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Search results for tag #fantasy

[?]Owen Tyme » 🌐
@OwenTyme@mastodon.social

50% off @ : smashwords.com/books/view/1845

Two soldiers on opposite sides, pixie Commander Stargazer Candleflash and human Sergeant Edwin Harris, find their fates forever entwined, first by revenge, but as they crash in a dangerous rainforest, they’re forced to work together, just to survive. Will they make it or will their bickering get them killed?

@bookstodon

(Left) The cover of Fey Fighters, by Owen Tyme. The background is the stars of space, with nebula-like clouds, in blue. This has been divided into jigsaw puzzle pieces by dark lines marking the lines between pieces. The foreground features an enormous, stylized phoenix, which is composed of fire. The phoenix looms over an Earth-like world heavily obscured by cloud cover. (Right) The same world from the cover orbits a purple gas giant, with a stream of flame above it, which may be the phoenix, with the following text over the top: “We’re in a human-made, goblin-enchanted spacecraft, powered by a dryad that’s under the mistaken impression she’s a nuclear reactor, half-piloted by a pixie and half-piloted by a human.” “Is there anywhere we can go we won’t be shot on sight?” (Bottom) https://books2read.com/FeyFighters

Alt...(Left) The cover of Fey Fighters, by Owen Tyme. The background is the stars of space, with nebula-like clouds, in blue. This has been divided into jigsaw puzzle pieces by dark lines marking the lines between pieces. The foreground features an enormous, stylized phoenix, which is composed of fire. The phoenix looms over an Earth-like world heavily obscured by cloud cover. (Right) The same world from the cover orbits a purple gas giant, with a stream of flame above it, which may be the phoenix, with the following text over the top: “We’re in a human-made, goblin-enchanted spacecraft, powered by a dryad that’s under the mistaken impression she’s a nuclear reactor, half-piloted by a pixie and half-piloted by a human.” “Is there anywhere we can go we won’t be shot on sight?” (Bottom) https://books2read.com/FeyFighters

    [?]T. Thorn Coyle [They/Them] » 🌐
    @thorncoyle@wandering.shop

    "These visions... they will not cease. You haunt me, Rhymer. And you make me want to dream new dreams."
    — The Queen of Elfland

    The Winding Road and The Fernie Brae, the complete deluxe fantasy duology, now on Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/projects/thorn

    The Rhymer of Ash Grove deluxe omnibus edition. Exclusively on Kickstarter.

    Alt...The Rhymer of Ash Grove deluxe omnibus edition. Exclusively on Kickstarter.

      [?]Kit Author » 🌐
      @KitAuthor@wandering.shop

      Join Orains, a scuba diving magical cat, as he and his owner search for sunken treasure. But they're not alone, and a magical cat collar brings a legend to life.

      🪐💙📚

      books2read.com/u/bpAqRW

        [?]Curt Johnson - Indie Genius » 🌐
        @indiegenius@mastodon.social

        Movie TV Tech Geeks 10 Greatest Low Fantasy Books of All Time dlvr.it/TTcmMX

          [?]Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda » 🌐
          @krishna-author.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

            [?]Quasit » 🌐
            @Quasit@beige.party

            Quasit's Daily Book Recommendations: "Finieous Fingers Anthology" (1981) by J. D. Webster

            Age Range: 13 to adult
            Genre: Fantasy, Humor, TTRPG

            Here's another unusual recommendation. It's a collection of humorous comic strips from "The Dragon" magazine, starting from 1981. It collects the adventures of "Finieous Fingers", the self-proclaimed "world's greatest thief". Unfortunately Finieous (and yes, that IS how he spells it) is, well, not exactly as good as he thinks he is. In fact, he's basically an idiot. He also managed to incur the wrath of the hobbits guild, all of whom are far better thieves than he is. His adventures are hysterical, perfect send-ups of the cliches of early D&D. If you're a gamer, this is for you.

