Voidwalker by Actus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A slower fantasy. The inherent idea of having a best friend as an eldritch horror SHOULD have a more funny base, but this isn't that. It's friendship, mentorship, and a bit of light adventure in a school-like system.

If it sounds fairly average--it is. But it's also still pretty entertaining. All the characters are developing. Not bad.

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Fringe Runner by Rachel Aukes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I guess I wanted something more from this. I won't say it isn't competent enough as an Expanse-lite romp, but it's simply a bit too bland for me. It's space-opera, but it doesn't have any hooks beyond sex, extra-real characters (those with faults), pirates, and rebellion.

It might be enough for the general reader, but I've read an amazing number of great SF and this is pretty ho-hum. Hell, Doc Smith from 80 years ago was writing much more interesting romps.

Alas. I don't think I'll continue on.

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Unmapped: An Epic Fantasy LitRPG Adventure by Dakota Krout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A truly fun novel. I'm SO glad it's focused so much on massive skill gains. Better yet, from one Master level skill to MANY, MANY. Muahahahahahaha

Oh, and finally, we get now understand WHY Joe has been so damn cursed for the whole series.

Gods hate this ONE tiny trick.


Oh, and the whole cheese thing has me tittering still. Endless tittering.

So, just so people know what to expect: JOE IS WORKING WELL WITH PEOPLE. This is more of a breakthrough than gaining multiple master classes. A world boss getting boomed was a second-best feature.

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Untapped by Dakota Krout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Muahahahahahaha this is great. It TOTALLY makes up for the last two novels in quality. That's not to say the last one wasn't bad, especially with the full-out world battle, but this one dove right back into what I most loved about the series from the start: ritual magic, hidden tweaks, learning, complexity, ahem-rule-breaking, and core mc-funny wordplay that really puts the cheese in cheesy.

I really loved forcing Joe to build up his foundations of magic since he's been a horribly lop-sided mess. The fact that he's doing it WHILE training a bunch of old friends and annoying them with songs is a great side-benefit.

All in all, I can't even BEGIN to tell you how much I love not having to deal with the dwarves anymore.

Ahem.

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Thunderplump by Dakota Krout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novel does a couple of really awesome things. It wraps up THIS particular dwarven cycle.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

It's funny, actually, how many dwarven problems can be tidily wrapped up just by killing them all. It's almost magical.

Come on Bifrost, take me away!



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Thesaurize by Dakota Krout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I definitely think this one makes up for book 9. F**k the dwarves. At least with this one, Joe just focuses on his own stuff. You know, floating around, touring the world, building temples for fast travel (who cares about gods), and attempting to save the girl who'd been a real jerk many times in the past.

Right. WHY is he working so hard, again?

Well, at least he can skill up his ritual magic. Get better. Blow shit up better. And actually have a good time with his friends. With wordplay.


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Champion by Plum Parrot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another world, new games. At least, everyone else thinks it's serious, but Victor really IS playing games. Funny ones, too. Pretending to be weak or stupid to get better concessions in politics, trouncing the hell out of duels...

It's very fun.

And satisfying, as well. We get the best of underdogs and being overpowered all at the same time.



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Sojourner by Plum Parrot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was really fun. We go from being mentored by a rather hands-off godlike being who just prefers to throw his charge into political traps, prisons, and deadly struggles--but nicely. He's a very nice, wise, and highly perceptive old man. Even now, I have a hard time NOT liking the guy in any way.

But damn. Consequences are rough.

I'm really enjoying all the characters and situations. Indeed, it's set up in such an interesting way I often don't know WHERE Victor's next upgrade or level-up might come from. It keeps it fresh.



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Tenacity by Dakota Krout
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I come back to these specifically for the heavy ritualist hacking techniques in a fantasy setting.

Not, I should note, for the endless nasty grousing of antagonistic dwarves constantly hampering our hero's efforts.

Seriously, if I were him, I'd have let the entire dwarven community just go to whatever hell it wanted to achieve. This amount of backstabbing against a bona fide hero from the very start is just... ugly.

And sadly, our hero isn't exactly THAT likable anyway, so it's just a matter of assholes being assholes to each other. And yet, they still work toward making a functioning town?

