/sffg/ - Science Fiction and Fantasy General

Moon Gates Edition

Recommendation
>Fantasy
Selected: i.imgur.com/3v2oXAY.jpg/
General: i.imgur.com/igBYngL.jpg/
Flowchart: i.imgur.com/uykqKJn.jpg/
>Sci-Fi
Selected: i.imgur.com/A96mTQX.jpg/
General: i.imgur.com/r55ODlL.jpg/ / i.imgur.com/gNTrDmc.jpg/

Previous:

Why dont you guys do the discussion prompts anymore? Those were fun.

Guess I'll start,

Whats your favorite or most memorable SFF location?

For me it was thee Atrium of Time in Book of the New Sun, comfy as fuck

Got started, good try OP, lad

>using trip codes
>calling others lads

I'll stick to this one, thank you.

I'm not just a better person than you irl and here, I'm right.

Get cucked, NERD!

>I'm not just a better person than you irl and here
>Ahi Ngakau

Is that supposed to be a joke? Because it made me laugh.

That's.....that's a good one.

I'd say the world between worlds in The Magician's Nephew, the one with the pools in a forest.

>no wolfe

is there beef between to the two authors? I would have thought they'd enjoy each other's work

no, GRRM has nothing but respect for GW and openly praises him on his blog. They were also part of the same writer group in their early days.

Moon lords did nothing wrong

>implying the revolution changed anything

>Implying i'm talking about the Red Menace

Moon lords are going to find out what Darrow did and bite him in the ass.

...

Yeah, that would have been a problem before he had the bulk of Society's industrial and financial strength behind him. What are you going to do, nuke Phobos? Good luck getting a single warship across the Belt.

It's pretty good but literally doesn't make any sense if you're not already pretty familiar with his thinking and influences.

LOL not like they have the industrial capacity anymore

I'd call caste restrictions and possible irrelevance of colors a huge change

...

I laugh at your profound ignorance.

People like you flocking here are why Veeky Forums is the ass end of the internet.

But the Golds are still in charge. Maybe Quicksilver gets to build his robots or something but everyone in Society is engineered, genetically and memetically, for their roles. Reds couldn't run it. Unless they wanted everyone to have Gold babies, and good luck paying for that.

I just read Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion. Has anyone else read these books? Or maybe even the whole series?

I really enjoyed the build up of Hyperion and all the mystery surrounding the Shrike and the Tombs of Time. I wasn't enthralled with the second book because it didn't... reveal as much as I wanted I guess?

The second book was also pretty complex and had a lot of shit going on.

Anyone want to talk about it? Aside from the Shrike itself the Cruciform things were spoopy as fuck. The chapter where Dure talks about his encounter with the natives on Hyperion was fuckin' crazy.

I wish the author had detailed who built the Shrike, why it was a spiky freaky humanoid thing, what was up with its eyes made of ruby and other stuff. The Tree of Pain bit was ignored too -- was it real or a simulation?

Also I'll say I as a whole I didn't love the super strong ties to Christianity and how so much of the book seemed to rely on Abrahamic religious ideals. The allusion to the Shrike being the Antichrist was kinda cool I guess. But posing and answering religious questions and being really floaty with the poetry, interspersing Keats or whoever else throughout the book stretched me kinda thin at times.

Oh also I didn't get who constructed the Labyrinths. Was it the Core from the future? One possibility is they built it to house the people they needed as their neural net. That would explain why the Cruciforms were first introduced there as well... they could just keep people underground in the planet as their 'CPU' or whatever

>I didn't love the super strong ties to Christianity and how so much of the book seemed to rely on Abrahamic religious ideals
Bad taste and atheism goes hand in hand it would seem.

It was laborious to have it as a common thread throughout everything. Other religions, even the religions of other races (one painted as the main 'enemy' throughout much of the book) were footnote tier. I mean some of it was cool but I got tired when Sol had a monologue for the 50th time about
>why did abraham sacrifice his son?
>im just a jewish scholar this is beyond me!
>muh daughter!

