Thread 24453638

Recommended reading charts. (Look here before asking for vague recs)
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>Archive
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https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1029811-sffg

Thread question: How seriously do you take real physics in a science fiction story?

Previous thread: >>24445639

>>24453638 (OP)
oh boy, are we going to have another page autism meltdown?

>>24453638 (OP)
>How seriously do you take real physics in a science fiction story?
I liked the part in the dresden files where harry uses the power of rubbing your feet against the carpet to defeat the toad demon
I love chatgpt

>>24453638 (OP)
>How seriously do you take real physics in a science fiction story?
I don't. As long as it's enjoyable, and makes sense, I will keep reading. When it is something that requires you to understand, like magic systems, I feel myself getting bored. That said I did enjoy the real life physics aspect of the Expanse before the ayy lmao goo changed things.

What did you read last?
What are you reading?
What will you read next?

Why does Malazan filter this board so viciously? Is it a problem of intelligence or just attention span?

>>24453673
Yes

>>24453673
Attention span. Especially for GotM.

>>24453647
Beware Of Chicken. Some sort of smutfic. And Hopefully getting back into Perry Rhodan. Got roughly 30 issues in front of me I haven´t touced yet

>>24453675
I can sort of understand it with Gardens. My first read of it I felt confused but the plot kept me interested. I understand people being put off by it

>>24453673
Malazan is objectively boring and reddit-tier.

>>24453673
You can have all the epic battles in the world but if the characters aren't developed it doesn't matter.

>>24453720
Has some of the best characters in the genre but you wouldn’t know about it because you were filtered at GoTM. Sad!

Just finished marathoning this, now that the dust has settled, what did I think of it?

>>24453728
Please describe to me the character development of Kruppe the Eel

>>24453768
>DIAMOND HARD

>>24453638 (OP)
So I've been reading Atomic Rockets, and it seems to me that hard scifi just won't have any spaceship battles whatsoever. The laws of physics are against it.
But is this true? People say Expanse is hard scifi and it's a grittier Star Wars basically, or Game Of Thrones In Space. What kind of hard(ish) scifi novels have you read that feature spaceship battles, and where did the writer draw the line between realism and pewpew?

Are the History of Middle Earth books worth reading? If you've read them, did you take away anything important?

>if I want to read some Elric of Malibu I need to buy three gigantic hardcovers totalling around 3k pages and be careful to skip a bunch of stories Moorc*ck wrote 30 years later
It's frankly just too much effort to read some twinkpilled sword and sorcery - Sorry, Michael!

>>24453797
well in Gardens of the Moon he is established as one of the most grating characters ever concieved in fiction, and about ten thousand pages later you can just skip every chapter he shows up in!

>>24453819
You might be interested in the comic version
>written by Roy Thomas (just like he wrote Conan)
>pencilled by P. Craig Russell
>inked by Mike Mignola

>>24453797
Just admit you didn't get it little bro. You pick one very entertaining character out of a million to expose yourself with, and expect me to explain genius to you when you tapped out at page 100 probably because he's the only one you remember because you were so abominably and abdominally filtered (and because he's so entertaining) I mean it's just an impossible task you give me. Why don't you just tell me what you like? hmmm? you strike me as a big fan of picrel

>>24453823
I like REAL fantasy literature, like The Book of Daniel.

>>24453797
I enjoy him and he’s deliberately annoying because you can tell he’s not being genuine. I’m mid way through Memories of Ice and he’s been developed as something more than he appears.

>>24453673
My friend gave me GotM after a lengthy discussion about fantasy. I finished it, so I dont think I was filtered but it just did not grab me.

>>24453647
>last
First Law Trilogy. I think it peaked in the 2nd book, but went downhill from there. The third one was really boring. I only really liked reading West and Glokta PoVs on that one
>current
Name of the Wind. Wanted to check it out, as I had not read it even once in all this time, but won't be continuing. I've heard Wise Man's Fear is really bad. At first I disliked the Harry Potter school shit, but it grew on me. Then I started hating everything to do with Denna instead. Good book overall anyway.
>next
A Short Stay in Hell. I need a palate cleanser from medieval-fantasy sorts of stories. I've heard good things about this one.

Jus finished the siege of capustan in memories of ice. This shit was really good.
that ending where Burke stays as a sparrowhawk forever and gets peace from his torment got me bros good but depressing stuff

I really, really, really like talking bugs.

>>24453968
like what?

>>24453968
do not fuck the talking bugs

>>24453823
>lil bro
>filtered
why do malazan readers type like retarded children?