Sigh. Oh, wait. This is meant to reflect reality, no? Right. Makes sense now.



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Earthshaker by Plum Parrot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I admit I always love it more when we get to see complex new worlds, seemingly impossible odds, and still seeing Victor trounce them all. It's a good formula. It works. But more importantly, if pulled off right, it's just plain fun.

And this was definitely fun.

To think the whole shaking of earth bit was just that ONE TIME. And it seemed SO necessary then, too! Ah, but the consequences...



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Podkayne of Mars by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the start of this novel, well into when they made it to Venus from Mars, I kept thinking this would make a GREAT young adult mini-tv series, right up there with the best light adventures we've ever had. We've got the plucky Pod, her brilliant and naughty younger brother, and her war-hero ancient Uncle who takes the kids on a little adventure across the solar system.

Sound old-fashioned?

Sure, but classic storylines usually do. The trick is in how WELL the story comes off, the depth of character and worldbuilding, how much twisting of expectations goes on, and how much heart it has.

This has lots of heart. And that's why I think it'd make a great, non-problematic SF adventure that's not horror in disguise. It's discovery, tweaking the noses of racists and rich assholes, a bit of politics that's nine parts freedom and one part intrigue, and all outside-the-box thinking.

It's Heinlein at his prime. And I mean that quite literally. This book came out right after Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land. And Heinlein is, oddly enough, a chameleon in his writing.

How else would we go from Starship Troopers, a novel that is slightly subversive but easily mistaken for a novel about TRUE DUTY and chain of command and heroism, to Stranger in a Strange Land, a novel that becomes a paragon of 60's counter-culture, free love, empathy, and a satire about all things religious at the same time, to Podkayne: a novel that's about as light and free as a feather, thumbing its nose at all authority and duty for the sake of family?

All three novels came out as fast as a shotgun blast from the author. Two of them won the Hugos for best SF novel of the year.

So why isn't this one more talked about? It's very modern. It has most of our modern sensibilities, with only one or two examples to the contrary. I mean, it's not like we all assume taking care of children is all a woman's work. And I'd like to point out that Pod ropes in her brother to help out where it was needed, too. The reality is: she's still a character that WILL go all out when a thing needs doing. And it's clear.

And if it wasn't for the end of the novel, I'd STILL love to see a high-production mini-series made of this. Kept ENTIRELY as it was depicted. The details are what make this powerful.

Post-Mars rebellion, freedom fighters becoming politicians, can-do attitudes all around, and no patience for rich assholes. And above all, a great, light adventure that makes a point of STAYING mostly light. Accessible.

Highly recommended. Heinlein is a master of his craft.


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Magma Heart by Plum Parrot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good continuation of the warlord path, continuing the conquering of the evil empire. The undead empire. And leveling up is always fun... especially when you start breathing magma.

Good stuff. Simple, lots of action, great near-defeats and enough asspulls for any drama. :)



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Battlemaster by Plum Parrot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maybe not the best of the series, but if you want to see a change toward leadership skills and large-scale battles with Victor leading them, then this is your book. Rah, rah, war, war.

The beginning was rather interesting to me, though. We got our first clear carry-over to the other LitRPG series I'd just read by the author. A clear invite to mesh this and that together seamlessly. It was rather amusing and I WANT to see it happen.

But war... war never changes.

Or rather, war kinda pushes all other considerations out the door.

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Titan Blood by Plum Parrot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stuck in a higher-tier world can do WONDERS for your level. :)

I had a great time reading this one. There's always something satisfying about falling in love with dragons, making enemies of civilization-destroying jerks, and eating still-beating hearts. Satisfying. Very.



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Spirit Hunter by Plum Parrot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Like many of these long-run LitRPGs, this simply gets better with more experience and story under its belt. You might say its spirit gets quite a bit stronger.

And it's true. A lot of wrapping-up of old storylines happen here, revenges, spirit-balancing, recognition that the dark side is actually rather dark, and that, yes, it IS good to balance everything if you don't want to become an evil motherf**ker.

It's fun. No doubt about it. Adventure, through and through.

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Dungeon Delver by Plum Parrot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Solid and fun dungeon delving. Not like we needed a title like that to SPELL IT OUT or anything.

