Been a while since we had one of these
What are some good books for inspiration? Fantasy and science-fiction literature and the like.
>Dune
>Neuromancer
>Wheel of Time till you get bored in book 5
>Mistborn book 1, I warned you about 2 and 3
>Black Company
>Hyperion
>Discworld
>Original Conan Series
I recently got into Malazan: Books of the Fallen, it's got some damn good worldbuilding, i mean some of the best I've seen.
The characters are abit lacking though, and there is little to no exposition, but stuff just keeps happening and keeps you invested.
Finishing book 2 in a few days, and so far it's been great.
GORMENGHAST
Go for the classics, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aenied.
Herodotus is pretty cool too for world-building ideas
>the Iliad, the Odyssey
>mfw my parents got me a sorta comic book/illustrated abridged version of the Illiad and the Odyssey when I was two and read it to me
I still have it, it's fucking great. Perks of having a Classics major for a dad.
>See thread
>Oh! I should post Black Company!
>It's already here
My work here is done.
That said, once you slog through the middle of the Wheel of Time it gets great. The last book is one long climax. I read it in a single day.
>OP lists the big names
>Thread has nothing to talk about
Mortal Engines is one which gets brought up every other thread but is still niche enough to recommend.
Aside from being a fantastic adventure story in its own right with great characters it also has one of the most imaginative, interesting post-(post-)apocalyptic settings ever put onto paper.
APPENDIX N, MOTHERFUCKER
THE GYGAXIAN LIST OF BOOKS
IT'S REALLY GOOD AND WOULD SAVE YOU A LOT OF TIME IF YOU MOUTHBREATHER KNEW OF THIS FINE STARTING POINT
Malazan, Book of the Fallen
Better than any of that garbage listed in op
Wheel of time is just a long dribble of literally every female character being the strong independent type women who dont neex no man. very tiring to read when every character is quite literally the same
Someone help me out, I remember being reccomended some book about a cripple with a cursed sword able to kill anything even the universe. It's something like the Black Blade
If you know what I"m talking about, what's the best diving in point?
I would heavily recommend the Old Kingdom books. Abohorsen etc. Really good take on necromancy and the like.
Try Stormbringer! Yes, the exclamation mark is part of the title.
How do you like your modern fantasy?
>Cheerfully fucked up
The Sin du Jour novels, about a the best magic reaurant in the world. In the first one, they have to fake a meal of angel meat for a party of demons. Turns out angels taste exactly like chicken mcnuggets and they have to steal the recipe.
>Fucked up and shlocky
The Sandman Slim novels. They're crap unless you get the joke: every book is more over the top than the previous book, and he just runs with it.
>Fucked up and depressing
Perdido Street Station
>Spy novels with a dash of Cthulhu
Stross's Laundry Files.
Fucking seconded, the scope of the story is magnifcent and Eriksson manages to keep shit interesting (90% of the time).
If anyone loves military-based fantasy with campaign driven story arcs this is the shit.
>mfw never got to see Karsa go home and wreck the world
I'm looking for ideas for a Sci-Fi Swashbuckler. What do you have for me?
The Earthsea books by Ursula K. LeGuin. Only read the original trilogy, until recently I thought that's all there was
Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison, Roadside Picnic, and Night Shift. I get a ton of inspiration to use (read: plagiarize) in my games and writings.
>Wheel of Time
I've managed to get through 50 pages or so in the first book. Does it get any better? It's been a real slog just getting through what I've read.
It doesn't. The characters are more or less carbon copies of eachother personality wise, especially the female characters. Other wise its about as generic as big good vs big bad gets
English Fantasy
>David Eddings
>Robin Hobb
French-Canadian Fantasy
>Pierre Bottero
>Bryan Perro
This. Also
>Epic of Gilgamesh
>Mahabharata
>Ramayana
>The Old Testament
>The New Testament
>Greek poets
>Commentarii de Bello Gallico
>The 12 Caesars
>The Golden Ass
>1001 Nights
>The Decameron
>Panchatantra
>The Icelandic Sagas
>The battles of Mag Tuired, The Wooing of Etain and the rest of Irish mythology