>>24453931
Had similar feelings about Name of the Wind, the Harry Potter bs grew on me as well and ended up being quite fun.
Good call concerning Wise Man's Fear
I hadn't heard anything beforehand and it is a big drop in quality. He pointlessly dicks around at the school, just dragging out the previous novel, and then it's very embarrassing softcore erotica with an elf and this species of kung fu master. There are some fun questing parts in between but over all just terrible - do not read

I recently had a birthday (turned 30) so its about time i have a midlife crisis. I also got around 150 euro worth of gift cards to a bookstore near me. They have a pretty decent selection. Suggest me some books.
I've been looking at the Hyperion series or some classic sci-fi. So far i mostly like fantasy and classical epics and mythology. I've read most of Tolkiens works, plowed through Harry Potter when i was a child and all of the innumerable translated young adult books the local library had. Also this year read the Red rising trilogy
I've read some soviet sci-fi mostly because my parents had some and it was somewhat interesting but lacked a bigger overaching storylines.

>tl;dr Got gift cards, suggest good books

George Lucas definitely read Nova, huh?

>antagonist with a robot hand gets horrifically burned next to a river of lava
I mean come on

>>24454015
malazan

>>24453819
Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné is the best collection since they have the stories in publishing order.

>>24454006
Yeah, I was told spoilerfree (although I'm beyond caring about spoilers now) that basically no progress was made in the 2nd book. And that might be one of the reasons the 3rd book isn't coming out, since it looks like he dicked around so much in the 2nd book that there's way too many dangling plot threads that he would have to wrap satisfyingly in the 3rd book without making it a behemoth tome. Good luck with that.
>and then it's very embarrassing softcore erotica with an elf and this species of kung fu master
that sounds really bad lmao

>>24454015
Get into Gene Wolfe.

>>24454015
>So far i mostly like fantasy and classical epics and mythology.
Think you might like Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword, Vance's Lyonesse, or some of Gavriel Kay's work like Tigana or Lions of Al-Rassan

>>24454027
I hadn't even heard of this series before I'll see if the first book is good then go from there.
>>24454063
Any specifics? I've seen him posted in this board multiple times.

I'm four books deep into Malazan does death even matter in this universe considering the spiritual world is confirmed to exist and people can actually reincarnate

>>24454115
remember you are reading a DnD campaign. If your buddy Brad's OC has an epic last stand that's cool and all, but are you really gonna make Brad roll a new character after ten sessions?

>>24454114
I'd say this is his most accessible entrypoint. Don't be put off by the isekai-ish premise; it's a lot better than it sounds.

Anyone here read the Helliconia trilogy?
Is It worth reading?

Do you prefer archaic or modern vocabulary while reading fantasy, or something inbetween?

>>24454190
I prefer archaic, but only if the writer knows how to pull it off. If not, he's better off writing more modern, but not to the extent that Sanderson does. That's a bit too much.

>>24454114
>Any specifics?
For variety's sake, get one of his short story collections, like The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories

>>24454201
what are some that pull the archaic language well for you?

>>24454115
Characters only perma-death (or at least disappear) when the story requires them to. It's retarded.

>>24454153
I've been meaning to read some of his shorter stand alone work, like Hothouse or Non-Stop. Heard very good things about those, maybe check them out before starting the 1300 page civilisation cycle?

Anyone here read 'The Last and Firat Men'?

>>24454238
Yes. It's a very dry read.

>>24454115
Death always matters, it just doesn't necessarily mean a character is gone from the narrative permanently.

>>24454015
Read the belgariad

Malazan is good and I’m tired of pretending otherwise!

>>24454270
Walk in Shadow when Erikson you chubby-chasing syrup sucker?

>>24454238
I read the first few chapters and thought they were great, but I got the impression the book was about to lose me, so I stopped.

>>24454313
>You can't leave me if I leave you first!
>This was great, but I became anxious that it if I read more that I would like it less, so I stopped. I can't ever be disappointed if I stop while it's still good. It's much better to miss out.

>>24453819
>>24454029
Why would you want to skip the later stories?

>>24453809
>So I've been reading Atomic Rockets, and it seems to me that hard scifi just won't have any spaceship battles whatsoever. The laws of physics are against it.
>But is this true? People say Expanse is hard scifi and it's a grittier Star Wars basically, or Game Of Thrones In Space. What kind of hard(ish) scifi novels have you read that feature spaceship battles, and where did the writer draw the line between realism and pewpew?
anyone?

>>24454349
The first story in the internal chronology was published in 2023 and the one directly after that in 1972. Does it not strike you as massively moronic to read them in that order?

