Books of 2019: Quarter 4

Final count: 20 books

Monster Hunter International by Larry Correira

"Grandpa was offered what was for the time princely sums of money to travel and dispatch other monsters. As time passed he assembled a group of strong men to assist him. They learned from their mistakes and they improved their methods. In December of 1895 they formed Bubba Shackleford's Professional Monster Killers."

"We were an odd collection. Ages ranged from mid-forties all the way down to barely old enough to drink. We had people from all parts of the country and all walks of life...Despite our differences, we all had a few things in common. Every single one of us had come face to face with something from mankind's darkest imagination, and every single one of us was a survivor."

"'I've got a chainsaw with my name on it in my workshop,' Milo told us happily. 'If I'm ever killed by undead, I want you guys to chop me up with it. It's a good chainsaw.'
'I reckon it is, Milo. I would be honored to chop your head off," Sam said. I worked with some interesting folks."


Staying late at his boring 9-5 accounting job, Owen Pitt is attacked by his newly-turned werewolf boss. Surviving the ordeal and killing the monster gets Pitt and invitation to try out for Monster Hunter International, the best for-profit monster hunting company in the US. It turns out that not only are monsters real, but the US government pays a bounty for killing them. Owen joins up and trains to become a professional monster hunter. When a group of master vampires appear in North America protecting something even older and eviler, it's up to Monster Hunter International to put them down.

A much longer read than I expected especially for this particular sub-genre of fantasy. At the length of something I'd typically expect for High Fantasy (your typical Dungeons and Dragons fantasy), I think it took over a month to get through, while I usually get through this type of fantasy (I want to say wainscotting, a world within ours just hidden from regular eyes) in about 2-3 weeks. It was definitely a different pace. At times, the story kind of reminds me of a fanboy's field guide to hunting monsters in the modern era. Certain parts went in-depth into looking at different monsters as well as some of the weapons, guns mostly, used by the hunters. All real, by the way, if you were interested, which of course I was so I actually looked them up whenever guns were mentioned. I'm looking forward to continuing this series.


Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child

"He took things exactly as they came, for exactly what they were. Therefore he heard the slide rack back and felt no disabling shock. No panic. No stab of disbelief. It seemed entirely natural and reasonable to him that he should be walking down a street at night and listening to a man preparing to shoot him in the back."


Jack Reacher is minding his own business when he receives an encrypted code from his military days - a code requesting assistance. Someone out there threw his old squadmate from a helicopter to his death. Scarier still, someone out there got the upper hand on one of Reacher's old teammates, a group of men and women who were all just as good as Reacher was. Reacher gathers up the remaining members of his old unit and and goes hunting for the ones responsible, determined to repay the favor.


Nothing to Lose by Lee Child

"'No, I'm a man with a rule. People leave me alone, I leave them alone. If they don't, I don't'"

"Overwhelming force.
Hit early, hit hard.
Reacher called it: Get your retaliation in first.'"


Set in the neighboring towns of Hope and Despair, separated by just several miles of road. On a whim, Jack Reacher makes his way from Hope to Despair. He wanders into a diner for a cup of coffee and instead is run out of town. Reacher isn't a man who likes to be pushed and will dismantle the entire town to get to the truth of what is really happening in Despair. The entire town of Despair on edge led by an End of Times preacher, young women in Hope looking for their lost husbands and boyfriends, and a military base guarding nothing. Reacher will connect them all.

I feel like I don't even need to write my own opinions about these books anymore. By now you know the formula, Reacher gets into trouble, he'll solve the problem, beat up the bad guys, get the girl, wander on. I mean, if I didn't like them, would I really read ... these two make 12 and 13 ... of these books?


Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

"The goods manufactured by humans were the only reason the terra indigene on the continent of Thaisia tolerated the continued existence of those invasive monkeys. If goods were no longer supplied, humans had value as only one thing: meat."

"Damn monkeys kept chattering about the Humans First and Last movement on the radio and in the newspaper. Humans were an upstart species compared to the terra indigene, who, in one form or another, had been walking in the world long before the dinosaurs."



Not to sound bored, but honestly, not much happens in this book in terms of overall plot and action. Instead, it feels more like a set-up to something bigger to follow in the next book, which I've yet to pick up. The Others of the Lakeside Courtyard and the humans both part of Lakeside and around the globe are dealing with the aftermath of rescuing the blood prophets held captive by The Controller, and destroying the facilities which housed them. On a larger scale, The Others are looking for answers on how to deal with the rescued young girls that they've hidden to keep from being captured by humans again. Around the world, the Humans First and Last movement is picking up amongst the human population, possibly leading them toward a war with The Others. Locally, The Others of Lakeside begin their own investigation into the HFL movement, especially when Officer Montgomery's daughter arrives in Lakeside and his ex-wife is found murdered.


The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

"The Chequy Group is composed of hundreds of individuals. Some are like me - they possess powers beyond the normal population."

"People are more likely to to cope with the appearance of an animated corpse in a graveyard  than one in an ice cream parlor or the changing room of a boutique. They won't be happy with the appearance of the animated corpse in the graveyard, but they tend to be less outraged."

What I didn't know was that all the students at the Estate received extensive training and indoctrination that was designed to make them as efficient as humanly possible. This included becoming 'a morning person.'"


Myfanwy Thomas awakens surrounded by dead men in gloves and no memory. In a letter left behind by her former self, Thomas explains that she works for The Checquy, an organization protecting England from supernatural threats, and that someone within the organization betrayed her. With letters from her predecessor to guide her (as well as her own unique powers), Myfanwy seeks out to uncover the mole and unravel the conspiracy threatening England.

