New Year New Recommendations!

[@merphynapierreviews]

Editing me didn’t catch that I called My Dark Venessa Non fic, I meant Lit Fic!

[@xtieburn]

In case anyone else was having a heck of a time trying to read the odd font on the book at the start. Its called: The boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse.

[@maem7462]

I think they also made that into either a show or movie bc I’ve seen some KZbin clips of it and it looks cute and fun. It seems to have kinda similar vibes to Winnie the Pooh but a little more intense at times.

[@VeraFran]

​@@maem7462it's an Oscar winner movie.

[@delaneyjewel]

That last request for something short but mind blowing is my ZONE. I usually want a book to get in, kick me in the teeth, and get out. Here’s some recs on the SFF side: - The Past is Red - To Be Taught, if Fortunate - Arboreality (an indie pub underrated GEM of climate fiction) - The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Ring Shout - The Word for World is Forest - This is How You Lose the Time War - Our Wives Under the Sea And some on my TBR: - The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain - The City in Glass - The Annual Migration of Clouds - Solaris - Elder Race

[@yourLittleSinner]

The only one of these I've read is This is How You Lose the Time War, but I loved it so much that I'm willing to try recommendations from anyone else that loved it like I do.

[@coltonray9168]

Old Man and the Sea is a terrific book. It resonates a lot with me on the necessity to do your best and not be defeated by any result, but take joy in knowing you've tried your hardest. Recommended to anyone, especially young men coming into the world.

[@meowkat347]

Wooo yay I was featured lol! I’ll check these out, thank you for taking my request! 🥰 I’ll especially check out The Will of the Many! and duuuude I really enjoyed Rebecca! I gotta try My Cousin Rachel!

[@gsk_inx]

"These books: Oh not that one Or that one.. This one SPECIFICALLY"🤣

[@Rairiky]

Old man and the sea! Absolutely loved it very special little book Also for a book feels much longer than it is 100 years of solitude is like 400 pages but is so incredibly rich with so many characters and never feels lacking or rushed

[@nazimelmardi]

“What’s wrong with me?” Is a constant returning question of the videos. 😂 Merph, I feel the same. Unless Discworld or Dungeon Crawler Carl.. fun books sometimes fit the list. 😁

[@TheRealKLT]

Merphy: Espouses how much she loves Jurassic Park Also Merphy: IMMEDIATELY forgets who Michael Crichton is lol

[@rammelbroadcasting]

Maybe not the perfect recommendation for your request, but I am going to continue to recommend The buried giant by Kazuo Ishiguro to you, lol. Also, if you haven't read the dao de jing by Ken Liu Oh my god! Actually, it's a translated work, but he adds notes and his thoughts throughout. Just wow

[@Deni-mt9bj]

OK, you should absolutely read Spinning Silver. Especially if it’s snowing and cold outside. And you already know you like Naomi Novik’s writing, so its worth a shot 🙂 one of my all time favorite books.

[@meowkat347]

When she goes “dag gone just be where I want you to be”, I felt that with my chest bc I do the exact same thing! lol.

[@miak5331]

The Ted Chiang shot story collections, especially Exhalation, all also pack a punch in such few pages. They're black mirror-y, but (in my opinion) more optimistic and hopeful. So good

[@393Nestor]

4:32 Malice by Keigo Higashino would be a good fit, it starts as a locked room mystery and it’s the only book I read cover to cover in one sitting

[@thejustinwestra]

I always forget that Higashino is mostly known for mystery/thrillers. I read The Miracles of the Namiya General Store and adored it but it’s a completely different vibe.

[@killer92173]

I'm putting all of my time and energy finishing The Stormlight Archive by reading Wind & Truth. Barely finished Rhythm of War and finished the Prologue and 1st Chapter of Wind & Truth.

[@blemused9958]

27:21 My recommendations for impressive short works: - Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro - Giovanni's Rooms by James Baldwin - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Short story collections: - Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang - The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw I also second Ken Liu's The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories!

