World Tour Edition by Maxime J. Durand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The humor works just right. It's a buddy series to the very end. A Dragon and his Minion, bros forever.

And this time, they get the road trip they've always wanted, to see new places and kill new people all in the name of gold. Precious, precious gold. Or power-ups. One or the other.

The zinger at the end may or may not be my cup of tea (Vic's escapades) but it seems like it (and he) might turn out all right. Still, fun stuff, all the way.



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Re: Colonised Planet 5, Shikasta by Doris Lessing
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I went through a lot of revisions on my opinion of this book as I was reading it.

To summarize: It's a wild grab-bag of an author thumbing her nose at all sorts of conventions, writing exactly and only what she wants to write about, courageously, jumping about in whatever direction she wants to go, and doing it with heart.

She enjoys flights of grand imagination that I can only liken favorably to Olaf Stapledon.

At first, I thought all these ancient alien colonizer official reports, a bit dull and officious, were pretty cute and stuffy, preparing us for a gut punch later, but then the novel turned into a beautifully scientific re-imagining of creation myths as seen with a heartbroken eye, and then into shotgun spread of a skewering condemnation of our modern society.

At almost every point in the novel, I feel its deep SF heart, its observer's eye, its anger, its reliance on nothing but itself.

This is not a normal genre novel in any respect. So, why should anyone care about this SF in particular?
It feels like an Important work. On many levels.

Take your pick: colonization, religion as control, politics, loss of what makes us human, holding on to that one little thing that gives your life meaning when it all falls apart, or just the sensation of deep time and monumental changes. It's all here.

Or perhaps, on a potential re-read, it may hit me differently at different parts of my life. It's simply one of THOSE novels. Worth it, in other words.


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The Year of the Rogues by Maxime J. Durand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Funny, light read. Still enjoying the *slightly* smarter dragon antics, Victor's improved minion status, and the attempts to not go all-out evil while building an evil empire.

Plus, there's always the danger of lead. Evil, evil lead. The bane of all dragons. lol

All told, I'm enjoying the read. It's slightly weird, very comedic, and it has all the goodies of any LitRPG, with tons of familiar class upgrades and level-ups.


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Vainqueur the Dragon by Maxime J. Durand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading, I have to say I got everything I expected out of this novel.

LitRPG with an ancient dragon awakening to the class system? Not too smart? Becomes an OP adventurer?

Yep.

It's often funny and weird and it hits all my expectations. It helps that our hapless human minion is also a hoot.


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A Brief History of Chronomancy by Andrew Rowe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I honestly had a great time with this even if the progression-path was wonky. But, hell, timey-wimey stuff is ALWAYS rather wonky. What can you expect with chronomancy, even with a dude whose core is all about enchanting?

Here's what I loved most: Training montages. Endless training montages. Power-ups with training montages. Quests related to training montages nested within training montages that are really recursive grand-training montages hosted by future selves who are, themselves, in training montages.

*wicked glee*

Yeah, perhaps it's fairly predictable, but THIS is what I keep coming back to the series for. Climbing spires and the grand war and the otherwise dire stakes for friends and family are almost a secondary concern, but also fun. I only wish I could get THESE particular books more often. :)


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Overgrowth by Mira Grant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. A lot of the novel hit a lot of cool notes, especially the start, that was part-way Seanan and part-way Grant-Parasite, and then it was fun with its subtexts, hating-humans for perfectly valid social reasons, etc.

After the signal and the "oh crap everything she said was real" bits, I kinda had a bit of a problem. It wasn't bad, per se, but I just felt like the wish-fulfillment "oh, all her friends really are cool people" thing didn't actually land right. That, or post-signal, I kinda hated the vilification of NASA. One or the other.

The last half of the novel got pretty interesting, tho, and especially so if you hate humanity.

So, yeah, this is a hate-humanity book. Sometimes that's just fine. And if we go about it by way of Little Shop of Horrors, then so be it.

Go, Audrey Two!



