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PaperclipPerfector  26d ago (text post)   2515 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for April 6, 2025

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TLDR: Request for fantasy / scifi stories.

I am looking for a certain type of fantasy stories, but it's a bit difficult to describe exactly what too concisely, so please bear with me.

I keep noticing two kinds of problems in Western fantasy stories of the last decade that breaks immersion for me and makes them all feel very similar to each other (and thus more boring).

The first is that the main characters will go out of their way to virtue-signal some stance or action to appeal to the modern Western audience. It may be in the form of immediately going out to fight slavery / chauvinism / racism in a medieval society, even if such a course of action would've realistically carried great risks for the gang and little practical changes.

The second is that their thoughts and actions will be sanitised to not include anything that any large percent of the audience would be likely to find "icky" and cause them to leave a negative review or stop reading the story. This includes inner monologue of sexual nature (if it's in 1st POV); very rarely using intimidation against "non-combatants" / non-enemies; rarely using the character's advantageous position (or e.g. some resource monopoly) to strong-arm concessions from allies, neutral parties, or civilians; almost never deciding to procure slaves of their own (unless there's some convenient excuse to "force" such a scenario upon the MC); and so on.

So I am looking for stories that will not have these two types of writing tropes, and will in addition:

* be well-written in general; preferably be completed and have a large word-count

* the main character(s) should also

** not be edgelords (unless it leads to a really well-executed character development later on)

** not be sadists who tend to cause suffering / harm just for its own sake

** not be hypocrites, not apply double standards when judging others' actions v.s. judging their own

* not be the Prince of Nothing series. (edit:) Or aSoIaF, or Chronicles of Amber.

Does anyone know any such stories? Any format is fine, be it printed literature, web originals, or fanfiction.

And to clarify, I am not advocating for any real-life applications of what I've listed earlier. I just want my fictional stories to have more variety to them, and am trying to find works of western origin that would offer such variety.

edit: stories recommended so far:

  • Acts of Caine series / Heroes Die (1998) — new
  • The Black Company (1984) — new
  • The Bloodsworm saga (2021, 3 books, complete) — new
  • Brigador Killers: Pilgrim (2025) — new
  • Codex Alera (2004) — new, but Jim Butcher
  • Cugel's Saga (1950 / 1983) — new
  • Dresden Files — didn't like the writing
  • Eisenhorn (2004) — new, but WH40k. May give it a try.
  • First Law trilogy (2006) — new
  • Furies of Calderon (2004) — new
  • Locke lamora (2006) — IIRC, didn't like it for some reason
  • The Malazan series — was just about to start reading myself
  • Night angel trilogy (2008) — new
  • Powder Mage series (2013) — new
  • The Sun Eater series (2018) — new
  • Vlad Taltos series (1983) — new
  • Warhammer 40k — I liked the Astartes miniseries, but the overall format of this franchise is not for me.

-

  • Berserk — liked the Golden Age Arc, but the overall manga's not for me.
  • Lymond Chronicles — probably not fantasy enough
  • oyasumi Punpun — not Western
  • Worth the Candle — This story is superbly written, and it matches the "not pandering to the audience" part. But the MC is also extremely motivated towards helping as many people as he can. IIRC, it was pretty much the driving force behind his Quest.
  • The Witcher series — I've mostly liked both the books and the games. However, I don't think Geralt's personality fits this request.

Thanks for all these recs! If you know any others, please post them too, though.

It may be in the form of immediately going out to fight slavery / chauvinism / racism in a medieval society, even if such a course of action would've realistically carried great risks for the gang and little practical changes.

And I in turn would love to see some story with anti-slavery campaign - feel free to recommend me some.

Just it should be serious conflict, not "everyone claps and praises to moral superiority of main character, slavery instantly disappears". It is a pity that I do not remember any stories doing it well. Narnia is closest of all things that I remember right now.

almost never deciding to procure slaves of their own (unless there's some convenient excuse to "force" such a scenario puon the MC)

mostly the same, it sounds like interesting topic to explore but either everything goes unrealistically well or entire story does not deserve to be read at all

I have no problem with Goody Two-Shoes protagonists, I have problems with story having no conflict or having utterly useless world-building.

Once again I'll trot out Pale by Wildbow. I think it captures both "anti-slavery campaign" and "slavery does not instantly disappear".

How much of dystopian grimderp world it is?

As much as Worm? 10% of worm? 5%?

I dropped Worm on account of being distilled grimderpness.

I wouldn't call Worm too grimderp, but Pale is definitely much brighter. Maybe 25%? The most grim elements of the setting that were on full display in Pact, the other work in the Otherverse, are pretty much out of the way.

That being said, if you dislike a few horrific displays of torture and violence sprinkled here and there, those do exist in Pale. As I said, there is slavery and the associated mechanisms of suppression.

Thanks for info! I have less problem with "a few horrific displays of torture and violence sprinkled here and there" and more with general hopelessness/pointlessness. Or world where everyone depicted would benefit from being nonexistent or deserves to be nonexistent (see also WH40K).

In that case, I can assure you there is definitely less pointlessness in Pale.

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