Heres mine.
Naruto. People dont realize how terrible naruto world is. The ninja world is like a 3rd world nation. They literally use child soldiers. And this is the official nations. You also have terrorist insurgencies like the akatsuki running around as well. Naruto is actually one of the darkest universe in anime. Its just presented nicely.
Harry Potter. Wizards are essentially elites and they live with heavy elitists ideas. Even good wizards have enslaved house elves and other sentient beings. They see muggles as lower. And instead of spreading their magic with the world they keep their power in their community.
The little mermaid. The DISNEY film takes place in the carribean obviously especially with the type of fish, tropical enviornment, and calypso music. Seabastion is literally jamaican. But if Eric is a prince with a ship and castle in the carribean, this means he would be slaver, as thats what was going on in the era. So ariel avoided slavery just to marry a slaver.
Oftentimes I see people defend several aspects regarding the treatment of women in fantasy books and media by saying ‘that’s how things were’.
Most times this is false. I have tried to break down the argument into two main sections so I can explain how common perceptions were false. Notably, I only know about European history.
Sexual Assault
Quite a few fantasy books contain sexual assault toward women. I am not going to deny that it happened, as rape, particularly wartime rape did and still does occur. However, Rape in the past was little more prevalent than during modern times. Similarly, rape in the past was often punished, usually much harsher than in modern times. Additionally, Men were often raped at levels similar to women. In fantasy books, the latter two are often ignored. Most times rape seems to be treated as normal, rather than punished. Additionally, rape seems to be targeted almost exclusively at women.
The first edict against wartime sexual assault was the Cáin …
Which author is an auto-read for you? You would read and buy ANY book this person writes, without knowing what the book is about?
Do not waste your money on Amazon audible if you don’t have to. It’s an absolute rip off. I use Libby and sure, sometimes I have to wait for a new release but I don’t mind. Because it’s free. And I’m also supporting my local library. Just google up your local library. Sign up for a card. They email you your card number and you can sign in and start loading up. This has saved me hundreds of dollars every year.
Edit: I am not trying to tell people to give up their audible. If you like it and it works for you, that’s great! But some people don’t have cash to spend on little luxuries like that and supporting your Local library is also great. So if you can get something for free and it’s beneficial, why not use it.
Another edit: I did not know this only applies to U.S. and U.K.? I apologize to those who do not have this option and I hope something comes out that does give you this opportunity. It was never my intention to insult or hurt others by posting this. Just trying to help some …
In the past months, I’ve come across several novels that didn’t use quotation marks. In some cases it works better than in others but especially if it’s a first-person narration, I just find myself annoyed AF that I have to basically guess from context whether a character just said that line out loud or whether it’s just the main character’s inner monologue. I think it makes reading feel like a hassle and a chore and I’m curious as to why an author would make a decision like that.
I’m hearing a lot of the U.K. broadsheets excited about Ian McEwan’s A.I. novel sniffly referring to other SF novels as having “workmanlike prose”
I remember the same thing happened when Kazuo Ishiguro published “Never Let Me Go” even though other SF novelists have tackled these themes before.
Which novel(s) would you point to if you wanted to show the best of this genre, i.e. thoughtful and poetic prose coupled with excellent character building but wrapped around a barnstorming plot full of mind-bending Hard SF ideas?
Looking for recommendations for science fiction books (ideally one off novels, but ultimately fine with novellas, series, etc) that give you that sensation of the weird. I mean the almost mystical feeling that you’ve been swimming in dark waters and brushed up against the side of some dim, mostly unseen leviathan.
I don’t mean weird as in just off putting or genre horror or unusual. I don’t even really mean weird as in contemporary “weird” fiction as a sub genre. I mean more like gothic weird. Abhuman. Disturbing that takes a while to sink in. Parasites and shapeshifters and doppelgängers and lying narrators and labyrinths and revelation and terror.
Lovecraft’s The Outsider, Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher, Borges, Wolfe, John of Patmos, Cormac, Byron’s Darkness.
Open to hard or soft scifi (in terms of content), but given how New Wave (or even pulp, but not very Golden Age) of a request this, I’m sure you can imagine I’d have a preference for soft over hard styles.
Also open to …
I’m going to be honest, I don’t read much. But Roadside Picnic was the first book I actively wanted to read. And after finishing it, I’m craving more. I don’t like more traditional Sci-fi books, as I find it a bit too corny and predictable. But since I’m new to reading I don’t really know how to describe my tastes. I also like Brave New World, and not only for the message. But I also found the story itself pretty interesting.
The 2022 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition kicked off recently, and I’ve been reading my way through some of the entrants that both A) appealed to me on some level and B) were available on Kindle Unlimited. I have fairly eclectic tastes, and for your perusal today I present the first five books I liked enough to read all the way through (I bailed on eight books before finishing them).
The books I present to you include one post-apocalyptic family drama, one dark story of a of a boy who is a cult’s central figure, a YA story about humanity’s return to Earth, a story following a scientist investigating extraterrestrial microbes, and a dystopian story set in a future where cosmetic STDs are a status symbol
All work for the “self-published” square on the 2022 Fantasy bingo sheet, but I’ve noted the other squares I believe each could be used to fulfill as well.
EMP Strike by Bo Thunboe
An EMP pulse takes out the electronics across a huge area, leaving a father …