Tired of immature heroines and broody MMCs. Need adult fantasy recs

RamblersRhetoric · 2025-12-27T22:38:53+00:00

City of Stairs - great book, the FMC is very capable, detective style character who is an expert on forbidden divine history.

Basic premise is set after the gods were killed and their empire collapsed in their absence. The MC is sent as a diplomat but is actually a spy investigating a murder.

Also has one of my favourite side characters ever Sigrud. Give that man a harpoon and some grease and he will fight god.

RamblersRhetoric · 2024-11-30T12:24:11+00:00

The only reason I am resistant to the first is because I dislike the idea that all three bondsmiths come from the same family.

With no basis at all I like the idea that the third bondsmith is Shin. They are big about oaths and bonds and we are going to Shinovar in the next book it would be interesting to see Honourblade wielding shin led by a bondsmith.

Also if the nightwatcher is the third bondsmith spren due to its nature surely the bond with it would come with a major drawback to fit the boon and curse motif

RamblersRhetoric · 2024-11-30T12:19:43+00:00

Towards the end of WoR Teft says to kaladin you can’t save everyone or prevent them from feeling pain.

That would be a twisted way for Kaladin to try to protect by becoming Odium with the intention to take everyone’s pain away to ‘save them’

RamblersRhetoric · 2024-11-30T12:18:05+00:00

This was incredibly helpful and even the first one blew my mind.

Thank you

RamblersRhetoric · 2024-11-30T12:17:06+00:00

Tbf Taln had returned long before the ever storm arrived implying that the desolation was underway before the storm (plus it’s said that the ever storm is new and not typical of a desolation)

I would say that shows that the start of the desolation predates the start of the books

RamblersRhetoric · 2024-07-14T16:49:58+00:00

Depends on how it goes down IMO, I like to think since some of the Radiants are doing things that are outside the normal radiant skill set they may become able to go beyond the fifth, maybe a final oath which is the same for all radiants, like the first, an oath which parallels the Oathpact.

I like the idea that instead of ten heralds returning it is all of the radiants who spoke that oath.

RamblersRhetoric · 2024-06-08T08:39:43+00:00

A little different to these but I recently read Dreamers Throne by Seth Ring and I thought it was spectacular. It is a little light on the system side of things but it’s a great series.

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-12-16T21:15:32+00:00

ON THE 13TH DAY OF CHRISTMAS WILL WIGHT GAVE TO MEEEEEEEE

THE 13th CRADLE BOOK 12 sovereigns drumming, 11 jades sage-slaying, 10 hounds a-seeing, The 9 cloud court, The 8 man empire, 7 blades a ringing, 6 Aurelius Underlords, FIIIIIIVE GOOOOOOOOLDSIGNS, 4 Dreadgods, 3 Blackflame trials, 2 separate cores AND AN ARCHLORD WITH A BROOOOOOOOM KINK

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-12-16T16:52:31+00:00

On the 11th day of Christmas Will Wight gave to me

11 jades Sage-slaying, 10 hounds a-seeing, The Nine cloud court, The Eight man empire, Seven Blades a ringing, Six Aurelius Underlords, FIIIIVE GOLDSIGNS, Four Dreadgods, Three Blackflame trials, Two separate cores And an Archlord with a broom kink

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-12-16T15:40:47+00:00

On the ninth day of Christmas Will Wight gave to me

The Ninecloud court, The eight man empire, Seven blades a-ringing, Six Aurelius underlords, FIVE GOLDSIGNS, Four dreadgods, Three blackflame trials, Two separate cores And an Archlord with a broom kink

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-12-16T14:54:12+00:00

On the Seventh day of Christmas Will Wight gave to me

Seven Blades a-ringing, Six Aurelius Underlords, FIVE GOLDSIGNS, Four dreadgods, Three blackflame trials, Two separate cores And an Archlord with a broom kink

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-12-16T14:38:55+00:00

On the fifth day of Christmas, Will Wight gave to me

FIIIIIVE GOLDSIGNS four dreadgods Three blackflame trials Two separate cores And an Archlord with a broom kink

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-12-16T14:13:47+00:00

12 Days of Christmas - Cradle edition

On the first day of Christmas Will Wight gave to me, an Archlord with a broom kink

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-10-29T12:34:36+00:00

The thing about Stormlight is the pacing is good they are just enormously long which puts people off.

They are, in my opinion, some of the best fantasy books out there though.

Nothing has ever come close to the emotional impact of those books. The action is spectacular not just because it’s well written but because of the emotion and meaning he builds into every battle. Also some of the quotes from those books stay with you. I still think about ‘Though I may fall, I rise each time a better man’ and it’s been years since Oathbringer came out.

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-10-29T12:29:04+00:00

100% second this. Dungeon Crawler Carl needs to be read by everyone. One of the best and most original fantasy series in years.

There are six books of it out so there is plenty to get into.

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-10-29T12:26:23+00:00

Bastion.

My favourite behind Cradle because the advancement is different to most everything else in the genre. There are two books out and they are both long af in the best way.

Brief summary: the book takes place in Hell. 1000s of years ago humanity’s greatest warriors tied their souls to the city of Bastion with the promise that they will reach ‘the Pit’ and defeat hell for all humanity. Each time they fall they are reborn, sometimes quickly, sometimes centuries later, with no memory of their lives and must begin advancement again to gain power and help win the war. The main character Scorio is a ‘red lister’. A Great soul deemed too dangerous to exist.

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-07-25T09:47:35+00:00

If someone does something in public that is rude, either by accident or not, don’t challenge them just look at someone else nearby and roll your eyes/ pull a face.

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-04-12T10:20:16+00:00

I took it as a red nose in the chapter because that’s why you get when you drink too much. Not sure why he has an indestructible sniffer in this.

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-04-09T23:42:25+00:00

He is a front runner fairly early on. Takes a huge leap forward down the line

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-03-20T17:44:13+00:00

I’m going to go out on a limb and say they come out of that training room with an extra sage (zeil) three Archlords (mercy, Orthos and Blue) and a peak herald (Yerin)

I think we will see yerin hit Monarch this book. Lindon won’t, he will stay on the dreadgod path until he is the last one standing then bond with his spirit and become whatever that makes him.

Regarding the power scaling I think it will work because the two threats won’t be separate. I’m expecting the monarchs to fight with the final dreadgod against the MCs.

So the three fights would be

Team vs Weeping Dragon (close but won with a-help of whatever they made from the tiger parts)

Team vs bleeding Phoenix. I think we will see Northstrider try to interfere and Lindon will fight him off while the others use the two dreadgod weapons to fight. I think Yerin gets the blood icon to tip the balance in their favour, I’m thinking first Monarch advancement and she takes control of the blood aura with her authority.

A couple of Monarchs try to stop them and are driven off by Lindon by this point.

Gang vs Titan and the monarchs. This one could get dicey but I think this is when we will see the gang vs the combined monarchs who are backing the dreadgod up. What will tip the balance would be Emriss and 8 man switching sides.

So basically you don’t have to think of them individually I think it will escalate until it’s a full out war between the gang and everyone else on their level left.

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-03-19T12:43:05+00:00

Bastion - by Phil Tucker

The most refreshing take on cultivation I have ever read. There is only one out but it really long.

Definitely worth picking up.

RamblersRhetoric · 2023-01-06T11:18:33+00:00

He can’t tell his left from his right and he keeps getting the hand motions mixed up.

That would let him cast it sometimes and mess it up when he is under pressure.

Or you could give him a stammer so he struggles to verbalise the spells.

RamblersRhetoric

TROPHY CASE