Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 11 2013, 15:55:18 UTC
But Discworld is absolutely in a class of its own regardless of where one buckets it.
I agree, but if you polled a lot of people, they'd probably stick it in high fantasy, just because it seems "olden" and there are horses and wizards. XD When people say urban fantasy, I tend to think they are talking about *contemporary* urban fantasy, but you're right, historical-esque urban fantasy is a subset. I think it just tends to get sucked into high fantasy a lot, though. Because of the horse and wizard thing. XD If you wanted to get really edgy, you could argue that Discworld has a bit of steampunk, too. I tend to think of Pratchett like Jasper Fforde - kinda hard to put in a little box, which is a very good thing, imo, b/c I eat that stuff up. Publishers haaaaate it, though. They love their little boxes, I think, and cuddle them at night. ;-P
is this *that* Amber Benson, as in Tara from BtVS
Yep, that's her! XD She's written quite a bit, actually, and has/had some other writing collabs going on, as well. I also didn't know that she was originally from Birmingham, so like with Felicia Day (who was born in Huntsville), I feel Alabama has inadvertently cultivated some lady "geek" cred, or something. Ok, no, not really (except for Jan Davis and Mae Jemison...we are a hotbed of lady astronauts), but it amuses me when people of Alabama-origin become famous/well-known (like Condoleezza Rice) since we're usually accused of being a 100% racist hick backwater. *sigh*
I haven't read American Gods yet, but yes, I know about it. I haven't read much Zelazny (I think maybe some short stories, IIRC?). I guess authors don't like writing about gods that much since people can get uptight about it, especially if they are still worshiped in present-day, but I don't get offended by that sort of thing. I need to read Christopher Moore's stuff on the subject (someone else I forgot to mention - points to icon), since I'm sure his take on Jesus is hilarious.
If you've read Mean Streets (me toooo!), then you've read Kat Richardson. The Day of the Dead story was a part of her Greywalker series, IIRC. (I haven't gotten around to reading the series proper, but that story was a very good "seller" for it. At least it got me interested.)
The Molly goodie was in greathouses, not my journal, sorry I wasn't clear. But for others who might be interested, here's the link for the Dangerous Women anthology.
It may have been the same Gilman...looking at her books, they are with Luna. I mainly just mentioned it, b/c did doesn't seem like there is a lot of *contemporary* magic out there. There may be some "lower" tier authors writing it, but not really many "big" names...not that I consider Gilman to be a big name with UF magic, like Butcher or possibly Aaronovitch. It's hard keep track of everyone in UF, though, since there are new authors coming out all of the time. I'm sure if I sat down and thought about, I could probably think of some more with magic - there are some on the tip of my tongue, but I can't think of them right now (*blurts out* Maria V. Snyder, although she's not really UF). But Gilman explores people coming into/controlling their powers in a contemp setting, so I just thought I'd give it a mention for your magic school itch.
I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for Iron Druid or what. Considering that I didn't love Dresden from the get go (I was very intrigued, since it was my first UF, IIRC), I shouldn't go "it's crap," because I do like Celtic lore a lot and the supporting cast seemed interesting, but I hadn't really gotten to know them yet. I had a weird drop-off in reading this year (like a black hole of nothing), so I'll probably go back and give it another go.
The Thursday Next series is delightful, imo...you should READ IT NOW! NOW, NOW, NOW! XD If you end up not liking it, you won't hurt my feelings, but it gives me a lot of feels, and that's pretty rare with me with books. Like, these are books that I'd happily reread multiple times sort of thing. There are too many books out there...I don't tend to reread.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_OhamsterwomanDecember 11 2013, 19:51:51 UTC
f you wanted to get really edgy, you could argue that Discworld has a bit of steampunk, too
True, the Moist books especially.
I like stuff that doesn't fit into little boxes also, because it generally means it's either more complex or is possibly colonising a new niche which will become a little box at some point in the future :P
we are a hotbed of lady astronauts
That is a pretty awesome thing to be a hotbed of! XD And, huh, didn't know that about Felicia Day or Amber Benson, or Condoleezza Rice for that matter (who was out here at Stanford for a while, so that's what I associate her with, before politics).
I really like American Gods -- I'm a fan of Gaiman in general, but I think this is his best. And Zelazny is interesting -- I loved Chronicles of Amber (well the first five books; the second series gets really weird really fast, and is much weaker, I think) and Lord of Light is pretty brilliant (it's supposed to be his masterpiece), but there are bits here and there where I think his writing shows its age.
I need to read Christopher Moore's stuff on the subject (someone else I forgot to mention - points to icon), since I'm sure his take on Jesus is hilarious.