Axe, rage, spirit cores leveling up, and pure adventure. We've even got a ton of friendly townsfolk and traveling people to refresh one's spirit between adventures!

Sound a bit usual?

Lol, it is, but that's precisely the charm it needs. There are plenty of reversals, etc, but the core is quite comforting and well-written. I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

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薬屋のひとりごと 16 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 16] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fun fact from when I was a kid. Snakes taste like chicken. Not at all bad. Just ask Mao Mao. Tho, I did have some salt with mine. I bet she's jealous.

Great volume. Big changes. And the tragedy... shaping up.

Of course, I did watch the anime, so I'm pleasantly surprised both are in line with each other. Except for one thing: did the anime give us a more or less satisfying end to this arc, ASIDE from the manga? Did it push ahead? *grumbles*

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薬屋のひとりごと 15 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 15] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Learning more and more about foxes. But beyond that, I'm smelling a lot of tragedy on its way.

Worse, I love some of the characters that might get it.

Not so worried about Mao Mao, of course, but damn. This hits hard.

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薬屋のひとりごと 14 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 14] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Quick escalation here. The darkness of the past really came to hit Mao Mao and Jinshi where it hurts the most. This is where it gets really good. Exciting, not just delightful.

Edge of seat time.

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薬屋のひとりごと 13 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 13] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lots of great side-stories here, keeping it light between the bigger story arcs. And there's ice cream. Ghosts. Ghostly ice cream. (not really)

Delightful as ever, however.

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Les Carnets de l'Apothicaire, Tome 12 by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Muahahahahahaha.

From outright adventure to a *very* revealing situation, you'd think all the secrets would come spilling out. But nooooooo Mao Mao can be rather discreet when she wants to be. Much to Jinshi's displeasure.

Such a delicious volume.

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薬屋のひとりごと 11 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 11] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I so love complex and multifaceted stories that show even monsters in new, even heartwarming lights. It may never redeem them. Not even close. But it's like a bright light in a fathomless void. Bringing contour and depth to what would otherwise be a featureless evil.

And that's art.

Oh, and learning all about Jinshi's little secret is quite delicious, too.



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薬屋のひとりごと 10 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 10] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This manga is often a breath of truly fresh air. To think we'd get into genetics in a historical fiction, right? Or that legends could be unearthed in not just one, but two separate stories in one volume. Truly magical.



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Digital Walls by Matthew A. Goodwin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It is okay. Somewhat slow and more focused on characters getting romanced, believe it or not, than action, rebellion or getting anywhere outside of a virtual cell.

At this point, my investment level has kinda bottomed out. This is a bit below average for cyberpunk. When it's good, it's great. When it's below par, it's bad.

A shame, that. I just don't see why there are so many positive reviews except for the fact that it's newish.

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Corroded Cells by Matthew A. Goodwin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This cyberpunk has a few good scenes and I always enjoy an upgrade in body/weapon stuff, but honestly, it's just pretty average. Like it could have been a story on a cheap tv-movie airtime. Amusing and short for a moment, but forgettable. VR or prison breaks or anything.

I wanted something more in line with Cyberpunk 2077, even just aspects. This is pretty mid.

I'll finish the trilogy, but it's pretty throw-away.

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Into Neon by Matthew A. Goodwin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think I want to like this precisely because it's a cyberpunk novel. Not because it's more than average or something special beyond being a rag-tag team trying to topple a megacorp.

It's fine. It doesn't pretend to be anything more than this, however. Pretty good action scenes, decent setup for a megatower company-town stooge-turned-rebel. Beyond that, however... it's just fine.

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薬屋のひとりごと 9 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 9] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Back to the slower mysteries, but at least Mao Mao can get to forage a bit, even amongst the corpses. So win/win.

The bit with the mirrors was pretty interesting.

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薬屋のひとりごと 9 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 9] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Back to the slower mysteries, but at least Mao Mao can get to forage a bit, even amongst the corpses. So win/win.

The bit with the mirrors was pretty interesting.

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薬屋のひとりごと 8 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 8] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mao Mao's father really steals the show here. It was so easy to want to hate him... and then this volume hits like a ton of bricks.

I mean, damn. Whiplash from *I don't like this guy* to *tragic hero* in 80 seconds.

