Mike's bookshelf: all

Mike's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 24 Apr 2025 06:19:55 -0700 60 Mike's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Dragonsteel 5968736
"A University scholar project" -- Brigham Young University.

Two copies exist, classmark: PZ 4 .S2473 D73 2001]]> 204 Brandon Sanderson Mike 0 fantasy, put-down-for-now 3.86 2001 Dragonsteel

author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Mike
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: fantasy, put-down-for-now
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Crystal Cave (Arthurian Saga, #1)]]> 82192 494 Mary Stewart 0060548258 Mike 0 to-read, fantasy 4.14 1970

author: Mary Stewart
name: Mike
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1970
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sordaneon (The Triempery Revelations, #1)]]> 58595005
To reawaken the Rill and save their world, its ruler Marc Frederick must find a way to win over Dorilian Sordaneon, the last scion of the divine house that once controlled the Rill. Unfortunately, Dorilian hates him. And his family. And�� everything.]]> 540 L.L. Stephens 1951293401 Mike 0 to-read 4.54 Sordaneon (The Triempery Revelations, #1)

Sordaneon (The Triempery Revelations, #1)

author: L.L. Stephens
name: Mike
average rating: 4.54
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1) 212900322 Now experience where the hit movie from Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon-ho, starring Robert Pattinson, started in Mickey7 (the inspiration for the film Mickey 17).

Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living.

Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.

On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein.

Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.

That is, if he can just keep from dying for good.]]> 320 Edward Ashton 1250385407 Mike 4 science-fiction, reviewed 3.73 2022 Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1)

author: Edward Ashton
name: Mike
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: science-fiction, reviewed
review:
This was a very fun read. The voice of Mickey7 was engaging and an easy doorway into this far future universe. Interspersed with he events of the book are flashbacks and short passages about the history of this universe. We learn about why Mickey7 is on a frozen planet with a beachhead colony, why having a multiple is viewed as such an abomination, and the context the action takes place in. The story itself is pretty straight forward (avoid getting recycled! also: save the colony!), populated by fun characters, and little in the way of wasted space. I eagerly await the next book from the library!
]]> <![CDATA[Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1)]]> 42036538
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.]]> 448 Tamsyn Muir 1250313198 Mike 4
The word building did seem a bit thin throughout, though. I had difficulty conceptualizing this fantastical interstellar necromantic empire, I got very little sense of the universe outside throughout the story even though characters hailed from all of the major "Houses" of society. But the story and character work picked up the slack and delivered a very (eventually) engaging read.]]> 4.19 2019 Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1)

author: Tamsyn Muir
name: Mike
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, reviewed
review:
So initially I was not enjoying this book. I found the character/voice of Gideon as rather grating: edgy and vulgar for the sake of being edgy and vulgar. She had a lousy relationship with the only other significant character (Harrow) and I was very tempted to drop it after a few chapters. However, once Gideon and Harrow make it to the main plot line and we get a ton more characters and better interactions did the book pick up. I probably liked some of the secondary characters more than the moan ones, to be honest. But both Harrow and Gideon had some excellent character development throughout to the point where I will likely pick up the sequel at some point.

The word building did seem a bit thin throughout, though. I had difficulty conceptualizing this fantastical interstellar necromantic empire, I got very little sense of the universe outside throughout the story even though characters hailed from all of the major "Houses" of society. But the story and character work picked up the slack and delivered a very (eventually) engaging read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1)]]> 150247395
Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears--quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.

Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.]]> 410 Robert Jackson Bennett 1984820702 Mike 0 to-read, fantasy, mystery 4.28 2024 The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1)

The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1)

author: Robert Jackson Bennett
name: Mike
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read, fantasy, mystery
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2)]]> 9754945 Set in a brilliantly realized world ravaged by dark, uncontrollable magic, this thrilling novel of war, intrigue and betrayal confirms Steven Eirkson as a storyteller of breathtaking skill, imagination and originality--a new master of epic fantasy.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 868 Steven Erikson Mike 4
That is simply not enough time to properly appreciate this book. Much like its predecessor, Gardens of the Moon, this book is quite dense with many characters, plots, agendas, and history swirling about. It is easy to lose a thread or theme if it is broken up into too many reading sessions.

So this book picks up where Gardens of the Moon left off, chronologically speaking. However, apart from three or four characters from Gardens, this book has a whole new cast of characters and journeys to new parts of the world. It begins with many plot lines which eventually converge into a damn impressive denouement. Erikson isn't afraid to kill off characters and you never know what weird thing he will throw at you next.

One theme that was very prevalent throughout this book, much more so than in Gardens, was just how small and inconsequential humans are compared tot he myriad of magical creatures and gods/ascendants Erikson populated this world with:

He let out a slow breathe, only now realizing he was laying on an ant's nest and its inhabitants were telling him to leave in no uncertain terms. I lie with the weight of a god on their world, and the ants don't like it. We're so much more alike than most would think

Strands of snagged spiderwebs made a stretched, glittering pattern over the toes. He found it unaccountably beautiful. Gossamer webs... intricate traps. Yet it was my thoughtless passage that left the night's work undone. Will the spiders go hungry this day because of it?

It is quite clear that humans and other mortal beings exist at the pleasure of these more powerful beings. Thankfully they rarely directly meddle in mortal affairs, there is often more important things for them to occupy their time with. However, there is a risk of that changing.

It was one thing to assassinate Laseen [current empress] - that was, in the end, a mortal affair. Gods ruling a Mortal Empire, on the other hand, would draw other Ascendants and in such a contest entire civilizations would be destroyed.

As I stated in a previous update, when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. "A god walking mortal earth trails blood."

Another major theme of this book was the bare, naked, inhumanity of war. One of the main plot lines follows an army and the refugees it is protecting across countless leagues to safety. Deprivations are endured, fighting is desperate, everyone's humanity is pushed to the breaking point, and suffering it quite widespread as the army and refugees are slowly worn down by the travel and armies constantly harassing them.

"Children are Dying."
Lull nodded. "That's a succinct summary of humankind, I'd say. Who needs tomes of history? Children are dying. the injustices of the world hide in those three words."

And war is not glorified either. There is shit, blood, and urine everywhere. People die quickly and slowly, savagely and by sheer exhaustion. Hope, for all intents and purposes, is taking a very long lunch break for most of this book. "Some warriors ready themselves to live, some ready themselves to die, and in these hours before fate unfolds, its damn hard to tell one from the other."

Of course, this isn't to say there were not humorous aspects every so often. Jokes here and there, fun character repartee, and my favorite character Iskaral Pust, erstwhile High Priest of Shadows who had no inner monologue and constantly schemed behind everyone's backs/outloud right in front of them. Just some of his gems:

"I am reminded of my own melodramatic gestures when I but toddled about in Aunt Tulla's yard. Bullying the chickens when they objected tot he straw hats I had spent hours weaving. Incapable of appreciating the intricate plaits I devised. I was deeply offended."

"Things are coming up behind us. Things! How much clearer can I be?"

[Said out loud]"He believes me, I can see it in his face. The soft-brained dolt! Who is a match for Iskaral Pust? No one! I must remain quietly triumphant, so very quietly."

Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2)

author: Steven Erikson
name: Mike
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2014/06/12
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: fantasy, fantasy-sword-and-sorcery, epics, reviewed, currently-reading
review:
I feel as though I did this book a disservice. I typically have several books going at a given time. This one I had slotted in my lunch reading so I would read it in 40 minute chunks.

That is simply not enough time to properly appreciate this book. Much like its predecessor, Gardens of the Moon, this book is quite dense with many characters, plots, agendas, and history swirling about. It is easy to lose a thread or theme if it is broken up into too many reading sessions.

So this book picks up where Gardens of the Moon left off, chronologically speaking. However, apart from three or four characters from Gardens, this book has a whole new cast of characters and journeys to new parts of the world. It begins with many plot lines which eventually converge into a damn impressive denouement. Erikson isn't afraid to kill off characters and you never know what weird thing he will throw at you next.

One theme that was very prevalent throughout this book, much more so than in Gardens, was just how small and inconsequential humans are compared tot he myriad of magical creatures and gods/ascendants Erikson populated this world with:

He let out a slow breathe, only now realizing he was laying on an ant's nest and its inhabitants were telling him to leave in no uncertain terms. I lie with the weight of a god on their world, and the ants don't like it. We're so much more alike than most would think

Strands of snagged spiderwebs made a stretched, glittering pattern over the toes. He found it unaccountably beautiful. Gossamer webs... intricate traps. Yet it was my thoughtless passage that left the night's work undone. Will the spiders go hungry this day because of it?

It was one thing to assassinate Laseen [current empress] - that was, in the end, a mortal affair. Gods ruling a Mortal Empire, on the other hand, would draw other Ascendants and in such a contest entire civilizations would be destroyed.

"Children are Dying."
Lull nodded. "That's a succinct summary of humankind, I'd say. Who needs tomes of history? Children are dying. the injustices of the world hide in those three words."

"I am reminded of my own melodramatic gestures when I but toddled about in Aunt Tulla's yard. Bullying the chickens when they objected tot he straw hats I had spent hours weaving. Incapable of appreciating the intricate plaits I devised. I was deeply offended."

"Things are coming up behind us. Things! How much clearer can I be?"

[Said out loud]"He believes me, I can see it in his face. The soft-brained dolt! Who is a match for Iskaral Pust? No one! I must remain quietly triumphant, so very quietly."

Is he really as crazy and feckless as he appears? Maybe, maybe not. Things are rarely what they appear to be this world.

As far as the story goes, it is a bit divergent from the plot thrust of the first book. I sort of imagine this being book 2a and the next being book 2b as it takes place during the same time span as this one but continues the main plot path of the first book. I really enjoyed how Erikson wove all the plot paths together in this book as well as showing up more of the wild, strange, and deadly world he has created. the new characters, while taking some time to get a hold of, were great and felt fully alive. Erikson did a splendid job in each character their own motivations and agendas, making their behavior feel quite natural and unforced. He truly takes the term epic fantasy to heart as there are so many seeds and possibilities for events to unfold from. I was very pleased with this book and look forward to the rest of the series.
]]> Blindsight (Firefall, #1) 48484 Two months since the stars fell...

Two months since sixty-five thousand alien objects clenched around the Earth like a luminous fist, screaming to the heavens as the atmosphere burned them to ash. Two months since that moment of brief, bright surveillance by agents unknown.

Two months of silence while a world holds its breath.

Now some half-derelict space probe, sparking fitfully past Neptune’s orbit, hears a whisper from the edge of the solar system: a faint signal sweeping the cosmos like a lighthouse beam. Whatever’s out there isn’t talking to us. It’s talking to some distant star, perhaps. Or perhaps to something closer, something en route.

So who do you send to force introductions on an intelligence with motives unknown, maybe unknowable? Who do you send to meet the alien when the alien doesn’t want to meet?

You send a linguist with multiple personalities, her brain surgically partitioned into separate, sentient processing cores. You send a biologist so radically interfaced with machinery that he sees X-rays and tastes ultrasound, so compromised by grafts and splices he no longer feels his own flesh. You send a pacifist warrior in the faint hope she won’t be needed, and a fainter hope she’ll do any good if she is needed. You send a monster to command them all, an extinct hominid predator once called “vampire,�� recalled from the grave with the voodoo of recombinant genetics and the blood of sociopaths. And you send a synthesist �� an informational topologist with half his mind gone �� as an interface between here and there, a conduit through which the Dead Center might hope to understand the Bleeding Edge.

You send them all to the edge of interstellar space, praying you can trust such freaks and retrofits with the fate of a world. You fear they may be more alien than the thing they’ve been sent to find.

But you’d give anything for that to be true, if you only knew what was waiting for them…]]> 384 Peter Watts 0765312182 Mike 3 4.01 2006 Blindsight (Firefall, #1)

author: Peter Watts
name: Mike
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: here-be-aliens, science-fiction, reviewed
review:
Overall a disappointing read. While the book explores a lot of interesting concepts (self, identity, humanity, etc) it felt as though the story suffered for it. The characters were interesting as was the idea of the book, but for whatever reason the story felt slow, clunky. The ending a bit rushed, jumbled, and inconclusive. There was not enough of a pay off for the amount of time I put into the book.
]]> The Man Who Saw Seconds 192631651 "10 for 2024" Year-End Best Books List
CIBA Mark Twain grand prize winner for best satire of 2024
2025 Locus Award Shortlist (award TBD)
Foreword Reviews "best thriller of 2024" finalist (award TBD)

Preble Jefferson can see five seconds into the future.

Otherwise, he lives an ordinary life. But when a confrontation with a cop on a New York City subway goes tragically wrong, those seconds give Preble the chance to dodge a bullet--causing another man to die in his place. Government agencies become aware of Preble's gift, a manhunt ensues, and their ambitions shift from law enforcement to military R&D. Preble will do whatever it takes to protect his family, but as events spiral out of control, he must weigh the cost of his gift against the loss of his humanity.

A breathless thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page, The Man Who Saw Seconds explores the nature of time, the brain as a prediction machine, and the tension between the individual and the systems we create. Alexander Boldizar provides an adrenaline-pumping read that will leave you contemplating love, fear and the abyss.

“The Man Who Saw Seconds is one of the more audacious and emotionally brutal thrillers I’ve ever read…You wouldn’t think a few seconds of precognition would be that formidable a power, but the author makes a compelling case for how someone could pretty much take over and/or destroy the world if they leveraged the skill properly. The protagonist just wants to live in peace with his family, but that world won’t allow it. This one hit me hard in the dadfeels.��
—Tim Pratt, Hugo-award winning author, "10 for 2024"]]> 325 Alexander Boldizar 1960988077 Mike 0 3.83 2024 The Man Who Saw Seconds

author: Alexander Boldizar
name: Mike
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read, science-fiction, thriller
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)]]> 8134944
For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze.

However, it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand...

Conceived and written on a panoramic scale, Gardens of the Moon is epic fantasy of the highest order--an enthralling adventure by an outstanding new voice.]]> 499 Steven Erikson Mike 5
The first thing that struck me was how much I had both forgotten about this book and what plot beats I still recalled. I had a much better understanding of the world this time through and that helped me sort out all the relationships and agendas that were at play. The first time I read this book I was very much in the dark about a lot of why things were they way they were. Subsequent books filled out bogger picture but having that picture this time through helped out a lot. I also noticed more seeds planted that will grow into much bigger plot arcs.

I had also forgotten how delightful Kruppe was; I have encountered few characters as delightfully obtuse yet frightfully cunning as poor, put upon Kruppe.

All in all I am happy with my decision to dive back in. I will be taking time between books to read other stuff but I am looking forward to retreading the Malazan path. Who knows, maybe this time I won't be as disappointed with how the series concludes.

~~~~
Original review

Well, looks like I have stumbled into a new epic fantasy series to eat up my time. At least this one is finished so I won't have to spend agonizing years for the next installment (cough::George R. R. Martin::cough).

Anyhoo, I found Gardens of the Moon to be a highly engaging book. It took me a little bit of time to ease into the flow of the book, figure out what the general layout of the world was, its myths, its history, its magic, getting character relationships set. This book doesn't hold your hand with vast texts of exposition, it reveals its world to the reader incrementally in a rather natural way. It isn't the most accessible book in that way, but the investment of time and energy is well worth it. It has got something for every body: intrigue, betrayal, great set battle scenes, mysterious magic users, clashing empires, gods manipulating mortals. The beauty of this book is that it integrates all these fantasy tropes into an excellent and engaging narrative.

So, GotM (I'm sure that abbreviation will catch on like wildfire)reminded me a lot of A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones for you HBO watchers out there). It told its story from multiple POVs that, at least in the beginning, had no connection with each other. As the story unfolded these various plot lines were masterfully woven together and united in the climax of the book (which was fantastic). I thought Erikson did a great job breathing life into the characters and really dug deep into what motivated them and how they reacted, internally, to the challenges they faced. Plot drove character development just as the evolving characters drove the plot.

In the end I was left with a great story, populated by characters I cared about, and plenty of fertile ground for subsequent stories to grow in. I eagerly look forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing how the world brought forth in GotM develops.]]> 4.05 1999 Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)

Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)

author: Steven Erikson
name: Mike
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: fantasy, epics, fantasy-sword-and-sorcery, reviewed
review:
After five years I have decided to dive back into Malazan to both enjoy the series again and to see how different the experience is with foreknowledge of the series.

The first thing that struck me was how much I had both forgotten about this book and what plot beats I still recalled. I had a much better understanding of the world this time through and that helped me sort out all the relationships and agendas that were at play. The first time I read this book I was very much in the dark about a lot of why things were they way they were. Subsequent books filled out bogger picture but having that picture this time through helped out a lot. I also noticed more seeds planted that will grow into much bigger plot arcs.

I had also forgotten how delightful Kruppe was; I have encountered few characters as delightfully obtuse yet frightfully cunning as poor, put upon Kruppe.

All in all I am happy with my decision to dive back in. I will be taking time between books to read other stuff but I am looking forward to retreading the Malazan path. Who knows, maybe this time I won't be as disappointed with how the series concludes.

~~~~
Original review

Well, looks like I have stumbled into a new epic fantasy series to eat up my time. At least this one is finished so I won't have to spend agonizing years for the next installment (cough::George R. R. Martin::cough).

Anyhoo, I found Gardens of the Moon to be a highly engaging book. It took me a little bit of time to ease into the flow of the book, figure out what the general layout of the world was, its myths, its history, its magic, getting character relationships set. This book doesn't hold your hand with vast texts of exposition, it reveals its world to the reader incrementally in a rather natural way. It isn't the most accessible book in that way, but the investment of time and energy is well worth it. It has got something for every body: intrigue, betrayal, great set battle scenes, mysterious magic users, clashing empires, gods manipulating mortals. The beauty of this book is that it integrates all these fantasy tropes into an excellent and engaging narrative.

So, GotM (I'm sure that abbreviation will catch on like wildfire)reminded me a lot of A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones for you HBO watchers out there). It told its story from multiple POVs that, at least in the beginning, had no connection with each other. As the story unfolded these various plot lines were masterfully woven together and united in the climax of the book (which was fantastic). I thought Erikson did a great job breathing life into the characters and really dug deep into what motivated them and how they reacted, internally, to the challenges they faced. Plot drove character development just as the evolving characters drove the plot.

In the end I was left with a great story, populated by characters I cared about, and plenty of fertile ground for subsequent stories to grow in. I eagerly look forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing how the world brought forth in GotM develops.
]]> <![CDATA[Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire, #1)]]> 32669692
Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever.

Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer; Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom; and Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over. The time of rebellion has begun.]]> 432 Michael J. Sullivan 1101965355 Mike 0 to-read 4.16 2016 Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire, #1)

Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire, #1)

author: Michael J. Sullivan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dragonfired (The Dark Profit Saga, #3)]]> 42921438
Dragonfired will be the epic conclusion to The Dark Profit Saga.]]> J. Zachary Pike Mike 5 fantasy, rtc 4.39 2023

author: J. Zachary Pike
name: Mike
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: fantasy, rtc
review:
Full series review to come. It was fantastic and I highly recommend it to folks looking to scratch that weird high fantasy/high finance satire itch.
]]> <![CDATA[Son of a Liche (The Dark Profit Saga, #2)]]> 39977753
Still bruised and heartbroken from their last calamitous quest, Gorm Ingerson and his band of washed-up heroes try to make amends for the Orcs they accidentally betrayed. But justice is put on hold when an old foe marches to the city gates. Gorm is horrified to discover a liche pitching the frightened city-dwellers on the merits of the undead lifestyle�� at the head of a corpse army.

To save the city from high-pressure sales tactics and an inevitable siege, the Dwarf warrior and his misfit band hatch a harebrained scheme that lands them at the top of the king’s kill list. With death and dark magic on his heels, Gorm must craft his own pitch to round up the troops and put the undead snake-oil salesman and his army of pushers permanently out of business.]]> 618 J. Zachary Pike 0990859657 Mike 4 fantasy, rtc 4.40 2018 Son of a Liche (The Dark Profit Saga, #2)

Son of a Liche (The Dark Profit Saga, #2)

author: J. Zachary Pike
name: Mike
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: fantasy, rtc
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Orconomics (The Dark Profit Saga, #1)]]> 23582030
Making a Killing in Professional Heroics

The adventuring industry drives the economy of Arth, a world much like our own but with more magic and fewer vowels. Monsters�� hoards are claimed, bought by corporate interests, and sold off to plunder funds long before the beasts are slain. Once the contracts and paperwork are settled, the Heroes�� Guild issues a quest to kill the monster and bring back its treasure for disbursement to shareholders.

Life in The Shadows

Of course, while professional heroics has been a great boon for Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and all the other peoples of light, it's a terrible arrangement for the Shadowkin. Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds, and their ilk must apply for to become Noncombatant Paper Carriers (or NPCs) to avoid being killed and looted by guild heroes. Even after getting their papers, NPCs are treated as second class citizens, driven into the margins of society.

An Insane Quest

Gorm Ingerson, a Dwarven ex-hero with a checkered past, has no idea what he's getting himself into when he stands up for an undocumented Goblin. His act of kindness starts a series of events that ends with Gorm recruited by a prophet of the mad goddess Al'Matra to fulfill a prophecy so crazy that even the Al'Matran temple doesn't believe it.

Money, Magic, and Mayhem

But there’s more to Gorm’s new job than an insane prophecy: powerful corporations and governments, usually indifferent to the affairs of the derelict Al’Matran temple, have shown an unusual interest in the quest. If his party of eccentric misfits can stop fighting each other long enough to recover the Elven Marbles, Gorm might be able to turn a bad deal into a golden opportunity and win back the fame and fortune he lost so long ago.]]> 364 J. Zachary Pike 0990859614 Mike 4 4.37 2014 Orconomics (The Dark Profit Saga, #1)

author: J. Zachary Pike
name: Mike
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: fantasy-sword-and-sorcery, fantasy, rtc
review:
Review to come, possible just for the whole series
]]> <![CDATA[The Tyranny of Faith (Empire of the Wolf, #2)]]> 60028919 From a major new debut author in epic fantasy comes the second book in a trilogy where action, intrigue, and magic collide. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is an Emperor's Justice: a detective, judge, and executioner all in one. But these are dangerous times to be a Justice....

A Justice's work is never done.

The Battle of Galen's Vale is over, but the war for the Empire's future has just begun. Concerned by rumors that the Magistratum's authority is waning, Sir Konrad Vonvalt returns to Sova to find the capital city gripped by intrigue and whispers of rebellion. In the Senate, patricians speak openly against the Emperor, while fanatics preach holy vengeance on the streets.

Yet facing down these threats to the throne will have to wait, for the Emperor's grandson has been kidnapped - and Vonvalt is charged with rescuing the missing prince. His quest will lead him - and his allies Helena, Bressinger and Sir Radomir - to the southern frontier, where they will once again face the puritanical fury of Bartholomew Claver and his templar knights - and a dark power far more terrifying than they could have imagined.

"Richard Swan's sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more." - Sebastien de Castell on The Justice of Kings

"A fantastic debut." - Peter McLean on The Justice of Kings

Also by Richard Swan:

The Empire of the Wolf
The Justice of Kings
The Tyranny of Faith]]> 496 Richard Swan Mike 4 fantasy, rtc 4.27 2023 The Tyranny of Faith (Empire of the Wolf, #2)

The Tyranny of Faith (Empire of the Wolf, #2)

author: Richard Swan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: fantasy, rtc
review:
Full review of the series to come.
]]> <![CDATA[The Trials of Empire (Empire of the Wolf #3)]]> 173494445
THE TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS AT HAND

The Empire of the Wolf is on its knees, but there's life in the great beast yet.

To save it, Sir Konrad Vonvalt and Helena must look beyond its borders for allies - to the wolfmen of the southern plains, and the pagan clans in the north. But old grievances run deep, and both factions would benefit from the fall of Sova.

Even these allies might not be enough. Their enemy, the zealot Bartholomew Claver, wields infernal powers bestowed on him by a mysterious demonic patron. If Vonvalt and Helena are to stand against him, they will need friends on both sides of the mortal plane—but such allegiances carry a heavy price.

As the battlelines are drawn in both Sova and the afterlife, the final reckoning draws close. Here, at the beating heart of the Empire, the two-headed wolf will be reborn in a blaze of justice . . . or crushed beneath the shadow of tyranny.]]> 541 Richard Swan 0316362212 Mike 0 4.26 2024 The Trials of Empire (Empire of the Wolf #3)

The Trials of Empire (Empire of the Wolf #3)

author: Richard Swan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)]]> 61219635 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250886088.

A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes.

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success—not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.]]> 304 Travis Baldree Mike 4 fantasy, reviewed 4.17 2022 Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)

author: Travis Baldree
name: Mike
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/15
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
Very much a cozy fantasy. Low stakes, fun characters, enjoyable story. A nice read to while away a few hours with a warm beverage.
]]> <![CDATA[Grave Empire (The Great Silence, #1)]]> 214229274 From critically acclaimed author Richard Swan, Grave Empire begins the epic tale of an empire on the verge of industrial revolution, where sorcery and arcane practices are outlawed �� and where an ancient prophecy threatens the coming end of days.

Blood once turned the wheels of empire. Now it is money.

A new age of exploration and innovation has dawned, and the Empire of the Wolf stands to take its place as the foremost power in the known world. Glory and riches await.

But dark days are coming. A mysterious plague has broken out in the pagan kingdoms to the north, while in the south, the Empire’s proxy war in the lands of the wolfmen is weeks away from total collapse.

Worse still is the message brought to the Empress by two heretic monks, who claim to have lost contact with the spirits of the afterlife. The monks believe this is the start of an ancient prophecy heralding the end of days—the Great Silence.

It falls to Renata Rainer, a low-ranking ambassador to an enigmatic and vicious race of mermen, to seek answers from those who still practice the arcane arts. But with the road south beset by war and the Empire on the brink of supernatural catastrophe, soon there may not be a world left to save... ]]> 529 Richard Swan Mike 0 to-read, fantasy 4.16 2025 Grave Empire (The Great Silence, #1)

author: Richard Swan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Breakfast at Tiffany's: A Short Novel and Three Stories]]> 2282 162 Truman Capote 067960085X Mike 3
Breakfast at Tiffany's: I honestly had no idea what this was actually about. The extent of my exposure to this was the image of Audrey Hepburn:

description

And an incredible racist Asian caricature portrayed by Mickey Rooney:

description

Breakfast at Tiffany's: A Short Novel and Three Stories

author: Truman Capote
name: Mike
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1958
rating: 3
read at: 2014/12/31
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: fiction, book-club, classics, reviewed, also-a-movie, literature
review:
So this short little book is a collection of stories by Truman Capote, the flagship and most famous being Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Breakfast at Tiffany's: I honestly had no idea what this was actually about. The extent of my exposure to this was the image of Audrey Hepburn:

description

And an incredible racist Asian caricature portrayed by Mickey Rooney:

description

Thankfully the book did not have a terribly racist caricature (which makes me wonder why the movie had one) and was in fact rather engaging. Told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator, we get caught up in the whirlwind that is Holly Golightly. Characters are sharp, relationships feel, and the plot was surprisingly engaging. Certainly worth checking out, it is a short, quick read that I finished on a plane ride.

House of Flowers: A short little story about a Caribbean prostitute that finds what she thinks is true love with a mountain boy. Great prose but a rather meandering and uninteresting story.

A Diamond Guitar: A somewhat bittersweet take about friendship and betrayal in a southern work prison.

A Christmas Memory: Another bittersweet tale about the love between a young boy and his mental diminished much older aunt. They have a very touching and loving relationship and this story centers around a Christmas tradition of making fruitcakes.

All in all a mixed bag, I enjoyed Breakfast at Tiffany's a lot but felt the other stories just didn't resonate with me. Capote is clearly a very talented writer, just not my cup of tea.
]]> <![CDATA[The Justice of Kings (Empire of the Wolf, #1)]]> 58293284
The Empire of the Wolf simmers with unrest. Rebels, heretics, and powerful patricians all challenge the power of the Imperial throne. Only the Order of Justices stands in the way of chaos. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is the most feared Justice of all, upholding the law by way of his sharp mind, arcane powers, and skill as a swordsman. At his side stands Helena Sedanka, his talented protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the Empire. When the pair investigates the murder of a provincial aristocrat, they unearth a conspiracy that stretches to the very top of Imperial society. As the stakes rise and become ever more personal, Vonvalt and Helena must make a choice: Will they abandon the laws they’ve sworn to uphold, in order to protect the Empire?]]> 496 Richard Swan Mike 4 fantasy, supernatural, rtc Review to come (probably...?) 4.00 2022 The Justice of Kings (Empire of the Wolf, #1)

The Justice of Kings (Empire of the Wolf, #1)

author: Richard Swan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/12
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: fantasy, supernatural, rtc
review:
Review to come (probably...?)
]]> When the Moon Hits Your Eye 211004190
It's a whole new moooooon.

One day soon, suddenly and without explanation, the moon as we know it is replaced with an orb of cheese with the exact same mass. Through the length of an entire lunar cycle, from new moon to a spectacular and possibly final solar eclipse, we follow multiple characters -- schoolkids and scientists, billionaires and workers, preachers and politicians -- as they confront the strange new world they live in, and the absurd, impossible moon that now hangs above all their lives.]]> 326 John Scalzi 0765389096 Mike 0 to-read 3.85 2025 When the Moon Hits Your Eye

author: John Scalzi
name: Mike
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)]]> 203608754 The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive.

Dalinar Kholin has challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions, and the Knights Radiant and the nations of Roshar have a mere 10 days to prepare for the worst. The fate of the entire world—and the Cosmere at large—hangs in the balance.]]> 1330 Brandon Sanderson 125031917X Mike 5
Also: Fuck Moash]]> 4.61 2024 Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)

Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)

author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Mike
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: 6-stars, reviewed, fantasy, epics
review:
Fantastic closing of Stormlight’s first arc. Great character work, fantastic plot twists, and a very satisfying halfway point which changes EVERYTHING in the Cosmere.

Also: Fuck Moash
]]> Mirror Me 209354715
Eddie Asher arrives at Hudson Valley Psychiatric Hospital panicked that he may have murdered his brother’s fiancée, Lucy, with whom he shared a profound kinship. He can’t imagine doing such a terrible thing, but Eddie hasn’t been himself lately.

Eddie’s anxiety is nothing new to Pär, the one Eddie calls his Other, who protects Eddie from truths he’s too sensitive to face. Or so Pär says. Troubled by Pär’s increasing sway over his life, Eddie seeks out Dr. Richard Montgomery, a specialist in dissociative identities. The psychiatrist is Eddie’s best chance for piecing together the puzzle of what really happened to Lucy and to understanding his inexplicable memories of another man’s life. But Montgomery’s methods trigger a kaleidoscope of memories that Pär can’t contain, bringing Eddie closer to an unimaginable truth about his identity.]]> 308 Lisa Williamson Rosenberg 1662521278 Mike 0 to-read 3.66 2024 Mirror Me

author: Lisa Williamson Rosenberg
name: Mike
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World]]> 77264984 SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome. Now she shines her spotlight on the emperors who ruled the Roman empire, from Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) to Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). Emperor of Rome is not your usual chronological account of Roman rulers, one after the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Beard asks bigger What power did emperors actually have? Was the Roman palace really so bloodstained? She tracks down the emperor at home, at the races, on his travels, even on his way to heaven. She introduces his wives and lovers, rivals and slaves, court jesters and soldiers—and the ordinary people who pressed begging letters into his hands. Emperor of Rome goes directly to the heart of Roman (and our own) fantasies about what it was to be Roman, offering an account of Roman history as it has never been presented before.]]> 510 Mary Beard 1631494104 Mike 0 4.22 2023 Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World

Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World

author: Mary Beard
name: Mike
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: history-ancient, history, politics, put-down-for-now
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Memory of Light (The Wheel of Time, #14)]]> 7743175
When Robert Jordan died in 2007, all feared that these concluding scenes would never be written. But working from notes and partials left by Jordan, established fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson stepped in to complete the masterwork. With The Gathering Storm (Book 12) and Towers of Midnight (Book 13) behind him, Sanderson now re-creates the vision that Robert Jordan left behind.

Edited by Jordan's widow, who edited all of Jordan's books, A Memory of Light will delight, enthrall, and deeply satisfy all of Jordan's legions of readers.

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass.
What was, what will be, and what is,
may yet fall under the Shadow.
Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.]]> 912 Robert Jordan 0765325950 Mike 5
~~~

If I could, I would give this 6 stars. I thought this was the best possible final book in the Wheel of Time series. It tied up every plot line to my satisfaction, it wasn't afraid to kill off beloved characters (ratcheting up the tension quite a bit), the dialogue was both moving and witty. I loved the scene where Mat and Rand tried to one-up each other with their accomplishments since their last meeting. Sanderson does an excellent job balancing and blending all the various plot lines that have accumulated and at no time did I feel overwhelmed by all the different moving parts.

Looking back over my decade plus experience with this series I can honestly say I loved the ride. It had its ups and down in terms of book quality, but the world that Robert Jordan concieved was brilliant and deep. He developed some truly unqiue and fascinating mythologies, cultures, and magic systems*. Half of my enjoyment of this series was the mixing and clashing of the different cultures and how it impacted the choices characters ended up making. I saw the characters change in face of adversity and circumstances, deepening and enriching the story. I genuinely cared about the characters and their relationships, and their deaths brought me a degree of sadness. I laughed when they laughed, felt sorrow at their losses, and hoped they would have a brighter tomorrow. If that isn't the mark of an excellent book series, I don't know what is.

*One thing I have always liked about Sanderson was his strong grasp on magic systems and the ability to come up with unique ways to exploit them. There are a lot of really neat tricks with the One Power that Sanderson uses and they were a joy to see used each time.

++A word of caution to some readers++: this book is rife with battle scenes. This is about The Final Battle afterall, there will naturally be lots of battle scenes. If you don't like battle scenes you might find this a very boring book. There are scenes leading up to and during the final battle where the ground isn't exploding around the various chaarcters, but most of it is directed to preparation and fighting of the battle.]]> 4.56 2013 A Memory of Light (The Wheel of Time, #14)

A Memory of Light (The Wheel of Time, #14)

author: Robert Jordan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/13
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: fantasy, epics, reviewed, 6-stars
review:
2024 Update: Yup, the book still holds up after all these years. No notes, it remains a great read and a fitting end to this epic series.

~~~

If I could, I would give this 6 stars. I thought this was the best possible final book in the Wheel of Time series. It tied up every plot line to my satisfaction, it wasn't afraid to kill off beloved characters (ratcheting up the tension quite a bit), the dialogue was both moving and witty. I loved the scene where Mat and Rand tried to one-up each other with their accomplishments since their last meeting. Sanderson does an excellent job balancing and blending all the various plot lines that have accumulated and at no time did I feel overwhelmed by all the different moving parts.

Looking back over my decade plus experience with this series I can honestly say I loved the ride. It had its ups and down in terms of book quality, but the world that Robert Jordan concieved was brilliant and deep. He developed some truly unqiue and fascinating mythologies, cultures, and magic systems*. Half of my enjoyment of this series was the mixing and clashing of the different cultures and how it impacted the choices characters ended up making. I saw the characters change in face of adversity and circumstances, deepening and enriching the story. I genuinely cared about the characters and their relationships, and their deaths brought me a degree of sadness. I laughed when they laughed, felt sorrow at their losses, and hoped they would have a brighter tomorrow. If that isn't the mark of an excellent book series, I don't know what is.

*One thing I have always liked about Sanderson was his strong grasp on magic systems and the ability to come up with unique ways to exploit them. There are a lot of really neat tricks with the One Power that Sanderson uses and they were a joy to see used each time.

++A word of caution to some readers++: this book is rife with battle scenes. This is about The Final Battle afterall, there will naturally be lots of battle scenes. If you don't like battle scenes you might find this a very boring book. There are scenes leading up to and during the final battle where the ground isn't exploding around the various chaarcters, but most of it is directed to preparation and fighting of the battle.
]]> The Silmarillion 7332 386 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618391118 Mike 4 fantasy
On a more serious note, this book should not be approach like a typical novel, it isn't one. It is more a collection of stories told around a fire, with action and character interactions being talked about in a very general way (X army ravaged Y army, character X was angry at character Y).

The stories span thousands of years, so some degree of generalization is to be expected, but Tolkien does a good job of keeping through some of the through lines of the message: pride inevitably brings about misfortune and grief to those that drink too deeply from that well. Even the greatest of individuals of the Age can do little to escape the fate they call upon themselves (and others) and great evil can be done in service of that pride.

It is certainly a tough book to get through based just on the writing style and it reads more like a pseudo-history than a novel. I like that stuff but your mileage will more certainly vary.]]> 3.99 1977 The Silmarillion

author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Mike
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1977
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves: fantasy
review:
If you take one thing away form reading this book, it is probably that Tolkien loves naming things.

