What are you reading in 2025?

[Kiyal]

If it's got dragons and elves and orcs and stuff, isn't it fantasy? Plenty of fantasy has had sex in it. Fritz Leiber had Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser getting down with ghouls, rat-women, invisible flying people, etc.

Eh, there is a difference though between having a fantasy story with some romance or sex mixed into it and a romance/smut story with some fantasy elements thrown in as a background.

I'm not saying one style is right or wrong. Read whatever you like. It just simply seems to me that the later seems imho to fit better in the romance section of a bookstore over the fantasy/sci-fi section.

 

[Kiyal]

Kinda seems like you're arguing that if men buy fewer books, the publishing industry should keep publishing the same quantities for them, but at a loss.

Not at all. I'm simply making an observation about how things work. I'm also glad you're not having trouble finding new books being published that interest you. That said, I just don't think that is the case for a large number of men and boys these days but that's probably a whole new conversation.

 

[Kiyal]

Let’s see, what do I have of note in my log…

I’m currently reading Empire of Silence, the first volume of Christopher Ruocchio’s Sun Eater series. Enjoying it a lot so far. Lots of great very far future ambience like the Book of the New Sun without being nearly as dense prose-wise as Wolfe, and lots of massive galactic empire vibe like Dune but with aliens and a general sense of vitality and possibility. Not ha-ha type fun, but thoughtful engaging type fun.

Interesting. I just blindly picked that book up the other day to give it a try. I hadn't heard anything about it yet, so hearing good things about it is a positive.

I had been trying the Dungeon Crawler Carl books after hearing a lot of good things about them, but I had to quit after a while. I may love playing TTRPGs, but reading a book about a character basically playing the game with all the mechanics got old pretty fast.
I found a different series to get my snarky humor from instead of Dungeon Crawler Carl. The Expeditionary Force series by Craig Alanson. Nothing like a series with a super powerful/intelligent AI beer can running around space.

 

[Autumnal]

LitRPG has just not been my thing. I tried several highly recommended ones and none worked. Of course, I’m almost entirely ignorant of their pop culture references and don’t enjoy playing the kinds of games they’re riffing on, so, like, big surprise? Signed, Old Fart

 

[Retros_x]

There's a reasonable case to be made that what you like about an author--or any other creator--is their taste, rather than their technical skill; so blurbs or other mentions can work really well. Of course, there are some authors whose blurbs I take as warnings to put the book down.

Oh I was not talking about blurbs - they are just marketing and often feel like the quoted authors didn't even read the book. I mean more like when authors talk in interviews, blogs, social media etc. about their influences and favorite works - these are the goldmines. Often they reference not very famous and well-known books, I got into some really cool niche works because of that.

 

[Retros_x]

I had been trying the Dungeon Crawler Carl books after hearing a lot of good things about them, but I had to quit after a while. I may love playing TTRPGs, but reading a book about a character basically playing the game with all the mechanics got old pretty fast.

Thats really interesting because a lot of people I know who love these books are not really playing TTRPGs at all. I know wonder if people who regularly are playing TTRPGs are not really into these. I havent tried it yet.

Read whatever you like. It just simply seems to me that the later seems imho to fit better in the romance section of a bookstore over the fantasy/sci-fi section.

They are by definition fantasy though. Just not the subsection of Fantasy you (and I) enjoy.

 

[Belen]

Well, you missed about five years of gross crap on the internet about 10 years ago then, luckily for you.

On purpose. I do not pay attention to all the culture war mess on the internet. I stopped participating in it around 2012ish when my son was born. I notice that it has made so many people and friends bitter and unhappy.

The only way to win is not to play at all.

 

[Belen]

I just finished the following series.

Saga of the Seven Suns by Kevin Anderson. It was a good space opera with some interesting characters.

Deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon. I re-read it after the Paksworld announcement.

World Quake by Mark Hobson, an epic disaster trilogy that had the moon shiftvobit causing massive tectonic shifts.

 

[cbwjm]

I just finished the following series.

Saga of the Seven Suns by Kevin Anderson. It was a good space opera with some interesting characters.

Deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon. I re-read it after the Paksworld announcement.

World Quake by Mark Hobson, an epic disaster trilogy that had the moon shiftvobit causing massive tectonic shifts.

I loved saga of the seven suns. The trilogy that followed was also very good.

 

[Belen]

I loved saga of the seven suns. The trilogy that followed was also very good.

Cool. I have the ebooks for it and will pick it up soon. I wanted a change after the 7 book epic. I was surprised I had not known about the series when it came out, but it was a happy discovery.