            This was a classic of early D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) humor. It's hard to find. It's not for sale and was never released as an ebook. But there's a PDF that you can download on the Internet Archive. You can also read it online at the link.

            archive.org/details/finieous-f

            There's a complete spreadsheet of •all• the books I've recommended here to date (along with links to each post) here:

            docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d

            Happy reading! 🤓📖

            A four-panel comic strip, in color. Frame 1: A small tower on a green hill near some paths. A sign nearby points to the right; it reads "TELEMARK". Text bubble: "It's the tower of Telemarak, where the evil wizard Kask lives!" Second text bubble: "Now! We've got him! ... Frame 2: Three armed men stand in front of a door, knocking on it. The thief (Finieous) has a dagger, cap, and leather tunic. "Awright open up in there ... Hey! Open up!" From behind the door: "One moment..." Frame 3: An old man with a pipe has opened the door, his spectacles pushed up on his forehead. He's holding a broom and the three adventurers have just stabbed him three or four times in the torso; the weapons are still in him. His broom has also been stabbed. Finieous: "HAH! There, you old goat of an evil wizard! Your hobbit-pushing days are over!! ..." Frame 4: The old man is stomping with rage and waving his broom around. The weapons are all falling out of him (and the broom). "WAS?? Olde goaten, eeh! You fools! I'm a no evil wizard! ... I'm Jeppeto der toy maker, und dis ist not der tower of Telemark dumbkoff!" Finieous (feebly): "But..." Note: I don't know why Jeppeto speaks with a German accent rather than his culturally-appropriate Italian one. Sorry!

            Alt...A four-panel comic strip, in color. Frame 1: A small tower on a green hill near some paths. A sign nearby points to the right; it reads "TELEMARK". Text bubble: "It's the tower of Telemarak, where the evil wizard Kask lives!" Second text bubble: "Now! We've got him! ... Frame 2: Three armed men stand in front of a door, knocking on it. The thief (Finieous) has a dagger, cap, and leather tunic. "Awright open up in there ... Hey! Open up!" From behind the door: "One moment..." Frame 3: An old man with a pipe has opened the door, his spectacles pushed up on his forehead. He's holding a broom and the three adventurers have just stabbed him three or four times in the torso; the weapons are still in him. His broom has also been stabbed. Finieous: "HAH! There, you old goat of an evil wizard! Your hobbit-pushing days are over!! ..." Frame 4: The old man is stomping with rage and waving his broom around. The weapons are all falling out of him (and the broom). "WAS?? Olde goaten, eeh! You fools! I'm a no evil wizard! ... I'm Jeppeto der toy maker, und dis ist not der tower of Telemark dumbkoff!" Finieous (feebly): "But..." Note: I don't know why Jeppeto speaks with a German accent rather than his culturally-appropriate Italian one. Sorry!

              [?]Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda » 🌐
              @krishna-author.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

              I sold 1 book today

                [?]Azalea Forrest » 🌐
                @azaleaforrest@wandering.shop

                ⚙️Steampunk City
                ☃️Snowy Hamlet
                😢Grief & Closure
                😤Determination & Personal Growth
                🤖Automatons
                🪄Magic to bring it all together

                A hopepunk story, coping with the speed of tech in a once magical society. On Audible!
                books2read.com/awii
                azaleaforrest.itch.io/a-witch-
                📚💙

                A Witch in Isenshire by Azalea Forrest. An arrow graphic of tropes pointing towards the book cover, with broomsticks, crystals, tarot cards and gears. Automatons, living with loss, personal growth, old wounds, coping with change, hopepunk, cozy adventure, technomancy. books2read.com/awii Also available on itchio and ko-fi.

                Alt...A Witch in Isenshire by Azalea Forrest. An arrow graphic of tropes pointing towards the book cover, with broomsticks, crystals, tarot cards and gears. Automatons, living with loss, personal growth, old wounds, coping with change, hopepunk, cozy adventure, technomancy. books2read.com/awii Also available on itchio and ko-fi.

                A Witch in Isenshire by Azalea Forrest. Now on Audible! 7 hours, narrated by Sami Ro. books2read.com/awii Background image is of a snowy forest at sunrise. A media device shows the cover of A Witch in Isenshire with headphones.

                Alt...A Witch in Isenshire by Azalea Forrest. Now on Audible! 7 hours, narrated by Sami Ro. books2read.com/awii Background image is of a snowy forest at sunrise. A media device shows the cover of A Witch in Isenshire with headphones.

                  [?]Empire of Dragons » 🌐
                  @dragonshortstories.wordpress.com@dragonshortstories.wordpress.com

                  Book Updates, July 19

                  I realize I haven’t announced any book updates even though that was the original purpose of this blog. So, here it is!

                  Day before yesterday I finally updated Dragonsongs with its new version. I found old illustrations I wanted to include, and collected some scattered dragon songs. Its word count is now 12,000 and it seems accepted by Bookshop.

