Fantasy
>Selected:
>i.imgur.com
>General:
>i.imgur.com
>Flowchart:
>i.imgur.com
>Beginner's Guide to Fantasy:
>i.imgur.com
Science Fiction
>Selected:
>i.imgur.com
>i.imgur.com
>General:
>i.imgur.com
>i.imgur.com
>NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books:
>i.imgur.com
Previous Thread:
Other urls found in this thread:
thegreatcourses.com
twitter.com
First for chart
I MUST KNOW WHAT YOU SEE
3rd for smug
TELL ME
dude weed lmao
Stop with this weed meme. He doesn't post here, even if you wish he did
I think you meant to write
>even if you wish I did
WHAT AM I?
I hope you get raped by bashrag
Looking for science fiction with a focus on space colonisation. Any recommendations?
If you want an incredibly boring yet interesting read try Red Mars. It's all about colonisation.
Chasm City
Is Lewis' space trilogy worth reading?
Very subjective question. Simple answer is if you like his nonfiction then yes. The religious aspects increase as the series goes on, becoming very blatant in the third book.
I mean, they're blatant in the others too but the third book takes place on Earth without aliens to shield the metaphors.
Well, I'm a devout Christian myself so I doubt that will bother me. I was more wondering about the quality of the stories themselves, for some reason I only found out about them just recently. Is there a reason they are so much less known than the Narnia books?
They're adult-focused. I would put Perelandra as the equal of any Narnia book, and a few scenes in the other books, as far as writing skill and sense of wonder, but they're probably less-known just because adults don't read fantasy as much.
...
Has anyone read or discussed about Heinlein?
They're quite poorly written and in what feels like a high-fantasy style rather than a science fiction one. It's far more thinly veiled Christian allegory and rhetoric than Narnia, written at a time when he was still honing his writing and aimed at an audience of adults rather than children. The audience for SF even back then was far less theistically minded, so you can see there are a number of reasons why it wasn't all that popular.
I read some interpretations of it which concluded that he was arguing throughout the thing that it's okay to kill sinners as they "become" sin, which is a bit disgusting. The characters are also rubbish cartoonish caricatures.
>Perelandra
>thinly veiled
It was straight-up the Garden of Eden, it's not like he was trying to trick you.
>I read some interpretations of it which concluded that he was arguing throughout the thing that it's okay to kill sinners as they "become" sin, which is a bit disgusting.
It's incredibly disgusting that someone would try to make Lewis out to be some sort of murderous straw crusader. Where was this?
The Un-Man was very much not human, and was one of the best parts of the series, and one of its best science fiction ideas. What would a man taken over by an alien entity who held the causation of pain as the highest good really be like? What would our responsibilities be toward such a being? And any argument from what happened to the faculty in Hideous Strength would have to ignore how it came directly from their own hubris and not from some sort of low-Anglican Merlinist militia.
Absolutely.
Yes. What would you like to discuss user?
this
Tunnel in the Sky.
What lead to him writing some of his books, and do appreciate his stlye of writing?
>It was straight-up the Garden of Eden, it's not like he was trying to trick you.
That's still not going to sit well with the audience I mentioned.
>It's incredibly disgusting that someone would try to make Lewis out to be some sort of murderous straw crusader. Where was this?
thegreatcourses.com
as delivered by C.S. Lewis scholar Louis Markos, Professor in English at Houston Baptist University, where he holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities. He earned his B.A. in English and History from Colgate University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Michigan.
Surely you've noticed how juvenile The Screwtape Letters were? Lewis was a hack, assuming a soft-Christian cover whilst being semi-secretly fire and brimstone, piggybacking off the success of Tolkein, and the ideas of MacDonald and others.
>blah blah
I'm not going to debate that shit it's been a decade since I read them.
>Lewis was a hack
Nope.
>I'm not going to debate
>your just wrong lol
>Surely you've noticed how juvenile The Screwtape Letters were?
What are you talking about? That they were written for average British people and not fellow Oxford dons?
>Nope.
>your just wrong lol
Thumbs up, mate.
>I'm not going to debate
>I expect you to debate though
What does that have to do with anything? Was Paradise Lost written for Oxford Dons? Was Lord of The Rings? No, but they somehow managed not to be juvenile strawmen. Weird, that. Totally inexplicable.