We get it m8, its a tough question and you've talked about it 20 times already bruv take a rest

>I didn't love the super strong ties to Christianity and how so much of the book seemed to rely on Abrahamic religious ideals
You've got to approach books on their own terms, user.

As I understood it - and it has been several years since I've read it - the labyrinths were supposed to be shelters - against the super-deathwand weapons? - but the Core co-opted them so they could quickly kill all humans.

I agree that the first book was better. It was a lot easier to see the flaws in the second, and it didn't do anything that a story in the first didn't do better. I couldn't get into the third and I've heard both Endymion books really suck.

>Other religions, even the religions of other races (one painted as the main 'enemy' throughout much of the book) were footnote tier-

>One thing, as a cosmopolitan, that bothers me is the lack of disturbance toward the concept of focusing on just one religion in novels. Seriously, it's like nobody even considers it.

>White Sand and Zero Time Dilemma out on the same day
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

>Has anyone else read these books?
Unfortunately. Deeply regret my time wasted, especially with the latter half.
NANOMACHINES, SON

>the labyrinths were supposed to be shelters - against the super-deathwand weapons? - but the Core co-opted them so they could quickly kill all humans.

Okay, just looked it up. They don't ever describe why the labyrinths were built. They weren't built by humans or the core they were built by a race called the Builders. I remember reading this in the first book.

Dunno what that is a reference to

>Unfortunately. Deeply regret my time wasted, especially with the latter half.
By latter half you mean the Endymion books? I don't think I'm going to read those.

Yeah. Didn't really care for Fall of Hyperion either. It was okay but as a straight sequel so different in format to Hyperion, it was jarring. Hyperion itself was alright but I think it's severely overrated, especially with connection to the other books.

SKREEEEEEEEEEEEE

>I wish I'd never tried to have sex with it

Did they ever explain why she transformed into the Shrike mid-coitus during that bit? Given that she's Rachel v 2.0 and just a human, why would she be able to transform like that?

I read the summaries of the Endymion books and apparently the Shrike is designed based on Kassad in some way (wut) so he was fucking a girl that turned into a robot-thing sort of based on him in the first place that tried to cut his dick off with her toothy cooter

>Zero Time Dilemma
just googled this after noticing you shitposting about it for days

sandersonfags really are vidyafags

The twin moons brooded over the red deserts of Mars and the ruined city of Khua-Loanis. The night wind sighed around the fragile spires and whispered at the fretted lattice windows of the empty temples, and the red dust made it like a city of copper.

It was close to midnight when the distant rumble of racing hooves reached the city, and soon the riders thundered in under the ancient gateway. Tharn, Warrior Lord of Loanis, leading his persuers by a scant twenty yards, realised wearily that his lead was shortening, and raked the scaly flanks of his six-legged vorkl with cruel spurs. The faithful beast gave a low cry of despair as it tried to obey and failed.

In front of Tharn in the big double saddle sat Lehni-tal-Loanis, Royal Lady of Mars, riding the ungainly animal with easy grace, leaning forward along its arching neck to murmur swift words of encouragement into its flattened ears. Then she lay back against Tharn's mailed chest and turned her lovely face up to his, flushed and vivid with the excitement of the chase, amber eyes aflame with love for her strange hero from beyond time and space.

'We shall win this race yet, my Tharn,' she cried. 'Yonder through that archway lies the Temple of the Living Vapour, and once there we can defy all the hordes of Varnis!' Looking down at the unearthly beauty of her, at the subtle curve of throat and breast and thigh, revealed as the wind tore at her scanty garments, Tharn knew that even if the Swordsmen of Varnis struck him down his strange odyssey would not have been in vain.

