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Mars4523 posted:This UF book, The Night Dahlia (it's the second in a series) by R.S. Belcher is just so cringeworthy. I'm pretty certain there's not a live female character in this book who the main character doesn't have a sexual history with, and the plot revolves around the protagonist being hired to track down an elf mob boss's daughter who went missing and, it and surprise surprise (spoilers, but who the gently caress cares) became a porn star. Said protagonist's tragic backstory also involves being ejected from the Magic Police after a case involving raped and murdered young women goes sour. Belcher is uneven, at best when it comes to his writing. Shotgun Arcana and Brotherhood of the Wheel were both enjoyable, one in a Weird-Weird West style and the other as UF on wheels. His Nightwise series(now?) is cringeworthy. The first book the protagonist is iirc looking at a crime scene/autopsy and comparing it to his BDSM relationship with his GIRLFRIEND, which gives him extra insight into the crime. I didn't bother to finish the book after that, the only reason I read Brotherhood is because Shotgun Arcana was somewhat interesting and there's been a dearth of Dresden.
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Jun 13, 2018 03:38
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Darksaber posted:Also has anyone tried Brotherhood of the Wheel by R. S. Belcher? I picked it up because the synopsis sounded weird enough to be either really cool or awful. I'm only two chapters in and it's still setting things up, but I'd appreciate a warning if there are any big red flags for it. I found it to be a decent time passer while listening to the audiobook on my commute. It was a much better offering than his Nightwise book which, if I recall correctly, had the protagonist throwing some serious male gaze on a victim and going on about how his girlfrield is into BDSM. That was around the first chapter... Belcher also has a weird west series, Golgotha, which I found to be a much better book than Nightwise and is the only reason I picked up Brotherhood. And I just found out he has a sequel to this which features a plot around killer clowns in a Pennsylvania trailer park so I know what I'll be picking up next.
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Jan 28, 2019 01:12
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BabyFur Denny posted:I watched the first episode of The Rook today and it was ... good? Though I never read the book. I just finished watching it as well and thought it was a good adaption of the book so far. My main complaint is that the episode cut off before you started getting more information about the who/what/when of the Checquay. I think it would have been better, pacing wise, if they had either done an extended episode or aired the first two episodes back to back since that's a big part of what I liked about the book. I am probably going to re-read the book this week because I remember the broad strokes but want a refresher.
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Jun 30, 2019 22:18
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Goddammit Starz, a man in sweats and a sex harness is not good Rook TV. I take back all of the good things I said about episode 1.
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Jul 14, 2019 08:24
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In non-Werewolf gang bang news, Craig Schaefer's newest book The Loot comes out tomorrow. It doesn't state it's explicitly Urban Fantasy, but then again neither did Ghosts of Gothom in the book description. It's from a normal publisher so it isn't Kindle Unlimited but it's only $4.99 and has a sequel lined up next July. And next up in my Kindle order queue is the 10th book for Alex Verus on September 24th, The Fallen. For a laugh I checked if Amazon still had a listing for Peace Talks....so hopefully the editor will have that out next spring.
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Aug 1, 2019 03:46
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Ornamented Death posted:By way of update, the campaign has reached the upper limit on word count, which means we'll be getting two new Twenty Palaces novels. I backed his last kickstarter and it was...kinda meh. Hopefully since this is Twenty Palaces it will get back on track like the last Novella he wrote in the setting. It's on my watch and see list so I will probably end up tossing him money before the deadline.
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Aug 5, 2019 06:44
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Drone Jett posted:Has this thread ever talked about The Last Hot Time by John M. Ford? I see it's out of print and never got an ebook edition. I believe it was mentioned earlier, that's how I ended up getting a copy of it. It's a good book, however towards the end it does have some undertones of the less savory Urban Fantasy themes that even came up in Dresden Files, if briefly.
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Aug 13, 2019 05:55
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So I just finished up the latest Harmony Black, and it seemed like a decent semi-reset with Cthulhu features. I liked it overall, however The Harmony/Jessie relationship seems to be a recycle of Revanche/Wisdom's Grove with Marie and Nessa. Only now it's the Paladin and...the Wolf? IDK. I am looking forward to the next Faust book tentatively in January as well as the next Peter Grant book. It will hopefully build upon The October Man novella and it's history.