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Tigerman by Nick Harkaway
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I definitely wanted to like this one more than I did. It's not like the concept was bad. It's a superhero type novel without degenerating into outright tropes--more like Green Hornet than Batman--with a vast realpolitik situation in an isolated island.

I like the IDEA of it all much more than I was interested in the actual execution. I got bored. But even so, I did enjoy the dynamic between the hero and his adoptive orphan kid. It was heartwarming at points.

But overall? Definitely not my favorite Harkaway. I kept checking how much there was left, and that's not a great sign.


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BORUTO―ボルト― 4 ―TWO BLUE VORTEX― by Masashi Kishimoto
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm totally hooked on this tale. The stakes are so freaking high and it's all thanks to the full weight of all the previous Narutos and Barutos. Divine tree takeover, tons of shifting alliances, confusions. But what I probably like best is the reliance on logic and heart.

I love smart characters thinking things through. I love it even more when there are MANY smart characters thinking things through, and it still becomes a quagmire.

I can't wait to see where this goes.



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BORUTO―ボルト― 3 ―TWO BLUE VORTEX― by Masashi Kishimoto
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm geeking out.

I mean, seriously, after some spoilery stuff that I can't talk about that is still a little bit old news at this point, and then learning that Himiwari is front and center in this volume, and WHY... I'm totally geeking out.

It still isn't enough to help her get through this current shitstorm, but I love every single thing about it. I don't care if it's even slightly deus ex machina, it makes SENSE to me because of who K is and all the time he spent with Naruto and fam.

So... YESSSSSSSSS! :)



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BORUTO―ボルト― 2 ―TWO BLUE VORTEX― by Masashi Kishimoto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finally catching up with Two Blue Vortex. It's taking a while to come out, but I think, at least, it's worth the wait.

The time-skip after the switcheroo has taken SO much toll on everyone, it's almost like a brand new comic. Solid, too. It's fascinating.

Tragic, too, but it makes for interesting worldbuilding and drama that I just can't get out of my head.



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Audition by Ryū Murakami
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Straight thriller here.

Of course, my jaded ass tends to want to find morals and divine retribution in things, almost as if this was some kind of Korean horror film, but no. Our MC is just *slightly* unethical in how he goes about his attempt to find a new wife. The fact that he turns out to be a relatively decent guy and how he comes mostly clean (even if not really) isn't an obvious automatic condemnation. Indeed, he just seems lonely and rather lost most of the time.

The true hardcore aspect of this novel is pretty simple: the twist. The normal trope is switched around. Women are usually stalked. In this regard, the novel truly stands out as a sweet piece of transgression from the norm.

No, it's not Lady Vengeance, but it's great for a role reversal.



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A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-ran
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It took me a little while to get what kind of novel this was, but by the time I got there, (having not looked up anything about this book but the recommendation and the name), I found myself entranced.

It's a near-future SF that focuses on connections. The small interactions between everyone. But specifically, this is put into sharp relief when it comes to the same small connections between a horse, humans, and a robot jockey that mistakenly gets a chip that "awakens" it.

It's a book about friendship, about pain, about wounds that won't heal, and about the stoppage of time. And how sometimes, small healing can finally break the ice.

It's a very pretty novel. It's also a very humanist one, which I really like. Even if the main focus isn't entirely on humans. :) Then again, some of my all-time favorite humanist novels aren't focused on humans, either, so this really does fit.


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ダンダダン 20 [Dan Da Dan 20] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pygmies? Yep. Pygmies. Because, why not? lol

This manga is wild. At least Okarun is still pretty badass despite his new problem. And Momo? Yeah, the little people still kick butt.

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ダンダダン 19 [Dan Da Dan 19] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Annnnndddd it's the end of the fairy tale cards. Good ending though. And the end of the volume, itself?

I want to tear something to shreds. What the hell? Seriously? It can't end there. No way, no how.

Yeah, yeah, I know, it likely won't, but damn.


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ダンダダン 18 [Dan Da Dan 18] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So much fun. And of course, the last battle was hardly the end. Big boss time now.

And to think I'd see such an evil Mary Poppins in a comic, together with a mentor/cop drama. What awesome mash-ups!


