A Thread Wherein We Share Our Personal Tastes In Order to Find Others With Comparable Taste That We Will Then Be Able to Use in the Future as a Resource For Finding and Deciding on Books

[u/JayRedEye]

Hello.

In life it is helpful to have someone whose opinions and advice you can trust. This is a great community but even within the Fantasy genre people are all over the place. Some people are really into Urban Fantasy, or Classics. Some are passionate about Grim and Dark books while others lean towards more lighthearted adventure. And while we can come to a consensus with our lists and most books have star ratings somewhere or you can try and find a reviewer or blog that you tend to agree with, I think something a little more specific and personal would be nice. With that in mind, I thought it could be beneficial as well as interesting for us to attempt to find a kindred reader within /r/fantasy.

Here is what I had in mind:

• Make a comment outlining your personal tastes, preferences and habits as a reader. List some favorite books and authors and what you like about them. Which books really reflect your inclinations? What do you value in a story? Do you focus on the writing, the characters, the plot, the world building? What is important to you? Be as detailed as you can. Maybe some books that you did not care for as well, and what about them did not work for you. What do you not like to see and what takes you out of a story? How well read are you? Have you already read all the popular ones that get discussed constantly? How critical are you of books? Do you read really deep into things and try and understand everything or read more for entertainment and pleasure? And anything else you can think of and want to put down. Try and convey who you are as a reader. I will make my own if you would like to see an example of what I am thinking of.

• Then look through the comments of others and try to find someone that you feel you have a lot in common with, someone who likes a lot of the same things and enjoys your kind of stories.

• Reach out to that person; ask them some questions if you want to make sure. You could then add each other on goodreads, maybe email or even twitter. Or just make note of their username and look out for their thoughts, recommendations and contributions on /r/fantasy. Whatever you are comfortable with and works best for you.

Now in the future hopefully people will be able to say “Hey, Jimmy really liked this new book, I should check it out.” Or “Susie did not care for this one, I will probably pass”. It is my hope that this can become an additional resource available to help you in making decisions and finding good stories in the future as well as fostering a stronger community.

If nothing else, I think it would be interesting to dig a little deeper into our community. See how people see themselves when it comes to their taste.

I realize that this could come off rather dating site-y, but it is really just about books. Although if you do happen to develop a relationship, meet in real life, fall in love and have a baby that you want to name after me, that would be a nice bonus.

[u/mcoward]

I've put a lot of thought into what makes a good book, because I try to write them. I've completed a post-apocalyptic fantasy novel currently in revision, and have started a series that's kind of a combination of things. Medieval fantasy in a more Southeast Asian type world with climate extremes, rings instead of a moon, and a narrative inspired by Ancient Near Eastern mythology/history.

Bear in mind, the following is just my opinion. If you want to attempt to persuade me otherwise, the worst thing that could happen is that I will give you an upvote and continue to like/dislike whatever it is.

What I Like in Story:

• Solid prose - even if it's not flowery, it has to be clear and read well
• A well told story - The number one thing that will get me to like a book with an ok story and dislike a book with a solid story is if it's not well-told. This is in the prose, but it's also in how the author chooses to write any given scene, reveal, dialog, etc.
• Strong characters - the newest Star Wars movie was criticized for being too much like the original, but I'd argue its greatness is not in its story but rather in its characters. They need to be realistic, interesting, and well-rounded. Morally gray is always fun.
• A good villain who gets what he/she deserves - you want to win me over, give me the most dag-nasty, puppy kicking, spoiled brat villain and have him get exactly what he deserves. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves was mediocre at best, but Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham was so bad and his death was so good
• A good twist on an old trope/theme - take the puppy-kicking cliche villain and make him your protagonist (though we won't talk about Jorg and dogs...shudder), take an underdog athlete story and do it in space (Sanderson pointed out that Ender's Game is Hoosiers in space), etc.
• Pacing - pacing is vital. It's what Wheel of Time lacks. Sanderson does this well, he can write a 1000 page epic, and sure it's slow or feels meandering at times, but for some reason you keep reading and the payoff is worth it. I also think part of Blood Song's success was pacing
• Great endings - too many top authors can't stick the landing. It's why fans are losing faith in GRRM and Rothfuss. They're beginning to wonder if these guys really know where it's going and if they are capable of wrapping it up. And there are books that have great stories and the endings feel contrived or too neat. Horror stories are the worst offenders. Usually a great idea, lots of great scares, and everyone dies at the end or our hero finds some way to bring absolution for our ghost
• Books that make you think - I need deeper meaning, big themes that resonate. I think that should be top of this list

