Kindle eBooks Bargain Thread

He’s really good. He keeps it simple. Doesn’t go into description overdrive like Peter Hamilton (though I do enjoy that too sometimes). His dialog is great. The action scenes are never confusing (though, obviously not as descriptive as other authors). And I really like the narrative structure he’s chosen for the book (as a flashback story being told).

Also, he’s really good at seeding ideas and plot points that seem like just world building at the time, but come around to be relevant later in the main story.

Just noticed that all of Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim books (four of 'em) are now $1.99 each. It’s hard-boiled urban fantasy. I’ve enjoyed the two books I’ve read. Now I have all four.

First time I’ve read that description for something. Can you elaborate. What is urban fantasy? A setting with magic set in a city? And hard boiled so it has a noir detective story type feel?

Yes and yes! I read the first one and it was really good. I keep meaning to check out the rest.

Urban fantasy is a genre right now in which you have standard fantasy elements (elves, dwarves, orcs) in a modern metropolitan setting. There are slight variations, such as ones where the fantasy realm borders ours, and others where they’re just part of the urban landscape. It almost always had a noir feel, since it seems to be an offshoot of things like Shadowrun, which was essentially cyberpunk with elves grafted on. The fantasy elements tend to be relatively unimaginative, since they usually rely on “oh, elves in a modern setting!” to make it “original.” Except that it’s not, since there are so many books like that now.

Well known examples are the Dresden Files, Mercy Thompson books, Mercedes Lackey’s “SERRAted edge” series (now there’s a pretentious label), and the Bordertown books.

Sandman Slim’s main differentiators are that hell is a real place and the main character has been there, and the main character is a prize asshole. I didn’t find his assholeitude “edgy,” just annoying, which is why I’ve only read one.

Well you’d be an asshole too if you were

spoiler

betrayed and sent to hell.

It’s less elves/dwarves/orcs (there are books that do standard fantasy races in an urban setting, I have no doubt, but that’s not the hot trend) and more vampires, werewolves, and other folk mythological beasties, generally speaking. Or sometimes just wizards. More of an offshoot of things like Anne Rice and not so much Shadowrun.

In Sandman Slim’s case we’re talking angels, demons, nephilim, cultists, and some other creepy crawlies.

I tend to think of it as elves because the genre started there, but you’re correct that it’s mostly vampires and werewolves now. Vampires and werewolves having sex.

An offshoot of urban fantasy is paranormal romance. It probably dominates urban fantasy. That’s the sex with vampires and werewolves stuff. Stuff like the Dresden Files is more straight-up urban fantasy.

I always felt like Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere was one of the better examples of proper Urban Fantasy, along with American Gods (though, probably less Urban, and just more Modern).

Neverwhere stands out because Gaiman does creative and original things with the setting, rather than just grafting old, tired material into a modern urban setting.

It should be noted that Dresden has sex with a vampire at one point in his series.

IIRC, the sex was had prior to her becoming a vampire. Harry’s generally not stupid enough to sleep with vampires, and there’s not a lot of sex going on in that series in general.

I finished the second Patrick Rothfuss novel. Great easy reading fiction. I thought both books were pretty on-par with each other. But I do feel like they’re both missing… something that’s there in the truly great novels that never leave you.

You mean like interesting characters? A plot with a point? A main character who’s not a Mary-sue? (No, I didn’t like “Name of the Wind” very much, why do you ask?)

Well, I did like it quite a bit. Upon further reflection, I don’t like the second novel as much because of what it doesn’t do. The first novel establishes a base for the character and sets him up with some very specific goals for his life. And one of the reasons I feel very hollow after finishing the second novel is that it’s basically just a “second year of college and a summer internship” instead of a novel that actually advances the goals and aspirations of the characters.

With that said, I did greatly enjoy the “second year of college” aspect of the book a lot. We got to know his fellow students a lot better, we got more of the college routine and hijinx. All stuff I enjoyed a lot and was wishing there was more of in the first book.

But you’re right, as it is, the characters are relatively flat. I’m not sure what a Mary-sue is though. I’ve never heard that term before. Is that a literary reference?

Anyway, the series still has the potential to be great, but it needs to actually advance the character arcs farther instead of just being “another year in the life of so and so” next time.

A Mary Sue is a character who is a total wish-fulfillment fantasy, able to do just about everything. Which is pretty much a description of Kvothe – brilliant musician, great fighter, socially adept, and general genius.

Ah yes. A Mary Sue is a very description of Kvothe then. Though I don’t remember seeing that before in any novels I’ve read, so I did find it refreshingly different. But perhaps that’s for a reason. A character with very few short-comings is a harder one to relate to. Though in his defense, even though Kvothe has all these talents, it doesn’t prevent him from being awfully self-doubting a lot of the time, which actually does make him easy to relate to.

Never read any Heinlein, then.

The term “Mary Sue” originated to describe a certain kind of fan-fic protagonist, in which the author inserts themselves into the fictional universe as someone completely awesome in every way. It’s wish fulfillment, as Gav said.

You know, I’d missed the fact that you recommended this as a detective novel. I LOVE mystery books almost more than I love science fiction, so I’m just loving reading through this book right now.

2008 Hugo Award Winner The Yiddish Policemen’s Union is one of the Kindle Daily Deals today at $1.99.

I’ve been reading Hugo Winners since before the internet came around. Back then they were by far the best way to find out the best science fiction novels, and they never let me down so far. So I’m going to get this one too.