Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion
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The Perfect Run
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Vagabond Treehouse ~ [Fall 2025: World of Chains #1-3 (Wayward Bard) | The Perfect Run 1-3 (alternating)]
Sweet! Wasn't sure if this would work and it's a little big, but here's a shot I took this morning.
Soo wrote: "The LN I started yesterday has great down to earth characters and lots of Chinese cooking. It makes me wanna snack ALL the time! 🤣🤣🤣"
Can I know the name of the LN? Just your description is making me drool rn.
Looks like a nice, fall day Soo. Still just using your phone for your photography?
I finished Heretical Fishing and highly enjoyed it. I'm going to take Iain's advice and listen to something else next so I don't burn out on the series.
Atulya wrote: "Soo wrote: "The LN I started yesterday has great down to earth characters and lots of Chinese cooking. It makes me wanna snack ALL the time! 🤣🤣🤣"
Can I know the name of the LN? Just your descrip..."
I'm going to make a GR post for it soon. I'll tag it here once I do. =D
@Narilka, yup! Phone shot. Had to relearn how to frame, etc after the Samsung Galaxy phones got the latest updates. Changes in software with all the AI stuff added in. To be honest, not a fan of the AI stuff to camera app. It washes it out and makes focus different than it used to be. Need to do more manual adjustment shots to get certain styles now.
Heretical Fishing: I started it & liked the general vibe, but realized I wanted to pay more attention to it than I was, so it's on back burner for the moment. Pretty sure I just want to pay more attention to when he died & goes into the next place. There's that portion where it talks about the system and how it looks for people who have strong will.
I think the naming is dumb though! XD
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Soo wrote: "@Narilka, yup! Phone shot. Had to relearn how to frame, etc after the Samsung Galaxy phones got the latest updates. Changes in software with all the AI stuff added in. To be honest, not a fan of the AI stuff to camera app. It washes it out and makes focus different than it used to be. Need to do more manual adjustment shots to get certain styles now. ..."That's cool and annoying! Glad you can still switch to manual at least and don't have to use the AI settings.
From one of America’s greatest, most creative novelists comes Again and Again , a poignant and endlessly surprising story about love lost, found, and redeemed
Whaa? I went to look up Again and Again. It's on the current Audible sale, but I have zero desire to read it after reading this tidbit that's at the top of the book blurb.
These declarations of being the greatest blah blah have become a pet peeve. When I go to read a book blurb/summary, I want to read about the STORY. The ad crap can go at the bottom. I don't even recognize this author's name. I read a lot. XD
Maybe I'll get it from library someday but I'm definitely turned off from buying it now.
Soo wrote: "From one of America’s greatest, most creative novelists comes Again and Again , a poignant and endlessly surprising story about love lost, found, and redeemedWhaa? I went to look up Again and Agai..."
No kidding. Last night I clicked on a coming soon book on audible and the description was all praise for the narrator. It was weird.
I went ahead and started Cat Core which I'd picked up in a 2-for-1 sale a while back. So far, so good. Funny enough it has a similar start to Heretical Fishing, with the main character (view spoiler) That happens in Ch 1 so not a huge spoiler. The similarities end there as the MC (view spoiler) The old lady is very feisty and I don't think the system quite knows how to handle her lol I'll report back as I progress.
Yeah! Let us know. Also, that name: Florence Valentine. Makes me think of Regency romance novels. 😆
She's an old southern lady based on the accent the narrator gave her lol
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Post must be too new to show up in Add Book function. The LN that I'm almost finished reading is called I Became the Prime Minister's Adored Wife After Transmigrating by Cheng Yi.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
It's a completed LN, fan translated with few errors and cute slice of life romance with a few twists.
Because of this LN, I added 2 Chinese recipes to my food experiment list to make in next AirBnB. I've stayed at that one a few months ago and going back to it cause the place has minimal issues, quiet neighborhood and full kitchen. I may have to wait until I get into my place in December to try my hand at Double Milk Pudding. The Dough Drop Soup should be easy to make. Egg noodles are super easy to make and there doesn't seem to be a set broth for the soup so I can wing it. 😆
Back to LN, so there are 2 plot holes that make the story not as feasible. But! Not everyone would catch on those or gloss over them cause it's a transmigration story of a gal thrown into a webnovel she read. 🤓
Tags: Historical, Slice of Life Poor to Rich, Cooking, Cute Romance, Strong & Loving Family, Business, Politics, Traditional Medicine, Martial Arts, Transmigration, Cannon Fodder Takes Charge
Glossing over that, the story has a great main couple:
- Ji Zhou is a gifted chef from modern times with a kind heart.