But the girl had judged the distance correctly and Tharn brought their snorting vorkl to a sliding, rearing halt at the great doors of the Temple, just as the Swordsmen reached the outer archway and jammed there in a struggling, cursing mass. In seconds they had sorted themselves out and came streaming across the courtyard, but the delay had given Tharn time to dismount and take his stand in one of the great doorways. He knew that if he could hold it for a few moments while Lehni-tal-Loanis got the door open, then the secret of the Living Vapour would be theirs, and with it the mastery of all the lands of Loanis.

The Swordsmen tried first to ride him down, but the doorway was so narrow and deep that Tharn had only to drive his swordpoint upwards into the first vorkl's throat and leap backwards as the dying beast fell. Its rider was stunned by the fall, and Thorn bounded up onto the dead animal and beheaded the unfortunate Swordsman without compunction. There were ten of his enemies left and they came at him now on foot, but the confining doorway prevented them from attacking more than four abreast, and Tharn's elevated position upon the huge carcass gave him the advantage he needed. The fire of battle was in his veins now, and he bared his teeth and laughed in their faces, and his reddened sword wove a pattern of cold death which none could pass.

Lehni-tal-Loanis, running quick cool fingers over the pitted bronze of the door, found the radiation lock and pressed her glowing opalescent thumb-ring into the socket, gave a little sob of relief as she heard hidden tumblers falling. With agonising slowness the ancient mechanism began to open the door; soon Tharn heard the girl's clear voice call above the clashing steel, 'Inside, my Tharn, the secret of the Living Vapour is ours!'

But Tharn, with four of his foes dead now, and seven to go, could not retreat from his position on top of the dead vorkl without grave risk of being cut down, and Lehni-tal-Loanis, quickly realising this, sprang up beside him, drawing her own blade and crying, 'Aie, my love! I will be your left arm!'

Now the cold hand of defeat gripped the hearts of the Swordsmen of Varnis: two, three, four more of them mingled their blood with the red dust of the courtyard as Tharn and his fighting princess swung their merciless blades in perfect unison. It seemed that nothing could prevent them now from winning the mysterious secret of the Living Vapour, but they reckoned without the treachery of one of the remaining Swordsmen. Leaping backwards out of the conflict he flung his sword on the ground in disgust. 'Aw, the Hell with it!' he grunted, and unclipping a proton gun from his belt he blasted Lehni-tal-Loanis and her Warrior Lord out of existence with a searing energy beam.

The weather beaten trail wound ahead into the dust racked climes of the baren land which dominates large portions of the Norgolian empire. Age worn hoof prints smothered by the sifting sands of time shone dully against the dust splattered crust of earth. The tireless sun cast its parching rays of incandescense from overhead, half way through its daily revolution. Small rodents scampered about, occupying themselves in the daily accomplishments of their dismal lives. Dust sprayed over three heaving mounts in blinding clouds, while they bore the burdonsome cargoes of their struggling overseers.

"Prepare to embrace your creators in the stygian haunts of hell, barbarian", gasped the first soldier.

"Only after you have kissed the fleeting stead of death, wretch!" returned Grignr.

I'm a Sandersonfag, and I only play LoL, and lately only the weekend mode. I still have to find time to read, sleep and work, so I play very little LoL.

Just because cosmerefag is a gaymer, doesn't mean we all are.

One thing, as a presidential candidate, that bothers me. Is the lack of disturbance towards the concept of corruption and fight against thereof in novels. Seriously, it's like nobody considers it. Especially given how little of a choice the people currently have towards their rights in a presumed "democracy" and how many lobbyists are ruling the US behind the curtains. It's terrible social commentary horror shit. It's apalling, dehumanizing, it fucks up what democracy will look like to our children and grand-children. Politicians stop caring about their beliefs and instead just spout whatever sophistry billionares ordain them to for another nib of a few hundred bucks. It's just, awful through and through with no positive elements.

