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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   1557 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"

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