On a more serious note, this book should not be approach like a typical novel, it isn't one. It is more a collection of stories told around a fire, with action and character interactions being talked about in a very general way (X army ravaged Y army, character X was angry at character Y).

The stories span thousands of years, so some degree of generalization is to be expected, but Tolkien does a good job of keeping through some of the through lines of the message: pride inevitably brings about misfortune and grief to those that drink too deeply from that well. Even the greatest of individuals of the Age can do little to escape the fate they call upon themselves (and others) and great evil can be done in service of that pride.

It is certainly a tough book to get through based just on the writing style and it reads more like a pseudo-history than a novel. I like that stuff but your mileage will more certainly vary.
]]> <![CDATA[The Mercy of Gods (The Captive’s War #1)]]> 201930181
Caught up in academic intrigue and affairs of the heart, Dafyd Alkhor is pleased just to be an assistant to a brilliant scientist and his celebrated research team. Then the Carryx ships descend, decimating the human population and taking the best and brightest of Anjiin society away to serve on the Carryx homeworld, and Dafyd is swept along with them. They are dropped in the middle of a struggle they barely understand, set in a competition against the other captive species with extinction as the price of failure.

Only Dafyd and a handful of his companions see past the Darwinian contest to the deeper game that they must play to learning to understand �� and manipulate �� the Carryx themselves. With a noble but suicidal human rebellion on one hand and strange and murderous enemies on the other, the team pays a terrible price to become the trusted servants of their new rulers. Dafyd Alkhor is a simple man swept up in events that are beyond his control and more vast than his imagination. He will become the champion of humanity and its betrayer, the most hated man in history and the guardian of his people. This is where his story begins.]]> 422 James S.A. Corey 031652557X Mike 3
...that were not met. The premise was, indeed, intriguing. The universe presented in the book was really fascinating and the alien culture very well developed and executed. My problem lay in the pacing. The book never really seemed to get into a groove. There were some pretty jarring changes in the setting and the book went into a lot of POVs that made it difficult to fully cultivate any one character. Heck, I found the parts of the "evil aliens" squaring off against their mysterious foe the most interesting part.

The series clearly has a lot of potential and hopefully the writers can get these issues sorted out. I will read the next one, but not with the same level of expectations I went into this one with. ]]> 4.11 2024 The Mercy of Gods (The Captive’s War #1)

The Mercy of Gods (The Captive’s War #1)

author: James S.A. Corey
name: Mike
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/30
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: here-be-aliens, science-fiction, reviewed
review:
As a big fan of "The Expanse" I was looking forward to this book quite a bit. The premise seemed intriguing so I jumped in with pretty high expectations...

...that were not met. The premise was, indeed, intriguing. The universe presented in the book was really fascinating and the alien culture very well developed and executed. My problem lay in the pacing. The book never really seemed to get into a groove. There were some pretty jarring changes in the setting and the book went into a lot of POVs that made it difficult to fully cultivate any one character. Heck, I found the parts of the "evil aliens" squaring off against their mysterious foe the most interesting part.

The series clearly has a lot of potential and hopefully the writers can get these issues sorted out. I will read the next one, but not with the same level of expectations I went into this one with.
]]> Sunbringer (Fallen Gods, #2) 124941442 Godkiller in this thrilling sequel to the #1 internationally bestselling fantasy debut, where Kissen and her companions must navigate lands of gods and demons to unravel a dark truth at the heart of their world.

Professional godkiller Kissen and her companions—young noble Inara and knight Elogast—return in a winding adventure in a world overflowing with magic, beauty, and danger.]]> 370 Hannah Kaner 0008521514 Mike 4 fantasy, reviewed 3.88 2024 Sunbringer (Fallen Gods, #2)

author: Hannah Kaner
name: Mike
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/02
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
A really enjoyable follow up to 'Godkiller', expanding the world some more, giving the characters some nice developments, and all wrapped up in an engaging story. I was not a fan of the characters being separated for a good chunk of the book, but I understand it was necessary for story reasons. In any event this book did a good job of being good on its own merits (not always easy for the middle book in a trilogy) as well as setting but the next book quiet well. Really looking forward to getting my hands on the next book, whenever it may come out.
]]> <![CDATA[How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States]]> 41725763 A pathbreaking history of the United States' overseas possessions and the true meaning of its empire

We are familiar with maps that outline all fifty states. And we are also familiar with the idea that the United States is an "empire," exercising power around the world. But what about the actual territories--the islands, atolls, and archipelagos--this country has governed and inhabited?

In How to Hide an Empire, Daniel Immerwahr tells the fascinating story of the United States outside the United States. In crackling, fast-paced prose, he reveals forgotten episodes that cast American history in a new light. We travel to the Guano Islands, where prospectors collected one of the nineteenth century's most valuable commodities, and the Philippines, site of the most destructive event on U.S. soil. In Puerto Rico, Immerwahr shows how U.S. doctors conducted grisly experiments they would never have conducted on the mainland and charts the emergence of independence fighters who would shoot up the U.S. Congress.

In the years after World War II, Immerwahr notes, the United States moved away from colonialism. Instead, it put innovations in electronics, transportation, and culture to use, devising a new sort of influence that did not require the control of space. Rich with absorbing vignettes, full of surprises, and driven by an original conception of what empire and globalization mean today, How to Hide an Empire is a major and compulsively readable work of history.]]> 425 Daniel Immerwahr 0374715122 Mike 4 history, politics, reviewed
The first half of the book was excellent, with Immerwahr doing an excellent job tracking the development of non-state American expansion. He spoke of the conditions that led to the initial western expansion, the treatment of territories during this time (it wasn't great by any means), and the displacement of native tribes to meet the demands of settlers. The expansion was very haphazard and mostly done on a local level with little in the way of a national strategy implemented.

The big change comes with Victory in the Spanish-American War. Suddenly the US has a ton of overseas holding they have no experience with or capacity to administer. In the case of the Philippines this resulted in a bloody insurgency while the administration of the Island was run with absolute authority. In Puerto Rico things were less violent, but like territories in the Western Expansion PR had little to know rights save for those granted by the Island's administration.

Immerwahr makes a very insightful point that at its height more than 10% of the people under the American flag were not in a State (this includes Hawaii and Alaska). They had few rights, and were often not even visible in popular culture or news. Yet they were administered by the American government and were a substantial population. They were effectively removed from the public consciousness to the point that many soldiers and sailors who liberated the Philippines were ignorant of the fact it was American soil (though its residents were never full blown American citizens).

But what Immerwahr finds so fascinating about this story is that at the very height of its power the US, unlike European Empires of the past, did not use its post-WWII power or influence to annex territory. It, in fact, shed most of its pre-war overseas holdings and did not annex any significant conquests from the war. Immerwahr does an impressive job explaining how the benefits of past Empires had been made obsolete with new technology and social orders (synthetic materials that displaced colonial goods, the impact of air travel/power, wireless communication, the rising sentiment in these former colonies that they should be free). Sure, you also had a bit of racism thrown in but Immerwahr saw the WWII technologies as a decisive break from past international orders, effectively making the 19th-Centruy Empire obsolete and expensive to maintain.

Instead Immerwahr argues that what America became was a pointillist Empire, one defined by small bits of land that allow it to exert influence over a region. This mostly took the form of military bases that can serve as a base to project power. No longer were vast swathes of territory and resources (apart from oil) needed to keep a nation humming along so why bother with all the expense with keeping a people subjugated that did not want to be? It was cheaper and more effective to let those lands go and just concentrate on trade.

Unfortunately the back half of the book, which delved into specific area of the post-war international order to explain how the American Empire changed, sort of. It was not nearly as cohesive and narratively tight as the material leading up to WWII and a bit scatter shot. One section spoke of Americanization of standards worldwide (which, while interesting, felt like a very self contained chapter), the spread of English as a global lingua franca, the rise of Japan in the shadow of occupation/US hegemony, some PR terrorists actions, and some other stuff which, while interesting on its own, did little to advance the thesis or narrative. I was quite disappointed with this back end, especially in contrast to the excellent pre-war material covered.

As an aside I would also take issue with Immerwahr's characterization of the US being an Empire. Historically Empires revolved around the idea of an Imperial Core benefiting from the resources sent to it from the periphery. It was mostly a resource extraction system (with some cultural spread thrown in) that served the metropole. I don't really see America, at any point in its existence, operating in that manner. Immerwahr points out the administrative apparatus governing these regions was woefully inadequate, especially compared to the Colonial offices of European power.

The US received relatively little in the way of resources from these holdings thanks to its abundant domestic resources. It was almost as though America got into the Imperial Game, realized it was more effort than it was worth, and then washing its hands of many of those holdings. I think it would be better classified as a Hegemon, capable of exerting influence and power across vast distances but having very little in the way of direct administration of resource extraction that characterized historic Empires.

I think this is still a good book that explores a lot of fascinating nooks and crannies of American history that is ironed out by popular history books and school curriculum, but I found the overall thesis falling a bit short.]]> 4.44 2019 How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States

How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States

author: Daniel Immerwahr
name: Mike
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/11
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves: history, politics, reviewed
review:
This was a book of two halves.

The first half of the book was excellent, with Immerwahr doing an excellent job tracking the development of non-state American expansion. He spoke of the conditions that led to the initial western expansion, the treatment of territories during this time (it wasn't great by any means), and the displacement of native tribes to meet the demands of settlers. The expansion was very haphazard and mostly done on a local level with little in the way of a national strategy implemented.

The big change comes with Victory in the Spanish-American War. Suddenly the US has a ton of overseas holding they have no experience with or capacity to administer. In the case of the Philippines this resulted in a bloody insurgency while the administration of the Island was run with absolute authority. In Puerto Rico things were less violent, but like territories in the Western Expansion PR had little to know rights save for those granted by the Island's administration.

Immerwahr makes a very insightful point that at its height more than 10% of the people under the American flag were not in a State (this includes Hawaii and Alaska). They had few rights, and were often not even visible in popular culture or news. Yet they were administered by the American government and were a substantial population. They were effectively removed from the public consciousness to the point that many soldiers and sailors who liberated the Philippines were ignorant of the fact it was American soil (though its residents were never full blown American citizens).

But what Immerwahr finds so fascinating about this story is that at the very height of its power the US, unlike European Empires of the past, did not use its post-WWII power or influence to annex territory. It, in fact, shed most of its pre-war overseas holdings and did not annex any significant conquests from the war. Immerwahr does an impressive job explaining how the benefits of past Empires had been made obsolete with new technology and social orders (synthetic materials that displaced colonial goods, the impact of air travel/power, wireless communication, the rising sentiment in these former colonies that they should be free). Sure, you also had a bit of racism thrown in but Immerwahr saw the WWII technologies as a decisive break from past international orders, effectively making the 19th-Centruy Empire obsolete and expensive to maintain.

Instead Immerwahr argues that what America became was a pointillist Empire, one defined by small bits of land that allow it to exert influence over a region. This mostly took the form of military bases that can serve as a base to project power. No longer were vast swathes of territory and resources (apart from oil) needed to keep a nation humming along so why bother with all the expense with keeping a people subjugated that did not want to be? It was cheaper and more effective to let those lands go and just concentrate on trade.

Unfortunately the back half of the book, which delved into specific area of the post-war international order to explain how the American Empire changed, sort of. It was not nearly as cohesive and narratively tight as the material leading up to WWII and a bit scatter shot. One section spoke of Americanization of standards worldwide (which, while interesting, felt like a very self contained chapter), the spread of English as a global lingua franca, the rise of Japan in the shadow of occupation/US hegemony, some PR terrorists actions, and some other stuff which, while interesting on its own, did little to advance the thesis or narrative. I was quite disappointed with this back end, especially in contrast to the excellent pre-war material covered.

As an aside I would also take issue with Immerwahr's characterization of the US being an Empire. Historically Empires revolved around the idea of an Imperial Core benefiting from the resources sent to it from the periphery. It was mostly a resource extraction system (with some cultural spread thrown in) that served the metropole. I don't really see America, at any point in its existence, operating in that manner. Immerwahr points out the administrative apparatus governing these regions was woefully inadequate, especially compared to the Colonial offices of European power.

The US received relatively little in the way of resources from these holdings thanks to its abundant domestic resources. It was almost as though America got into the Imperial Game, realized it was more effort than it was worth, and then washing its hands of many of those holdings. I think it would be better classified as a Hegemon, capable of exerting influence and power across vast distances but having very little in the way of direct administration of resource extraction that characterized historic Empires.

I think this is still a good book that explores a lot of fascinating nooks and crannies of American history that is ironed out by popular history books and school curriculum, but I found the overall thesis falling a bit short.
]]> <![CDATA[The Last Murder at the End of the World]]> 197715421
Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn't solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don't even know it.

And the clock is ticking.

From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution.]]> 368 Stuart Turton Mike 5 mystery, science-fiction 3.86 2024 The Last Murder at the End of the World

author: Stuart Turton
name: Mike
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/30
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves: mystery, science-fiction
review:
This was an excellent post-apocalypse sci-fi murder mystery populated by fascinating characters and taking place in a really unique setting. I think the book was particularly strong exploring character motivations and perspective, it really gave me a good insight in why characters behaved the way they did. The story and mystery itself was also excellent, delving into both the specifics of the murder as well as all the history that led up into the titular End of the of Word. I was glued to this book the whole time I was reading it and, as is normal for me when reading good mysteries, had no clue how things fit together. All in all a great read of a mystery or sci-fi lover.
]]> <![CDATA[The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)]]> 17307117
Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.

To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must win the hearts of her men and lead them into battle against impossible odds.

The fates of both these soldiers and all the men they lead depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning. But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.]]> 529 Django Wexler 1101609516 Mike 0 to-read, fantasy, war 4.13 2013 The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)

The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)

author: Django Wexler
name: Mike
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: to-read, fantasy, war
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #3)]]> 28811019 As the final battle approaches a sellsword, a spy, and a general must find unlikely and dangerous allies in order to turn the tides of war in this epic fantasy tale of magic and gunpowder by acclaimed author Brian McClellan.

The Dynize have unlocked the Landfall Godstone, and Michel Bravis is tasked with returning to Greenfire Depths to do whatever he can to prevent them from using its power; from sewing dissension among the enemy ranks to rallying the Palo population.

Ben Styke's invasion of Dynize is curtailed when a storm scatters his fleet. Coming ashore with just twenty lancers, he is forced to rely on brains rather than brawn - gaining new allies in a strange land on the cusp of its own internal violence.

Bereft of her sorcery and physically and emotionally broken, Lady Vlora Flint now marches on Landfall at the head of an Adran army seeking vengeance against those who have conspired against her. While allied politicians seek to undo her from within, she faces insurmountable odds and Dynize's greatest general.]]> 592 Brian McClellan Mike 5 fantasy, reviewed 4.40 2019 Blood of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #3)

Blood of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #3)

author: Brian McClellan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/13
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
A great end to an excellent trilogy. As with all the other books in this series the action starts and never really stops until the very end, making it tough to tear myself away. This trilogy showed more character development, but not at the cost of the story or action. I very much hope we get another chunk of books in this universe because it has such rich potential that remains untapped (and I just love reading them).
]]> Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1) 57693457 After several deaths punctuating a series of all-too-brief life spans, a clone reassesses his purpose �� and his humanity �� in Edward Ashton’s Mickey7, “a unique blend of thought-provoking sci-fi concepts, farcical relationship drama, and exotic body horror�� (New York Times bestselling author Jason Pargin).

EXPENDABLE \ik’spen-d��-b’l\ n. A human clone utilized for dangerous work on space exploration missions. An Expendable’s personality and memories may be transferred intact to a new body if and when the current host dies.

Mickey Barnes is an Expendable, now on his seventh iteration, living �� and dying �� among his fellow colonists on the near-uninhabitable ice world of Niflheim. Some consider him immortal. Others believe he’s a soulless monstrosity. For the past nine years, he has been deployed for hazardous assignments and subjected to experiments that test the limits of human endurance, his humanity sacrificed for the greater good.

While on reconnaissance, Mickey7 is injured and left for dead, only to be saved by Niflheim’s native species, thought to be insentient by the colonists. Returning to base, Mickey7 meets his next generation, Mickey8. Neither clone is willing to recycle himself, but if anyone discovers multiple Mickeys exist, they’ll both be executed �� and there won’t ever be a Mickey9.

But Mickey7’s premature twin isn’t his only secret. He hasn’t uploaded his memories in a month, leaving his clone in the dark about his near death and close encounter with the planet’s inhabitants. Mickey7 also doesn’t know how all of his previous selves died, and those he remembers have left him traumatized and mistrustful of the colony’s mission. A mission that has Mickey Barnes questioning his moral and mortal existence...again...and again....]]> 296 Edward Ashton 1250275032 Mike 0 to-read, science-fiction 3.74 2022 Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1)

author: Edward Ashton
name: Mike
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/19
shelves: to-read, science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall]]> 123276708
As he observed this frenzy, investigative reporter Zeke Faux had a nagging feeling: Was it all just a confidence game of epic proportions? What started as curiosity—with a dash of FOMO—would morph into a two-year, globe-spanning quest to understand the wizards behind the world’s new financial machinery. Faux’s investigation would lead him to a schlubby, frizzy-haired twenty-nine-year-old named Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF for short) and a host of other crypto scammers, utopians, and overnight billionaires.

Faux follows the trail to a luxury resort in the Bahamas, where SBF boldly declares that he will use his crypto fortune to save the world. Faux talks his way onto the yacht of a former child actor turned crypto impresario and gains access to “ApeFest,�� an elite party headlined by Snoop Dogg, by purchasing a $20,000 image of a cartoon monkey. In El Salvador, Faux learns what happens when a country wagers its treasury on Bitcoin, and in the Philippines, he stumbles upon a Pokémon knockoff mobile game touted by boosters as a cure for poverty. In an astonishing development, a spam text leads Faux to Cambodia, where he uncovers a crypto-powered human-trafficking ring.

