Many years ago I read an essay that was pretty critical of the way so much fantasy fiction could not build believable societies with plausible economic underpinnings. The author was fairly concise and snarky, arguing that (I'm paraphrasing here) she could suspend disbelief about dragons and magic, but that she couldn't slog her way through a book where not the least bit of thought had been given to how all these characters and their associates could make a living, grow or acquire food, and otherwise acquire money and engage in trade. I
think it was an essay by Joanna Russ in Fantasy & Science Fiction in the 70s, when she had a regular book review column there, but I could be conflating like mad.
posted by maudlin
on May 7, 2013 -
6 answers
I recently discovered an awesome local bookstore in France, hence I'd like to pick up a French-language SF/F novel that isn't a translation and would be difficult to find in the US. Suggestions? (Subgenre preferences below the jump)
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posted by serelliya
on May 7, 2013 -
8 answers
After spending several years reading largely YA, I'd like to read some grown-up secondary world fantasy novels. Persnickety tastes below the fold.
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posted by PhoBWanKenobi
on Apr 30, 2013 -
58 answers
A while ago I read an essay/article/rant online re a fantasy author / series and I'd like to read it again but google is failing me because I can't remember any specifics.
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posted by fearfulsymmetry
on Apr 23, 2013 -
2 answers
A friend and I were talking, and she was saying that there aren't any feminist heroes in YA fantasy. I countered with Ursula Le Guin. There must be others, but being a guy who mostly reads male authors I can't think of any others, but they must exist.
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posted by Mezentian
on Apr 22, 2013 -
30 answers
Tell me about the weirdest, most magical, fantastical places in Spain. Places that have ghostly apparitions, spirit-sightings, woo-woo lines of crystal power or tombs of mad saints. Spooky forests, castles, places hippies flock to. Places where the guide books start the descriptions with "legend has it..." Fairy tale towns. Roman ruins. You get the idea. Places in Portugal welcomed as well.
(Going for two weeks at the end of May. Delicious food & scenery is great, but I'm really looking to spark my imagination.)
posted by apostrophe
on Apr 14, 2013 -
6 answers
Can you recommend books, movies, or short stories that involve academics in supernatural peril?
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posted by zoetrope
on Apr 11, 2013 -
34 answers
I am querying the Mefiverse for any solid, literary-leaning fiction with an urban wizard setting. Hopefully not YA fiction, and definitely not Potter. Release the hounds!
posted by Lipstick Thespian
on Apr 4, 2013 -
42 answers
Sci-Fi/FantasyFilter: I've just been told that I get to be the first one to teach a brand new Science Fiction & Fantasy elective at my High School. I am building this class from scratch and since the students will be responsible for getting the books themselves, I have pretty much free-reign for my book choices. Great, right? Absolutely! However, I want to expand my initial book search so I wanted to enlist the Hive Mind to help with this initial salvo. More details below the fold.
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posted by ThaBombShelterSmith
on Mar 21, 2013 -
68 answers
Just too late for Valentine's Day, recommend me some awesome fantasy novels with satisfying romances.
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posted by WidgetAlley
on Feb 15, 2013 -
18 answers
Name that young adult fantasy novel: Two boys who are enemies at school are transported to some magical scenario where they have to work together.
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posted by latkes
on Feb 13, 2013 -
4 answers
Last night I watched "World on a wire," and I was completely blown away. Are there any other foreign world class scifi / fantasy miniseries of exceptional quality?
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posted by jalitt
on Feb 1, 2013 -
16 answers
Please recommend to me books prominently featuring dragons that will meet my rather high (and specific) standards. Lots of details to calibrate your suggestions inside.
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posted by Caduceus
on Jan 24, 2013 -
37 answers
I have vague memories of two fantasy/scifi novels I read back when I was a child in the early-mid 90s, and I wish to seek them out again on the basis of these memories. But I can't remember enough to be able to find them. Help me?
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posted by kafziel
on Jan 11, 2013 -
7 answers
I'm almost done with the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. They've been perfect companions for the past nine months or so, and I need something to take their place. What
series, with wit and
a world to get lost in, should I read next?
posted by ocherdraco
on Jan 7, 2013 -
46 answers
My first name that book question. It will be a stumper. All I remember is that it was a sci fi or fantasy anthology, I read it in the 1990s (so it might have been older, but not newer), and in one story a woman walked behind the village/city town, between two mountains/hills to a Lake of Tears and cried there for some sort of loss. This is a ridiculously small amount of information, I know, but it haunts me.
posted by Vaike
on Jan 4, 2013 -
11 answers
Another "what movie was this?" question: a fantasy/horror film set at least partially in a castle, where the villain deliberately rips his own face off.
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posted by johnofjack
on Jan 1, 2013 -
5 answers
As a reader of fiction (especially if you're a devotee of
speculative fiction), how much do you like detailed descriptions and/or lists as part of the story? What if the story switches between detail and expediency?