[@Energy.stays.conserved]

Just a question for merphy.... How much do you like Dinosaurs on a scale of 0 to 10?

[@merphynapierreviews]

100

[@Energy.stays.conserved]

@@merphynapierreviewsI See

[@tinagarcia3571]

Claire Keegan - Small Things Like These, Foster, So Late in the Day etc.

[@Zechree]

I read gym candy by Carl Deuker when I was in school and it definitely had an impact on me. It’s about the son of an ex NFL star trying to live up to what his dad wants for his son. I remember it really going in depth on how his dad grooming him to be a star lead him down a path that affected his social life and ultimately made him see life from an entirely new perspective. It made me cheer and it made me cry.

[@ststclair]

I love The Old Man and the Sea! I go back to it every couple of years and have done so for the last 30 years. I hope you enjoy it also.

[@andrewrose3841]

With regards to the short but incredibly epic reccomendations, I would thoroughly recommend novels by John Wyndham, specifically ‘Day of the Triffids’ or ‘The Chrysalids’, both classic sci fi exploring human nature in the face of unique apocalyptic scenarios, absolutely crammed full of rich ideas, really quick to read and very very British. Elevator pitches for both: Day of triffids- think the film 28 days later, but swap zombies for plants and The chrysalids- think witch trials in a post apocalyptic world

[@EmilyAnn634571]

Oooohh she loves when plants take over!

[@keskelepoint]

Short books or short stories that are great: - Galatea by Madeline Miller - The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu - A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf - Planet of Exile by Ursula Le Guin (or anything she wrote, really) - To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (as mentioned by someone else, it was so good) - The Grass Harp by Truman Capote - The Love of Erika Ewald by Stefan Zweig Some EU and UK fantasy/SF books that maybe you haven't read yet: - The Carpet Makers by Andreas Eschbach - The Wall by Marlen Haushofer - Morwenna by Jo Walton - The Inverted World by Christopher Priest - His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (I don't think I've ever heard you talk about it but I might have missed it...) Thank you for all the recommendations!

[@changelingreader14]

For the first rec, a few other kinds of art/illustrated (or comic) storybooks that I liked in similar ways to "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse" are "Strange Planet" by Nathan W Pyle, "Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too" by Jomny Sun (Jonny Sun), and "When in Doubt, Play Dead" by Ally Burguieres. I found each in some manner optimistic, comedic, silly, inspirational, and/or moving. "Everyone's a Aliebn..." hit especially hard for me when I read the writing right on the inside of the cover (it's like a log of entries on the aliebn's experience) out of context and then kept returning back to it to try to line up bits and how some parts lined up made a bigger impact--that's just for me, though. I can't say it'll be the same for anyone else, but I felt it worth sharing part of why I loved the book and what gave it more substance or heft to me.

[@lukejackson3901]

Old Man and the Sea is fantastic!

[@readingwarlock]

Always in awe of Ken Liu and Jeff Vandermeer’s writing 💖

[@isobelsmith9679]

The Old Man and the Sea is definitely worth a read! It's short and evocative and quite beautiful. Hope you enjoy it

[@lathspell87]

Sphere is such a freaking great book!

[@koboldmartian4063]

I have never seen that edition of Piranesi before and I would give so much for it

[@storyphile4518]

I just started the Farseer Trilogy so I’ll be getting to Liveship Traders later this year!

