Books Fantasy Reads

The only Cosmere book I couldn't finish was the 2nd (well, and 3rd) Mistborn book It read like subpar fan fiction with

the main characters being married and a new mysterious foe appearing and watching them from the rooftops afar

which made it so obvious the first book was intended as a standalone piece with a definite ending.

Should I reconsider picking it up again?
 
VanDeBank said:
The only Cosmere book I couldn't finish was the 2nd (well, and 3rd) Mistborn book It read like subpar fan fiction with

the main characters being married and a new mysterious foe appearing and watching them from the rooftops afar

which made it so obvious the first book was intended as a standalone piece with a definite ending.

Should I reconsider picking it up again?
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It's been years since I read these, but I agree with the fan fiction bit. However, if you lean into the fast pace and slight absurdity of everything I found it a really fun ride.
 
VanDeBank said:
The only Cosmere book I couldn't finish was the 2nd (well, and 3rd) Mistborn book It read like subpar fan fiction with

the main characters being married and a new mysterious foe appearing and watching them from the rooftops afar

which made it so obvious the first book was intended as a standalone piece with a definite ending.

Should I reconsider picking it up again?
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It gets a bit better but the stakes do not feel as high as in Era 1 or Stormlight.

The Cosmere books are getting more connected though, so events here will likely affect Stormlight and definitely will affect Era 3 of Mistborn.
 
VanDeBank said:
which made it so obvious the first book was intended as a standalone piece with a definite ending.
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I don't think it was a standalone

Didn't the Lord Ruler yell that he was saving them and they didn't know what he did for them before dying? Logical conclusion of that is in Book 3. Book 2 felt like a local politics inspired bridge book. But 1 and 3 were the opening and closing arcs.
 
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Just finished Mark of the Fool by JM Clarke.

A super fun Progression Fantasy that turns into School/University slice of life later on. Plot starts off amazing, but book shifts to university training/life in second half. I like those stories so it clicked for me.

8/10
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
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Just finished Mark of the Fool by JM Clarke.

A super fun Progression Fantasy that turns into School/University slice of life later on. Plot starts off amazing, but book shifts to university training/life in second half. I like those stories so it clicked for me.

8/10
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Just checked. Series is still on-going on Royal Road, so this one above must be Book 1 of the story, the first 162 chapters on Royal Road. The story is up to 476 chapters now, so I expect the published Books 2 and 3 may be coming out soon.
 
Was reading mark of the fool myself on RR but sort of dropped after like 70 chapters or so. Just too slow. Does it ever pick up?
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
Don't think so. It's slice of life so slow paced.
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I believe you've read one of Er Gen's books, I Shall Seal the Heavens. How does it compare to IET's books, Coiling Dragon and Desolate Era, and, have you read any of Er Gen's other books translated into English (A Will Eternal, Pursuit of the Truth, Renegade Immortal)? I've finished Coiling Dragon and am now reading Desolate Era. I'm trying to line up what to read after I finish Desolate Era.
 
DMacgraw said:
I believe you've read one of Er Gen's books, I Shall Seal the Heavens. How does it compare to IET's books, Coiling Dragon and Desolate Era, and, have you read any of Er Gen's other books translated into English (A Will Eternal, Pursuit of the Truth, Renegade Immortal)? I've finished Coiling Dragon and am now reading Desolate Era. I'm trying to line up what to read after I finish Desolate Era.
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I Shall Seal was a bit fun but not as good CD or DE. The MC wasn't as likeable and the premise of I'm in a dickish sect, so have to be a bigger dick than others didn't really appeal to me. Plus it was just too easy for the MC. I'd consider them as diluted version of IET books, but in a similar vein. Give it a go if you finish these.

Have you read Defiance of the Fall? Or Dungeon Crawler Carl?

