I’m just trying to see if I’m alone, or if it’s a common opinion. Please delete if not allowed as I’m obviously new here. Also this isn’t meant to be Sanderson hate. I think he’s obviously a very prolific and talented writer with a wonderful imagination. Sorry for formatting/quick typing I’m at work on mobile.
I really like the idea of the Cosmere and the Shards, etc. I’ve read stormlight and the 1st mistborn series twice each, so I’m obviously not a HATER per say. But I don’t know if I’ve ever been as frustrated reading a series of novels as I have these two, particularly Stormlight.
I don’t want to get into too many specifics, it would take too long. I just fundamentally disagree with some of the points he tries to make, and outright despise some of the “good guy” POV/important characters. I also feel like the morality presented in the series is a bit skewed towards a YA fairytale ideal despite the dark and dystopian settings. The powers are cool, but I feel like they were made …
I was first drawn into the Witcher universe through CDPR’s Gwent card game. Innovative gameplay captured my attention, but the breathtaking art and the vivid world depicted held it. The Netflix tv show, while being a mostly horrendous mess didn’t dissuade me. After all, we all know books are better than their adaptions. So I dove in. Now I’ve read them all. Both short story collections, the five main novels, and the standalone Season of Storms, which I finished this morning.
The short stories are the reason I completed the series. They are really excellent. A dash of the fairy tale in a grim world. Chronicling the misadventures of a grizzled monster killer. They deliver exactly what’s written on the tin. They provided the momentum for me to dive into the first of the 5 mainline novels.
From there, things really quickly go off the rails. I can best describe the series as overly sprawling and meandering. Viewpoints are more numerous than rats in the cellar. We …
It always throws me when I’m reading about sorcerers and world conquering armies and then in the midst of the chaos there’s a bloke called humble jim or some shit.
Doesn’t necessarily have to be the best or your favorite. More so a book that had such a captivating atmosphere or mood that you couldn’t shake the way it made you feel, or it was so immersive that it was always in the back of your mind even when you weren’t reading.
I’m currently reading the Gormenghast books by Mervyn Peake and definitely experiencing this feeling from them. It got me thinking about what other books might have this kind of strong lasting effect on the psyche for other readers. What is your most absorbing piece of fantasy and what type of impression did it leave on you?
If I had to choose I’d go with GOT, Wheel of Time, and Lord of the Rings
Wanted to see if there is one that stands above the rest in the area of being the saddest scene of all of fantasy. There’s a bit of range here, but suspect it will be more in the lines of major character deaths, a turn for the worse, or something else that’s comparable and made a general impact on the reader.
There are some that I can probably guess, but don’t know of. It will be very spoilerific below.
I will die on this hill. The Devil Wears Prada. Meryl, Annie, and Emily brought so much life to characters that (in my humble opinion) were so dry on paper. Pun intended. Not too mention, Stanley Tucci as Nigel.
It’s a book I’ve only ever needed to read once. I’ll watch the movie everyday for the rest of my life, if forced (I’ll do it by choice, let’s be real.)
I feel like we’re in an era of really bad character names. Maybe it’s just me or names have always been a bit strange in books and I’m just noticing now. But it feels like it’s a trend to just constantly recycle names from book to book but with just a slight change at the end (I’m mostly talking about fantasy and sci-fi). And I’m also talking about names that just literally have the same vibe, if that makes sense
Am I the only one who thinks this and if not, what’s a character name you hate?
I have just finished it and although I knew the story from TV this was a different experience.
I started this post to review the book and describe its qualities but find it impossible, cannot write any meaningful, descriptive sentences besides noting that I felt in the presence if a genius.
So let me play the reverse uno card here and ask you, who read it, why is this book so bloody good?
Edit: oh boy this exploded. Thank you all for answers. I agree with most of you. If you wrote you did not like it, no book can be liked by everyone. It was great reading the positive comments. Thank you!
Scholastic Says Schools Can Exclude Diverse Titles From Book Fairs
Elementary schools that host Scholastic book fairs can now choose to exclude certain books about race and LGBTQ+ characters issues, the publisher announced in a press release late last week.
In response to several state laws that restrict books and other learning materials related to race, racism, gender, and LGBTQ+ topics in libraries and classrooms, Scholastic—the publisher of several well-known children’s books—announced in a press release late Friday that it was adding an optional collection to the list of books that educators can choose to include or exclude from book fairs.
By separating these 64 books — many about LGBTQ+ characters, civil rights activists, and people of color—into a separate collection called “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice,” the publisher says it allows schools to opt out of offering the titles at a book fair.