[@hunterkat]

Cozy/positive recs: The Door-to-Door Bookstore is so excellent. I’m now realizing I don’t read a lot of cute/optimistic books… maybe I should work on that! Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater was also adorable. I did enjoy Legends and Lattes as well as Cursed Cocktails. Thrillers: I also don’t read many thrillers. I actually just finished a spy thriller by Dan Wells called Ghost Station that I quite enjoyed! Crichton also has fun sci-fi thriller-esque books. Science fiction: TCHAIKOVSKY. He’s one of my favorite authors for sci-fi. Also The Left Hand of Darkness, Hyperion, and of course Murderbot! Classics: Need to read more of these too… I like some sci-fi classics like Asimov’s Robot stories and the Foundation trilogy. I liked The Grapes of Wrath too, been meaning to read East of Eden. Big series: Wheel of Time, Dresden Files, haven’t read it yet but The Expanse, First Law Standalones: Blood Over Bright Haven, The Spear Cuts Through Water, The Witch’s Heart, and The Vanishing Half

[@yourLittleSinner]

TCHAIKOVSKY is quickly becoming my favorite author. I get so excited whenever I see anyone recommend him.

[@TomOrange]

Old Man and the Sea is a massive yes for me. One of my favorite books

[@Miss_Myth]

Funny enough, in some ways I think Old Man and the Sea fits that last prompt. It's short, but I remember it being incredibly immersive very quickly. So excited to hear your take on it... and I think I might be due for a re-read. 😊 Thank you Merphy! [edit for typo]

[@rodneylopez5073]

Given your enjoyment of "Endurance", I would recommend "Wavewalker" by Suzanne Heywood. A story about a girl trapped on a boat by her father and her fight to be free and get an education. A very powerful read.

[@maem7462]

For the thriller and twisty quick stories I have a few. The Housemaid by Freda McFadden, All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers, and That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally

[@flammi2161]

I think "I who have never known man" is a great one for short but feels so grand. It's also kinda depressing, so that might fit.

[@cecilc-df9hx]

My Winter non fiction, true crime recommend reads are two books: "The Furious Hours" AND "In Cold Blood". Both writers are very closely linked. "Furious Hours" is about Harper Lee's failed & frustrated attempt to complete a book, investigating the murder of a Serial Killer in Alabama. "In Cold Blood" contains Truman Capote's reportage about the murder of a family in Kansas (written as a Novel). In real life, both Harper Lee & Truman grew up together as children in Alabama . After the success of Mocking Bird, Harper Lee than devoted a lot time & effort in helping her friend Truman, by interviewing Kansans. Both books have should be read together and then watch the film Truman, which dramatizes the interactions of the two writers. (Doubt if either of the books give readers any nightmares.)

[@Jjerspell6404]

I read Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and it was REALLY good… I don’t read a lot but it’s at the top of my favorite books with The Hiding Place and To Kill a Mockingbird

[@Tensytheneedlesmith]

Just finished The History of Sound and loved it. Linked short stories and one is being made into a movie. I also recommend the short story Rectatif by Toni Morrison which makes us question our own racial coding biases.

[@saints2765]

When you circle back around to fantasy, or anyone looking for a thrilling fantasy trilogy, you should check out Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. Very cool magical world based on African Culture where the main character is having a coming of age while also attempting to destroy oppression in her world, super good

[@HyDrOpYrO777]

For the last couple of years, I have started my year off with my favorite Graphic Novel series Saga or a manga I am reading. I am currently reading Sphere and The Way of Kings. I love both. Also, if anyone loves sci-fi, play the Mass Effect Trilogy. It's so good. My Fiance showed it to me last year, and I am obsessed. So much so I am planning on reading the books set between the different games.

[@badfaith4u]

Thank you for recommending such great books. The Disc World books could fit the short book description.

[@scionsilverbeat8149]

Dang. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is the ONE picture book I have (that isn't manga). Love it and never expected to see it here xD

[@julieyounger4773]

I have 3 short yet expansive books to add. What Moves The Dead by T Kingfisher, The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip & Alphabet of Thorns by Patricia McKillip.

[@nikosbookreviews]

Long Price Quartet, all the books are short, and it's an incredibly epic story!