                  I’ve also updated Xeno, The Boy, and Wonderbread with an illustration. The same one you’ll find here. The story also has some refinements.

                  Lastly, I noticed the old Kitty Kat story was unpublished, I’m not sure why because it was already updated, so I fixed that!

                  Check them out!

                  Rate this:

                    [?]Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda » 🌐
                    @krishna-author.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

                      [?]Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda » 🌐
                      @krishna-author.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

                      92 pages deep, I spy a hooked reader

                        [?]Solar Phasing » 🌐
                        @solarphasing@mastodon.social

                        Illustration by Edouard Riou for "Journey to the Center of the Earth" - by Jules Verne (1864)

                        imgur.com/gallery/illustration

                        Illustration by Edouard Riou for "Journey to the Center of the Earth" - by Jules Verne (1864)

                        Alt...Illustration by Edouard Riou for "Journey to the Center of the Earth" - by Jules Verne (1864)

                          [?]Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda » 🌐
                          @krishna-author.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

                          Flameheart: A Himalayan Tale of Courage and Magic www.amazon.com/dp/B0F4NDQXJ...

                            [?]Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda » 🌐
                            @krishna-author.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

                            “Books don’t sell themselves.”

                            Authors:

                              Bryan L. Fordham boosted

                              [?]Nick East (Indie Writer) » 🌐
                              @NickEast_IndieWriter@mastodon.art

                              The Last Philosopher: Part one will now be both free and DRM free on for the month of July 🎉 :artaww:

                              Link: smashwords.com/books/view/1928

                              Apologies to those who already spent 1€ on the ...

                              Honestly, I just wish people will read and enjoy it, and maybe tell me if they do 😊

                              @reading @books @fantasy @bookstodon





                              Smashwords: The summer/winter Sale is on! Find my book at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1928619 Free ebook! Also DRM Free!

                              Alt...Smashwords: The summer/winter Sale is on! Find my book at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1928619 Free ebook! Also DRM Free!

                                [?]Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda » 🌐
                                @krishna-author.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

                                I am thankful for new readers

                                  [?]Ami Angelwings » 🌐
                                  @ami_angelwings@urusai.social

                                  what's a vanilla/boring/popular/cold take you have about a hobby/fictional work/series/genre/etc that you're into?

                                    [?]Waywords Studio » 🌐
                                    @WaywordsStudio@mastodon.social

                                    𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗿: "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿" 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘇 -

                                    𝟯-𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:

                                    Dreambent
                                    Fleshy
                                    High-Quested

                                    𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲:

                                    What stories still lurk in the margins of this framed story?

                                      [?]Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda » 🌐
                                      @krishna-author.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

                                      Fierce Desire : A Love Too Powerful to Be Denied a.co/d/0cv4ROX1

                                        [?]Stephanie Burgis » 🌐
                                        @stephanieburgis@wandering.shop

                                        I was so happy to get my Kickstarter-supporter copy of the gorgeous Quintessential Indie Bites in the post! I've just read the first story (by Zoe Shakes), & it was lovely - such a neat little piece with a perfect last line.

                                        I don't know whether you can buy this beautiful hardcover edition now that the Kickstarter is over, but even if not, you should definitely check the regular Indie Bites magazine, which is free and always has great stories in it!

                                        silversunbooks.com/issues

                                        This photo shows a beautiful hardcover copy of The Quintessential Indie Bites: Five Years of Fantasy. The jacket is embossed in gold with swirling images of dragons, owls, mermaid tales, and more.

                                        Alt...This photo shows a beautiful hardcover copy of The Quintessential Indie Bites: Five Years of Fantasy. The jacket is embossed in gold with swirling images of dragons, owls, mermaid tales, and more.

                                        This photo shows the back cover of the book, which is again embossed in gold line-illustrations, this time showing a large tree (maybe Yggdrasil?) surrounded by swords, stars, a crown, and more.

                                        Alt...This photo shows the back cover of the book, which is again embossed in gold line-illustrations, this time showing a large tree (maybe Yggdrasil?) surrounded by swords, stars, a crown, and more.

                                          [?]Curt Johnson - Indie Genius » 🌐
                                          @indiegenius@mastodon.social

                                          Movie TV Tech Geeks 10 High Fantasy Books That Are Perfectly Written dlvr.it/TTbMyH

                                            [?]Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda » 🌐
                                            @krishna-author.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

                                              [?]Jason Robinson 🐍 🍻 🚴 » 🌐
                                              @jaywink@jasonrobinson.me

                                              A few recent books I've read.

