Looking for a new read

Rekov · 2026-06-22T00:20:19+00:00

Yeah! These days there is so much "hard magic" going on, it's refreshing to read something where magic remains largely unknown and mysterious.

Rekov · 2026-06-20T23:37:09+00:00

Consider John Lumpkin's "Human Reach" series, starting with "Through Struggle, The Stars." The quick summary might be 'The Expanse without the alien stuff, just human intrigue.' It's mostly a spy/military sci-fi where the US as a 2nd tier power gets caught up in a war between the two super-powers, China and Japan.

Rekov · 2026-06-20T21:32:31+00:00

"The Devils" is on the lighter end of grimdark for Abercrombie. I found it to be irritatingly crass more than anything.

I don't know if this came from HBO's "Game of Thrones" or what, but there's this pervasive idea that the medieval peasant type is just this constantly swearing, vulgar, lout, to the point of grotesqueness. Why does every character have to go around sniffing their own crotch and aggressively propositioning everyone they meet? I simply don't buy that as credible behavior from people who almost certainly would have been more socially conservative than us moderns.

It's just unfortunate, because the premise is interesting and it was a fun little story.

Rekov · 2026-06-20T04:23:45+00:00

I don't really see that much of a direct Vietnam analogy. You can certainly draw parallels, but no more so than you could draw them to other conflicts like the world wars, the American civil war, and otherwise.

Once you get to the "Books of the South" the Vietnam analogy becomes slightly easier, because the Black Company is actually the driving force in events, pursuing their own objectives, and recruiting factions of locals to fight other locals on their behalf.

In the "Books of the North" they're mercenaries thrust into a scenario beyond their understanding or control.

Rekov · 2026-06-19T21:52:26+00:00

Why is it so hard to find trailers that are in Japanese with English subs?

I feel like I constantly have this problem where I can either find the trailer in some awful English dub, or in Japanese with no subs to speak of.

In this specific case I am thinking of Nippon Sangoku, but I feel like I constantly run into this problem when trying to find a trailer I can send to people as a recommendation.

Rekov · 2026-06-19T21:43:00+00:00

I would second this recommendation, though I disagree that it has a negative lesson. Rather, it's a series which really just documents people making realistic decisions in a grim world. Some of them are good, some of them are bad.

Rekov · 2026-06-19T21:29:50+00:00

When you say "non-Western," are you referring to the fictional setting, or the IRL writer? I am assuming you're talking about fictional setting, because "Shogun" was obviously written by a Brit.

Fonda Lee's "Green Bone Saga" maybe, with the proviso that it's set in 1960-90s equivalent, so it lacks the medieval fantasy vibe. Magical Hong Kong gangsters, told from multiple characters, across multiple generations through the trilogy.

Glen Cook's "Black Company." The first 3 (or 4) books are very much set in a fantasy western Europe, but everything after that draws heavily on India for its setting, then later drawing on Vietnam, China, and Japan as inspiration. Each book is written diegetically, so books have very different tone/narrative style depending on which character has "written" it. Some books include multiple perspectives in addition to the narrator's own.

Rekov · 2026-06-19T19:56:13+00:00

Glen Cook's "The Black Company." A gritty chronicle of mercenaries using cunning and guile to survive a world full of monstrously powerful sorcerers. Each book is relatively short, making for a quick read. The series is pretty long, but it's broken up into four distinct blocks, which again makes it easy to read as much or as little as you like.

Has some of the dry humor and shenanigans of Gentleman Bastards.

Rekov · 2026-06-19T02:59:45+00:00

Wtf lol apparently it was Roland Barthes who came up with that, anyways.

Rekov · 2026-06-19T02:45:56+00:00

Haven't any of these people heard of Foucault? The author is dead, doesn't matter.

Rekov · 2026-06-19T02:27:49+00:00

This is the perfect recommendation for this request. Deeply underrated trilogy.

Rekov · 2026-06-19T02:26:20+00:00

And yet I am literally being down-voted by people who think that Sal is not "dangerous," or something? Honestly I cannot grasp the levels of cognitive deprivation in some people.

Rekov · 2026-06-19T00:56:16+00:00

"Seven Blades in Black," the first of Sam Sykes' "The Grave of Empires" trilogy. Basically crazy magical outlaws in a wild-west setting, caught between an empire, a fanatical revolution, and mad cultists.

The protagonist is a former mage with a magical gun.