[@HungryEyes-sl3mu]

In the Small But Mighty category I reccomend The Firebourne Blade by Charlotte Bond, it's only 192 pages but packs in a ton of worldbuilding, a good amount of character development, humor, and a plot twist. If you're looking for a book in a desert setting I recommend Race The Sands by Sarah Beth Durst, while it was a fiarly straigtforward narrative I found it so refreshing to have an author develope a world, plop a bunch of characters into said world, and then have those characters problem solve their situations in a logically manner. This all sounds very bland, especially when it's a story about racing monsters, but so many authors break their own worlds in order for their hero to win, this book was the breathe of fresh air I needed.

[@natasharedmane]

Hear me out, for that last question I'll recommend RAKESFALL by Vajra Chandrasekera. 300 pages is not exactly as short as it could be, but it's still a fairly short book. I'm also throwing in: • This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (about 200 pages) • Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (this one is a short story collection and it has less than 200 pages) • When We Cease To Understand The World by Benjamín Labatut (also short story collection but this one is fictionalized non-fiction that hits kinda like Zweig's Chess Story, less than 200 pages) • A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck (about 100 pages) • A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin (imo it fits the description, one of my favorite books of all time, near perfection. All the other books in the series also hit the same and are about 200 to 300 pages) • The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E Harrow (literally a short story, it has about 30 pages, but I promise this one does the trick)

[@johnwilliams4658]

Complete Stories by Clarice Lispector. I've tried to ignore lazy comparisons with other authors as the more I read the more I think she stands alone. This is just a starting point for me as I intend to tackle her novels but some are of the view that Complete Stories is her great work. I guess I'll find out. The existence of this volume is a gift. Highly recommended.

[@sarahk6545]

For the last prompt, I would recommend To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers!

[@bookmarcreads]

I highly recommend Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan!

[@maem7462]

I bought Ship of Magic late last year bc I heard abt it here and it sounded interesting. I’ll likely read it kinda in the background throughout probably a good bit of the year. It’ll likely be one that’ll take me a bit of time.

[@bdup159]

I remember watching an interview of James Patterson I think, and how Michael Creightons wife is having him finish some of his books since he passed, one about a volcano disaster. May have come out since.

[@booklanerecommendations]

What about Gallant by V.E. Schwab? It somehow manages to be atmospheric and easy to read at the same time, and it’s pretty short. I know you’ve been into atmospheric books lately. This book has similar vibes to Coraline, Tim Burton movies or The Night Circus, but unlike The Night Circus it doesn’t have an annoying love triangle (there isn’t really any romance) and also has more character depth than The Night Circus despite being shorter. Also I forgot if you’ve read Bunny? I don’t know if you would love it or hate it or have very mixed feelings, but just thought I’d name it since it is 1. very bingeable, 2. short but thought-provoking, and 3. a completely wack fever dream type of book with some horror/magic realism elements which seems in line with the type of books you’ve been enjoying lately. If you don’t know what Bunny is: imagine that someone put Mean Girls, Alice in Wonderland and Lovecraftian horror in a blender and let it mix into a hot mess. That’s the vibe.

[@gokulakrishnan589]

Love how you have been reading despair and hopeless for so long that when asked something optimistic you have to pick from kids fiction.

[@TheCraftBin]

Okay, I know you don't read a lot of Middle grade, but hear me out: I think you should give Lockwood and Co by Jonathan Stroud a try. A paranormal middle grade-ish story about British teenagers running a ghost-hunting agency in an alternate-present Britain plagued by ghosts that only children can see or hear, and thus are the only ones able to fight them. Fabulous characters, themes, creepy atmosphere, found family, friendships, fast-paced, really quite lovely!

[@ewigkeit001]

Sea of Tranquility fits the prompt to me!

[@nmartin5096]

Just got The Old Man and the Sea to reread. That title has been popping up.lately.

