Let me preface this by saying this is not another “Have you tried Malazan? You should try Malazan! … Malazan!” post.
This is a spoiler-free discussion on my perception, while reading and after finishing, the series’ Malazan Book of the Fallen (MBotF) by Steven Erikson and The Wheel of Time (WoT) by Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson). This is not a book review or critique.
I read through MBotF and WoT over the last 2 years for the first time. I read them in rotation along with another random trilogy or series mixed in as I went. I don’t like to read 2 books from the same series back to back because they tend to blur together in my mind. I want each book in a series to have its own isolated moment in my mind and have time to digest before I dive in to more from the same series. Anyways, I started Gardens of the Moon (MBotF 1)and followed it up with Eye of the World (Wot 1).
I finished The Crippled God (MBotF 10) about 6 months ago, and just recently …
Hello everyone, it’s good to be back. I’m the author of the Green Bone Saga, which began with Jade City, continued in Jade War, and concludes this week with the release of Jade Legacy. The series is an epic urban fantasy gangster family saga set in a modern Asia-inspired metropolis and spanning about 30 years. It won the World Fantasy Award, has been translated into a bunch of languages, and is optioned for TV development. I’ve also written three YA science fiction novels and a smattering of short stories. I did a previous AMA here for the release of Jade City and here for Jade War.
Besides finishing the biggest creative project of my life so far, I’ve been spending the pandemic eating takeout and watching anime. I recently played my first D&D campaign. It’s been a whirlwind week, and I have to say it feels damned good to have completed the trilogy and have it out in the world.
Obligatory links: Website, Instagram, Twitter, and my Patreon, where I …
Once again i’m looking books in which the main character starts off morally adjusted and becomes evil or less so moral as the book(or books)progress.
Plus if its coming of age/ starts with a younger protaganist
Double plus if its single POV
Some examples I can think of are
- The Broken Empire Trilogy
- Embers of Illeniel Series
Thankyou good discussions to you all!
Inspired by the “best swordsman” thread - who do you think is the best Spearman in fantasy fiction?
For me it has to be Trull Sengar, Syl-bound Kaladin Stormblessed second, with Mat Cauthon third, and pre-honorspren bound Kaladin fourth.
(There needs to be more spear users in fantasy)
For me it’s the one for A Game of Thrones - The prologue promises ice creatures and zombies, and then we’ve barely spent some time on the Wall, not the mention beyond it. Instead the book turned out to be a political intrigue and scarcely any fantasy.
Don’t get me wrong, I felt in love with the books eventually and now they are in my Top 3 series, but I remember my frustration when I was a kid reading it the first time, when the pages went on and on about southerners’ politics, when all I really wanted was to spend time with Jon and go with him beyond the Wall.
Do you have any such prologue, which seemed like it promised something, and never truly delivered?
We were all blessed by the magic that is “Good Omens”, courtesy of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. And Dragonlance from Weiss/Hickman.
But which authors would be AMAZING to team up?
I’d say:
- Scott Lynch writing characters set in a Brandon Sanderson world
- Joe Abercrombie playing with Erikson in the world of Malazan
- Michael J. Sullivan writing an adventure with a Royce/Hadrian-style team-up with Druss by Gemmell
Drop your best team-ups below!
The Giver is an excellent book and yes, while I was introduced to it as a child and its perfectly acceptable book for kids to read, the messages and lessons in the book go far beyond that of a child or teenager will understand.
Looking back it is a profound book that should be read and understood as an adult.
It gives a much better way to question your reality and society and I find it to be much more thought provoking than major works such as 1984 or Animal Farm with regards to potentially dystopian societies.
Just finished the complete Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy today and I’m really curious what is your favourite thing from this universe >!(or let’s say from the infinitely many universes).!< All I ever heard about this book was the number 42, but there’s so much more to it…My favourite is >!the babel fish, I love the idea of understanding every language.!< What’s yours ?
I just can’t with these books that have a non-removable sticker saying “Now on Netflix” or “Soon to be on Amazon Prime. Imagine being forced to add a book to your collection with that piece of crap. It will definitely be even worse in the future and I feel like the majority don’t even care and will continue buying these copies.
It’s just infuriating to be forced into buying a book with a non-removable advertisement because of promotions they want to shove down your throat.
