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Friday Fun Thread for March 14, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Fiction Recommendation Request! And then a related question.

As I recall internet serials and similar megafiction were pretty popular around here, and I'm looking for new recommendations.

To help triangulate: Not a fan of Worm, Twig had really interesting worldbuilding but stumbled hard towards the end for me with the increasingly unreliable narrator arc. I've enjoyed The Wandering Inn, really like the fantasy elements and the interweaving of various mythologies, but probably won't keep going with it once the current arc finally wraps up. Mother of Learning was enjoyable but not truly catching in the same way. Millennial Mage is pleasantly 'cozy' but not the best prose. Just started This Used To Be About Dungeons.

For more traditional or classic fiction, I will always love the works of Ray Bradbury, John Bellairs, and Diane Duane. If there's anybody new with a voice like Bradbury's, let me know!

Now, the question- in TWI, Practical Guide to Evil, and Millennial Mage, gnomes come up. Not really as characters except in limited circumstances, but they're described as outrageously powerful and skilled as technologists. I don't recall that being any past myth regarding gnomes, so is that a D&D thing or derived from elsewhere?

Wait, you've read all these serials but not anything else by Alexander Wales?

This used to be about dungeons is really good and you should finish it, but It's an experimental work. He usually puts his protagonists through the wringer and his other stories are much more intense, interpersonally and world building wise. The intent was to do something very different(His idea of cozy fantasy) and commit to that.

A lot of his serials aren't (easily) available online anymore as hes recently published them, but their available on kindle.

He is the goat (of web serials). Im pretty well read in fantasy and hes truly on another level when it comes to originality and thoughtfulness, minor arcs execute and explore entire story premises better than most books.

I would definitely start with Worth the Candle.

Right! I'll give Worth the Candle a shot next.

He is the goat (of web serials).

I wouldn't say this, he's very rationalist fiction with struggles with relatable character writing (Thresholder is the worst for this) and noodly writing about powers. This causes normies to bounce off a lot but obviously anyone here is likely to like him.

Goat status is probably going to go to something like Mother of Learning, Worm, or The Wandering Inn.

Worth the Candle is incredible; best novel I've read in years. Unfortunately, Alexander Wales removed it as part of his Amazon publishing deal. Fortunately, it's still on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.