Conquer Club

I'm looking for recommendations for sci-fi or fantasy by new, or newish writers. I'm flexible, so shall we say within the last ten years as a limit?

I've just finished City of Blades (2016), by Robert Jackson Bennett. Sequel to City of Stairs (2014). Fun reads, both, set in a slightly steampunk world where a slave nation rebelled and killed the gods of their slavers, fracturing reality.

Anybody have any recommendations?

How new is "new"?

waauw wrote:How new is "new"?

Who were you thinking of?

Symmetry wrote:

waauw wrote:How new is "new"?

Who were you thinking of?

Patrick Rothfuss.

ps: John Gwynne is pretty good as well if you like fast paced epic fantasy.

waauw wrote:

Symmetry wrote:

waauw wrote:How new is "new"?

Who were you thinking of?

Patrick Rothfuss.

ps: John Gwynne is pretty good as well if you like fast paced epic fantasy.

I'd say he's within ten, and yeah, funnily, I was thinking of The Name of the Wind after you posted. I read Wise Man's Fear, but I've avoided the short stories out of perverse stubbornness. Just get book 3 done already!

Will have to check out John Gwynne.

Symmetry wrote:

waauw wrote:

Symmetry wrote:

waauw wrote:How new is "new"?

Who were you thinking of?

Patrick Rothfuss.

ps: John Gwynne is pretty good as well if you like fast paced epic fantasy.

I'd say he's within ten, and yeah, funnily, I was thinking of The Name of the Wind after you posted. I read Wise Man's Fear, but I've avoided the short stories out of perverse stubbornness. Just get book 3 done already!

Will have to check out John Gwynne.

Yeah don't read Pat's little novella "The slow regard of silent things" if you're out for a story. In terms of language/poetry it's amazing, but it bored me to death.

waauw wrote:

Symmetry wrote:

waauw wrote:

Symmetry wrote:

waauw wrote:How new is "new"?

Who were you thinking of?

Patrick Rothfuss.

ps: John Gwynne is pretty good as well if you like fast paced epic fantasy.

I'd say he's within ten, and yeah, funnily, I was thinking of The Name of the Wind after you posted. I read Wise Man's Fear, but I've avoided the short stories out of perverse stubbornness. Just get book 3 done already!

Will have to check out John Gwynne.

Yeah don't read Pat's little novella "The slow regard of silent things" if you're out for a story. In terms of language/poetry it's amazing, but it bored me to death.

I picked it up in the bookstore, read a bit, looked at the price, and just got annoyed. I'm desperate for the third book, but mate, really, even I have standards.

Have you read The Magicians by Lev Grossman? I think it's a TV series too now.

Not new, but an easy read (and kind of entertaining) are the Percy Jackson series. Nothing complex, but think demi-god children in the modern world, hiding out form monsters from Greek mythology, all told with a dry sense of humor.

muy_thaiguy wrote:Not new, but an easy read (and kind of entertaining) are the Percy Jackson series. Nothing complex, but think demi-god children in the modern world, hiding out form monsters from Greek mythology, all told with a dry sense of humor.

I read the first one when I did a bit of voluntary library work last time I was in the US. It's a great read. Getting the challenging vs interesting thing right is tough, and that one was a fun read.

Have you come across The Just City by Jo Walton? Kind of a more adult take on Greek myth and philosophy. Worth a look for if you're interested in the ancient Greeks.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again- Rothfuss is overrated. The Name of the Wind was so bad, what a waste of money and time that was. The protagonist is a whiny bitch, and at least in the first book the story goes almost nowhere. Like 70% was just him at the school and his rivalry with the douche guy. I couldn't stop laughing at the part toward the end, right after he misses his shot with the girl when he kills the monster that attacks the town. He's waxing poetical about how even though this girl is getting plowed by all these dudes, he understands her like no one else and really she loves him. If I wanted to read the adventures of a neckbeard I'd head over to 4chan.

I haven't read anything too recent that was really great. The Night's Dawn Trilogy, although I think that may be out of your time range. Plus the ending was a letdown. I recently got a bunch of Pratchet books for 50 cents each, so that's what I've been reading.

As a kid I read the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb, and loved them. Assassin's Apprentice I've read probably a dozen times. I saw last year that she had written a second trilogy about 14 years ago, The Tawny Man trilogy, so I read them. Pretty good, I blazed through them in about a week. She written a third trilogy for the Fitz and the Fool, I think the first two are out, but I haven't read them. I'm not sure I will, I liked the ending of the second trilogy and she probably should've left it be.

-TG

Gotta say, that's an odd take on "The Name of the Wind". If anything, rather than a "whiny bitch", the main character is pretty boastful-

My name is Kvothe.

I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

You may have heard of me.

That's sort of the fun.

And that's why I got the book. Every one said it was so great, and it sounded pretty good. I didn't find it to be such. Maybe the sequel's better, I don't know. I don't really care enough to find out.

-TG

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:And that's why I got the book. Every one said it was so great, and it sounded pretty good. I didn't find it to be such. Maybe the sequel's better, I don't know. I don't really care enough to find out.

-TG

I think I see your point- the first book doesn't pay off all the promises. The second pays off some more, but, yeah- it's a trilogy.

Have you ever read any of Hobb's books?

-TG

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:Have you ever read any of Hobb books?

-TG

All of them, I think- at least the first three trilogies. I didn't like the concluding books.

Has she written more?

Are you counting the Live Ship Traders or Rain Wilds books? I never read those. Only the books about Fitz.

She wrote the Farseer trilogy, then the Tawny Man (where Fitz is like 35-40ish I think), and now she's in the process of completing a third trilogy, the Fitz and the Fool. I haven't read the latest like I mentioned.

