(Part 3) Reddit mentions: The best fiction satire books

Thank you so much for all your comments. I really enjoyed your thoughts and feedback.

You're right about the Genesis joke. Because he knows so little about games, Mervyn is getting his mascots muddled up. He says 'blue Nintendo hedgehog' instead of 'blue Sega hedgehog'.

Yeah, the 'about the interview' doesn't read well. Thanks for that!

With Mervyn pretending to be racist, it was fascinating seeing your reaction unfold as you went. I know I'm treading a really fine line here and don't want the protagonist to become unlikable.

I think you're right about the shriek. I did that for comic effect but it's perhaps too much like something from a sitcom. Will tone it down. Maybe 'shudder' or 'wince' would be better.

You're spot on about Dennis thinking it was just a joke. Their relationship is far from over and Mervyn does, in fact, end up becoming a games tester.

I'm delighted to hear you liked both characters. That's one of the most important things to me. Even Dennis, in his prejudiced and loathsome way, is intended to be an interesting guy.

The book is actually finished and for sale at Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/Mervyn-vs-Dennis-Niels-Saunders-ebook/dp/B01I1TAID0/

Would be happy to send you some more chapters, though. I'll definitely be incorporating your feedback in the next revision. Will check out your blog shortly. Thanks again!

Hello fantasy redditors! My new novel, "The Pen is Mightier", an homage/satire/love-letter to A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones, internet fandom, and George R. R. Martin himself, is published and for sale. I'm proud to say that reddit (more specifically, a fictional subreddit that has a lot in common with r/fantasy, r/ASOIAF and r/GameofThrones) plays a very prominent role in my book.

Here's the back cover blurb:

College student Sedrick Weir is the biggest fan of the brutal fantasy epic, 'Those Accursed Chronicles'. Its author, Paul Breston, has created a unique series of novels rife with debauchery and betrayal, in which no character is safe.

Through a miraculous fluke, Sed is transported into the mythic world he loves so much. When he returns to his own world, he must convince Paul that his imagined realm actually exists. And if that world is real, can Paul keep killing people who are no longer merely fictional? Must Sed's favorite characters really have to die?

Both satire and homage, 'The Pen is Mightier' is a love-letter to one of the most popular series and television programs in the fantasy genre.

(end blurb)

For any John Scalzi fans, this book is kind of like "Red Shirts", except its targets in loving mockery are A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones rather than Star Trek. In all seriousness, this novel was written for serious fans of fantasy novels and ASOIAF in particular. It was written for those of you who, like me, love a particular fantasy series so damn much that you spend a lot of your free time poring over plot theories (even the tinfoil variety!), casting announcements (if you're lucky enough to have an adaptation), hints from author/producers/cast, and general minutiae from the series. It's for those of you who have the maps of whatever world you love on your wall, and when you happen to see a feature or a city that looks interesting, you google it (or have a searchbot find it in the book texts) to see if it's mentioned. It's for those of you that not only regularly check the wikis for your favorite series, but actually contribute to them.

"The Pen is Mightier" is my second novel. It's available as an ebook ($3.99) at Amazon here, and at Smashwords here. You can check other online retailers as well. The paperback ($14.99) is for sale at the Amazon link.

My first novel, an unrelated fantasy adventure called "Sailor of the Skysea", is for sale here.

Now back to work on #3.

TLDR: New fantasy-satire novel (The Pen is Mightier), homage/love-letter to fantasy novels and fans in general, and GRRM and his creations (and fans) in particular, is out.

Are you really into the nitty-gritty of Latin Grammar? If you are, then I would recommend Completely Parsed Cicero. If you scroll through the 'Look Inside' feature on Amazon, you will see the actual page layout. A HUGE amount of grammatical data on every single word, but also a literal and literary translation. You will learn more than you ever wanted to know, plus that speech, for my money, is one of his most interesting.

https://www.amazon.com/Completely-Parsed-Cicero-Oration-Catiline/dp/0865165904.

If you don't want to go so deep, then the Legamus series are very good for getting a taste of an ancient author, plus they will revise a lot of the grammatical features that you encountered at School. Here is the Horace one, for example.

https://www.amazon.com/Horace-Legamus-Transitional-Reader-Latin/dp/0865166765/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485888892&sr=1-1&keywords=legamus+horace

I definitely second gelato's recommendation of Lingua Latina per se and Beyond GSCE.

And, of course, you should be reading Legonium. ;)

Autogenerated.

IamA Jessica Kellen; Author, Game Designer, Songwriter and Movie Director and AMA!

My short bio: Heyy, Names Jessica Kellen, I've been told it has a nice ring to it, recently I published my first bestselling novel 'Kony 2018' Which can be found here:

https://www.amazon.com/Kony-2018-Search-Jessica-Kellen/dp/1973474859/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1522618310&sr=1-1

It is a sequel to a 1 hour 20 minute independently created movie I made last year called Kony 2017 which is itself a sequel to a game called Kony 2016.

