Reddit mentions: The best magical realism books

I've bought a fair amount of ebooks on Amazon recently and I think most of them are books that a lot of people here would enjoy (heck I heard about most of them through here!).

The Preorders:

Underlord - The sixth book in the Cradle series which is described as a Western Xianxia series. A lot of people here don't really like the Xianxia genre and I agree with their criticisms of how many main characters are very villainous, under-developed enemies and female characters, the economies of cultivation aren't logical, poor scaling in conflict as you go from one city to interstellar in scope, and awkward prose. But I bring up all of these flaws to say that the Cradle series completely avoids all of the typical flaws in Xianxia and has a very smart character who sets out to cultivate smartly instead of bullheadedly.

And the sixth book is coming out in March! (Get the box set. It has the first three books and is cheaper!)

Exhalation - Who here hasn't heard of Ted Chiang, the master of short stories that perfectly appeal to the r/rational crowd? The same guy that we literally use as an introduction to rational fiction. Well, if you enjoyed his first collection, Stories of Your Life and Others, you'll love hearing that the second collection is coming out in....May! (Ugh....really May? I don't think I can wait that long!)

The books you can read right now!:

The Beginner's Guide to Magical Licensing - Has a similar start to Unsong where a magical college-graduate, minimum-wage, sweat-shop worker stumbles on a powerful spell and sets out to start his own business competing with the powerful. The parts of the story that follows afterward makes a whole lot more logical sense than Unsong however. (Used to be online for free, but now you'll have to pay the price for your ignorance if you want to read it! (Nah, I lied.))

Six Sacred Swords - If you liked the Arcane Ascension series, but wished there was more dungeonnering and less of school shenanigans, then look no further! In some ways it's a lot like reading a very good DnD session played by really savvy players who never follow the 'standard' way to solve problems.

The author of Six Sacred Swords made a recommendation for The Ruin of Kings. He said that it reads like a Locke Lamora-esque rogue protagonist, telling the story in a style similar to Kvothe, in a setting similar to Game of Thrones. I haven't bought the book yet, but the review was interesting enough that I wanted to include it in my list of recommendations.

Senlin Ascends - I haven't read this yet either, but skimming through it, I see some fair bit of social manipulation/combat that I think people here would like. Plus the Tower of Babel setting is something that appeals very strongly to me.

Polyglot: NPC REVOLUTION - A lot of people here seem to really like LitRPG and Artificial Intelligence, but almost no one seem to ever question the implications of the NPCs in LitRPG stories having human-level intelligence.

Small Medium: Big Trouble - It's by the same author who wrote Threadbare that people here really liked. Similar to Polygot where the NPC is the main character who needs to deal with players, but smaller scale in scope. There's a lot of fast-talking to convince selfish sociopaths to do what you say.

Q is for Quantum - I was going through my older ebook orders when I found this one. It's the single best introduction for quantum mechanics that I have ever read (not that I've read too many of those). It focuses on building an intuition for the subject and once you've read through the book, you will understand on a gut level what superposition means. Note that it's meant as an introduction for the subject, so don't expect it to cover everything, just what's need to get started learning about quantum mechanics. But I'd still recommend it to experts if only for a better way to explain their subject to their peers and laypeople.

Recursion: A cautionary tale told across 7 short stories

Hello!
I am a first time writer from India.

My book is an attempt at a confluence of Indic thought and contemporary science fiction.

In terms of cover and description, i have chosen to go minimalist and abstract. Perhaps these are not the best marketing decisions, but I feel it accurately reflects the true nature of the book. Please check it out, i'd love to hear some feedback. Does it work/not work? Do you like/hate it?

Recursion

If you do choose to read my book, it would make my day. It's a short read.

Two things I feel obliged to mention:

1. I was raised in dharmic traditions, and this book is a reflection of that. I think it may not go down well with some people from the west, or for that matter, some back home as well.
   
   
2. There may be many words, ideas, and references that are alien to many. I have not added a glossary or author's notes, but I have ensured that everything I have written is easily found on google. I hope this added effort does not dissuade readers.
   