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Oct 17, 2019 07:38
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anilEhilated posted:I started with Elantris. It's the only book of his I remember enjoying, mostly because unlike everything else he has written it has some sense of pacing. Not quite there yet, however Jessie has an extended BDSM session with a hitwoman who is a Dom...and Jessie uses it to torture information out of her, as well as other things. It's Urban Fantasy at it's most awkward, but not as much as Harmony's crush in this novel.
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Oct 18, 2019 06:51
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Paul Cornell has a series of urban fantasy novellas out, "witches of lychford." Fourth one hit earlier this week, they're not bad. Same guy who wrote London Falling, friend of Aaronovitch. It's a shame that Cornell's main series is DOA, however I am interested in more witches.
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Nov 22, 2019 07:18
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rndmnmbr posted:Butcher made this choice before sex and consent became such a hot-button topic, so I'm willing to cut him some (but only some) slack. That being said, Butcher my dude it's 2020 this poo poo doesn't fly today, fixing the issues with Thomas needs to be done yesterday. I wanted to explore the Trailer in more detail (sigh) and it's...honestly weird. Thomas is imperil, Harry is Netflix and chill with Murphy...then he's semi-naked and dressing with another guy. Afterwards it looks like he may sleep with his half-sister to secure Thomas' release. This is...probably misunderstanding the preview, but it kinda sucks.
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Mar 29, 2020 10:51
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The second book of Craig Schaefer's Charlie McCabe series dropped today on my Kindle, that was a pleasant surprise. For Urban Fantasy content, the Washington Post had an Opinion piece today about the National Garden of American Heroes that reads like a bunch of adventure seeds for a WoD-lite RPG campaign. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/07/midnight-garden-american-heroes/ Two highlights: It is normal if when you leave the garden, you don’t remember the face of the Warrior Against International Socialism. You will see it only once again, at the moment before your death. If the statue of Columbus is there, walk rapidly to the exit of the National Garden of American Heroes. The statue of Columbus is allowed to be there, but it is not supposed to be there. Edit: The article in whole is pasted below. I've opened the site a number of times and it isn't paywalled, not sure it that could be due to a local newspaper I subbed to. “The National Garden should be located on a site of natural beauty that enables visitors to enjoy nature, walk among the statues, and be inspired to learn about great figures of America’s history. The site should be proximate to at least one major population center, and the site should not cause significant disruption to the local community.” — Executive Order on Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American Heroes … and furthermore the National Garden must be opened to public access before July 4, 2026, for no reason, and certainly not to propitiate any sinister forces that need to be propitiated. There is nothing cursed about the National Garden of American Heroes. Do not be concerned! The below warnings are just to ensure that you have a nice time. We do not anticipate any incidents from the National Garden of American Heroes. Warnings To Visitors! • Be sure to enter the National Garden before dusk. Bring a penny from no earlier than 2006, a copy of the Constitution, sturdy shoes and headphones. Come alone. • The entrance to the National Garden of American Heroes is behind the Dolley Madison statue. If Dolley Madison is a painting and not a statue, do not attempt to enter the garden. • The thing that looks like an abstract or modernist rendering of Benjamin Franklin is NOT a statue. The president’s proclamation was careful to specify that all statues in the National Garden would be “lifelike or realistic representations.” Do not look at it. Keep walking. • The low rumbling that comes from the base of Amelia Earhart is normal. (This is #12 on your audio guide.) Only if the low rumbling is accompanied by a faint tapping sound, as if someone is trying to find a way out of a hollow, metal container, should you begin to make your way out of the garden — not hastily, but not haltingly, either, and always keeping Amelia to your left. • If Clara Barton’s jaw unhinges and she begins to speak, plug your ears any way you can. Do not make your way toward Clara Barton, no matter what she says to you. • There is a stone that marks the northwest corner of the National Garden. Familiarize yourself with the location of this stone. Some nights, the stone looks like Daniel Boone, and another garden will appear to extend indefinitely beyond him. Do not walk into that garden, even if it seems to contain Betsy Ross and you have always wanted to see Betsy Ross. You have not always wanted to see Betsy Ross. There is nothing there for you. • It is normal if when you leave the garden, you don’t remember the face of the Warrior Against International Socialism. You will see it only once again, at the moment before your death. • THERE IS ONLY ONE JOHN ADAMS STATUE! If you see the Other John Adams, TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION. Walk as quickly as you can to the sculpture of