But you've probably never heard of any of that, I'll be here for a while so feel free to ask me anything you like about what its like to be a polymath or anything you like!

My Proof: https://twitter.com/JessicaaaKellen/status/980557768351510534


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Some of my shorts do quite well and others have bombed. This one, for example, sells a couple hundred a month: http://www.amazon.com/Hercule-and-the-Doctor-ebook/dp/B00681DKMK/

This one... sells zero. http://www.amazon.com/The-King-ebook/dp/B0067RJM4A/ref=lp_B005IHVH20

Guess which of them won an award? Not the one that sells =P If I could just find a way to translate the sales on my best short stories into sales on my collections and new novel...

I like the story it has a lot of interesting potential. I laughed when Leo pulled out the Flipper slide. Have you read Repeat by Neal Pollack. I don't have any criticisms (dry pillow tonight). Every writer has their own style and i got a few good laughs. Keep up the good work. I subscribed on google so i don't have to worry about missing a release.

The HItchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
The one I linked to is actually a collection of all 5 in the Trilogy, but it is so worth reading. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed anything I've read by Vonnegut.
If you like Sci-Fi, check out Orson Scott Card's work. I'd start with Ender's Game. What Would Satan Do?. Don't let the title discourage you. It offers a very interesting take on the apocalypse. I am currently reading Immaculate Deception, very interesting.

J'ai un gros coup de coeur pour Le Trop Grand Vide d'Alphonse Tabouret (collectif)
C'est tout à la plume. C'est une histoire en un seul volume. C'est très poétique. Plein démotions. Un peu philosophique. C'est assez long. Et c'est un très beau livre (format sympa, belle couverture épaisse qui joue sur le relief, papier épais).

Les super héros injustement méconnus (Larcenet). C'est de l'excellent Larcenet, avec de l'humour de Larcenet. C'est un recueil d'histoires et il n'y a qu'un tome. Ce n'est pas un "beau" livre (format classique A4) et c'est un peu court.

Pacush Blues - Tome 7 - Variations sur un thème imposé (Ptiluc). C'est un tome d'une collection, mais tu peux le lire sans avoir lu les autres. J'aime beaucoup l'histoire. Ça fait un peu nouvelle de science-fiction/anticipation dystopienne. Ce n'est pas un "beau" livre mais c'est mieux (format un peu plus grand que du A4).

Starfarers by Poul Anderson. I wasn't so keen on the first 100 pages, but then I really got into it. This first-contact novel is very much about the crew.

Voyage to the Red Planet by Terry Bisson is a hilarious trip to Mars that later gets serious.

The Mote in God's Eye by Niven & Pournelle is good first-contact adventure. I think of this novel as Star Trek done right without being Trek.

I don't know anything about law, but I'm on reddit so...

Looking at the book cover wouldn't it be covered regardless by some parody law? I mean the author isn't trying to sell the book by fooling customers into believing it's the famous whisky; it's a book, with pages, not glass containing alcohol. I could understand the infringement if the Jack Daniel's likeness was duplicated on a competing liquor, rather than, a book.

Some examples of artworks (books, movies etc.) that come to mind and borrow heavily from business intellectual property include,

Nightlight, a Twilight parody

What to expect when you're expected, a parody of what to expect when you're expecting

The social network, not a parody, but simulating facebook's blue background and typeface

Another good example provided by /u/fleetber, 'Still Life with Woodpecker', which borrows heavily from the Camel Cigarettes box design

So if Patrick Wensink, chose not to comply with the cease and desist, did Jack Daniel's have any legal ground to stand on?


EDIT: I just checked out the Amazon page for the book and it seems that the author is still running the same artwork. That's weird. Although I love their tagline "The international bestseller at the center of the "World's Nicest Cease and Desist" from Jack Daniel's."

Upon This Rock is a freakin' fantastic book. I started reading this after you recommended it. Picked it up on lunch, and haven't been able to put it down. Also, I'm not sure if it's been recommended - Leviathan Wakes is a really good book. Can't comment on the rest of the series, as I haven't started them - but the first one is awesome.

https://www.amazon.com/Terrific-Tale-Heroic-Sir-Hecnick-ebook/dp/B01HOWUHEU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467207641&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Terrific+Tale+of+Heroic+Sir+Hecnick

I think this is it, but I don't know how to technology. Might not be it, if so, let me know and I'll try to find the right link for you.

By the by, Thank You! And have a wonderful day!

Philology of Humor Course by /r/thelowkeythinker (aka me lol)

Linguistic Theories of Humor by Salvatore Attardo


Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor by Morreall and Mankoff

Edit: Writing is one half of the equation in Standup. Performing is a whole ‘nother part that takes a while to get comfortable with.