>>24454351
the site itself has a list of hard-scifi stories including John Lumpkin

>>24454396
yeah I know
I'm asking what /sffg/ has read

>>24454351
Alastair Reynolds has some space combat in the context of (what I think is) hard-ish sf? It turns kind of abstract where it's more about algorithms that determine material wear and missile velocity as opposed to riding in a little thingy to line up your laser on the other guy
Bit like in Forever War where they strap into their goo seats and have the computer execute a random dodge pattern to avoid enemy missles
I don't think hard sf and space fighting are categorically incompatible

>>24454153
If you're interested in reading one of the classics of older science fiction then yes. I'm surprised the trilogy doesn't get mentioned more often as it was a 'big thing' back in the day.

>>24454413
the TLDR of what I've been reading is that there is virtually no stealth or armour in space so battles are going to be either so madly one-sided or mutually destructive that it's just not going to happen
UNLESS
writers make up a lot of magic tech to compensate

>>24454244
But that's the whole reason death matters at all. That person being gone forever.

>>24454455
>atheists actually believe this

>>24454460
What in the actual fuck is wrong in your fucked up little head?

>>24454466
he's a Malaztard

>>24454477
>atheist see gorilla on chair
>wow grandpa! this prove god not real and no life after death

>>24454460
>>24454485
Wow actual troglodytes in sffg
. That's a first

>>24454494
>That's a first
it's not

>>24454455
Why can death only matter if its permanent? Because you say so?

>>24454349
Because the only good Elric stories were written in the 60s.

If you were a famous sff author, how would you interact with the sff fandom? Would you be a recluse? A troll? Someone who engages with everyone in good faith? Someone who "quibbles" with other authors and their mindsets on writing?

>>24453647
>last
Catcher in the Rye
>reading
The Crying of Lot 49
>next
Either The Once and Future King or Treasure Island or The Hobbit

>>24454528
I'd be like what I am now. A miserable anti social git.

>>24454534
aka george martin

>>24454528
shut the fuck up

>>24454266
Already did. Still havent read Malloreon though

>>24454494
>That's a first
Newfag detected

>>24454536
Fair. It'd probably do me the best to avoid getting canceled for wrongthink or saying something extremely autistic by emulating Bill Watterson

>>24454528
In a perfect world I'd like to be a recluse with a harem

>>24454528
I'd do one of those cringe youtube 'famous person reacts to the top 5 google searches with their name' with random terms from my books every couple of months and act like it's the gods of setting answering mundane questions to the local priests.

>>24453647
>last
The King of Elfland's Daughter
>current
Gonna start up witcher again with Time of Contempt
>next
undecided

Is bastion by Phil Tucker good

>>24454548
>The King of Elfland's Daughter
how did you rike it? it's been on my list for a while

>>24454528
I'd probably get canceled for calling someone a retard/faggot

>>24454528
I'd exclusively give interviews to small YouTubers I knew before I got famous and refuse all other public appearances

>>24454528
I would create a blog where I go more insane and bitter over the years lashing out at people who ask me questions.

>>24454528
I'd be the Pynchon of fantasy, in the sense that nobody would hear or know a thing about me. I just have no patience for "community building" and shit like that.

What should I read if I want to see lots of interaction between different races, preferably where the races have distinct features or personalities and aren't just weird looking humans

Fantasy or sci-fi

>>24454621
unironically The Wandering Inn has a ton of race politics, but it is wrapped up in web novel slop.

>>24454621
Malazan

>>24454528
If someone sent me an email I would respond to the best of my ability, but keeping a media following and giving interviews is too tiresome.
Getting into political quibbles and drama is worse still.

>>24453638 (OP)
Thongor is KINO

>>24454621
Tschai series by Jack Vance

So is there still non-woke fantasy being published or is it completely dead?

>>24454537
Read the mallorean then, it's just as good.

>>24454640
you should probably grow up or write your own chudtasy

>>24454650
Why would I need to write down my own stories? They're in my head.

>>24453819
>twink-pilled
Who other than fat women read stories about twinks... Heh...
>>24453813
The Lays of Beleriand were genuinely, heart-achingly beautiful and so were some of the lost tales but man did it hurt to realise they were unfinished because the author died. At least JRRT finished his main series unlike the author of Berserk

>>24454558
NTA, but it is probably the greatest fantasy novel ever written.

>>24454003
You’re the guy whose critique of the series boils down to “le reddit.” Childish minds at work in this thread

>>24454558
Not the original poster but I read half of it and its the only fantasy book I love as much as LotR

>>24454558
as good as Tolkien TBQH

>>24454731
Honestly, Tolkien, Dunsany and Peter Beagle should be read together. They just kind of make sense

>>24454731
>>24454725
>>24454699
Thanks guys, I will try and read it soon

>>24454725
Can't love it that much if you couldn't be bothered to finish it.

>>24453638 (OP)
sffg's thoughts on kothar? (or other Clonans)

>>24454736
I meant that I am in progress reading it. I had to stop and take a shower after the witch thinks about kidnapping the boy