I picked this one up from Barnes and Nobles after remembering about commercials I saw for a tv show of the same name on a station I don't have. I imagine this as a sort of British-style "Hellboy" if the BPRD was more like MI-6, more governmental and less loose cannon than the movies portrayed it. The writing flows smoothly and makes this an easy read and not bogging the reader down with any technical terms that might typically appear in spy novels. The letters from Thomas spliced within the main story to provide background information were both a blessing and a curse. At times, they were interesting and insightful to giving not only background information on The Checquy, but also to provide another, experienced voice in dealing with these situations just to show what an actual agent of The Checquy is capable of. At other times though, the letters feel like it's just filler slowing the story down, especially when they appeared at high-tension points within the story. Just to add one final note, if you were curious, yes, there is a section that details The Checquy's American counterparts as well as their creation as a result of the American Revolution.

Books of 2019: Quarter 3

Bright Ruin by Vic James

"You learned in school about countries that went backward. Peaceful nations that flared up in civil war. Democracies that fell under the sway of fanatics. You never imagined such a thing might happen here in Britain. But it could. It was happening right now."


In a timeline where those with magic, known as The Skill, rose up during the monarchy and took over Britain. In the present, Equals (those with The Skill) keep the rest of the population under control through the use of the Slave Days, 10 years every non-Equal must serve. The final book in the "Dark Gifts Trilogy", Bright Ruin picks up directly following the events of the Blood Fair. Abigail Hadley is rescued from execution by Gavar Jardine and sets out to join the revolution to free Britain from Equal rule. Luke Hadley is rescued by Silyeon Jardine and the two of them, along with Dog, set out to discover the mysteries behind the Wonder King and The Skill.

This was one of the most gripping and most horrifying stories I've ever read. In other shows or books or comics, there's a hint that the underdog, at some point, should learn they've got some power that allows them to finally challenge their enemy. In this story, that doesn't happen - the Hadley family and the other unSkilled humans can't develop magical abilities, they won't come into some long lost wealth to challenge the Equals financial power, and the media won't suddenly turn and report on the injustices being done and turn the world's sympathies toward the unSkilled. Going into this final book, it is impossible for the revolution to succeed. And that's the thought that stayed with me the entire time, "the revolution doesn't have to succeed."


The Hard Way by Lee Child

"'And I'm not worried about hand-to-hand combat. Not against little guys like these. You remember how it was back in the service, don't you? Your guys stepped out of line, who did you call? The 110th Special Unit, that's who. Hard men need harder cops. I was one of those cops. And I'm willing to be one again. Against all of you at once, if you like.'"


Once again, Jack Reacher finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. At a cafe in New York City, Reacher watches a man cross the street, get into a car, and drive away. The next day, at the same cafe, another man approaches Reacher for information regarding the previous rather mundane event. Reacher finds himself drawn into a kidnapping of a private military contractor's wife and child. But who would risk attacking a man who employs ex-special forces operators from all over the globe? As Reacher investigates further into the kidnapping he'll uncover a conspiracy that perhaps everything isn't as it appears.

I heard that writers were the worst people to watch mystery movies with because they're always trying to guess who did it rather than just watching the movie. That was kind of how I read through this book - it kept me guessing what was really going on until it all came together. This could be one of the Jack Reacher books that could make a decent movie. A great stand-alone book if you're looking into jumping into the series not from the beginning.


Brief Cases by Jim Butcher

A collection of short stories within the Dresden Files universe. Jim Butcher writes The Dresden Files series starring main character Harry Dresden, Chicago's only wizard private investigator solving crimes involving the supernatural. I was avoiding buying this book because I'd actually read a couple of these stories in other short story collections, but really, I needed my Dresden fix (it's been almost 4 years I think since I read Skin Game, the last book so far in the series). This collection includes a bunch of supernatural investigations done by Dresden, as well as several other stories told through the view point of other, secondary characters within the Dresden universe. A few of my favorites from the collection include:

AAAA Wizardry:
"'I've been doing this sort of thing for a while. Some of seniors in the Council would call me foolish or arrogant, and they could be right - but I've never met anyone who was breathing who I thought was too far gone to help.'"

Harry Dresden is teaching a class of new, upcoming Wardens (the wizard police of the White Council) using one of his old cases as an example. He goes through the steps he takes when investigating and relates with the younger wizards. The story he gives is a quick one, but still goes through all the ups and downs usually found within one of the regular case files.

Day One:
"I took a breath and said, 'There's a big yellow exclamation point floating over his head.' After a brief pause, I added, 'I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested."'

Chronologically one of the newer stories in the collection, "First Day" takes place after the latest book, Skin Game, during which Waldo Butters, coroner and polka-lover, becomes a Knight of the Cross. In this story, Butters receives his first call to action, taking out a monster in the children's ward at a hospital. I liked this one just because Butters isn't your typical hero. But he has a background in gaming and sci-fi (describing his broken sword as a lightsaber), and apparently when the Lord works in mysterious ways, he sends Butters his clues through video game references.

Even Hand:
"I am a professional monster."

Even though I read this story in another collection, it's still my favorite one in this collection. This story is told from the viewpoint of "Gentleman" John Marcone, the mob boss of all of Chicago and an adversary of Harry Dresden. Marcone is also one of the first human beings to hold status amongst the supernatural creatures. In this story Justine, an associate of Dresden's half-brother, comes to Marcone for help along with property stolen from another supernatural baron. The coolest part of this story is seeing how Marcone takes on a supernatural foe, showing just how he has remained on top despite everything going on in Chicago. Also, after reading it again, you can really appreciate how much Butcher must've changed his writing style from Dresden's typical snarky attitude to Marcone's much more serious one.


Written in Red (Book one of The Others) by Anne Bishop

"'The only humans that want the job are thieves who think they can steal from us or ones hiding from their own law. The last one you threw out for being a lazy bag of shit, and the one before that ... the Wolves ate the one before that.'
'We weren't the only ones who ate him,' Simon muttered."