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posted by batmonkey
on Dec 28, 2012 -
12 answers
Please recommend to me some fantasy novels that feature talking, telepathic, or otherwise sentient cats. Ideally with human companions, but a society entirely composed of intelligent cats could be cool too. Thanks!
posted by Jacqueline
on Dec 18, 2012 -
53 answers
I'm just finishing up
the third book in Ben Aaronovitch's "Rivers of London" series, and I've really enjoyed these books. What fantasy book(s) should I read next to suit my current mood?
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posted by taz
on Dec 18, 2012 -
12 answers
I am on a quest for awesome, intelligent, erotic fantasy romance novels. What do I want to read next?
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 4, 2012 -
15 answers
I remember this illustrated children's book from the 1970's, a vaguely Arthurian fantasy with anthropomorphic pigs. I think the main character was named "Hamlet" and there were other pig themed puns. He had an Excaliber-like sword that was all rusty and bent up. Please help me find it again.
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posted by wobh
on Dec 4, 2012 -
4 answers
TolkienFilter: What happened to the rings Sauron gave to the elves, dwarves, and men?
posted by Egg Shen
on Nov 24, 2012 -
13 answers
FindThatCartoonFilter: Can you help me find an image illustrating how we
used to imagine the future vs. how we
now imagine the future?
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posted by Edna Million
on Nov 19, 2012 -
5 answers
I just reread Dune, and the parts I liked were as good as always. I don't have much patience for the parts other than that. Help me find more books that feature the "navigating a new culture but doing it really well and then kicking ass in some sort of fight" narrative. I like it when the new culture is special/insular/devalued but is really the bestest all along. (Special sandgrains inside.)
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posted by OmieWise
on Nov 8, 2012 -
38 answers
Help me find a free fantasy draft website or app for user-defined lists of people or things (i.e., not sports leagues).
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posted by jalexc
on Nov 2, 2012 -
1 answer
I'm participating in my first fantasy basketball league (I've done FFB) and another first for me is the auction draft. Help me not look like a fool.
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posted by Thrillhouse
on Oct 29, 2012 -
3 answers
How reasonable is it to expect my future/potential boyfriend or husband to NOT fantasize / masturbate to other women? Is it off-my-rocker to expect this from a man I'm in love with?
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posted by rhythm_queen
on Oct 7, 2012 -
73 answers
I want to discuss the (urban) fantasy genre in an active online community. NaNo is okay, but I'm looking for something a little more geared toward examining the tropes, the mechanics of creating a magic system, etc. AbsoluteWrite is cool, but its pace is a little slow for what I want. Am I best off combing through LiveJournal, or is something else out there?
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posted by goosechasing
on Sep 20, 2012 -
2 answers
Looking for your favorite works of environmentally conscious and ecologically focused science fiction and fantasy. Obscurities preferred!
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posted by gerryblog
on Sep 15, 2012 -
29 answers
I've seen The Twilight Zone. I've seen The Outer Limits. I've seen Tales From the Darkside. I've seen (and, puns notwithstanding, was bored by) Tales From the Crypt. I've seen Night Gallery. What else is there for me to see?
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posted by windykites
on Sep 14, 2012 -
41 answers
Where do you go (online) for the best and most current NFL info for fantasy football purposes?
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posted by joelhunt
on Sep 9, 2012 -
4 answers
What fantasy/SF/steampunk/cyberpunk novels feature guns or other modern or futuristic weapons with enchantments or magical effects on them?
posted by shivohum
on Sep 4, 2012 -
16 answers
Try as I might, I can only think of one fantasy novel that I've ever (*ever*) read that had a girl as the main character. Can you suggest some for my 8yo daughter?
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posted by nonspecialist
on Sep 1, 2012 -
90 answers
I might be the commissioner for a 12 team fantasy football (NFL) league this year. What can I do to be the best commissioner possible? I'm looking for any and all suggestions, annecdata, and websites that would help me make the season fun and engaging for all parties involved.
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posted by youngergirl44
on Aug 19, 2012 -
5 answers
What would be some good rules for a Robot Golf tournament?
And how many years can we expect to wait before a golf-playing robot could beat a pro?
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posted by mnop
on Aug 14, 2012 -
11 answers
Please help me find contemporary literary/fictional characters that make you want to love them, hate them, or -- even better -- both.
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posted by GnomeChompsky
on Aug 2, 2012 -
44 answers
I'm looking for some new books and/or authors to read, probably fantasy/SF or historical, dramatic but not dark and preferably with female characters.
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posted by jb
on Jul 16, 2012 -
47 answers
What could slow down the pace of change (religious/scientific/economic/cultural) in a civilization? (Please see specific details inside.)
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posted by Wretch729
on Jul 11, 2012 -
23 answers
Requesting intelligent, well-written "realistic" epic fantasy book suggestions. Having George R.R. Martin withdrawals. Need more severed heads & engaging dialogue and relatable bleakness, less "you're the one," stilted conversations and Randomly capitalized Words.
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posted by apostrophe
on Jul 10, 2012 -
57 answers