Antonin Scalia and touch its robe, unless the statue is holding up its hand. If so, turn and make your way to Audie Murphy. Be sure, before you visit the garden, to familiarize yourself with how Audie Murphy should and should not look. Only walk toward Audie Murphy. If you can’t remember Audie Murphy’s face, take the penny from your pocket and look at the head. The head will be Audie Murphy. If there is no head, take the Bill of Rights from your pocket and read it aloud, slowly, however long it is, and whether or not it contains rights that you do not remember. If you come to the Mars resolution, you have gone too far. • Some nights Alexander Hamilton is Lin-Manuel Miranda. It’s fine. • This should go without saying, but Orville and Wilbur Wright should not be holding James Madison three feet aloft with their metal faces distorted into expressions of triumph, but if they are, do not be alarmed. The statue of Booker T. Washington will be along shortly to sort things out. • If you hear the whistle of a lonesome train, run as quickly as you can to the feet of Harriet Beecher Stowe. If you get there before the whistle blows a second time, Stowe will show you America as it ought to be, but if you get there by the third whistle, you will only see America as it is, and the vision will break you. • If the statue of Columbus is there, walk rapidly to the exit of the National Garden of American Heroes. The statue of Columbus is allowed to be there, but it is not supposed to be there. • If you stand too close to Henry Clay, when you try to step away from him, you will be unable to move. There is nothing to do then but to accept your fate. In the morning, the National Garden of American Heroes will contain an unidentified Pioneer. The contents of your pockets will be in a neat pile next to it. All records of your human existence will have vanished — save the hint of a smirk on Henry Clay’s lips. • The site is near only one major population center for a reason. • That is not the Marquis de Lafayette. Ninurta fucked around with this message at 06:40 on Jul 8, 2020 |
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Jul 8, 2020 03:03
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Dresden the 17th notes: The first two-third's dragged on, and I honestly thought it may have been some sort of Formor Matrix since everyone's actions seemed off. Dresden twice faced off against Ebenezer, then the Wardens, then Carlos appears even more injured during the second fete. Spewing ectoplasm seemed like it could have been his mind rebelling, but, no, it's just Dresden being an idiot and Karen Murphy has to take care of her spouse with cold medicine. Overall I like the book and am expecting more from Battle Ground. P.S. I accidentally ordered this via an Audible Credit and James Marsders sounded as tired of Harry's poo poo as I was.
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Jul 16, 2020 08:13
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I just finished reading Chris Underwood's Lost Falls books featuring Ozzy Turner, a In Craig Schaefer news he's started a serial Novella, Hungry Ghosts, set in the Ghosts of Gotham universe that he is offering via Patreon as an experiment in serial writing. You can get basic access for $2 a month and he, oddly, publishes the chapters fairly quickly. He has a link posted at http://www.craigschaeferbooks.com/ if anyone is interested.
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Jul 29, 2020 02:12
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I had some unused Kindle credits and picked up Titanshade by Dan Stout. Has anyone read it, it's the author's debut/1st in a trilogy. The setting is, well, I'll let the book blurb do it justice. https://smile.amazon.com/Titanshade...&pd_rd_wg=55Voh Carter's a homicide cop in Titanshade, an oil boomtown where 8-tracks are state of the art, disco rules the radio, and all the best sorcerers wear designer labels. It's also a metropolis teetering on the edge of disaster. As its oil reserves run dry, the city's future hangs on a possible investment from the reclusive amphibians known as Squibs. But now negotiations have been derailed by the horrific murder of a Squib diplomat. The pressure's never been higher to make a quick arrest, even as Carter's investigation leads him into conflict with the city's elite. Undermined by corrupt coworkers and falsified evidence, and with a suspect list that includes power-hungry politicians, oil magnates, and mad scientists, Carter must find the killer before the investigation turns into a witch-hunt and those closest to him pay the ultimate price on the filthy streets of Titanshade. The cherry on top is that the lead detective looks like Dean Winter's who wants to sell me All-state insurance right after solving the case. 
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Sep 23, 2020 03:14
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avoraciopoctules posted:I am looking for some urban fantasy with smug wizards. I would recommend Stephen Blackmoore's Eric Carter series. It's set in Los Angeles initially and features alot of Aztec mythology. The first three books form a coherent trilogy and the fourth book has the protagonist deal with the consequences of his actions. https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Things-...tal-text&sr=1-3 There's a stand alone book, City of the Damned, that is also in the same setting that features a thug who starts the book off dead and then things get interesting. It isn't necessary for the Eric Carter books but does a good job fleshing out the setting from the eyes of a Mook.