In an alternate history, the goddess created humanity and provided for them in a place safe and fruitful for them to evolve and grow. When they stepped out of this eden, however, they discovered they weren't the only one of the goddess's children, and her other children already claimed the rest of the planet. The Others more or less resemble the monsters from traditional horror movies: werewolves, vampires, other types of shapeshifters, and even worse things. The Others think of humanity as nothing more than meat, or sometimes clever meat as they do allow humans to survive and thrive to create things the Others find useful. Meg Corbyn just escaped captivity and stumbles into The Courtyard for sanctuary. The Courtyard is home to the Others that oversee a particular human city or town. To survive, she takes a job as the Courtyard's human liaison, a buffer position between the humans a nd the Others. Having lived only a life of captivity, Meg must now navigate a new life not only amongst humans, but monsters that will not hesitate to eat her. Meg is no ordinary human and her captor will take steps to reacquire her.


Murder of Crows (Book two of The Others) by Anne Bishop

Following the plot thread from the previous book, The Others of the Lakeside Courtyard start their own investigation of two potent drugs making their way through theirs and the human population: Gone Over Wolf, which increases the users aggression to the point that they no longer care about their own well-being; and Feel Good, which gives a euphoric feeling strong enough for the user to completely forget their surroundings. When the clues and Meg's visions as a blood prophet bring the investigation to Meg's former slaver, a man known as The Controller, they'll gather all their forces to bring the man down.

I picked these off the shelf at Barnes and Nobles on the assumption that if there are already several books of the series, then it must be okay. And if there were already several books out, it was less likely for the series to get cancelled without a conclusion, which is the worst thing to ever happen to a series. The main character as a blood prophet and able to tell visions of the future by cutting herself is new to me in the supernatural world.

Books of 2019: Quarter 2

Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence

"The two moved in a flowing contest of position and stability, flurries of blows finding nothing but air. It might be a dance, and a beautiful one at that, but Nona knew the form held scores of moves for disabling or killing a less skilled opponent in a quiet and efficient manner, any of which could be used in a heartbeat if either woman gained sufficient advantage."



Between the events of the last book, Red Sister, and this one Nona Grey has moved from Gray class to Mystic class, completing her introduction to combat and poisons and moving into harnessing magical abilities. She and her fellow classmates still mourn for the one they lost. The Convent of Sweet Mercy is also still recovering from the theft of its shipheart, an ancient artifact that allowed those around it to better grasp their abilities. Despite this, Nona continues her studies, deciding if she will follow the path of servitude toward The Ancestor, or the path of the sword. Within the walls of the convent though, the wealthy elites have not forgotten the shame Nona brought upon on of their families. At the same time, a new enemy emerges, one that seeks to use ancient power to conquer what is left of their world.

Obviously one that I should've written about after I finished it rather than waited almost a year to try to recall with my terrible memory. I'm sure a lot more happens than I've lead you to believe especially since I think it took me a month to read. It's probably one of the reasons I continue to give shitty descriptions of these stories. I'll try harder once the third book comes out in paperback.

Once again, the thing I like the most about Lawrence's writing is the lack of details. A lot of times in High Fantasy, entire paragraphs are dedicated to descriptions of castles, or caves, or forests whether it be to the shapes or colors or its history (which then usually isn't even relevant to the story). Lawrence's work tends to skip all that bullshit and just give the details you need to know, the ones that are important to the story.


One Shot by Lee Child

"He stared upward and saw nothing but sky. He closed his eyes against the glare and started to think about ego and motive, and illusion and reality, and guilt and innocence, and the true nature of randomness."

"'You got medical insurance?' he asked.
The guy nodded.
'Dental plan?'
The guy nodded again.
Reacher hit him in the mouth. Right-handed, short swing, hard blow.
"Get that fixed,' he said."


So it's finally the book I've been trying to get to, the one that inspired me to start these books in the first place. If you've seen the first Jack Reacher movie with Tom Cruise, you know what this story is about. On a regular day, a lone gunman sits in a parking garage and shoots seemingly at random several people down below. The city is in terror and the police begin their search for the man. In record time, the man is apprehended with all the evidence against him. When questioned, the only words he says in his defense is "Get Jack Reacher." Reacher is already on his way though, having seen the news report and making a promise to the accused that if he ever stepped out of line again that Reacher would be there to bring him down for good. As the evidence against the gunman mounts, Reacher senses that something isn't quite right. Eventually, he'll find himself not only searching for evidence to clear the falsely-accused, but to find those responsible.

If you're getting annoyed of these stories, well One Shot isn't even the halfway point so there's plenty more to come. In one of the few times I can recall, I think I did like the movie more than the book. The Reacher character in the movie had a more of a "not caring about the law, only what's right" attitude especially when all of the bad guys turn up dead in the movie (the book leaves a couple of them still alive). The book introduced a couple more characters that I was okay with the movie cutting out for the sake of time and to move the plot along.


Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

"'The trick is getting the Folds right. Everything must be aligned just so, or the spells won't work."

"At the same moment, Lira dropped the leather bag from her shoulder and, with a quick command, half a dozen severed hands rose from its mouth, bloodied and raw at the wrist, their fingers pale and violet, their nails jagged and blue."


Despite receiving the top scores from her magical school, the school board assigns Ceony Twill to apprentice as a paper magician rather than giving her a choice in the decision (something about there not being enough Paper Magicians). Once she binds herself to paper, she cannot control any other material. To make her situation worse, her tutor, Magician Thane, is rumored to be an odd and eccentric man who hasn't taken on an apprentice in years. Surprisingly, she'll find the magic in paper to be more amazing than she could ever imagine. Just as her lessons become more and more interesting, she'll be forced on a quest to recover Thane's heart after a dark magician steals it from his chest.

