Fantasy: don’t like, but feel left out. Try again or give up?

[Anonymous]

I love fantasy but don't like anything OP named. There's lots of different fantasy!

Personally I like Discworld, Wizard of Earthsea, the Greta Helsing books by Vivian Shaw, the Temeraire books by Naomi Novik, and everything by Guy Gavriel Kay.
The Magicians is really good for the first two thirds, he lost me at the ending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I could’ve written this. I also loved sci fi and fantasy growing up (key examples being the His Dark Materials series, Ender’s Game [some of the series], any Diana Wynn Jones book, Dune, etc— I’ve re-read all of these as an adult and think they still hold up.)

But I could not get into the books you’ve mention. I still like some magical realism and some sci fi but a lot of the more recent series that blow up don’t grab me, so I’ve stopped trying to read them. For example, I also tried “Spinning Silver” and “Uprooted” by Naomi Novak, which were good but didn’t grab me. Also the Paper Magician series was good, no real issues with it, but I didn’t get past the first book. I also tried “A Darker Shade of Magic,” but again didn’t make it past the first book. Finally, I tried NK Jemisin’s “Broken Earth” trilogy, made it through the first book, and didn’t care to continue.

I did quite like “The Magicians”— it kept me interested through all three books. It felt more adult in ways the other series did not. I also like Victor LaValle’s take on folk lore, “Lone Women” being my favorite. I quite like “weird fiction,” which skews towards sci fi, Jeff Vandermeer being a favorite. I do quite like Yangsze Choo, whose books incorporate folklore and magic but aren’t full on fantasy.

PP who wrote about fanfiction. The review of Naomi Novak books reminded me. I like the two books you mentioned o.k. but they lack satisfying romantic resolutions.
Fanfiction fixes that. People write their own endings and the best are exact mimics of the author's style. The funny thing is that Naomi Novak is a major supporter of fanfic and was instrumental in setting up Archive of Our Own (AO3). I wonder what she thinks of the best alternative endings to her books.

I now use fanfic as a way to heal from the disappointment of liking 90% of a story and then watching it fail to "stick the landing".

By the way...I don't even like Star Wars...but Reylo fanfic has some really great stories. Much better than the actual movie plots. All kinds of tropes...everything from medieval Black Death era to modern day foster children to post-Soviet Russia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I could’ve written this. I also loved sci fi and fantasy growing up (key examples being the His Dark Materials series, Ender’s Game [some of the series], any Diana Wynn Jones book, Dune, etc— I’ve re-read all of these as an adult and think they still hold up.)

But I could not get into the books you’ve mention. I still like some magical realism and some sci fi but a lot of the more recent series that blow up don’t grab me, so I’ve stopped trying to read them. For example, I also tried “Spinning Silver” and “Uprooted” by Naomi Novak, which were good but didn’t grab me. Also the Paper Magician series was good, no real issues with it, but I didn’t get past the first book. I also tried “A Darker Shade of Magic,” but again didn’t make it past the first book. Finally, I tried NK Jemisin’s “Broken Earth” trilogy, made it through the first book, and didn’t care to continue.

I did quite like “The Magicians”— it kept me interested through all three books. It felt more adult in ways the other series did not. I also like Victor LaValle’s take on folk lore, “Lone Women” being my favorite. I quite like “weird fiction,” which skews towards sci fi, Jeff Vandermeer being a favorite. I do quite like Yangsze Choo, whose books incorporate folklore and magic but aren’t full on fantasy.

PP who wrote about fanfiction. The review of Naomi Novak books reminded me. I like the two books you mentioned o.k. but they lack satisfying romantic resolutions.
Fanfiction fixes that. People write their own endings and the best are exact mimics of the author's style. The funny thing is that Naomi Novak is a major supporter of fanfic and was instrumental in setting up Archive of Our Own (AO3). I wonder what she thinks of the best alternative endings to her books.

I now use fanfic as a way to heal from the disappointment of liking 90% of a story and then watching it fail to "stick the landing".

By the way...I don't even like Star Wars...but Reylo fanfic has some really great stories. Much better than the actual movie plots. All kinds of tropes...everything from medieval Black Death era to modern day foster children to post-Soviet Russia.

Yes! I’ve read quite a bit of fanfiction that improves on the source material— Harry Potter being the main one. There is some truly excellent HP fanfic out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I could’ve written this. I also loved sci fi and fantasy growing up (key examples being the His Dark Materials series, Ender’s Game [some of the series], any Diana Wynn Jones book, Dune, etc— I’ve re-read all of these as an adult and think they still hold up.)

