Jump to content

Recommended Reading


Recommended Posts

44 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

(e.g. Harry Potter is considered High Fantasy despite both Earth-based and almost-modern London (from when Book 1 was written).

Who thinks that, and please tell them that they are wrong. 

Also,Powder Mage, especially considering the series as a whole, is Epic, not Adventure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, The Known Novel said:

Also,Powder Mage, especially considering the series as a whole, is Epic, not Adventure.

That's why I was asking how we should define the subdivision for this list. It doesn't seem to be page-count or number of books.

Is it the "stakes?" Some other criterion(ia)?

Quote

Who thinks that, and please tell them that they are wrong. 

That was my point. It seems even amongst publishers the definition is "fuzzy."

I found this:

Spoiler

Low fantasy, or intrusion fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy fiction in which magical events intrude on an otherwise-normal world. The term thus contrasts with high fantasy stories, which take place in fictional worlds that have their own sets of rules and physical laws.
<snip>
The early 21st century is seeing an increase in prominence of the work of authors such as George R. R. Martin and Joe Abercrombie, whose high fantasy novels (works set entirely in fantasy worlds) have been referred to as "low fantasy" because they de-emphasize magic and non-human intelligent races in favor of a more cynical portrayal of human conflict.
<snip>
High and low fantasy are distinguished as being set, respectively, in an alternative "secondary" world or in the real "primary" world. In many works, the distinction between primary or secondary world settings, and therefore whether it is low or high fantasy, can be unclear. The secondary world may take three forms, described by Nikki Gamble in her explication of three characteristics of high fantasy:

  •   Primary does not exist (e.g., Dungeons & Dragons) or is irrelevant (e.g., Discworld)
  •   Entered through a portal from the primary world (e.g., Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, His Dark Materials, and The Dark Tower)
  •   World-within-a-world (e.g., American Gods, The Gods of Pegāna, The Magicians, and Harry Potter)

A few high fantasy series do not easily fit into Gamble's categories. For example, J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is set in the primary world of Earth in the ancient past, and Tolkien adamantly disagreed with anyone who thought otherwise. According to Tolkien, he had set it in the inhabited lands of geographically north-west Europe. Tolkien himself disagreed with the notion that his stories diverged from reality, but rather defended his position that the "essentials of that abiding place are all there (at any rate for inhabitants of N.W. Europe), so naturally it feels familiar, even if a little glorified by enchantment of distance in time." Nevertheless, Middle-earth is sufficiently divergent from reality to be classed as a secondary world and hence high fantasy.

J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is again set in the real world; however, while the primary setting, mostly the school, Hogwarts, is said to be located somewhere in Scotland, it is physically separated from the real world and becomes a "world-within-a-world". Similarly, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is largely set in an alternate Oxfordshire, a real location, but the fact that it is an alternate world at all places it in the high fantasy subgenre.

Some sources place Harry Potter and His Dark Materials in the low fantasy genre. Karin E. Westman, writing in The Oxford Handbook of Children's Literature states that because " Rowling is much more interested in how fantasy provides perspective on everyday experience and the individual's place in society," and her inclusion of bildungsroman (a coming-of-age story) and the school story genres, "align her primarily with the domestic (or low) fantasy of authors such as E. Nesbit, Elizabeth Goudge, and Paul Gallico...as well as authors like Philip Pullman and Jonathan Stroud, who are also interested in the intersection of the personal and the political within quotidian experiences."

Seems it's a possible controversy we can just avoid if we sub-categorize Fantasy as:

  • Fantasy
  • Adventure Fantasy
  • Epic Fantasy
  • Urban Fantasy

Of course, that list doesn't reflect on other Speculative Fiction (Sci-Fi, Sci-Fan, Horror, etc.) which already have a category at the top of the thread. 

Which brings me back to asking - what do we use to define Adventure and Epic Fantasy (aside from the books/series that have already been separated for MG/YA so the section is dedicated to kid-friendly stories)?

Edited by Treamayne
SPAG
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Treamayne said:

That was my point. It seems even amongst publishers the definition is "fuzzy."