Let me tell you, the Libby app has been a total game changer for me! But perhaps maybe I am just late to the game!
Before moving overseas, I was always at the library borrowing books, I could go through multiple books a week. Once I moved, books, especially English ones are just not as available, or terribly expensive, cue using my Kindle more, but that gets pricy too. Basically, I had to throttle the amount of books I was reading due to cost. And I always tried to use my library’s ebook rental portal, but it gave me nothing but problems that I stopped trying. I have been devouring books since I got it, and rediscovered all the joy I have while reading!
Any book suggestions to add to my list are more than welcome!
Which books of the last 21 years will be remembered like Foundation, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Left Hand of Darkness, Neuromancer etc.?
Also for bonus credit which books that are super popular now will be forgotten?
Hyperion was one of the first sci fi books I read many years ago, and as I’ve dug way deeper in the genre I’ve always wondered if it was as good as I remembered and if it deserved all the hype. So I re-read it, and… wow! I cannot believe how incredible some of the short stories are, I feel like there’s so much to talk about here. That’s not to say it’s perfect, but any book that is this thought provoking must be doing some things right.
Most importantly, it combines classic sci fi tropes (and plenty of new ideas as well) with classic literature. As an example, Simmons named the book after an an unfinished epic poem of the Romantic poet John Keats (also called Hyperion) about the rise of the Greek titans and demi-gods who attempt to topple the Olympians - and that’s very much what the higher-level story here is about too. An AI recreation of Keats is, in fact, a character in the book! Its meta, and self-referential, and a love letter to both …
Denis E Taylor is something of a guilty pleasure of mine. His books sort of read like I’m playing a game of civilization and I love it. I just recently finished listening to the audiobook of Outland and I find myself craving another book about a group struggling to survive and rebuild civilization. Would love any recommendations!
Was reading this thread and got to thinking about the opposite!
Borrowed idea from this /r/scifi thread.
Edit: In this thread, apparently every popular sci-fi series ever.
This is part comparison of Ray Bradbury and C. S. Lewis’ science fiction, and part backdoor review of “Out of the Silent Planet”
I just finished reading Out of the Silent Planet, the first book in Lewis’ space trilogy. I don’t see it discussed very much on this sub, but I think some people here might like it. It was struck by the folksy, almost nostalgic prose. Lewis isn’t afraid to make highly quotable declarations in his writing, like “The love of knowledge is a kind of madness.” He’s not quite as ornate as Bradbury, but in the same ballpark.
The characters in Out of the Silent Planet are kind of dull. The entertainment, for me, mostly came from the sense of wonder generated by Lewis’ descriptions of alien cultures and treatment of philosophical ideas, explored through conversation with those same aliens. Lewis is not particularly preoccupied with science, more with creating a sense of discovery and fascination. This also …
So finally got around to watching A Quiet Place 2, and while I overall enjoyed the film, I was immediately taken aback by how flawless Emily Blunt looks. Here we are, a year+ into the apocalypse and she has perfect skin, perfect eyebrows, great hair….like she looks more like she’s been camping out for a day or two rather than barely surviving and fighting for her life for the past year. Might sound like a minor thing, but it basically just screams to me “you’re watching a movie” and screws with my immersion. Anyone else have this issue? Why can’t these stars just be “ugly” when it makes sense lol?
That first film was suuuuuch a massive hit. Everyone was talking about it that year (and I mean everyone)
…then came Part 2, repeating the exact same story beats to a fault, followed by a less funny sequel involving a heist for some reason. Even Zach wishes they had only made the one.
I’m convinced the first one would be seen in a different light if the other two didn’t exist. they soured the first tremendously imo
What do you guys think?
I think it’s time for a fourth film in the saga.
Imagine this, a 56 year old Greg Focker is shocked when his daughter brings home a drop kick boyfriend. Like a Pete Davidson-type. He wants to intimidate this guy but the dude is so confident and laid back that nothing phases him. He thinks back to how much he shat himself meeting his girlfriend’s parents, so he enlists the help of Jack to take this kid down a peg.
They team up and wacky hijinks ensue and we have not only Greg struggle to seem threatening but an ageing Jack losing his edge.
Give it to James Mangold to direct, don’t set it in any established cinematic universe and watch it make a billion dollars.