- Shen Yao is a talented man that should have become an official but tragically crippled.
Characters are well established, decent historical setting, great plot point connections, and 🤞 hopefully a good ending.
LNs are notorious for ending flops. 😆😆😆
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The LN that I'm almost finished reading is called I Became the Prime Minister's Adored Wife After Transmigrating by Cheng Yi.
https://www.go..."
Most solve the ending issues by neverending :D
😆😆😆 Not true lol! Most LNs are between 200-500 chapters. Only a few ambitious ones go into 1200-3000 chapter range. A handful are 4k+. Generally, those have shorter chapters and the writers release multiple chapters a day. It's a different game of posting updates for Asian crowd.
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What exactly is a LN? I think it stands for Light Novel but I'm not sure what the term means.
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Paring a text story with comic art (every time you flip a page, one side is art and the other is text, so alot more than just the occasional art panel... 50% art panels)...
LN = Light NovelMostly Asian (Chinese, Korean, Japanese) novels written with short chapters in a serial style format. Chapters are generally 1-3 pages, but I've read some that are more indepth writing and average 3-15 pages depending on translation.
A lot of amateur writers get a start by writing LNs.
Mix of committed readership, likes/hearts, shared links, commentary, saved as fav/etc for notifications and patronage in being given website flowers/etc that's basically digital tip box.
Popular LNs get published in newspapers, magazines or in print format. Most writers aim for getting chosen for print as that means they've "made" it.
There's a bunch of trash net TV/series that are based on popular LNs. You also see a bunch of them get adapted to comix, anime and Live shows/movies.
The tropes for Asian LNs a bit different than Western books.
China restricted erotic writing in public sites to above neck descriptions. Some websites will give reader points/website digital money for reporting chapters with lewd writing.
🤣🤣🤣
I've seen oringal chapter translations vs redacted/altered chapters due to being reported. It's a huge difference and that lead to me understanding why some of the series I've read in the past had odd chapters that felt cut down or awkward within the plot arc.
That also goes for brutal descriptions. It can be done in broad strokes but can't be super detailed.
Anyways, easy way to remember LN is to think Light (Chapter) Novels.
Most LNs are uploaded to websites/story apps. There's a HUGE piracy issue where popular foreign stories are computer translated and uploaded to English websites, Amazon & apps. Free money for those pirateers.
Ahh, thank you both. That helps. Interesting idea they have there.
Timelord Iain wrote: "Soo will have to explain what she's reading... my general understanding of Light Novels, it's an asian/japanese literature format that generally looks like this:.."Iain, the screenshot you shared, that would be a cool way for Sanderson to repackage White Sands after he does the regular novel version. Get both the art and prose side by side.
Publishers should make graphics in print novels more of a norm. Back in the before we were born days, it took a complicated setup to print pictures and words. It's not like that now. Much easier to incorporate art with words.
I'll add my understanding of LNs to the mix, since I've read a few.The term originally came from Japan (it's a wasei-eigo: English words phonetically transcribed in katakana). Historically, it was used for novels pre-published chapters by chapters in magazines (like mangas) before publication in small books.
The novels are called "light" for several reasons:
- size/length of the books (A6, around 150 pages usually)
- short paragraphs, often with a lot of dialogue; a scene where the main character ponders something will often be done with that character literally arguing with themselves in a dialogue where it would probably be a 3rd person descriptive paragraph in a western novel
- specific to Japanese language: use of fewer and "simpler" kanjis (Chinese character) further simplified by the use of furigana (small kanas = characters used to indicate the pronunciation) like in the picture:
LNs are often (but not always) illustrated. I haven't read a lot so it might not be representative, but my experience is 1-2 illustrations per chapter. I often see 1 illustration at the end of the chapter with some world-building element (especially true for litRPG where you often get a drawing of a character or a creature introduced in the chapter with some stats/skills screen), and illustrations here and there for important scenes/new characters (guess it makes it easier to sell merch. of cute elf girl that way.....).
Now of course, pre-publication in magazine has been replaced by publication on the web, and the term light novel is kind of used interchangeably with web novel. Pedants will argue that LNs are uniquely japanese published books, but that's the same kind of person that will say that audiobooks don't count 'cause you're not "reading" with your eyes and make me wonder if I have some kind of anger management problem so...