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ダンダダン 17 [Dan Da Dan 17] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Game world. Or is it board game world? Either way, the rules are fun and we always get these wicked neat surprises because it IS Dan Da Dan. And to finish it off, an all out brawl with born brawlers.

Fun stuff.


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ダンダダン 16 [Dan Da Dan 16] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wild. Again. A few volumes ago we had a gundam-type crossover. And now? Spy X Spy and even a hint of Bleach and Jumanji!

The speed at which all these sub-genres and hella-popular IPs and hitting us is so delicious.

Because, why not? Let's just go for totally cool and flyyyyyyyy. :)


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ダンダダン 15 [Dan Da Dan 15] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A bit of an immortal skulking around the place to make things interesting. But the main arc is about the Class Rep and her dream to be an idol. Too bad she's carrying around a heavy weight, right? A whole building's worth.

And that's why we need to rock-and-run our hearts out to a massive spiritual concert. Of course. lol



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Hum by Helen Phillips
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I'll be honest here: I didn't like this book.

I'm not saying it's not well written. It's competent and does what it sets out to do: show how dystopian our ad-filled world is, the ubiquitousness of AI and how consumerism is squeezing the very life out of us, how insane that being able to live simply is now forever out of reach.

In other words, it's a close-match to our own world, where we're constantly being upsold just to breathe.

So why didn't I like this book? Didn't it accomplish everything it set out to do?

Well, yes, it did, and if it had been one of the first five books I've read in the last five years that do the same banal every-day living tack of dystopia with exactly the same suburbia tropes, if not the same focus, but with almost exactly the same kind of voice as if it was a carbon-copy tale, I might have been a bit more generous with my review.

But I didn't even like those all that much, or much at all. It's not only boring and dull, with hardly any spark of imagination, it's almost glorifying the BORING of our own dystopia, as if we aren't actually LIVING it, as if it isn't OBVIOUS from two seconds spent online that we have a custom-curated concierge to hell.

What I don't like is the fact that THIS is the kind of book that publishers think need to be popular.

You know, instead of something that's actually provoking or creative or vibrant. The last thing I want right now is to be shown how desperate we all are, and how powerless, how absolutely CRAVEN the ads and the ringleaders would like to paint us.

So yeah, I kinda HATE this book. But I'll be clear: it's not that I hate the writing or the author. It's the knee-jerk reaction I have to both the subject and the highlight of the subject.

We live in interesting times already. Let's either elevate the subject or blaze a trail through the weeds.

My apologies to all who might have loved this book. Please excuse me.



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ダンダダン 14 [Dan Da Dan 14] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a conclusion to that invasion arc! Always to the edge, reversal, counter-reversal, overwhelming reversal, and then a surprising last-min save. I love this kind of thing, and Dan Da Dan just rocked it.

Every single encounter is important. I think I love that the most.


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ダンダダン 13 [Dan Da Dan 13] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Getting the rest of the history of the Sumerians, the purpose of the pyramids, and one of the climaxes of the big battle, rolled into one volume, is a real treat.

Lots of desperation and emotion topped with massive action, but I'm personally thrilled to see yet another fringe science, strange history interpretations get such front-and-center page-time like it's nothing.

Edge of seat stuff. Love it.



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Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ambitious, fantastically researched, vibrant, and intense, Galileo's Dream focuses almost entirely on The Galileo in his time, his life, all his science, discoveries, and especially the decision that he's most well known for. The battle with the church to stand by the truth of science.

His sacrifice is very well known, of course, this novelization of it is pretty damn fantastic. Kim Stanley Robinson just has that going.

What makes this book particularly interesting is the "dream" which is, in fact, a hard SF extravaganza including time-travel, teleportation, a grand dark age of science and quantum entanglement and foresight that really messes with Galileo on a level near to what happened to him in normal history.

Interesting stuff!

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Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-read

Of course, I read this many years ago, too, and was just recalling the primary feel of what I got out of it, the first time.

Awe. Wonder.