   However, I am not certain of this until I hear from you!
   
   So please check out
   Recursion
   
   I'd love to hear what you think.
   Thank you!

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

The original book by Christopher Priest that the film is based on is awesome too. It's got a different spin than the movie, but a great weird read.

Also, "Not Pounded At The Last Second Because Consent Can Be Given And Revoked At Any Moment And This Is A Wonderful Thing That’s Important To Understand" also by Chuck Tingle?

Nobody has mentioned Iain M. Banks yet, so how about

The Algebraist

Excession

Against a Dark Background

Another military sci-fi novel with several unique twists would be Vernor Vinge's:
A Fire Upon the Deep


Hard to beat Ender's Game, though. Old Man's War is really good; Armor is good but kinda depressing.

I can think of lots more, reply if you'd like more suggestions :-)

Grazing the Sky is a good novel that fits what you're looking for :)Grazing the Sky

Blanche-Neige et les lances-missiles. Premier volume de la série Quand les dieux buvaient, de Catherine Dufour. http://www.amazon.fr/Blanche-Neige-lance-missiles-Tome-Quand-buvaient/dp/2253125407 C'est très Pratchett :)

I think this is the link for those interested.

Neither had I, looks like he has only released One book which would explain why.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07NGLDM6N?ref_=dbs_s_def_awm_dirs_l_0&storeType=ebooks&qid=1550524218&sr=1-1-dbssearch-acs he wrote a follow up book even more about consent god damn

Also it's about a guy almost but not quite fucking bigfoot

https://www.amazon.com/Bury-Me-Where-They-Fall/dp/1912092735/

Sorry! Will get one in there now. In the meantime...

​

https://www.amazon.com/Bury-Me-Where-They-Fall/dp/1912092735/

When I was fourteen my family moved into a burning house. The movers complained of the smoke but we handed out masks, opened windows and set up fans to keep the conflagration towards the back. Mom organized us kids in a bucket-line to splash water into the kitchen so they could start unloading the silver-ware and china plates. We took it for a game, drenching each other more than the flames.

Soon as we could we dropped our buckets and dodged into the smoke to explore. We found a stone-lined basement the fire never seemed to visit, and a living room with a light continual shower of sparks from rooms above. A door beyond led to a library with shelves of bug-husk shells of burned books. I picked one up, scanned the ashen title: "The Great Gatsby". We'd had that in English last year. When I put it back it crumbled to ash.

On the floor lay a yellowed copy of Blake. The pages looked singed and soaked, soaked and singed, tempered to some state beyond destruction. I picked it up, read of tigers and anvils, brains and hammers. I put it on the shelf in the ashes of Gatsby.

The Stations of the Angels, by Raymond St. Elmo

They fought fate, but can they escape it?

Rika, a player, sets off to the new world to hunt down a heretic friar with a dangerous power.
In France, an NPC inquisitor stumbles upon a discovery that could very well change the world - or destroy it.



Gamelit / LitRPG lite

Standalone part of the Polyglot Duality. Events take place before Polyglot: NPC ReEvolution.

Disclaimer: This story contains lighthearted cannibalism, sexual innuendo, existential despair in the context of simulation theory, spooky clowns, Hispanophobes, grandma harems, consensual torture, and swear language.



World:
The game is a simulation of 16th century Earth, a time of great religious strife and dramatic conflicts across the world. With the introduction of magic, the world is shaken at the sight of growing cults and spellcasters. Kami, djinn, and warlocks are just some of the names that the natives have come to call the players.

Mechanics:
Magic is divided by the elements and received only by the designated temples around the world. Once a player unlocks an element, they may then invest points into that particular tree, however most use the game to practice more mundane, fantasy things, like opening a bakery in Medieval Paris or global tax fraud.

Yet those who partake fully into the magic system have heard of the elusive World Quest, and while little is known about it or its rewards, few have decided to embark on its journey.

Get it now!