Some differences between Chinese and Japanese LNs ('cause I find this kind of thing fascinating):LNs in Japan are mostly published as books/e-books. Even with the rise of the internet, Japanese people still buy a LOT of physical copies. The format of LNs are somewhat the same as mangas: A6, soft covers, black and white, 150-200 pages. I don't know exactly what in this keep the printing costs low, but my Japanese roommate told me that LNs (and mangas) are pretty cheap in japan. A lot of the money also comes from merchandise surrounding the LN rather than the copies themselves.
Some Japanese LNs are first published as a free webnovel before being picked up by an editing company. It's less true these days with the sheer quantity of LNs being published, but the republication used to involve a lot of editing/modifications of the story. Some would even have entire new side plotlines/characters and endings.
Chinese LNs get published in print format way less often (as far as I know) and rely more on a "pay-for-content VIP membership" economic model. The model was first used by Qidian (a website); basically, you subscribe to a webnovel and access content with micropayment. The "VIP membership" part insure a steady income for the author, and a direct-ish line of communication with the author for the readers, and thus a "chance" to influence the story. Because of that, Chinese LNs often have shorter, more frequent chapters (for reader retention), and sometimes repetitive or weirdly flowery but empty prose (if the author gets payed by the character lol). I think it's also the reason for the meandering plot of some LNs and the ending flops (for those LNs that ends because they don't generate enough revenue anymore and not because the story itself is concluding).
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That's interesting. I was thinking more like Wandering Inn if it had artwork.
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I was actually talking to my mom about chinese webnovels recently; she's not tech-savvy AT ALL, and so she was super happy to learn that serialized stories like that are pretty popular now (and less happy when I explained the economic model lol). She was born in Cambodia but her parents are Chinese by origin, so her mother-tongue is a Chinese dialect. She was explaining how she taught herself the Beijingese by reading serialized trashy romance novels found at the end of "magazines found in alleys next to the red district" 😳 (the story is even funnier when you know that my mom is from a relatively well-off family and went to a girls-only proper school and all).I'm super happy at the resurgence of serials as well. Wildbow had quite the influence on that front in Western media with Worm (which is deserved, I really loved that story). There's a real webnovel -> traditionally published book/audiobook pipeline now, and I'm all for it. It's also interesting to see how media consumption has evolved with smartphones. There's a real demand for bit-sized stories to scroll through, it's cool to see website like Royal Road expand :)
I've noticed that there's a bigger and bigger overlap of readers that consumes both Western webserials and Asian LNs these days. Being French, I pretty much grew up with Japanese media (don't know if it's still the case but France was/is the second biggest consumer of mangas after Japan) so it's pretty funny to see tropes from that culture bleed into Western media. Like in I Ran Away to Evil where you've got the classic death by traffic accident and reincarnation in another world immediately in the prologue/first chapter, which is blatantly the "isekai'd via Truck-kun" inside joke. Anyway, I'll stop blabbering now :p
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"isekai'd via Truck-kun" is how my last two audio books started lol that's so funny it's a normal trope.Keep blabbering! It's really interesting.
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Always interesting to hear Andrea Parsneau narrating something other than Wandering Inn...
MC reminds me of Selys Shivertail's grandmother, the Adventuring Guild boss, for voice/temperament...
Yeah! Asian style crossover is huge! US is a bit behind on releases in comparison to origin country and international release. Wandering Inn & many Royal Road-ish English writers are adapting Chinese style readers involved, interactive story writing for their web novels.
I thought Pirateaba was particularly interesting because she does a lot of what Asian online writers do for exposure and reader engaged plot influence/etc. Like she has livestreamed writing various chapters, takes polls from Patreons on extra chapters, holds contests to let a reader name a character, etc.
Not sure if that was intentional or the coincidental happenstance of internet/streaming exposure & influence.
Thus far, I've read a bunch of Chinese LNs, handful of Korean, a few Japanese. Prefer Japanese manga & traditional published then translated into English novels. Korean LNs are cool when completely fictional and but most are cookie cutter Kdrama style without the quaility writing to make it as fun to read. Part of my fun with Chinese LNs is figuring out which Asian tropes are used and (if historical) which bastardization of popular history has been used. Sometimes all of them! 🤣
Great capture of the moon.
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I'm through Ch 9 of Cat Core. Basically what Iain said, it's entertaining so far. (view spoiler) I also really like the voice narrator.