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Mar 26, 2021 01:58
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Old Kentucky Shark posted:Larry Correia is pretty terrible, and the handful of times FDR shows up and is nakedlyevil. So, the entire premise of his Monster Hunters books is that they are bounty hunters, for the Federal government and receive bounties for every monster they kill. Also, the federal government is evil. Larry's heroes are the very welfare queens he despises because they make all their money off of the government and this never comes up once. In summary, Larry Correia is a land of contrasts...
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Apr 21, 2021 07:14
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So the 6th Eric Carter book, Bottle Demon released today on my kindle and from the first chapter/synopsis it looks like it should be a fun ride. I also picked up the 3rd Titanshade book because I want more 1970s Dean Winters detective stories with his not-an-Orc partner. Between the two I should have a nice 679 page novella to read this weekend after visiting the Pima Air & Space Museum 13 months later than planned and fully vaccinated.
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May 5, 2021 02:56
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Omi no Kami posted:Hmm, I just finished and enjoyed the third Eric Carter book, but now that the initial plot thingie is resolved I don't really feel engaged enough to jump into another 3-book cycle with those characters- could someone give me the cliff notes version? I know the genie dude was behind it all and gets locked in a horrible ghost prison thing and apparently carter's grimdark violence obsession was mostly due to CTE and went away, but I'm mainly curious to know if anything else happened with the aztec god domestic dispute he got himself stuck in the middle of. I would recommend giving Book 4 a shot, it's really the coda/conclusion to most of the Aztec stuff. Books 4-6 aren't really a trilogy, they can each be read separately. Edit: When I first read the books I also took a break after book 3. I only picked up book 4 on a whim because I didn't have anything interesting to read and I am really glad that I did. Serious spoilers ahead, broken up by book:  Book 4Quetzalcoatl goes on a rampage through LA causing a massive firestorm that devastates the city, killing several hundred thousand people and leaving more homeless, and turns Vernon and a chunk of LA around USC into a toxic hellscape that will kill you even in a Hazmat suit. Book 5 This the aftermath of what happens when you have said several hundred thousand angry, hungry ghosts in LA and involves some Chinese mythology. Oh, and Carter dies at the end. Book 6 takes place 5 years later, Eric is resurrected in his grandfather's body(Necromancers don't decompose?) and has less than a week to resolve the Darius situation as the bottle's wards are weakening. This involves a trip into the toxic hellscape to visit the USC campus which is now Hogwarts west, with Dollmaker as headmaster. The book ends with Carter tricking Darius into going to the Ambassador Hotel, smashing a window and causing Darius and the hotel to get sucked out of existence. Oh, and if you read his one-off novel Joe Saturday is back as Gabriela's bodyguard. Oh, and Book 6 opens with a flashback to Carter taking designer drugs from John McAfee and waking up 2 months later in the Honduras jungle waving around a flaming machette at his local guide. In conclusion, Jim Butcher could take some lessons from Stephen Blackmoore. Ninurta fucked around with this message at 03:28 on May 28, 2021 |
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May 28, 2021 03:13
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xsf421 posted:Hungry dreaming was also originally a serial with a weekly release on his Patreon, which probably explains some of the weird pacing issues. I backed it on Patreon and it still had pacing issues with the weekly releases and stalled out a few times on the first couple of chapters. It does pick up towards the halfway point and I really liked it overall. However it does feel like the most structured of his books and it does a deep dive into the history of NYC. Schaefer did a write up once he finished the book that goes into how his writing process is different depending on the series. There's a four part breakdown of his outlining process on his Patreon, I am not sure if it is available for free but here's the link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/outlining-part-48534656 Edit: I just checked in another browser, unfortunately, it's paywalled. However if you're interested in his process for $2 you get the whole of the Hungry Dreaming and his next project, Any Minor World, which has around 32 chapters released so far. I haven't started it yet, and for the life of me cannot find his original post/synopsis of it.