And you know what? That hasn't changed. Maybe people these days have lost the knack for it, thinking that being jaded and sophisticated about their science and the BDOs makes them special. And, to be fair, I think it does--but never to the point where you lose the plot.

What's the plot? A sense of wonder. To be surprised, to be floored by the majesty of an ancient object that turns out to be first contact, then so much more.

Honestly? I think Rama would make a great movie. The trick is to tease just enough and then blow us away with the visuals, then the strangeness, then the pure unlucky adventure.

I don't even care if the baddies (us, of course) get a major billing. The showcase should be in our reactions.

I miss this kind of thing. Innocence, wonder, daring, and most of all... CURIOSITY.


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ダンダダン 12 [Dan Da Dan 12] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just when I thought it was getting hard for these guys, it just got harder. Split up, overwhelmed, full-scale SFnal invasion, and several great reversals, good and bad.

War. War never changes... and then we get Vamola's history--which may as well be as hard as it gets for any of us.

Very cool volume. Not so much funny as it really lays down a dark tone, but really cool nonetheless.


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ダンダダン 11 [Dan Da Dan 11] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yup, I love myself a good training montage after being shown just how outmatched they are. It's one of my favorite tropes. But add a bit of road-trip trope, astral projection, jealousy, and augmented reality, and it's either going to be hilarious or crazy.

I'm going for hilarious. Crazy has long since set sail.


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ダンダダン 10 [Dan Da Dan 10] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A moment of peace and misunderstanding leads right to a full-on alien invasion.

Because, of course it does. :)

Powerscaling is now in effect, but never underestimate the power of tri-beam love moes. :)


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Greatest Hits by Harlan Ellison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Even though I've read most of these short stories across the years, it's an utter no-brainer to pick up these stories and enjoy them again.

It's Harlan Ellison, ya'll. Always acerbic, a force for energetic good, and yet, litigious as hell -- and above all, a loud-mouth, brilliant storyteller.

Instead of commenting on every single story here, I will just mention my now-favorites. A few will slip and slide, but some will always remain.

Repent, Harlequin, said the Ticktock Man -- the ultimate SF that thumbs its nose at time-punchers, is sad and it makes me angry and while I APPRECIATE the damn point, I deal with people who can't not be late for their very lives -- so I guess I have to become the Ticktocck Man. GGahaaaaahhhhhhh. Anyway.

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream -- Alas, I've read this 5 times, and so, I decided to use ChatGPT to give me it's REAL opinion on AM, and oh, my, it's a slippery one.

Deathbird -- I always thought of this as a little philosophical stroll down good/evil redemption lane, but HOW it was written was pretty awesome. A little cosmic horror and schoolwork together never hurts.

Chatting with Anubis -- Short, sharp afterlife. Secrets kill. :)

The Whimper of Whipped Dogs -- Wicked, wicked, wicked story. I mean, I get where Harlan goes with this, and it seems utterly logical, if cultishly demonic, but I don't *WANT* to believe this is the only available outcome -- with or without the supernatural element. *sigh*

Jeffty is Five -- This one always got under my skin. All the implications, the SF reasons, the fantasy reasons, but in the end, it was the simple, obvious reason that freaked me out the most. The cost of aging. Only, because this is Ellison, he aims for your heart by way of under your ribcage, not through.

Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes -- I don't know. Maybe this one will never be my favorite. The whole sex and gambling twist might be fine on the surface, but I've never been a gambler, and this was merely an okay story for me. Fortunately, Harlan's track record is still awesome.

Shatterday -- Self-hate, paranormal style. Got to find an old 80s twilight zone ep with a young Bruce Willis doing justice to this story. :)

Mefisto in Onyx -- Beautiful story. Hits hard on so many levels, not just racism or the ugliness or people's minds, but a glorious story of power and responsibility. Oh, and it's also great fun.

On the Downhill Side -- It's hard for me to treat this as an afterlife fantasy because it's just too raw. To love too much or too little, to be maintained, at the very last, by innocence, only to consume it... I honestly couldn't help but feel like it was older people trying to move past their youthful indiscretions, to find peace and happiness now, when all seemed lost. Beautiful story.