It seems to me to be fuzzy only if you make it fuzzy. If you take it at the literal "the real world exists" it works fine. It make some semi-counter-intuitive definitions, but it's simple. If you classify it as "the real world doesn't exist or is irrelevant" then it's slightly more subjective, but is still fairly simple and pretty intuitive. 

But I digress.

2 hours ago, Treamayne said:
  • Fantasy
  • Adventure Fantasy
  • Epic Fantasy
  • Urban Fantasy

That's fine for me. 

2 hours ago, Treamayne said:

Which brings me back to asking - what do we use to define Adventure and Epic Fantasy (aside from the books/series that have already been separated for MG/YA so the section is dedicated to kid-friendly stories)?

Adventure is defined by plot, Epic is defined by stakes. Generally, Adventure takes priority (like LotR is Epic stakes, but the Adventure plot takes precedent, whereas the Hobbit is just plain Adventure), but only if a quest/whatever is the main focus, if it's just a side plot, then Epic takes precedent. I don't think it's too hard, and people will sort it pretty accurately on their own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Throne of Glass
  • By Sarah J. Maas
  • High Fantasy
  • After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

    Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king’s council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Chaol Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her … but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

    Then one of the other contestants turns up dead … quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.
Edited by Ravenclawjedi42
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/19/2023 at 1:51 PM, Ravenclawjedi42 said:
  • Throne of Glass
  • By Sarah J. Maas
22 hours ago, Veledsier said:

Dune by Frank Herbert. There are actually 11 books in the series! It is a sci-fi adventure series

Both have been added.

Dune has far more than 11 novels. But I updated that information and linked the chronology.

However, I put Dune in Sci-Fan. While it was originally published as Sci Fi (Sci-Fan wasn't really recognized as a genre category) it firmly fits in Sci-Fan (just like Star Wars and Star Trek). Though, admittedly, the line between Soft Sci-Fi and Sci-Fan can be a bit blurry. 

Sci-Fan Definition

Spoiler

Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientifically logical; while a conventional fantasy story contains mostly supernatural and artistic elements that disregard the scientific laws of the real world. The world of science fantasy, however, is laid out to be scientifically logical and often supplied with hard science–like explanations of any supernatural elements.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also:

@Treamayne

Red Rising, despite similar themes causing some confusion, is very firmly in the pure Sci-fi category. It seems to get recommended a lot around fantasy circles because if it's themeing and Epic Fantasy esque nature, but it is still very Sci-fi.

Edit: I've looked into it even more now, and a note that it is a great entry point for Fantasy readers/is very Fantasy-esque would probably fit somewhere in the entry.

Edited by The Known Novel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, The Known Novel said:

Red Rising, despite similar themes causing some confusion, is very firmly in the pure Sci-fi category.

I can certainly see why one would think that. It's often marketed as Sci Fi (specifically Dystopian Sci Fi). I even mentioned in the write-up that it is sometimes called SciFi.

Granted I've only read the original trilogy (and that was back in 2015-16). Here is some my reasoning for putting it in Sci-Fan (spoilers):

Spoiler
  • Helium 3 somehow enables Terraforming - presumably only because it is known as a Primordial Nuclide
  • Color caste system is the result of centuries of gene manipulation for inheritable traits
    • Golds are stronger, faster, and smarter for this reason (which, itself, is Applied Phlebotinum equal to the Captain America "serum")
    • But Darrow can be "remade" to simulate this through cosmetic surgery? Because he is The One
  • Cognitive Tonic - possible nanotech that allows you to "learn" 3000 yrs of liturature in your sleep
    • But no other Colors have learned this way?
    • And how do you assimilate the knowledge?
  • The weapons (slingBlade, pulseFist, etc.) and tools (vibroScalpel, bonepeeler, etc.)
  • In the end it's a variation on Clarke's third law. If:
    • Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishible from Magic
    • Then in this story's 29th century - all MagiTek is just labelled as sufficiently advanced technology
  • From author Rick Riordan's Goodreads Review:
Quote

You will recognize many ingredients from other YA/fantasy series. The tone, especially at first, reminded me of Patrick Ness' The Knife of Never Letting Go. The big discovery of society's true nature was reminiscent of the Matrix. The caste system is like Divergent. The Institute sorts its students into houses like Harry Potter. The cutthroat competitions among the Golds is very like The Hunger Games. And the nature of the training is described as a year-long deadly game of capture-the-flag, in which the houses (all named after Roman gods) fight one another while the proctors float about them and watch from a levitating mountain called Olympus. That, too, seemed oddly familiar.