When the bubble suddenly bursts in 2022, Faux brings readers inside SBF’s penthouse as the fallen crypto king faces his imminent arrest. Fueled by the absurd details and authoritative reporting that earned Zeke Faux the accolade “our great poet of crime�� from Money Stuff columnist Matt Levine, Number Go Up is the essential chronicle, by turns harrowing and uproarious, of a $3 trillion financial delusion.]]> 304 Zeke Faux 0593443810 Mike 4 business, economics, reviewed
What started as an investigation into the financial solvency of a shady, but bedrock, currency (Tether) spiraled into a strange world for cryto-trading, NFTs, human trafficking, and big dreams build on foundations of sand. Fortunes were made and lost, people scammed, and billions of dollars of value are transacted in a shadowy grey market. Our journey with the author through his exploration lays bare the casino nature of this "world changing technology", we run across cynics, dreamers, crooks, techno-futurist cultists, and political opportunists. We see the rise and fall of one of the richest (on paper) people in the world (Bank-Friedman) due to crypto-trading shenanigans.

In the end the writer is unable to determine an answer to his first question: is Tether solvent? It might be, it was able to weather a small run on their token tot he scale of several billion dollars. but no independent audit has been fully carried out or released to the public and it currently sits on tens of billions of dollars of liabilities and is a significant tool in cryptocurrency liquidity. Should it prove unreliable billions upon billions of dollars of wealth could disappear overnight.

So yeah, don't put your nest egg in cryto.]]> 4.20 2023 Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall

Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall

author: Zeke Faux
name: Mike
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/12
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: business, economics, reviewed
review:
Before reading this book I believe crytocurrency, NFTs, and their ilk were nothing more than a scam which happened to also assist crime. this book did nothing to dissuade me on this belief and in fact gave me a greater appreciation to just how much of a scam these product are. They are truly a 21st century tulip-craze with the added benefit of making money laundering a lot easier for some of the worst people in the world. Good job cryto-bros!

What started as an investigation into the financial solvency of a shady, but bedrock, currency (Tether) spiraled into a strange world for cryto-trading, NFTs, human trafficking, and big dreams build on foundations of sand. Fortunes were made and lost, people scammed, and billions of dollars of value are transacted in a shadowy grey market. Our journey with the author through his exploration lays bare the casino nature of this "world changing technology", we run across cynics, dreamers, crooks, techno-futurist cultists, and political opportunists. We see the rise and fall of one of the richest (on paper) people in the world (Bank-Friedman) due to crypto-trading shenanigans.

In the end the writer is unable to determine an answer to his first question: is Tether solvent? It might be, it was able to weather a small run on their token tot he scale of several billion dollars. but no independent audit has been fully carried out or released to the public and it currently sits on tens of billions of dollars of liabilities and is a significant tool in cryptocurrency liquidity. Should it prove unreliable billions upon billions of dollars of wealth could disappear overnight.

So yeah, don't put your nest egg in cryto.
]]> Willful Child 22129402 350 Steven Erikson 1466843616 Mike 0 3.64 2014

author: Steven Erikson
name: Mike
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves: to-read, humor, science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wrath of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #2)]]> 28811018
Back in the capital, Michel Bravis smuggles even more refugees out of the city. But internal forces are working against him. With enemies on all sides, Michel may be forced to find help with the very occupiers he's trying to undermine.

Meanwhile, Ben Styke is building his own army. He and his mad lancers are gathering every able body they can find and searching for an ancient artifact that may have the power to turn the tides of war in their favor. But what they find may not be what they're looking for.]]> 639 Brian McClellan 0356509311 Mike 5 fantasy 4.47 2018 Wrath of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #2)

Wrath of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #2)

author: Brian McClellan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/04
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sins of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #1)]]> 28811016 fantasy series from Brian McClellan, set in the world of his wildly popular Powder Mage trilogy.

A world on the cusp of a new age...
The young nation of Fatrasta is a turbulent place -- a frontier destination for criminals, fortune-hunters, brave settlers, and sorcerers seeking relics of the past. Only the iron will of the lady chancellor and her secret police holds the capital city of Landfall together against the unrest of an oppressed population and the machinations of powerful empires.

Sedition is a dangerous word...
The insurrection that threatens Landfall must be purged with guile and force, a task which falls on the shoulders of a spy named Michel Bravis, convicted war hero Mad Ben Styke, and Lady Vlora Flint, a mercenary general with a past as turbulent as Landfall's present.

The past haunts us all...
As loyalties are tested, revealed, and destroyed, a grim specter as old as time has been unearthed in this wild land, and the people of Landfall will soon discover that rebellion is the least of their worries.

]]> 624 Brian McClellan 0316407216 Mike 5 fantasy
For me it has everything: fascinating world, compelling story, well developed characters, and a non-stop story. If anything it has improved on the first trilogy, doing a much better job at growing the characters over the course of the book.]]> 4.38 2017 Sins of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #1)

Sins of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #1)

author: Brian McClellan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: fantasy
review:
This series is like catnip for me, I have a remarkably difficult time putting it down and could probably just read it all in one sitting if real life didn't get in the way.

For me it has everything: fascinating world, compelling story, well developed characters, and a non-stop story. If anything it has improved on the first trilogy, doing a much better job at growing the characters over the course of the book.
]]> <![CDATA[In the Shadow of Lightning (Glass Immortals, #1)]]> 58724872
"Excellent worldbuilding and a truly epic narrative combine into Brian's finest work to date. Heartily recommended to anyone who wants a new favorite fantasy series to read."―Brandon Sanderson

Demir Grappo is an outcast―he fled a life of wealth and power, abandoning his responsibilities as a general, a governor, and a son. Now he will live out his days as a grifter, rootless, and alone. But when his mother is brutally murdered, Demir must return from exile to claim his seat at the head of the family and uncover the truth that got her the very power that keeps civilization turning, godglass, is running out.

Now, Demir must find allies, old friends and rivals alike, confront the powerful guild-families who are only interested in making the most of the scraps left at the table and uncover the invisible hand that threatens the Empire. A war is coming, a war unlike any other. And Demir and his ragtag group of outcasts are the only thing that stands in the way of the end of life as the world knows it.

"Powerful rival families, murderous conspiracies, epic battles, larger-than-life characters, and magic."―Fonda Lee, author of The Green Bone Saga

"Engaging, fast-paced and epic."―James Islington, author of In The Shadow of What Was Lost

"Clever, fun, and by turns beautifully bloody, In the Shadow of Lightning hits like a bolt through a stained glass window."―Megan E. O'Keefe, author of Chaos Vector]]> 576 Brian McClellan 1250755697 Mike 0 to-read, fantasy 4.35 2022 In the Shadow of Lightning (Glass Immortals, #1)

In the Shadow of Lightning (Glass Immortals, #1)

author: Brian McClellan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: to-read, fantasy
review:

]]> Godkiller (Fallen Gods, #1) 61244268
Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, they must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favour.

Pursued by demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning �� something is rotting at the heart of their world, and only they can be the ones to stop it.]]> 304 Hannah Kaner 0008521468 Mike 4 fantasy 3.85 2023 Godkiller (Fallen Gods, #1)

author: Hannah Kaner
name: Mike
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/03
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Infinity Gate (Pandominion, #1)]]> 61237044
The Pandominion: a political and trading alliance of a million worlds - except that they're really just the one world, Earth, in many different realities. And when an AI threat arises that could destroy everything the Pandominion has built, they'll eradicate it by whatever means necessary, no matter the cost to human life.

Scientist Hadiz Tambuwal is looking for a solution to her own Earth's environmental collapse when she stumbles across the secret of inter-dimensional travel. It could save everyone on her dying planet, but now she's walked into the middle of a war on a scale she never dreamed of.

And she needs to choose a side before it kills her.]]> 499 M.R. Carey 0316504386 Mike 0 to-read 4.06 2023 Infinity Gate (Pandominion, #1)

author: M.R. Carey
name: Mike
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1)]]> 61294947
But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman, she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse: retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum. The chance to have one last adventure with her crew, do right by an old friend, and win a fortune that will secure her family’s future forever? It seems like such an obvious choice that it must be God’s will.

Yet the deeper Amina dives, the more it becomes alarmingly clear there’s more to this job, and the girl’s disappearance, than she was led to believe. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savor just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.]]> 493 Shannon Chakraborty Mike 3 fantasy, reviewed
But I did have some fundamental issues with the story construction.

Generally the characters were fine, though the good guys were a bit too purely good and the bad guy almost comically evil. While certainly not a critical flaw of the story, it did make the supporting cast a bit bland. Being a bunch of former pirates Amina's inner circle just felt a little too noble and good. They were pirates, they probably did some pretty terrible things but the story made their past seem like a fun lark with much hijinks and no serious moral transgressions.

But I think my fundamental problem with the story involved [spoilers removed]

So overall a solid story, but I am not sure I would want to continue the series after the writing choices rubbed me the wrong way.]]> 4.36 2023 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1)

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1)

author: Shannon Chakraborty
name: Mike
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/14
date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
This was a very solid and enjoyable book for the most part. It used a criminally underutilized setting (Indian Ocean during the 12th century) and had likeable characters. Plus middle-age mother former pirates need to be a more frequent protagonist, just generally.

But I did have some fundamental issues with the story construction.

Generally the characters were fine, though the good guys were a bit too purely good and the bad guy almost comically evil. While certainly not a critical flaw of the story, it did make the supporting cast a bit bland. Being a bunch of former pirates Amina's inner circle just felt a little too noble and good. They were pirates, they probably did some pretty terrible things but the story made their past seem like a fun lark with much hijinks and no serious moral transgressions.

But I think my fundamental problem with the story involved [spoilers removed]

So overall a solid story, but I am not sure I would want to continue the series after the writing choices rubbed me the wrong way.
]]> <![CDATA[Hawkwood's Voyage (The Monarchies of God, #1)]]> 1251979 384 Paul Kearney 0441009034 Mike 0 to-read, fantasy 3.75 1995

Hawkwood's Voyage (The Monarchies of God, #1)

author: Paul Kearney
name: Mike
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves: to-read, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Autumn Republic (Powder Mage, #3)]]> 20883847 The capital has fallen...
Field Marshal Tamas returns to his beloved country to find that for the first time in history, the capital city of Adro lies in the hands of a foreign invader. His son is missing, his allies are indistinguishable from his foes, and reinforcements are several weeks away.

An army divided...
With the Kez still bearing down upon them and without clear leadership, the Adran army has turned against itself. Inspector Adamat is drawn into the very heart of this new mutiny with promises of finding his kidnapped son.

All hope rests with one...
And Taniel Two-shot, hunted by men he once thought his friends, must safeguard the only chance Adro has of getting through this war without being destroyed...

THE AUTUMN REPUBLIC is the epic conclusion that began with Promise of Blood and The Crimson Campaign.]]> 580 Brian McClellan 0316219126 Mike 5 fantasy, reviewed 4.34 2015 The Autumn Republic (Powder Mage, #3)

author: Brian McClellan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/05
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
A smashing ending to a non-stop trilogy. This series was tough to put down, as every section or chapter seemed to end at a point where you want to know the next thing that happens in that scene or plotline only to be moved to another plotline you also want to know what happens next. Were it not for things like family or work or sleep I could easily just read this trilogy through in one (very, very long) sitting. I particularly enjoyed how an early industrial age society/tech level interacted with a more traditional high fantasy magic system. The world building/setting felt fresh, if a bit limited in scope to the immediate plot needs. I eagerly look forward to the sequel series, even if some characters form this one won't be around for it.
]]> The Most Boring Book Ever 207974153 48 Brandon Sanderson 1250843669 Mike 0 to-read 3.92 2024

author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Mike
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology]]> 60321447
You may be surprised to learn that microchips are the new oil—the scarce resource on which the modern world depends. Today, military, economic, and geopolitical power are built on a foundation of computer chips. Virtually everything�� from missiles to microwaves, smartphones to the stock market �� runs on chips. Until recently, America designed and built the fastest chips and maintained its lead as the #1 superpower. Now, America's edge is slipping, undermined by competitors in Taiwan, Korea, Europe, and, above all, China. Today, as Chip War reveals, China, which spends more money each year importing chips than it spends importing oil, is pouring billions into a chip-building initiative to catch up to the US. At stake is America's military superiority and economic prosperity.

Economic historian Chris Miller explains how the semiconductor came to play a critical role in modern life and how the U.S. become dominant in chip design and manufacturing and applied this technology to military systems. America's victory in the Cold War and its global military dominance stems from its ability to harness computing power more effectively than any other power. But here, too, China is catching up, with its chip-building ambitions and military modernization going hand in hand. America has let key components of the chip-building process slip out of its grasp, contributing not only to a worldwide chip shortage but also a new Cold War with a superpower adversary that is desperate to bridge the gap.

Illuminating, timely, and fascinating, Chip War shows that, to make sense of the current state of politics, economics, and technology, we must first understand the vital role played by chips.]]> 464 Chris Miller 1982172002 Mike 4
Still, considering how much there was to cover the book does a very good job conveying the importance, scope, and personalities that shaped and guided the development of this product which is now so essential to modern living.]]> 4.38 2022 Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology

Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology

author: Chris Miller
name: Mike
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/21
date added: 2024/07/30
shelves: history, economics, science, politics, reviewed
review:
A great, if swift, survey of the computer chip industry from its inception to the early 2020's. The book does a good job both covering the wide and diverse group of key people in the industry while also exploring the bigger picture and evolution of the industry. Miller is able to link the growth and development of the industry and technology to the shape of global geopolitics. He explains why some companies and ventures succeeded while others failed and their consequences. The book made very clear how mind bogglingly expensive it is to advance the current state of art for the industry. the amount of capital needed to develop new chips is jaw dropping and it is only getting more expensive. The only short coming I found in the book was that at times it seemed to be going through history a bit too quickly. I would not have minded a slower pace that took time to chart out the penetration of computer chips into consumer products, for instance.

Still, considering how much there was to cover the book does a very good job conveying the importance, scope, and personalities that shaped and guided the development of this product which is now so essential to modern living.
]]> <![CDATA[A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)]]> 40864002 ASIN B08H831J18 moved to the more recent edition

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.

Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?]]> 151 Becky Chambers Mike 0 to-read 4.25 2021 A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)

A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)

author: Becky Chambers
name: Mike
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Crimson Campaign (Powder Mage, #2)]]> 17608111 The hounds at our heels will soon know we are lions

Tamas's invasion of Kez ends in disaster when a Kez counter-offensive leaves him cut off behind enemy lines with only a fraction of his army, no supplies, and no hope of reinforcements. Drastically outnumbered and pursued by the enemy's best, he must lead his men on a reckless march through northern Kez to safety, and back over the mountains so that he can defend his country from an angry god. In Adro, Inspector Adamat only wants to rescue his wife. To do so he must track down and confront the evil Lord Vetas. He has questions for Vetas concerning his enigmatic master, but the answers might come too quickly. With Tamas and his powder cabal presumed dead, Taniel Two-shot finds himself alongside the god-chef Mihali as the last line of defence against Kresimir's advancing army. Tamas's generals bicker among themselves, the brigades lose ground every day beneath the Kez onslaught, and Kresimir wants the head of the man who shot him in the eye.]]> 596 Brian McClellan 0356502023 Mike 5 fantasy, reviewed
All in all, if you liked the first book, you will love this one. It maintains its excellent quality and action while also deepening the characters nicely.]]> 4.34 2014 The Crimson Campaign (Powder Mage, #2)

author: Brian McClellan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/19
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
An excellent second installment in a trilogy that does not succumb to Secondbookitis. This one stood on its own two legs, and did more than just set up for the trilogy finale. Much like the first book the action in this one started right off the bat and never let us. It made putting the book down quiet difficult. Even though the POV changed rather frequently, I never felt like the story was choppy because each POV finished on an exciting note so I didn't feel bad going back to any of the POVs when one ended on an exciting point.

All in all, if you liked the first book, you will love this one. It maintains its excellent quality and action while also deepening the characters nicely.
]]> <![CDATA[Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time, #13)]]> 8253920 The end draws near....

The Last Battle has started. The seals on the Dark One’s prison are crumbling. The Pattern itself is unraveling, and the armies of the Shadow have begun to boil out of the Blight.

The sun has begun to set upon the Third Age.

Perrin Aybara is now hunted by specters from his past: Whitecloaks, a slayer of wolves, and the responsibilities of leadership. All the while, an unseen foe is slowly pulling a noose tight around his neck. To prevail, he must seek answers in �ձ��’a��’r�󾱴ǻ� and find a way--at long last--to master the wolf within him or lose himself to it forever

Meanwhile, Matrim Cauthon prepares for the most difficult challenge of his life. The creatures beyond the stone gateways--the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn--have confused him, taunted him, and left him hanged, his memory stuffed with bits and pieces of other men’s lives. He had hoped that his last confrontation with them would be the end of it, but the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. The time is coming when he will again have to dance with the Snakes and the Foxes, playing a game that cannot be won. The Tower of Ghenjei awaits, and its secrets will reveal the fate of a friend long lost.

This penultimate novel of Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling series--the second of three based on materials he left behind when he died in 2007--brings dramatic and compelling developments to many threads in the Pattern. The end draws near.

Dovie’andi se tovya sagain. It’s time to toss the dice.]]> 863 Robert Jordan 0765325942 Mike 4 epics, fantasy, reviewed
[spoilers removed]]]> 4.46 2010 Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time, #13)

Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time, #13)

author: Robert Jordan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/15
date added: 2024/07/15
shelves: epics, fantasy, reviewed
review:
A great setup for the final book while also having some of its own great moments. Spoilers to follow:

[spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[Promise of Blood (Powder Mage, #1)]]> 15790883
It's a bloody business overthrowing a king...
Field Marshal Tamas' coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brought bread to the starving. But it also provoked war with the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics, and the greedy to scramble for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers unions, and mercenary forces.

Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail.

But when gods are involved...
Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction. Just old peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth. No modern educated man believes that sort of thing. But they should...

In a rich, distinctive world that mixes magic with technology, who could stand against mages that control gunpowder and bullets?]]> 545 Brian McClellan 0316219037 Mike 5 fantasy, reviewed 4.13 2013 Promise of Blood (Powder Mage, #1)

author: Brian McClellan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/02
date added: 2024/07/03
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
A really smashing first book of a series. The action starts right away (who doesn't love a a good old fashioned coup) and never lets up. The magic system was unique, the setting rarely seen (seriously, we need more guns and magic settings, worked great in this book and worked great in Era 2 of Mistborn to name a few), the characters well developed, and the story gripping. I look forward to absolutely consuming this series.
]]> <![CDATA[A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan, #2)]]> 45154547 WINNER OF THE 2022 HUGO AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
Now a USA Today bestseller!
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2021
Amazon's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2021
Bookpage's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2021
ŷ�� Choice Awards Nominee for Best Science Fiction Book of 2021

A Desolation Called Peace is the spectacular space opera sequel to Arkady Martine's genre-reinventing, Hugo Award-winning debut, A Memory Called Empire.