Over the past two years, several states have enacted laws limiting …
I just finished Dracula. Spoilers for the 120+ year old book incoming.
I read a lot of classics, so I was prepared to enjoy it but maybe find it a bit slow, not super thrilling, and dry (while still being well done and an interesting read in terms of the history of horror in general.)
Totally wrong. Dracula is so much fun. It was genuinely scary at times (I even scared myself reading it too late at night) and I really loved the way the story was woven together through the diaries of the main characters.
The opening chapters at the castle set a great scene, and I could feel the hair stand up on the back of my neck in some of the descriptions of Harkers suspicions of Count Dracula not being everything he seemed.
And just when I thought the story would just be a series of almost short stories about Dracula’s victims, it took a turn into all the main characters joining together to form a Dracula Hunting Squad to take him out. Turning the hunter into the hunted.
It got a little slow in …
This year I had the inmense pleasure of reading these 3 books/series, and honestly they might be my top 3 ever (in no order).
For the last few months I’ve been reading a bunch of stuff but nothing is in the same league as these masterpieces.
So, what other books are as good or better than these in your opinions?
A month or two ago, I asked if sequels of Children of Time was worth reading. Some found the sequel weak, but the overwhelming opinion was positive. After some diversion, I have read Children of Ruin, and I have to say thank you so much, I don’t remember being moved like this from a book. I can’t thank you guys enough.
Spoilers will be below:
Children of Ruin cranks up what it gets from time and cranks it up by a magnitude. You wanted more interactions with alien conciousness? You will be satisfied. There is more than enough. Did you like the eerie parts of CoT? This book is straight up horror. Also the characters overall are much more interesting, especially human ones. You also have Portia, Bianca, Fabian (GOAT, still steals the show), Viola “returning”.
However felt like Octopi lacked in comparison to Portiid charm we had in first book. Firstly, their evolution didn’t feel as detailed as spiders. Secondly, Pauls and Salomes didn’t give me the …
I know its not for everyone but PHM’s corniness and goofiness was just what I needed to help me get me out of a pretty long depressive slump and honestly I was a real shit student in school so I really enjoyed that the science was laid out simply and enthusiastically enough for me, the village idiot, to understand (embarrassing to admit but PHM was the first time I understood that light is both a wave and a particle). Anyone have recs for more books that might be shelved in “depressed college drop-out’s first intro to hard scifi”?
(No YA, please, nothing against it as a category its just never appealed to me)
Thank you!
The Road has lingered in my mind since I read it in 2016, I’ve never looked at spiders the same way again since reading Children of Time in 2021. (Especially the scene >!about the physician who is captured by the spiders around page 200 in the paperback, and they keep it as a pet and feed it like dead mice for years until the person dies!<.
What are some books and moments that you just keep thinking about years after?
My favorite books of all time is The Three Body Problem trilogy. One thing I liked about it was that it was set on Earth and shows the progress of technology over hundreds of years and then eventually creating technology that allowed them to travel through space.
Is there anything similar? Thanks in advance.
I recently finished my first foray into Hopepunk/Solarpunk, Becky Chambers’ *A Psalm For The Wild Built.”
I absolutely fell in love with her themes and setting. It was beautiful to explore, and had me wanting more.
However, I felt that the rythm of the plot was sometimes clumsy, and the prose felt a bit pedestrian, so I may skip the sequel.
That said, having gotten a taste for the genre, I really want to explore the Hopepunk/Solarpunk genres more.
Does anyone have any suggestions for “post civilization” in the same vein a Psalm For The Wild Built, but perhaps with a bit more technological or political complexity and more masterfully written?
To start, I think Emilia seems like a lovely person and she’s certainly a capable actress, but MY GOD does she get the shit end of the stick when it comes to her roles in major franchises.
Game of Thrones was a TV darling for years until its trash dump final seasons, with the biggest issue cited being how horribly Clarke’s character was written.
Remember when she was cast as Sarah Connor in a Terminator movie? It’s better if you don’t.
Solo: A Star Wars Story was a box office disappointment and faded into the aether. Decent enough movie, but it had its flaws, and Clarke’s character was set up for a future arc that we most certainly won’t be seeing.
Finally there’s her foray into the MCU in Secret Invasion, which is now commonly seen as the worst product the MCU has ever churned out, and poor Emilia’s character is at the center of those criticisms due to how terribly she’s written in the final episode.
Emilia Clarke is a …