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Jul 9, 2021 02:59
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Velius posted:Harmony Black and Wisdom’s grave are both relevant, but the former you can probably get away with “Harmony is a magic FBI agent” and be okay. Wisdom’s Grave is a lot more backstory relevant and seems like it will influence a bunch of things moving forward. Schaefer has written two books since April; one a Ghosts of Gotham side project that was fantastic, and the most recent was Faust-adjacent and ventured into his Multiverse. I am looking forward to his next project which was voted on as SF, I want more weird space poo poo and power armor in Miami.Schaefer on Worldbuilding, 9/15/21: Warning, Long but interesting. As promised, I decided to write up a few of my thoughts on worldbuilding in fantasy. This is a followup to my earlier pieces on outlining (which you can find here and here and here and here.) Worldbuilding? Just make some poo poo up. There you go, you’re welcome. …what, that’s not enough? Ugh, fine. Okay, the creation of fictional worlds is both an important process and a dangerous trap. The trap lies in the temptation to go all-in, to define your world down to the smallest tree branch, which is not only overkill but tends to result in not actually writing the book. It’s easy, especially for new writers, to disappear into one’s own navel and compose more background material than you’ll ever use or need. And that brings a second, even more insidious trap: the compulsion to put all of that stuff on the page and share it with the reader even though it has nothing to do with the story. Yes, the heroes might be riding past the former castle of Baron Pfluhrhr, who lost his life two hundred and ninety-one years ago in the Cola Wars, struck down by a silver-plumed griffon which is notable because griffons only rarely have silver plumage, but this particular griffon was bred in the far-off kingdom of— —and congratulations, your reader has either fallen asleep or thrown the book at the wall. Here’s the trick to get around all that: worldbuilding isn’t the first step. It’s the last step. When I’m working on a new story, I always begin with characters. Who are the leads? What are they like? What do they want, and what’s stopping them from getting it? While I’m jotting down a mess of notes, I’m also thinking about theme. What do I want to say in this book? How do I want the reader to feel, and what’s the ultimate takeaway? With rudimentary characters, conflict, and theme, I’m ready to roll. All three will get fleshed out during the outlining process (and may radically change by the time I’m done), but now I know the basics and have a list of things to focus on. If I’m writing a story about a humble baker, I don’t need to write thirty pages chronicling the history of the kingdom he lives in: I need to know how to bake bread. A story about a politician doesn’t need a treatise on the local flora and fauna, but I do have to define how politics work in her world. Tools of the Trade Time to get organized. Trust me on this one. I know a certain author whose initial series notes are scattered across three notebooks and twenty-odd text files, and they really wish they’d had their act together when they started out. Sigh. In my posts on outlining, I’ve extolled the virtues of Scrivener. All of my books are written in Scrivener, and it’s a great tool not only for structuring your scenes and chapters, but for keeping your background notes together for quick and easy reference. I’ve recently found a perfect companion tool: it’s called Plottr, and it’s absolutely amazing for outlining and note-taking. It’s essentially a database where you can keep all of your info on characters, important places and events, and also a timeline which can be exported to create a handy-dandy final outline. (Not an endorsement, and I don’t get kickbacks from these folks, just sharing my two favorite tools. Check ‘em out! I think there are demos for both, so you can try before you buy.) Focus on What’s Needed You have characters, conflict, theme, and a plot all beginning to emerge. Now it’s time for worldbuilding. I like to distinguish between which setting elements need to be set in concrete, and which can be left (for now, at least) as rough sketches. For example, my patrons have voted on my next project, and it’s going to be a challenge: my first stab at science fiction (well, science fantasy). I haven’t slept much in the last week. It’s a whole new, weird universe, and I have to build it from the ground up. Once I nailed down the story itself and who it’s about, I was able to get to work on the essentials. “Write what you know” is well-intentioned but often misunderstood advice. After all, I write crime stories but I’ve never robbed a bank or committed a murder (my lawyer told me to say that.) I’ve also never conjured a demon (my lawyer told me to say that, too.) But with a little imagination it’s often possible to adapt the knowledge you do have to storytelling and worldbuilding. We’re writing a space opera here, and people are going to be on starships. I don’t know about starships but I do know, thanks to my wayward youth spent out on the Florida coast, about boats. I know how showers and toilets work on boats, and cooking, and how people adapt to tight quarters and limited storage space. We can work with that! (I also know how boats are money pits that demand constant expensive maintenance, and you’d better believe that’s finding a way into the narrative…) These are all details that can make an imaginary starship feel true to life, because they are true to life. And that’s the most important part of creating a fictional world: nailing down the details that make a reader feel like they could live there. Defining things like where people live, what they eat, and how they get around will serve you and your story more than a hundred pages about your world’s ancient history. I started by defining the setting in its broadest strokes. I had images in mind of an over-extended empire in collapse, lost