[@luanamendes4767]

Have you read “I who have never known men”? To me that is one that fits the short but doesn’t miss anything yet I could read more and more pages about it. It’s about these women who are in a biker guarded by men, they don’t know how they got there or when. They have to follow some rules but aren’t told what is going on. I was really immersed on the unraveling of the mystery. It’s not going to be for everyone because it has an open ending but I loved it

[@billfreeman5914]

I have yet to see any BookTubers recommend Guy Gabriel Kay. He’s a Canadian author who writes gorgeous, moving fantasies. I think I’ve only read Tigana and The Fionavar Tapestry (a long time ago but they’ve stayed with me) so far. FWIW, his books typically get 4+ stars on GR.

[@ckurnath]

A short and lovely book I recommend is City in Glass by Nghi Vo

[@FifthConcerto]

If you want to read Hemingway, please don't read, "The Old Man and the Sea". "A Farewell to Arms," maybe. But not... not that book. The darkest period of my Sophomore year in high school was when I was reading that book. I read the book, and I kept reading. And it made me think of other things related to reading, sort of, but not really. And I kept reading the book. And it didn't end, but I had to keep reading because it was required reading. So I read the book... this is the flavor of the book. Don't read the book!

[@yaelbela]

For long book series, I highly recommend "starshine: aurora rising" by G.S Jensson. the world (Universes!!) is massive! and the plot is amazing - really make you wonder about humanity, hope and more. this series is amazing and Continues to surprise me as the world and plot expand.

[@jamesduggan7200]

The blockbuster hit movie, Jurassic Park (which has spawned several sequels and reboots and earned more money than a person can count), has a dreamlike quality that doesn't quite make sense in the real world where we live. No doubt that's intentional to underscore the unanticipated primal forces unleashed but it's not exactly what Crichton wrote. I finished his Sphere last week and am now looking forward to joining the live stream discussion, if I can. Thanks

[@ericviera5120]

For thrillers, check out The Naturalist series by Andrew Mayne. It's a fun read. Dean Koontz also has a lot of books that fit that category.

[@mattkean1128]

You probably have enough recs 😅. Just here to support the channel 🎉

[@VeraFran]

Have you read I who have never known men by Jacqueline Harpman? It's a relatively short (less than 250 pages) scifi/speculative book that contains an universe of ideas. That's one of my all time favorite books.

[@Haleybug12314]

Something short that I thought was super epic that I read in 2024 was Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee. It’s a novella by the author of Jade City. I’ve never read Jade City but I ADORED Untethered Sky. Highly recommend the audiobook. It’s only 3 hrs. And 59 minutes long but so much is packed into that tiny book.

[@HyDrOpYrO777]

I read the whole Green Bone Saga. I was so immersed in the story. I want to try Untethered Sky. Your comment influenced me to pick it up.

[@Tim_with_Tomes_and_Tales]

Something short but will feel epic and impactful? I just read The Lord of the Flies. There is a lot to say in that book by William Golding, and he doesn't mess around with fluff. I recommend that.

[@tashslibrary]

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny is a short yet incredible book.

[@C0SSTY]

The "Ship of Magic" series by Hobb was the first thing I read from this author, and it will probably be the last one as well.

[@thomasray]

Oh, that's sad. Hobb is amazing

[@drewh7457]

Refreshing to see a 3 ⭐️ rating for project Hail Mary. I still don’t see why it is so revered on good reads

[@markototev]

Anyone looking for grand sci-fi / space opera type you should absolutely read The Culture novels.

[@MalcolmAStewart]

