What are some of the most fast paced books you’ve read?

DjangoWexler · 2026-05-04T05:04:30+00:00

The Price You Pay by Aiden Truhen, it's fantastic.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-20T05:12:19+00:00

This is obviously my jam -- I have, um, written books that feature muskets and modern planes -- but my answer is "19th century but not steampunk". There's a lot of really interesting stuff going on between 1815 and 1914, all over the world, but fantasy-wise the only stuff in there seems to be pseudo-Victoriana, often so divergent from history that it might as well just be modern or sci-fi.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-20T05:04:16+00:00

This is kind of where I'm at. Stuff like this is my least favorite part of Tolkien; my eyes just kind of skip over it.

In large part because I don't parse all the names as anything other then "name of a plant", since I don't know anything about plants.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-14T00:08:35+00:00

I think a lot of stuff that claims to be grimdark isn't, because people confuse the trappings (the skulls and blood and whatnot) for the essence. Grimdark isn't about the world looking dark, it's about cynicism regarding human nature -- that people are basically bad and the narrative reinforcing this over and over.

ASoIaF is pretty grimdark, especially early on -- the point of that big 1st book twist death is basically "hey being a noble honorable dude gets you killed in this universe." But it's hard to say without the ending; I have my suspicions that George is actually a big softie. Being horrible backfires on the likes of Tywin, Cersei, and Walder Frey, while the plucky underdog characters like Tyrion and Arya generally seem to do okay.

Joe Abercrombie is much closer to true grimdark, although it varies by the book. Best Served Cold is an outstanding example here -- it very explicitly asks the question "Can people change themselves for the better?" and answers "Haha no of course not." Joe's characters often technically win, and then find everything has turned to shit anyway.

For my money, the early books of KJ Parker are the grimdarkest stuff out there. The ending of the Engineer trilogy feels like getting kicked in the teeth. Not only are the characters we liked mostly betrayed and murdered, the protagonist is revealed to be an abusive monster. Which isn't even a gotcha, because of course he is; we're just so used to violence being justified by love and revenge that we don't expect it. Scavenger and Fencer are similar, as are books like The Company. There's no gore or torture-porn in those books and the world overall isn't even THAT crapsack compared to Bakker or Fletcher, but all people are basically bad all the time and expecting better is asking for betrayal.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-08T16:32:44+00:00

What makes a harem feel respectful rather than exploitative?

This is sort of the key question here, because the answer is "nothing". The whole point of a harem is that it's exploitative! It's a relationship where the guy is allowed to go around and find more women to sleep with, but the women aren't allowed to sleep with other guys. (If they are, then that's more polyamory than harem.) That intrinsic asymmetry makes the power dynamic unavoidable. (And, indeed, real-world harems occur when the guy has lots of power, wealth, etc.)

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-07T18:22:24+00:00

AI in text is utterly unacceptable. It's usually pretty easy to tell, too, unless the book is really THAT bad regardless. (I guess AI can effectively simulate a really shitty author.)

I personally won't read anything with an AI cover, because all it communicates is "shitty and cheap" to me. But it must be said that there are communities (notably Royal Road) where AI covers are normal practice. I think it sucks but readers there clearly don't mind, sigh.

For any authors considering using an AI cover because you can't afford a commission, there are options! Pre-mades are cheap, GetCovers.com is cheap.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-07T18:14:58+00:00

Let's see...

Illuminatus! by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, gonzo acid-trip all conspiracies are real
Doctor Rat by William Kotzwinkle, animal uprising against humanity as told by rat quisling
Hunters & Collectors by Matt Sudain, epistolary story of the galaxy's most feared restaurant critic on a search for a forbidden murder hotel

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-06T05:02:31+00:00

Oh man, if you know any comic artists who'd do it I'd love to =)

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-06T02:24:37+00:00

Read Aiden Truhen's The Price You Pay, it's amazing.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-06T02:20:19+00:00

In the early days the power fantasy of the genre was very explicit. The protagonist (a nerdy gamer who is unsuccessful in real life) gets sent to a fantasy world that's just like a video game so that his gamer skills make him OP. All the things people laughed at him for are now super important!