                                              What If? 2 (2022)

                                              Unfortunately, for now at least, the "What If?" series by Randall Munroe, of XKCD fame, is at it's end. Hopefully not! I really enjoyed this, as well as the first one. Learning random science facts through well formulated humour - one can't really go wrong with this recipe.

                                              https://openlibrary.org/books/OL37338069M/What_If_2

                                              23 transmyyttiä: totta ja tarua transihmisistä (2022) [Finnish only]

                                              Author Mona Bling goes about attempting to clear 23 myths about trans people. I was looking to learn more from this book, but the fact I didn't learn that much kind of makes me feel better about myself. Much of the book is told via personal stories, either from the author or persons interviewed. A read recommendation for anyone.

                                              https://openlibrary.org/books/OL62329832M/23_transmyytti%C3%A4_totta_ja_tarua_transihmisist%C3%A4

                                              War of the Spark: Forsaken (2019)

                                              The second part of the War of the Spark, focusing on the hunt for the various planeswalkers who contributed to the mayhem on Ravnica, at the hold of Bolas. I think I actually liked this more than the first book. There was more suspense and uncertainty on events that would unfold. Unsure I can get behind the "oh we're all so good and kind" attitude, but maybe that's just me reflecting on the real world and expecting fantasy worlds to be as depressing as ours.

                                              https://openlibrary.org/books/OL60820955M/Forsaken

                                              Massahysteria (2025) [Finnish only]

                                              Jani Kaaro authors a book about mass hysteria at various points in human history. This feels like a popular book, and was recommended by my partner. But I just couldn't get any joy out of it. There was a constant "Ripley's believe it or not" feeling to the book, these incredible stories told that make no sense, and to be frank, get no explanations either. To protect against my already low faith in humanity dropping any lower, I just had to stop reading this book.

                                              https://openlibrary.org/books/OL62329900M/Massahysteria

                                              #books #jasonreads #science #trans #fantasy #mtg #society

                                                [?]Hokkaido Market ☑️ » 🌐
                                                @hokkaidomarket@famichiki.jp

                                                The Odyssey by Homer hokkaidomarket.net/books-info.

                                                paperback book cover of CLASSIC genre

                                                Alt...paperback book cover of CLASSIC genre

                                                  [?]Jendia Gammon » 🌐
                                                  @jendiagammon@wandering.shop

                                                  My beautiful two forthcoming books!
                                                  🍂 Godfestation - adult Appalachian weird and folk horror, dark fantasy
                                                  🌅 The Dawn of Dusk and Twilight - adult fantasy, sci-fi, romance prequel to my award-nominated Amethyst Lantern books (as J. Dianne Dotson)

                                                  Background of morning glories and foreground of two books and text UPCOMING BOOKS From Nebula & BSFA Finalist JENDIA GAMMON Godfestation - August 11 Appalachian Weird & Folk Horror Dark Fantasy Novella The Dawn of Dusk and Twilight - October 20 Fantasy, Sci-fi, Romance Prequel to The Inn at the Amethyst Lantern (as J. Dianne Dotson) jendiagammon.com

                                                  Alt...Background of morning glories and foreground of two books and text UPCOMING BOOKS From Nebula & BSFA Finalist JENDIA GAMMON Godfestation - August 11 Appalachian Weird & Folk Horror Dark Fantasy Novella The Dawn of Dusk and Twilight - October 20 Fantasy, Sci-fi, Romance Prequel to The Inn at the Amethyst Lantern (as J. Dianne Dotson) jendiagammon.com

                                                    [?]Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda » 🌐
                                                    @krishna-author.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

                                                    Hurray! someone just picked up a copy of my book

                                                      [?]Colorado Authors League » 🌐
                                                      @ColoradoAuthorsLeague@bookstodon.com

                                                      NEW from Jay R. Wolf!
                                                      As the deadly Lunar Hunt approaches, Sarai is forced into a trial meant to awaken the beast sleeping beneath her skin.
                                                      If she fails, the hunt will kill her. If she survives, she may become something far more dangerous than the monsters she once swore to destroy.