ok, so, not one of the books / series mentioned buuuuuut... I started reading "The Last Kingdom" Series (Originally called "The Saxon Stories"), and it is brilliantly amazing. I am easily the slowest reader I know - give me a 300 page book and watch me take no less than 4 - 6 weeks to finish it. So, I started the series on the 1st of January. I am now over halfway through the second book (250 pages into a 409 page book, and the first book was 325 pages. So for me to be 575 pages into this series, I am absolutely FLYING through it.) Anyway, I enjoyed the show, but now that I'm reading the books... the show is definitely subpar in comparison (still enjoy the show. I am currently rewatching it as I read the books - 2 books per season.) there are 13 books in the series. At the rate I'm going, I should have them all done by early April. Other than that, I recently purchased Under The Dome, Pet Sematary, and To Kill A Mockingbird (because... as much as I was suppose to read To Kill A Mockingbird in high school, I couldn't be bothered to actually do it. So, now that the school board that my highschool fell under has decided to ban the book, I now own have my very own leatherbound copy on its way - nothing gets me to want to read something more than finding out that people who were in a similar position I was in, aren't allowed to read the same things I was compelled to read as a result of - definitely stupid, likely bureaucratic - arbitrary reasons. It should be up to the student as to whether or not they slack off, and chose not read a book. Not the school board.) Anyway! That's my rant done! Banning books is dumb. The Last Kingdom Series is awesome, and I'm excited to eventually get into my Stephen King books.

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I need to start stormlight 😅

[@isacami25]

funny thing, i just started reading the last cuentista a couple of days ago

[@scotth1042]

Sphere is excellent! Congo by Crichton is also as good as Sphere. Good video as usual.

[@weregretohio7728]

Old Man and the Sea is a good read, albeit one that was too long ago for me. Guessing I take it a lot more negatively than others want to, though.

[@gordontheobald]

Autofocus working a treat!

[@DreamingStories8]

Great recommendations! I loved Project Hail Mary 🙂 I would highly recommend Poor Things by Alasdair Gray. As far as I remember you like Frankenstein. This is a feminist reimagining of Frankenstein in my opinion. And it is brilliant! I will be in the list of the best books for me for 2024.

[@Lancaerie]

For your last prompt - short but epic - I have to recommend "This is how you lose the time war". Amazing, poetic, love story, time travel, a war between factions. Please read it of you haven't already!

[@A1exShishkin]

Dark Matter was ok if you ignore the plot holes, but to me, Upgrade and Recursion are way better. Upgrade especially.

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

I've read and enjoyed all of those but his Wayward Pines trilogy is my favorite.

[@A1exShishkin]

@@the_eerie_faerie_tales That's good to know! The books' summaries on amazon do them a disservice, making them sound like a cross between Twin Peaks and Alan Wake II (which would be fine, except it's kinda been done).

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

@@A1exShishkin yes Blake Crouch loves Twin Peaks and wanted to give similar vibes .. I wouldn't say it's obvious though.. mainly it's a mysterious town and the MMC is trying to figure out who he is, what's going on, and who to trust. Bit of sneaky stuff and survival action as well. I've heard from quite a few people that they also like the WP trio the best.

[@A1exShishkin]

@@the_eerie_faerie_tales Cool! Thanks for the recommendation, adding them to the tbr for this year.

[@patricksullivan6988]

Try "Exit West" and "The God of the Woods"

[@evanflynn4680]

Crichton: I always thought it was pronounced "cry-ton" The main character in Farscape is named John Crichton, and that's how they pronounce it, so that's how I've always pronounced Crichton. Unless, of course, you've seen him interviewed, and he was introduced with the way you pronounced it, I'm going to assume one of my favourite shows ever was right. Edit: Nvm, you corrected your pronunciation when recommending Sphere by the same author.

[@GroiRail2]

Have you recommended Dark Matter to Daniel? hahaha, pls do!

[@GrandSol]

for a twisty sci-fi thriller (disquised as gay romance) I'd recommend The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer (you should read this one too Merphy, much better chance of enjoying this than TLTL 😆)

[@alecstuckeyguitar]

I'm sure you've already read it, but if not, Red Rising.

