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Leng posted:
Will Wright lives in Florida. I suspect that the pack of dumb old assholes who nearly get everyone killed because they fail to accept the danger of the situation and instead retreat into half-baked conspiracy theories might have some real world analogues. Writing them getting their asses beat probably was Will looking out for his mental health
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Apr 11, 2021 09:01
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I take it back, wtf he was supposed to be taking a break and looking after his mental health.
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Dr Subterfuge posted:On the other hand Ozriel is the founding Aurelius, so he's probably responsible for the newly introduced hunger hands, which were stored in that ancient Aurelius vault. But that's only an assumption. A previous book indicated that he was reborn in the labrynth, and we got a neat drawing of subject one in this book, and he's got a bunch of arms I guess, were they all chopped off?
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Apr 11, 2021 20:37
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Xand_Man posted:Writing them getting their asses beat probably was Will looking out for his mental health Checks out! Bloodline was fine...but the one thing that's really bugging me is when they're going on a tour of their new floating castle and Yerin just reacts with disappointment to the cave full of sword aura because she now needs to find a source of blood aura. Did she completely forget about the Heart's Gem natural blood treasure that Ruby was cycling? Come on!
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Apr 12, 2021 12:02
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30.5 Days posted:A previous book indicated that he was reborn in the labrynth, and we got a neat drawing of subject one in this book, and he's got a bunch of arms I guess, were they all chopped off? Oh poo poo I'd forgotten that passage in Unsouled: "The labyrinth where he died and returned to life" when talking about locations of interest that were details of Ozriel's life. I wonder how that compares to what Jai Daishou pulled off with the Heartguard chest. Regardless, I think Ozriel invaded the of labyrinth, died (temporarily) in the process and either chopped those hands off Subject One himself or he found them deep inside. S1 is the source for all Hunger Madra, and all the artifacts made with it were "harvested" from him, so it wouldn't surprise me if the hands were just... hanging around as raw material. And then Ozriel left them in a family vault along with his bead, meant to be found, but only by someone free thinking enough to ignore the fact the he forbid anyone from going in there.
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Apr 12, 2021 12:32
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I really enjoy how profoundly over the top Dungeon Crawler Carl is. I wish there was more like it.
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Apr 13, 2021 04:46
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GrandmaParty posted:I really enjoy how profoundly over the top Dungeon Crawler Carl is. I wish there was more like it. If you want more of it, the fourth book is mostly(?) finished on Royal Road.
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Apr 13, 2021 12:58
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Mage Errant 5 (The Siege of Skyhold) is out, and 1 - 4 are free: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/mqo74f/mage_errant_book_5_release_and_series_giveaway
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Apr 14, 2021 15:42
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Speaking of mages, I have a book out, Order of the Magi! I'm gonna be running a sale on it this weekend, but assuming everyone in this thread has Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free already. Thread regular Leng was a beta-reader for it and seemed to like it, and I've since tightened it up based on their suggestions, so it should be a brisk and enjoyable read. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092CHN6S6/  quote:Cantus dreams of glory in magical combat. He should have ample opportunities to win fame by hunting down rogue spellcasters for the Order of the Magi. But when a seemingly simple mission leaves him permanently disabled, he must journey to the center of the Auduwyn Empire to track down the errant mage who can heal him before his magic disappears entirely. To make matters worse, he soon discovers a growing threat that challenges the very fabric of the Order and the lasting peace it has established.
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Apr 15, 2021 20:24
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It's spelled rogue, not rouge. im sorry, I had a terrible urge to post that, I don't actually want to hurt you
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Apr 15, 2021 20:39
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90s Cringe Rock posted:It's spelled rogue, not rouge. Haha you spiked my heart rate! I had to triple check I hadn't actually made that mistake.