technology and mysteries, and a lawless frontier that would make the perfect playground for my characters to explore (while getting in trouble, of course.) Instead of writing out thousands of years of history, I decided on the big beats of the timeline, the pivotal moments that shaped the setting into what it is. After some brainstorming, this boiled down into three key eras — the Age of Titans, the Age of Heroes, and the Age of Decadence and Ruin. Each age got a three paragraph writeup, summarizing the most important moments and events that the protagonists would be affected by. That’s it. Just three paragraphs each, maybe a couple of pages, for the history of the galaxy. When it comes to the big-strokes elements of your setting, gaps aren’t a sign of incomplete worldbuilding, they’re a powerful tool you can put to work later. Leave Some Gaps You know I’m an obsessive plotter. The last scene of the final Daniel Faust novel (which is still many books away) was written before the first book, because I needed a rock-solid vision of Daniel’s series arc. The cosmology of the universe, the nature of god, the heaven situation — none of that stuff was revealed to readers until the Wisdom’s Grave trilogy, but I wrote it all in my notes years beforehand, because I needed to know it. With all that said, you might think that every last corner of Daniel’s world has been documented to death. Nope! There are lots of wide-open spaces, waiting to be filled in — but only if/when they’re needed. For example, very early on I decided on the ins and outs of infernal politics; the machinations of the courts and princes are integral to the series, so I absolutely had to nail down how hell worked, its laws and customs, who holds what territory and where. But while Daniel travels a lot, he’s never left the United States, and that means I’ve left the infernal courts overseas as a blank slate. They don’t feature in any of the stories, so there’s no need to spend time figuring them out. That said, I’d love to bring the whole gang to Europe someday. When that happens, I’ll need to write up the local courts and influential demons, and most importantly I can create them to fit the needs of the story I want to tell (instead of bending the story to fit the pre-written lore.) Getting Specific When it comes to the details you really need to pin down, your characters will show you the way. Take a look at each of your main characters, one at a time, and make a list; you’re looking for any notable qualities about that character which demand background details. This is a brainstorming session, so just keep it casual and loose and jot down anything that leaps out at you. For example, here’s a partial (trimmed heavily for space and to avoid spoilers — the original is about four times this long) list I put together for one of our new protagonists: Mair Finley, co-pilot of the Second Chance. — “co-pilot” reminds me, we still need to decide/justify how faster-than-light travel works. Also, fuel. How much is needed, and how available is it? — augmentations from military service. How common are these things? — anti-rejection drugs: who makes them (brand name, or generic?), and how expensive/hard to get? This will tie into the ‘how common are augs’ question above. — Mair and Waylon both like to kick back with a drink when they’re off-duty; should come up with some notable brands and what they taste like. — sidearm: something big and reliable, she doesn’t go for the weird stuff. So probably a heavy pistol but we can jazz up the tech some. Electromagnetic propellant, maybe? Do some reading on speculative designs. — has a music collection; what’s the dominant recording medium in this world? Are there multiple standards? Music is universal, part of the human experience, really think about how it expresses and evolves across star systems — why did I say I would develop an entire new universe in one week, why do I do these things, I am not smart — pet fish? And just like that, you have a list of worldbuilding tasks that are actually relevant: stuff that you know you’ll put to good use, not just filler or busywork. Make a list for your entire cast and you’ll really be on your way! Also, it’s not uncommon for questions to lead to other questions, and that’s a good thing. (For instance, in my case, a question about local government led to a lot of pondering — and some heavy economic research — about the behavior of currencies in a collapsing regime. Definitely a detail that will be important in the story to come.) One Last Thing: All About Magic Systems Don’t. Seriously, though, I wrote up a whole thing for this section that devolved into a bit of a rant and there’s really no point; the very concept of “magic systems” puts my teeth on edge, but a lot of readers love them, the more detailed and mechanical the better. If you really want Cormac the Bold to power up his firebolt (which he can use twice per day, each bolt traveling a maximum of twenty feet and inflicting 3d6 damage) by infusing his aura with precisely three drops of purple mana and one drop of blue mana, go for it. Authors far, far more successful than me have gone that route. My personal taste is to keep my magic weird and, when I can, use it to reflect its wielders or the world they live in. Daniel Faust, Vegas magician and hustler, employs a deck of magical cards. The ever-rational scientist Savannah Cross turns the Mandelbrot Set into a lethal incantation while Nessa Fieri, befitting her essence as a fairy-tale villain, spins flesh into tortured glass. Assigning rules and mechanics and hows and whys to any of that would strip it of the, well…magic. But that’s me, you do you. In any event, just make sure that magic sits in its proper place: in service to the characters and their story. Readers should not come away knowing more about your magic system than they do about your protagonists’ inner lives, and they certainly shouldn’t care more about it. Thank You For Coming to My TED Talk So there you go; a few thoughts on worldbuilding, jotted down while I’m in the middle of doing just that. I hope that you found this useful, or illuminating, or at least interesting! And now, I’m getting back to work. This book won’t write itself, after all. Ninurta fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Sep 15, 2021 |
