamora book? Looking for some impressions but scared of clicking on the series thread and getting insta-spoiled about everything. It's mostly a transitional book as the main story is about setting up a lot of things that won't be addressed until later books. Luckily while that's the main plot, there's also an ongoing flashback that is a lot of fun to read. Overall it was alright. Definitely the weakest of the bunch. I do worry about the future of the series, though I'm still looking forward to the next book. Jedit posted:I don't think the book as published has too many amateur mistakes, but its flaws are the result of Lynch cocking up the plot in the first place. He realised 75% of the way in that he'd made a major error in the original con and had to rewrite it all. Did he ever say what that original con was? Because with the way the book was written it really doesn't feel like it would deserve a massive rewrite to fix that problem. Between the flashbacks and the mass infodumping in the first quarter, the main plot was kinda underwhelming as heck.
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Nov 5, 2013 04:34
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General Battuta posted:Man, I wish I had a magic bullet. I guess my two pieces of advice would be to focus on your prose style - read literary writers, pay attention to details of scansion, imagery and word choice - and to make sure your stories are focused. Yoon Ha Lee had a really decent quote on that Not a writer, but the highlighted part is something I hear a lot from writers so I really wanna emphasize that point. It's fine to write genre fiction but you bet your rear end that all the best writers in sci-fi/fantasy read more than just sci-fi/fantasy so you should do that too.
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Nov 6, 2013 23:26
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ConfusedUs posted:I've come to the conclusion that I read too much SciFi/Fantasy. It might be a good idea to take a break from Sci-fi/Fantasy for a year or two and then see what well received titles were released during that time. It kinda sounds like you're in a position where you could very easily suffer from burnout with the genre.
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Nov 21, 2013 18:57
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Seconding Hughart. I've only read Bridge of Birds but it was a pretty neat take on Chinese myths. It really sucks that he stopped writing due to being screwed over by his publisher 
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Nov 30, 2013 18:56
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The Mobile Suit Gundam novels were rereleased awhile back. It's not much but I'd certainly recommend it over Robotech tie-in novels 
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Dec 29, 2013 03:37
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SurreptitiousMuffin posted:Has anybody read The Iron Druid Chronicles? Both Goodreads and Amazon keep recommending them to me, but the blurbs are giving me this really creepy quasi-erotica feel and I don't want to buy them if it's some weirdo stealth paranormal 50 Shades of Grey or something. I couldn't even make it through the first book because the parts I read were all about the main character narrating how awesome he was and it just felt way too much like a power fantasy even for a genre that is all about that stuff. Then again I have yet to read an urban fantasy book that I liked, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, I suppose!
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Feb 9, 2014 21:04
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Cardiovorax posted:I can never really understand people who say that you should just separate the author from the work, exactly because of that. There are some intentional exceptions, like Brave New World or 1984, but how many authors write their protagonists and think "everything this guy says is hateful nonsense and you should never believe it"? I didn't buy the book to be badgered into believing hateful nonsense and I feel used when I think about having paid that author money for the privilege of having them rant propaganda at me to believe their angry bile. You can just borrow it from the library/buy used so you don't have to worry about supporting an author with lovely opinions who happens to also write well. Easiest way, really! Srice fucked around with this message at 23:18 on Feb 19, 2014 |
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Feb 19, 2014 23:15
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Cardiovorax posted:Given the choice I'd rather not read anything by people like that at all, because it still validates them, but I get your point. It just so easy to say "what do I care about political opinions" when none of the politics impact you personally. I'm gay, so every time I see someone recommend Orson Scott Card and say people shouldn't be so touchy, I know my chances of visiting whatever country that person came from and being treated decently are just that much lower. Yeah I get what you're saying, especially with OSC in particular where giving him money means you're indirectly supporting anti-gay groups. That's definitely a point where I draw the line for sure (though admittedly it's easy to say so when his works don't personally appeal to me) I think a lot of the examples that tend to spring to my mind in terms of stuff written by authors with lovely opinions that I'd consider still worth reading even when that stuff is in the book tend to be older stuff. Can't think of a SF/F example off the top of my head but I've currently been reading some Mishima and he is a fine writer even though his issues with women are practically bleeding off the pages. Everyone certainly has their limits though. And even though I think that it's good to read from a large variety of views, we're only human after all; we all have our own standards and I can certainly understand why terrible views can put someone off!