Rather than just stumbling across this book on the shelves of Barnes and Nobles like I normally do, this popped up as a suggestion by Amazon when I was purchasing some other books. I spent several trips to Barnes and Nobles looking for it. Apparently 47North is one of Amazon's publishing companies so that's why I was unable to find it, and why it kept being recommended. I think I mostly gave in and bought this book because of an old anime (I can't even remember the title) and there was a female spy called "The Paper" and she could manipulate paper to fight people or something. The story itself was good, I liked the characters and the different magics that could be accomplished through paper. I think the one thing that kept bothering me was that I couldn't figure out ... where they were, if this was supposed to be an alternate Earth, or an alternate timeline, or if this was our Earth, then when this might've taken place.



Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb

"Why do you chop your life into bits and give the bits names? Hours, days. It is like a rabbit. If I kill a rabbit, I eat a rabbit. A sleepy sort of disdain. When you have a rabbit, you chop it up and call it bones and meat and fur and guts. And so you never have enough."

"'You do not understand. Were Molly standing here before me with our daughter, still I would have to seek my king. No matter what is done to me, no matter how I am wronged. Still, I must seek Verity.'"


The final part to the trilogy! I don't know if the trilogy has it's own name and I'm not going to look it up. FitzChivalry, the bastard son of former King-in-Waiting Chivalry and King's assassin, awakens from death to find the Buck Kingdom in shambles. Regal, his uncle, after spreading false rumors of King-in-Waiting Verity's death, crowns himself king and wages a war against their recent allies, the Mountain Kingdom. He abandons his people to the Red Ship raiders, who now move inland from the coasts and destroy village after village. Forged Ones, Buck citizens captured by the raiders and transformed into zombie-like beings, roam the countryside, stealing, raping and murdering. But Fitz is done with being a King's Man and decides to put it all behind him to live his own life. After a botched revenge attempt and seeing first-hand how his kingdom is being ravaged, he begins his quest to seek out lost King-in-Waiting Verity and restore him to the throne.

Unlike other sword and sorcery High Fantasy novels, the only magic in this world comes in two forms: The Skill and The Wit. The Skill allows the user to mentally connect with other Skilled ones to communicate long distances. This ability can only be used offensively against an enemy by spying into their thoughts and briefly taking over their bodies, casting illusions into their minds. The Wit, an ability despised as "an unnatural connection between man and beast" allows the Witted one to communicate with animals and sense living beings within a perimeter around them. When they bond with a specific animal, in Fitz's case the wolf, Nighteyes, the human and animal can share information, sensing what the other senses.

As good as Hobbs' writing is, the story feels too ... long. Personally, I don't like dream sequences as, typically they do nothing to advance the plot and usually deal with things the reader already knows. Unfortunately, there are several "dream sequences" involving Fitz Skill-dreaming, his consciousness drifting into the minds of other characters so he can see and hear and experience what is happening around the kingdom. These scenes are important so that the reader can know what is going on in the rest of the world while Fitz is on his quest. It's just that it makes the story feel longer than needed.


When you are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

On watching a fly get trapped by a spider:
"It was a trapped fly, and as I bent forward to get a closer look, a spider rushed forth and carried it screaming to a little woven encampment situated between the wall and the window casing. It was like watching someone you hate getting mugged: three seconds of hard-core violence, and when it was over you just wanted it to happen again."

On telling his friend that he is gay:
"Next on my list of people to tell was my former college roommate, Todd. I hitched from Raleigh to Kent, Ohio, but once I got there, the time didn't seem quite right. It was harder telling a guy than it was telling a girl, and harder still when you'd taken too much acid and were trying to keep the little people from sticking pins in your eyes."


This makes the second of David Sedaris' books that I've read. I still have no other way to describe the books than to call them a collection of stories from his life. His humor is perfect for me and I laughed throughout the entire book. It's the way I would like to tell stories, maybe I'll actually start writing some again. His collection of clothing, the time he spent at a morgue, quitting smoking while in Japan, these are just some of the stories found in this book. I would have liked to put up other great quotes from the book but they were just too long for the set-up and joke.


The Book of Extraordinary Deaths by Cecilia Ruiz

In this book, Cecilia Ruiz complies some of the strangest deaths ever recorded: giving both a short account of the death and a beautiful illustration to commemorate it (nothing vulgar or explicit). Some memorable ones include a hot-air ballon duel, a flood of molasses, and a cockfighter killed by his
own bird. Not really a read but something fun to skim through for a while. If I had my own place and I was the type of person to host ... things that people show up for, and had a coffee table, this would be something I would put on it.

I forgot where I found this book or how I even came across it. It might've been something that popped up as an Amazon recommendation, or I heard about it on a podcast, I really can't remember. Of course, I laughed through the whole book as you probably expect I would, though I do expect most people I know to laugh at it too.

Books of 2019: Quarter 1

I know, I tell myself all the time, "why don't you just write about the books you read right after you read them, then you won't procrastinate and end up rushing through this every three months?" Or in this case, a whole year. Plus, as you might've noticed, I haven't been writing as much as before so that definitely pushed these further and further out. But here's to getting started again, by catching up with last year's reading list.


John Dies at the End by David Wong

"The finished creature seemed to be assembled from spare parts. It had a tail like a scorpion curling up off its back. It walked on seven- yes, seven - legs, each ending in one of those small, pink infantile hands. It had a head that was sort of an inverted heart shape, a bank of mismatched eyes in an arc over a hooked, black beak, like a parrot's. On its head, no kidding, it had a tuft of neatly groomed blond hair that I swear on my mother's grave was a wig, held on with a rubber band chinstrap."

"And so, feeling like men trying to work a jigsaw puzzle blindfolded and using only our butt cheeks to grip the pieces, we left."