                                                      amazon.com/Hunts-Moon-Vargrbor

                                                      A woman stands behind a black wolf in front of a full moon

                                                      Alt...A woman stands behind a black wolf in front of a full moon

                                                        [?]Lauren McMenemy » 🌐
                                                        @spookygirl@mastodon.scot

                                                        Ready for some more crew announcements for Writing the Occult: Time & Place? Here's our first representative of the non-fiction world, and they're bringing the goods for one of the biggest and most talked about mysterious lost lands ever. It's also publication week for their latest book, Atlantis Through Time, which is all rather exciting. Here's Sian Ingham ⬇️

                                                        A text-heavy graphic features the bio of writer Sian Ingham, as featured in this threaded post, plus an image of Sian at the right. They are a white human with bald head, wearing black t-shirt and black-rimmed glasses while crossing arms and looking at the camera.

                                                        Alt...A text-heavy graphic features the bio of writer Sian Ingham, as featured in this threaded post, plus an image of Sian at the right. They are a white human with bald head, wearing black t-shirt and black-rimmed glasses while crossing arms and looking at the camera.

                                                          [?]Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda » 🌐
                                                          @krishna-author.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

                                                            [?]Quasit » 🌐
                                                            @Quasit@beige.party

                                                            Quasit's Daily Book Recommendations: "The Chameleon Corps: And Other Shape Changers" (1972) by Ron Goulart

                                                            Age Range: 16 to Adult
                                                            Genre: Science Fiction, Comedy

                                                            I would have SWORN I'd already recommended this book–but my spreadsheet says not.

                                                            You've probably read Ron Goulart's work before without knowing it; he was one of the most prolific and ghost-writers in the business. He wrote the TechWar books for William Shatner, a lot of Phantom books for Lee Falk, some Hardy Boys books...the truth is there's no knowing how many other books he ghosted! But one thing for sure: they were all damned good. On top of being an incredibly deft and imaginative science fiction writer (with more than a dash of surrealism in works he published under his own name), he was also •astonishingly• funny.

                                                            In fact he was one of the four funniest science fiction writers in the world (the other three are Fredric Brown, Robert Sheckley, and Keith Laumer, if you were wondering). And in "The Chameleon Corps and Other Shape Changers" he's at his hysterical best. There are many lines here which have stayed in my head and amused me for over 45 years now. This book contributed quite a bit to the development of my admittedly quirky sense of humor.

                                                            The book itself is divided into two sections. The first five stories are about the adventures of Ben Jolson of the Chameleon Corps. Esoteric treatments applied at a young age have given Ben the power to alter his form at a moment's notice; he can impersonate anyone, as well as objects of his own general size, flawlessly. Problem: he'd rather sell pottery than be a secret agent. But you're not allowed to quit the Corps.

                                                            So Jolson finds himself being sent to one hot spot after another throughout the Barnum system of planets, carrying out odd, sometimes bizarre missions for a government that often seems a lot like ours - given to hypocrisy, greed, idiocy, and sudden tragic bursts of realpolitik.

                                                            In that, it's rather like the CDT of Keith Laumer's Retief series, albeit considerably less broad. But Goulart's style is much more modern-feeling than Laumer's, with more of a 1960s (and, oddly, 2010s) sensibility. Jolson is not the superhuman figure that Retief is, for all his powers. Retief saves the world despite and in spite of its idiocy; Jolson can't be sure that what he's saving is better than the alternative, or even that he's necessarily saving anything. He's just trying to get the job done and survive.

                                                            But oh my god, the stories are funny. Jolson often has to impersonate eccentric characters, and Goulart gives them personalities and verbal quirks which are absolutely hysterical - mother of wildebeests, would you question my word? When you reach the end of the fifth story, you'll wish there were more. And there are, I believe; there was at least one Chameleon Corps novel, I think, as well as (possibly) more stories. In any case, much of Goulart's work is of the same quality: just as funny and enjoyable.

                                                            The last six stories are not connected to each other, and tend to be a little darker. But they're still very funny and very memorable. This is one of those outstanding collections of clever, jewel-like short stories that's a real treasure for anyone who loves science fiction and/or humor.

                                                            [“We put your file through one of PEO’s personnel brains, Jolson. You’re not the best man in the Chameleon Corps by any means.”

                                                            Jolson’s dark eyes narrowed. “For the last five months I’ve been in the wholesale pottery business. Then yesterday CC recalled me for an emergency mission. You’re free to request another man.”

                                                            “You’re all that’s available in these tense times,” said Chief Prittikin.