Still, I totally get Mao Mao's position.

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薬屋のひとりごと 7 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 7] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Battle of wits with dad. I honestly think this is one of the most tense battles in most anime, not just with the blue roses and the nail-paint, but especially the game of Go. And Mao Mao rocked it. Hard.

So good.

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薬屋のひとりごと 6 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 6] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Role reversals, family reveals, the shaping of a conspiracy--it's all turning out very well, indeed.


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Pit Fighter by Plum Parrot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well-made but standard LitRPG, slow enough to solidify the characters, rounded enough to give it weight. Entertaining.

I can't say it breaks any molds, but it gets pretty emotional. The injustice feels real. I'll continue on.

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薬屋のひとりごと 5 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 5] by Nekokurage
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

New duties, almost same as the old duties. Just a new location, a few overlaps with people, and lots and lots of awkward moments. Gotta love this mystery/romance. :)

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薬屋のひとりごと 4 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 4] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's tempting to say this is a just a supremely slow-burning romance (perfect for V-Day) but it really IS a fascinating series of mysteries, too. Part medical drama, part old Chinese melodrama, political intrigue, and entirely amusing on the character-level.

And damn romantic.

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Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 233, February 2026 by Neil Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Remember Me in the Meat" by Sarah Pauling -- (4*) This one goes hard with the emotions and the meat-space. Shouldn't be all that surprising with that title. :)

"Chip" by D.A. Xiaolin Spires -- (3*) A pretty universal question being asked here - Just what do you want to do with your life? Just a light cosmetic change.

"Think of Me Before I Disappear" by Raahem Alvi -- (4*) Longing, love, and another robot story. At least love ... ok, it's another SF with a light cosmetic change. Reading so many like this recently is beginning to take a toll on me. Not a reflection of this story, but of general saturation. This one is pretty decent.

"A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go" by Claire Jia-Wen -- (5*) I don't honestly know what it is I like most about this one, but I suspect it's the details. The lived-in, delicious spilling out of life in a situation where life is... on hold. It hits in all the best ways. Making me think and feel.

"The Iron Piper" by Fiona Moore -- (4*) Ongoing short story series. This one's about the price of slavery and freedom. Maybe not my favorite, in this case case, but solid.

"Painstaking" by Rich Larson -- (5*) Easily the most interesting, creative, and exciting of this month's stories. "Twins", survival, and gore, SF-style.

"Three Fortunes on Alcestis as Told by the Fraud Baeliss Shudal" by Louis Inglis Hall -- (4*) Fairly interesting story about the lies we tell ourselves and just living.




"A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go" and "Painstaking" were by favorites this month. Very different flavors, but worth the reads.



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薬屋のひとりごと 3 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 3] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very funny volume. The joke on Jinshin was PERFECT. And Mao Mao, so utterly oblivious and sharp at the same time, solving murders, killing Jinshin, discovering her own obliviousness, only to double down on it just before she kills Jinshin again... well, she really is something special.

As a comedy, this is near-perfection. As a mystery, it's delightfully nerdy. As a historical romance piece, it's enlightening.

All told, it's great fun.

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薬屋のひとりごと 2 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 2] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Going right from vanity, mistakes, and psychology in the first volume, we're headed right into attempted murder territory in the second.

And of course, Jinshi and Mao Mao are always so damn delicious together.

It's very, very good. All the hype is worth it.

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薬屋のひとりごと 1 [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 1] by Nekokurage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've already enjoyed the anime a lot and decided it was time to get and read all the actual mangas.

It's just as good as I remember. (And yes, he does look just like a slug, Mao Mao is entirely correct and judicious in her reactions.) :)

There's something really delicious about this story. And it's not merely the aphrodisiac. It's about becoming everything you ever wanted to be at precisely the moment when you'd lost all hope.

Very comforting. Also, this happens to be amusing as all hell.

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All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm actually a pretty big fan of Ken Liu, but to be honest, this is pretty much an average technothriller that has some promise. Hacking, real-life restraints, panopticon sensibilities. Personal AIs everywhere, and baddies making use of everything, just like the government.

Which, I should note, is no longer SF anymore.