David Wong and John (both fake names) are high school friends from Undisclosed (to protect themselves) that specialize in cases of the paranormal thanks to a drug that increases their awareness, allowing them to see and interact with the supernatural as well as a couple of other heightened sense abilities. The main chunk of the story is Wong telling his story to a reporter that specializes in the weird and paranormal. It's a story about their first encounter with the Soy Sauce drug at a high school party, to fighting off demons at a Las Vegas seminar, to starting a business fighting the supernatural with a boombox and a baseball bat, all the way to stopping an alien invasion from an alternate dimension with a twist ending and plenty of dick jokes thrown in. Honestly, the best way I can describe the story is it's kind of like if you and your buddies from high school were sent to save the world.

Have you watched this TV show on SyFy called Happy!? This book is basically like that - it's insane the things that happen and every chapter will leave you with a lot of "what the fuck did I just read" moments, encouraging you onward just to find how much further Wong can push the creative envelope. I read another of Wong's book awhile back, Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, and this one is just as ... imaginative. It's funny and exciting and moments where I just had to go back and reread the last sentence because my brain just couldn't comprehend what I'd just read.

The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks

I assume it would be easier to talk about all three at the same time (plus it'll save time).

The Way of the Shadows (Book One):

"At first everything was curses and beatings. Azoth couldn't do anything right. But curses were just air, and beatings were just momentary pain. Blint would never maim Azoth, and if he chose to kill him, there was nothing Azoth could do to stop him anyway.

It was the closest thing to safety he'd ever known."

"Just by looking at a man's face, he could judge instantly: parry left, hesitate, lunge, clear. A man died and fell far enough away that he didn't impede Kylar's movements. Next, sweep right, roll in, bear fist to nose. Spin, hamstring, throat. Parry, riposte. Stab."

Azoth, a street urchin just trying to survive, dreams of power to protect himself and his friends - to no longer be afraid. It is this dream that drives him to risk his life following Durzo Blint, the city's greatest wetboy, and request to be his apprentice. Under Blint's tutelage, Azoth will learn the ways of a wetboy: to blend with his environment, the tools of his trade, and, most importantly, to kill. But there is more going on within the kingdom and it may be up to the assassin to stop an invasion.

Shadow's Edge (Book Two):

"Kylar is Shadow in Twilight, a growing colossus with one foot planted in the day and another in the night, but a shadow is an ephemeral beast and twilight must either darken into night or lighten into day."

Kylar Stern leaves to a neighboring city now that the Godking's forces have taken over the city, and the Godking himself has arrived. Seeking to create a life of peace for himself, he abandons the way of the shadows. That life is interrupted when he finds out his best friend and rightful king of Cenaria is alive, hiding in the prisons below the city. Knowing that Logan is alive and could unite the varying resistance factions against the Godking, Kylar must decide if he can abandon his new way of peace to take up the sword again.

Beyond the Shadows (Book Three):

"Kylar had longed to be more than a guild rat. He'd longed to be more than a wetboy. Now, he was more than a man. The rules didn't apply to him."

"In the tumult of clashing arms, grunts, curses, clashing sword on sword or sword on shield, the thump of cudgels hitting flesh, the muted crack of breaking limbs or shattered skulls, the whistle of air escaping from a throat instead of a mouth, the familiar stench of blood and bile and death-loosened bowels and the sweat of exertion and the sweat of fear, Kylar was suddenly serene."

Kylar Stern has returned to the Way of the Shadows to save his kingdom, but lost his new life of peace. With the Godking dead, Cenaria's army plans to march North to rescue their queen from a newly established Godking who is planning an invasion of his own with creatures from myth. As two armies march against each other, Kylar will need to assassinate his most formidable target yet - a goddess. Additionally, other characters that we've gotten to know over the other two books will come to the ends of their journeys.

This series is probably the reason I didn't get around to putting up these reviews every three months like I was doing (plus, you know, the not-writing). If you've ever talked to me about books, or if I've ever tried to force a book on to you, I've mentioned The Magicians trilogy as the books to read. The Night Angel trilogy though is my favorite series and the one I've read and re-read the most. It has everything: Action, Adventure, Mystery, Romance, Camaraderie, Magic, Ancient Lore, Triumph of good over evil, a Large Cast of characters with their own individual plot lines. Plus, it isn't bogged down by pointless songs, or unpronounceable spells, or wordy descriptions that tend to plague other High Fantasy novels. It's easy to read but if you move to fast, you can miss all the subtle things that don't immediately jump out at you. Though that's part of the fun of re-reading it and picking up on them again. And because of all that, it was so, so hard to find the words of just how to quickly summarize the story without ruining it with my own shitty writing. Back in college, I had a writing assignment of analyzing a song, and the issue was that the deeper and deeper you look into something, the less enchanted you become by it and the more you start to become frustrated with it. I was really afraid that writing even a short piece about these books might do that for me.

The Enemy by Lee Child

"'What are you going to do with this strength?' she asked me.

I didn't answer. I never did.

'You're going to do the right thing,' she said."

"No, the twentieth century's signature sound is the squeal and clatter of tank tracks on a paved street. That sound was heard in Warsaw, and Rotterdam, and Stalingrad, and Berlin. Then it was heard again in Budapest and Prague, and Seoul and Saigon. It's a brutal sound. It's the sound of fear. It speaks of a massive overwhelming advantage in power. And it speaks of remote, impersonal indifference."

This story goes back to Jack Reacher's time in the military police when he was still with the army, not the drifter character we are introduced to in the first book and movie. Reacher is ringing in the new year recently posted to a base in North Carolina when he receives a call that a general is dead in a motel where he shouldn't be. After a quick search, the general's briefcase is discovered missing along with unknown classified information about a meeting he was supposed to be attending. A few hours later, it is reported that the general's wife has been murdered. Reacher is now on a case to find the missing files, but the deeper he digs, the more the enemy turns out to be the last person he expected. and one that he just might not be able to handle.