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Apr 15, 2021 20:44
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Ccs posted:Speaking of mages, I have a book out, Order of the Magi! I'm gonna be running a sale on it this weekend, but assuming everyone in this thread has Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free already. Thread regular Leng was a beta-reader for it and seemed to like it, and I've since tightened it up based on their suggestions, so it should be a brisk and enjoyable read. I don't have KU but I'll happily send a goon a dollar 
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Apr 15, 2021 21:34
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StrixNebulosa posted:I don't have KU but I'll happily send a goon a dollar You rock! You might be my first sale 
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Apr 15, 2021 21:42
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StrixNebulosa posted:I don't have KU but I'll happily send a goon a dollar
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Apr 16, 2021 03:00
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avoraciopoctules posted:Seconded. Just bought, it's gonna be next on my list after I finish Rivers of London. Congrats on finishing the book! Thanks so much!
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Apr 16, 2021 04:14
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Ccs posted:Speaking of mages, I have a book out, Order of the Magi! I'm gonna be running a sale on it this weekend, but assuming everyone in this thread has Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free already. Thread regular Leng was a beta-reader for it and seemed to like it, and I've since tightened it up based on their suggestions, so it should be a brisk and enjoyable read. Just bought it fella, congrats on getting your (first?) book finished!
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Apr 16, 2021 06:15
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Ccs posted:Speaking of mages, I have a book out, Order of the Magi! I'm gonna be running a sale on it this weekend, but assuming everyone in this thread has Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free already. Thread regular Leng was a beta-reader for it and seemed to like it, and I've since tightened it up based on their suggestions, so it should be a brisk and enjoyable read. Can confirm, I enjoyed this story! Also purchased so I can leave you a verified purchase review in due course.
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Apr 16, 2021 12:40
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Hooray!
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Apr 16, 2021 13:51
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Bought a copy, don't know how soon I'll get around to digging in but can't go wrong for that price with such glowing recommendations from the trustworthy posters who like garbage I also like.
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Apr 16, 2021 19:30
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Argas posted:Bought a copy, don't know how soon I'll get around to digging in but can't go wrong for that price with such glowing recommendations from the trustworthy posters who like garbage I also like. Thank you! I hope you will enjoy my garbage. I'll stop thanking every individual poster who says they bought it now but rest assured that I am very happy each time.
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Apr 16, 2021 19:37
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Having finished it, Siege of Skyhold is definitely the best book in Mage Errant imo.
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Apr 17, 2021 10:40
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Cicero posted:Having finished it, Siege of Skyhold is definitely the best book in Mage Errant imo. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. The ending really didn't pull any punches either - I'm looking forward to the next one.
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Apr 17, 2021 11:20
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I started Mage Errant late last night to see if I liked it and ended up reading 2/3rds of the first book before I couldnt keep my eyes open anymore. Very addicting/easy reading like the Cradle books, indeed.
AARD VARKMAN fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Apr 17, 2021 |
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Apr 17, 2021 17:15
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Just got totally nailed by a line in Mage Errant book 2: I skipped half a page thinking there would be some awkward convo stuff and the sentence I skipped to was about how Sabae even skips the awkward convos in novels
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Apr 18, 2021 00:40
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Found a weird book that straddles the line of I think it's a good book but has weird caveats to that statement. The Seventh Knight by Robert Ryan https://www.amazon.com/Seventh-Knight-Kingshield-Book-ebook/dp/B089GHPGMZ It's weird in that unlike most books, this one feels like it was part of a competent and exciting story that got distilled down into a formulaic and predictable action novel. The story itself is incredibly predictable and not really all that interesting but it's paced like a tuned in and oiled machine. It's literally action sequence - short dialogue/story advancement - action sequence - short dialogue/story advancement - action sequence - short dialogue/story advancement - action sequence - short dialogue/story advancement, and so on and so on. I didn't actually go deep into it but it really felt like the author set a word limit of how each segment plays out and stuck to it in this and it almost felt like reading a book written to a pattern or really slow metronome. If an AI could write a cohesive story, this would how I imagine it would go. I've read plenty of books I'd describe as the equivalent to a b-movie action film but this book has made me realize that sort of assessment can be done on a scale and this one is pushed to 100%. But on the other hand, and despite it's flaws, it kind of overcomes a lot of annoyances in other stories. For example, you're immediately introduced to the mysterious old man who doesn't answer questions and gives vague "just trust me" sort of responses over stuff that isn't/shouldn't be a secret. But then it resolves that in something like 50 pages, literally. You go from here is mysterious old man to broadly knowing who he is, who the enemy is, how they've hosed up, and what you've got to do about it in no time at all. Which really underscores how pointless the whole thing was in the story but at least it's not carried over entire books like other novels. There also appears to be a romance angle but it's not treated as love at first sight or fated crap, instead it's two people who grew up together and treat each other as siblings where at least one of them has feelings developing the other way. On the other hand even though it isn't the usual romance problems, the "growth" of the relationship up to the point I've read is almost entirely implied and only explicitly discussed over just a couple paragraphs across the whole of what I've read. It's also relentlessly good vs evil. The extent of the debate over that is the main character stating he doesn't want to be the prophesized hero but will do everything that requires and the antagonists henchman who forms the current major hurdle recognizes they've traded the moral high ground for power and a different sort of loyalty. The author even has a blurb at the end of the first book about how this is meant to be the complete opposite of grimdark, which is apparently a term called "noblebright" which I've never heard of before but he makes sound like a thing. Long story short version, it's worth the read if you're looking for a good vs evil action injection of raw entertainment. Incredibly quick with zero downtime in the story but oddly feels like instead of how it could have been better and has some wasted potential, it feels like it was a better idea whose potential was cut out of it to make it what it is.
