Genre and Trends

We need to establish a curation of books we like as readers. Its easy for some stuff we enjoy to get lost in the endless battle of mis-categorization of tags and the like on amazon.

Erotica, in harem or floating ab format, outpaces many other genres in volume and overall placing at the table. Because its so numerous it gets a large portion of eyeballs on it. Ghost writers and the like keep the same 100 series and writers in the top charts on amazon. Because that orange tag is the only thing that means something to them.

Many social sites have more writers per capita than readers so even some bigger accounts of 10k + people give the same recommendations most times. Its like everyone has a megaphone shouting over one another. Even tagging doesn't help too much.

Alternate sites like Minds et all dont have as much activity either. Sure I can find some new things on there but my little Twitter account still gets more engagement than most other sites I am on. With social stuff that is.

Hubs:

• https://www.indiegen.xyz/blog/ 
• https://silverempire.org/product-category/books/superheroes/ 

In the next few days I'll put together a preferred Superhero Prose hub of books I've read and enjoyed that have most of what I am looking for besides Uplift Protocol. That way I can link back to that page in particular.

Isekai

(I might as well publish this. I gotta keep my mind off of stuff right now.)

Now that I think on it, many stories have this underpinning. From Wizard of Oz, many pulp serials, and beyond. That feeling of being taken from someplace mundane to the fantastic. A way to experience many new worlds without leaving home.

I like the 12 kingdoms because Youko and the others have tremendous negative to positive growth arcs. Same with Rising of the Shield Hero. I still think someone in that show is a hidden princess. :P

Isekai is perfect for:

• MC growth b/c they have to learn how that foreign world works
• Fits most genres.
• A sense of the unknown (setting) vs the main character (familiar.)

A way to escape the here and now of our world. A realm of knights and grace. Space and its many frontiers. If only to escape the worries of the day. For just a moment. A way to find the good and true when "reality" says there's nothing but gray.

Bullshit. Even with what happened today, I'm not alone. Mom has my cat, may that little shit chase all the fun she can in heaven, wrapped up so I can get her paw print tomorrow. So I wont forget her.

Sometimes social media can make you feel like your are alone with your thoughts or convictions. But you aren't. It can also bring people together. So you can find like minded readers and writers that want to promote the goodness and optimism of the world. Many Isekai stories have this element. Finding the goodness within and sharing it with friends. Bravery, Compassion, Brotherhood, sisterhood, families against the world. You think this doesn't exist based on how the Modern Manifesto works but that's not true.

PulpRev and others are bringing it back.

Good people are bringing back light to the entertainment world. Its just not coming from Hollowwood.

Even though it hurts to look at it right now, I'm gonna keep her pet bed next to the window, cause she loved to curl up in it and sleep the day away in the sunlight.

It hurts loosing people.
It hurts loosing beloved pets. 
It hurts loosing many things but as long as we remember them, a legacy will live on.

In a way, that's why It hurts lots of people to leave Dead Brand X behind instead of finding new things to enjoy. They probably feel like they are betraying money, time and memory but if you fight the pull of darker things, rebirth can happen.

It's going to take a while but Ill get another kitty. And name them Darkclaw or Khariah after another beloved franchise. Cause awesome pets need awesome names.

Kaiju Adventures

Watching some Ultraman episodes here:

Got me thinking about the equivalent in book land.

Because right now, besides some bursts of fuck off race war 2.0, lets see what's out there with something more fun and not plagued with The Wokeness.

It might take a while but I am eventually going to dip my feet into this genre. (Want to get the Ultraman Steelbooks for X-mas.)

• Nemisis Saga
• Write Like Hell: Kaiju
• In the Shadow of Extinction  

Ill keep it to these for now. I have to find out what I want from Kaiju themed books. Strait up action? Cosmic bent? Godzilla type setup? At least my 2nd job will start this August. Ill have more book money by then.  

Space Doggos: Must find them all!

A Collection of Doggo related Funtimes.

This area is very underfed. But potential growth is great!

Sci Fi Doggos:

The top contenders!

• Last Dynasty Guardians Advancing Peril 

It has a space doggo that also talks. Plus filled with nice art/ships/planets and an overall interesting space operatic setting/lore.

• Aristillus

Uplifted Doggos! On the Moon! YUUUUUUUS!

• Woof! 

Uplifted Doggo RPG. Don't know if It will get funded in time but Ill still put it up anyway.

•  XK-9 

Uplifted K-9 units with their police partners. Sci fi meets Police Mystery.

I wish there was more sci fi with intelligent doggos in it but alas, this is what I found so far. Ill have to look back through my media feed for some of the other stuff I found...I know I saw one other series that had dogs with a primary role. Ill update this as I go back through or if I find more things to enjoy.

Looked back though my own blog too:

• Wings of Steele 

 More of a Space Opera Meets K-9 Cop angle. I can deal with that. Must have all the doggos. 

• K-9 Corps 

Anything that has humanity's best friend going on space adventures gets my vote.

And finally: Romance

Most of these will have tropes from other genres but they are primary romance. So here we are, girl brain power activate. Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuun. :P

• Alien  aka Katt Series (Has some sci fi elements with a smattering of superhero references. MiB I/II/III references) But I wont lie about the primary of this list.
• Parasol Protectorate (with some steampunk toppings meets paranormal romance.) 
• Tales of Kolmar (with some fantasy aspects.)
• Symphony of the Ages (with some High Fantasy Aspects)
• GreenRider 
• FireKeeper Saga
• Chronicles of Elantra 

Those are my big ones. I'll go a questing on the kindle later to find more of them but for now, considering my back and forth with my favorite kind of drink today, ill leave the database adding like this for now.

