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What is your favorite story arc?
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You are a fluke of the universe; you have no right to be here.
(Score: 2) by archfeld on Sunday January 29 2017, @12:58AM
I had forgotten about the Coldfire series, that was dark but a very good read. I was very fond Dave Duncan's A man of his Word series also.
Another one I'd forgotten was Piers Anthony https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprentice_Adept [wikipedia.org]
It crossed the Sci-Fi/Fantasy line quite entertainingly as well.
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge
(Score: 2) by Marand on Sunday January 29 2017, @06:39PM
Coldfire was great, though I hated the ending, which marred the memories a bit. Still, excellent books up until the finish. I apparently missed Duncan; I did read some of Anthony's Xanth stuff, but preferred Robert Lynn Asprin's MythAdventures and Thieves' World work more.
I can't suggest Cherryh's Morgaine Cycle strongly enough, however. It seemed like it was going to be generic fantasy novel fluff at the start, but the writer did an excellent job having the complexities of the setting unfold over time, so that the reader learns more as the main character does. I know that's vague, but explaining it better would take away from it.
I remember the Amber books doing something similar, but in that case the perception of the characters changed more than the setting. Corwin started out seeming like an overpowered Mary Sue to me, but as the story unfolded, I saw that he wasn't especially powerful compared to the other important characters; rather, the perception of his power was intentionally tied to how the story revealed the setting and changed the scope of the plot.
Thinking about it, Coldfire sort of did a similar play on perception, presenting a fantasy story that was built off a soft sci-fi underpinning and revealing more of it over time. I guess I just find that sort of writing sleight-of-hand intriguing. It's like the storytelling equivalent of an ant learning there's an entire world outside its anthill. It's not an easy way to tell a story, but pays off IMO when it works.
The Morgaine Cycle books also were memorable to me because the main characters generally tried to avoid trouble. There was a goal to be met, and that drove the progression, and suspense in the story often came from the main characters trying to avoid unnecessary conflict along the way. It gave it a different sort of feel than most sci-fi and fantasy stuff.
(Score: 2) by archfeld on Monday January 30 2017, @04:43AM
Xanth was not one of my favorite settings, seemed teeny bopper, and relied far to much on puns, Anthony's bio of a space tyrant and the apprentice/adept series were both excellent. I loved Skeeve's adventures and the Thieves world original anthology was excellent.
I've recently read the Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne, very good, and the Dresden files by Jim Butcher were also excellent reads.
If you haven't read the Number of the Beast by Robert Heinlein I'd suggest it. As part of the plot huge numbers of worthwhile books and writers universes are mentioned. It is a veritable what's what and whose who in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy world.
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge
(Score: 2) by Marand on Tuesday January 31 2017, @01:27AM
Xanth was not one of my favorite settings, seemed teeny bopper, and relied far to much on puns
The puns were the best part. (I know, I'm a horrible person...) Didn't care so much for the rest of it, but didn't hate it either. I always had mixed emotions about both Anthony's work and Jack L. Chalker's. The latter had some interesting settings and concepts (like The Wonderland Gambit) but it seemed like everything he wrote had to have some sort of unwilling physical character transformations, to the point that it seemed like some kind of author fetish. He was a pretty good author aside from that, though.
Thieves world original anthology was excellent.
The one I read was Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn. Never found any of the others, but it was good enough that I still fondly remember the setting and style of it. It's what got me reading RLA; I only later found the MythAdventures stuff.
Haven't read any of the others named. I had to pack up all my books for a move a while back, don't have space to unpack them still, and it really fucked up my reading habit. Can't check what I already own so it makes me reluctant to get more. I miss my bookshelves. :/
(Score: 2) by archfeld on Tuesday January 31 2017, @05:20PM
I recently sold my house and in the process sold nearly 3000 old colored spine paperbacks, and close to that many newer nearly worthless paperbacks and hardbacks, so I know your pain. I've since acquired a Kindle eReader and have a kindle unlimited subscription which I've grown to absolutely love. Nothing can replace the tactile feel and smell of a book, but my apartment and life simply doesn't have the space for a physical library like I used to.
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge
(Score: 2) by Marand on Wednesday February 01 2017, @02:58AM
Oh yeah, that sucks. At least I still have my books, even if I can't get at them right now.
I looked into going the ebook route for the convenience and space-saving -- plus I find ebooks offer enough advantages over paperbacks to be worth losing the tactile aspect -- but getting older stuff in ebook form can be a pain in the ass, at least legally. Doesn't matter if I'm willing to pay twice for the same book for the convenience, if nobody will make it available :/