Things are changing faster all the time now. But this book? It IS trying to keep up. For that, I appreciate it. The plot and mystery and resolution was pretty fun, too. Not brilliant, but definitely serviceable.

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The Trees by Ali Shaw
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a rather gorgeous book. Gorgeous in the "wow, this is a very well-crafted post-apocalyptic wasteland that isn't a waste" wasteland.

Indeed, I loved the very idea of the trees taking over. Indeed, I wanted to see if this whole book might turn into a TRUE man vs nature kind of book, but really, it was, like most post-apocs, a man versus his nature kind of book.

No complaints tho. A little of our beast has to come out in the dark forest, after all. It must if we're to survive.

Very well crafted. I loved the writing.

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Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't really know how I feel ab0ut this one. It's... very sad. It seems to have an upbeat tone to it and once we get through the truly awkward bits, Klara's true optimism feels like it ought to carry everything. But honestly? It's all so very sad.

At least to me, it is. But then, I've already experienced similar sadness through the game Detroit. Real people stuff. Of course, it's still very easy to apply all of this to ourselves and our inhumanity, but hey, this novel doesn't quite go THAT far. It stays close and all-too-personal.

But at least there's the sun. Right?



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The Iron Garden Sutra by A.D. Sui
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book does a few notable things. The biggest is a far-future blending of ancient Buddhism and AI body-integration.

Sound odd? It is a bit odd. But it carries in the story.

So what else does this novel do? Mystery. Derelict generational ship mystery.

But what does this book DO? Oh, that's easy--it just weaves interpersonal push-pull dynamics with trying to reach Samsara while directly facing the inherent irony of accepting death while being unable--or unwilling--to accept life. It's painful on many levels. But it feels genuine. And, of course, there's a murder ship. So it's not like it's dry or anything. It's quite interesting.

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Gray Lensman by E.E. "Doc" Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First read AFTER reading the books preceding it. 2/11/26

Enjoying it even more now that I'm continuing the adventures of the Unattached Lensman. It's very much a story of a roaming sheriff of the galaxy. :)

Very fun.


Original Review:

Sometimes, I'm a fool. I thought, perhaps, that the "so called" golden age of sci-fi before Heinlein would be as painful to read as the old Jules Verne. I even tried to read the first ten pages of the first book of the Lensman of E. E. Smith PHD and cringed down to my soul. I was thinking that nothing would be worth the pain of reading this trash. And yet, all of my favorite past couple of generations of sci-fi authors swore by the old doc, and there are still generations of readers that are surprised and delighted by the stories. Heck, the fourth book is considered by some to be the 98th best sci-fi book of all time. I buckled down, gritted my teeth, and picked up the fourth without so much as reading eleven pages of the first three.

I WAS DUMBFOUNDED. I was awestruck. I was plainly amazed and giddy in the reading of these little serialized bubblegum stories of sci-fi heroes. I'm too young to have watched Flash Gordon, but I understand the draw. I'm certainly old enough to have sat amazed through all the Star Wars at the inception. I've watched all of the original Star Treks, (not to mention every iteration after). I was forced to re-evaluate my entire internal consistency engine of sci-fi idea sources and lineage, and all of a sudden, the mitochondrial eve of sci-fi tropes (at least the best surviving eve) is FOUND. Now I understand. The light shines upon my mind. The great cosmic egg lights up like a big bulb.

So I asked in a small voice... "So the Lensman series is what encouraged the Green Lantern Comics into being? It also encouraged the biggest space operas? It took over as the sci-fi successor to all westerns and greek hero myths?" And E. E. Smith replied, "Yes, you dumbshit."

AAaaahhhh... ok... I feel like a moron now, but at least I didn't proliferate that weird-ass idea about galaxies colliding... whew... I'm back on my moral high ground again. :)

I might just have to read them in order again and ignore, dutifully, the Really Bad Physics in favor of the Great Fun.

Update:
I can't get this out of my head: The proper term for the collision of two planets is "Squishingly". I can't unread what I have read, so I pay it forward. :)

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Falling with Folded Wings 3 by Plum Parrot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

LOL of course it had to go this way. The moment it really picked up steam and I was getting into the characters seriously, it has to be the last released. And the new directions the characters take are INTERESTING. I want to know what will HAPPEN now. Damn it.