An alien armada lurks on the edges of Teixcalaanli space. No one can communicate with it, no one can destroy it, and Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus is running out of options.

In a desperate attempt at diplomacy with the mysterious invaders, the fleet captain has sent for a diplomatic envoy. Now Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass—still reeling from the recent upheaval in the Empire—face the impossible task of trying to communicate with a hostile entity.

Their failure will guarantee millions of deaths in an endless war. Their success might prevent Teixcalaan’s destruction—and allow the empire to continue its rapacious expansion.

Or it might create something far stranger . . .
]]> 496 Arkady Martine 125018648X Mike 3 4.31 2021 A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan, #2)

A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan, #2)

author: Arkady Martine
name: Mike
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/25
date added: 2024/06/27
shelves: here-be-aliens, science-fiction, space-opera, reviewed
review:
While I enjoyed this book, love the setting, and enjoy the characters, I found the story, especially the conclusion unsatisfying. The great challenge of the book the characters were working to overcome was mostly resolved outside of the perspective of the POV characters (which, on their own, were great fun to read) by other characters. The ending felt a little too clean and resolved quite quickly. Still, the characters and setting are more than enough to get me to come back for the next installment.
]]> <![CDATA[The Gathering Storm (The Wheel of Time, #12)]]> 1166599
Tarmon Gai'don, the Last Battle, looms. And mankind is not ready.

The final volume of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, was partially written by Robert Jordan before his untimely passing in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn books, and now Stormlight Archive, among others, was chosen by Jordan's editor--his wife, Harriet McDougal--to complete the final volume, later expanded to three books.

In this epic novel, Robert Jordan's international bestselling series begins its dramatic conclusion. Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. As he attempts to halt the Seanchan encroachment northward--wishing he could form at least a temporary truce with the invaders--his allies watch in terror the shadow that seems to be growing within the heart of the Dragon Reborn himself.

Egwene al'Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, is a captive of the White Tower and subject to the whims of their tyrannical leader. As days tick toward the Seanchan attack she knows is imminent, Egwene works to hold together the disparate factions of Aes Sedai while providing leadership in the face of increasing uncertainty and despair. Her fight will prove the mettle of the Aes Sedai, and her conflict will decide the future of the White Tower--and possibly the world itself.]]> 824 Robert Jordan 0765302306 Mike 4 fantasy, epics, reviewed
Thankfully his estate and widow/editor put their faith and support in Brandon Sanderson (with the help of notes Jordan made before his passing). Sanderson reinvigorated the series and gave the plot momentum it had not had in many books (though Jordan's last book seemed to regain its past flow). All of the plotlines advanced and developed very well, I noticed little change in the characters' behaviors, and the ending was genuinely gripping.

This book being successful is even more impressive as this and the subsequent book are really just there to set up the final showdown in the final book. Characters have to be moved to the proper locations, plans have to be set up, the finishing touches of character arcs have to be polished up. It would be very easy for this book to just set up the final conflict, but it stood on its own providing some of the most memorable scenes of the entire series. ]]> 4.41 2009 The Gathering Storm (The Wheel of Time, #12)

The Gathering Storm (The Wheel of Time, #12)

author: Robert Jordan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/17
date added: 2024/06/17
shelves: fantasy, epics, reviewed
review:
Tragically Robert Jordan passed away before finishing his this series. An eleven book series cut down as the final showdown before good and evil was just over the horizon. I don't think anyone would blame his estate if the series just ended where it ended. Trying to pickup and carry the Wheel of Time baton in such circumstances is a daunting challenge. But leaving a series so beloved by its fanbase and a foundational work on contemporary fantasy would also be a tragedy.

Thankfully his estate and widow/editor put their faith and support in Brandon Sanderson (with the help of notes Jordan made before his passing). Sanderson reinvigorated the series and gave the plot momentum it had not had in many books (though Jordan's last book seemed to regain its past flow). All of the plotlines advanced and developed very well, I noticed little change in the characters' behaviors, and the ending was genuinely gripping.

This book being successful is even more impressive as this and the subsequent book are really just there to set up the final showdown in the final book. Characters have to be moved to the proper locations, plans have to be set up, the finishing touches of character arcs have to be polished up. It would be very easy for this book to just set up the final conflict, but it stood on its own providing some of the most memorable scenes of the entire series.
]]> Pale Lights 123164812
Civilization huddles around pits of the light that falls through the cracks in firmament, known by men as the Glare. It is the unblinking stare of the never-setting sun that destroyed the Old World, the cruel mortar that allows survival far below. Few venture beyond its cast, for in the monstrous and primordial darkness of the Gloam old gods and devils prowl as men made into darklings worship hateful powers. So it has been for millennia, from the fabled reign of the Antediluvians to these modern nights of blackpowder and sail. And now the times are changing again.

The fragile peace that emerged after the last of the Succession Wars is falling apart, the great powers squabbling over trade and colonies. Conspiracies bloom behind every throne, gods of the Old Night offer wicked pacts to those who would tear down the order things and of all Vesper only the Watch has seen the signs of the madness to come. God-killers whose duty is to enforce the peace between men and monsters, the Watch would hunt the shadows. Yet its captain-generals know the strength of their companies has waned, and to meet the coming doom measures will have to be taken.

It will begin with Scholomance, the ancient school of the order opened again for the first time in over a century, and the students who will walk its halls.]]> ErraticErrata Mike 0 to-read 4.67 Pale Lights

author: ErraticErrata
name: Mike
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations]]> 154958154 In this gripping sequel to his bestselling 1177 B.C., Eric Cline tells the story of what happened after the Bronze Age collapsed—why some civilizations endured, why some gave way to new ones, and why some disappeared forever

At the end of the acclaimed history 1177 B.C., many of the Late Bronze Age civilizations of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean lay in ruins, undone by invasion, revolt, natural disasters, famine, and the demise of international trade. An interconnected world that had boasted major empires and societies, relative peace, robust commerce, and monumental architecture was lost and the so-called First Dark Age had begun. Now, in After 1177 B.C., Eric Cline tells the compelling story of what happened next, over four centuries, across the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean world. It is a story of resilience, transformation, and success, as well as failures, in an age of chaos and reconfiguration.

After 1177 B.C. tells how the collapse of powerful Late Bronze Age civilizations created new circumstances to which people and societies had to adapt. Those that failed to adjust disappeared from the world stage, while others transformed themselves, resulting in a new world order that included Phoenicians, Philistines, Israelites, Neo-Hittites, Neo-Assyrians, and Neo-Babylonians. Taking the story up to the resurgence of Greece marked by the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C., the book also describes how world-changing innovations such as the use of iron and the alphabet emerged amid the chaos.

Filled with lessons for today's world about why some societies survive massive shocks while others do not, After 1177 B.C. reveals why this period, far from being the First Dark Age, was a new age with new inventions and new opportunities.]]> 352 Eric H. Cline 0691192138 Mike 0 3.73 2024 After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations

After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations

author: Eric H. Cline
name: Mike
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/10
shelves: to-read, history, history-ancient
review:

]]> The Spear Cuts Through Water 55868456 Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this new epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.

The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, the Three Terrors—hold the countryside in their choking grip. They bleed the land and oppress the citizens with the frightful powers they inherited from the god locked under their palace.

But that god cannot be contained forever.

With the aid of Jun, a guard broken by his guilt-stricken past, and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god escapes from her royal captivity and flees from her own children, the triplet Terrors who would drag her back to her unholy prison. And so it is that she embarks with her young companions on a five-day pilgrimage in search of freedom—and a way to end the Moon Throne forever. The journey ahead will be more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.

Both a sweeping adventure story and an intimate exploration of identity, legacy, and belonging, The Spear Cuts Through Water is an ambitious and profound saga that will transport and transform you—and is like nothing you’ve ever read before.
]]> 525 Simon Jimenez 0593156595 Mike 0 to-read, fantasy 4.17 2022

author: Simon Jimenez
name: Mike
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/08
shelves: to-read, fantasy
review:

]]> Counterweight 62979711
On the fictional island of Patusan—and much to the ire of the Patusan natives—the Korean conglomerate LK is constructing an elevator into Earth’s orbit, gradually turning this one-time tropical resort town into a teeming travel hub: a gateway to and from our planet. Up in space, holding the elevator’s “spider cable�� taut, is a mass of space junk known as the Counterweight. And it’s here that lies the key—a trove of personal data left by LK’s former CEO, of dire consequence to the company's, and humanity's, future.

Racing up the elevator to retrieve the data is a host of rival forces: Mac, the novel’s narrator and LK’s Chief of External Affairs, increasingly disillusioned with his employer; the everyman Choi Gangwu, unwittingly at the center of Mac’s investigations; the former CEO’s brilliant niece and his power-hungry son; and a violent officer from LK’s Security Division, Rex Tamaki—all caught in a labyrinth of fake identities, neuro-implant “Worms,�� and old political grievances held by the Patusan Liberation Front, the army of island natives determined to protect their sovereignty.

Conceived by Djuna as a low-budget science fiction film, with literary references as wide-ranging as Joseph Conrad and the Marquis de Sade, The Counterweight is part cyberpunk, part hardboiled detective fiction, and part parable of Korea’s neocolonial ambition and its rippling effects.]]> 178 Djuna 059331722X Mike 4 science-fiction 3.16 2021

author: Djuna
name: Mike
average rating: 3.16
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/29
date added: 2024/05/29
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Light of All That Falls (The Licanius Trilogy, #3)]]> 36111098
The Boundary is whole once again, but it may be too late.

Banes now stalk Andarra, while in Ilin Illan, the political machinations of a generation come to a head as Wirr's newfound ability forces his family's old enemies into action.

Imprisoned and alone in a strange land, Davian is pitted against the remaining Venerate as they work tirelessly to undo Asha's sacrifice - even as he struggles with what he has learned about the friend he chose to set free.

And Caeden, now facing the consequences of his centuries-old plan, must finally confront its reality - heartbroken at how it began, and devastated by how it must end.]]> 864 James Islington Mike 2 fantasy, reviewed
This book introduced too many news faces, places, and threats. The first 60%+ of the book I had to drag myself through and spent a lot of time not really caring about the characters much. The narrative was too dispersed and jumped around too frequently to get any momentum going. When the plots began to converge again things picked up and the reading was much more enjoyable. It may have been better to have split the book up into several POVs and just stuck with them until they would have merged with another POV then jumped back in time to a different POV thread and work that one forward in time as well.

I will give Islington credit for being more than willing to kill off key characters, but only some of them had on-page or emotionally resonative deaths. Then there was a random Deus Ex Machina that seemed to be a slapdash way of getting a character out of an impossible situation that should have killed them.

Think Gandolf showing up at the Battle of Helms Deep, but with Gandolf having vanished a book ago previous, Aragon not knowing that Gandolf was even aware that was going to be a battle at Helms Deep, he shows up with an army from a foreign nation which he now has some degree of influence over, upgraded his own power, and refuses to elaborate how this sequence of events came about.

Maybe Islington intended to explore this in a later work but it stood out like a terribly written sore thumb, as though he wrote himself into a corner and had no reasonable way to salvage the situation otherwise.

There were a few twists at the end, one of which I saw coming for 1.5 books and the others, while very creative, didn't do much to move the overall needle. I will say the conclusion was satisfactory, but the path to get their was just filled with unforced errors which bloated this book it its immense size.]]> 4.39 2019 The Light of All That Falls (The Licanius Trilogy, #3)

The Light of All That Falls (The Licanius Trilogy, #3)

author: James Islington
name: Mike
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/19
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
So this book was a significant let down after the build up from the previous books. Not the previous books were the best thing since sliced bread, but they were good, solid epic fantasy books that deserved a better conclusion than this book. That isn't to say the ending was bad, it was the best part of this book; the problem was everything before the ending.

This book introduced too many news faces, places, and threats. The first 60%+ of the book I had to drag myself through and spent a lot of time not really caring about the characters much. The narrative was too dispersed and jumped around too frequently to get any momentum going. When the plots began to converge again things picked up and the reading was much more enjoyable. It may have been better to have split the book up into several POVs and just stuck with them until they would have merged with another POV then jumped back in time to a different POV thread and work that one forward in time as well.

I will give Islington credit for being more than willing to kill off key characters, but only some of them had on-page or emotionally resonative deaths. Then there was a random Deus Ex Machina that seemed to be a slapdash way of getting a character out of an impossible situation that should have killed them.

Think Gandolf showing up at the Battle of Helms Deep, but with Gandolf having vanished a book ago previous, Aragon not knowing that Gandolf was even aware that was going to be a battle at Helms Deep, he shows up with an army from a foreign nation which he now has some degree of influence over, upgraded his own power, and refuses to elaborate how this sequence of events came about.

Maybe Islington intended to explore this in a later work but it stood out like a terribly written sore thumb, as though he wrote himself into a corner and had no reasonable way to salvage the situation otherwise.

There were a few twists at the end, one of which I saw coming for 1.5 books and the others, while very creative, didn't do much to move the overall needle. I will say the conclusion was satisfactory, but the path to get their was just filled with unforced errors which bloated this book it its immense size.
]]> <![CDATA[The Archive Undying (The Downworld Sequence #1)]]> 62684211 War machines and AI gods run amok in The Archive Undying, national bestseller Emma Mieko Candon's bold entry into the world of mecha fiction.

WHEN AN AI DIES, ITS CITY DIES WITH IT
WHEN A CITY FALLS, IT LEAVES A CORPSE BEHIND
WHEN THAT CORPSE RUNS OFF, ONLY DEVOTION CAN BRING IT BACK

When the robotic god of Khuon Mo went mad, it destroyed everything it touched. It killed its priests, its city, and all its wondrous works. But in its final death throes, the god brought one thing back to life: its favorite child, Sunai. For the seventeen years since, Sunai has walked the land like a ghost, unable to die, unable to age, and unable to forget the horrors he's seen. He's run as far as he can from the wreckage of his faith, drowning himself in drink, drugs, and men. But when Sunai wakes up in the bed of the one man he never should have slept with, he finds himself on a path straight back into the world of gods and machines.

The Archive Undying is the first volume of Emma Mieko Candon's Downworld Sequence, a sci-fi series where AI deities and brutal police states clash, wielding giant robots steered by pilot-priests with corrupted bodies.

Come get in the robot.]]> 488 Emma Mieko Candon 125082155X Mike 0 to-read 3.44 2023 The Archive Undying (The Downworld Sequence #1)

The Archive Undying (The Downworld Sequence #1)

author: Emma Mieko Candon
name: Mike
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Man in the Maze 26019986 With an introduction by Neil Once a hero, now a pariah, Richard Muller is humanity’s last hope

Richard Muller was an honorable diplomat who braved unimaginable dangers to make contact with the first-known race of intelligent aliens. But those aliens left a mark on a psychic wound that emanates a telepathic miasma his fellow humans can neither cure nor endure. Muller is exiled to the remote planet of Lemnos, where he is left, deeply embittered, at the heart of a deadly maze . . . until a new alien race appears, seemingly intent on exterminating humanity. Only Muller can communicate with them, due to the very condition that has made him an outcast. But will Muller stick his neck out for the people who so callously rejected him?]]> 266 Robert Silverberg Mike 0 to-read 4.01 1968 The Man in the Maze

author: Robert Silverberg
name: Mike
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1968
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Sun (The Tarot Sequence, #1)]]> 36466732
With his companion and bodyguard, Brand, he questions Addam's relatives and business contacts through the highest ranks of the nobles of New Atlantis. But as they investigate, they uncover more than a missing man: a legendary creature connected to the secret of the massacre of Rune's Court.

In looking for Addam, can Rune find the truth behind his family's death and the torments of his past?]]> 371 K.D. Edwards Mike 0 to-read 4.18 2018 The Last Sun (The Tarot Sequence, #1)

author: K.D. Edwards
name: Mike
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1)]]> 211721806
You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not.

Includes part one of the exclusive bonus story “Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.��]]> 450 Matt Dinniman 059382024X Mike 0 to-read 4.49 2020 Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1)

Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1)

author: Matt Dinniman
name: Mike
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Whisper in the Walls (Waxways, #2)]]> 176443027
Ren Monroe is a wolf among lions. After infiltrating one of the greatest Houses in Kathor through her successful bond with Theo Brood, she finds Theo’s father is two steps ahead. He exiles Theo and isolates Ren, strategically working to break her unwelcome grasp on his son—and foiling Ren’s first step to enacting the revenge she’s been planning her whole life.

Ren might have more resources than she’d ever imagined growing up, but she’ll still get nowhere without allies. Enter House Tin’Vori. Years ago, House Brood led an unprecedented raid to destroy a fellow House of Kathor. But a few siblings survived, and they haven’t forgotten the horrors waged against their family. Quietly, they’ve plotted their own revenge, waiting for the right moment to strike. And Ren Monroe might be their best chance.

Like fire, the Tin’Vori siblings are as dangerous as they are useful, both gifted in rare magics. Ren must decide how to unleash them against House Brood without hurting Theo in the process. Her feelings for Theo are growing past the boundaries of their bond, and Ren finds herself balanced on a knife’s edge, a breath away from immense power or utter ruin.]]> 416 Scott Reintgen 1665930462 Mike 5 fantasy, reviewed 4.10 2024 A Whisper in the Walls (Waxways, #2)

author: Scott Reintgen
name: Mike
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/17
date added: 2024/05/17
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
A surprisingly strong second installment of a series. I say surprising because second books tend to be weak, wasting too much energy setting up events in a final book in a trilogy. But this book got going from the start and never let up. Even though the story was split across multiple POVs I never felt like the story got stuck or slowed down. What was an interesting choice was basically wrapping up the main arc from the first story (the revenge angle) while also setting up the conflict for the next book. It worked really well, much better than if the revenge arc was dragged out for another book. All in all I had trouble putting this book down and am very eager for the next in the series.
]]> <![CDATA[The Silverblood Promise (The Last Legacy, #1)]]> 195790755
When Lukan discovers that his estranged father has been murdered in strange circumstances, he finds fresh purpose. Deprived of his chance to make amends for his mistakes, he vows to unravel the mystery behind his father's death.

His search for answers leads him to Saphrona, fabled city of merchant princes, where anything can be bought if one has the coin. Lukan only seeks the truth, but instead he finds danger and secrets in every shadow.