'Traditional a-la Russ':

1. Matryoshka
   
2. Palekh laquer box
   
3. Samovar
   
   Books - russians do love books (eh, whom am I kidding - kids these days...)
   
   Some non-traditional choices:
   
   
4. Antique bookset -George Vernadsky - History of Russia - a bit dated, but well-written and more digestible to western readers than many modern history books. Author is genuine russian historian, emigrated after Civil War. It is also available for free in internet, just search.
   
5. Less antique , fiction book that got Nobel prize in Literature (no, not Doctor Zhivago by Pasternak, the other one) - M Sholokhov - And Quiet Flows the Don - about Revolution, Civil War and life in Southern Russia.
   
6. Modern book (which your mom either throws at you or love immensely) - V. Pelevin - SNUFF . It's not a bland twice-chewed gum from Akunin for sure.
   
   etc.

My free Kindle story this weekend is "Veronica's Vengeance", a dark YA comedy about revenge, ambition, deception and other teenage girl stuff. If you like "Mean Girls" and humor of that ilk, you might dig this.

"About as pitch-black a black comedy as you can get... hilarious. Plays out in no way like you expect it's going to." -- The Library Police podcast

https://www.amazon.com/Veronicas-Vengeance-Short-Adam-Bertocci-ebook/dp/B00A7ZTXQU/

The easy but wrong answer would be Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan, but much better and fun is I, Slutbot, by Mykle Hansen:

https://www.amazon.com/I-Slutbot-Mykle-Hansen/dp/1621051447/

As in life, the anticipation is usually more exciting than the thing. I'm looking for a new good read to keep stalling on A Dance With Dragons. This passage reminded me of something Michael Estrin would write (see Murder and Other Distractions - a large free sample is available).

Pirate Utopia is the one of the very best dieselpunk books; original without any film noir cliches. https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Utopia-Bruce-Sterling/dp/1616962364

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I've decided to publish an "anti love story," under a pseudonym about a guy who loathes commercialized romance and goes crazy because of it.

Book details:
Ernest "Vulgar" Henningway [sic] is a college dropout who's sick of etiquette, decency, and shitty love stories. He may also be losing his mind...
Join Vulgar as he tries to survive a weeklong spree of abject behavior, crackpot philosophies, and torrid affairs. What made him this way? Why does he insist on shaving his head to look like a Neo-Nazi? And what does this mean for the White Protagonist in modern fiction? Probably nothing; maybe he just likes getting his ass kicked.

Read the book that no conventional publisher today would touch in their right minds. Why not put aside political correctness for a few chaotic turns of the page? Listen to his explanations of why men still have nipples, how romantic comedies prey on our weaknesses, how death defines love, and plenty of other nonsensical things. Cheer-or-jeer, Vulgar doesn't care; he's just trying to make sense of it all before it's too late.
On Kindle

Pricing:
$3.99

$0.00--with Kindle Unlimited!

*Free Campaign from February 5th-9th, 2018

Check it out if you've got the time, and please, give me your thoughts if you'd like!

Big U

Fun read, and highly topical for you.

Have you read Neal Stephenson's The Big U ? The main character builds a railgun in it; you might like it.

Against my better judgement, I've decided to self publish this... anti-love story for Valentine's Day.

Synopsis: Ernest "Vulgar" Henningway [sic] is a college dropout who's sick of etiquette, decency, and shitty love stories. He may also be losing his mind...
Join Vulgar as he tries to survive a weeklong spree of abject behavior, crackpot philosophies, and torrid affairs. What made him this way? Why does he insist on shaving his head to look like a Neo-Nazi? And what does this mean for the White Protagonist in modern fiction? Probably nothing; maybe he just likes getting his ass kicked.

Read the book that no conventional publisher today would touch in their right minds. Why not put aside political correctness for a few chaotic turns of the page? Listen to his explanations of why men still have nipples, how romantic comedies prey on our weaknesses, how death defines love, and plenty of other nonsensical things. Cheer-or-jeer, Vulgar doesn't care; he's just trying to make sense of it all before it's too late.

Here's the link for anyone interested, if you've got kindle unlimited, take it for free!

От Василия Владимирского интересное:

> Брюс Стерлинг тряхнул стариной: альтернативка, 1919 год, футуристы-революционеры, анархисты-романтики, свобода на баррикадах, все дела. "Publishers Weekly" в восторге:
>> "Cyberpunk progenitor Sterling’s alternate history novella is bizarre, chock-full of famous people in improbable situations, and wildly entertaining, even when the worldbuilding seems to go a little off the rails."
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Utopia-Bruce-Sterling/dp/1616962364/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479414431&sr=1-1&keywords=9781616962364

You only read first edition hardcovers or what?

Neal Stephenson's The Big U also had giant radioactive rats...