Hey y’all, I’m in the middle of my LOTR reread for the year and it’s put me back in touch with something I loved about fantasy from the beginning: soft, mysterious magic that doesn’t have an outright explanation/almost scientific break down; magic where some words are muttered and fire leaps from finger tips, where a staff can crack stone in half simply by touching it. I want some vagueness and mystery and high strangeness in my magic. So please, give me your best recommendation for series or stand-alones that have soft magic systems.
Really the only ones I’m familiar with as far as soft would be LOTR, Earthsea and Howl’s Moving Castle.
Edit: I can’t believe I have to make this edit but Brandon Sanderson is the exact opposite of what I’m looking for.
Edit the second: holy monkey I did not expect this to blow up so hard. Thank you everyone for your recommendations I will definitely be checking out some of these.
Edit: hey guys 👋, I didn’t expect this post to have so many comments, so I wanted to clarify a few points: I didn’t read Fourth Wing because of TikTok (I don’t even have an account there) I’m part of a book club at university, and we read two books per month (the other was The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin), I like fantasy books, and although not all of them are going to be phenomenal, I didn’t expect them to be so poorly, As I said in the post, I totally respect anyone who liked it and I know that not everyone likes the same things (95% of the book club loved it…) at no point was I disrespectful to anyone who liked the book, so I don’t understand the rudeness of some people in the comments That’s it, have a nice day and good reading to everyone!
So I finished, fourth wing last night and I’m totally disappointed, it’s the worst book I’ve read this year and one of the worst I’ve read in recent times, I read so many …
I’ve harbored a persistent fear that she would fade into obscurity within our world.
Throughout the 2010s, her name rarely surfaced in literary circles or casual conversations. Yet, to my surprise and relief, I now encounter her on my TikTok/IG feed.
My Gen Z coworkers are asking about her, expressing interest in her work because they are also encountering her on Instagram and TikTok.
She was a powerful voice in progressive circles. Totally punk rock, anarchist badass.
It’s astonishing and reassuring.
At 33, I find it noteworthy that I seem to be one of the few millennials familiar with her name. I hope she gains widespread recognition on a mainstream level, especially considering the decline of another, less deserving author who’s somewhat imitated Le Guin’s work and built an enormous career out of it that ironically overshadowed Le Guin’s work.
Maybe just a little boost of presence she’s getting on social media will grow into a larger and more powerful …
this is a repost from a post I made on r/throneofglassseries yesterday. I was told to post this here as well to potentially reach an even bigger audience!
Please read this post even if you have never read this series!
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(Slight, very nothing spoilers for Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas)
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I am not the target audience for these books. I am a straight guy whose favorite author is Sanderson.
But holy fuck do I love these books, ESPECIALLY Queen of Shadows.
I just finished it earlier today (first time) and I find it very easy to say this is 100% one of the best books I’ve ever read.
I was always aware of this series since I started reading fantasy a few years ago, yet due to the terribly misogynistic marketing that bookstores and publishers do, and the public perception that had been, and still is, fostered around this series, Sarah as an author, and other series that are similar, I always put it off thinking it wasn’t for me.
And I just have to …
Very personal opinion based. Did want to see if there is a fantasy character that is above and beyond the top contender for being the most hated, despised, or despicable for the fantasy reader.
It could be a character you personally hate that might be really popular to other readers, maybe its the character that has no redeemable qualities whatsoever, makes bad choices repeatedly to the point where you hate them, or the character that happens to take out/kill your favorite character in the series.
The possibilities of why they hated and personally despised are endless, but wanted to see if there is one that most readers can actually agree on.
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My heart will always belong to Tamora Pierce.
I vividly remember the day in 6th grade when I pulled the first Circle of Magic (Sandry’s Book) off the shelf in the school library and decided to take it home. It changed everything for me. I was going through a very tumultuous time in my life - my parents were getting divorced and my dad going through rehab - and her books helped me escape. The stories of Alana and Daine kept me dreaming of a bigger and brighter future and all the things I could someday achieve. I needed strong female role models in my life. I think it took my somewhere in the realm of two months to finish all the books she had published at the time. After that it was over for me, I was destined to be a fantasy bookworm for the rest of my life.
My entire collection still sits on a shelf in my childhood home and I can’t wait to pass them along someday. I still read one or two almost every time I go home to visit.