I loved Lamb! I thought it was hilarious (and much stronger than the other thing by Moore I read, one of the vampire ones).
Oh, and not super-unusual, but there's also Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout for the Norse gods. And Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips for the Greek pantheon. And of course Rick Riordan has the Egyptian gods series, which I haven't read but the rodents have and liked, in addition to the Percy Jackson ones.
If you've read Mean Streets (me toooo!), then you've read Kat Richardson.
Oh yeah, so I have... And apparently even liked the story better than Sniegoski's or Green's, though I guess it didn't especially grab me, if I forgot the author. Looking at my write-up, which proved to be not very helpful, I guess I did notice the other cultures thing, and also the ferret XD And no that I've been to Seattle sounds like a good time to keep an eye out for the series proper, so thank you for the reminder :)
But for others who might be interested, here's the link for the Dangerous Women anthology.
Ah, thank you! I guess I did see your post, I just spaced that there was a Molly story in the anthology... even though that was the one I was most looking to reading when I first heard about the lineup XD
Maria V. Snyder, although she's not really UF
I've heard good things about her, too! But the books of hers I keep coming across are sequels or subgenres that don't seem to be my thing... Do you have a specific rec for her?
I had a weird drop-off in reading this year
Me too, though I think I might still eke out 50 books counting kiddie books and such, which is not bad, but considering I have a really long, reading-friendly commute and that I'm usually closer to 70, it's weird. I think it's Rivers of London withdrawal... :/
Definitely thank you for the Jasper Fforde reminder -- I don't seem to be in the mood for "typical" fantasy, so maybe trying something different like that will prove to be just the ticket :)
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 12 2013, 17:40:54 UTC
Yay, someone else who likes Jasper! (I am also curious to see how he goes forward with his Shades of Grey series. Write faster, dude!)
If you like weird, you may also want to try Matt Ruff's Sewer, Gas and Electric. I didn't like it remotely as much as Fforde's stuff, but apparently I find Ayn Rand trapped in a hurricane lamp mildly humorous.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_OhamsterwomanDecember 13 2013, 18:08:55 UTC
I think it's going at the top of my to-read-in-2014 list, based on the number of people who mentioned it, and so enthusiastically, in this post :) , so thank you!
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 12 2013, 20:00:18 UTC
I think Alabama is kinda like what a former co-worker said about Memphis: "it's a great place to be from, but some people can't wait to leave" - striking out the "great place" part, since most famous people tend to hide Alabama origins/pretend they don't exist (I guess I don't blame them) when compared to Memphis (looking at you, Courteney Cox). This is why I will always like Charles Barkley, no matter what weird stuff comes out of his mouth, tbh. If he ever ran for governor, it probably wouldn't be any worse than some of the yahoos that have been elected.
(and much stronger than the other thing by Moore I read, one of the vampire ones)
I've only read 4 Moore books so far (I just like the Dirty Jobs cover, which is why I have it as an icon), but my favorite, so far, was the 3rd vampire novel, Bite Me. The other two were alright, but nothing spectacular. I like humor in my fiction, so I tend to forgive more than with plain fiction. For example, I am still reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series even though it is very repetitive.
Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout for the Norse gods. And Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips for the Greek pantheon. And of course Rick Riordan has the Egyptian gods series
Thanks for the reminder about the van Eekhout series, the Marie Phillips book has been on my tbr list for a long while - I think I started it, but had to stop for some reason, and I didn't realize that Riordan's other series dealt with Egypt. I guess with non-typical, I was talking about non-European gods, which is harder to come by, it seems. Although while digging up links for the paragraph below, I came across Divine Misfortune, which sounds potentially interesting. There's also Aliette de Bodard's Obsidan & Blood series, which deals with the Aztecs, but for some reason I'm not 100% enthused by the book blurb, so I don't know if I will search those out in the future.
I don't seem to be in the mood for "typical" fantasy, so maybe trying something different like that will prove to be just the ticket
Jasper Fforde currently has 4 different series (3 adult, 1 YA), so if the premise of Thursday Next doesn't grab you (for some reason, I think it will, but I dunno), there are a few others to try.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_OhamsterwomanDecember 13 2013, 23:24:18 UTC
I read You Suck of the vampire ones (I think that's #2?) and it was fun, but not anything spectacular, I though -- I found Lamb much more impressive. But maybe I should try Bite Me, since it sounds like that might be the best of the vampire ones?
(And I'm with you on giving more of a pass to books that make me laugh.)
I liked Norse Code, but a little less than I'd been expecting to given how much I like the Norse gods (I liked them better in American Gods, e.g.), and the Gods Behaving Badly book better than I'd expected (but my expectations were pretty low, for whatever reason).
