Recommendations Non bland story telling

Discussion in 'I'm Looking For...' started by Emissary Nouvelle, Jun 2, 2021.

  1. Emissary Nouvelle

    Emissary Nouvelle Well-Known Member

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    Seriously these writers don't know how to create excitement. The plot doesn't have to be Top tier as long as it's not too bad and it's not bland but I've been coming across so many bland stories lately, came for cool powers and cheats left for retarded MCs and bland plot.

    I remember in ATG when I first read it how I was excited for whatever was happening next, getting the Dragon God's inheritance or faceslapping this dumb young master or tricking this well-known beauty and giving her the Che and snu snu. YC might be Dumb Che at times but he never disappoints. I find myself screaming at some of these fictional characters at times , oh how they frustrate me especially the reincarnated ones, I've lost count of the REALLY!s I've screamed. They don't act their age at all, they revert to being a dumb kid and only act their age for plot convenience when needed.

    Looking for novels with nonbland storytelling where I have things to anticipate or look forward to, authors who actually know and write exciting moments.
     
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  2. CodeTime

    CodeTime [Void Emperor of Time]

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    Dungeon Defense (Light Novel) - The name has nothing to do with the contents, as it I would consider it a masterpiece of political warfare. Also, I have yet to see another novel develop the mc as well as this novel has.
    Monarch of Evernight - The development is kind of slow, but this is to make sure every character is fully fleshed out. Through that development, it is shown that no one is truly op.
    City of Sin - A very well rounded novel, another I would consider a masterpiece. It is one of the only novels that show that sole strength alone would not make you invincible, as number can make a difference.
    Reverend Insanity - A battle focused novel where it seems like everyone in the entire world has the intellect of Lelouch from Code Geass or Light from Death Note.
    All of the above novels have mc's that are very interesting in their own way, but is different from common novels in that even minor characters are given a lot of development, and no true opponent in those novels could be considered dumb by any sort of measure, they just chose the wrong side (or in Reverend Insanity, it is the mc vs the world so literally everyone is on the wrong side, lol).
     
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  3. naviet

    naviet Well-Known Member

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    hmmm i think Martial World suit you... Many CN have cliffhanger style though but repetitive.
    Other i think Release that Witch, LMS, etc...
     
  4. Greater thunder

    Greater thunder Well-Known Member

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    How To Avoid Death On a Daily Basis or HTADDB.

    Colin is your normal all hating human shaped blob. Until he gets summoned to a different world and needs to become truly competent to survive and make sure the rest of his team of misfits shape up as well.

    I would describe it as a British take of Grimgar. Band of unwanted rejects form a team with a reluctant leader who proceeds to somehow make sure they all live despite the many onstavles in front of said goal and stumble from adventure to adventure.

    Its like the whatchamacallit american political tv series that was about people working and sacrificing for their country etc and then British have Yes, Minister.

    Star Trek - Red Dwarf

    I could go on, but its a lot more zany and goes for humor, especially in inappropriate situations instead of showing vulnerability of characters that makes it a favorite.
     
  5. Daphne kook

    Daphne kook Member

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  6. Isaac20

    Isaac20 Dark Lord | RS

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  7. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

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    The Legend of the Condor Heroes
    Jin Yong doesn't get read enough here, and it's frustrating to see so many readers looking for good books but who have no idea he exists. All those cool ideas you came across in other novels? There's a decent chance that Jin Yong came up with them first (and probably did it better). Pretty much all modern Chinese writers read his books and they'll shamelessly copy him.

    This particular book isn't my favorite Jin Yong novel but it's probably the best place to start. It has fantastic characters, great setup scenarios, and way better fights than you'll see just about anywhere. Also, Jin Yong has excellent writing instincts so he'll constantly find ways to tell the story in the most entertaining way possible.
     
  8. Greater thunder

    Greater thunder Well-Known Member

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    If we are talking Jin Yong, Demigods and SemiDevils.
     