>juvenile strawmen
But that's not Screwtape Letters. Are you talking about the Subject's secular friends? Because if anything they were too tame.
>Was Paradise Lost written for Oxford Dons
>implying anyone else even read it even in Lewis' day
I'm quite happy to debate the parts that you conveniently glossed over with "Nope", but I'm not going to debate the parts it's been a decade since I read, as I mentioned, because that would be silly. Or will you only engage with people on subjects you know they're unprepared for? Top Christian attitude there mate. Jesus would be proud of you.
>implying it hasn't been that long since I read it too
I just remember things I read, call me strange. OK, tell me how Lewis was actually calling for the slaughter of unbelieving university cultists.
>losing the argument? Call his tone un-Christian, he probably believes that means he loses!
I don't know, I don't remember -- you'd have to ask your fellow Christian and C.S. Lewis expert Professor Louis Markos, PhD.
>losing the argument? Cherry pick irrelevant parts of what your opponent said and only respond to them!
>not even a Christian
>believes every negative thing he hears about the most beloved Christian author
>but not enough to debate it
>totally willing to debate everything except those things he mentioned
Your entire argument is "doesn't that seem juvenile?" and "this Southern Baptist professor also doesn't like it."
>can only think in greentext
Like I'm said, I'm happy to back up my argument that Lewis was a hack, making his story out of one part Tolkein and one part MacDonald. The negative parts are, like I said, coming straight from Louis Markos who, unlike you or I, is an authority on the theological interpretation of Lewis's work. As I'm not him, it's not my place to defend his opinion, merely point out that he said it. If you have trouble with that, tough.
>criticizes Lewis
>user answers criticism
>lol it's been 10 years not an argument
You're going to be shocked when you find out where Tolkein and MacDonald got their ideas. And if you can't see what Lewis added to his stories you're literally illiterate.
1) It does seem juvenile, which supports Markos's interpretation and
2) I never said he didn't like it.
1. "I didn't like it" isn't an argument
2. if Markos thought Lewis wanted to kill sinners and still liked it, why are you giving his opinion any more credence than Lewis'?
I think there's a significant difference between the amount of lived effort that those two put into their work and how Lewis just crassly jammed it together. I'm sorry if someone being critical of your idol is so painful for you.
Lewis inundated his work with lived effort. This isn't painful, it's just confusing.
1) It's just as good an argument as "I liked it" or "He's the most adored Christian writer".
2) I'm giving them equal credence, which is why I'm arguing with you about it.
He tried to get into a popular emerging market with Christian propaganda then when that failed he ripped off his mate and his mate's mentor and created some Christian propaganda which sold well. There's absolutely nothing of his personal experience in those books.
Do you see any "graphic novel" thread in Veeky Forums?
No you don't. So take this shit somewhere else.
Sci-fi/fantasy is not literature. Sometimes literature is mistakenly identified as sci-fi/fantasy. Learn the difference.
BUT I LIEK LES WIZARDS AND SWORDS AND MAGIC AND SPACESHIPS IT STIMULATES WHIMSY AND WONDERMENT AND CAUSES MY IMAGINATION TO FLOURISH AND INSPIRES DIVINE UNDERSTANDING OF MY WORLD
Didn't you get banned, Tripfag?
Different user, but yeah, The Screwtape Letters was overly simplistic moralizing written for those who already subscribed to Lewis' beliefs. It's not that it was written for the average person, but the lowest common denominator, so I don't disagree with someone describing it as juvenile.
I LIKE ANIME!!! I DON'T REALLY CARE WHAT IT'S ABOUT IT JUST HAS TO BE FROM JAPAN AND OOOOOOHH AHHHHHH IT SENDS ME TO HEAVEN I FEEL SO GOOOOOOOOOOD I LOVE THE ART STYLE IT IS SO SUPERIOR TO AMERICAN CULTURE IT GIVES ME SO MUCH INSIGHT, IT MAKES A PLACE FOR ME IN SOCIETY AS AN ENLIGHTENED SAGE THAT SHOULD BE CONSULTED IN TIMES OF TROUBLE AND DOUBT
ITS MAKE PERFECT SENSE TO FIXATE ON THE ARTIFICIAL DESIGNATIONS OF "ANIME" OR "SCI-FI" OR "FANTASY" BECAUSE EVERYTHING LABELLED LIKE THAT HAS THE SAME EXTREMELY HIGH ARTISTIC VALUE AND HAS A LOT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN COMMON
I DON'T LIKE THAT STUFF BECAUSE IT'S A LABEL AN AUTHORITY PUTS ON SOMETHING AND I'M DESPERATE TO FIT IN TO SOMETHING, ANYTHING, AND CLING TO ANY AUTHORITY THAT'S ACCESSIBLE TO ME
I CHOOSE WHAT I LIKE BASED ON RATION CRITERIA, NOT ON WHAT AN AUTHORITY TELLS ME I LIKE
Autism speaks
pretty sure more than one person is capable of spotting this obvious joke.