But I don't like how it isn't explored, disgusting and dehumanizing lack of integrity we have no choice but acknoweledge is a concept I don't that's ever been handeled well or properly. Maybe it's me, it's a deep seated desire to Make America Great Again and exopsing the shitfest that is the establishment, that men's desires for a say in their future in the past, which has turned into the mindless consumerism of the present, override their own autonomy and emotions towards their politicians, making them completely apathetic about them and politics in general.

I don't know what I'm saying. I just wish fighting corruption wasn't constantly written as "Good guys in grey suits! Fighting bad guys in black suits and CEOs!", and not facing the TREMENDOUSly disturbing bullshit dealt with is. Or how we're forced into believing its acceptable to let this go on any further, and for some people, and for many people, this beliefs seems to be the case. This was even less prevalent in the past I'm assuming given America's former greatness and involvement in preserving democracy.

Tell me, fine people of Veeky Forums, is there a genre of fantasy that isn't strictly comedic but free of the grimdark taint of modern writing?

I just finished up the Night Angel trilogy and I've about had it with rape and cruelty.

>Tell me, fine people of Veeky Forums, is there a genre of fantasy that isn't strictly comedic but free of the grimdark taint of modern writing?
Yes, almost all good fantasy ever mentioned.

You say that, but ever since I re-read It I've come to realize that the grimdark was always there. Hidden from view, but foul all the same.

That and I realize that I'm rather odd in my tastes. My other reading buddy loves his doom and gloom. I love heroes being flawed but heroic and doing heroic things. Probably falling in love while doing it.

Yet ever since a certain TV series eveything is all grim and grit all the time now. I'm not sure where to look, to be honest.

So you like reading derivative modern fantasy and don't get why it's now derivative in a different way?
Because fantasy has been here for over a century, there's a massive amount of works to choose from. The only way everything is grimdark is if you either read Warhammer or shit published in the past 6 years.

I'll be straight with you, user. I don't like encountering rape in a story.

I'm looking for something without that.

Like I've said, most stuff usually talked about here.
Tolkien in general
Wizard Knight
Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser
Conan
Or better yet, don't read fantasy at all, that's not grimdark even when you read wwi memoirs.

Read the cruciform thing at 1 AM. Did not sleep for the whole night. Played awful pop/party music while reading it because it was the only thing stopping me from losing it. When I finally tried to go to sleep I started hallucinating it.

Simmons did a great job with Hyperion.

>I wish the author had detailed who built the Shrike, why it was a spiky freaky humanoid thing, what was up with its eyes made of ruby and other stuff.
It's detailed in the Endymion books but sadly they suck awfully and retcon Hyperion. Still think it's worth reading though.

>Promoting selfcest
Shame on you user.

sounds like you would like Sanderson

Just picked Earthsea at random from the rec chart. What makes it so good to justify it being in there ? The story is very interesting, which I suppose is important for fantasy and the magic system is rather unique, but is there anything else that makes it stand out ? Sorry if it's a stupid question, I don't read much fantasy and I wanted to get into it.

It's the classic 'Heroes Journey' done right and explores some interesting themes.

Diversity Quota.

Most fantasy doesn't have rape in it. If you're struggling to find fantasy without rape then maybe subconsciously you actually like it and are reading those books accidentally on purpose.

>If you don't like something sexual then that's subconsciously your fetish

If you say you don't like something, but continually read books with it even if it's quite rare in novels in general*

>What is chance

I don't know about outright rape, but every novel released within the last decade or so actually does feel like it implies somebody is about to be or has been raped or at least abused in some way.
I get what they're saying desu.

Chances are against grimdark, hence the doubt.

>Chances are against grimdark

Depends on your book supplier. I buy locally here in slavshitstan and the bookstores only have modern 2spooky4u fantasy.

Your excuse, by the sound of it.

I'm a slav too, the trick is not reading commercial garbage.
They sell books in English too, it's easy to just buy science fiction or fantasy masterworks series.

>Implying I don't buy exclusively English books

It's still mostly grimshit. But then again I'm visiting the "popular" stores.

