So I was perusing those fabled internets today and came across this article. This got me thinking about the state of literature (espescially fantasy and science fiction) today. Does it seem to anyone that the point is just kind of moot anymore? That people aren't even trying?

There are the occasional talented writers today (Neil Gaimen comes to mind) but it seems every time I enter a bookstore I have to wade through all manner of crap. Are there contemporary authors I should be reading? Jon Stewart is usually pretty reliable with book reccomendations, but rarely, if ever, promotes fiction.

Just something that was on me mind. Discuss.

The best fantasy I've read recently was Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora; It avoids all the clichés mentioned in that article. Think an episode of Hustle as directed by Tarantino*, but set in a medieval fantasy world.

I don't think fantasy is in a particularly bad state today; sure, there's always going to be bad, bad fantasy being published, especially in the wake of the Lord of the Rings films, but the good stuff is still there and it's still getting recognised.

*"as done by Tarantino" is an overused description, but I think it fits here. The timeline jumps about to suit the plot like in the best of Tarantino's films, and the dialogue is witty and believable.

Can I make a sci-fi gripe in here? All I know is I have been in a couple of bookstores and NOT FOUND PHILIP K. DICK BOOKS in the scifi section. You can publish all the crap you want, but you have to have the old, good stuff there. Anyway I'm not entirely a fantasy person and I'll read the article in a bit but I had to let off that steam. >_>

I don't read a lot of fantasy (unless you count Discworld) but I do read a bit. The last ones I read were the The Magician's Guild, The Novice, The High Lord trilogy by Trudi Canavan. I'd heartily recomend them.

Reading that article, I'd have to say that a lot of the points are just what makes a decent book. Readability, not being cliched, and sufficient realism for your subject matter, basically allowing your reader to enjoy reading your book. Which is what it should be for really.

I've got a huge thing for Robert Jordan, but hey...

Not posted here in a long time but i still vist.

Can i just say that article you linked is just pure drivel and complete shit (yeh both). It actually raises no decent points at all. As for if there are any good books out there damn just look up most top 10 book selling lists and you will find at least 2-3 decent books to read .....if you like the material or not.

The thing is with most books is there are very few concepts that have not been done, finding new ways to write them is the tough one, when that is done well the books are great. But then if those books are in the Scifi or Fantasy range ....well your f[*cough*- Mata]d as a writer, why ..well most people think these books are drivel not to be taken seriously. The only book(s that fall into this range that have been successful in what 20 years is ....Crappy Potter (yeh i fecking hate him (ohh and Crappy Potter is my TM so feck off stealing it!)).

When i was a child we had writers like Alan Dean Foster or Piers Anthony on the shelves, even Robert Don Hughes ...damn try finding the latter two on the shelves today, all those three writers i can recommend as a damn good read ...but you can't find most of them on the shelves. But then most of the best Scfi and Fantasy books only have barely 1 entire set of shelves in the book store, goes to show what companies think of the people that read the material.

Piers Anthony doesn't publish in the UK anymore. He had an argument with his publisher. His Xanth books are at about number 23 or 24 now I believe. My mum gets them all from Amazon

Hey Space, nice to see you popping in.

I agree in principle that it's really all about the story and ideas, but when they're told with such repetitive stylistic trappings then it can get annoying. To draw a parallel with something I've been feeling recently about games - I've had enough of space marines. There may be loads of great games featuring space marines, but by the gods I wish that the same gameplay and plot could be moved into a world that doesn't feel like it has been trampled to death.