Right, I was trying to think of books with non-European gods and not coming up with much. Divine Misfortune sounds pretty cute, though!
Poison Study is what was originally rec'd to me for Snyder, I think, but I can't remember if I looked through it and it didn't grab me or if the books of hers I kept coming across where something else, and it was those that didn't grab me.
"Phillipa Bornikova"
I'm randomly amused that people are assuming Slavic-sounding lastnames as pseudonyms now :D
I've vaguely wanted to try the Rachel Caine books, too, because weatherworking is another favorite magic type of mine.
Jacqueline Carey... I've only read her Kushiel stuff (though I've heard decent-to-good things about her urban fantasy, too), and I enjoyed it, but the writing in the first trilogy really grated on me, too. Not enough to make me quit, but enough to make me kinda hate the pain character. And by "kinda" I mean "a lot". :P
I, too, expect I'll like the premise of Thursday Next, but we'll see -- hopefully we prove right on that :)
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 14 2013, 01:00:27 UTC
Bite Me had a different narrator so you might like it more, I dunno. It was from the POV of Abby "Normal," the goth chick hanger-on to the main couple. I liked the voice Moore used for her, but I could see that it might not be everyone's cup of tea.
Snyder spun off her Study series or whatever it was called into the Glass series, I believe, which is related, but I'm not sure if it would be a situation like I found with Gilman of being sorta dropped into something, even though it's a separate series. I think the reason why I haven't picked it up yet is that it comes across as being potentially high fantasy to me with a bunch of made up names and maps and that sort of thing plus royal intrigue (which I don't really like in historical fiction, even), and I've found my interest in those type of stories to wane a lot over the years. Really, the only "new-to-me" one I've picked up in recent years is ASOIAF, but if GRRM were really out there with the names of the characters (Meereen is where he is starting to lose me with character names), I might not have kept going, not sure.
I think for Carey, I was going to try some of her UF (I think she has some), but yeah, I'm not sure if Kushiel will interest me or not. I kinda got the impression that it delved into paranormal/fantasy romance more, which...meh...although I've heard people speak highly of her handling of it, know someone (very vaguely) who has a Kushiel-related tattoo, that sort of thing.
I do hope you like The Eyre Affair (the first Thursday Next book). I just think the world Jasper has come up with for that series is a lot of fun, especially for book lovers who aren't allergic to whimsical things.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_OhamsterwomanDecember 15 2013, 23:30:48 UTC
The Kushiel books definitely have a romance component, but the political intrigue and mystical whatsits are more prominent, I would say. And even what romance there is doesn't feel like paranormal romance, because for most of the books the magic is actually very low touch, sort of numinous, there are (remote) gods and visions and things, but nothing like vampire or werewolf boyfriends. There's a lot of fantasy BDSM though; I found that aspect of it not very interesting (even though I like BDSM in fic just fine); I know people who love the series for that, but to me that wasn't a selling point.
But, yeah, she does have some UF, and although I haven't read it myself, I've heard good things about it. The Kushiel prose tends towards purple and stylized, so I wonder how her UF writing is -- rather different, I assume.
I agree, but if you polled a lot of people, they'd probably stick it in high fantasy, just because it seems "olden" and there are horses and wizards. XD When people say urban fantasy, I tend to think they are talking about *contemporary* urban fantasy, but you're right, historical-esque urban fantasy is a subset. I think it just tends to get sucked into high fantasy a lot, though. Because of the horse and wizard thing. XD If you wanted to get really edgy, you could argue that Discworld has a bit of steampunk, too. I tend to think of Pratchett like Jasper Fforde - kinda hard to put in a little box, which is a very good thing, imo, b/c I eat that stuff up. Publishers haaaaate it, though. They love their little boxes, I think, and cuddle them at night. ;-P
is this *that* Amber Benson, as in Tara from BtVS
Yep, that's her! XD She's written quite a bit, actually, and has/had some other writing collabs going on, as well. I also didn't know that she was originally from Birmingham, so like with Felicia Day (who was born in Huntsville), I feel Alabama has inadvertently cultivated some lady "geek" cred, or something. Ok, no, not really (except for Jan Davis and Mae Jemison...we are a hotbed of lady astronauts), but it amuses me when people of Alabama-origin become famous/well-known (like Condoleezza Rice) since we're usually accused of being a 100% racist hick backwater. *sigh*
I haven't read American Gods yet, but yes, I know about it. I haven't read much Zelazny (I think maybe some short stories, IIRC?). I guess authors don't like writing about gods that much since people can get uptight about it, especially if they are still worshiped in present-day, but I don't get offended by that sort of thing. I need to read Christopher Moore's stuff on the subject (someone else I forgot to mention - points to icon), since I'm sure his take on Jesus is hilarious.