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Feb 20, 2014 00:19
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A problem I usually have with sex scenes in fantasy/sci-fi is that when you get weird stuff from the genre involved it can feel like the author is projecting their fetishes onto the page. Heck even the milder stuff still rightfully annoys people when written poorly, I mean The Wise Man's Fear had that fairy sex scene that people won't shut up about, and I can't blame them because it was hands down the worst part of a book that had its share of problems!
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Mar 10, 2014 16:39
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nucleicmaxid posted:Oh my God people like different things?!?!!???! I was unaware of this previous to finding this thread here. Apparently so were the rest of you. Well dang, I guess The Book Barn should be closed then because there's nothing left to discuss!
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Mar 10, 2014 18:39
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So seeing all that SFWA nonsense over the past year or so, I just gotta ask: Are there any notable authors in that organization? What determines notable is hard to nail down but I guess I mean like, more than just having a dedicated fan following online. I've looked in the past but couldn't find any.
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Apr 20, 2014 05:07
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GENDERWEIRD GREEDO posted:George R. R. Martin and Timothy Zahn don't count? There's tons of notable authors in the SFWA. Hell, George R. R. Martin used to be the vice president. Ah, didn't even realize GRRM was in it. In my defense as of the last time I looked at their site it was a pain to actually find that info outside of a huge general list.
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Apr 20, 2014 05:13
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Please, I beg you, don't use terms that tvtropers made up.
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Apr 22, 2014 22:51
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systran posted:Except Sanderson thinks the things he is saying are actually clever and witty, but they aren't. Ever since hearing his sense of humor described as "Mormon dad humor" I just can't not think about that whenever discussion of that stuff pops up.
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Apr 28, 2014 18:11
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Darth Walrus posted:Word on that series is that it starts poor and then gets worse and worse, with some really ugly misogyny creeping in later on. I'd quit while you were ahead. Yeah the end of the first book felt like it was getting into power fantasy territory, complete with the quickest turnaround ever for a girl getting over being raped. Everything I've heard about the later books indicates it goes downhill p fast. I did like some of the book but everything I've heard about the others made me cut my losses.
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Apr 29, 2014 19:58
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Bread Set Jettison posted:Yep I just got to the rape scene with Leesha and I just don't want to finish the book. I don't mind bad things happening to my favorite characters (like I said, i enjoyed ASOIF), but it felt out of place in the book. Leesha was easily my favorite character and if you're implying that she will suddenly have feelings for arlen after being raped Im going to be disappointed for wasting my time. It's so close to the end that all you're really "missing" out on after that is Leesha and Arlen rolling around having sex in the mud like a day or two after the rape, and now she's over being raped. I really liked the setting but that stuff really left a bad taste in my mouth, especially when combined with Arlen becoming some super powerful badass. Kinda takes away from the horror aspect when he can now easily manfight all those demons.
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Apr 30, 2014 00:16
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ZerodotJander posted:Remember, Peter Brett wrote The Warded Man on his Treo phone on the subway on the way to his investment banker job. Suddenly a lot of it makes sense.
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Apr 30, 2014 19:50
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General Battuta posted:Hahahaha holy poo poo I just got a three book offer from Tor for The Traitor Baru Cormorant and whatever I do next. I'm stratospheric. I never thought this would happen so fast. Heck, that's the sort of thing that you should make that sort of post for. Grats! I assume it's way too early in the process to have an idea of a timeline, right?
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Apr 30, 2014 22:27
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Cardiovorax posted:I wish people like you would just stop posting justifications already. If you don't care enough to stop reading people like this guy because it's not like their hate speech is directed at you, then fine, it's not like anyone can make you. But at least stop loudly pretending. I don't feel like that's the case at all. People that bring up that justification because they admit that the author's views are deplorable but hey maybe their writing is good enough that they're comfortable with separating the art from the artist (as long as it's in a way that also separates giving money to said artist, of course )
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May 8, 2014 16:14
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I don't think it's too crazy of a notion that there are some authors with lovely beliefs that write well enough that they're still worth reading.
