Book thread

So I started getting into listening to audiobooks during my commute to work. I have read the gentlemen bastard series which is great for getting some rogueish undercity or swashbuckling pirate inspiration. What is done with magic is unique too. I also read the name of the wind which sucked. Lit was right with that one. Mistborn by Brandan Sanderson. It was a fun action book dealing with the uprising and his magic system is unique. I had just started the Eye of the World and it is pretty awesome so far. It's just that it is a lot like LOTR with a different skin. I'm not all that far into it though.

Lord of Light is pretty fantastic

Not OP, but I have a related question.

Rather than giving recommendations for favored books/series, what are some "Yeah, that wasn't too bad. I doubt I would read it again, but it was still fun" recommendations?
I'm talking about the kind of book you find a used book store, or even the book section of a Goodwill. What are some good fantasy (and sci-fi, if you're up for it) novels that were good for passing time, even if they're not super memorable.
Anybody got some obscure stuff they'd like to shill? Let's get pulpy.

I can think of two off the top of my head:
Jinian Footseer by Sheri S. Tepper
>Apparently this is the first book of a sequel trilogy, but I've never read the original, or even parts 2 and 3. The main character was fun and I enjoyed the fairy-tale-like atmosphere and pacing. Since this is Veeky Forums I should mention that the magic is somewhat interesting. "Important" people tend to be born with special abilities, almost all of which are known and categorized (one of the MC's asshole brothers can fly, for example), but it also has more traditional witch/old-wives magic that gets explored in a fun way.
>I liked it enough that I'll read the rest of the series if I ever find them, though they are written for a younger age group

Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
>A bit cliche now, but I think this was a somewhat early "what if fairy tale characters were genre savvy?" story. Main character is a princess who asks a dragon to "abduct" her since she's something like the seventh daughter of a king and isn't allowed to do anything (cook, study, fight, etc). It's funny, has an intricate world, and likeable characters.
>All the dragon caves are connected, and sometimes the captured princesses get together for tea while they wait to get rescued (or eaten)
>Again, this was a fun read, though it's aimed at younger audiences

I second Moorcock. Dude was kinda shit at writing in hes early work, but he improved greatly later on. He's books are just strange and creative. Great for stealing ideas for campaigns. and of course there is the famous Stormbringer.

The best thing along those lines that I can think off of the top of my head is The Dragonslayer's apprentice, by David Calder. It's got nothing too exceptional, other than the fact that the dragons of the setting are more like big dangerous animals than something like Smaug. It's got a range of cliches, the runaway noble girl who wants to be a heroine and the gruff super-soldier who trains her are nothing new, but they're very well executed. The Dragonslayer (you never find out his name) is one of the best badass characters I've seen on page, partly because it's so understated. He's the sort of guy who thinks the way a 1st edition DnD party does, he'd rather talk his way than fight, and if he does have to fight, he prefers to do so from ambush or to have other people on the sharp end. But when push comes to shove, he is *tough*. But despite my rhapsodizing, he's not actually the main character, the apprentice girl is.which has a fairly straightforward coming of age and growing into heroic stature story arc for her, but again, it's very well executed.

Anybody else having problems posting?

>absolutely disgusting. pretty obvious why you have such a disdain for Veeky Forums. you'd be eviscerated in a heartbeat for mentioning tripe like those two
And this is why nobody likes Veeky Forums. I understand you have to be elitist to keep out the people who think Stephen King and GRRM are God's gift to literature, but you don't have to be that extreme.

Pretty much everyone. Something's up with the site and Hiroshimoot better fix it.

Yeah, impossible for me to do anything in the quick reply box. Larger boards like /a/ are unaffected by the server trouble. No words from the mods yet even though it's been like 8 hours. I hope this isn't gookmoot's new scheme to maximize his shekels.

>Veeky Forums is full of pretentious fuckboys, never go there for anything
cf. Veeky Forums, an arts board with zero gatekeeping

Good stuff. OP take note.

>What books can you recommend me in the fantasy genre?
The rule book to whatever fantasy related game you play. I know you haven't read all of it.

I'm not sure the Veeky Forums bit is sarcasm, but it really is what Veeky Forumsfags would say.

>Veeky Forums is full of pretentious fuckboys, never go there for anything
Ignore this man. I mean, Veeky Forums is full of pretentious fuckboys, but they're better for books than anywhere else online.
What did he do that was wrong? Called some books tripe? It's not an unreasonable opinion, you know.
Seconding . Also check out The Worm Ouroboros for a pseudo-medieval adventure.

And don't forget real myths and legends. Gilgamesh is a short read and metal as fuck (Andrew George translation). The Iliad and Odyssey are great and easy to get into (read Lattimore IMO), and the Divine Comedy is great inspo for dark fantasy (especially Inferno). Borges gives you loads of magical tricks to fill your dungeons with. His Book of Imaginary Beings was fucking cool too.