Cyberpunk

Some of this overlaps with some other flavors but its also a genre that needs more love. I am filled with bookmas. Let's see how much saturation Ill fight today to find the goods. I know the granddads of Cyberpunk are well known. Ill probably leave that for the End. Most of the stuff I try to find: Bladerunner Inspired, Ghost in the Shell Inspired, Snowclash ect.

• Babylon Blues
• Liquid Cool
• Neon Horizon 

They need to make a separate set for shadow run inspired stuff. Cause that's pretty much mashing Traditional Fantasy Elements into Cyberpunk. Closer to Urban Fantasy in a way.

• Soul Jacker
• Red Nexus 
• SwitchBlade
• Brutale 
• Optional Retirement Plan
• Inspector T. Sullivan 
• Noirwave
• EasyTown

Military with Cyberpunk Aspects:

• Sol Arbiter 
• Fixer 
• Janus Group 

Because I want to Include it:

• Appleseed 

Shadowrun Types (IE Has Dragons, Elves, Witches other Fantasy elements married onto the setting.)

• Cyber Witch
• Slab City Blues 

Ill be a stubborn lady and find more stuff. Ill even insert some of my favorites at a later point.

• Neon Harvest
• Soda Pop Soldier  

Steampunk! Let's get this rolling shall we?

This is a newer genre to me so Ill keep going back and forth to add books here as well:

• The Adventures of Baron Von Monocle
• City of Mists /// Age of Aether 
• Capes and Clockwork
• Clockmaker
• Warlord of the Air 
• The Cinder Spires 

I love making these things. Sure, its adding to "More to Read list" but oh well. That happens. I'll do my best to find things that are buried or fit the genre as best as it can. Steampunk has almost as much paranormal romance bs as my superhero tags. It's rather annoying at times to sift through. So much writers trying to out do one another with tag hopping.


Military with a Steampunk Twist:

• Clockwerk Thriller
• Guns Above
• From Mist and Steam 

Let's see, random word search ahoy!

• Steampunk Adventures 
• In Plain Sight (More Fantasy then Steampunk though.) But since Monster Hunter Larry put in his 2 cents, I figured it might be worth a shot. But really this feels more like Urban Fantasy with some Steampunk Trimmings.
• Firebird Mystery its for younger readers though but seems to hit the various basics of the genre.
• Spider in the Eye
• King's Regret 
• Faster then Falling (YA vibe but its not polluted with UF/PR)

I know this isn't the longest list yet. I have to get better at putting in keywords related to the tropes of this genre. I want to make sure its as steampunk as possible. Not Primary Urban Fantasy with some slight Steampunk trappings. Or Paranormal Romance Primary. Which is what the Parasol Protectorate is. It has much steam punk elements but its primary romance.  I've gone through 300+ pages. Much of it Not Steampunk even though that was part of the keyword I used.

PS: Bless Silver Empire publishing. They are the best.

https://silverempire.org/product-category/books/steampunk/

It's crazy how I only found one of their books when searching "steampunk." Then I tried SP Saga, SP Mystery, SP Heroes, SP Series....most of it was UF or PR. Again, I'll do my best to find stuff that is more in line with what one would expect with Telsa or Steampunk Inspired stories. Ill even take Victorian inspired stuff, provided it isnt a Primary Romance with basic lipservice.

• The Sublime Electricity 

This is YA nowadays?

Just look at this thing:

• #2323 in Coming of Age Fantasy eBooks
• #2383 in Dark Fantasy Horror
• #2437 in Coming of Age Fantasy 

HOPE HAS A PRICE

Nick Prasad has always enjoyed a quiet life in the shadow of his best friend, child prodigy and technological genius Joanna ‘Johnny’ Chambers. But all that is about to end.

When Johnny invents a clean reactor that could eliminate fossil fuels and change the world, she awakens primal, evil Ancient Ones set on subjugating humanity.

From the oldest library in the world to the ruins of Nineveh, hunted at every turn, they will need to trust each other completely to survive…

So the big bad is awakened because "OMG guys, no more dino bones to run energy." Yea, this will totally be free of some sort of political message. Not.

Yea, I think for my niece and nephews, there's much better choices like:

• Narnia 
• Where the Red Fern Grows 
• Redwall 
• Boxcart Children 
• Chronicles of Pydain
• The Hardy Boys
• Nancy Drew 
• The Space Trilogy 

Ill eventually get them up to other classics but for now these are ones I remember my parents reading to me as a kid. Until I got better at it myself. 

Indie Projects

Might has well have a spot to keep an eye out on these guys too. I mostly get pulled in by supers and space opera but there will be other things here as well.

• Grayscale 
• Trekker Complete Vol 1 
• Humanoids ( Its new to me ok. :P) MetalBarons looks esp space opera and pulpy.
• Starblades
• Napalm Brothers 
• Mari Sue
• Punchline 
• Flying Sparks 
• Alterna Comics 
• Valhalla Awaits 
• Kamen America 
• BattleBrick Road 

This is only some from the excel spread sheet so far.
Wonder how many of these will be mini series or bigger runs: 12-24 issues.

Either way most times if its space opera, it has a big chance of hitting my radar.

Other Indies Caught in the Net: *Comics and Books, stuff to keep an eye on.

Misha Burnett -This man needs more coffee. Has lots of interesting stories. Very Pulpy.
Pointman Comics
Lou Antonelli

Still lets see what other projects are out there:

• Witch's March (Alt WW1/2 setting)
• Offworlder