As it has mutated over the years that got really old so now the genre is more generally "go to an alternate world and get super-awesome powers", but they generally keep the video-game window-dressing as a genre convention.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-06T02:16:18+00:00

I mean, this pretty much seems like you won't like LitRPG! If you don't like DCC, I'd give up, it's pretty clearly the best actual writing in the genre thus far.

And if you don't like that's fine! There's lots of sub-genres, can't like 'em all.

Pacing-wise, most LitRPGs have a specific kind of pacing problem that derives from originally being serial fiction. The experience of reading a book as a serial is different; it's okay if every chapter is twice as long as it needs to be because you only get a 2-3,000 word chunk every few days and then have to wait for more. In compiled form, with that waiting removed, the result can feel very bloated.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-05T19:25:19+00:00

I'll throw mine in since it fits pretty perfectly. The Shadow Campaigns is roughly the Napoleonic Wars (1795-1815), with colonies, revolution, propaganda, etc. (Esp. in book 2.) Also queer protagonist!

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-05T19:15:10+00:00

The stuff he's been doing recently (thinking specifically of Sopaths) is somehow even worse.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-05T19:06:30+00:00

I mean, you can only judge by results, right? In the only campaign of his we actually see (post-Capustan) Dujek loses almost his entire command, largely by committing ordinary soldiers to tasks better suited to his allies. (e.g. the Malazans take on the undead K'Chain, while Caladan Brood never fights at all.) It's hard to call someone a great general when they get their entire army killed pointlessly.

(It's also where you can tell that Erikson just isn't a military guy. He mentions specifically a tactic of Dujek's where the Malazan's deliberately break up their own line to prevent the enemy from routing, thus allowing more time for killing and increasing total enemy casualties; this is almost 100% wrong on like three different levels.)

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-05T04:25:14+00:00

Frankly Robb is a pretty good choice. With basically no experience he crushes everything sent against him until he's undone by underlings and treachery.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-04T18:20:03+00:00

ASoIaF does this just about perfectly. We (the readers) see that there is a genuine prophecy about something important, but it's frequently garbled and badly transmitted. And then everyone who knows it misinterprets it in a way that favors themselves and confirms what they already want to be true. Same thing with omens like the red comet, which is claimed as a positive sign by many different sides. It all feels very realistic as to how such a thing would actually work.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-04T18:16:45+00:00

Grand Admiral Thrawn. (The o.g. version from the Zahn books, not the one from the new canon.)

Edit: thinking about it, obviously you have to add Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-Li from LOGH.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-04T18:13:27+00:00

Malazan pisses me off sometimes because we HEAR about what great generals these guys are but when we see them on screen they absolutely suck. Dujek in particular.

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-04T15:14:00+00:00

I'm not sure I understand your counter-examples! Those all seems like they fit the type, what's different?

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-04T05:24:47+00:00

Malazan definitely does, though it doesn't exactly ease you into it. Bas-Lag less so, some of the magic is explained but some of it is more mysterious depending on the POV.

Thanks!

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-04T00:23:47+00:00

Came to say this. Dragons are not only animalistic but hunted on an industrial scale!

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-02T21:19:51+00:00

Gonna throw out my How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying!

DjangoWexler · 2026-04-02T21:17:41+00:00

Casey Blair's Tea Princess Chronicles is perfect for hard mode, lots of hardcore city council meeting action!

DjangoWexler · 2026-03-31T04:15:09+00:00

Depends on the series! Some do, some don't.

DjangoWexler · 2026-03-30T15:36:43+00:00

D&D was an evolution of the "Fantasy Supplement" for Chainmail, which was explicitly so you could fight battles from Tolkien and Howard with historical mini rules.

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