But I could not get into the books you’ve mention. I still like some magical realism and some sci fi but a lot of the more recent series that blow up don’t grab me, so I’ve stopped trying to read them. For example, I also tried “Spinning Silver” and “Uprooted” by Naomi Novak, which were good but didn’t grab me. Also the Paper Magician series was good, no real issues with it, but I didn’t get past the first book. I also tried “A Darker Shade of Magic,” but again didn’t make it past the first book. Finally, I tried NK Jemisin’s “Broken Earth” trilogy, made it through the first book, and didn’t care to continue.

I did quite like “The Magicians”— it kept me interested through all three books. It felt more adult in ways the other series did not. I also like Victor LaValle’s take on folk lore, “Lone Women” being my favorite. I quite like “weird fiction,” which skews towards sci fi, Jeff Vandermeer being a favorite. I do quite like Yangsze Choo, whose books incorporate folklore and magic but aren’t full on fantasy.

You are me - I loved and didn't love all the same books. I'm going to check out Jeff Vandermeer and Yangsze Choo. Thank you!

Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy is something. Definitely more sci fi, not fantasy, though. I think the trilogy also falls off like some of the other series mentioned here, but the first book (Annihilation) really stands on its own. The movie is also something— excellent cast (Natalie Portman & Oscar Isaac and a dozen other amazing people!!), gorgeously shot, and beautiful and bizarre. You will either dislike it (thinking, wtf is going on here) or love it (still thinking, wtf is going on but man is this such a vibe).

[Anonymous]

Um, maybe I should start my own thread because I’d love some HP fanfic recs! Just read them all (at the age of 50) and am playing Hogwarts Legacy in every spare moment.

[Anonymous]

You might be having trouble because the books you mentioned that blew up are not well written books. You might be able to get back into fantasy by choosing better fantasy books. But then you might still be having fomo for not reading the “most popular for the moment” fantasy.

[Anonymous]

Try something that is actually really well written and special, plot wise. I'd suggest Mysts of Avalon.

[Anonymous]

Fourth Wing and Sarah Maas are just smut. You shouldn’t force yourself to read them at all.

[Anonymous]

Pretty much the same - I have a lot of patience for SF but almost none for fantasy. Tried Fourth Wing because of the buzz and noped out swiftly. I enjoy some urban fantasy, but high fantasy? Nahhhh. Once I see an apostrophe in the name I’m outta there (childhood love of Pern notwithstanding).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Um, maybe I should start my own thread because I’d love some HP fanfic recs! Just read them all (at the age of 50) and am playing Hogwarts Legacy in every spare moment.

There's lots of Reddit and other rec threads. Just Google.

Decide...do you want gen fic (general stories, whole cast ensemble) or shipper fic (romance at heart of story, sometimes non-canon pairs) or just something unique. Another dividing line...Slytherins...redeemable or no?

I love Hermione's character and found Ron tedious so I read mainly Hermione-centric stories. These can start at the very beginning of the series or just be alternative ending stories.

As I recall, my gateway was through "Snily" stories...alternative paths for Snape and Lily. Try this.

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7670834/1/Come-Once-Again-and-Love-Me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fourth Wing and Sarah Maas are just smut. You shouldn’t force yourself to read them at all.

I enjoy SJM books. Smut is actually a small portion of her books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try something that is actually really well written and special, plot wise. I'd suggest Mysts of Avalon.

As a forewarning, the author of Mists of Avalon was a horrible person. I don’t mean she “just” had problematic views or characters or her writing is dated or whatever. She is accused of doing some of the most horrific things a person can do. She has now been condemned by multiple notable fantasy/sci fi authors.

So just be warned. Mists of Avalon was on my to-read list for ages, and then I stumbled across this information. I usually tend towards compartmentalizing the author from the work, but I could not in this instance.

[Anonymous]

You may like horror. It often has fantasy and sci fi elements, and does not always have to be terrifying or gory. There is a lot of new good horror out there.

Some good horror (IMHO): The Terror (loooonnnggg but worth it); The Only Good Indians; I’m Thinking of Ending Things (short and divisive, I thought it was interesting); Roadside Picnic (a classic, more sci fi-ish); or any Shirley Jackson!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try something that is actually really well written and special, plot wise. I'd suggest Mysts of Avalon.

As a forewarning, the author of Mists of Avalon was a horrible person. I don’t mean she “just” had problematic views or characters or her writing is dated or whatever. She is accused of doing some of the most horrific things a person can do. She has now been condemned by multiple notable fantasy/sci fi authors.

So just be warned. Mists of Avalon was on my to-read list for ages, and then I stumbled across this information. I usually tend towards compartmentalizing the author from the work, but I could not in this instance.

Wow, I had no idea! I loved Mists of Avalon in high school.

[Anonymous]

Leigh Bardugo’s adult books, Ninth House ans Hell Bent, might do the trick? They’re a bit gritty with a real world setting but also a little bit of a Harry Potter vibe. About secret societies at Yale and dark magic.