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May 8, 2014 18:30
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Ornamented Death posted:Then have the courage to admit that your need to be entertained outweighs any compunction you may have against giving bigots a soapbox, because every single time you pick up one if their books, whether you paid for it or not, you are telling that bigot, "Say whatever hateful poo poo you want, just make sure I'm entertained first." But what about cases where said views aren't being worn on the author's sleeve in their works? Not every SFF book is explicitly pushing an author's agenda. Obviously there are a lot of exceptions but it's not a rule that's set in stone. I don't know about this Wright fellow since I haven't read any of his stuff but for an example, have someone read Ender's Game without knowing about OSC's views on gays and see how that goes
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May 8, 2014 20:04
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Just like the last time this came up, I'll say that it's okay to read books by people with terrible views but heck, you can feel better about it if you just buy it used, get it from the library, or with other dubious methods that won't give the author your money.
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May 22, 2014 15:40
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Fried Chicken posted:And this is what I said in the Dresden thread. You want to read it despite him being a terrible person because you like the work, fine. I get that. I like the X-men movies despite Singer being an accused pedophile. But it is 2014. You can consume the art without supporting the artist. That's.....that's *literally* what I said. Like, literally literally. There is no other way to interpret what I said except in a way that agrees with you. Ease up on the pitchforks!
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May 22, 2014 16:09
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Why should it matter if an author likes a genre or not when writing in it? (Also it's not what you described at all, plus Grossman does like Fantasy)
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May 23, 2014 23:46
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I read it as more of a cynical take on life itself. I mean, we have a dude who's in some elite classes in high school. He's bored of it, he thinks life will get better once he's done with that. Then hooray, he gets enrolled in a magical school! But that's also boring because it's broken down like a science, with a lot of memorization and whatnot. And then he thinks that after he graduates he'll finally find some meaning, but nope. Turns out most wizards post-graduation are more or less hella depressed since they have everything in the world and nothing to challenge them, and they just do petty poo poo, and lead shallow lives. I wasn't a big fan of the stuff after that, but I still appreciate those parts of the book. That stuff just comes off as completely fascinating to me, and considering the Narnia parallels throughout the story I really don't think he hates fantasy (especially since he has talked about other fantasy in interviews). But heck, even if he did, I see zero problems with that. I love hearing different perspectives on subjects, even if I don't agree with them.
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May 24, 2014 00:12
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That is fair enough! It's also a legit reading since we have a protagonist who constantly yearns for escapism, yet keeps finding it unfulfilling.
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May 24, 2014 00:28
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Snuffman posted:Still excited for The Magician's Land. Huh, I didn't even know it was going to have a third book, but I guess that was silly of me. It's fantasy, after all. I liked where the first book ended so much that I haven't read The Magician King because of it. I just felt like adding anything more to the story would make it feel superfluous.
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May 24, 2014 04:05
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Popular Human posted:I am sick to death of hearing this poo poo. The Hugo situation is one of the biggest topics in science fiction right now: everyone even tangentially involved (and probably some of your favorite authors) have spent tens of thousands of words hashing the issue out over the last few weeks. How is that not a proper topic of discussion for the Science Fiction and Fantasy discussion Thread? I can't believe you're suggesting we add another thread (why, so the front page of the Book Barn can by 97% sf/f threads instead of 95%?) so that you don't have to think about the actual people who write escapist genre fiction. Would a separate thread even "contain" said discussion? I mean heck, we have a recommendation thread but that doesn't stop people from using this thread as one. I think the smaller news would remain in such a thread but the big stuff would probably leak out.
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May 24, 2014 15:21
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corn in the bible posted:I went to the bookstore today and found a self published novel. Timgs because lovely cellphone photos. Well from the cover pic and the dedication it looks like this religious dude enjoys his anime babes. I wish you godspeed, in reading it.
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Jul 1, 2014 03:55
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