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Sep 15, 2021 09:12
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If you are interested in more of Craig Schaefer's writing process I highly recommend signing up for his Patreon at the $2 a month tier. You also can read the Hungry Dreaming (Ghosts of Gotham setting) and he just wrapped up Any Minor World, which is Faust-adjacent/multiverse. The latter is pretty interesting as it starts off in the world of Noir York City, where zombies have taken over New Orleans and the Crime Boss Duke Ellery rules the city with an iron fist. Most of it takes place in the Faustverse but it has some interesting swings. Schaefer is also working on his next book to post on Patreon and he had his patrons vote on it, and the majority voted that his next project will be weird Sci-Fi. Craig Schaefer posted:Option three is something entirely different. My first stab at science fiction. Of course, I've flirted with those themes before (like the cross-dimensional jaunts in Detonation Boulevard), but this would be a whole new universe to explore. Now, I'm not a hard sci-fi kind of gal, and this would come with a healthy dose of fantasy and weirdness: think along the lines of Dune. The David Lynch version.
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Sep 17, 2021 01:55
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ImpAtom posted:I've heard this story so often I feel like writers need someone to sit down and slap the keyboard out of their hand when they try to hurt themselves to finish a dumb book. Thankfully, it wasn't book related, but was still a Schaefer injury. He was on the stairs with a glass of water, tripped and put out the wrong hand to break his fall. So, hopefully he bought a copy of Dragon Naturally Speaking.
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Oct 3, 2021 04:51
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ookiimarukochan posted:Amongst Our Weapons isn't officially out til tomorrow but Waterstones have been selling them since at least today - I think I enjoyed it more than the last couple of Rivers of London books. The "new metaplot" may not have been advanced, but things definitely happened. Also I appreciated the Alien series gag, even if it was a bit too obvious. Well, shoot. It isn't out in the US until the 12th. Hopefully it will involve a cameo from the German Magi.
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Apr 7, 2022 04:45
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So, I recently finished up both Amongst Our Enemies (Rivers of London) and Suicide Kings (Eric Carter.) I found both enjoyable, but felt that the latter did a good job of expanding it's universe, showing off more hosed up Mage politics, and generally just having a bit more fun. I'm looking forward to the next books in both series, as well as the next Daniel Faust when it's released.
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Apr 29, 2022 07:09
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The next Schaefer work on Patreon is going to be a sequel to the Hungry Dreaming. However, Heather will be doing a lot of historical research on it so I'm not sure when it will start popping up.
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May 5, 2022 06:50
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Junkenstein posted:Did they do the sci fi story that was announced or was that put on the back burner? The Sci-Fi story was wrapped up and Heather Schaefer had put up a vote for the next book to work on. The Hungry Dreaming sequel won out, but I was holding out hope for another dark fantasy. The Sci-Fi book is good, btw. It's sort of a fusion of Hungry Dreaming, Ghosts of Gotham, the future sequence from Faust and Titans thrown in for good measure. Ninurta fucked around with this message at 08:51 on May 6, 2022 |
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May 6, 2022 08:49
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Junkenstein posted:Is it the book that got released the other day, or is that a completely new book out of nowhere? It is not Any Minor World, that is a separate book that was the previous Patreon serial. The Sci-Fi book is the Dead and Sleeping Stars, which could honestly serve as a sequel to any of the previous novels. There are witches, the Greek Pantheon and some cybernetics to boot as well as sleeping Titans best left in their depths. It has an Aliens-Shadowrun esthetic with a dash of Firefly/SF about a crew of misfits of your choice. If you are really interested in getting it early(AMM was finished in August 2021 so there's about an 8 month lag time but I believe the earlier books were quicker.) You can do a 1 month sub for $2 and get access to the whole thing, however in chapter by chapter format which can be a bit unwieldy. Edit: not sure why quote was cut off with my first post, fixed. Ninurta fucked around with this message at 07:48 on May 7, 2022 |
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May 7, 2022 07:46
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There's a Butcher book coming in October!...from his son. https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Mans-Ha...ps%2C115&sr=8-1
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May 10, 2022 08:20
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Calidus posted:The summary reads like Dresden files in Boston. Here's hoping Pengiun assigned a better editor at any rate. They're publishing it but under the Ace Books imprint I guess to not dilute the Dresden Files brand? Speaking of, looks like there is a Toot-Toot short story released last week as part of an anthology, and James Marsters is narrating it on Audible. https://www.amazon.com/Heroic-Heart...ps%2C141&sr=8-2  Sorry for the Toot-sized image, that's all that is floating around on Amazon/Goodreads.