There's your problem.
And yes, any store which has English sff should have the masterworks. It's not as cheap, but the quality level is consistent.

>I don't like encountering rape in a story.
Come on, it's 2016, rape is just a cultural thing. As long as it isn't white people who do it then it is morally okay.

Had to have a laugh at a slav not liking rape, but to helpful if you read almost anything from the 70s or before then you are pretty safe. It's good shit too.

>Had to have a laugh at a slav not liking rape

desu probably because I won the genetic lottery and became a reclusive but polite autist instead of a rape-machine gopnik

You even type like an obvious rapist.

>it's 2016
Exactly, ever since Larsson etc. rape has become the laziest of plot-devices

>need to show this guy is really mean!!
>OK I'll have him rape someone
>done!

Nothing but contempt for these authors

>tfw no slav girl to rape and dominate me with her sugarwalls
Gonna die sad with only my books as company.

Rape is just a form of domination, you might say you hate it, but deep down you like it, and it's the liking of it that is scaring you.

So how's your house-wife psychology 101 course treating you?

You think I'm a house-wife? You're going to try and rape me, aren't you? Stop that.

...

But if all people like it and want it deep down then can rape exist? You can't rape the willing.

idk this rhetoric sounds suspiciously rapey

Don't call your victims 'bait' that's fucking disgusting.

>The only way everything is grimdark is if you either read... or shit published in the past 6 years.
>proudly strutting in front of their clutch of eggs
When will all your walking skeleton asses go extinct?

One thing, as an anti-rapist, that bothers me. Is the lack of disturbance towards the concept of rape in novels. Seriously, it's like nobody considers it. Especially given how little of a choice the victim has in getting fucked and xer's unwillingness. It's terrible body horror shit. It's demeaning, dehumanizing, it fucks you up. It fractures your orifices. It's just, awful through and through with some positive elements.

But I don't like how it isn't explored, demeaning and dehumanizing sex we have no choice but to be put through is a concept I don't that's ever been handeled well or properly. Maybe it's me, it's a deep seated fear of being raped, that men's desires for sexual gratification in the past, or just their mindless desires in the present, override our own autonomy and emotions towards them, making you feel like you don't see in them what they see in you.

I don't know what I'm saying. I just wish rape wasn't constantly written as "This is bad! Only bad guys do this!", and not facing the cummy pumpy disturbing bullshit dealt with is. Or how we're forced into believing its acceptable after shock and sobbing of it to wear off, when for some people, and for many people, it doesn't wear off. This was even more prevalent in the past I'm assuming given the general attitude towards women.

No picture this time?

I meant to use this

I'd love to read a fantasy novel about a plump housewife getting raped by gnolls or some such creature.

>It fractures your orifices
that sounds hawt tbqh fambo
Too many years on Veeky Forums

>cummy pumpy
I lost it.

>tfw next door plump housewife would never invite you over for tea, then throw herself on you and have her way
Why live?

As history teachers, only works which are read by multiple generations survive the test of time, so never.

To write those stories. Brb, inserting a rapey plump housewife into my mythopoetic pantheon.

anyone here read the Witcher books? im playing the Witcher 3 now and its making me want to check out the books.

The game is better because it doesn't need high quality writing, while the novels do.
It's a great game and a really mediocre series of novels.

Newfag to /sffg/ and Veeky Forums in general. I was wondering what was Tolkien's reaction to literature derivative of his appearing? Can a dinosaur catch me up on this?

>he thinks GURRM, Sanderson and Erickson will be forgotten
Patrick Shitfuss maybe will be forgotten, but not those 3 above.
Also your statement applies to all the Terry Authors, and we know how shit they all are.

I tried reading Blood of Elves but it was complete dogshit.

Whenever we see great new authors rivalling the old. Which is to say never. Or perhaps when the west has declined to its final point and a new civilization rises. As it stands our decaying culture continue to produce lesser men with each passing generation.

>new to lit, furthermore sffg
>knows our dinosaur meme