Yes, another Jack Reacher novel. At the time I bought this book, I really thought it wasn't going to make this quarter's list, but I practically sprinted through it. Not kidding, I think it took me a week to get through it. Child's writing is great, the pacing is perfect. I've read and posted enough of these books by now that it isn't worth going into detail about how this book reads and stuff like that. An interesting side plot to this story involves an event in Reacher's personal life: coming to terms with his mother's death. This seems to help humanize Reacher, putting his character into the context of being a son and brother and not just the drifter we've grown to know from previous books.

Grand Adventure Day 17: Blackpink!

So, tonight was the reason I extended my trip for several more days. But first, the even better news: We've got coffee at the hostel again! I spent the morning trying to finish packing as quietly as possible as the other two guys slept off their hangovers. At one point, I tried to participate in the PokemonGo Community Day event, but the game crashed constantly so that didn't work. And that concludes what I did the entire morning.

I met up with Tina and her friend at the concert site. People packed the sidewalks, selling posters and wallets and other stuff with the Blackpink members' pictures on them, some of them probably unlicensed, some of them fan-art drawings.

I also got (aka "spent a lot on") some official merchandise like pins and a keychain, and a pen I think I lost. Also, depending upon the amount of money you spent, there was a drawing for a chance to win some prizes. Surprisingly, I think between the three of us, we got all three of the items: a Blackpink lightstick USB charger, soap? (I think that was one of them), and an Ipad signed BY ALL 4 MEMBERS! Since I'd gotten there late, I missed the two of them showing off the Ipad to some students of theirs. Luckily he's a much better person than I am. "Hey, look what I won! What's that, you had to spend all your allowance on tickets and can't even afford to buy anything else. Awww, sorry." Taunting children, another reason I can't be a teacher. With time left until the concert started, we hung out at a nearby karaoke center to kill time. Oh, they also taught me to say, "I'm a North Korean spy," which I now don't remember the words. I'd been looking for something to say to the old women who stare at me on the trains. Everyone else's eyes are focused on their phones, but the old women just stare at me. All of them. All the time.

Tina and I made our way to our seats with about an hour left until the concert. Alex's (I knew I wrote his name someplace in this notebook) ticket was for the pit/floor area. That I don't have a Blackpink member locked away in a newly constructed basement means that he didn't manage to grab any of them and drag them outside as we planned aka, as I asked and he just nervously shook his head and walked away from Tina's weird cousin. "Come on, we're going to Hawaii!" as the bag goes over her head and I lead her away from the concert. *That's a joke, please don't send anyone to my house, I wouldn't even know how to build a basement... though I'm sure there's a video someplace... not that I would go through the effort...

Back to the concert. To make sure I didn't miss a moment, I headed to the restroom to drain every single ounce of liquid from my body. From what I gathered from the stadium layout, the people in charge must've closed off all but one restroom each for men and women. Since they frown upon me entering the women's restroom to document the goings-on, I can only give you what I experienced in the men's restroom. Obviously, for an event like this, I am prepared to wait in a line. What I wasn't prepared for was how... intimate standing in line was, not in the line out the door to the restroom but behind each other at each urinal. With all five or six urinals occupied, lines formed behind each person at each urinal, about four or five people deep with the stalls right behind them. Wow, was the restroom that big? you ask. No, it was not. To say they stood close enough that the next guy in line could've held it for me while I played games on my phone wouldn't be an exaggeration. And if you went to sento with me or you're my grandma, you have an idea of just how close they stood to each other. I opted for a stall because I knew I would be in there for a while, negotiating with, threatening my bladder and bowels. "Okay, I'm serious you fuckers, you better get everyone out of there now because we're not coming back. I'm not joking." Then I'd stand up, pull up my jeans, stand there for a couple seconds, then sit back down. "Okay, seriously, last chance, no fucking surprises. None of this 'oops, just a couple more drops' or 'oh, one more tiny turd left behind'." And repeat until I was certain my body wouldn't betray me. In case you were curious, this was also my prep for the three hours Avengers: Endgame movie.

When I eventually got back to my seat, Tina helped me set up the lightstick she got me. Even though I said I didn't want one as I saw it as just one more thing to pack into my stuffed luggage and then find a place in my cramped room, I'm really happy she ignored my request and bought it anyways. If you watch any of my videos, or just look up a live concert on Youtube and see the sea of pink lightsticks moving in unison, well, it's kind of amazing ... and a little scary only in that I tend to think of any group synchronized activity as the beginnings of a cult and at any moment we'll be told to sacrifice the person sitting next to us to the glory of Morrowyllx or some other obscure feaster of souls and the worst part being I won't know what's going on until the moment the knife gets plunged into my chest since I don't speak Korean (I need to learn a new language).

Pre-show set up

Then the show started! The shining lights, the blaring speakers, the flashing screens in the background, the screaming crowd ... it was a lot to take in all at once, especially for my first ever concert. At that time, the stories about people fainting from excitement or anxiety attacks crept into my head. Subtly, I took a lot of deep breaths and focused on the seat back in front of me, thinking about how embarrassing it would be to faint in my cramped seat. Seriously, though, my plane seat had more leg room.

I got my bearing back just as Blackpink got on stage. I want to say they started the concert off with their newest song at the time, "Ddu Du Ddu Du" but I don't have a video to prove it. At the start I was really hesitant about recording the show since Tina said she saw people escorted out from other concerts she attended in the past for recording the concert. Only when I realized EVERYONE'S phones were out and security didn't care did I get the courage to do it too. Luckily I'm taller than most and the person who was supposed to be in the seat in front of me must've been murdered earlier in the day because s/he wasn't there (and death is the only thing that would've stopped me from coming). This way, I could keep my phone low while recording and not block my view or distract me from the show. I tried to get clips of every single song, even the solo acts they performed. It's old news now, but Jennie performed her solo debut song "Solo" and they showed the music video on the big screens. Some guy from Big Bang also performed a couple songs on his own. I think Tina said something along the lines of it being blasphemous that I don't know these songs or who that guy was. Between songs, the group talked on stage and Tina provided me with translations.