  9. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

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    Well sure it's great but its structure is unusual enough that it's a bad fit for anyone who hasn't read any proper wuxia. Not only does it have three protagonists and there are long stretches where any one of them is missing from the story, but it also has a lot of weird power shenanigans going on.

    I actually like Jin Yong's other books more, but "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" is still the obvious pick because everything else has issues recommendation-wise:

    The Book and the Sword & The Sword Stained with Royal Blood: These books are before Jin Yong fully found his voice and they lack the spark that can be found in his later books.

    The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain & The Young Flying Fox: It has that weird sequence thing where you're supposed to read the ending first and then go back and read the story that takes place earlier.

    A Deadly Secret: This one is way too depressing and it has way fewer cool fights than the other books.

    Ode to Gallantry: This book is almost a pure comedy and it's a lot sillier than other Jin Yong novels. It's a good book but it's just not representative.

    All in all, I'd say that Jin Yong's long novels are a lot better for this purpose than his short ones. I like the latter a lot but they're just not as much of a complete package as the longer ones.

    The Return of the Condor Heroes & The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber: These would be great choices but they're also sequels so it doesn't make any sense to read them first.

    The Deer and the Cauldron: This is Jin Yong's best novel, but it expects you to be familiar with his other books and with wuxia in general. It's so influential to other Chinese writers that everyone on NU should read this book, but it's not the place to start. This book is not a pure wuxia novel, but I don't think that it's much of a drawback.

    Smiling Proud Wanderer: This is the other good choice to recommend to new readers. The problem with it is that it's too good. Nothing else epitomizes the wuxia novel as well as this book and it'd be disappointing when nothing quite matches up.
     
  10. Greater thunder

    Greater thunder Well-Known Member

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    @ToastedRossi I must be weird then because aside from DG SD I haven't read other wuxia by Jin Yong. Or anyone else really (Kung Fu by Giddens Ko that Deathblade tled doesn't really count as it was all really hypnosis based somehow).

    And I understood it just fine. The real problem is like if you read tons of crappy, halfhearted isekai and run into Mushoku Tensei the genre's "grandfather" and really like that it builds everything up. Same here, reading tons of crappy xianxia (seriously, I may have had rose glasses for the genre when I just started but I even read utter dregs like Peerless Martial God, Chaotic Sword God,....) and reading a wuxia like this was a first (you hear the terms, but somehow disassociate them with wuxia movies no matter how much work was done until you read the genre and saw this was it).

    So, anyway, read it and thought, wait, much more xianxia is based on horribly mutilated wuxia tropes than myths of immortals. The lucky finds, cliff falls, ancient lost arts, natural treasures, pills with screwy effects, orthodox and demonic practitioners,....... things that are working actually rather fine in wuxia (Captain America grade power) very much stick out in xianxia (anywhere from continent razing to universes getting destroyed).
     
  11. Emissary Nouvelle

    Emissary Nouvelle Well-Known Member

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    * Smirks feeling accomplished *

    Young'un I've been reading novels for a few years and ATG was my first or at least among the first 5. Of course since I like dot so much I've read practically all well known harem novels and more of course some of them like Martial God Asura we're dropped since they turned to trash. Sigh, I still lament it's fall from grace, the Fairy Tail of novels just the like the real one it has it's diehard fans too. But being one of the first readers like with ATG who remembers when the early chapters were being released in bulk years ago (300s, 500s and 600s) just like the recent ones in the 1000s being released...I can feel the tragedy more. So much potential gone.
     
  12. FIEND

    FIEND i eat crayons

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  13. Isaac20

    Isaac20 Dark Lord | RS

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    *tilts head* Oh, you're an old grandpa then. *bows the senior*
    *but still confused about what he accomplished*
     
  14. Emissary Nouvelle

    Emissary Nouvelle Well-Known Member

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    Getting immersed in several novels and reading them to completion accompanying your main character every step of the way and congratulating them when the story ends of course leaves a feeling of accomplishment that gets stronger each time you do it.
     
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