If you've read Mean Streets (me toooo!), then you've read Kat Richardson. The Day of the Dead story was a part of her Greywalker series, IIRC. (I haven't gotten around to reading the series proper, but that story was a very good "seller" for it. At least it got me interested.)
The Molly goodie was in greathouses, not my journal, sorry I wasn't clear. But for others who might be interested, here's the link for the Dangerous Women anthology.
It may have been the same Gilman...looking at her books, they are with Luna. I mainly just mentioned it, b/c did doesn't seem like there is a lot of *contemporary* magic out there. There may be some "lower" tier authors writing it, but not really many "big" names...not that I consider Gilman to be a big name with UF magic, like Butcher or possibly Aaronovitch. It's hard keep track of everyone in UF, though, since there are new authors coming out all of the time. I'm sure if I sat down and thought about, I could probably think of some more with magic - there are some on the tip of my tongue, but I can't think of them right now (*blurts out* Maria V. Snyder, although she's not really UF). But Gilman explores people coming into/controlling their powers in a contemp setting, so I just thought I'd give it a mention for your magic school itch.
I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for Iron Druid or what. Considering that I didn't love Dresden from the get go (I was very intrigued, since it was my first UF, IIRC), I shouldn't go "it's crap," because I do like Celtic lore a lot and the supporting cast seemed interesting, but I hadn't really gotten to know them yet. I had a weird drop-off in reading this year (like a black hole of nothing), so I'll probably go back and give it another go.
The Thursday Next series is delightful, imo...you should READ IT NOW! NOW, NOW, NOW! XD If you end up not liking it, you won't hurt my feelings, but it gives me a lot of feels, and that's pretty rare with me with books. Like, these are books that I'd happily reread multiple times sort of thing. There are too many books out there...I don't tend to reread.
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True, the Moist books especially.
I like stuff that doesn't fit into little boxes also, because it generally means it's either more complex or is possibly colonising a new niche which will become a little box at some point in the future :P
we are a hotbed of lady astronauts
That is a pretty awesome thing to be a hotbed of! XD And, huh, didn't know that about Felicia Day or Amber Benson, or Condoleezza Rice for that matter (who was out here at Stanford for a while, so that's what I associate her with, before politics).
I really like American Gods -- I'm a fan of Gaiman in general, but I think this is his best. And Zelazny is interesting -- I loved Chronicles of Amber (well the first five books; the second series gets really weird really fast, and is much weaker, I think) and Lord of Light is pretty brilliant (it's supposed to be his masterpiece), but there are bits here and there where I think his writing shows its age.
I need to read Christopher Moore's stuff on the subject (someone else I forgot to mention - points to icon), since I'm sure his take on Jesus is hilarious.
I loved Lamb! I thought it was hilarious (and much stronger than the other thing by Moore I read, one of the vampire ones).
Oh, and not super-unusual, but there's also Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout for the Norse gods. And Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips for the Greek pantheon. And of course Rick Riordan has the Egyptian gods series, which I haven't read but the rodents have and liked, in addition to the Percy Jackson ones.
If you've read Mean Streets (me toooo!), then you've read Kat Richardson.
Oh yeah, so I have... And apparently even liked the story better than Sniegoski's or Green's, though I guess it didn't especially grab me, if I forgot the author. Looking at my write-up, which proved to be not very helpful, I guess I did notice the other cultures thing, and also the ferret XD And no that I've been to Seattle sounds like a good time to keep an eye out for the series proper, so thank you for the reminder :)
But for others who might be interested, here's the link for the Dangerous Women anthology.
Ah, thank you! I guess I did see your post, I just spaced that there was a Molly story in the anthology... even though that was the one I was most looking to reading when I first heard about the lineup XD
Maria V. Snyder, although she's not really UF
I've heard good things about her, too! But the books of hers I keep coming across are sequels or subgenres that don't seem to be my thing... Do you have a specific rec for her?
I had a weird drop-off in reading this year
Me too, though I think I might still eke out 50 books counting kiddie books and such, which is not bad, but considering I have a really long, reading-friendly commute and that I'm usually closer to 70, it's weird. I think it's Rivers of London withdrawal... :/
Definitely thank you for the Jasper Fforde reminder -- I don't seem to be in the mood for "typical" fantasy, so maybe trying something different like that will prove to be just the ticket :)
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If you like weird, you may also want to try Matt Ruff's Sewer, Gas and Electric. I didn't like it remotely as much as Fforde's stuff, but apparently I find Ayn Rand trapped in a hurricane lamp mildly humorous.