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Apr 19, 2021 16:19
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I've been working my way through Cradle, and it's amazing for its ability to just hook me, with the perfect length and complexity to make it fun but not a chore. Read Soulsmith in one day, which I usually never do. Other than Mage Errant, is anything else like Cradle y'all would recommend? Preferably sci-fi, to balance it out. I heard Warformed: Iron Prince might apply, but more recommendations never hurt.
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Apr 19, 2021 23:54
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There's no progression fantasy as good as Cradle imo. The next most recommended story in that genre is probably Mother of Learning. Strengths over Cradle: magic system, narrative breathing room for protagonist to explore/improve powers, cool underlying mystery to solve. Weaknesses: writing isn't nearly as snappy, especially dialogue.
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Apr 20, 2021 01:31
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Anything else Sci-fi then that this thread seems to like? The OP has recommendations, but it's older, and I thought there may be newer stuff. On the other side, how is Will Wight's other books? I have a couple of his pirate books when they were free.
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Apr 20, 2021 01:56
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Hiro Protagonist posted:Anything else Sci-fi then that this thread seems to like? The OP has recommendations, but it's older, and I thought there may be newer stuff. On the other side, how is Will Wight's other books? I have a couple of his pirate books when they were free. I have read all of his other books. Traveler's Gate is rougher (because it was an earlier work) but I still enjoyed it. Elder Empire is underappreciated. Calder is an entitled rear end; I enjoyed Shera's perspective more and it gives you more of the worldbuilding and stuff that was happening behind the scenes that you don't get from Calder's POVs.
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Apr 20, 2021 04:09
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Hiro Protagonist posted:Anything else Sci-fi then that this thread seems to like? The OP has recommendations, but it's older, and I thought there may be newer stuff. On the other side, how is Will Wight's other books? I have a couple of his pirate books when they were free. Marko Kloos' Frontlines series might work. I've only read the first two Palladium Wars books (which I also recommend; the third is scheduled for August release), but they were pretty great and I normally don't keen to mil-sf.
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Apr 20, 2021 04:20
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Hiro Protagonist posted:Anything else Sci-fi then that this thread seems to like? The OP has recommendations, but it's older, and I thought there may be newer stuff. On the other side, how is Will Wight's other books? I have a couple of his pirate books when they were free. Joel Shepard has an epic Space Opera series called The Spiral Wars on Unlimited if you don't mind that the series is only 2/3 done at the 7-book mark. Glynn Stewart reminds me of Wight in a way - shorter, snappier writing that you don't usually see in sci-fi as much, plus he's one of the few mil sci fi writers who isn't a right wing lunatic (Starship's Mage is probably his best series, but it's another still ongoing one, Exile is probably his best completed series). Kloos as mentioned is good, but Frontlines goes pretty hard on the shittiness of war so be warned if you're not in the mood for a heavy read. Palladium Wars is a bit lighter/more traditional sci fi style.
