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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1203 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for June 1, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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So, what are you reading?

Still on the Iliad, Dialectic of Enligthenment and McLuhan's Classical Trivium. Dipping into the Metalogicon.

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb - whom I somehow never read while devouring hundreds of fantasy novels in my teens and twenties, and whom I had no idea was a woman until recently.

It really is a big world out there.

Read first 100 pages today - really pretty good.

I like Hobb! What are your favorite fantasy series out of the many you've read?

I’m be read The Malazan Book of the Fallen 3x now and am just waiting it out a few more years until my next read through. I’ll include his other books set in the universe next time as well. It’s my favorite series, and really my favorite piece of entertainment.

I started with Stephen King at 10/11 or so but didn’t read the Gunslinger saga until my late 20’s and still haven’t read the last 50 or so pages. I stopped one day and wanted to savor the ending … and then just never went back? I love all of the standard King novels but especially Insomnia.

Then quickly moved on the Sword of Truth and then Wheel of Time. I’ve read both twice. For WoT I didn’t read the ending written by Sanderson yet, and for SoT I stopped reading after book ten I think. I want to re-read both again but I think maybe I’ll let it lay until retirement. They both have many slug filled … hundreds of pages at a time.

All of The Black Company books. I would rank these second to Malazan for me. They’re Malazan light even I would say. I love how fast and readable they are and love all of the various crews and hijinks they get up to.

Tad Williams has two fanatic trilogies in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn books that’s more fantasy typical and Otherland which is more sci fi and is 4 books. I’ve never read this one again but it’s stuck with me for going on 25 years now.

The Black Jewels Trilogy really had an impact on my sexual thoughts as a youngster, for better or worse.

That’s off the top of my head. There’s like 12-15 trilogies I’ve read and can’t recall tbh. I’ll have to walk through a 90’s B&N and rekindle my thoughts.

Hah I have read almost all of these except for the Black Jewel. And never finished WoT rip. Thanks for answering though. Malazan is the bomb.

Have you read the preceding assassin series?

I have not but after taking a fantasy break, I’m ready to jump back in the large and now massively back logged ocean.

If you liked the magic ship series you should definetly go back. The assassins series is set in the same world (but a different location) and is arguably superior.

I'd recommend all her books except the soldier son series. She likes to challenge or torture her characters but I found that series too bleak for my tastes.

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