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Anyway, continue to enjoy… and yea Parsneau is a pretty great narrator…
Two thumbs up for Andrea Parsneau! She's a fun narrator. Just remember a good narrator can't save a bad book. XD This is a lesson I have to relearn over and over. hahahha
The other day, I started a new LN and was enjoying the "rebirth revenge comeuppance" trope. I was looking forward to seeing how the couple to would end up together considering the female lead didn't wany anything to do with him. XD
Then the story added on how the FL is a Feng Shui master. The first inklings of ut oh plot holes started. Then that got worse. Basically, the way the author wrote the story about the FL and her skills with Feng Shui made the core plot impossible.
Had to toss the LN aside and try a new story. Mildly optimistic about the one I started, but I'm having issues with the range of awareness these Main Leads are supposed to have and how that influences the story.
For Example:
Dude's sister died and he decides to retire from the military, take care of his sister's kids (3 of them) and starts a business to make money. Cool. Decides to get married to give the kiddos more stability.
1st wife was awful! She poisoned the kids and tried to kill them. Cause the dude has lots of money. She was caught, kids saved and she's in jail.
Before the main female lead joins the family, a village woman was hired to be a housekeeper/nanny. The kids went from ill kempt to dirty and super skinny due to malnourishment.
Cause the nasty housekeeper fed them spoiled food, stole the food money & took home all the fresh food to her own family. She did this for months!
Dude was busy working and he wasn't home much, but there's no way he didn't see the changes in the kids going from sorta unhealthy to downright starving sticks.
There's all these acknowledgement parts in the story (where I am now) about how the female lead is making them all feel like a family and the house a home, etc.
Stuff like Dude thinking it wasn't enough to just have money to buy stuff, it takes geninue caring to make the kids happy & cared for, etc. Ok, cool.
Well, he was never dumb from the get go, so I dunno how all these terrible things happened and he had no idea. XD
This is my big pet peeve with the current story.
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Middlegrade series that exaggerate how bad neglect can go unnoticed… Sisters Grimm had an evil social worker that got the orphan MCs placed with a convicted murdered out on parole for a few pages/chapters, in one of the books…
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Heh. I read manwhas/manhuas more than Korean & Chinese LNs, but most are adapted from LNs, so I understand you totally Soo.At least I get pretty drawings with the stupid story/plotholes, but that makes it even worse sometimes. Like, what do you mean, you didn't know the kid was abused...? The little guy is covered in bruises, thin as well and visibly trembling when your evil wife/housekeeper/nanny/teacher just looks at them.
I read so many trashy romance "reincarnated as the villainess" or "travel back in time and get my revenge", and kept waiting for the girl to actually do something and get her revenge, and she just... doesn't? Sometimes even forgives and marry the guy that abused her in her previous life because "he had reasons". I feel so betrayed when that happens.
Virginie, have you read the Manhua Cheating Men Must Die Vol 1? That one is a fun, dive into story worlds & trample on the bad guys comic. Great art, diverse trope arcs and lots of what the heck author bashing. 🤣🤣🤣
Highly recommend!
Oho, sounds fun. Will definitely read. Thanks for the rec :D
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🤣🤣🤣 I feel like I spoiled nothing by clicking on that spoiler.Woo!
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The ending surprised me... seems like each book plays out a bit differently, and/or has paradigm shifts that keep the plot interesting...
I'm gonna continue right into book 2, and maybe into book 3... it's a closed trilogy...
The author seems to have written a bunch of closed series like this, with different premises...
The Commander's Tale -- Limitless Lands
Repel Boarders -- Derelict
Cat Core -- Cat Core
Hold the Line -- War Core
Privateer -- Limitless Seas
Revenant -- Mythica (this seems to be an existing IP with a bunch of independent movies)...
I tried Limitless Lands and DNF. Based on my short note, writing wasn't good enough to flesh out plot. Cat Core is newer series. Maybe the writing is better. 🤓
Fantasy Buddy Reads
Books mentioned in this topic
The Perfect Run (other topics)Beware of Chicken 5: A Xianxia Cultivation Novel (other topics)
The Wayward Bard (other topics)
Beware of Chicken 5: A Xianxia Cultivation Novel (other topics)
The Wayward Bard (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Nathan Lowell (other topics)Nathan Lowell (other topics)
Nina Bangs (other topics)
It makes me wanna snack ALL the time! 🤣🤣🤣