 

It fails to be Hard SF since almost none of the tech is explained. It could almost be Soft SF based on the " refer to science fiction which prioritizes human emotions over the scientific accuracy or plausibility" definition. But. . .

It's a Fantasy story with Sci Fi Labels. There's nothing wrong with that. It is a good story and it does appeal across Fantasy and SciFi Fandoms, which might be the best reason to label it as SciFan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Fantasy:

Spoiler

American Gods

Complete Standalone Novel 

Neil Gaiman

Low Fantasy in the vein of an adult Percy Jackson

Summary: Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the magic day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life. 

But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow’s best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and a rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself. 

Life as Wednesday’s bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined—it is a job that takes him on a dark and strange road trip and introduces him to a host of eccentric characters whose fates are mysteriously intertwined with his own.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Updated first three posts, separated Fantasy into subs (so each spoiler was not too long - easier to find entries) added a second page to the first post with an index summary (also below for feedback and discussion of changes) - especially feedback from the original posters of the entries.

 Index:

 

Spoiler

Epic Fantasy    

Spoiler

- Codex Alera (Series) by: Jim Butcher
- The First Law (Trilogy) by: Joe Ambercrombie
- Memory, Sorrow, Thorn (Trilogy) by: Tad Williams
- Malazan Book of the Fallen (Series) by: Steven Erikson
- A Song of Ice and Fire (Series) by: George R. R. Martin
- The Wheel of Time (Series) by: Robert Jordan (Estate)
- Seven Kennings (Trilogy) by: Kevin Hearne

Adventure Fantasy

Spoiler

- The Witcher (Series) by: Andrzej Sapkowski
- Nevernight Chronicle (Trilogy) by: Jay Kristoff

Fantasy

Spoiler

- The Fionavar Tapestry (Trilogy) by: Guy Gavriel Kay
- The Night Circus by: Erin Morgenstern
- The Powder Mage (Trilogy) by: Brian McClellan
- Throne of Glass (Series) by: Sarah J. Maas

Urban Fantasy

Spoiler

- Iron Druid Chronicles (Series) by: Kevin Hearne
- Chronicles of Amber (Series) by: Roger Zelazny

Science Fiction

Spoiler

- The Sun Eater (Series) by: Christopher Ruocchio
- The Expanse (Series) by: James S. A. Corey
- Remembrance of Earth's Past (Trilogy) by: Liu Cixin

Sci-Fan

Spoiler

- Otherland (Quadrilogy) by: Tad Williams
- Riverword (Quintet) by: Philip José Farmer
- Lord of Light by: Roger Zelazny
- The Locked Tomb (Series) by: Tamsyn Muir
- Red Rising (Series) by: Pierce Brown
- Dune [Chronicles] (Series) by: Frank Herbert (estate)

Horror

Spoiler

- The Dark Tower (Series) by: Stephen King

Non-Fiction

Spoiler

- The Killer Angels by: Michael Shaara

Mystery

Spoiler

- In Death (Series) by: J. D. Robb

Thriller

Spoiler

- The Secret History by: Donna Tartt

Romance

Spoiler

- The Song of Achilles by: Madeline Miller

MG/YA

Spoiler

- The Westing Game by: Ellen Raskin

MG/YA Speculative Fiction

Spoiler

- Grishaverse (Series) by: Leigh Bardugo
- The Remnant Chronicles (Trilogy) by: Mary E. Pearson


Thank you all very much and please, keep submissions coming.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • The Book Thief
  • Marcus Zusak
  • Historical Fiction
  • Narrated by Death, this book set during World War II centers around the character of Liesel Memminger as her foster family tries to keep a steady income while hiding a Jewish person in their basement and Liesel falls in love with books, some of which she steals. The narration style takes some getting used to—especially since the narrator spoils elements of the book at different points—but it is an amazing book.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

The Stormlight Archive book ten: It Was All A Dream

This is the final volume in the Scifan series by Alcatraz Smedry set in the dream of our protagonist, Kaladin Stormblessed. The rip-roaring climax full of time travel into the past as well as twists including: everyone except for Kaladin was Shallan, except Shallan was Kaladin; Szeth was bald because Kaladin had a scary dream about bald humans once; Dalinar was invented because of Kal's daddy issues, which was weird because his dad showed up as a cranky person in a town, his uncle Lirin showed up too; his wife's (Jasnah) dad turned out to be still alive and was really that one weird god guy and was manipulating it all from behind the scenes; and the jester was really just insane and was sent to an asylum.