Just finished book 2 of Mark.ofntue Fool and feel it isn't slow paced. The main plot arc advances slowly, but lot of university stuff keeps happening to keep the pace chugging. On second thoughts it's more fantasy than slice of life.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
I Shall Seal was a bit fun but not as good CD or DE. The MC wasn't as likeable and the premise of I'm in a dickish sect, so have to be a bigger dick than others didn't really appeal to me. Plus it was just too easy for the MC. I'd consider them as diluted version of IET books, but in a similar vein. Give it a go if you finish these.

Have you read Defiance of the Fall? Or Dungeon Crawler Carl?

Just finished book 2 of Mark.ofntue Fool and feel it isn't slow-paced. The main plot arc advances slowly, but lot of university stuff keeps happening to keep the pace chugging. On second thoughts it's more fantasy than slice of life.
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Both DotF and DCC are still ongoing. I intend to read those (as with The Wandering Inn and Forge of Destiny) when they are completed.
 
DMacgraw said:
Both DotF and DCC are still ongoing. I intend to read those (as with The Wandering Inn and Forge of Destiny) when they are completed.
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Yeah, not many completed series out there. I can recommend:

How to Defeat A Demon King in Ten Easy Steps & This Quest is bullshit - but humorous and fun books
System Apocalypse - One of the best in genre.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
Yeah, not many completed series out there. I can recommend:

How to Defeat A Demon King in Ten Easy Steps & This Quest is bullshit - but humorous and fun books
System Apocalypse - One of the best in genre.
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I originally had Tao Wong's books on my TBR, but after that a**hole stunt he pulled against other authors I removed his books from my list.
 
So I’m looking for something to read

if any of you guys have ever played the fallout series, I’m looking for something based on that.
For those who haven’t.
post apocalyptic. Super mutants. Raiders. Etc

I’ve had a quick google and somebody recommended ‘wool’

but I trust you guys more
 
Igor Drefljak said:
I’ve had a quick google and somebody recommended ‘wool’
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I read Wool last year. It has similarities. It's a post apocalyptic world where people are stuck in underground silos (re Shelter in Fallout). Bad citizens are sentenced to be cast out and die in harsh outside weather. Story on MC who discovers things aren't what they seem and his adventures going forward.

It's bleak but with some superb characters and world. But at least Book 1 didn't have any super mutants that I recall. Still I like it.
 
25% through Tress of the Emerald Sea and it is delightful. Very different from Sanderson.
 
Finished Tress oof the Emerald Sea. First off, the physical book itself is stunning and the artwork is gorgeous. So glad we got the physical copy! The story is whimsical and fun and delightful. It works both as a Cosmere book or standalone if you are not neck deep into Sanderson lore.

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Whew! Finally finished Desolate Era. What a ride it's been! So intense. Non-stop action from beginning to end. Highly recommended.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
Yeah. It's brilliant. You finished Coiling Dragon too?
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Yes. I started Desolate Era after Coiling Dragon. I think it was your advice to read them in that order.

I just started Dungeon Crawler Carl. Have you read it? It is my first LitRPG, and I don't know if that genre with its artificial game simulation model and stat sheets is for me. I'll abandon it pretty quickly if I'm not feeling it, as I have over 30 translated cultivation novels on my TBR list that excite me more. About 5 novels each by Er Gen, Mao Ni, Yuan Ye (Cuttlefish That Loves Diving), and Zhu Hong Zhi (I Eat Tomatoes), among others.
 
DMacgraw said:
I just started Dungeon Crawler Carl. Have you read it? It is my first LitRPG, and I don't know if that genre with its artificial game simulation model and stat sheets is for me. I'll abandon it pretty quickly if I'm not feeling it,
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Yes, it's one of my favorites. Unless a traditional (crunchy) LitRPG which relies on stat progression many of the modern ones (including DCC) just use it a framework and doesn't rely purely on stats. Book 1 is good and progressively gets better and more epic.

DCC, He Who Fights with Monsters and Defiance of the Fall are all superb and best in genre series.
 
