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The OP posted:-Post about books you're reading or excited about! Mention the author or title so we know what you're talking about.  Blessed with Power Unwanted (The Thawing of Magic: Book 1) Breaking the rules of magic was never part of the plan… Serious-minded Durndan Shrivester is a wizard with a blueprint for his life: a steady job, a beautiful fiancée in his village, and a safe, stable future. Then he starts exhibiting new powers – powers that break the rules of magic. With the help of his friends, he tries to keep everything on track. But a mysterious series of prophetic elf-dreams begins, pulling his whole life further away from his plan. Finally, a botched spell and a disgraceful scandal force Durndan to flee his comfortable existence. He must journey far, alongside companions old and new, while fending off the king’s wizard, who would seize these incredible new powers for himself by taking Durndan apart, piece by piece. Can Durndan make it all the way to the Top of the World, where the elf-dreams say his answers await? Or will he fall before the sinister minions and overwhelming might of the king’s wizard? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPF5DVB...ps%2C132&sr=8-1
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Dec 8, 2022 01:53
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zoux posted:I finished the Born Queen series, which is a solid fantasy story that doesn’t do anything amazing but includes some of the best written descriptions of hand-to-hand combat I’ve come across. very easy to follow and visualize the action. The author, Greg Keyes, is mostly a licensed novel guy, so my expectations weren’t very high. I didn’t love the pacing, there were a few overly convenient contrivances and it was rushed towards the end. Good prose, good use of language, and decent characterization, 3.5-4 stars. Oh he also has this nasty habit of end of chapter cliffhangers that end up being nothing when you get back to that character’s pov. The first Mistborn book is the best of the three in that trilogy IMO, so take that as you will. But even the first book branches out from bring a traditional heist story after the initial few chapters, so there's that too.
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Dec 16, 2022 21:57
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WarpDogs posted:It's absolutely crazy how often it crops up across every medium, with the singular exception of video games, and thank christ for that small mercy Is that perhaps in part due to rating systems? Is there a tier above Call of Modern Halo violence that's the equivalent of an NC-17 rating for video games?
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Jan 2, 2023 22:21
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FPyat posted:I do get the impression that the Dune sequels suffer from Star Wars syndrome, where that which first seemed wonderfully enigmatic as a background detail becomes less impressive seen directly. Somewhat true, but we see the evolution of societies and mores as a constant presence throughout the books (which necessitates exposure into some of that background detail). Herbert also doesn't really pull back the curtain too much on his world as the books go along except in service of the plot (e.g., expanding our view of the Guild as needed for Edric). Of course, this last point doesn't apply to the KJA/failson "sequels" and "prequels." There are, of course, other things to complain about when it comes to the Herbert sequels, like the increasing horniness that permeates them.
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Mar 2, 2023 00:48
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I'm 25% through Doors of Eden and am...not very impressed? I don't know if this will be a DNF, but I'm finding the prose dry, the story tedious, and the evolutionary intervals boring, not at all interesting like the "what-if" thought experiments in Children of Time. Am I alone/does it ramp up/am I a Philistine?
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Mar 6, 2023 17:18
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Children of Time (Children of Time #1, Adrian Tchaikovsky) - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DN8BQMD
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Mar 22, 2023 20:32
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pradmer posted:Senlin Ascends (Books of Babel #1) by Josiah Bancroft - $2.99 Just wanted to say I appreciate the work you do in finding and posting these specials. I've picked up a few books that needed reading thanks to you. And of course thanks to anyone else who does it as well and I don't mean to leave anyone off, just that pradmer is the name I've seen on the recent dumps that I remember.
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Apr 3, 2023 23:43
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Leng posted:Babel by R. F. Kuang is currently on sale for $6.99 USD, down from the usual Babel was the first book of hers I read. I jumped on it as I was a Classicist and an academic in a past life, many years ago. The book does talk about the foibles of translation and understanding language, but is mostly about the ramifications of empire, colonialism, and exploitation of other cultures. I thought it was a very good but challenging read -- challenging my one-time vocation and the values and assumptions behind it, not that it required a dictionary to follow. It's very much a period piece, so if that doesn't intrigue you then skip it.
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Apr 7, 2023 18:37
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$14.99 USD:
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Kestral posted:If I wanted to read the Mabinogion and whatever the definitive collection of Irish mythology is, whose translations into English should I be looking at? Back when I was studying Medieval Welsh for electives in grad school (I needed fun classes), I used the Penguin Classic as both my crib and for reading the rest of the texts that we weren't covering in the classes. Granted, this was decades ago and I haven't kept up, so I can't say whether better is on the market these days, but IIRC our prof recommended that edition.
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May 21, 2023 07:04
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anilEhilated posted:
Also seconding reading Doon if you can get your hands on a copy. Some of the references may be a bit dated but they nail Herbert's prose perfectly, and by perfectly I mean exaggerate to extreme comedic effect, making it truer than the actual.
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May 24, 2023 17:47
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God-Emperor I think could even be argued as being better than Children but the quality drop between that and Heretics is massive.
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Re: pradmer's posts of book salesStarkk posted:I just want to say I also appreciate these posts and look for them daily, I've gotten so many cheap books because of these posts. 
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Jun 8, 2023 05:03
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MockingQuantum posted:lol, amazing callback I'm missing the joke, but Parker is a great writer, one of my contemporary faves, and 16 Ways was a fun read for me as an ex-Classicist.