Overall, a great book, def recommend. You don't even need to read the other 9.789 of the books.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I have some recommendations, but I'm not great at writing summaries, so you might just want to look up the books if you're interested in them:

Licanius Trilogy - James Islington - Epic Fantasy

  • The Shadow of what was lost
  • An Echo of things to come
  • The Light of all that falls

It's hard to explain what the series is about, but here is what I can say without spoiling things: The world used to be ruled by Augurs who could see the future and their followers the gifted, but their visions eventually stopped working and there was a civil war resulting in the death of all augurs and the gifted's powers being limited. The Boundary, which has sealed away a great evil for thousands of years, is weakening, and Davian, the main character, goes on a quest to figure out what is happening. There are 2 different magic systems and the story is very epic, and spans thousands of years. The story is very well crafted and things that might not make sense at the beginning fit perfectly into the overall story. The character development is very good, and you can see characters go through complete transformations. The only critique I have is that some parts of the books feel rushed. I think this series should have been 4 books instead of 3, but it is still a great series.

Kingkiller Chronicles - Patrick Rothfuss - High Fantasy

  • The Name of the Wind
  • The Wise Man's Fear

The world in this book is very fleshed out and real-feeling and has a good magic system. The books have the main character, Kvothe, telling his life story to people, with interludes throughout the book in the present day. Kvothe has become a legendary figure but now is just an innkeeper and he's telling people how he got that way. The series tells how Kvothe went from being a travelling entertainer, to a boy on the streets, to a scholar at a university, to an adventurer. There are lots of unsolved mysteries in this series and lots of theorizing to do. People have been waiting for the third book in the series, the Doors of Stone, for over 10 years, and it probably isn't coming out anytime soon either.

Blackthorn Key - Kevin Sands - Historical Fiction/Mystery

  • The Blackthorn Key
  • Mark of the Plague
  • The Assassin's Curse
  • Call of the Wraith
  • The Traitor's Blade
  • The Raven's Revenge

The books take place in 16th century England and the main character is an apothecary's apprentice who gets involved with assassins and secret societies. He has to solve clues and puzzles. The firs 3 books are very good and then they get worse from there, but all 6 books are decent.

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline - Sci-Fan

  • Ready Player One
  • Ready Player Two

The whole world is a terrible place to live because of poverty, global warming, wars, etc., so most people spend all their time in this virtual reality world called the Oasis. The man who created it died and created an extremely elaborate puzzle/competition and whoever solves it gets control of the Oasis. The story is about this boy who's trying to win the competition and there's an evil corporation trying to beat him. There's a second book too but in my opinion it's much worse than the first.

Edited by SPECTRE120
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)
6 hours ago, SPECTRE120 said:

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline - Sci-Fan

  • Ready Player One
  • Ready Player Two

The whole world is a terrible place to live because of poverty, global warming, wars, etc., so most people spend all their time in this virtual reality world called the Oasis. The man who created it died and created an extremely elaborate puzzle/competition and whoever solves it gets control of the Oasis. The story is about this boy who's trying to win the competition and there's an evil corporation trying to beat him. There's a second book too but in my opinion it's much worse than the first.

I too prefer to pretend that Ready Player Two does not exist. Actually, I got huge "Lost World" vibes from that book:

Spoiler

For those that do not know, Crichton never intended to sequel Jurassic Park, but the success of the movie meant he was contractually obligated to make a sequel - which is why the Book "Lost World" is actually a sequel to the movie (different people survive the Book and movie, and Lost world is based on who survived the movie). Then, because Hollywood could not be bothered to wait for him to finish, they made Jurassic Park 2 based on a rough draft, then based Jurassic Park 3 on the actual Lost World Book. 