[@dianaayt]

"im not a robin hobb girl" oh if you read the 3rd book of farseer you woule be im so sure

[@Greywacke838]

Hi, Thanks for the recommendations. I have things to go read! I have a recommendation for a non fiction book that I think could well fit into a few of these categories, Chasing Venus By Andera Wulf (336 pages). Chasing Venus is the stories of people who journey for years around the world, through wars and fighting politics to remote, war torn and often incredible places, in many cases risking and losing their lives just for a chance to take measurements that might be the lynch pin in the first truly global scientific collaboration. Trying to calculate the size of the entire solar system...... in the 1700s!!!! I love that they all had to trust people they had never met, sometimes from countries divided by war to face their own hardships on the opposite side of the world and get their own measurements for any of it to be worth a thing. It is written as interweaving stories form many of the astronomers, explorers, naturalists, mathematicians and every day people involved in this incredible endeavor. I laughed, I cried and I find it so hopeful because it show what incredible things we can all do when we put our minds to it.

[@Lynn-CA]

I believe Merphy was meant to say My Dark Vanessa was Literary Fiction, it is NOT Non-Fiction (although there are plenty of cases out there like it sadly)

[@EmilyAnn634571]

Wait, stormlight is completed?!?!? I thought it was gonna be like 10 books and only 6 are out

[@brendantasker]

5th book just came out which wraps up the first "arc" that sanderson planned out, then books 6-10 will be the 2nd arc and are not out yet (i would be incredibly impressed if he was that fast hahaha)

[@HainishMentat]

This is probably a stupid question, but do the Dandelion books have magic or other such supernatural stuff? I can't tell from the synopses I'm hearing, and I don't want to look up spoilers....

[@edtroll]

What would you recommend if you love discworld and wanted merphy to keep reading the discworld guard series

[@Antosza]

I would love for you to read The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan, but I'm worried about whether the English translation is good enough. It seems to have everything you love: a found family trope, a Piranesi-like mystery, a gallery of likable characters, one of whom, the Jackal, seems created solely to be loved by you. It's already a cult book among Russian-speaking readers, and I honestly don't understand why it hasn't captured the English-speaking world. The only reason I can think about, that the translation is a failure.

[@dianaayt]

hey, if you start reading dark matter and by page 30 realize how despite the author saying the character is the smartest guy alive, he is incredibly stupid for his job and if you think "well, given this rules of space travel then this and this will follow" then dont read it. It will be everything you are expecting it to be. exactly. take that a chat ina group might let you "really!?"

[@omerh246]

Merphy reading sun eater when

[@eternal_napalm6442]

Jurassic Park the novel is indeed better, which saying something, as the movie is also a masterpiece. It is much different, too.

[@brutalusgaming8809]

True Malazan fans read Both authors side by side. Yes, there are 2 authors and they made the world together and are besties IRL.

[@sjnsingh1]

It's hard to blame people for liking one and not the other just because they take place in the same world. Erikson's was substantially better.

[@Lynn-CA]

RE You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight, BUT ITS SO STUPID MERPHY!!!!!!

[@Montie-Adkins]

A book short but big: A Short Stay In Hell by Stephen L. Peck. The biggest book eve and it's only 109 pages. AGAIN (Where's GrandSol?) As you like Annihilation so much you will love the streaming series Scavenger's Reign. I might have mentioned this before, concerning Three Body Problem, it's already too late. We cannot hide. Our radio broadcasts are actually hard to detect as they are omni-directional and not very powerful. Bu tour radar emissions have been going on for a century and are easily detectable out to that current 100 light year radius bubble. They will go on to be detectable for thousands of years and hence thousands of light years. Also we can detect what's in the atmospheres of other worlds though we have not called 100% proof of living things out there. Someone more advanced, 100 years beyond us, 1,000, a billion, if they are in the galaxy they might already know something is potentially alive here. But, life could be so rare and too far away and we'll never know.

[@CoreyConQueso]

I feel like the only person on Earth who didn’t like The Three Body Problem. I just found the writing so dry and lifeless. I wanted so badly to like it but I just couldn’t…

[@EuiHwanP]

The concept and the science are fantastic, but the writing is lackluster. Great idea, disappointing execution.

[@CoreyConQueso]

@ Couldn’t have said it better myself!

[@arthurweise2573]

I read Old man in the sea...boring 😢