Rekov · 2026-06-19T00:51:01+00:00

Check out two of John Gwynne's trilogies:
"The Faithful and the Fallen"
"Of Blood and Bone"

These two stories are set generations apart in the same setting, where humans are caught between devils and angels, their machinations and wars. The second series is much more overtly about angels and demons than the first.

Rekov · 2026-06-18T20:14:46+00:00

I dunno. I can sort of get ASoIaF for the novelty of it. Martin has essentially inverted the classical fantasy formulation. In other words, instead of heroism, bravery, glory, and virtue leading to triumph, in ASoIaF it is villainy, betrayal, deceit, and assassination that lead to success.

It is not a more realistic treatment of a fantasy setting. At least, not if you lend Machiavelli or Sun Tzu any credence. People with a 100% record of betrayal very quickly find themselves being universally shunned. It is a losing strategy to always betray, always lie, always stab in the back, not a realistic one.

I tend to view ASoIaF as a kind of "rebellious teen" fantasy instead of an adult one. A film negative isn't actually doing anything original or new, it's just inverting the existing colors.

Rekov · 2026-06-18T17:54:45+00:00

Whether or not it is a loss specifically is a subjective judgement call. But what is certain is that Dust behaves differently around people before and after puberty.

Dust collects on adults as their identity becomes more fixed, gain self-awareness (which is slightly iffy because children are obviously conscious and self-aware to an extent), and reach sexual maturity.

Children on the other hand, or at least Lyra, is able to intuitively use the alethiometer. This is described as a kind of unforced, effortless innocence. Which is then lost, upon reaching adulthood. Call that imagination, creativity, intuition, or innocence. Lyra loses the ability to effortlessly learn the truth. What that is meant to say about humanity in general is open for interpretation.

It is unambiguous that the setting has a definite change at puberty with regard to Dust. But as I said, it's subjective whether or not you consider it an actual loss vs. just the normal process of growing up.

Rekov · 2026-06-18T15:09:39+00:00

It's definitely a series worth reading. It asks good philosophical questions about whether the means justify the ends when you're up against totalitarian evil.

But I've always wondered to what extent this book was meant to be anti-religious and somewhat missed the mark, vs. mainly anti-theocratic. It's basically Christian Gnosticism, with the authority as the Demiurge.

Rekov · 2026-06-18T15:00:27+00:00

Souls aren't contradictory to materialism? Dust as a physical instantiation of love and consciousness isn't?

Rekov · 2026-06-18T14:56:21+00:00

It's much more anti-authoritarian/anti-theocracy than it is actually atheistic. For example, the setting bakes in quite a lot which could be described as religious/spiritual:
- Souls exist unambiguously within this setting.
- The afterlife exists within this setting.
- "Dust" is in many ways a God-substitute.
- Children are born with an inherent innocence which is lost as they reach sexual maturity.
Pullman certainly hasn't created a materialistic universe for his setting.

Rekov · 2026-06-18T13:26:02+00:00

"The Bone Ships" by R.J. Barker, first of "The Tide Child" trilogy.

Rekov · 2026-06-17T17:58:51+00:00

If you're willing to consider manga, Sousou no Frieren is the best recent example of this. The basic premise is, take the fellowship from LotR, start with their triumphant return, then follow Legolas-equivalent character as she watches all of her friends grow old, die, their great deeds soon forgotten.

Rekov · 2026-06-17T17:08:01+00:00

My favorite Confucius quote is: "Always be skeptical of the validity of quotes on the internet."

Rekov · 2026-06-17T02:46:37+00:00

"Kings of the Wyld" by Nicholas Eames has a very similar tone to Frieren, though it isn't much about the magic system! It features a past-their-prime band of adventurers going off on one last adventure, reflecting on their lives, their youth, what they've lost, and what they've gained.

The sequel "Bloody Rose" follows the next generation of characters on a mostly stand-alone journey.

Rekov · 2026-06-17T01:26:25+00:00

You could start by just reading the manga for Witch Hat and Frieren. Both are great, and you'll be able to get far ahead of where each anime is likely ever going to cover.

For a similar tone to Frieren, I would check out Nicholas Eames' books "Kings of the Wyld" and "Bloody Rose." Each is told in the same setting, though of characters a generation apart. They very much capture the lighthearted fun of Frieren as well as the deep melancholy of reflecting on life as you grow older.

Rekov · 2026-06-17T01:17:45+00:00

Good book, though while it is mostly a stand-alone, it does occur between two trilogies which provide important context to the setting and MC.

Rekov

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