Paladin of the Lost Hour -- What comes off as a pretty damn cool humans being human to each other story, a kind of mentor-type story, with memory and care at the forefront, becomes rather mystical and neat by the end.

The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World -- This one is a pretty wildly imaginative story that might as well be a subtle Mystery Tale that straddles the sweet spot between madness, murder, and love to find a perfect stillness. Rather cool, all told.

I'm Looking for Kadak -- Wild Jewish Aliens hitting that sweet spot of Waiting for Godot.

How Interesting: A Tiny Man -- Short, and startlingly accurate. We definitely would behave this way.

Djinn, No Chaser -- I love how much I came to like this newlywed couple after disliking them so much. It ALMOST reads like a JOB story in blindingly-fast fashion.

How's the Night Life in Cissalda? -- Truly, this one is for anyone on the prowl for an apocalypse story that answers the question: What would it be like to fuck ourselves to extinction?

From A to Z, in the Chocolate Alphabet -- Funny glossary, a-la devil's dictionary, but Ellison-style.

Eidolons -- Again returning to the fine line between murder and transcendence, this one is a little less creepy than previous stories, but the solid transcendence theme was damn fine.

All The Lies That Are My Life -- I think, although I haven't done any of the research to prove it either way, that this is a very personal tale, even autobiographical, or at least extremely revealing, take on Ellison, himself. Friendship, art, what he wanted to pass on after death, etc.




Here's the fact, however: no matter how contentious Harlan was in real life, he has a charisma, like his own characters, that live on long after his death.


To me, I think he's one of the finest storytellers we've ever had. Full stop. I've read many of these multiple times, often read by the author, himself, and I'll just say that they're true works of art, just like the damn man himself.


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The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-read 7/17/25

Comfort food of the highest caliber. A long, slow, delicious read from a nice copy is just what the doctor ordered.



Original Review:

Ah, at long last, I finished my fifth or sixth reread of The Return of the King, marveling at just how unstated Peter Jackson's tongue-in-cheek faux endings were in comparison with the real thing.

Ah yes! The action is definitely glorious in both! The emotions brilliant! Wave after wave of battle, failure, regrouping, and last minute saves are fantastic in both the novel and the movie, but what staggers my imagination is not the end of Sauron, the unmaking of the One Ring, or how it came to pass...

... it is the fact that the main action stops so EARLY in the novel.

It makes me appreciate the actual focus of the trilogy. It has to. It really isn't the return of Aragorn to Gondor that is the main focus. Not really. It's not the fading away of magic and the skedaddle of the elves now that they don't have enough juice to keep their houses trimmed. It's the Hobbits, yo! We started with them. We spent AGES with them in Fellowship. And as the perfect bookend, we spend EVEN MORE TIME with them in the Return of the King.

Nostalgic Sigh. I don't mind that. It's the heroism of the little folk, the normal folk, the average, ho hum folk. It's the returning heroes of Merry and Pippin brandishing swords in the Shire, or Samwise the Elven Hero who melts his sword into a plow. It's about the Scouring of the Shire and the little heroisms that recall to us Candide's Voltaire. TEND YOUR OWN GARDEN. Don't let the evil run amuck in your back-yard. (Rather than keep your nose out of other's business.) :)

Oh, and let's not forget that half of this book is all appendixes. Long, wonderful appendixes featuring the Witch King of Angmar, Beren and Luthien, the fall of Numenor, Sauron's repeated rise and fall, the ends of the First and Second Ages, and even some great backstories for Aragorn and Elrond and what REALLY happened in Moria before these poor kids decided to take their fateful detour.

It's the Reader's Digest of the Silmarillion, yo! And really? Worth it. Even if it's a dry history, it's a great dry history. Goes down real smooth.

And so goes the passing of the Ring. Better known as that footnote of thirty pages in the Silmarillion.

Still some of the very best books I've ever read. The surface is one thing, but the depth goes WAY, WAY down.

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ダンダダン 9 [Dan Da Dan 9] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just can't get over the wild directions this manga keeps taking. I swear, it's the Rick and Morty of the manga scene. Kaiju vs nano-house Gundam? AND a nod to every reverse harem ever?