you are brainless as fuck
>le meme
>epic rebuttal
Got given this as a present.
Anyone read it? Is it worth reading?
Take your attitude to where it belongs.
>There's absolutely nothing of his personal experience in those books.
>make a shitty bait post
>demand to be taken seriously
Fuck off
take your shitty thread where it belongs
Not my thread, but this thread is exactly where it's supposed to be, otherwise the previous ones would have been deleted by the mods.
>calling post bait
>responding to it
>proving you read the entire thing
>reading things against your interest in their entirety
>having no self respect
makes a lot of sense that you like "fantasy/scifi"
exactly, the brainless animal that lets an authority tell it what books it likes by following a giant brainless label like "sci fi" or "fantasy" appeals to authority, assuming the great powerful just wise gods of moderators have looked into and substantiated the validity of scifi/fantasy as valid art and literature
just kill yourself
>the brainless animal that lets an authority tell it what books it likes
But we're not? We like Fantasy/Science fiction based on our own taste and views. If you have a problem with the fact that there's a general for Science Fiction & Fantasy literature, you can take that up with the mods and not scream like a manchild here. Last time I reply to you as you're just baiting me anyhow.
What the fuck, you really believe you have a right not to be bullied? On the internet? On Veeky Forums??? You're weak trash and you need to taste the dirt. You have no taste. You have no views. It's not a problem that I have with you. It's a problem you contribute to the community. You don't belong here. Reform your behavior and try again.
>mods mods mods please help some one is making a valid criticism of things I like and I don't know what to do
What's wrong with The Red Knight that requires a special place in Shit?
He chart is ironic, you read it from bottom to top.
just bought all this, what am I in for
>Reynolds
A decent nap.
I liked pic related, felt like a less magic version of Hyperion
It was memed here as GRI and it has none.
It's about mercenaries who don't rape and plunder, using magic and the church in the same sentence...
It's shit. Read if you want.
>when your sci-fi/fantasy ideas are good
>when you write them down, they seem tacky
there are SO MANY THINGS to pay attention to
post 'em
don't post 'em
people will steal them and jazz them up
just learn to write
yeah i'm not going to post them, i need to try to make them into something and fail many times until i succeed. i am a decent writer, but i need to work bloody to write something that people can unanimously read and say 'yeah, this might work'. so, there is potential, i get that. but give me 10 more years until i get something published. im a mere babbi of 25.
>implying SFF ideas aren't a diamond a dozen
>implying I can't dredge up twenty of them from my big txt file of ideas right now, expose them, and never see them in print because actually making the effort to write is what's rare and precious
favor cards that have been wagered and lost many times and have strange redeem values, like "the entire electrical output of the municipal plant in X city on Y date" or "five minutes and 30 seconds of philosophical debate with X person, redeemable in daylight hours EST"
televised pro jousters with outrageous theatrical displays
genetic trait of being extremely sensitive to imagined experiences, can go into shock from descriptions
fighting an enemy that has a hundred years to plan its next move for every day you experience - preserving secrets becomes vital
flawed ai with time travel is a crippled god of all the ages
people with natural alcohol veins in their skin as antifreeze - pure water will attach to some of the compounds that control the alcohol, causing them to become drunk
warriors fighting hobson's choice demons have already made their decisions for a variety of impossible dilemmas they might be forced into by flipping coins
main character woken from the dead by a minstrel's song - from a spider sac?