Long story short (too late) it definitely felt that Cline's heart was not in the sequel but he was obligated to make one (likely because of the movie, though I do not know if that was actually "successful" by objective or hollywood standards). 

Edit: @SPECTRE120 - updated on Page 1

Edited by Treamayne
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Epic Fantasy:

Spoiler
  • The Grave of Empires
    • Seven Blades in Black
    • Trilogy "Complete"
  • Sam Sykes
  • Fast-paced/Action Heavy Epic fantasy
  • (Something to note, try to avoid the back cover blurb if you can, it kind of spoils a plot point, but not too badly) Sal the Cacophony was betrayed. She forsoke her oaths to the Imperium across the sea, and now she roams the Scar, a bitter land hardened by war. She carries a sword of little note, a scarf that can save her life, a bottle of whiskey if there's one available, a magical gun in a world where all magic has a price, and a list. A list with seven names on it, and she will kill everyone she needs to, throw away everyone she loves, leave everyone she meets cursing her name, just to cross them out. 

You could technically but this in Urban Fantasy, but it has a very Epic scope and everyone I checked put it in Epic. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, The Unknown Ajah said:

You could technically but this in Urban Fantasy, but it has a very Epic scope and everyone I checked put it in Epic. 

Updated. Though I fail to see how Urban Fantasy applies unless the Blurb does not montion the setting is an Alternate Earth.

Urban Fantasy is primarily Like Reality, Unless Noted (though many think "urban" means it takes place in a city modern-for-the-time-of-publishing[1], it really means Urban lifestyle and can also take place outside of large cities). 

Note 1: Example - The Time Machine was, technically, Urban Fantasy for it's publishing time; but is now generally considered "Classic SF" (SciFi or Speculative Fiction - both work). It's one of those genre's rarely applied retroactively to works from before the Genre was codified, since most of those have already "transitioned" from teh genre under which they were originally published. 

Thank you again, the formerly bald known novel that became the Ajah that fails to update their signature (I know you now. . . )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Should LitRPG be it's own section in the recommendation, or just identified as LitRPG for whatever Genre that the story matches?

On the one hand Kaiju LitRPG is very different from something like Dungeon Crawler in setting - on the other hand they are both LitRPG which is distinct experience from their otherwise Urban Fantasy / SciFan settings. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

Should LitRPG be it's own section in the recommendation, or just identified as LitRPG for whatever Genre that the story matches?

On the one hand Kaiju LitRPG is very different from something like Dungeon Crawler in setting - on the other hand they are both LitRPG which is distinct experience from their otherwise Urban Fantasy / SciFan settings. 

I think the latter. It'd be easier for people to differentiate just by looking at labels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

Should LitRPG be it's own section in the recommendation, or just identified as LitRPG for whatever Genre that the story matches?

On the one hand Kaiju LitRPG is very different from something like Dungeon Crawler in setting - on the other hand they are both LitRPG which is distinct experience from their otherwise Urban Fantasy / SciFan settings. 

I think they should still go in the larger categories, unless/until we get enough entrees to warrant a split.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, The cheeseman said:

I think the latter. It'd be easier for people to differentiate just by looking at labels.

17 minutes ago, The Unknown Order said:

I think they should still go in the larger categories, unless/until we get enough entrees to warrant a split.

So, something like this? (In SciFan)

57 minutes ago, Treamayne said:
  • Dungeon Crawler Carl
    • Dungeon Crawler Carl
    • Six books - Ongoing 
  • Matt Dinniman
  • LitRPG Sci Fan
  • Carl, a Coast guard Vet, is outside his apartment (in Boxers and a leather Jacket) trying to coax his Ex's Persian cat (GC) when the Syndicate (Alien Government) "reclaims" all organic and inorganic matter that is under a roof (Immediately destroying all buildings and anything inside of them) and offers the survivors the chance to win their freedom and possessions if they will play an 18 level underground Dungeon Gameshow (D&D style), with the alternative being left on the surface with no supplies. From the book summary:
    • Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. 
      Survival is optional. 
      Keeping the viewers entertained is not.
      The apocalypse will be televised!
      You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what. 
      Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas.
      This ain’t your ordinary game show. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...