For in Saphrona, everything has a price―and the price of truth is the deadliest of all.]]> 528 James Logan 1250345804 Mike 0 to-read 3.94 2024 The Silverblood Promise (The Last Legacy, #1)

The Silverblood Promise (The Last Legacy, #1)

author: James Logan
name: Mike
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pines: Wayward Pines: 1 (The Wayward Pines Trilogy)]]> 60759964 304 Blake Crouch 0593598334 Mike 3 thriller, mystery, reviewed 4.06 2012

Pines: Wayward Pines: 1 (The Wayward Pines Trilogy)

author: Blake Crouch
name: Mike
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/14
date added: 2024/04/17
shelves: thriller, mystery, reviewed
review:
This book was, like 90% mystery, 50% the main character getting the snot beat out of him (for mysterious reasons), and 10% character development. While I found the mystery and the eerie setting very fascinating, I felt like it went on a bit too long and the reveal was bonkers. This book almost felt like just a prologue for the subsequent books and leaned too heavily on the mystery instead of other aspects of the story. All in all an engaging read that felt a bit hollow by the end.
]]> De Republiek: 1477-1806 12922322 1368 Jonathan I. Israel 9051943377 Mike 0 to-read, history 4.33 1995

author: Jonathan I. Israel
name: Mike
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, history
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hidden Girl and Other Stories]]> 52163147 original cover of ISBN 9781982134037

From award-winning author Ken Liu comes his much anticipated second volume of short stories.

Ken Liu is one of the most lauded short story writers of our time. This collection includes a selection of his science fiction and fantasy stories from the last five years �� sixteen of his best �� plus a new novelette.

In addition to these seventeen selections, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories also features an excerpt from the forthcoming book three in the Dandelion Dynasty series, "The Veiled Throne".

Contents:
- Ghost Days (2013)
- Maxwell's Demon (2012)
- The Reborn (2014)
- Thoughts and Prayers (2019)
- Byzantine Empathy (2018)
- The Gods Will Not Be Chained (2014)
- Staying Behind (2011)
- Real Artists (2011)
- The Gods Will Not Be Slain (2014)
- Altogether Elsewhere, Vast Herds of Reindeer (2011)
- The Gods Have Not Died in Vain (2015)
- Memories of My Mother (2012)
- Dispatches from the Cradle: The Hermit - Forty-Eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts (2016)
- Grey Rabbit, Crimson Mare, Coal Leopard (2020)
- A Chase Beyond the Storms: An excerpt from "The Veiled Throne", Book 3 of the Dandelion Dynasty
- The Hidden Girl (2017)
- Seven Birthdays (2016)
- The Message (2012)
- Cutting (2012)

]]> 411 Ken Liu Mike 4
One interesting divergence from other anthologies I have read was that several stories were part of a single universe/timeline. I did not expect that decision and in a way I thought is diminished the stories. Instead of being self contained and tackling an interesting idea (which my favorite Liu stories tend to do) they readout like a more straightforward narrative story. They were by no means bad, just not able to achieve the same heights of the better standalone stories.]]> 3.92 2020 The Hidden Girl and Other Stories

author: Ken Liu
name: Mike
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/08
date added: 2024/04/08
shelves: anthologies, fantasy, science-fiction, short-story, reviewed
review:
As with most anthologies this one had some great stories that really made me consider some pretty deep ideas and others that only rose to the level of fine. It is difficult to make every story in an anthology a home run so this isn't really a failing in this book.

One interesting divergence from other anthologies I have read was that several stories were part of a single universe/timeline. I did not expect that decision and in a way I thought is diminished the stories. Instead of being self contained and tackling an interesting idea (which my favorite Liu stories tend to do) they readout like a more straightforward narrative story. They were by no means bad, just not able to achieve the same heights of the better standalone stories.
]]> <![CDATA[Daughter of the Drowned Empire (Drowned Empire #1)]]> 60473453 Cleopatra meets Fourth Wing in this romantic fantasy series with forbidden romance, political intrigue, and slow burn spice.#BestofBooktok#1 in Historical Fantasy#1 Greek and Roman Myth and LegendBarnes and Noble Blog Top Five Indie FaveLady Lyriana Batavia is third in line to the Seat of Power in a position of wealth and privilege, but not safety. Bamaria falls under the rule of the Lumerian Empire, survivors of a celestial war whose island sank in the Drowning. Now all Lumerians submit to the Emperor and his strict laws about magic. He decides what magic can be practiced and what powers remain forbidden. He decides who will die for possession of forbidden magic.Lyr’s own cousin was executed for wielding the wrong kind. And for years, Lyr has sworn to protect her older sisters, helping them conceal their own illicit magic.But when Lyr must participate in the ceremony that reveals her power, she uncovers something else entirely. Something that means banishment from the Empire.Faced with death in exile, and leaving her sisters behind, Lyr has no choice but to accept a deadly contract. She has seven months to train as a warrior and pass the Emperor’s brutal test of strength, without magic.But when she’s forced to train with Lord Rhyan Hart, the man she’s secretly loved since she was a girl—a feared warrior in exile himself, forbidden to her in every way—she’s in danger of losing far more than her family, life, and country.Rebel forces, and an invading army, are destabilizing Bamaria, just as her family’s secrets threaten to reveal themselves.Surviving the training, and saving her sisters may mean sacrificing her own heart.]]> 454 Frankie Diane Mallis 1957014008 Mike 2 fantasy, reviewed
I think the books biggest failing for me was the story. It never felt like the story built up to any interesting climax as the protagonist was split between a bunch of different story threads (national conspiracy to unseat her family, love triangle shenanigans, combat training, protecting her sisters, to name a few). The story almost came off as just a way to set up everything for the next book where, presumably, interesting things would happen. When I am surprised a book ends where it did, the story did a poor job of generating conflict and excitement at the end.

The other parts of the book (worldbuilding, character work, prose) were pedestrian at best. While Mallis certainly put a lot of effort into building up the setting's lore, it didn't always feel relevant or well communicated in the prose. The presence of a love triangle with a blonde by the book boyfriend and dark, dangerous outsider was certainly a choice that was made.

All in all the experience did nothing to grab and keep my attention. I mostly keep reading (and renewing my check out form the library) just to see where this lumbering story would go. As it turns out the story is keeping any good stuff for subsequent books given my utter shock of where the book ended.

But these things happen, just got to move on to the next book.]]> 4.02 Daughter of the Drowned Empire (Drowned Empire #1)

Daughter of the Drowned Empire (Drowned Empire #1)

author: Frankie Diane Mallis
name: Mike
average rating: 4.02
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/03/29
date added: 2024/03/30
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
So, have you ever turned the page of a book (or swiped to the next page if you are e-reading) and are confused because the book was over? That was my experience with this book. I have no idea how this book ended up on my to-read list, but when comparing my TBR list to what my local library had, this book popped up. So, thanks to magic of technology, I had it in my e-reader with few clicks of the button. I was very much unaware that this book fell close to (if not fully in) the genre of romantsy. Not really my cup of tea as it turns out.

I think the books biggest failing for me was the story. It never felt like the story built up to any interesting climax as the protagonist was split between a bunch of different story threads (national conspiracy to unseat her family, love triangle shenanigans, combat training, protecting her sisters, to name a few). The story almost came off as just a way to set up everything for the next book where, presumably, interesting things would happen. When I am surprised a book ends where it did, the story did a poor job of generating conflict and excitement at the end.

The other parts of the book (worldbuilding, character work, prose) were pedestrian at best. While Mallis certainly put a lot of effort into building up the setting's lore, it didn't always feel relevant or well communicated in the prose. The presence of a love triangle with a blonde by the book boyfriend and dark, dangerous outsider was certainly a choice that was made.

All in all the experience did nothing to grab and keep my attention. I mostly keep reading (and renewing my check out form the library) just to see where this lumbering story would go. As it turns out the story is keeping any good stuff for subsequent books given my utter shock of where the book ended.

But these things happen, just got to move on to the next book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Monsters Know What They're Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters]]> 43822502
In the course of a Dungeons & Dragons game, a Dungeon Master has to make one decision after another in response to player behavior—and the better the players, the more unpredictable their behavior! It’s easy for even an experienced DM to get bogged down in on-the-spot decision-making or to let combat devolve into a boring slugfest, with enemies running directly at the player characters and biting, bashing, and slashing away.

In The Monsters Know What They’re Doing , Keith Ammann lightens the DM’s burden by helping you understand your monsters�� abilities and develop battle plans before your fifth edition D&D game session begins. Just as soldiers don’t whip out their field manuals for the first time when they’re already under fire, a DM shouldn’t wait until the PCs have just encountered a dozen bullywugs to figure out how they advance, fight, and retreat.

Easy to read and apply, The Monsters Know What They're Doing is essential reading for every DM.]]> 543 Keith Ammann 1982122668 Mike 4 fantasy, rpg, reviewed
While I did read this front to back, it is likely more useful as a reference book, picked up when needed or when looking for inspiration. It will occasionally get repetitive when read traditionally, but not when used intermittently. Is also makes for a very fine coffee table book.]]> 4.41 2019 The Monsters Know What They're Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters

The Monsters Know What They're Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters

author: Keith Ammann
name: Mike
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/07
date added: 2024/03/07
shelves: fantasy, rpg, reviewed
review:
This is a very handy reference book for folks who run a TTRP game. The book is useful when dealing with the specifics of how certain DnD 5e monsters would behave. Drawing on the stat blocks, abilities, and flavor text Ammann does a very excellent job extrapolating how monsters and creatures should behave, how they would interact with the players, and what circumstances they should be encountered in. While obviously useful in the DnD context, its lessons and insights can also be applied to any other TTRPG by applying the same process to the system specific creatures and adversaries.

While I did read this front to back, it is likely more useful as a reference book, picked up when needed or when looking for inspiration. It will occasionally get repetitive when read traditionally, but not when used intermittently. Is also makes for a very fine coffee table book.
]]> <![CDATA[Gogmagog (The Chronicles of Ludwich #1)]]> 154433984
Past plants on the mud-flats that send up brief, man-shaped clouds of seeds to lure you out, past shanty towns full of old sailors and pilots scraping a living from the dregs of the passenger trade, between the wicker effigies in the Wodwo graveyards this is a journey at once familiar from folk tales and country customs and utterly strange and alien.

Cady, back on her boat and feeling every day of her 1,600 years; the tight-lipped but beautiful little girl and her rubber-stitched-faced, mechanical companion are an odd but warmly imagined and compelling cast to accompany the reader on a quest into a world of mysteries and terrors that leave the reader with an inkling that this world is perhaps more familiar than it first appears.

Can Cady find her youth again?]]> 333 Jeff Noon Mike 0 to-read, fantasy 3.63 2024 Gogmagog (The Chronicles of Ludwich #1)

author: Jeff Noon
name: Mike
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/04
shelves: to-read, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Knife of Dreams (The Wheel of Time, #11)]]> 13888
The winds of time have become a storm, and things that everyone believes are fixed in place forever are changing before their eyes. Even the White Tower itself is no longer a place of safety. Now Rand, Perrin and Mat, Egwene and Elayne, Nynaeve and Lan, and even Loial, must ride those storm winds, or the Dark One will triumph.]]> 860 Robert Jordan 0812577566 Mike 4 fantasy, epics, reviewed 4.18 2005 Knife of Dreams (The Wheel of Time, #11)

Knife of Dreams (The Wheel of Time, #11)

author: Robert Jordan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/22
date added: 2024/02/22
shelves: fantasy, epics, reviewed
review:
More happened in the first 150 pages of this book than the entirety of its predecessor. All in all a great return to form for the series and the definitive end, in my opinion, of "The Slog". Of course the Elayne parts still made my eyes glaze over and I just can't bring myself to care about Faile, it was nice to see all the other plot lines develop nicely. Sadly this was Jordan's last book, so it is Sanderson from here on out.
]]> <![CDATA[Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1)]]> 56791389 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B08BKGYQXW

The apocalypse will be televised!

A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible.

In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth—from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds—collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground.

The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe.

Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. And what's worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it's game over. In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your followers, your views. Your clout. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style.

You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big.

You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game—with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy.

They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game.]]> 446 Matt Dinniman Mike 0 to-read 4.49 2020 Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1)

author: Matt Dinniman
name: Mike
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries, #7)]]> 65211701 Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.

Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.

Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.

But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast.

Yeah, this plan is... not going to work.]]> 245 Martha Wells 1250826977 Mike 4 4.19 2023 System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries, #7)

System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries, #7)

author: Martha Wells
name: Mike
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/27
date added: 2024/01/30
shelves: science-fiction, here-be-aliens, reviewed
review:
Another fun and engaging addition to the Murderbot family, but man do I need to review what happened in the previous books because I was lost for quite a bit (sure, I COULD have just checked the wiki, but that's cheating :-P). I really think this series is best consumed in binges since so many of them flow pretty directly form the previous book. Anyway, this one had all the hallmarks of a good Murderbot story: snark, corporate malfeasance, humans behaving in human ways, Murderbot wishing human would not act that way, Murderbot continuing to not seek appropriate therapy. If you are already this deep into the series this book will feel right at home. If you are not then you should be, this is a great series.
]]> <![CDATA[Spellmonger (The Spellmonger #1)]]> 11394624
Then one night Minalan is forced to pick up his mageblade again to defend his adopted home from the vanguard of an army of goblins �� gurvani, they call themselves �� bent on a genocidal crusade against all mankind. And that was the good news. The bad news was that their shamans were armed with more magical power than has been seen since the days of the ancient Imperial Magocracy �� and their leader, a mysterious, vengeful force of hate and dark magic, is headed directly to Boval valley. The good people of Boval and their spellmonger have only one choice, to hole up in the over-sized Boval Castle and hope they can endure a siege against hundreds of thousands.

When the people look to him for hope, Minalan does his best, but there are multitudes of goblins, and they want Boval Vale as a staging ground for an invasion of the whole Five Duchies, and only Minalan is standing in their way. Add a jealous rival mage, a motley band of mercenaries, a delusional liege lord who insists victory is at hand despite the hordes at his door, a moody, pregnant girlfriend and a catty ex-girlfriend who specializes in sex magic -- all trapped in a stinking, besieged castle with no hope of rescue, and you’ll understand why Minalan is willing to take his chances with the goblins.

All that stands between the gurvani horde and the people of the Five Duchies is one tired, overwhelmed baker’s son who wanted nothing more than to be a simple spellmonger.]]> 477 Terry Mancour Mike 0 to-read, fantasy, epics 4.00 2011 Spellmonger (The Spellmonger #1)

author: Terry Mancour
name: Mike
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/24
shelves: to-read, fantasy, epics
review:

]]> Long Chills and Case Dough 203356485 67 Brandon Sanderson Mike 3 3.45 2023

author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Mike
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/20
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves: novella, science-fiction, reviewed
review:
I think this book suffered from a lack of space. There is a lot to enjoy about it (quirky main characters, interesting setting, fun literary conceit) but its brevity didn't really let any of those positive elements stretch out. Still, it was a free, quick read so I don't have much to complain about.
]]> Defiant (Skyward, #4) 43606308 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes the final book in an epic series about a girl who will travel beyond the stars to save the world she loves from destruction.

Spensa has made it out of the Nowhere, but what she saw in the space between the stars has changed her forever. She came face to face with the Delvers, and finally got answers to the questions she’s had about her own strange Cytonic gifts.

The Superiority didn’t stop in its fight for galactic dominance while she was gone, though. Spensa’s team, Skyward Flight, was able to hold Winzik off, and even collect allies to help with the cause, but it’s only a matter of time until humanity–and the rest of the galaxy–falls.

Defeating them will require all the knowledge Spensa gathered while in the Nowhere. But being Cytonic is more complicated than she ever could have imagined. Now, Spensa must ask herself: How far is she willing to go for victory, if it means losing herself–and her friends–in the process.

The final book in the Skyward series will free humanity, or see it fall forever.]]> 420 Brandon Sanderson 0593309715 Mike 4 4.28 2023 Defiant (Skyward, #4)

author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Mike
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/17
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves: here-be-aliens, science-fiction, young-adult, reviewed
review:
A good conclusion to the series, especially after I thought book three felt rather flat. Defiant does a great job wrapping up character arcs, delivering satisfying turns of the plot, and ends the series in with both a definitive conclusion of the overall plot arc while also opening up future adventures in the universe. All in all a fun and enjoyable YA sci-fi series.
]]> <![CDATA[Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs]]> 63008436
Hot dogs. Poor people created them. Rich people found a way to charge fifteen dollars for them. They’re high culture, they’re low culture, they’re sports food, they’re kids' food, they’re hangover food, and they’re deeply American, despite having no basis whatsoever in America's Indigenous traditions. You can love them, you can hate them, but you can’t avoid the great American hot dog.

Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs is part investigation into the cultural and culinary significance of hot dogs and part travelog documenting a cross-country road trip researching them as they’re served today. From avocado and spice in the West to ass-shattering chili in the East to an entire salad on a slice of meat in Chicago, Loftus, her pets, and her ex eat their way across the country during the strange summer of 2021. It’s a brief window into the year between waves of a plague that the American government has the resources to temper, but not the interest.

So grab a dog, lay out your picnic blanket, and dig into the delicious and inevitable product of centuries of violence, poverty, and ambition, now rolling around at your local 7-Eleven.]]> 321 Jamie Loftus 1250847753 Mike 0 to-read 3.95 2023 Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs

author: Jamie Loftus
name: Mike
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mammoths at the Gates (The Singing Hills Cycle, #4)]]> 58007996 The Hugo and Crawford Award-Winning Series!

The wandering Cleric Chih returns home to the Singing Hills Abbey for the first time in almost three years, to be met with both joy and sorrow. Their mentor, Cleric Thien, has died, and rests among the archivists and storytellers of the storied abbey. But not everyone is prepared to leave them to their rest.

Because Cleric Thien was once the patriarch of Coh clan of Northern Bell Pass--and now their granddaughters have arrived on the backs of royal mammoths, demanding their grandfather’s body for burial. Chih must somehow balance honoring their mentor’s chosen life while keeping the sisters from the north from storming the gates and destroying the history the clerics have worked so hard to preserve.

But as Chih and their neixin Almost Brilliant navigate the looming crisis, Myriad Virtues, Cleric Thien’s own beloved hoopoe companion, grieves her loss as only a being with perfect memory can, and her sorrow may be more powerful than anyone could anticipate. . .