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Apr 20, 2021 06:08
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spiral wars pwns, it's really good. i read a lot of glynn stewart but honestly if you've read one of the books you've kind of read them all. it's very paint by numbers. they're basically dean koontz of kindle unlimited if you ask me. good writing, technically, but on some level im aware that im reading a crappy thriller novel but even cheaper
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Apr 20, 2021 11:50
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Check out The Forever War
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Apr 20, 2021 14:31
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Fortune's Rising by Sarah King was a pretty good sci fi series if you haven't checked it out yet. Iron Prince was interesting, but just too long. They really needed a better editor to go through it and weed out a few hundred pages. If anyone else has gotten more into the Superhero books on KU, "See These Bones" and the sequel "Red Right Hand" by Chris Tullbane were both really good I thought. Edit: Also forgot to mention the Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang, which came out a while ago but I didn't see mentioned in the last few pages. I'm pretty sure she gave up on KU, but it's a standalone book and very good. Teva fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Apr 21, 2021 |
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Apr 21, 2021 01:00
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I did a bit of reading through the Thousand Tales series by Kris Schnee, wherein an occasionally dubious but (probably) mostly benevolent super-AI gradually goes from running an MMO towards a gradual scheme of manipulating world politics to try and convince everyone to upload their brains (because more players living forever -> more opportunities to satisfy its prime directive of providing fun for people). I'd give it a middling review on the whole. There's definitely some interesting ideas, but quite a lot of it suffers from the 'detailed game rules stuff happening that doesn't actually matter in any substantial way to the reader or characters' problem common in litrpg works, as well as quite a lot of blatant author myopia (every main character is instantly comfortable with furries and/or turning into furries, uploaded people are all somehow happy with living in a virtual hub area that still includes random violent monster spawns and deathtraps, etc), and there's one truly bizarre setting element about Cubans somehow being happy at being militarily "liberated" by a nation of breakaway US southern states. The books also repeatedly toss around questions about whether the aforementioned AI is actually as beneficent as it seems and then just kind of shrug off actually dealing with the answer, which really doesn't help the attempt to portray anything outside of the game world even half-seriously.
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Apr 21, 2021 02:31
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Lol at that last part. Its amazing when someone tosses their politics into a story and you suddenly realize that they've never read a book ever. I really wish I could remember the name of the one some American wrote where 'the Party' has seized control of the US and eliminated the rich and implemented UBI, gotten rid of pointless labor, everyone has expensive VR gear and plenty of food etc but the main character is like wow this sucks, life is such a dystopia now, i wish I had a job
Larry Parrish fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Apr 21, 2021 |
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Apr 21, 2021 18:26
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Larry Parrish posted:Lol at that last part. Its amazing when someone tosses their politics into a story and you suddenly realize that they've never read a book ever. I really wish I could remember the name of the one some American wrote where 'the Party' has seized control of the US and eliminated the rich and implemented UBI, gotten rid of pointless labor, everyone has expensive VR gear and plenty of food etc but the main character is like wow this sucks, life is such a dystopia now, i wish I had a job 
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Apr 21, 2021 18:41
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Apr 21, 2021 23:27
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Leng posted:I have read all of his other books. Traveler's Gate is rougher (because it was an earlier work) but I still enjoyed it. Elder Empire is underappreciated. Calder is an entitled rear end; I enjoyed Shera's perspective more and it gives you more of the worldbuilding and stuff that was happening behind the scenes that you don't get from Calder's POVs. I appreciated the Elder Empire a lot more after reading it, and intent is a very basic magic ruleset that sort of mimics cultivation a bit but without ever really dominating the narrative in the way cultivation does. It's definitely hurt by the multiple perspectives because every pair of books reads more like 1.5 books.
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Apr 22, 2021 07:32
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I’m enjoying mage errant but sometimes it’s really fanfictiony *charatcers laughing for five solid minutes* *Sphinx staring at someone for eight solid minutes until they drop their question and change the subject* Things like that. They’re fun but it’s just a bit more amateurish than I’m used to coming off Cradle (as everything in this genre is after Cradle).
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Apr 22, 2021 20:12
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Agreed the constant birthday gifts are kind of ridiculous
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Apr 22, 2021 20:27
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