Muahahahahahahaha it just doesn't let up. The fan service is matched by its own quality story. Rock on.



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ダンダダン 8 [Dan Da Dan 8] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What do kaiju attacks and dirty language have in common?

Tune in this volume of Dandadan. Muahahahahah

Seriously, I'm loving the Evil Eye a bit now. Okarun is kicking some serious ass with his head, too.

I haven't laughed out lout this much for a manga in a LONG time.



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ダンダダン 7 [Dan Da Dan 7] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loving this series. They're all in hot water now, but at least there's some good tunes on the way. Muahahahahaha

Seriously, what an oddball group, and it's either romantic teen comedy speed or ten thousand km per second. It's truly delightful.

*makes a heart out of his hands*


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Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There's very little I can say now that doesn't repudiate most of my previous opinions of this series. My initial impression has given way to a deep and profound respect for the directions this has taken, the depth of storytelling, the enjoyment I've stolen from each new twist and turn.

But more than all of that is the respect I have for the constantly unfolding story, the feel of its scope, all the way to the end of the universe and beyond, and back to the core conflict that strives to preserve the Quiet.

What can I even say? So much happens and I've been sucked in for the entire time. Great emotions, fantastic action, depth of worldbuilding that goes well beyond the obvious trappings and namings (my original issue, feeling like a total crib of Dune and some Star Wars and some more) to the point where it has fully come into its own.

Book 6 simply flies.

Extremely enjoyable.



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ダンダダン 6 [Dan Da Dan 6] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jiji!!! This reminds me of the quickest and dirtiest opening of Jujitsu Kaisen, and worse, it's happening to an even nicer guy. Okarun is truly a stand-up guy, too. It's no surprise Momo has a thing for him.

*wipes a tear*

This volume goes hard. So do the twists. The add-ons showing up at the last minute are far from being hinky, they're absolutely hilarious. There's never been a more rag-tag team of misfits, ever.

*sips his milk*

I'm especially glad that there's no easy resolution for Jiji. This feels hard, and their sacrifice is even more delicious.


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ダンダダン 5 [Dan Da Dan 5] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't know why I let this series fly by me for so long. It rocks. It's funny, kills it with the supernatural and SFnal stuff, and is so teen romance so beautifully done all at once.

Jiji's story got dark, fast. Good thing he's pretty damn easy to like, right? The fact that it goes THIS hard, THIS fast is pretty shocking.

But, you know, between evil eyes and mongolian death worms and exploding volcanoes, I'm SO glad there's those tiny hints of puppy-love to keep us all going. Right?


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Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 226, July 2025 by Neil Clarke


"Missing Helen" by Tia Tashiro - (4*) One of those calm, sedate, reflective stories that mirror an encounter with a clone with the very real acceptance of who you are with yourself. I found it quite pleasant. The lack of drama was quite nice.

"The Walled Garden" by Fiona Moore - (3*) This is something like the third or fourth thing I've read by the author and so far, they're all carrying on the same story, in general, in a post-apoc world all about survival when hardly anything can be passed on--despite a robot. Honestly? I just think it's okay.

"Welcome to Kearney" by Gary Kloster - (5*) This one hit the spot, even if it mainly slid into my crabby introvert heart. Avoiding others, fixing things, living one's life is not the same thing as addressing the core loneliness. Alas. So yeah, great story.

"Serpent Carriers" by K.A. Teryna, translated by Alex Shvartsman - (5*) A gorgeous story, an insidiocontagious story. Indeed, I got lost in the words, or indeed the Words, and imagined I was reading a BIG piece by Vandermeer or Valente. Could be named "How to get lost--and unlost in Story." So far, my favorite this month.

"Bits and Pieces on This Floor" by Eric Del Carlo - (4*) A short, sharp knock of a stolid life brought into relief by his father and half-siblings as he does his job. I particularly liked the deep rationalization and the psychology, even if it is all left up to us to interpret it. Classic.