Other memorable mentions are the Warrior series by Erin …
I’ve seen people talk about actors and artists that had a terrible time.
My own would be Anne Rice. She wrote Interview with the Vampire after her young daughter died of Leukemia. Then her husband suddenly died of a brain hemorrhage. I suspect her Christian, anti-fanfic phase was a result of mental illness and manipulation from the publishers, although I don’t think she ever apologized.
It’s a question inspired by this post https://www.reddit.com/r/books/s/s2jK2DzFrA by u/oh_sneezeus
Is there any book that is considered a classic or regularly shows up on the “100 books to read before you die” lists and such, you had high expectations before reading and then you ended up absolutey detesting?
For me it’s Blindness by José Saramago, it started off good and then page after page it was becoming more unbearable for me to read, I hated the characters, the things they were doing and the conclusions of the book. I was really disappointed because the plot seemed really good and all I ended up with was frustration.
Is there a book that did the same to you?
If you’re anything like me, you probably read a lot of books and forget a lot about them as well after reading them (also see: being ADHD)
Is there one specific book whose plot, characters, setting you just can’t get out of your mind and still think about today even when in the midst of another book?
For me, it’s 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. I think due to the sheer volume of this book (clocked in over 1000 pages) I was so invested in Tengo and Aomame’s stories that it’s quite impossible to forget them quickly. This is also why I prefer long novels, because they stick around in my memory for longer!
So what book is still stuck with you?
I know this is probably a common topic. For me, I’m not sure if it’s a “trope” or just totally misinformed writing, but it’s how many authors approach alcoholism. Some examples are Girl on the Train and The House Across the Lake, among HUNDREDS. If anyone else here has struggled with alcoholism, you know it’s not just “i woke up after downing an entire bottle of whiskey but was able to shower, down a cup of coffee, and solve a murder. “
Edit: yes, I’m fully aware of functional alcoholism. I was mostly referring to the literal “shower/coffee/instantly sober and taking on a huge endeavor without any shakes or visible effects of their drinking” piece lol.
I loved both these books. Any recommendations based on this? Ideally not Murakami since I’ve read many of his works already.
EDIT: This is awesome. Thank you.
While I love many science fictions books, I find I really fall in love with stories where characters are exploring something very unknown and alien, and especially if what their exploring is grand and full of wonder and awe.
Some examples are; Hyperion - especially the priest’s story, and the overall pilgrim’s story. Cibola Burn (book 4 of The Expanse)
Video Games that also give the same vibe; Subnautica Satisfactory Outer Wilds
I’m looking more for books than video games right now, but both are welcome!
I’m looking for a post-apocalypse book that takes place in our solar system in space.
Something in the vein of:
-The killing Star
-Children of Time
-The 100
What would it be like to scrape together an existence within the shell of an abandoned and neglected space station with very few survivors? How would a civilization change if it developed on a space station with little or no knowledge of the former civilization that colonized the solar system and created the very structure they live on?
Just seems like a very interesting setting that I would like to explore.
my fandom goes back a long way, and in the ‘80s I would read her short fiction as printed in magazines and anthologies. she really didn’t click for me, but I put that down to my relative lack of maturity as a reader. I specifically remember her “All My Darling Daughters” as a (for me) meh story that I didn’t see the point of (at the time of reading).
last night, I read her “Jack” novella in one sitting (mostly… one break to brush my teeth) and stayed up late to do so.
now I understand what I missed.
perhaps I had read the wrong, more humorous stories, by her, rather than the more serious stuff?
anyway, I now know why all the praise.
What’s your favorite large battle scene in a sci-fi story? What did you enjoy about it? Was there technological parity between the sides or not? Was it terrestrial or in space?
After just finishing the first First Law triology and Listening to Dungeon Crawler Carl earlier in the year, I’ve learned how audiobooks can really enhance the reading experience. I’m already familiar with Ray Porter’s work on Bobiverse and Project Hail Mary. What are your favorite audiobooks that you’d recommend? Also, how good are the subsequent First Law books?
A Mickey Mouse movie for the 100th anniversary would have been a sure fire hit.
Have it in the same universe As Goof Troop.
Made it about Mickeys life. How he somehow ended up getting wrapped in every Disney movie so far but in the background in a funny hijinks kind of way.
Show how he befriended Goofy and Donald and he met Minnie.
Edit thanks for the upvote. I was watching Wish today and thinking of something better than the movie I was watching.