#ants comparison

[mythcreantsblog]

Who Wins: Legends and Lattes, Irregular Witches, or The Spellshop?

It’s a battle, but a cozy one.

The cozy fantasy novel has become quite popular in the last few years, bringing joy and comfort to many while also possibly ruining literature forever, depending on which moral panic you subscribe to. As the name implies, these stories eschew high-stakes battles in favor of good food, relaxing environs, and loving relationships.

In other words, wish fulfillment is the name of the game. But how that wish fulfillment is delivered matters a lot. Are the secluded cabins immersive enough that readers can imagine themselves there? Does the lack of exciting fight scenes mean readers will get bored before the wish fulfillment can even take hold? For that, we must turn to the story’s ANTS!

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Who Wins: Godkiller, The Warm Hands of Ghosts, or Road to Ruin?

Travel connects all genres.

When it comes to ANTS articles, I like to have a theme. Sometimes it’s genre, like urban fantasy shows or horror movies. Other times, I like to think about messaging or see how the works of a single author compare to each other. 

Today, my theme was apparently “stories where the protagonist must travel to reach the adventure but which otherwise have little in common.” Weirdly specific, but here we are. Will our winner be the classic high fantasy piece about gods being more trouble than they’re worth, the contemplative meditation on trench warfare, or the high-octane tale of postapocalyptic magical motorcycles? 

[mythcreantsblog]

Who Wins: Witches of East End, The Order, or Sanctuary?

Double, double toil and so on.

Witches: they’re always living among us. You think you’re safe, and then BOOM, you get turned into a toad because you cut off an old lady in traffic. At least, that’s the impression these urban fantasy TV shows give. Each of them is about magical practitioners who use spells and potions, even if the title “witch” is optional. They’re extremely diverse, with settings that range from a wealthy town in New England to a wealthy town in… Old England. Also a wealthy college campus. 

The point is, if you can get past the WASPiness of it all, each of these tales has different strengths and weaknesses. How will that affect the ANTS rating for their first seasons? There’s only one way to find out!

[mythcreantsblog]

Who Wins: A Memory Called Empire, Legendborn, or Babel?

Empire and its legacy are the order of the day.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s impossible to find three different novels that are about resisting oppression while the protagonist spends time at an institution built by the oppressors and has to struggle with the fact that they kinda like it, right? Oh ye of little faith. 

While these three books are very different, they explore similar concepts. Whether it’s keeping your station from being annexed, fighting a racist secret society, or stopping an invasion of your homeland, these are all stories about fighting back against systemic power. Naturally, each of them will now be judged on its ANTS. 

[mythcreantsblog]

Who Wins: Romulus, 28 Years Later, or Weapons?

Tonight, the spooky ANTS roam!

Halloween may be past, but the nights are still long, and Christmas was once a holiday for ghost stories, so it’s still a great time to do an ANTS comparison on three recent horror movies. Never mind that Christmas is also past by the time you’re reading this – I’m trying to establish some atmosphere here! 

Ahem. Two of these spooky films are new entries seeking to right the ship of their flagging franchises, while the third is that nearly mythical creature: a movie that’s not a sequel, reboot, or adaptation. Are we even allowed to have those anymore? I’m tempted to declare that one the winner right now and call it a day. But I must remain impartial. A film being original does not automatically make it good, even if I’m cheering for its box office success. 

[mythcreantsblog]

Who Wins: Tales From the Loop, The Electric State, or The Labyrinth?

Stålenhag vs Stålenhag vs Stålenhag!

Ever wanted a scifi apocalypse that feels supernaturally weird and unsettlingly close to home at the same time? Well, I’ve got the author for you. Today we’re taking the works of graphic novelist Simon Stålenhag – Tales From the Loop, The Electric State, and The Labyrinth – and pitting them against each other in an ANTS smackdown. From cartoon-faced robots lurching through your backyard to alien terraforming that outmodes “backyards” altogether, who comes out on top?

[mythcreantsblog]

Which Book of The Final Architecture Is The Best?

In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only Tchaikovsky.

It’s not often that I have the time to read past the first book in a series these days. There’s so much out there to cover, and since a lot of people don’t make it past the first book anyway, the later entries are less useful for examples. Nevertheless, I yearn for the kind of long-form storytelling that’s only possible when an author has multiple books to work with, so I set my sights on Adrian Tchaikovsky’s epic space opera trilogy: The Final Architecture.

Many hours later, it was clear I needed to rank these books on their ANTS, as I am wont to do. It’s fascinating to see how the trilogy changes over time, improving in some areas while slipping in others, and now we can go on that journey together.

[mythcreantsblog]

Which Show Has the Best Season Two: Andor, Severance, or Interview With the Vampire?

Dark Shows 2: This Time It's Personal.

I was there, Gandalf. I was there 3,000 years ago, when Mythcreants compared the ANTS from the first seasons of three dark streaming shows. Which means just enough time has passed for all three of them to finally get a second season! Obviously I’ve got to check back in and see how well they compare. How do their scores in attachment, novelty, tension, and satisfaction fare now? There’s no way I’ll be disappointed because a show I loved now has a lackluster sequel, right?