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May 11, 2022 03:49
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I would like to again say that Gareth Hanrahan's Black Iron Legacy series is a great read. It initially centers on a Steam Punk city Guerdon ruled by Alchemists who want to keep it out of the Mad Godswar that is raging across the rest of the world. Things happen, the city ends up like West Berlin cut four ways and things get interesting. The author was only contracted for a trilogy, but is working on a fourth book. Will it have an ending? Who knows. It's worth a read.
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May 23, 2022 09:26
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biracial bear for uncut posted:Why would I buy any Dresden Files books in Hardback? They're cheap, after market. https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=jim%20butcher&bi=h&cm_sp=sort-_-SRP-_-Results&n=100121503&sortby=17 I've never seen a Trade Paperback for Dresden Files, most likely because they're too short.
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May 28, 2022 07:21
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The latest Daniel Faust, Down Among the Dead Men stealth dropped yesterday on Kindle. I would have missed it if I weren't checking the Patreon for the latest chapters. I am about 2/3 of the way through, it's been fun so far and has a lot of callbacks since it, you know, takes place in Hell and Faust's opponents aren't likely headed to the Pearly Gates.
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Jul 24, 2022 05:24
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No worries, I would have missed it as well if not for the Patreon post. I actually had to check my Kindle library since it just showed Daniel Faust Series, 10 of 10 on the Amazon page and no new listing. Overall it's a good read at a fairly breakneck pace, I believe the whole book takes place in less than 12 hours with the split about Hell 2/3, Earth 1/3. The callbacks are pretty well done and you even get closure on Stacy from book 1.Going to Hell gave her a new lease on life and she runs a popular "game" show on one of Hell's 3 TV networks. Channel 1 is hardcore porn, of course, Channel 2 is her network run by Caitlyn's sister and Channel 3 is State TV/Fox News.
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Jul 26, 2022 00:07
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xsf421 posted:Double posting (a month later), but the first of two kickstarter funded Twenty Palaces book is out: https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Gate-Twenty-Palaces-ebook/dp/B0BGYCYW31/ref=sr_1_1. Huh, turns out I did back this. Thanks for the update, downloading now and should hopefully wrap it in a few days.
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Oct 6, 2022 01:59
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Everyone posted:Is the MC a failed/would-be pro wrestler with a hate/envy/lust for Paul Michael Levesque? The book description reminds of a series of books, I'm not sure from where though. Luckily, James set his book in New England. Dead Man's Hand posted:On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is...not one of those witches. I think the worst thing is that the publisher expects you to shell out $14.99 for the Kindle edition based on name alone.
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Oct 7, 2022 05:58
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I finished the latest 20 Palaces Novel, Iron Gate. And it's a fun ride. From the first chapter you're ingulfed in Retro TV shows. Duke rocks.
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Oct 21, 2022 09:26
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ConfusedUs posted:I’m gonna read this soon but first I have to read Blitz, the third Checquay novel, following after The Rook and Stiletto. The book was pretty good, if a bit short. It definitely feels like it may be heading towards an end-game since it's self-published but I'm fine with that. Next on my plate is the next Eric Carter book Hate Machine from Stephen Blackmoore, once I'm finished with that I will tackle Blitz next. It's a fine harvest for Urban Fantasy, eh? Sorry, I will show myself out.
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Oct 27, 2022 09:17
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Deptfordx posted:So has anyone actually read that James Butcher (Jim B's son) book Dead Mans Hand? Added to my pile, it's apparently part of a sequence called the Unorthodox Chronicles.
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Oct 28, 2022 08:44
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docbeard posted:I need to give this one another try. I bounced quite hard off it for some reason, and I don't think it had anything to do with the book itself. I unfortunately was lost when the first battle starts with the Big Hero shouting out "Splashtown!" I know towns have weird names, but that took me out of it.
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Nov 16, 2022 07:30
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