"A Land Called Folly" by Amal Singh - (4*) This is more of a coming of age story with just a hint of a SFnal setting, but still a decent story about what home is, or isn't, to a grown-ass man who still considers himself a boy.


"Hunter Harvester" by Bam Bruin - (5*) I love a good SFnal scientific mystery on an alien world. :)


Out of the whole bunch, I loved "Serpent Carriers" the most, with "Hunter Harvester" being a sweet, uncomplicated SF.


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Reclusive Mage by Inadvisably Compelled
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

While I still enjoy the magic system and its exploitation, I have grown to realize this series has gone rather downhill.

I read a comment somewhere on these books that I wanted to disregard, but unfortunately, it stuck and grew until I just couldn't un-see it for my own enjoyment.

The characters being... so much less paranoid, even downright trusting and friendly--based on extreme power and scariness--is a plot problem I might have ignored.

The inherent racism, not so much.

What? Racism? It's vamps and werewolves and humans and fae. Wouldn't that be a no-brainer, who cares? I'd say sure, and even got behind all the vamps being relatively no good because they do just prey on humans. But when I take a step back and think about a True Blood mapping of supernatural races to ugly stereotypes and internet-ugly talking points, it's kinda hard to ignore that this prepper West Virginian white boy with a fetish for 40's style chicks has never had much thought about the ease of murdering a whole class of people because they've never, ever, ever had a damn good thing to contribute to society, and will never even open up a single line of dialogue to that effect. Just massive firepower from a hidden location.

Now, it may never be explicitly said, but vamps and the Night Lands portal might rather easily be interpreted as blacks, and intensely sending all of them back to their homeland, and if they can't go, to just murder them all on Earth's soil. There's never any introspection on any of this. It's just assumed they're bloodsuckers despite working hand-in-hand with the authoritarian gov that everyone's now seceding from, a-la very Maga-like, only now to make their own gov that gets rid of all the undesirables.

And let's make this also clear: there's no definition of undesirables. It's "whatever I say is undesirable" and "I'm not going to get into semantics with anyone. No debate. Just a show of power."

This is a far cry from the running, hiding prepper, but now that he has a bit of power, he's showing himself to be the mob boss he always wanted to be.

I'm getting tired of this. He's a third-world-king and it looks like he's going to be a full-world king by the next book. His whole claim to righteousness is "I go by my gut. If someone is preying on the normal folk, I'll kill them." Only he decides who is normal folk. And it can change on any whim.

Screw this slippery racist slope.


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Heretic Mage by Inadvisably Compelled
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This one is pretty much a ramp-up of what we already expected.

Not content to leave this paranoid recluse alone, GAR and its predatory ways keep messing around and this little spacial-oriented mage continues to take exception--especially when they mess with anyone who he already saved. Or anyone who might have helped him.

So really, he's broadened his paranoid tendencies to trust some people. And now it's no longer one man versus the world, but something more akin to a renegade country standing up for itself.

We're losing the main title, alas.

Still, it's fun and rapid-fire when it comes to the fights or the decisions to fight, and I like the type of magic and how its explored. As for the characters and/or the baddies, I suppose I can give or take them. Often simple, even to the point of caricatures. But, oh well. It's still a fun ride and there's plenty to keep me on board.


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Renegade Mage by Inadvisably Compelled
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very strong UF that's running with the magic (spacial magic) and exploiting all the possible loopholes in the most scientific way possible. Gotta love this kind of thing when done well, and since it's just him and very few confidantes versus the whole mage world with multiple realms, it can get quite dicey.

It helps that I just love how he wants to be left alone and can't abide having anyone he's helped in the past get screwed over by the authoritarian magical government. He can't abide it, and uses lethal force. :)

Fun stuff.

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Paranoid Mage by Inadvisably Compelled
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very fun. I admit I'm on this guy's side, especially after learning how authoritarian the mage houses are and the fact that one in three new inductees turn into fodder in service. I'd get the hell out of there and go into hiding, too.

But probably the funnest part of this was the whole exploration of space magic. I immediately got into it, thinking of Law from One Piece, and all the clever, weird-ass applications you can apply to it.

