Got kids? Percy Jackson (and the other Rick Riordan written) series are great. Older kids? Get them reading chuck wendig or Margaret Killjoy.
Introduce yourself to Kafka and Marquez and Butler and Morrison and so many other great great writers who make JK Rowling look like the utter hack she is.
Definitely seconding this recommendation. I’ve really liked Margarets Killjoy’s more adult sci-fi/fantasy output, for a long time. The Free Orcs of Cascadia is a personal favorite.
But she recently wrote a YA fantasy novel called The Sapling Cage which is really wonderful.
She’s got a couple of different podcasts. Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff, which is a radical history podcast on the same podcast network as BTB, and Live Like The World is Dying which is a show about prepping.
My first exposure to her was actually by listening to an interview she did for the guerilla radio station operated out of The ZAD, which is in France, and is the largest Anarchist autonomous zone in Europe.
Honestly, just pick up any other book and give it a go, if that doesn’t work drop it and pick up another one. Nothing depresses me more than those people - adults - who finish reading the last Harry Potter book and then pick up the first one and start over again. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Rick Riordan as far as getting kids into reading, that all happened a little after my time though (and I was already big into reading as a kid)
As someone who doesn’t have the nostalgia goggles for HP, it’s always insane to me how many adults still love that shit. They’re YA novels… Like read a grown-up book, and maybe you’ll realize how mediocre they were.
Not even a grown-up book! Read a different magical fantasy book aimed at children or teenagers. And see how good those are, too. Many of them were written before Harry Potter.
I do think HP is good at the pacing and mystery aspect of it. The magical world isn’t really that alluring, unless you are a 12 year old kid in 2001 who never read another book until now.
The books are also good, but very different. The show creators made an excellent adaptation of the world and its energy and feeling, but changed characters and plot to something more suitable for a show. Both are great though.
I had someone recommend Rivers of London as an alternative magic learning protag series, and I’m enjoying it, but it’s more noir detective than Harry Potter. Which works in its favor IMO.
If anyone wants a suggestion may I suggest Yojou Senki/The Saga of Tanya the Evil, it’s really good once you get past the fact that the English version devolves into technical documents at times. But the author apparently plays Hoi3, which honestly explains a lot about the books in general.
It’s also a sorting hat for people who are willing to read some of the worst prose ever written in English. Ayn Rand’s turgid rants make Bulwer-Lytton’s efforts look like Shakespeare. She’s an even worse writer than L. Ron Hubbard.
Or just read other books, watch other movies, and so on. Like, Harry Potter is genuinely not even that good
Got kids? Percy Jackson (and the other Rick Riordan written) series are great. Older kids? Get them reading chuck wendig or Margaret Killjoy.
Introduce yourself to Kafka and Marquez and Butler and Morrison and so many other great great writers who make JK Rowling look like the utter hack she is.
Definitely seconding this recommendation. I’ve really liked Margarets Killjoy’s more adult sci-fi/fantasy output, for a long time. The Free Orcs of Cascadia is a personal favorite.
But she recently wrote a YA fantasy novel called The Sapling Cage which is really wonderful.
THE GIRL FROM BEHIND THE BASTARDS?!
(Actually legit the only place I’ve ever heard of her. I will have to look into her writing!)
She’s got a couple of different podcasts. Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff, which is a radical history podcast on the same podcast network as BTB, and Live Like The World is Dying which is a show about prepping.
My first exposure to her was actually by listening to an interview she did for the guerilla radio station operated out of The ZAD, which is in France, and is the largest Anarchist autonomous zone in Europe.
I just finished The Staircase In The Woods by Chuck Wendig. Holy shit, what an epic book. I am going to read more Chuck because I loved it so much.
Honestly, just pick up any other book and give it a go, if that doesn’t work drop it and pick up another one. Nothing depresses me more than those people - adults - who finish reading the last Harry Potter book and then pick up the first one and start over again. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Rick Riordan as far as getting kids into reading, that all happened a little after my time though (and I was already big into reading as a kid)
As someone who doesn’t have the nostalgia goggles for HP, it’s always insane to me how many adults still love that shit. They’re YA novels… Like read a grown-up book, and maybe you’ll realize how mediocre they were.
It’s like Disney Adults…
Not even a grown-up book! Read a different magical fantasy book aimed at children or teenagers. And see how good those are, too. Many of them were written before Harry Potter.
I do think HP is good at the pacing and mystery aspect of it. The magical world isn’t really that alluring, unless you are a 12 year old kid in 2001 who never read another book until now.
i used to read mtg books.
The pacing goes down the toilet in the last three books.
Yeah it’s wild looking at the books with adult eyes at the house elves and goblins and so on.
gently pushes Katalepsis by Hazel Young your way
Btw: The Magicians TV series was fun to watch (haven’t read the source materials yet).
YES!
The books are also good, but very different. The show creators made an excellent adaptation of the world and its energy and feeling, but changed characters and plot to something more suitable for a show. Both are great though.
I had someone recommend Rivers of London as an alternative magic learning protag series, and I’m enjoying it, but it’s more noir detective than Harry Potter. Which works in its favor IMO.
If anyone wants a suggestion may I suggest Yojou Senki/The Saga of Tanya the Evil, it’s really good once you get past the fact that the English version devolves into technical documents at times. But the author apparently plays Hoi3, which honestly explains a lot about the books in general.
What?? The only books that exist are:
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy *
~* All five of them. Six if you count Mostly Harmless.~
I think you mean six if you count 'And Another Thing … ’
‘Mostly Harmless’ was the 5th book.
This is according to The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide from 1996. I will certainly be checking out And Another Thing.
~So I guess there are seven books to the trilogy.~
Edit: Ooooh, that explains it. And Another Thing wasn’t written by Adams. No wonder I never heard of it.
Young Zaphod Plays it Safe is just a short story.
Yeah, that’s the one I wasn’t counting as a book, but from that list I can see why some would count it.
‘And Another Thing…’ was fun, and I feel it belongs on the shelf right next to the others. I hope you give it a shot, and also enjoy it.
I’d recommend Dresden Files series if you want something with a wizard in it.
I’ll add it to my reading list. Thanks!
While you’re at it, if you haven’t done so check out any of the Discworld books by Terry Pratchet. Very good reads.
Ooh… +1 for this…
Read them some time back and would definitely read again.
There’s also atlas shrugged.
It’s like the sorting hat for terrible people.
Oh good one but that’s a trick question, because nobody has actually read it in full.
Wait! You aren’t supposed to finish Atlas Shrugged?
🤷♂️
Tap for spoiler
🌍
🤷♂️
family guy made 2 cutscenes about her being problematic.
It’s also a sorting hat for people who are willing to read some of the worst prose ever written in English. Ayn Rand’s turgid rants make Bulwer-Lytton’s efforts look like Shakespeare. She’s an even worse writer than L. Ron Hubbard.
Read the A03 Harry Potter fanfics where Harry is a trans egg
The really good a/o I’ve been following hasn’t been updated in almost two months 😭
Agreed.