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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   1983 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for May 8, 2026

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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I'm looking for some book recommendations in a specific vein, if anyone has suggestions. I'm looking for something a little pulpy, where the protagonists make a point of doing the right thing, and nothing in God's creation will set them from their chosen course. Think (early) Dresden Files Correia's saga of the forgotten warrior.

Beyond that, I'm looking for earnestness on the part of the author and the protagonist. I recently read Dungeon Crawler Carl after many recommendations, and it just felt a little too meta-ironic and quippy.

These are all different. But earnest author and protagonist are something they all seem to share. Hard to know if they fit the "pulpy" category for me.

John Carter of Mars. True pulp fiction in the sense of it was written in the pulp fiction era.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/87695/adamant-blood

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/107917/sky-pride

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/81002/the-years-of-apocalypse-a-time-loop-progression

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/47826/millennial-mage-a-slice-of-life-progression-fantasy

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/72498/sublight-drive-star-wars

Beyond that, I'm looking for earnestness on the part of the author and the protagonist. I recently read Dungeon Crawler Carl after many recommendations, and it just felt a little too meta-ironic and quippy.

I bounced off of Dungeon Crawler Carl as well. There was something tonally messed up about killing 99% of all humans and then making jokes. I guess I've liked other books that do this, like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but Douglas Adams did it better.

Seconding The Years of Apocalypse. It's a very good series which I would describe as "almost Mother of Learning" which is high praise from me since Mother of Learning is my favorite series of all time. In terms of having an earnest protagonist and general story tone, Mirian definitely ranks higher than Zorian. There is cynicism and politics and messy stuff going on in the story, but mostly in the form of other people doing messy human things and Mirian berating them for their petty squabbles instead of coming together to save the world.

I'm slightly annoyed by the leftist cliches sprinkled throughout. Of course the more western/technologically advanced countries are colonizing and oppressing their neighbors and causing a bunch of plot problems, while the foreigners who live in harmony with nature are generally kinder and have a bunch of useful alternate technology that none of the big countries take seriously. (And of course our main character lives in the big country but is ethnically from a foreign one). And some other stuff I don't want to spoil but clearly maps to a modern leftist talking point. But eh, it's tolerable in small doses and the author is still good and sane and earnest enough that their solution is "set aside your differences and come together, combine all of our unique talents together to save the world"

Maybe the Paksenarrion series? She is earnest to a fault and the story is to a large degree about where this takes her. I remember enjoying quite a bit as a close to the ground fantasy military fic.

If you want something quite pulpy, I'd recommend Penitent. It's one of the best examples of a Big Good protagonist I've read on the site. Selfless and generous, but not to the point of letting himself be used, with a party of good friends. It's mostly about smaller scale battles, but it changes as it goes on. The atmosphere in the early parts is really good with the banter with his friends. I don't like the latter part as much, but I still read all the chapters as they come out.

Another thing where it kind of stands out, (not that this matters if you don't real RoyalRoad stories) is that the protagonist becomes religious and actually starts proselytizing, and that is something I've not read in any story. A

It's finished on Patreon, and the RR story should wrap up in June according to the author.

On less pulpy note I'd recommend Curse of Chalion or the author's other series Penric and Desdemona. I loved Curse of Chalion, and it's just a regular novel, so it's easy to finish. Penric is more about short stories, but he's also a great protagonist, and I've really enjoyed reading it. They're both good and strive to do the right thing.

Robert E Howard's Solomon Kane short stories?

There above the dead man's torn body, man fought with demon under the pale light of the rising moon, with all the advantages with the demon, save one. And that one was enough to overcome the others. For if abstract hate may bring into material substance a ghostly thing, may not courage, equally abstract, form a concrete weapon to combat that ghost? Kane fought with his arms and his feet and his hands, and he was aware at last that the ghost began to give back before him, and the fearful slaughter changed to screams of baffled fury. For man's only weapon is courage that flinches not from the gates of Hell itself, and against such not even the legions of Hell can stand.

Sadly, I've already read Robert E Howard's full collection of works at least three times in my life so far.

I'm going to go ahead and assume that there's therefore also no reason to recommend Burroughs's Barsoom books?

Got it in one.

Quick question for you and @Mantergeistmann - I remember reading the Princess of Mars(like 20 years ago or smth, ancient history) but after the trilogy with the main character John Carter I remember the following one or two books being a letdown, in your opinion is it worth finishing the series?

I'm not the right person to ask. Once I start a series, it has to get truly horrendous before I'll abandon it.

Aubrey/Maturin? Strong men with strong convictions about king and country, honorable conduct, etc. Not that it keeps them from engaging in all manner of vice and self-sabotaging romanticism.

Highly recommend. It's a breath of fresh air for all the reasons OP described. (Though I guess I'm not clear on what's meant by "pulpy")

Also, the audiobook versions narrated by Patrick Tull really bring it to life. I can't read the books any more without hearing the way Jack says "Stephen!" after a long absence, and I wouldn't want to.

Chesterton is probably what you are looking for, though he's not pulpy.

I would recommend The Wandering Inn for anything. The main character is definitely always earnest.

I would not recommend The Wandering Inn. I've not read it, but it's insanely long. Last I checked it was like 12 million words, but I imagine it's over 13 by now. And even if the protagonist is earnest from what I know the story is all about multiple povs, so how much of her will you even get to see.

You can finish the entire LOTR series, the entire Wheel of Time, all of Discworld, and then web novels like Worm, and a dozen of other novels and you're still under Wandering Inn's wordcount. No matter the hype for Wandering Inn, there's no way it justifies its length.

Nobody is forcing you to read the entire thing. As I recently mentioned:

What matters is the journey, not the destination. Among non-professionally-published literary works, I think it's very possible that I've enjoyed more incomplete ones than complete ones.

Even among professionally-published works, there's nothing wrong with giving five stars to The Three Musketeers, four stars to Twenty Years After, and three stars plus "did not finish" to The Vicomte de Bragelonne.

If you like the early parts, but find that the story becomes less enjoyable as you progress, then just drop the story.

No matter the hype for Wandering Inn, there's no way it justifies its length.

I understand that it's a detraction for many people no doubt, but there is a reason there is hype for it. Honestly when I was getting caught up, I didn't even realize the length cause I was getting really sucked in. The books are getting real prints I believe so maybe that's a good way to get into it. My friends and I tried to convince a friend to read One Piece for over a decade and he always balked at the length. He started reading after he watched the One Piece Live Action to all of our dismay lol.

That somewhat describes the Marlowe novels by Raymond Chandler, but it definitely describes the Lew Archer novels by MacDonald. Archer is dedicated to doing the right thing, which tends to be dragging into the light the secrets of the rich and corrupt. Pulpy, but high grade pulp, and 100% earnest.

I love Marlowe

In that case, you should like the Archer novels. The plotting and writing are generally better, but the overall noir vibe isn't quite as good as the Marlowe novels.

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