D&D General No One Reads Conan Now -- So What Are They Reading?

[Ruin Explorer]

The level of cynicism you’re describing was common in the 90s and 00s, but sincerity is making a comeback.

This is definitely true, but even in quite sincere stuff, there's typically a lot of grimdarkery still going on.

I am increasingly finding that the milder end of "grimdark" is more tolerable to me than "twee" fantasy though, so maybe that's not a complaint!

 

[TiQuinn]

I wonder if this has anything to do with audiobooks. I know for me, I listen to a large number of audiobooks while working or traveling, because I can do so while doing another activity. Just a random thought.

As for what Im reading, I'm reading "A Betrayal in Winter" by Daniel Abraham. And I am listening to "A Wise Man's Fear" by Patrick Rothfuss. Both are parts of series, enjoying both.

So that's an interesting side question - I've always considered my audiobook time to also be reading since this is usually what I'm doing during my commute. Is that not considered the case?

 

[Charlaquin]

This is definitely true, but even in quite sincere stuff, there's typically a lot of grimdarkery still going on.

I am increasingly finding that the milder end of "grimdark" is more tolerable to me than "twee" fantasy though, so maybe that's not a complaint!

Yeah, personally, I find a lot of “cozy” media to be just as insincere as grimdark, if not more so. Real sincerity requires honesty and vulnerability, which in current times tend to come along with a certain amount of unpleasantness. I tend to find the most fulfillment in media that acknowledges the darkness without wallowing in it, and presents hope for a way through it without being naive about it.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

So that's an interesting side question - I've always considered my audiobook time to also be reading since this is usually what I'm doing during my commute. Is that not considered the case?

Can't speak for anyone else, but I'd consider it reading, and I don't usually do it whilst gaming it etc., only whilst commuting (or doing very boring work or the like).

That said I do tend to pick my audiobooks to be stuff that's less about careful/attentive/thoughtful reading, because otherwise it can be quite annoying to keep having to pause or rewind in the same way I might stop reading to think about something or go back and re-read a paragraph in a book.

So there is maybe a difference.

Real sincerity requires honesty and vulnerability, which in current times tend to come along with a certain amount of unpleasantness. I tend to find the most fulfillment in media that acknowledges the darkness without wallowing in it, and presents hope for a way through it without being naive about it.

HELL YES. Thank you!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Literally the next Doom game is called Doom: The Dark Ages

Yeah, I know, that’s where the art comes from. But it’s a shame not to give people a chance to do the legwork.

 

[Charlaquin]

So that's an interesting side question - I've always considered my audiobook time to also be reading since this is usually what I'm doing during my commute. Is that not considered the case?

I mean, it depends. Is it literally reading? No, but it is still consuming literature, which has most of the same enriching effects. It probably does contribute to the ongoing erosion of our attention spans - our tolerance for inactivity dwindles the more we keep ourselves constantly active. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

funnily enough the Conan stories I have read left little to no lasting impression on me

Most of the original stories are dull and cliche. Although it did invent the cliche.

About two are good though.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

The level of cynicism you’re describing was common in the 90s and 00s, but sincerity is making a comeback.

I said as much in a thread on this very forum, and was basically told "no, that's just because you're an aging millennial, modern kids are way cynical and you're out of touch."

 

[Paul Farquhar]

This is definitely true, but even in quite sincere stuff, there's typically a lot of grimdarkery still going on.

I am increasingly finding that the milder end of "grimdark" is more tolerable to me than "twee" fantasy though, so maybe that's not a complaint!

It’s stories that are so relentlessly serious at all times that I find tiresome. I’ve been to RL, and people crack jokes there, especially when things seem grim.

 

[Imaro]

Moorcock’s influence can’t be denied. But I have to admit I’ve always had trouble understanding his appeal

If I had to answer in comparison to Howard... I'd say I found his Young Kingdoms (and his multiverse) to be a much more vibrant, imaginative and interesting place than Hyperborea. The characters of Elric, Corum ( but not necessarily Hawkmoon) and so on to be more interesting than Conan & Kull, though Solomon Kane might be an exception here. IMO Moorcock writes at a much faster pace than Howard and his stories tend to feel like breakneck speed adventures... Also, because Moorcock didn't rely on an Earth copy for his setting (at least in the Elric and Corum stories) there was none of the racism to get over for enjoyment.