The novellas of The Singing Hills Cycle are linked by the cleric Chih, but may be read in any order, with each story serving as an entrypoint.]]> 123 Nghi Vo 1250838002 Mike 0 fantasy, novella 4.22 2023 Mammoths at the Gates (The Singing Hills Cycle, #4)

Mammoths at the Gates (The Singing Hills Cycle, #4)

author: Nghi Vo
name: Mike
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/01/03
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves: fantasy, novella
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, #10)]]> 8260811
Fleeing from Ebou Dar with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he is fated to marry, Mat Cauthon learns that he can neither keep her nor let her go, not in safety for either of them, for both the Shadow and the might of the Seanchan Empire are in deadly pursuit.

Perrin Aybara seeks to free his wife, Faile, a captive of the Shaido, but his only hope may be an alliance with the enemy. Can he remain true to his friend Rand and to himself? For his love of Faile, Perrin is willing to sell his soul.

At Tar Valon, Egwene al'Vere, the young Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai, lays siege to the heart of Aes Sedai power, but she must win quickly, with as little bloodshed as possible, for unless the Aes Sedai are reunited, only the male Asha'man will remain to defend the world against the Dark One, and nothing can hold the Asha'man themselves back from total power except the Aes Sedai and a unified White Tower.

In Andor, Elayne Trakland fights for the Lion Throne that is hers by right, but enemies and Darkfriends surround her, plotting her destruction. If she fails, Andor may fall to the Shadow, and the Dragon Reborn with it.

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn himself, has cleansed the Dark One's taint from the male half of the True Source, and everything has changed. Yet nothing has, for only men who can channel believe that saidin is clean again, and a man who can channel is still hated and feared-even one prophesied to save the world. Now, Rand must gamble again, with himself at stake, and he cannot be sure which of his allies are really enemies.]]> 627 Robert Jordan Mike 2 4.00 2003 Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, #10)

Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, #10)

author: Robert Jordan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2003
rating: 2
read at: 2023/12/31
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves:
review:
Still the nadir of the series. The extent of the action in this book was Perrin buying grain and something that happened with Egwene on the second to last page. The rest of the book could have been an email. Thank the Light the last four books are very good.
]]> The Shakespeare Requirement 38885815 A Washington Post notable book of the year.

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune keep hitting beleaguered English professor Jason Fitger right between the eyes in this hilarious and eagerly awaited sequel to the cult classic of anhedonic academe, the Thurber Prize-winning Dear Committee Members.

Once more into the breach...

Now is the fall of his discontent, as Jason Fitger, newly appointed chair of the English Department of Payne University, takes arms against a sea of troubles, personal and institutional. His ex-wife is sleeping with the dean who must approve whatever modest initiatives he undertakes. The fearsome department secretary Fran clearly runs the show (when not taking in rescue parrots and dogs) and holds plenty of secrets she's not sharing. The lavishly funded Econ Department keeps siphoning off English's meager resources and has taken aim at its remaining office space. And Fitger's attempt to get a mossbacked and antediluvian Shakespeare scholar to retire backfires spectacularly when the press concludes that the Bard is being kicked to the curricular curb.

Lord, what fools these mortals be! Julie Schumacher proves the point and makes the most of it in this delicious romp of satire.

Don't miss Julie Schumacher's new novel, The English Experience, coming soon.]]> 312 Julie Schumacher 0385542356 Mike 0 fiction, literature, to-read 3.74 2018 The Shakespeare Requirement

author: Julie Schumacher
name: Mike
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: fiction, literature, to-read
review:

]]> Godkiller (Fallen Gods, #1) 134713381
As a child, Kissen saw her family murdered by a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing them and enjoys it. But all this changes when Kissen is tasked with helping a young noble girl with a god problem. The child’s soul is bonded to a tiny god of white lies, and Kissen can’t kill it without ending the girl’s life too.

Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, the unlikely group must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favor. Pursued by assassins and demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning. Something is rotting at the heart of their world, and they are the only ones who can stop it.]]> 304 Hannah Kaner 0063348276 Mike 0 to-read 3.84 2023 Godkiller (Fallen Gods, #1)

author: Hannah Kaner
name: Mike
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dear Committee Members 19288259
Jason Fitger is a beleaguered professor of creative writing and literature at Payne University, a small and not very distinguished liberal arts college in the midwest. His department is facing draconian cuts and squalid quarters, while one floor above them the Economics Department is getting lavishly remodeled offices. His once-promising writing career is in the doldrums, as is his romantic life, in part as the result of his unwise use of his private affairs for his novels. His star (he thinks) student can't catch a break with his brilliant (he thinks) work Accountant in a Bordello, based on Melville's Bartleby.

In short, his life is a tale of woe, and the vehicle this droll and inventive novel uses to tell that tale is a series of hilarious letters of recommendation that Fitger is endlessly called upon by his students and colleagues to produce, each one of which is a small masterpiece of high dudgeon, low spirits, and passive-aggressive strategies. We recommend Dear Committee Members to you in the strongest possible terms.]]> 181 Julie Schumacher 0385538138 Mike 4 fiction, epistolary 3.73 2014

author: Julie Schumacher
name: Mike
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/29
date added: 2023/11/30
shelves: fiction, epistolary
review:
This book was certainly a trip. Taking the form of letters written by an aging English professor from a not terribly distinguished university with a dying English department, the tone swung from the professor lamenting the declining state of the department (both in body and in spirit), to advocating for a student of his, to writing letters of recommendation with various levels of seriousness. Through these correspondences we learn about his past, how it has impacted his life (leading to marital and romantic problems) and his love of writing. Schumacher does a great job breathing life into characters we never actually meet and spinning a story through these disconnected letters. It is humorous and dispiriting and bittersweet all at once.
]]> <![CDATA[Alexandra Petri's US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up)]]> 62906398 “Satire at the highest level.�� [A] godsend of a book.�� —Amy Fusselman, Washington Post

A witty, absurdist satire of the last 500 years, Alexandra Petri’s US History is the fake textbook you never knew you needed!

As a columnist for the Washington Post, Alexandra Petri has watched in real time as those who didn’t learn from history have been forced to repeat it. And repeat it. And repeat it. If we repeat history one more time, we’re going to fail! Maybe it’s time for a new textbook.

Alexandra Petri’s US History contains a lost (invented!) history of America. (A history for people disappointed that the only president whose weird sex letters we have is Warren G. Harding.) Petri’s "historical fan fiction" draws on real events and completely absurd fabrications to create a laugh-out-loud, irreverent takedown of our nation’s complicated past.

On Petri’s deranged timeline, John and Abigail Adams try sexting, the March sisters from Little Women are sixty feet tall, and Susan Sontag goes to summer camp. Nearly eighty short, hilarious pieces span centuries of American history and culture. Ayn Rand rewrites The Little Engine That Could. Nikola Tesla’s friends stage an intervention when he falls in love with a pigeon. The characters from Sesame Street invade Normandy. And Mark Twain—who famously said reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated—offers a detailed account of his undeath, in which he becomes a zombie.

This side-splitting work of historical humor shows why Alexandra Petri has been hailed as a "genius,"* a "national treasure,"�� and "one of the funniest writers alive"��.

*Olivia Nuzzi, Katha Pollitt

†Julia Ioffe, Katy Tur, John Scalzi, Chuck Wendig, Jamil Smith, and Susan Hennessey

‡Randall Munroe]]> 339 Alexandra Petri 1324006447 Mike 3
Which makes it so tough to rate this book at only 3 stars. But the fact is some types of humor are best consumed in small batches and just don't work when extended over 200+ pages. Additionally some of the chapters referenced literature I was not familiar with, making the no doubt brilliant satirical take of them fall on an ignorant mind.

This isn't to say there were not many, many excellent sections (there were), but simply that this is probably the type of book best suited to small reads over a long period of time. It would make a good coffee book that is enjoyed for 10 minutes here, fifteen minutes there, not an extended reading session.

So if you do pick this up, take time to slowly savor it, draw the experience out over a few weeks or use it as a short palette cleanser between other reads.

]]> 3.62 2023 Alexandra Petri's US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up)

Alexandra Petri's US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up)

author: Alexandra Petri
name: Mike
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/21
date added: 2023/11/27
shelves: history, humor, politics, reviewed
review:
I adore Alexandra Petri, she is a goddamned gift from the gods of satire. Every one of her columns are both hilarious and cutting, perfectly balanced satire. I highly recommend everyone read all of her columns, especially her column on (The Washington Post, in some short sighted intention of saving money on server space, opted not to keep the flags in this 2015 post. Read the column with a picture of all the state flags handy, it enhances the experience). I am proudly a Petri stan.

Which makes it so tough to rate this book at only 3 stars. But the fact is some types of humor are best consumed in small batches and just don't work when extended over 200+ pages. Additionally some of the chapters referenced literature I was not familiar with, making the no doubt brilliant satirical take of them fall on an ignorant mind.

This isn't to say there were not many, many excellent sections (there were), but simply that this is probably the type of book best suited to small reads over a long period of time. It would make a good coffee book that is enjoyed for 10 minutes here, fifteen minutes there, not an extended reading session.

So if you do pick this up, take time to slowly savor it, draw the experience out over a few weeks or use it as a short palette cleanser between other reads.

]]> <![CDATA[Into the Riverlands (The Singing Hills Cycle, #3)]]> 59807976
Accompanied by Almost Brilliant, a talking bird with an indelible memory, Chih confronts old legends and new dangers alike as they learn that every story—beautiful, ugly, kind, or cruel—bears more than one face.]]> 100 Nghi Vo 1250851424 Mike 3 fantasy, novella, reviewed 4.01 2022 Into the Riverlands (The Singing Hills Cycle, #3)

Into the Riverlands (The Singing Hills Cycle, #3)

author: Nghi Vo
name: Mike
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/26
date added: 2023/11/27
shelves: fantasy, novella, reviewed
review:
After two really strong books in this series I found this one falling a bit flat. The first two books had interesting conceits (a story in a story in a story for the first and dueling versions of a story in the second). This installment felt a bit too conventional and straight forward. The booked seemed too short to give the new characters much depth or allow me to connect with them emotionally. The story felt like it was rushing, though to what I do not know given how anti-climatic I found the ending. All in all a weak addition to what had been to this point and sterling series. I am still looking forward to reading the subsequent books in this series. I view this series sort of as one big anthology and most anthologies are going to have a few weak links.
]]> The Employees 53780642 A workplace novel of the 22nd century

The near-distant future. Millions of kilometres from Earth.

The crew of the Six-Thousand ship consists of those who were born, and those who were created. Those who will die, and those who will not. When the ship takes on a number of strange objects from the planet New Discovery, the crew is perplexed to find itself becoming deeply attached to them, and human and humanoid employees alike find themselves longing for the same things: warmth and intimacy. Loved ones who have passed. Our shared, far-away Earth, which now only persists in memory.

Gradually, the crew members come to see themselves in a new light, and each employee is compelled to ask themselves whether their work can carry on as before �� and what it means to be truly alive.

Structured as a series of witness statements compiled by a workplace commission, Ravn’s crackling prose is as chilling as it is moving, as exhilarating as it is foreboding. Wracked by all kinds of longing, The Employees probes into what it means to be human, emotionally and ontologically, while simultaneously delivering an overdue critique of a life governed by work and the logic of productivity.]]> 136 Olga Ravn Mike 3 3.69 2018 The Employees

author: Olga Ravn
name: Mike
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/23
date added: 2023/11/23
shelves: dystopia, science-fiction, book-club
review:
This was a weird book. It was going for weird, don't get me wrong, but I think the structure of the book (anonymous statements by human and humanoid workers on a far away starship) made the story itself a bit to vague for me to really sink my teeth into. There were clearly several recurring statement givers, but it was not so easy linking all of their statements (and now they evolved over time) together. I get the impression this book was commentary on workers and working conditions but the conceit was a bit too removed from the context that was being critique for anything to really land. I did appreciate the weird vibe it gave off and the excellent prose, but these were not enough to carry the (very short) book on their own. Of course your mileage may vary.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe]]> 57355365 A lively and magisterial popular history that refutes common misperceptions of the European Middle Ages, showing the beauty and communion that flourished alongside the dark brutality—a brilliant reflection of humanity itself.

The word “medieval�� conjures images of the “Dark Ages”—centuries of ignorance, superstition, stasis, savagery, and poor hygiene. But the myth of darkness obscures the truth; this was a remarkable period in human history. The Bright Ages recasts the European Middle Ages for what it was, capturing this 1,000-year era in all its complexity and fundamental humanity, bringing to light both its beauty and its horrors.

The Bright Ages takes us through ten centuries and crisscrosses Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa, revisiting familiar people and events with new light cast upon them. We look with fresh eyes on the Fall of Rome, Charlemagne, the Vikings, the Crusades, and the Black Death, but also to the multi-religious experience of Iberia, the rise of Byzantium, and the genius of Hildegard and the power of queens. We begin under a blanket of golden stars constructed by an empress with Germanic, Roman, Spanish, Byzantine, and Christian bloodlines and end nearly 1,000 years later with the poet Dante—inspired by that same twinkling celestial canopy—writing an epic saga of heaven and hell that endures as a masterpiece of literature today.

The Bright Ages reminds us just how permeable our manmade borders have always been and of what possible worlds the past has always made available to us. The Middle Ages may have been a world “lit only by fire�� but it was one whose torches illuminated the magnificent rose windows of cathedrals, even as they stoked the pyres of accused heretics.

The Bright Ages is illustrated throughout with high-resolution images. ]]> 307 Matthew Gabriele 0062980890 Mike 3 history, reviewed 3.58 2021 The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe

The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe

author: Matthew Gabriele
name: Mike
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/22
date added: 2023/11/23
shelves: history, reviewed
review:
I felt like this book tried to do to much with too little space. The authors tried to cover a thousand years and a massive geographic area in a relatively small number of pages. Attempting to refute the idea that the Dark Ages were, in fact, dark they used a variety of illustrative examples and key events throughout the period to show prove this thesis. While they were interesting examples, I felt like the authors did not do enough to weave these scattered events into a coherent narrative. The chapters mostly stood on their own with little relation to others. I applaud there effort but found the execution fell short, mostly due to the length of the book and the depth (or lack there of) each chapter went. This is a good introductory book for reading about this time period but does little to elevate beyond a pop-history book.
]]> Starter Villain 61885029
Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.

Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.

But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.

It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.

In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat.]]> 264 John Scalzi 0765389223 Mike 4 Starter Villain is no exception. I liked the conceit of the book ("villains" of the world are just super scummy nepo-babies with way more money than sense) and chucking a normal dude into the middle of it. Oh, and hyperintelligent cats, those are always fun. I devoured this book in a few days and was contented at the end. It stands nicely on its own and wraps up pleasantly in the end.]]> 4.09 2023 Starter Villain

author: John Scalzi
name: Mike
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/18
date added: 2023/11/18
shelves: humor, science-fiction, reviewed
review:
Scalzi is always good for a fast, delightfully snarky read and Starter Villain is no exception. I liked the conceit of the book ("villains" of the world are just super scummy nepo-babies with way more money than sense) and chucking a normal dude into the middle of it. Oh, and hyperintelligent cats, those are always fun. I devoured this book in a few days and was contented at the end. It stands nicely on its own and wraps up pleasantly in the end.
]]> <![CDATA[Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes, #0)]]> 65213543 When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn't always what we seek.

In Bookshops & Bonedust, a prequel to Legends & Lattes, author Travis Baldree takes us on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and second-hand books.

Viv's career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned.

Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it.

What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn't possibly imagine.

Still, adventure isn't all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.]]> 336 Travis Baldree 1250886104 Mike 4 fantasy, reviewed Legends & Lattes. This time, instead of coffee and pastries it is books and pastries. Sure, there is an impending threat of necromantic armies, but that does little to dampen the adorable love story, the can do gumption of Viv, and the quirky side characters. I loved reading this just as much as the first book and I look forward to any and all subsequent, cozy, installments.]]> 4.13 2023 Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes, #0)

Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes, #0)

author: Travis Baldree
name: Mike
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/16
date added: 2023/11/18
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
A delightful prequel to the ever so cozy Legends & Lattes. This time, instead of coffee and pastries it is books and pastries. Sure, there is an impending threat of necromantic armies, but that does little to dampen the adorable love story, the can do gumption of Viv, and the quirky side characters. I loved reading this just as much as the first book and I look forward to any and all subsequent, cozy, installments.
]]> <![CDATA[An Echo of Things to Come (The Licanius Trilogy, #2)]]> 23202665
The second book in a glorious new fantasy trilogy by the next major force in commercial epic fantasy.

In the wake of the devastating attack on Ilin Illan, an amnesty has been declared for all Augurs - finally allowing them to emerge from hiding and openly oppose the dark forces massing against Andarra. However as Davian and his new allies hurry north toward the ever-weakening Boundary, fresh horrors along their path suggest that their reprieve may have come far too late.
In the capital, Wirr is forced to contend with assassins and an increasingly hostile Administration as he controversially assumes the mantle of Northwarden, uncovering a mystery that draws into question everything commonly believed about the rebellion his father led twenty years ago. Meanwhile, Asha begins a secret investigation into the disappearance of the Shadows, determined to discover not only where they went but the origin of the Vessels that created them - and, ultimately, a cure.
And with time against him as he races to fulfill the treacherous bargain with the Lyth, Caeden continues to wrestle with the impossibly heavy burdens of his past. Yet as more and more of his memories return, he begins to realise that the motivations of the two sides in this ancient war may not be as clear-cut as they first seemed...
The Licanius TrilogyThe Shadow of What Was LostAn Echo of Things to Come]]> 752 James Islington 0316274127 Mike 4 epics, fantasy 4.29 2017 An Echo of Things to Come (The Licanius Trilogy, #2)

An Echo of Things to Come (The Licanius Trilogy, #2)

author: James Islington
name: Mike
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/12
date added: 2023/11/12
shelves: epics, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought, #2)]]> 226004 A Fire Upon The Deep, this is the story of Pham Nuwen, a small cog in the interstellar trading fleet of the Queng Ho. The Queng Ho and the Emergents are orbiting the dormant planet Arachna, which is about to wake up to technology, but the Emergents' plans are sinister.]]> 775 Vernor Vinge 0812536355 Mike 5 4.31 1999 A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought, #2)

A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought, #2)

author: Vernor Vinge
name: Mike
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/11/01
shelves: science-fiction, here-be-aliens
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, #9)]]> 13891
Mazrim Taim, leader of the Black Tower, is revealed to be a liar. But what is he up to?

Faile, with the Aiel Maidens, Bain and Chiad, and her companions, Queen Alliandre and Morgase, is prisoner of Savanna's sept.

Perrin is desperately searching for Faile. With Elyas Machera, Berelain, the Prophet and a very mixed "army" of disparate forces, he is moving through country rife with bandits and roving Seanchan. The Forsaken are ever more present, and united, and the man called Slayer stalks Tel'aran'rhiod and the wolfdream.