Also, Fighting Fantasy.

Don't read Complete Psionic.

For some newer books with a classic, pulpy feel to them, I recommend Paul S. Kemp's Tales of Egil and Nix series. The first book is The Hammer And The Blade, followed by A Discourse In Steel, and then A Conversation In Blood.

The Chronicles of Rapina

Yeah, you are a faggot. Pratchett's stories are so much more than his writing, as contary as that sounds. Not that you'd know because you never read Pratchett past his first two or three books did you?

The Way of Kings is a good read. Only three books out now but it's planned for 10

Way of Kings is great. Quality is dropping though, and the time invested is getting hard to justify. I just finished Oathbringer, and I'm not sure I could bring myself to recommend it. It'll probably turn into a new Wheel of Time.

You are why no one likes Veeky Forums you pretentious fucking faggot

No, he's right. Pratchett is not better than his writing, because that is dumb. If you're referring to his socdem morals, well, they're also a part of his writing. You only think he's so good because you haven't read good books.

t. someone who read most of his books as a kid.
We both know the real reason: Veeky Forums doesn't like the books you like. What a sin.

>probably not
thank God.

Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix, the Black Company by Glen Cook, anything by Guy Kay.

>Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix, the Black Company by Glen Cook, anything by Guy Kay.
Do not listen to this man, for he is a plebeian. Read Fighting Fantasy, and nothing else.

Oh shit, how the fuck did I forget Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I'm only on page one hundred so take it with a grain of salt but so far it's awesome as fuck, and I've already incorporated a fair few stories into my GMing plans (Sable Cicada in particular). I read Brewitt-Taylor 'cause it's all I've got, but Moss Roberts is supposed to be better (it's at least got Pinyin instead of Wade-fucking-Giles). Reminder that Cao Cao did LITERALLY nothing wrong.

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is literally just a bunch of folklore you can plonk down into any setting. I've also stolen from this book very liberally. It's chock-full of fox-spirits having sex with shy scholar types, so it's perfect for Veeky Forums. Also has traps. I read the Penguin translation which, despite Penguin's reputation, seems pretty good -- it's only the first hundred or so stories, though.

In general, I recommend reading the original source of fantasy -- medieval and earlier stories. The classical inspo is Arthur and the like, which I'm sure are great, but I've never read them.
Is no one gonna comment on how he complains about pretentious fuckboys and then calls everyone an illiterate moron for making a small mistake?

Forgot pic

Neat. I'll see if I can track down a copy.

>you DARE dislike MY favourite books?
sasuga Veeky Forums

I understand why Pratchett is so well loved here. A lot of us grew up with him. Hell, I'd say the Discworld books average at "solid". A few are even quite good. But y'all need to read some other satire. This board rides Pratchett's dick almost as hard as Pratchett rode Vime's in the later books.

Oh shit, I just looked up Mieville and apparently Paramount Vintage picked up the rights to "Details". Maybe we'll see that soon.

bump

>What books can you recommend me in the fantasy genre?
The main book of whatever fantasy related game you play. I know you haven't read all of it.

H-hey

I enjoy Mieville a fair deal, but I don't get why I hear his writing described as "Deep" so frequently.

He has the good fortune of being one of the very few modern fantasy writers who doesn't fall into genrefaggotry.

The Dark Elf trilogy
>Unironically entertaining as fuck
>Drizzt is nowhere as bad as his clones made him out to be, actually a breddi ok character
>Keeps you turning pages
>Nostalgic
>2/3 goes down in the Underdark which is a pretty interesting setting.
The first two are much more interesting just because of that, I think.

I mean, I agree, but I don't really think that "Isn't a slave to genre" is particularly high praise.

It isn't, unless you're comparing it to its competition. He's a middling fish in a glass of water.

Then in this metaphor are Peake, Wolfe, and Vance big juicy tuna?

Anybody ever read this? Empress, by Karen Miller.
If so, is it any good?

I got it in a used book sale years ago, but never got around to reading it. I've already got a large backlog of stuff I'd like to read, so I'm not sure if I should dedicate the time to one I know nothing about. It's rather long.

Yes but they're all in the same lake

I liked it, but the sequel is kinda shit.

Not strictly fantasy, but Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is amazing and has a mythic feel to it and is the best thing I've read that's kind of old west fantasy. It's also, possibly, the greatest thing ever written.

If you don't mind that they're incredibly cheesy, yeah. They do press that nostalgia button.

>the sequel is kinda shit
That's disappointing, but not surprising. I stopped reading sequels awhile back since I've been burned so many times.