                                                            “We’re hoping,” said Azeler, “your notorious instability won’t crop up on this assignment.” Jolson’s slump was making Azeler uneasy and he kept absently throwing his narrow shoulders back. “Once on Peregrine you refused to stop playing your role. It took six Police Corps men to make you come back home to Barnum here.”

                                                            “I liked that part,” said Jolson. “Being the ruler of that jungle kingdom. I like outdoor work.”

                                                            “Later, on Murdstone, you spent two months being a baboon,” continued the Junior Chief.

                                                            “That was a mistake now that I look back on it.”]

                                                            So why isn't it in print any more? I wish I knew! You can still find used copies. Ebook versions exist, but they don't seem to be sold by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Kobo. But you can find it on the high seas.

                                                            And it's available to borrow from the Internet Archive. It's well worth reading!

                                                            archive.org/details/chameleonc

                                                            Note: You can find a complete spreadsheet of all the books I've recommended here to date (along with links to each post) here:

                                                            docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d

                                                            Happy reading! 🤓📖

                                                              [?]Stars and Sabers Publishing » 🌐
                                                              @starsandsabers@wandering.shop

                                                              Three more 2026 covers to reveal in the near future! 📚
                                                              👾 GUTTERSPACE by Justine Norton-Kertsson
                                                              🎨 THE HYENA by David Quantick
                                                              🌲 WHEN THE FOREST CALLS by
                                                              Cassandra Newbould
                                                              We can’t wait to share these fantastic books!

                                                              starsandsabers.com/books

                                                              Late 2026 Titles with Forthcoming Cover Reveals! GUTTERSPACE by Justine Norton-Kertson - Cover coming soon - Cosmic Horror - Comics Themes THE HYENA A novel by Emmy Award-winning Author David Quantick - Advance Reader Copy - Cover Coming Soon - Surrealist Alternate History WHEN THE FOREST CALLS - A. novella by Cassandra Newbould - Cover Coming Soon - Dark Woodland Fairytale starsandsabers.com/books Stars and Sabers Publishing

                                                              Alt...Late 2026 Titles with Forthcoming Cover Reveals! GUTTERSPACE by Justine Norton-Kertson - Cover coming soon - Cosmic Horror - Comics Themes THE HYENA A novel by Emmy Award-winning Author David Quantick - Advance Reader Copy - Cover Coming Soon - Surrealist Alternate History WHEN THE FOREST CALLS - A. novella by Cassandra Newbould - Cover Coming Soon - Dark Woodland Fairytale starsandsabers.com/books Stars and Sabers Publishing

                                                                [?]The Tanuki Corner » 🌐
                                                                @tanukicorner.com@tanukicorner.com

                                                                Blog: Books Are Becoming Temu Quality (And AI is Partially to Blame).

                                                                I’ve talked a lot about the declining state of literature on this blog since not only is it deeply concerning to me given my love of literature, but there are also a lot of things that contribute to it. A lot of it comes from the overall decline of our society. As people move away from God and towards hedonism, their stories become more banal until ultimately, the moral core is almost entirely gone. The stories no longer have anything to give them meaning; they’re just there for some brief entertainment, if you can even call it that.

                                                                However, the decline of our culture isn’t the only thing causing books to feel like the new version of fast fashion. AI has also – predictably – caused books to feel cheaply written and boring.

                                                                AI writing books isn’t something new, though the rate at which AI published books are being printed and put on store shelves is unprecedented. The first AI-written book was published in Japan in 2016. A research team at the Sato-Matsuzaki Laboratory developed a program that used automatic text generation based on over a thousand short stories and essays on how to write. They put in the basic outline of the story and allowed the AI to take over from there. It was then entered in a literary contest, where it was accepted and passed the first round.

                                                                Later, in 2017, author Ross Goodwin covered his car in surveillance cameras, microphones, and GPS, and connected it all to an AI. The AI then continuously printed the data out on receipt paper rolls as Goodwin went on a road trip. At the end of it, the data was compiled into a book.

                                                                Fast forward a few years to 2021, and the Aum Golly series was released, a collection of poems about humanity written entirely by ChatGPT and GPT-3. The first book was written in 24 hours, and the second was written in half the time.

