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Apr. 16th, 2024 05:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
a_cubedReading:
As reported last time The Warden by Daniel M. Ford was fun and I'll keep an eye out for the sequels.
Rogues of the Republic was the fantasy heist I was looking for. Lots of fun. Great semi-amoral characters with a good reason for pulling a heist in the first book. Continues to be well-justified in books 2 and 3. Moves from a story of national politics in the first book to international politics in the second and world-ending threats from inter-dimensional forces in the third. Nicely woven word-building on multiple levels combined with fun characters and satisfying hijinks and capers. Recommended if that sounds good to you.
The Kingdom of Grit shares some of these characteristics. Again there's a well-established world-building which gets explained by the third book, which builds up to a potentially world-ending scenario. Each book is around twice the length of Rogues of the Republic and I'm not sure that much extra length is justified. Book 1 trotted along nicely, but 2 seemed a little bloated and 3 started to feel dragged out by about two thirds of the way through. Not quite as enjoyable characters. The main character in this one is a conman ("ruse artist" in his own words) pulling cons but often as part of heists of various kinds. Multiple heists per book. OK but not as good as the Rogues.
Next up will probably be Robert Jackson Bennett's fantasy Holmesian (from reviews) The Tainted Cup. I enjoyed his Divine Cities and most of his Founders Trilogy (not fond of the ending). The next Max Gladstone Craft Wars is now also out so that might be next but one.
Watching
Between travel and being ill (I picked up flu [not CoViD, properly diagnosed after I got back to Japan] in Spain, was just recovered enough to go to $NEPHEW's wedding in the UK after that, but quadruple jetlag on top of flu recovery has left me with limited energy lately). Re-watched Gravity Falls with $DAUGHTER. Started a re-watch of Whittaker NuWho, but only got one episode in. Re-watched a bunch of other stuff, including persuading $NEPHEW and friends to watch The Legend of Vox Machina first couple of episodes and first episode of Lockwood and Co. Have things like the second half of Constellation (might finish it, night not) to go.
Finished Halo season 2. Unlike many critics I didn't like season 2 as much as season 1 (many critics preferred 2 thinking it worked better, but it dragged out a bit for me). I'll still watch season 3 when it drops, probably in two years time, maybe a bit quicker if there are no more strikes disrupting production.
Looking forward to Dr Who starting a new run, although I'll be travelling again during part of that run.
Playing
As with watching, limited energy. Some more advance Portal stuff. Finally got into Pikmin 4, though I still think Pikmin 3 is better. $DAUGHTER finished a first run-through of Undertale. She'll probably go back through the different methods of finishing it, later.
- An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka
- Felix Castor 1: The Devil You Know by Mike Carey
- Felix Castor 2: Vicious Circle by Mike Carey
- Felix Castor 3: Dead Men's Boots by Mike Carey
- Felix Castor 4: Thicker than Water by Mike Carey
- Felix Castor 5: The Naming of the Beasts by Mike Carey
- Felix Castor 6: The Ghost in Bone by Mike Carey
- Murderbot Diaries 1: All Systems Red by Martha Wells
- Murderbot Diaries 2: Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
- Murderbot Diaries 3: Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
- Murderbot Diaries 4: Exit Stragegy by Martha Wells
- Murderbot Diaries 5: Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
- Murderbot Diaries 6: Network Effect by Martha Wells
- Murderbot Diaries 7: System Collapse by Martha Wells
- The Stranger Times 4: Relight My Fire by C. K. McDonnell
- Mossa and Pleiti 1: The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older
- Mossa and Pleiti 2: The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older
- The Midsolar Murders 2: Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty
- The Warden by Daniel M. Ford
- Rogues of the Republic 1: The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes
- Rogues of the Republic 2: The Prophecy Con by Patrick Weekes
- Rogues of the Republic 3: The Paladin Caper by Patrick Weekes
- Kingdom of Grit 1: The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn
- Kingdom of Grit 2: The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn
- Kingdom of Grit 3: The Last Lies of Ardor Benn
As reported last time The Warden by Daniel M. Ford was fun and I'll keep an eye out for the sequels.
Rogues of the Republic was the fantasy heist I was looking for. Lots of fun. Great semi-amoral characters with a good reason for pulling a heist in the first book. Continues to be well-justified in books 2 and 3. Moves from a story of national politics in the first book to international politics in the second and world-ending threats from inter-dimensional forces in the third. Nicely woven word-building on multiple levels combined with fun characters and satisfying hijinks and capers. Recommended if that sounds good to you.
The Kingdom of Grit shares some of these characteristics. Again there's a well-established world-building which gets explained by the third book, which builds up to a potentially world-ending scenario. Each book is around twice the length of Rogues of the Republic and I'm not sure that much extra length is justified. Book 1 trotted along nicely, but 2 seemed a little bloated and 3 started to feel dragged out by about two thirds of the way through. Not quite as enjoyable characters. The main character in this one is a conman ("ruse artist" in his own words) pulling cons but often as part of heists of various kinds. Multiple heists per book. OK but not as good as the Rogues.
Next up will probably be Robert Jackson Bennett's fantasy Holmesian (from reviews) The Tainted Cup. I enjoyed his Divine Cities and most of his Founders Trilogy (not fond of the ending). The next Max Gladstone Craft Wars is now also out so that might be next but one.
Watching
Between travel and being ill (I picked up flu [not CoViD, properly diagnosed after I got back to Japan] in Spain, was just recovered enough to go to $NEPHEW's wedding in the UK after that, but quadruple jetlag on top of flu recovery has left me with limited energy lately). Re-watched Gravity Falls with $DAUGHTER. Started a re-watch of Whittaker NuWho, but only got one episode in. Re-watched a bunch of other stuff, including persuading $NEPHEW and friends to watch The Legend of Vox Machina first couple of episodes and first episode of Lockwood and Co. Have things like the second half of Constellation (might finish it, night not) to go.
Finished Halo season 2. Unlike many critics I didn't like season 2 as much as season 1 (many critics preferred 2 thinking it worked better, but it dragged out a bit for me). I'll still watch season 3 when it drops, probably in two years time, maybe a bit quicker if there are no more strikes disrupting production.
Looking forward to Dr Who starting a new run, although I'll be travelling again during part of that run.
Playing
As with watching, limited energy. Some more advance Portal stuff. Finally got into Pikmin 4, though I still think Pikmin 3 is better. $DAUGHTER finished a first run-through of Undertale. She'll probably go back through the different methods of finishing it, later.