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Jun 15, 2023 05:59
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:The trick is just accepting that there will be parts you don't understand and letting it just wash over you like a wave and then you keep going. Someone somewhere (probably in a thread here on SA) made the point that it's best to approach Aubrey-Maturin as a modern reader without a technical knowledge of sailing with a mindset sort of like you'd have reading ungrounded (I.e., not near-future quasi-realistic) sci-fi: there's a lot of technical terms and weird social mores around, they're not all explained and some barely resonate even with context, so do your best to see where you can slot in what a "carronade" or "loblolly boy" is from the story, trust the author that it'll get explained if it's crucial, and if it's not then just admire it as part of the worldbuilding. (The difference, of course, is that you can look this stuff up in a reference guide if you're really curious.) And as someone said, anything really important eventually gets explained to Maturin (or by Maturin to Aubrey if it's in his bailiwick, as happens on occasion). More A-M talk: I've never read a series where there are so many bangers in a row (Discworld is a gap in my catalog, one that I need to address sooner rather than later, and of a different tone, but as I understand it once Pratchett got going he was hard to stop); however, you can see the author's decline in the last couple of books -- especially the last -- and it's a bit melancholy to note. Not that I'm sorry I read them, and O'Brian is still ten times the writer I am on his worst day, but it's there if you read closely. Age comes for us all.
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Sep 3, 2023 01:28
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Benagain posted:Late to the location bitching but I would love any/more Chicago based urban fantasy. Dresden files don't count.
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Oct 18, 2023 22:14
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Groke posted:Le Guin is so very good. I think I say without exaggeration that she is the Hemingway of the SFF genres, given her ability to evoke such emotion and vistas of the mind in so few words. Not a word out of place.
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Nov 3, 2023 15:41
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fischtick posted:One cool bit I learned after reading: the stories are in chronological order, but GRRM wrote like Chapter 4 in the 70s, then worked backwards and forwards in the 80s to give Tuf a more meaningful origin story and a conclusion. Also, I guess Tuf voyages through GRRM's sci-fi universe? I didn't know he had one.
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Jan 13, 2024 01:15
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Is there any decent fantasy inspired by Indian cultures? (Or other South Asian?) Seems to be a glaring hole but probably just my genre ignorance showing. I recently returned from a few weeks in India and it seems like there's fertile ground there.
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Jan 22, 2024 22:13
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mllaneza posted:I'm going to throw out the two Bahubali movies for some absolutely batshit insane, massively over the top action epics. They're on Netflix. Tollywood is loving insane, and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. I already had parts 1 & 2 in my to watch list and will make sure they make it there sooner rather than later. Barely SFF and not lit, but (speaking of Tollywood) anyone who hasn't seen RRR (also available on Netflix) ought to give it a watch. Great action story that focuses on the friendship between two men who are torn apart by duty; also contains insanely popular "Naatu Naatu" song and dance sequence. (Edit: posted above, thank you! It's also important to the movie's plot!) Thanks to all who answered my question!
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Jan 23, 2024 01:16
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A Sneaker Broker posted:2. Make these affiliated so you get a small cut. Mere Pennie’s to the dollar but it all adds up. Looking it up, I saw it's about 3%-4%, and I sure wouldn't begrudge you that money for the effort. It's not like you're pushing this stuff down people's' throats, and I believe you're providing a valuable service. Check with a mod if you're interested in the idea.
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Feb 3, 2024 20:00
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FWIW I think Pradmer should have sole rights (so long as they want to do it) to post affiliate links in this thread, given they've been doing it for so long. I don't want to see this thread devolve into a bunch of people posting competing links.
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Feb 4, 2024 00:43
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pradmer posted:The Last Policeman (#1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076Q1GW2/
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Feb 11, 2024 19:18
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FPyat posted:Anderson and Brian['s] ... continuation of Herbert's intended story. "Ultraspice"
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Feb 18, 2024 05:20
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Chairman Capone posted:I remember liking some of the Dark Horse comics from like 20 years ago by Kurt Busiek, but can't really remember any of them now. I thought they were top-notch (like most of Busiek's stuff), but the only thing I remember clearly is the coda to a 2-3 floppy sequence. Conan comes to a frontier town, spots the guy who got away, runs him down after a chase, and kills him. Mayor: "Guards! Guards! You criminal! What have you done?" Conan: "This man betrayed his fellows, stole our food, fled when we were in danger, and left us for dead. He broke his troth and fellowship, and I vowed he would meet his end on the point of my sword. Now, good sir, my Brythanian is not very good and I do not understand what you said to me." *Turns to look the mayor in the eye, still gripping his sword* "Could you repeat it?" Mayor: "Only that in our town we welcome those who love justice! Welcome, friend!" *waves back guards* Re: Exordia. Finished it a week or two ago. Not sure what I can add to the discourse except that I found it to be a rich, complex, tight work that managed to fit in Groverhaus smoothly somehow, which is something I'll never be able to do if I write for 100 more years.
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Mar 7, 2024 17:45
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I have a sudden long flight tonight due to my mother’s emergency hospitalization, and it’s not looking good. I also have the complete Pratchett from the Humble Bundle, and I’ve only read a couple of his books so far. Does anyone have the “reading order” chart by series to post, and is the consensus that the Guards thread is the best? TIA
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Mar 11, 2024 20:06
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pradmer posted:Feet of Clay (Discworld #19) by Terry Pratchett - $1.99
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Apr 2, 2024 23:56
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 11:32 |
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pradmer posted:<snip>
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Apr 15, 2024 23:41
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