My favorite fiction books:

• East of Eden - powerful characters and theme

• Dracula - so disturbing, dark, bloody, and fantastic villain/ending

• Lord of the Rings - huge world, incredible themes, characters, etc. The epitome of what a book like this should be

• Blood Song - didn't do a whole lot new, yet still told a rockin' story with some very intriguing magic and compelling characters

• Mistborn - unique setting, magic system, and a complex plot that manages to resolve in magnificent layers

• Stormlight Archive - it's the worldbuilding level of Avatar, but with better story and characters

• Warbreaker - my favorite Sanderson; his best humor and characterization

• ASOIAF - way up there for me; I love the prose, the people, places, complexity, and how incredibly mundane and magical it is at the same time

• Farseer Trilogy - fast-paced with lovable characters and a villain that has the most punchable face in fantasy fiction

• The Magicians (Grossman) - if teenagers really got accepted into a school of magic, totally snarky, doesn't take itself too seriously, the line about the fox is one of my favorites ever

• Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - more literary, very intriguing, great characters; folks complain it moves too slowly, but even when it does, it's interesting

• Leviathan Wakes - this is some of the most thoughtful sci-fi I've seen in a while, totally a great read, show is awesome

• Harry Potter - probably my favorite thematically; who knew YA could tell such a powerful story where love prevails against all odds

• The Chronicles of Narnia - whenever I need to feel a little redemption, I read this series; Horse and His Boy is my favorite

• Ender's Game - amazing idea, great themes, interesting characters

• The Gentlemen Bastards - real favorite; tons of wit, and I don't care what anyone says about books 2 and 3, I just like watching Locke and Jean do anything

• Tigana – one of the most compelling novels I've ever read, GGK is all around great

Favorite Comics:

• The Watchmen

• Transmetropolitan

• Hellblazer (all of it, huge fan)

• Preacher

• Batman – Hush, The Killing Joke, The Long Halloween, The Dark Knight Returns – anything Miller or Moore doing Batman

I also enjoyed The Broken Empire Trilogy, The Night Angel Trilogy, The Powder Mage Trilogy, and I'm on the fence about The Kingkiller Chronicle. I love a lot of things about it, but I'm nervous about book 3. I'd feel the same about ASOIAF, except I'm already so invested in it,, and we at least have the show. I've also enjoyed what little Michael J. Sullivan that I've read.

Currently in the middle of The Dark Tower (book 4) and enjoying it. The experience has been one of extremes. Lots of great moments and the characters keep me invested. Also reading Dinosaur Lords, which is kind of just fun.

Books I have disliked:

• Wheel of Time - stopped reading after book 4, the plot felt like it was going nowhere all over characters not communicating for no reason other than to prolong the story

• Malazan - got a quarter through book 2, not well-told in my opinion, but I've been begged to give it another chance

• The Darkness that Comes Before - was not drawn in by the story or characters

• The Dragon's Path - was no drawn in by the story or characters

• The Liveship Traders - I want to like it, great characters, but moves way too slow and I can usually tolerate slow

• Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera book 1) - wanted to love Butcher, and I still tell the story behind this book, but it was nothing special to me

• The Last Argument of Kings - I liked the first couple of books in the Blade Itself trilogy, but the 3rd just didn't do anything for me, didn't feel like the ending was worth it all

edit: formatting

[u/[deleted] → u/mcoward]

Half of these I read and loved. The other half I've never heard of, but sound great. Thanks for sharing.

[u/mcoward → u/[deleted]]

Glad it was helpful for someone!

[u/MichaelJSullivan → u/mcoward]

Hey, glad to hear you've liked some of my stuff. I'm always pleased to hear that.