Even so, this series really hearkens back to the early days of LitRPG with mostly standard classes and a full DnD 5 ruleset, including extra races, bloodlines, etc. Pretty cool for all that and while it's also pretty usual, it's also still pretty neat. There are better out there, but this was quite fun regardless.


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Falling with Folded Wings 2 by Plum Parrot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The series is growing on me. Usually it's the first book that grabs because everything is shiny and new. But this wasn't the case. Indeed, it was only after these characters started getting their stride, branching off in new directions, or even joining Hogwarts, that it really grabbed.

Suffice to say, I'm happy I stuck with it. Now I'm rearing to read the next.

Progression fantasy, let's go!

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Falling with Folded Wings by Plum Parrot
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have to say that this feels like a pretty generic LitRPG at this point. It might have been a bit hotter before, but with so many that do the straight level-up sequence and this one is just sitting pretty as a standard paladin, it doesn't really stand out.

That's not to say it isn't decent. It is. It even has a gentle love interest and a little politics in town. But that's just it.

I'm going to continue because it's still entertaining enough, but that's mostly because I've learned to trust the author in all his other works which WERE rather damn entertaining. Who knows? Maybe it'll get wild later.

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House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think I really wanted to like this more than I did, so I wind up making more excuses for it than I probably would have, otherwise.

What's good? If you call it good? The feel of a labyrinthine mind trying to lay that string to work its way back out again, both literal and figuratively, both mirroring each other in the text itself. Indeed, I got the very distinct impression of a Borges literary romp. I LOVE the idea of it.

In actuality, I found myself wishing I was doing something else the entire time. Sure, the horror bits, whenever they came back around in their dry, existential horror of banal I-hate-humanity documents displaying all that's worst, was properly horrific. Sure, the maze drove me crazy.

But honestly? I didn't feel anything for the PoVs. And that's a death sentence.

It's very smart. Yes. It's also a bit insufferable. Sadly.

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Hell Difficulty Tutorial: Book Five by Cerim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Should rename this as hot sociopathic monster continues to bribe his so called friends into working for him as he continues to abuse himself out of sheer pride in his training.

But anyway, it's STILL a fun LitRPG and I am still getting a kick out of all the training and skill-ups and occasional utter trouncing of local monsters and kings. After all, the only true way to get through hell difficulty is by massively overpowering your skills, you know.

Fun. :)

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Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Obligatory reference to Dungeon Crawler Carl here, since it's the same author--BUT this isn't a LitRPG.

This is, quite simply, a fantastic SF with multiple takes on AI, Colonialism, Corporatism, and simply just LIVING. A lot of these topics are more than topical and even heartbreaking in the way that any mirror to reality can be.

*cough*g-za*cough*g-cide.

But more importantly, we spend a lot of time with these New Sonora farmers and their youthful stupidities and it just feels REAL, especially the rock band stuff, their dreams, their messed up romances, and the sheer, nasty reality that hits them. And even after it all becomes tragic and war devastates everything they'd known, they fight. A true underdog situation that had me on the edge of my seat to the end.

Even with Roger helping them out.

I'll admit I've read a number of books quite like this, but this one in particular hit me in the feels. It's the happiness, the strive to be better, to just LIVE that was the best part of it. Oh, the tactics and the mechs and the explosions and insults were fantastic, mind you, but it was the softer stuff that brought me to tears even at the very last page.

Very, very good SF.

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Degenerate by Matt Casamassina
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

LOL this book has some twists and turns in it. Good ones. Strange ones. Cosmic horror and more.

Right off the bat, however, it reads like it could be a mystery-thriller, quietly transforming into revenge-horror, becoming almost UF in its buddy-fiction hi-jinx, before turning right around and surprising us in a very Nick Cutter/Gone World/Dark City way. Which is, by now, becoming something of a genre in itself. What do we call it, if not cosmic horror? It's a very specific KIND of cosmic horror, anyway. It's rather hard-SF.


So, YEAH, this ostensible HORROR is all those things with a little romance thrown in the mix as well. And superhero action.

And as long as you are going into this book with proper expectations--EXPECT ANYTHING--it's a wild, creative ride. It's an author having an awful lot of fun.

I recommend it wholeheartedly--with these caveats.

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