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(and much stronger than the other thing by Moore I read, one of the vampire ones)
I've only read 4 Moore books so far (I just like the Dirty Jobs cover, which is why I have it as an icon), but my favorite, so far, was the 3rd vampire novel, Bite Me. The other two were alright, but nothing spectacular. I like humor in my fiction, so I tend to forgive more than with plain fiction. For example, I am still reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series even though it is very repetitive.
Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout for the Norse gods. And Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips for the Greek pantheon. And of course Rick Riordan has the Egyptian gods series
Thanks for the reminder about the van Eekhout series, the Marie Phillips book has been on my tbr list for a long while - I think I started it, but had to stop for some reason, and I didn't realize that Riordan's other series dealt with Egypt. I guess with non-typical, I was talking about non-European gods, which is harder to come by, it seems. Although while digging up links for the paragraph below, I came across Divine Misfortune, which sounds potentially interesting. There's also Aliette de Bodard's Obsidan & Blood series, which deals with the Aztecs, but for some reason I'm not 100% enthused by the book blurb, so I don't know if I will search those out in the future.
Do you have a specific rec for her?
Maria Snyder is one of those authors that I've been meaning to read for a long time, like Rachel Caine, Jacqueline Carey, Carrie Vaughn, A. Lee Martinez, C.E. Murphy, or, more recently, Lauren Beukes (we will see if Mur Lafferty, "Phillipa Bornikova" or Max Gladstone gets read by me anytime soon). But the book that pretty much kicked off Snyder's career, I think, was Poison Study. It's where I'm going to start whenever I get around to it.
I don't seem to be in the mood for "typical" fantasy, so maybe trying something different like that will prove to be just the ticket
Jasper Fforde currently has 4 different series (3 adult, 1 YA), so if the premise of Thursday Next doesn't grab you (for some reason, I think it will, but I dunno), there are a few others to try.
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(And I'm with you on giving more of a pass to books that make me laugh.)
I liked Norse Code, but a little less than I'd been expecting to given how much I like the Norse gods (I liked them better in American Gods, e.g.), and the Gods Behaving Badly book better than I'd expected (but my expectations were pretty low, for whatever reason).
Right, I was trying to think of books with non-European gods and not coming up with much. Divine Misfortune sounds pretty cute, though!
Poison Study is what was originally rec'd to me for Snyder, I think, but I can't remember if I looked through it and it didn't grab me or if the books of hers I kept coming across where something else, and it was those that didn't grab me.
"Phillipa Bornikova"
I'm randomly amused that people are assuming Slavic-sounding lastnames as pseudonyms now :D
I've vaguely wanted to try the Rachel Caine books, too, because weatherworking is another favorite magic type of mine.
Jacqueline Carey... I've only read her Kushiel stuff (though I've heard decent-to-good things about her urban fantasy, too), and I enjoyed it, but the writing in the first trilogy really grated on me, too. Not enough to make me quit, but enough to make me kinda hate the pain character. And by "kinda" I mean "a lot". :P
I, too, expect I'll like the premise of Thursday Next, but we'll see -- hopefully we prove right on that :)
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Snyder spun off her Study series or whatever it was called into the Glass series, I believe, which is related, but I'm not sure if it would be a situation like I found with Gilman of being sorta dropped into something, even though it's a separate series. I think the reason why I haven't picked it up yet is that it comes across as being potentially high fantasy to me with a bunch of made up names and maps and that sort of thing plus royal intrigue (which I don't really like in historical fiction, even), and I've found my interest in those type of stories to wane a lot over the years. Really, the only "new-to-me" one I've picked up in recent years is ASOIAF, but if GRRM were really out there with the names of the characters (Meereen is where he is starting to lose me with character names), I might not have kept going, not sure.
I think for Carey, I was going to try some of her UF (I think she has some), but yeah, I'm not sure if Kushiel will interest me or not. I kinda got the impression that it delved into paranormal/fantasy romance more, which...meh...although I've heard people speak highly of her handling of it, know someone (very vaguely) who has a Kushiel-related tattoo, that sort of thing.
I do hope you like The Eyre Affair (the first Thursday Next book). I just think the world Jasper has come up with for that series is a lot of fun, especially for book lovers who aren't allergic to whimsical things.
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But, yeah, she does have some UF, and although I haven't read it myself, I've heard good things about it. The Kushiel prose tends towards purple and stylized, so I wonder how her UF writing is -- rather different, I assume.
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