Mistborn: The Final Empire! If I’m not mistaken, “heist book in fantasy setting” is literally one of the main things that inspired Brandon Sanderson to write this.
If anything it’s the reverse I’d think. Just look at books without a Happily Ever After and how that’s looked down on, and why its a requirement for Romance publishers.
Romance isn’t exactly a respected genre. Misogyny has a lot to do with that but the genre’s tendency towards formulaic tropes doesn’t help.
And before you get to the Happily Ever After? It has to be a rocky road, with a break-up. It’s almost like the HEA has to be earned through pain.
Love Larson! I’ve read everything he’s published and would jump on anything new he releases. Hes got a great talent for making you feel like you’re reading a story rather than a lecture. Devil in the White City was my first introduction to him. Lusitania was my second adventure and I remember staying up late for just “one more chapter” unable to put it down.
I’m listening (if that counts?) to Lord of the rings (i’m on Return of the King - book 5). Been really enjoying it so far, there are many more significant differences to the movies than I was expecting.
At the moment it’s easier to get time in for audio books (during late night toddler wakes and car journeys etc)
I’ll also suggest Tree of Aeons if you want a magical equivalent (guy becomes a magical tree). Both series capture the transition to non-human thinking pretty well
Another vote for Bobiverse written by Dennis E. Taylor
Synopsis
The Bobiverse is the story of Robert “Bob” Johansson, who, after becoming financially independent by selling his software company, decides to spend some of his money by contracting to have his head cryonically frozen by CryoEterna Inc. upon his death. The idea is that his head would be preserved until later, when technology permitted a body to be grown and his thawed head attached to it - thus resuming life. The next day he is unexpectedly killed in an automobile accident. He wakes up 117 years later to find that he has been harvested from his frozen head and installed as simulation in a computer matrix to be an artificial intelligence. The series follows Bob as he is installed into the first Von Neumann Probe, to explore and replicate across the galaxy.
The Fifth Season, it’s an epic fantasy novel by N.K. Jemisin. I originally started it about a month ago but I’ve just been reading it in fits and starts, though it’s not particularly long. The story takes place in a world which gets wiped by a global catastrophe every couple of centuries. Certain people called orogenes have the ability to manipulate the earth in order to bring about or quell earthquakes. They’ve also got some other interesting abilities. Naturally, the regular people, who are the majority called Stills, are fearful of orogenes and they’ve formed society such that they can harness but most importantly control orogenes. Bit of a slow start, but since I’ve made it halfway through, it’s been very engaging.
I was most surprised by how I became emotionally hooked by this novel rather than intellectually (if that makes sense) - I wasn’t as into the world but more the people, which is rare for me in a sci fi/fantasy novel. What a heartbreaker.
Do you count audiobooks? I've been falling asleep to audiobooks for 15+ years. I'll also read print books while preparing for sleep, but not with the absolute consistency of audiobooks. Throughout the day, I'll read whenever I feel like it. If things are slow at work (from home) or I have meetings too close together to do something else in between, reading is a great pastime.
Would like to try as well! Love the cyberpunk kind of universe (we also have the game with the same name). I only have the reader from the ipad, so anything compatible with it. If not, paperback it is.
Also I speak portuguese, so if you wrote it originally in portuguese I don’t mind have the original version (if I m one of the lucky ones).
I started the writing in English primarily, translating to Portuguese during edit phase, aiming to keep the reading flow around the same level. However, the best experience will be reading it in English, in my opinion, as it has a better vocabulary for this genre.
Mas se preferir ler em português, ficaria muito feliz em saber sua opinião sobre a versão!
Kicking corporate ass sounds like exactly what I need right now. Congrats on making your dreams come true! I’d love a paperback if I’m lucky enough to win.
I started the writing in English primarily, translating to Portuguese during edit phase, aiming to keep the reading flow around the same level. However, the best experience will be reading it in English, in my opinion, as it has a better vocabulary for this genre.
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