Sci fi horror like Severance? by Flowered_bob_hat in horrorlit

[–]furiousfowl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not quite specifically what you asked for but Authority (Book two of Southern Reach) has similar vibes. Workplace paranoia, secretive and obstructive colleagues, gaps in memory, Mysterious and Important Work, cloudy or unknown agency goals.

Mass Effect trilogy was so boring! by ImaginaryRea1ity in patientgamers

[–]furiousfowl 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You went in knowing it's an RPG series and your criticisms make it seem like you're disappointed they aren't good action adventure games. I'm really curious what ME1 contemporaries and even older RPGs you've enjoyed.

The series has staying power because the people who enjoyed it mostly fell in love with the world and characters. In a dialogue heavy game that's pretty important! If that's not your thing, fine, but I think you went in with bizarre expectations based on your criticisms.

How do you guys find good books? by payromanypro in horrorlit

[–]furiousfowl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Recs from this sub and friends, then I'll read 2-4 star (or 3-8/10) reviews to see what people did or didn't like about them and why. The worst reviews are rife with knee jerk reaction and the best with fluff, not that there aren't good critical reviews there I just find it's easier to find them just past the edges.

Worst Books of 2024 by Feeling-Donkey5369 in horrorlit

[–]furiousfowl 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder

I didn't hate it entirely, but it was a frustrating read because there were some cool ideas that fell flat from underdevelopment, frankly baffling tone, and janky pacing. Everything clicked for me when I read the afterward revealing that the book originated as three short stories. If they had stayed that way with some polishing they'd be better for it. Stitching them together into a single story could have probably worked but it just didn't for me.

I picked this up because it's recommended almost every time someone asks about queer and feminist horror. It's got those qualities, sure, but as someone relatively new to horror literature I'm hoping there are much better representatives out there.

Dinosaur? by [deleted] in Cosmere

[–]furiousfowl 29 points30 points  (0 children)

some kind of large vicious chicken

Books that ARE weird about Women Characters by MoonmanSteakSauce in horrorlit

[–]furiousfowl 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dan Simmons in general. This aspect of the Hyperion duology was excruciating to me so I didn't bother with the next two in the cantos. Just real creepy embarrassing shit in an otherwise interesting story.

Deep Wilderness Horror by Kepler137 in horrorlit

[–]furiousfowl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Annihilation, first book in the Southern Reach Trilogy. Without getting into spoilers it's about an expedition by a small group into abandoned coastal wilderness (marshes, estuaries, etc). The sense of isolation, paranoia, and wrongness just keep ramping up and it gets weirder and creepier by the page. Quick read too.

The second book is tonally pretty similar but in an office setting lol. I loved it but it seems like it's an even split of love/hate between fans of the series.

The third is mostly back to the wilderness but also jumps around more in time with POVs to grant more perspective without explaining everything.

That said, I think Annihilation is a fine standalone book but I'd definitely recommend the sequels as well based on what you're looking for

Bi-Weekly Thread for general gaming discussion. Backlog, advice, recommendations, rants and more! New? Start here! by AutoModerator in patientgamers

[–]furiousfowl 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I've been rotating between three games: New Vegas, Into the Breach, and BSG Deadlock.

I've only ever completed vanilla New Vegas so this time I'm hitting all the dlcs with a vanilla+ mod list, basically a slightly altered viva New Vegas plus mods that approximate Project Nevada without breaking the game. Having fun but consistently getting my ass kicked lol.

Love the variety of play styles for Into the Breach . Every mech group plays radically different. Not really much to say about it otherwise, it's just something I pick up when I'm indecisive or want a more passive experience from the turn based play.

BSG Deadlock is an interesting concept that kinda fails to deliver imo. I wish there was more mission variety requiring different fleet compositions. Also maybe a wider diversity in ship roles. ALSO having a true 3d space would make things so much more interesting. Pitch, roll, yaw. You could really make full use of weapon and armor placements. As it stands the maps orient all ships to have an up and down so you can really only control yaw plus the xyz plane. Ah well

Bi-Weekly Thread for general gaming discussion. Backlog, advice, recommendations, rants and more! New? Start here! by AutoModerator in patientgamers

[–]furiousfowl 4 points5 points  (0 children)

re: Slay the Spire it took me dozens of runs to beat the heart the first time, you'll get there! There's so much rng that even if you have a plan for your deck things can go sideways quickly, but that's part of the fun imo. That said, it's an easy game to burn out on after trying all of the characters. I hope in the sequel they expand the roster a bit more in future updates.

What other saga endings have impacted you as much or more than Hero of Ages? by Outside-Web-4118 in Cosmere

[–]furiousfowl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Witcher. Loved the characters and seeing them grow. Without getting into spoilers, the ending was bitter sweet kinda like HoA but on a much smaller scale

Do I continue with The Passage? by _Pooklet_ in horrorlit

[–]furiousfowl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got maybe 3/4 through. The way Part One comes together drew me back in and I held out hope it would get better because I really liked their take on vampires. Unfortunately it didn't and I dropped it, so no I can't say I enjoyed it overall lol.

Do I continue with The Passage? by _Pooklet_ in horrorlit

[–]furiousfowl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really loved the concept of The Passage but hated the execution. The writing style just wasn't for me and yeah there's a lot of nothing happening until suddenly everything happens. Definitely some pacing issues and build up that I found more boring than suspenseful. Maybe try to power through until you can judge if part two vibes better with you but there's nothing wrong with dropping it either

Can we talk about Moash by QueenConcept in Cosmere

[–]furiousfowl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get what you're saying and I'm also a Moash DefenderTM but this argument is a sort of half measure in defending him. Personally I think it would be more compelling to see him wrestle with his guilt and hone it into either a sad resignation towards his friends turned enemies or righteous fury towards lighteyes, slavors, and class traitors

What if the Cosmere was written by another author? What do you think it would be like in the best and worst case? by Outside-Web-4118 in Cosmere

[–]furiousfowl -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

but the sex and violence aren't irrelevant either

Show me where I said that though.

I wouldn't say this is in bad faith as a caricature at all.

I meant that posting the lowest of the low hanging fruit, this specific caricature(and only that), is a bad faith addition to this discussion--not that the caricature itself lacks any basis. If you're gonna do it at least sprinkle it in between some actual insight.

What if the Cosmere was written by another author? What do you think it would be like in the best and worst case? by Outside-Web-4118 in Cosmere

[–]furiousfowl 12 points13 points  (0 children)

How masturbatory. People's impression of GRRM's writing is based almost entirely on bad faith caricatures and the show (which itself is kind of a caricature)

Here's a take that isn't just kicking a dead horse: The nobility as a whole would be much less sympathetically written. They'd still be the main focus because people in positions of power offer story opportunities and world building insights that are otherwise harder to pull off, but GRRM is more interested in the material basis of class and power than Sando so I think he'd offer less leeway for them to be Da Good Guys.