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.

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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.