                                                                Since then, AI-generated books have blown up, especially as AI has gotten better, with often detrimental results. One author, Mat Auryn, a California-based author who writes books on witchcraft, has been one of the many authors having to battle AI generated books. After writing his book, Psychic Witch, and publishing it, he soon ran into a book on Amazon called Awakening Your Witchy Intuition and Psychic Abilities by Glinda Porter. After buying it on Kindle and reading it, he soon realized that it was an AI-written plagiarization of his book. He quickly found other books plagiarizing his work that were most likely written by AI. Many of them oddly appeared on Amazon, were taken down, and then reappeared later.

                                                                Additionally, AI being used by real authors to generate their stories has become a subject of controversy in the reading community. The most infamous and hilarious example was found in Darkhollow Academy: Year 2, a romantasy novel written by Lena McDonald. Not only was the AI prompt to help revise a passage McDonald had written found, but the prompt also included a request to write it in the style of another romance author. It said:

                                                                I’ve rewritten the passage to align more with J. Bree’s style, which features more tension, gritty undertones, and raw emotional subtext beneath the supernatural elements.

                                                                Another embarrassing blunder was found in a romance book called Dark Obsession, which was written by someone called KC Crowne, an author who has over 100 books under his name, all published over seven years. The prompt said:

                                                                Certainly! Here’s an enhanced version of your passage, making Elena more relatable and injecting additional humor while providing a brief, sexy description of Grigori.

                                                                This issue of AI being used to write books has also become such a big deal that over 50 bestselling authors have signed an open letter to publishers demanding that they refuse to publish books that are partially or wholly written by AI. They argue that a robot can’t replace humans since art requires an understanding of the human experience that no robot can really replicate. They also argue that publishing companies need to stand against AI since the language models are trained on pre-existing works, which can almost inevitably lead to plagiarism.

                                                                However, while many readers and authors are demanding that AI be kept out of the writing world, the publishing companies sadly have a good incentive not to crackdown on AI-written books. For one thing, AI-written books are cheaper to write, and you can write more of them in a smaller time span than you could with a human author (hence why Amazon is becoming increasingly flooded with AI books).

                                                                For another thing, the largest book retailers in the market – such as Barnes & Noble – don’t particularly care if a book is AI or not. Recently, the CEO of Barnes & Noble, James Durant, came out and said that he is in support of selling AI-generated books as long as they’re clearly marked as such. He’s also said that there may already by AI-generated books being sold in Barnes & Noble stores that they’re not currently aware of.

                                                                To make things worse, not only has AI ended up discouraging authors and publishers from writing and publishing books made with actual human creativity for the sake of making a profit, but there’s also a problem with the readers. Thanks to social media and shrinking attention spans, readers don’t read as thoroughly as they used to. Thus, even if the AI-influence is obvious, readers may not notice it due to skimming over it. Or, worse, they simply don’t care. As long as the story is steamy and follows the same addictive plot beats, who cares if it’s written by AI? They get the same high either way.

                                                                While not the full reason why writing feels cheap and boring nowadays, AI has certainly contributed to the problem. To be clear, I have nothing against using AI as an editing tool, but if large swaths of your story are generated by AI, then it should have no place in a bookstore. Though I wish that AI would be rejected from the publishing industry entirely, due to how easy it is to use and the efficiency with which it gets stories out there, it likely won’t stop being used to write books.

                                                                Until next time,

                                                                M.J.

                                                                  [?]smeg [He/Him/His] » 🌐
                                                                  @smeg@assortedflotsam.com

                                                                  The pub that inspired Tolkien for The Prancing Pony in Lord of the Rings

                                                                  I don't recall mention of a beer garden in the back

                                                                  Old pub front: The Bell Inn Large brass bell above the door

                                                                  Alt...Old pub front: The Bell Inn Large brass bell above the door

                                                                    [?]Inkican » 🌐
                                                                    @inkican@mastodon.social

                                                                    Mary Elizabeth Winstead in '10 Cloverfield Lane'

                                                                    Mary Elizabeth Winstead in '10 Cloverfield Lane'

                                                                    Alt...Mary Elizabeth Winstead in '10 Cloverfield Lane'

                                                                      Lazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈 boosted

                                                                      [?]Solar Phasing » 🌐
                                                                      @solarphasing@mastodon.social

                                                                      Illustration from 20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - Alphonse Marie de Neuville (1870)

                                                                      imgur.com/gallery/illustration

                                                                      Illustration from 20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - Alphonse Marie de Neuville (1870)

                                                                      Alt...Illustration from 20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - Alphonse Marie de Neuville (1870)

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