Hopefully those videos show up (I'm still not sure if they loaded correctly). This is the best quality I've got so now I'm not even sure why I was so scared they were going to kick me out for recording. When they finished all of their songs (at that point, I think they only have a dozen or so, and maybe half of them were singles) I saw people walking out of the arena. Well, if Marvel Studios taught me anything, just because the credits roll doesn't mean the movie is over and so I planned to sit there until they turned the arena lights back on. On the back of the placard we all got were the lyrics to a verse of one of their songs which the crowd was supposed to sing repeatedly to bring the group back out for an encore performance, like summoning Beetlejuice or something. That particular verse had a couple lines in English, so I got to shout those parts with the crowd.

The encore section was a different performance from the rest of the show. Instead of emitting the energy and excitement that they previously had, it was a lot more comfortable, more like I was watching a group of people perform at a karaoke bar or something, though with hundreds of other people. No fireworks or flashing lights or fancy clothes. Most of the arena lights were on and the four of them either stood or sat together wearing what looked like just regular clothes, not dancing across the stage in flashy concert clothing. The encore section seemed to invite the rest of the crowd to sing along rather than just watch in awe as we had done through the previous performances.

After the show, Tina and I headed to a less crowded train station to hang out. Most of the food places were already closed for the night which surprised me. Not that they were already closed, but that the concert went on that long. At the time of the concert, Blackpink just released their first album, which gave them, I think, just 9 songs in total so I thought the concert was going to be a lot shorter. We ended up grabbing donuts and coffee and hanging out in the station so we both could catch our respective trains home. I managed to walk back to the hostel without anyone mugging me for my concert merchandise stuffed into a huge plastic bag. Not that it isn't safe and I'm actually worried about being mugged, but just thinking of how embarrassing it would be that I don't have any money but an entire bag full of Blackpink merchandise.

Grand Adventure Day 16: Last Palaces

The rain from the previous day stopped. Originally, I came up with a plan to waste another day hopping from cafe to cafe, drinking coffee and writing. Since the rain stopped, I decided to try to use the last two tickets from the packet I picked up the day I hung out with my cousin. First off, I mixed up the names of the palaces and ended up going to the one we already went to on the previous weekend. After a walk, I made it to the correct palace, Changgyeonggung Palace.

This is what I imagine fall looks like

I bet there was something really cool in there

There was a fire someplace. No, I didn't start it.

Walked around almost the entire palace grounds. I have no idea how big the palace grounds actually were or how they compared to the other 3 I visited, but this one just felt bigger. Also, no I'm not going to do any research. Besides the forest I saw people walking laps in, there was also a lake and a greenhouse (which I don't have good pictures of). Also, there was a fire someplace. I didn't get to see it, though I did smell it and saw the smoke from a ways off. My cousin messaged me later to play the dumb tourist card and try to jump on the fire truck.

The last ticket would get me into Jongmyo Shrine, which was pretty close and apparently I got there right in time. As it is a spiritual place (or was it sacred place, I always get them mixed up, if there is a difference), which ever it is, you'll either need a guide, or you'll need to be in time for one of their group tours based on the language the tour will be conducted. I got there with about 10 minutes until the last tour of the day, which also happened to be in English. So I just hung around until the tour started. If I remember correctly, most, if not all, of the emperors are symbolically enshrined there and rituals are still held there. Before I start giving out more wrong information ... look, here's some pictures

After the tour, I hung around at a nearby park playing Pokemon. Between two stops and a gym, I stumbled upon a Charmander nest! Not joking, there would always be about two or three spawning at a time and almost as soon as I caught one, another would pop up. I would've stayed probably forever, but then my hands started to go numb. Unexpectedly, the weather turned and it just got really, really cold all of a sudden. My brain went into the "how long do you think we can survive out here?" mode while actively debating if it was worth it to keep on playing. Shivering, I made my way back to a train station. Took it to Itaewon to grab a kebab for dinner. I'm really going to miss them, we don't have them back home, or at least not that I know of ... unless you count Arby's since they're selling gyros now which are basically the same thing, right.

Back at the hostel, I met my two new roommates. Oh, I think I also forgot to mention, somehow I managed to have the room all to myself for the past couple of days, just me and three other empty bunks. Both of them were Americans from the military base and here for a nearby metal concert happening right down the street, a group from someplace in Europe. Instead of going with them, I stayed back at the hostel to get a head start on my packing, at which point I spent a half hour looking for a missing slipper, the ones you are supposed to wear around the hostel, not my own slipper. Eventually I found it, packed with my own luggage.

Grand Adventure Day 15: Library Day

Today it rained. It rained all day. I spent the morning sitting at the hostel dining table drinking coffee (no we're still out, I went out to the train station and bought this one), reading and talking with Hsiu, the newest worker at the hostel that started on my first day. Once the claustrophobia kicked in, I packed up some stuff, grabbed my jacket, and headed to the Seoul Metropolitan Library.

Besides the normal stuff I like about libraries, I liked the painted benches that were near the staircases and elevators

Also, on one of the floors (no I don't remember which) there was a brief exhibit on the construction of Seoul and a display of gifts presented by dignitaries from around the world.