If you want to try litrpg give wake of the ravager a try
 
Finished Dungeon Crawler Carl. Despite my starting misgivings about it being LitRPG with a game simulation model and stat sheets, I ended up enjoying it very much. My only regret is that I started it at all, because it is unfinished and it looks like it could eventually be an 18-book series (one for each level of the dungeon?) with only 5 books out so far. I didn't realize it was unfinished when I started. Anyway, for those comfortable with the LitRPG genre and don't mind growing with a series as the books are released. DCC is an excellent choice. I'll look forward to picking it back up once the series is completed
 
VanDeBank said:
The only Cosmere book I couldn't finish was the 2nd (well, and 3rd) Mistborn book It read like subpar fan fiction

the main characters being married and a new mysterious foe appearing and watching them from the rooftops afar
Click to expand...
I just started the final (4th) book in Mistborn Era II, The Lost Metal.

I much prefer Era II to Era I. I liked the first book in Era I (The Last Empire) and was okay with the second book (The Well of Ascension), but I disliked the third and final book in that trilogy (The Hero of Ages). That book was relentless in the doom and gloom, and I don't think the last few pages of brilliant action and resolution (the usual Sanderlanche) made up for the depressing tone of most of the book. By contrast Era II is much more light-hearted (Wayne!!!). Even though I find the overall story in Era II not as epic and the stakes not as high as in Era I, I enjoyed the first three books in Era II. I hope book 4 (The Lost Metal) would be a worthy finale to that story.
 
Finished Er Gen's A Will Eternal. Loved it. I laughed so hard through the book ... quite unlike "serious" cultivation books like Coiling Dragon or Desolate Era.
My biggest issue with AWE is that the last 8 chapters or so seemed tacked on, unnecessary, and detracted from what should have been a simple update of the status of the main characters after the climactic battle.
 
DMacgraw said:
Finished Dungeon Crawler Carl. Despite my starting misgivings about it being LitRPG with a game simulation model and stat sheets, I ended up enjoying it very much. My only regret is that I started it at all, because it is unfinished and it looks like it could eventually be an 18-book series (one for each level of the dungeon?) with only 5 books out so far. I didn't realize it was unfinished when I started. Anyway, for those comfortable with the LitRPG genre and don't mind growing with a series as the books are released. DCC is an excellent choice. I'll look forward to picking it back up once the series is completed
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You are the third person I know to start this this month and end up enjoying it. The other two are on books 2 and 3 after finishing the first.
 
Finished Sarah Lin's 3-book series Street Cultivation. I found it an ok story, engaging in its own way, and more like a LitRPG than a cultivation novel with its pages of stats in almost every chapter. Compared to the mighty cultivation novels by Chinese authors, like Coiling Dragon, A Will Eternal, or Desolate Era, Street Cultivation is very lightweight, but it may serve as a light refresher in between the more substantial powerful reads.
 
Started Er Gen's I Shall Seal the Heavens, another of those mighty translated Chinese fantasy novels. Halfway through Book 1 now, and I'm eager to see how the rest of the 10-book series develops.
 
VanDeBank said:
The only Cosmere book I couldn't finish was the 2nd (well, and 3rd) Mistborn book It read like subpar fan fiction with

the main characters being married and a new mysterious foe appearing and watching them from the rooftops afar

which made it so obvious the first book was intended as a standalone piece with a definite ending.

Should I reconsider picking it up again?
Click to expand...

Just saw this. It's not my favourite book either, but you're wrong about the standalone thing. Brandon Sanderson doesn't lack for planning, and he had already written (though not yet published) several other books in the Cosmere setting. It was definitely planned as a trilogy from the start, though I'm not sure to what extent he had planned the further connected series.

Anyway, I've mentioned Anthony Ryan on here before, when I found his latest Covenant of Steel series. I liked that so much that I decided to work backwards, and I'm really enjoying The Draconis Memoria, an earlier series. I say earlier, but the last book in the trilogy came out in 2018, and since then he's already had time to write another full series of four novels (which I'm now not surely sure why I skipped over), and then the two books in Covenant of Steel. And maybe another couple of novels? Definitely seems like he might be setting a Sanderson-esque pace. Highly recommended.
 
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