"technically this area is part of Hell, but it has been extensively terraformed"
using time travel and other secret marvels for the most trivial purposes
US cavalry fiefdoms in the Old West
tactical fox spirit used by jp sorcerer in WWII now worshiped as a god in New Guinea highlands
characters believe they are doppelgangers, don't mind each other using personal possessions/space/friendships
group that allows wasps to build nests in their work/living space as proof of patience and tolerance
forced into eternal life when a meddling artist paints a leaf on a wall
advantageous deformities belong to the community, becoming normal is selfish
reverse groundhog day, everyone's living the day over but you
the oppression of women throughout history was a ruse to to hide a magic ritual they were performing
extra pair of arms growing from the hips
sentient aliens that are symbiotic limbs of their mobile host, consider creatures that both move alone and act in society to be hopelessly vulgar
>implying I can't dredge up twenty of them from my big txt file of ideas right now, expose them, and never see them in print because actually making the effort to write is what's rare and precious
yeah absolutely. exactly the reason why i didn't bother posting it, ideas are completely abundant and can be extracted from each vidid dream
equally, stupid ideas can make great stories
when i said there is so many things to be taken into account i meant not only the worldbuilding process, but the chracters and all those little things that make story. you need a pageturner basically and thats not done with just one or five things going on, you need subtle relationships, creation of eagerness for something, atmosphere, certain sense of the world how perceived by the characters etc etc
90/100 things submitted to publishers are im sure complete borefest
sounds harsh and kind of vapid, but in order to really make a great story, think about what is readable to you and to more demanding people than you and what would people buy
hate on GRRM's Song all you want, but you crack that Game of Thrones first book open, you think 'i could buy this'
you have great dialogue from the start, characters, insane worldbuilding, patience, hidden gems all around, consciousness of every dynamics going on
or Hyperion books. thats some good shit right there
I just bought Nova by Samuel R. Delany. Is it good?
Yeah, that's why I was asking you to post them, not because I wanted to steal them but because I wanted to make conversation. You, user, I'm interested in you: not your face, not your name, not anything in your identity and especially not in your livelihood, but your soul, your creativity, your spark of inspiration.
It's like an earlier, more scholarly Left Behind series -- Christianity meets Sci-Fi.
In the second book is about holding off the Fall on Venus, the third book is the host of Satan taking over a small British town by establishing a bureaucracy of small-minded climbers.
I am not wholly Christian and I liked it a lot, but I understand it's not everybody's cup of tea.
I have a harder time with his writing as I get older, but maybe it's just because I've read most of his best books already.
>I have a harder time with his writing as I get older
So did he.
>the oppression of women throughout history was a ruse to to hide a magic ritual they were performing
This is an interesting premise which could bring in Margaret Murray's theories about the witch trials being a Christian conspiracy to remove a fairly unified religion (a fertility venerating a mother goddess) which threatened the hegemony, not least because it was an organisation where women had a strong role; her book 'The Witch-cult In Western Europe'.
>>the oppression of women throughout history was a ruse to to hide a magic ritual they were performing
Stealing mana from unsuspecting males that they deceived
It's still going on today
I will have you know no succubus will ever drain me of my mana
Wife-beaters are under a spell, that's why their wives forgive them so much, and occasionally kill them.
No that's just women being stupid on an enormous scale since it happens in every culture and country
The conspiracy is vast and wide-spread.
I'm now on Memories of Ice while reading Malazan Book of the Fallen and nobody told me how funny this series could be. Sure it gets really grim, but other parts are genuinely hysterical. Iskaral Pust is one of the funniest characters I've read in fantasy, ever.
I always get that guy mixed up with Paul Auster (similar problem with Harlan vs. Ralph Ellison). Desu.
...
I want a book/series that has shit loads of magic, and is at least decent
Similar to: Magicians, Sanderson, Breeks, Sabriel, Demon Cycle
A while back somebody was recommending urban fantasy stuff that wasn't bad, does anybody remember the list? I just got finished up with the Dresden Files books I haven't read and I'm waiting on the Chequy books from the library.
I remember there was one about a chick who was described as being "Dresden but less of a tool," and one about a police investigator (FBI maybe?) who is a witch or something.
Malazan Book of the Fallen. Every other character is a mage, a god, a quasi-god, or the tool of a god, or a demon or a spirit or an undead of some kind.
I read I think 4 books of it
Way too fuckin vague my man.
First one could be the hollows series, but it's garbage.