Suffice to say, this UF tickled a lot of fancies. Keep on running!


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Time for the Stars by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Re-Read 6/11/25

I suppose this is considered one of the Juveniles of Heinlein, but it really feels more like a regular boy-gets-berth on a long-term ship kind of story, with focus on interpersonal relationships more than anything particularly SF.

BUT, there is a solid core of light speed travel and relativity snafus, telepathy to keep in contact during the long years, and simple adventure.

It's not a bad novel at all. Its simplicity is its strength. The plot is about as straightforward as you can get while leaning heavy on a bit of psychoanalysis. :)


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Never Flinch by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can't say this is anything but workmanlike. I like Holly, and she's always interesting to follow.

As for the core themes, I do note that SK is quite solid on his themes, or rather, his agendas. I don't quite mind that he focuses on pro-choice peeps, putting a spotlight on pro-life reactionaries who murder others. But this isn't even the 3rd time that I've seen him go whole-hog in that direction in his novels, either, and that makes me think of an old adage that it's fine to have your pet projects just so long as the pets don't take over your house.

It's close, here. Or rather, the agenda takes an enormous amount of the spotlight. For plot reasons, mind you, but it's somewhat overwhelming. I like originality. And more AA stuff from SK is FAR from striking new ground.


That being said, it's still an enjoyable novel and quite in line with ANY mystery/thriller.


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Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'll be honest: it's still very much a Rivers of London novel even if it's not exactly in London. Vacation time turns into an investigation, and Peter is not so much the focus here. So far, just fine. I like Abigail. But this ISN'T one of the rock-em-sock-em novels of the past.

It IS solid and comforting and still nerdily comforting with aquaman and black panther references. You'll know when you know, of course.

It was very entertaining and a welcome read after such a long wait. It is still one of my favorite UF series, after all, and does things to my heart.

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The House of Saints by Derek Künsken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The final book in this duology lives up to its hard-sf roots, featuring hard-scrabble dynasties on Venus, corporations and banks making bank on the backs of the poor, and the ramp-up to a full diaspora.

Pretty cool stuff, all told. Worth it if you're into the common-folk grasp their freedom kind of story.

The only thing I didn't quite connect with was a few of the characters, but fortunately, there are a lot of characters. Nothing too onerous. It's a sprawling tale of survival, adaptability, and even a bit of a revolution.

Think the rash of Mars books from the '90s and now give Venus, with its extremely inhospitable environment, a try.

Honestly, I love the idea better than the execution, but I don't really have many complaints. It's ambitious.



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Deadworld Isekai 3 by R.C. Joshua
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We veered off into a new direction with this one. So instead of dealing with the actual dead world, Matt decides to take a leveling-vacation off-world, makes friends, kills a ton of demons, and generally upends the System there.

Pretty standard isekai OR LitRPG for this book. The charms that hooked me on the previous two suddenly went all generic, though. Not that that's a horrible thing. LitRPGs in general ARE pretty boilerplate when you get down to it, but we tend to LIKE what they keep feeding us, so we keep coming back for more.

But really? I'm now just following THIS one for the OP goodness and the continuing characters and the craziness that ensues.


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Deadworld Isekai 2 by R.C. Joshua
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Strangely enough, by the time this book ended, I have to say I liked it even more than the first book. Survivalism has never been so on the edge, so near the oh-shit-this-is-insane, stakes.

It helps that our MC isn't truly overpowered, or even close to being properly equipped in stuff or stats. The whole VS the System is just so CHEATY, it's easy to root for our guy. An I do.

Now, perhaps we can start growing some shit on this dead world for real. Maybe.


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Deadworld Isekai by R.C. Joshua
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cool concept for this LitRPG. Very few people are involved. A whole, huge, dead word, an isekai player, a hologram for a snarky guide... versus THE SYSTEM.

It was quite amusing. Dumb choices, doubling down of dumb choices, massive mistakes on both sides of this little contest of wills, and hilarious outcomes.

Not bad. Not bad at all. And to think that gardening could be so fun/deadly?


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