Everyone is whining about this requirement. Do you guys not have a hyperbolic time chamber to jump into? I’m already Super ChatGPT Plus God Mode.

The Left Hand of Darkness is great. I really need to get around to Wizard of Earthsea.

Halo: Reach, Halo: ODST, Halo: CE, Halo 2 - the familiar pattern of carving my way through hordes of enemies is very comforting.

There is something to be said about Abercombie’s release of nine full books in the series in the past 18 years, plus a short story collection. I have a soft spot for Jezal—at first, because I didn’t understand what type of story I was reading, and then later, because of how he reacts to his journey.

I think The Blade Itself pays off. In an attempt to not spoil things, the first book is mainly “getting the gang together.” The second is “the gang goes into action,” and the third is “the giant climax.”

Of the three standalone novels, “Best Served Cold” is probably the best and an entertaining read. However, without having read the original trilogy, you’ll likely be a bit thrown off by many of the names and events referenced and have a couple of plot points of the trilogy spoiled for you.

I am currently very high on the First Law series, but I will admit I first read The Blade Itself almost six years ago and did not like it. But I think if you take book one as table setting and let yourself get into book 2, the merry crew of Glokta, Logen, Byaz, Jezal, Ferro, Collem, and all the rest will give you an unforgettable story.

For a free piece of software it has no right being as good and as easy to use as it is.

A fucking sword.

I’ve had a Netflix subscription from before they even did streaming. I had the 4k plan, and even when I wasn’t watching much on there anymore, my kids would use it often. The price hikes just would not stop. Then they started moving into video games, and I started seeing headlines reading “Netflix plans to open brick and mortar locations” - followed by more price hikes and ads being integrated. It started to feel like I was just funding their dumb business moves that I’m not ever going to benefit from.

So now I have a beautiful new NAS running Plex. Just accounting for the Netflix subscription price, I’ll break even in 2 years, and I’m using it for a lot more than just a media server.

• The Great Gundam Project
• Friends at the Table
• Get Played

I’ve watched so much mech anime this year…

While Mistborn is a great entry point into Sanderson for many people, to me, it really feels like a freshman effort. I can’t ever bring myself to do a full reread of those books, as they don’t feel as polished or as well put together as his later work. Well of Ascension especially feels like it’s there because a trilogy needs a middle book.

A Memory Called Empire was a book I stalled on and had to restart, but was such a great read. It’s so different from what we get in most space opera, but once I was in, it didn’t let go. It took a while to start A Desolation Called Peace, but that one was an equally great ride that I couldn’t put down. I’m hoping there will be a third entry!

Among my friend group it’s House of Leaves.

“Wow, it’s such an eerie unsettling journey. I really love it.” “you started it last year, did you finish it?” “well …”

I saw another lemmy user claim they had to take a 17 year break from it.

Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers, say he’s a fun POV character.

Luckily Abercrombie has a wide cast of bloody-handed northmen, scheming wizards, cringing nobles, and other fun miscreants after the Bloody Nine has left the stage. A big thing I loved about The Heroes is how it managed to bring me a whole new crop of characters to enjoy, and lose, just contained in that book. I’m excited about the “industrial revolution” sequel trilogy with a next generation of characters. It’s like my father always said: Once you have a sequel trilogy, it’s better to read it than live with the fear it.

After all, you have to be realistic about these things.

Welp, I tore through The Heroes in less than a week 😆 – not only did I like it, but it’s made me certain I’m going to read the other two “First Law World” books. Doing Darker Shade of Magic now it’s… okay so far. Feels a bit young-adulty for my tastes right now.

Oathbringer took me from a Sanderson stan to a bit exhausted. It just felt like a very long slog and not much reward on the path. I’ve been really enjoying his kickstarter books, as they’ve been a bit more svelte, while maintaining his unique penchant for setting up a magical playground and always managing to surprise you with how his toys interact.

Abercrombie-August has stretched into September. After finishing the First Law Trilogy, I started reading the copy of The Heroes I picked up from a bookstore over the summer. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen someone create this very detailed examination of a wholly imaginary battle. It’s like I picked up one of my dad’s books on Gettysburg, except there’s a scheming wizard hanging around.

After this, I’m eyeing something breezy like Dome City Blues by Jeff Edwards or A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. I read Babel last month, and I’ve come to terms with my weakness for: “London but with Magic.” I also want to jump on More Perfect by Temi Oh. I saw Hadestown last winter, and I’m in for some reinterpretations of the Orpheus/Eurydice story.

I’ve been reading Tress with my 9-year-old, and she loves it. While his longer books have worn me down, it’s fun to introduce her to Sanderson.

Yeah, hindsight is 20/20 and all that, but the idea of a spacefaring civilization only having a concept of he/she pronouns is very amusing.

Heart-breaking and soul-flaying, but yes: very, very good. The third book puts such a beautiful cherry atop the whole series.

I keep telling myself to read more N.K. Jemisin, but I keep not wanting to be depressed.

Babel by R. F. Kuang, really enjoying it. I’ve been trying to learn a second language this year, and the idea that determining the relationship between languages can be a source of magic is very fun.

Also, the Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin. I understand it’s a good faith attempt to examine 1969 America’s notions of gender and sex, but 50 years on, the age is showing. The default pronoun for all these non-gendered characters being ‘he/him’ scratches my brain continually.