-TG

Im working on the iron druid chronicles by kevin hearne.
Essentially ALL the gods and ALL the mythical creatures and places are real and they can\do interact.
Last book i read had an alliance of pagan gods,vampires,werewolves,witchs and shapeshifters raid Asgard to kill Thor.
I believe they are from 2010s so as modern as it gets.

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:Are you counting the Live Ship Traders or Rain Wilds books? I never read those. Only the books about Fitz.

She wrote the Farseer trilogy, then the Tawny Man (where Fitz is like 35-40ish I think), and now she's in the process of completing a third trilogy, the Fitz and the Fool. I haven't read the latest like I mentioned.

-TG

God only knows- I read the farseer trilogy (if that's the one starting "Assassin's Apprentice"), the live ship trader trilogy, then the one where they combine.

I'm not sure I can keep track.

Symmetry wrote:

waauw wrote:I picked it up in the bookstore, read a bit, looked at the price, and just got annoyed. I'm desperate for the third book, but mate, really, even I have standards.

Have you read The Magicians by Lev Grossman? I think it's a TV series too now.

I haven't. Annoyingly my 'to read-list' is growing faster than my 'read-list'.

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:I've said it before, and I'll say it again- Rothfuss is overrated. The Name of the Wind was so bad, what a waste of money and time that was. The protagonist is a whiny bitch, and at least in the first book the story goes almost nowhere. Like 70% was just him at the school and his rivalry with the douche guy. I couldn't stop laughing at the part toward the end, right after he misses his shot with the girl when he kills the monster that attacks the town. He's waxing poetical about how even though this girl is getting plowed by all these dudes, he understands her like no one else and really she loves him. If I wanted to read the adventures of a neckbeard I'd head over to 4chan.

Making him that way was actually Pat's whole purpose. I once saw a video of him where he explained he was trying to feign the main character for having PTSD.

Is it maybe that you don't like stories with such emphasis on character development? Certainly 'the Kingkiller chronicle' is less focused on plot building and more focused on the characters as compared to most other fantasy series. If you don't like it, it might be you just don't enjoy the drama genre. His books contain a lot of elements of said genre. I have a friend who would never read such type books either; he prefers reading books with heavy emphasis on wars and battles. If you're like him I'd advise you the same author I did to Symmetry: John Gwynne.

As to "new", I am unsure...I read 3-4 books a week (40+ years now), 95% scifi....have to think about it, but the series I just finished (5 books) began with Orphanage by Buettner...excellent action-filled space opera type, lots of war with alien slugs....lol. Great central character that you get to follow thru his life and career.

wauuw wrote:Making him that way was actually Pat's whole purpose. I once saw a video of him where he explained he was trying to feign the main character for having PTSD.

Is it maybe that you don't like stories with such emphasis on character development? Certainly 'the Kingkiller chronicle' is less focused on plot building and more focused on the characters as compared to most other fantasy series. If you don't like it, it might be you just don't enjoy the drama genre. His books contain a lot of elements of said genre. I have a friend who would never read such type books either; he prefers reading books with heavy emphasis on wars and battles. If you're like him I'd advise you the same author I did to Symmetry: John Gwynne.

No, I like character development. It's one of the reasons asoiaf is so good, and Jamie is probably my favorite character.

-TG

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:

wauuw wrote:Making him that way was actually Pat's whole purpose. I once saw a video of him where he explained he was trying to feign the main character for having PTSD.

Is it maybe that you don't like stories with such emphasis on character development? Certainly 'the Kingkiller chronicle' is less focused on plot building and more focused on the characters as compared to most other fantasy series. If you don't like it, it might be you just don't enjoy the drama genre. His books contain a lot of elements of said genre. I have a friend who would never read such type books either; he prefers reading books with heavy emphasis on wars and battles. If you're like him I'd advise you the same author I did to Symmetry: John Gwynne.

No, I like character development. It's one of the reasons asoiaf is so good, and Jamie is probably my favorite character.

-TG

That's not what I mean. There's is a difference between a story with character development and a story that's driven by character development. There's a difference in emphasis and dedication. When it comes to fantasy there is a holy trinity in story building: character building, plot building and world building. The more time spent on one, the less is spent on the other two. Pat is quite heavy on the character side, and less so on the plot building. Brandon Sanderson imo is exactly the opposite with enormous focus on complicated plots and worlds, and not surprisingly his weakness is character building, not that it's bad but it's just not his focal point.

I'm not sure I agree. Some of the best fantasy authors transcend that with magical realism. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie comes to mind. It's such a good amalgam of reality and fantasy that the fantasy illuminates the reality.

Back in the day, I studied under a bloke who saw modern novels as basically divided between two threads- anti-realism or neo-realism.

Anti-realistic writing accepts that it's fiction, and embraces it.

Neo-realistic fiction creates a new set of rules, probably a new map, and creates a realistic story based on that.

I also think Rothfuss is overrated. I don't think his work sucks (I actually think it's good; I'm just not ready to slurp on the guy).

My two "new" favorites:
N.K. Jemisin
Joe Abercrombie (probably not new)

Ugh, I don't like Joe Abercrombie. I've only read the First Law trilogy, but I find him too much of a try-hard. He tries to come over as a great writer, but really I find his writing kind of sloppy compared to other popular writers. He made me think of a cheap YA-writer. The ending of the series was truthfully horrible. He needlessly dragged on for 80-ish pages what could've been done in 20, making it seem like the book had a double ending. There was really no purpose to it. It didn't feel like a climax, more like worldbuilding for the sake of worldbuilding rather than the actual storyline.