I found some tables and an empty chair that I could occupy for an hour or two. I'm not sure which occurred first: writer's block or hunger. Either way, I headed back to the underground shopping area to stay out of the rain and began walking until I found a shop selling dumplings. I also finally did a Giratina raid in this country! Unfortunately, I didn't catch it. After walking around for a bit, I headed back to the library and took back the exact seat that I vacated an hour or so earlier. Even worse than not catching that Giratina, I fell into the trap of reviewing my work ... which results in questioning the legitimacy of everything I'd written just moments earlier. So, of course, nothing new got done. Eventually, the librarian came around to let everyone know they were closing up soon. No, I don't know exactly what she said, but I like to think that I understand "Get the fuck out" in any language. Went back to that Indian restaurant near the hostel for dinner but this time they gave me an English menu. Got Indian Butter Chicken curry, which, if you're one of my two old co-workers, you know the addiction to it.


Oh, and if you cared, here's part of what I wrote that day:

From my viewing orb I watched the band of heroes surround Bobby at the far side of the cave. As always, Bobby was milking his upcoming death scene, always the over-actor. Over actress? He, or she, had only been working at our dungeon for a week or so and I've been thinking it rude to ask a 90 foot long giant scorpion if it prefers the male or female pronoun. Either way, Bobby was putting on a show, backing away slowly, claws snapping, it's giant stinger clanging off iron shields. Acid spray mixed with the occasional jet of smoke and steam pumped into the chamber messed with their lone archer's aim, causing arrows to bounce harmlessly off of the scorpion's steel plating.

Soon enough, Bobby found itself trapped at the far-side of the cavern, exactly as scripted. The fighters were kept just out of range, the elf's arrows couldn't find hit anything vital, and their wizard was busy charging up a spell which we could use in our own finale. All of it according to plan. Then I got up from my chair and starred at the orb. Stared hard. Two fighters, one elf, one wizard. I unrolled the scroll, a list of today's raiding party complete with an inventory of their gear collected by the local innkeeper. Two fighters armed with shields, one with a sword, one with an axe. An elf with a bow and long knife. A wizard with a staff and a short knife at the base, and a ... The rogue! I abandoned the viewing orb and looked out through the illusionary veil that concealed by room hidden high above the cavern. Where the hell did he go!

I took in the whole scene again. They stood at the front entrance and slowly worked the fight arond the cavern as predicted. Bobby might've come to our humble tier two dungeon just to ease himself into retirement but he was still a true professional. Hopefully he hadn't forgotten about the rogue, as I had, but just in case, I needed to keep an eye out to make sure none of my team got injured or killed.

There! my eyes spotted the faint shadowy movements close to the ceiling, just about level with myself but 30 meters across. That bastard. Quickly, I ran back to the viewing orb and watched the playback. Upon entering the cavern, he had been the second to charge into the fray, a stupid move for a thief, and gotten himself knocked to the side. Bobby batted him away with her tail, though light enough that he wouldn't sustain any major injuries. Something like that, after all, could lead to some severe legal issues, even the shutting down of the dungeon itself. I guess Bobby didn't hit the rogue hard enough because as the fight with the rest of the party progressed, the rogue got up and began quietly and slowly, scaling the side of the wall, moving stealthily enough not to attract attention. And it worked because he was high up here, with a very large, possibly enchanted, probably poisoned knife aiming to plunge down onto Bobby.

This needed to be timed perfectly. I waited until the rogue was in position. Waited until he dropped to deliver what he hoped to be the killing blow. Just as he dropped, I clanged a rock off of Bobby's steel plating, the plate closest to where the assassin was sure to land. Then I bounced a small reflection spell off the same plate, blinding the rogue for just a second. Enough time for Bobby to act. He knocked back the two fighters with its claws, then swung a wide arc with its tail to startle the group, ending with an upward swing, catching the rogue mid-fall with the backside of the stinger and sending him back into the wall. The wizard finally managed to fully charge his spell. I hit the button activating the shield curtain, allowing the spell to explode just a couple meters from Bobby, the room simultaneously filling with a thick black smoke.

I heard coughing. "What the fuck was that Kyler!" exclaimed someone, probably one of the fighters as they were usually the loudest.

"It was just supposed to be a standard piercing spell. I swear I did the chant right," replied the wizard.

By the time the smoke cleared, Bobby made it through the trap door and a scorpion skeleton put in its place, along with a single chest of copper coins, enough to get the group through to the next village. This was only a Tier Two dungeon after all, they shouldn't be expecting a whole lot. I waited, watching as the party go their bearings after the smoke cleared, then split up the coins between the 5 of them, and then exited through another doorway that opened after boss Bobby was defeated.

"Okay, we're clear!" I announced, my voice magically booming throughout the entire dungeon, "Let's get this all cleared up and prepped for tomorrow." I'd heard from the innkeeper there was already another raiding party setting up for an early morning quest tomorrow.

On cue, teams of orcs spewed through hidden doors armed with brooms and buckets: some to clean up the mess left behind, others to create a new mess, this was supposed to be a dungeon. I went down to the infirmary. I didn't witness anything bad, but best to check it out myself. Downstairs, our lone cleric was looking after my front-line crew: the slimes, orcs, giant spiders, even Bobby, anyone who interacted with the raiding party. Even Gregory, the old hermit that warned the raiders not to go into the cave, though I have no idea why. When I asked, he just thought it best in case they cursed him on the way in. "You worry too much," I said, shaking my head.


So, this story was supposed to be about the people and creatures that reset dungeons after a raiding party has been through it. The main character is the Dungeon Master who is in charge of this dungeon. The plot goes that one of the raiding party members leaves something behind and ends up peeking behind the veil, seeing what goes on behind the scenes of the dungeon. The thought that derailed this whole thing was the idea that if one dungeon is controlled by the government, then what's stopping the government from actually controlling ALL dungeons, then what really is the point if dungeons are just escape rooms? And that got me stuck trying to figure out the Tier system for dungeons and how much the government can actually control. And, as it's been a whole year since I originally wrote this, no, I haven't gone back to it yet.