In Ebou Dar, the Seanchan princess known as Daughter of the Nine Moons arrives--and Mat, who had been recuperating in the Tarasin Palace, is introduced to her. Will the marriage that has been foretold come about?

There are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it is a beginning....]]> 780 Robert Jordan 081257558X Mike 4 fantasy 3.94 1994 Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, #9)

author: Robert Jordan
name: Mike
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1994
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/26
date added: 2023/10/26
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Path of Daggers (The Wheel of Time, #8)]]> 8260833
The Seanchan invasion force is in possession of Ebou Dar. Nynaeve, Elayne, and Aviendha head for Caemlyn and Elayne's rightful throne, but on the way they discover an enemy much worse than the Seanchan.

In Illian, Rand vows to throw the Seanchan back as he did once before. But signs of madness are appearing among the Asha'man.

In Ghealdan, Perrin faces the intrigues of Whitecloaks, Seanchan invaders, the scattered Shaido Aiel, and the Prophet himself. Perrin's beloved wife, Faile, may pay with her life, and Perrin himself may have to destroy his soul to save her.

Meanwhile the rebel Aes Sedai under their young Amyrlin, Egwene al'Vere, face an army that intends to keep them away from the White Tower. But Egwene is determined to unseat the usurper Elaida and reunite the Aes Sedai. She does not yet understand the price that others--and she herself--will pay.]]> 669 Robert Jordan Mike 4 4.16 1998 The Path of Daggers (The Wheel of Time, #8)

The Path of Daggers (The Wheel of Time, #8)

author: Robert Jordan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/13
date added: 2023/10/13
shelves:
review:

]]> The Sunlit Man 60531420 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson―creator of The Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn Saga, and countless bestselling works of science fiction and fantasy―comes this standalone novel showing a rare glimpse of a future Cosmere universe.

Running. Putting distance between himself and the relentless Night Brigade has been Nomad’s strategy for years. Staying one or two steps ahead of his pursuers by skipping through the Cosmere from one world to the next.

But now, his powers too depleted to escape, Nomad finds himself trapped on Canticle, a planet that will kill anyone who doesn’t keep moving. Fleeing the fires of a sunrise that melts the very stones, he is instantly caught up in the struggle between a heartless tyrant and the brave rebels who defy him.

Failure means a quick death, incinerated by the sun�� or a lifetime as a mindless slave. Tormented by the consequences of his past, Nomad must fight not only for his survival―but also for his very soul.]]> 447 Brandon Sanderson 1938570391 Mike 4 fantasy, reviewed 4.28 2023 The Sunlit Man

author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Mike
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/05
date added: 2023/10/05
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
A fitting end to Sanderson's Secret Projects/"Ooops, I wrote four books during COVID" Extravaganza. We get a story on yet another wildly fantastical world, centering of a character we have met before but has been through a ton of heavy stuff since we last saw them (including some unsettling suggestions about what will happen during/after the next Stormlight book), as well as some great moral lessons sprinkled throughout. I really enjoyed this book, which definitely leaned more on the action side of things, especially compared to the other Secret Project. Overall the book left me wanting more no just of Nomad, but also the folks on Canticle.
]]> <![CDATA[A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time, #7)]]> 13890
Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.]]> 880 Robert Jordan 0812550285 Mike 4 fantasy, epics 4.05 1996

A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time, #7)

author: Robert Jordan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/28
date added: 2023/09/28
shelves: fantasy, epics
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Door in the Dark (Waxways, #1)]]> 61273146 One of Us is Lying meets A Deadly Education in this fantasy thriller that follows six teenage wizards as they fight to make it home alive after a malfunctioning spell leaves them stranded in the wilderness.

Ren Monroe has spent four years proving she’s one of the best wizards in her generation. But top marks at Balmerick University will mean nothing if she fails to get recruited into one of the major houses. Enter Theo Brood. If being rich were a sin, he’d already be halfway to hell. After a failed and disastrous party trick, fate has the two of them crossing paths at the public waxway portal the day before holidays—Theo’s punishment is to travel home with the scholarship kids. Which doesn’t sit well with any of them.

A fight breaks out. In the chaos, the portal spell malfunctions. All six students are snatched from the safety of the school’s campus and set down in the middle of nowhere. And one of them is dead on arrival.

If anyone can get them through the punishing wilderness with limited magical reserves it’s Ren. She’s been in survival mode her entire life. But no magic could prepare her for the tangled secrets the rest of the group is harboring, or for what’s following them through the dark woods…]]> 368 Scott Reintgen 1665918683 Mike 4 fantasy, reviewed 3.83 2023 A Door in the Dark (Waxways, #1)

author: Scott Reintgen
name: Mike
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/17
date added: 2023/09/19
shelves: fantasy, reviewed
review:
This book cycled through about four genres over the course of the story in the very best way. It kicks off as a magic academy/social commentary story then wilderness survival then horror, then it ends on a note of revenge. I really enjoyed this story. In addition to the well transitioned genres, the story was very engaging and the world itself unique. I liked the characters very much and how they evolved over the course of the story. I eagerly await the subsequent installments of this series.
]]> <![CDATA[The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1)]]> 22878967 It has been twenty years since the end of the war. The dictatorial Augurs—once thought of almost as gods—were overthrown and wiped out during the conflict, their much-feared powers mysteriously failing them. Those who had ruled under them, men and women with a lesser ability known as the Gift, avoided the Augurs' fate only by submitting themselves to the rebellion's Four Tenets. A representation of these laws is now written into the flesh of any who use the Gift, forcing those so marked into absolute obedience.

As a student of the Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war fought—and lost—before he was born. Despised by most beyond the school walls, he and those around him are all but prisoners as they attempt to learn control of the Gift. Worse, as Davian struggles with his lessons, he knows that there is further to fall if he cannot pass his final tests.

But when Davian discovers he has the ability to wield the forbidden power of the Augurs, he sets into motion a chain of events that will change everything. To the north, an ancient enemy long thought defeated begins to stir. And to the west, a young man whose fate is intertwined with Davian’s wakes up in the forest, covered in blood and with no memory of who he is…]]> 602 James Islington 099258020X Mike 4 epics, fantasy, reviewed 4.13 2014 The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1)

The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1)

author: James Islington
name: Mike
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/17
date added: 2023/09/19
shelves: epics, fantasy, reviewed
review:
This book started a bit slow. It seemed to follow a lot of the "hero's journey" tropes but as the story unfolded Islington did an excellent job giving the world, characters, and plot nuance and redirecting the story in unexpected direction. By the end I found the world really neat, the story compelling, and the characters enjoyable to spend time with. My only issue with the writing was that i never got a good sense of any of the places the action was taking place in. In spite of this shortcoming I look forward to continuing the series.
]]> <![CDATA[Utterly Dwarfed (The Order of the Stick #6)]]> 51984441
All of the comics from #947 to, uh, the end of this story arc!
More than 10 all-new bonus comics here and there throughout the adventure!
A recap of events to-date by "Durkon Thundershield." (wink, wink!)
Foreword by Haley Starshine!
A never-before-seen map of the Northern Continent!
Nine or so pages of navel-gazing author commentary!
A new moderately improved art style that makes some things look better and others worse!
Probably some other stuff!]]> 352 Rich Burlew 0985413964 Mike 5
While there is little in the way of new material in this book as compared to what was available online. What this book does offer is a great deal of insight into the creative process and decisions that have done into this series. I found it quite insightful and fascinating, and it gave me a greater appreciation for all the plotting and thought that has gone into this amazing webcomic.

And if you haven’t given Order of the Stick a spin yet, what are you waiting for? You’re only hurting yourself.

Merged review:

Look, by this point you know what you are getting with an Order of the Stick book: zany adventures, epic fantasy action, RPG humor, and oh so many puns. It is one of my favorite pieces of fantasy, which is saying a lot for a webcomic about bumbling stock figure adventurers.

While there is little in the way of new material in this book as compared to what was available online. What this book does offer is a great deal of insight into the creative process and decisions that have done into this series. I found it quite insightful and fascinating, and it gave me a greater appreciation for all the plotting and thought that has gone into this amazing webcomic.

And if you haven’t given Order of the Stick a spin yet, what are you waiting for? You’re only hurting yourself.

Merged review:

Look, by this point you know what you are getting with an Order of the Stick book: zany adventures, epic fantasy action, RPG humor, and oh so many puns. It is one of my favorite pieces of fantasy, which is saying a lot for a webcomic about bumbling stock figure adventurers.

While there is little in the way of new material in this book as compared to what was available online. What this book does offer is a great deal of insight into the creative process and decisions that have done into this series. I found it quite insightful and fascinating, and it gave me a greater appreciation for all the plotting and thought that has gone into this amazing webcomic.

And if you haven’t given Order of the Stick a spin yet, what are you waiting for? You’re only hurting yourself.]]> 4.60 2019 Utterly Dwarfed (The Order of the Stick #6)

Utterly Dwarfed (The Order of the Stick #6)

author: Rich Burlew
name: Mike
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/12/28
date added: 2023/09/16
shelves: comics-graphic-novel, epics, fantasy, rpg, reviewed
review:
Look, by this point you know what you are getting with an Order of the Stick book: zany adventures, epic fantasy action, RPG humor, and oh so many puns. It is one of my favorite pieces of fantasy, which is saying a lot for a webcomic about bumbling stock figure adventurers.

While there is little in the way of new material in this book as compared to what was available online. What this book does offer is a great deal of insight into the creative process and decisions that have done into this series. I found it quite insightful and fascinating, and it gave me a greater appreciation for all the plotting and thought that has gone into this amazing webcomic.

And if you haven’t given Order of the Stick a spin yet, what are you waiting for? You’re only hurting yourself.

Merged review:

Look, by this point you know what you are getting with an Order of the Stick book: zany adventures, epic fantasy action, RPG humor, and oh so many puns. It is one of my favorite pieces of fantasy, which is saying a lot for a webcomic about bumbling stock figure adventurers.

While there is little in the way of new material in this book as compared to what was available online. What this book does offer is a great deal of insight into the creative process and decisions that have done into this series. I found it quite insightful and fascinating, and it gave me a greater appreciation for all the plotting and thought that has gone into this amazing webcomic.

And if you haven’t given Order of the Stick a spin yet, what are you waiting for? You’re only hurting yourself.

Merged review:

Look, by this point you know what you are getting with an Order of the Stick book: zany adventures, epic fantasy action, RPG humor, and oh so many puns. It is one of my favorite pieces of fantasy, which is saying a lot for a webcomic about bumbling stock figure adventurers.

While there is little in the way of new material in this book as compared to what was available online. What this book does offer is a great deal of insight into the creative process and decisions that have done into this series. I found it quite insightful and fascinating, and it gave me a greater appreciation for all the plotting and thought that has gone into this amazing webcomic.

And if you haven’t given Order of the Stick a spin yet, what are you waiting for? You’re only hurting yourself.
]]> <![CDATA[Anatomy: A Love Story (The Anatomy Duology #1)]]> 61636238 Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.

Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.

When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Royal Edinburgh Anatomists' Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: If she can pass the medical examination on her own, he will allow her to continue her medical career. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books—she’ll need corpses to study.

Luckily, she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living.

But Jack has his own problems: Strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets, and the dreaded Roman fever, which wiped out thousands a few years ago, is back with a vengeance. Nobody important cares—until Hazel.

Now Hazel and Jack must work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.]]> 338 Dana Schwartz 1250774152 Mike 0 to-read 3.85 2022 Anatomy: A Love Story (The Anatomy Duology #1)

Anatomy: A Love Story (The Anatomy Duology #1)

author: Dana Schwartz
name: Mike
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gleanings (Arc of a Scythe, #3.5)]]> 60721885
There are still countless tales of the Scythedom to tell. Centuries passed between the Thunderhead cradling humanity and Scythe Goddard trying to turn it upside down. For years humans lived in a world without hunger, disease, or death with Scythes as the living instruments of population control.

Neal Shusterman - along with collaborators David Yoon, Jarrod Shusterman, Sofia Lapuente, Michael H. Payne, Michelle Knowlden, and Joelle Shusterman - returns to the world throughout the timeline of the Arc of a Scythe series. Discover secrets and histories of characters you've followed for three volumes and meet new heroes, new foes, and some figures in between.]]> 430 Neal Shusterman 1534499997 Mike 5 Gleanings overcomes this shortcoming while also enriching the world of a finished series is stellar. This collection offers fresh insights into the world of Scythe, fleshing out parts of the world the mainline story did not touch on, building out some characters' backstories, adding detail to some behind the scenes events, and doing an excellent job exploring the implications of human immortality on society. I greatly enjoyed everyone of these stories and found all of them to be adding depth to this literary universe. I would love to get a second collection of stories because there is still a lot of space that could be explored and fascinating consequences of the world that can be examined. If you liked the Scythe series this book is a must read.]]> 4.20 2022 Gleanings (Arc of a Scythe, #3.5)

author: Neal Shusterman
name: Mike
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/28
date added: 2023/09/11
shelves: science-fiction, young-adult, anthologies, reviewed, short-story
review:
It is difficult for an anthology to be excellent. With so many stories from different authors there are bound to be some that fall flat with the reader. The fact that Gleanings overcomes this shortcoming while also enriching the world of a finished series is stellar. This collection offers fresh insights into the world of Scythe, fleshing out parts of the world the mainline story did not touch on, building out some characters' backstories, adding detail to some behind the scenes events, and doing an excellent job exploring the implications of human immortality on society. I greatly enjoyed everyone of these stories and found all of them to be adding depth to this literary universe. I would love to get a second collection of stories because there is still a lot of space that could be explored and fascinating consequences of the world that can be examined. If you liked the Scythe series this book is a must read.
]]> The Cyberiad 18194 Solaris. Ranging from the prophetic to the surreal, these stories demonstrate Stanislaw Lem's vast talent and remarkable ability to blend meaning and magic into a wholly entertaining and captivating work.]]> 295 Stanisław Lem Mike 4 4.18 1965 The Cyberiad

author: Stanisław Lem
name: Mike
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1965
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/04
date added: 2023/09/11
shelves: anthologies, science-fiction, humor, reviewed
review:
This was a delightfully silly sci-fi whimsy about the antics some inventors get up to a silly setting. These stories really seemed more like fairy tales dressed up in sci-fi drag, but in the best way. One of the stories even predicts the invention of a ChatGPT like machine that learns enough to be better than moral artists (and they proceed to get very cross about this, hijinks ensue). This is a light, breezy read and should not be treated very seriously. Heck, the first story is about how one of the inventors invented a machine that can make anything that starts with the letter N. Naturally the inventor's friend/rival tries give it a logical paradox by asking it to create "nothing". Instead of short circuiting the machine the machine proceeds to NEARLY WIPE OUT ALL OF EXISTENCE. Hence why there is so much "nothing" in the universe.
]]> <![CDATA[The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States: A Speculative Novel]]> 40591224 This "brilliantly conceived" novel imagines a devastating nuclear attack on America and the official government report of the calamity (Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation and Command and Control).

"The skies over the Korean Peninsula on March 21, 2020, were clear and blue." So begins this sobering report by the Commission on the Nuclear Attacks against the United States, established by Congress and President Donald J. Trump to investigate the horrific events of the following three days. An independent, bipartisan panel led by nuclear expert Jeffrey Lewis, the commission was charged with finding and reporting the relevant facts, investigating how the nuclear war began, and determining whether our government was adequately prepared.

Did President Trump and his advisers understand North Korean views about nuclear weapons? Did the tragic milestones of that fateful month--North Korea's accidental shoot-down of Air Busan flight 411, the retaliatory strike by South Korea, and the tweet that triggered vastly more carnage--inevitably lead to war? Or did America's leaders have the opportunity to avert the greatest calamity in the history of our nation?

Answering these questions will not bring back the lives lost in March, 2020. It will not rebuild New York, Washington, or the other cities reduced to rubble. But at the very least, it might prevent a tragedy of this magnitude from occurring again. It is this hope that inspired The 2020 Commission Report.

"I couldn't put the book down, reading most of it in the course of one increasingly intense evening. If fear of nuclear war is going to keep you up at night, at least it can be a page-turner."--New Scientist]]> 306 Jeffrey Lewis 1328573923 Mike 4 9/11 Commission Report, this book will feel very familiar. It is an account of the events leading up to a limited nuclear war with North Korea. We get a full run down of the events leading up tot he nuclear exchange, the geo-political circumstances all the major players found themselves in, how the psychology and personal history of various leaders informed the decisions that were made, and just how everything went wring. This is all drawn from in-universe interviews, congressional testimonies, contemporary statements. I enjoyed the read a lot as the events leading up to the international tragedy are well constructed and believable (even if my home does get nuked in this timeline). I am a bit bummed we don't get a run down of the invasion of North Korea, but staying true to this book's conceit only the events regarding the nuclear attack are covered.]]> 3.95 2018 The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States: A Speculative Novel

The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States: A Speculative Novel

author: Jeffrey Lewis
name: Mike
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/31
date added: 2023/09/11
shelves: alternative-history, politics, war, reviewed
review:
If you've read the 9/11 Commission Report, this book will feel very familiar. It is an account of the events leading up to a limited nuclear war with North Korea. We get a full run down of the events leading up tot he nuclear exchange, the geo-political circumstances all the major players found themselves in, how the psychology and personal history of various leaders informed the decisions that were made, and just how everything went wring. This is all drawn from in-universe interviews, congressional testimonies, contemporary statements. I enjoyed the read a lot as the events leading up to the international tragedy are well constructed and believable (even if my home does get nuked in this timeline). I am a bit bummed we don't get a run down of the invasion of North Korea, but staying true to this book's conceit only the events regarding the nuclear attack are covered.
]]> Wist: A Graphic Novel 195065324 0 Steve M. Robertson Mike 4

]]> 3.79

author: Steve M. Robertson
name: Mike
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/11
date added: 2023/09/11
shelves: comics-graphic-novel, fantasy, horror, reviewed
review:
A rather enjoyable dark-fantasy/horror graphic novel that was created, in part, thanks to AI. The creator used MidJourney, an AI art creation tool, to create the art, he then tweaked it with photoshop and a drawing application to create the finished product. The premise hooked me (using AI generated art to create a graphic novel) and the work itself is excellent (an angel bound to a dark god looking for a way out and the unlikely source of his salvation). A fascinating world and history coupled with engaging characters makes me eager for the next installment. The creator has posted , so check it out.

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