SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Hi!

I made this space for personal notes on books. Mainly SFF, though other genres and informative non-fiction will crop up where it inspires.

All members are welcome to contribute marginalia on your current reads. It’ll help me discover new books and also remember the ones I might have read and forgotten. I don't choose my buddies here; you do.

Feel free to also post links to your book reviews. If you'd like feedback or likes for those, go ahead and mention that as well.

Thank you!

Path of Dragons Series by Nicholas Searcy
LitRPG | Fantasy | Adventure

I picked up all three books for one highly sophisticated reason: there were monsters on the covers. Fortunately, the contents delivered.

Book 1: Guardian of the Grove ⭐️⭐️⭐️


The story follows Elijah, a man whose life is already overshadowed by a cancer diagnosis when a global catastrophe transforms Earth into a world governed by game-like mechanics. Robbed of the chance to choose his own class, he awakens as a rare Druid on an isolated island centered around a mysterious grove and a tree spirit.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the transformed world, his sister Alyssa, her wife Carmen, and their young son struggle to survive amid collapsing infrastructure, shifting geography, and the rise of competing community leaders. Fortunately, they also have Roman, Alyssa’s mentor and friend. Settlement politics soon become just as dangerous as the monsters. I love it when humans are portrayed as so much worse than non-human grotesqueries.

Both storylines worked for me, though Elijah's was easily the stronger of the two. The Druid archetype is particularly fun (I like trees), providing access to interesting abilities and moral dilemmas. It offers plenty of opportunities for strategic experimentation. Sure, it’s tedious, but he is determined. Watching Elijah discover ways to optimize his skills was consistently entertaining.

Alyssa was less compelling, but Carmen more than compensates. Her slow progression as a Blacksmith turned out to be one of the book's more rewarding elements, despite being so slow.

Book 2: Whispers of the Wild ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


This sequel starts strong and expands the world in satisfying ways. Elijah's abilities continue to develop while the broader mechanics behind the World Tree become clearer.

The introduction of the etherium economy, hints about the wider multiverse, and growing references to elder races all help broaden the setting. Goblins, dwarves, elves, gnomes, dragons—the series begins opening doors that suggest much larger adventures ahead.

Carmen's storyline focuses heavily on grief, revenge, and community-building, while the political tensions surrounding Roman continue to escalate. We see how a regular jerk evolves into a total a-hole.

Overall, an excellent continuation that made me curious enough to keep going.

Book 3: Shadow of the Hunter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Another strong opening, and the writing is noticeably tighter. There are fewer filler words, smoother prose, and better pacing overall.

Elijah has become one of the strongest individuals in the world, which brings new problems. Powerful enemies have started taking notice, and at least one person now has the explicit mission of hunting him down.

Meanwhile, Carmen finds herself exiled after Roman's rise to kingship. Her storyline still plods ponderously, which occasionally frustrated me. She desperately needs to grow stronger, yet often seems reluctant to pursue the opportunities available to her. Still, her grief and exhaustion make that hesitation believable, so I never found myself losing interest entirely.

Elijah remains the highlight of the series. His curiosity, competence, and fundamentally decent nature make him easy to root for, while his ongoing exploration keeps the sense of adventure alive.

Oh, and the writing, after significantly improving in the middle, stumbles again with the introduction of multiple new PoV’s in rapid succession at the very end. But I can see the purpose, and will probably check out book 4 sometime soon.

💡Final Thoughts

These books are best experienced in order, particularly because Carmen's storyline builds so steadily across the trilogy. The prose can be repetitive at times, but improves noticeably by the third installment.

Readers who enjoy fantasy, progression systems, character growth, and game-inspired worldbuilding will likely find plenty to enjoy here.

Most importantly, the covers did not lie.

There are, indeed, monsters.

I am reading four different books right now. Only two of them are sci-fi:

The Dungeon's Anarchist Cookbook by Matt Dinniman- Carl, Princess Donut, Katia, and Mongo have to fight their way through level four of the dungeon. This floor is a maze of subway stations. They have to battle monsters and other crawlers now that there is a bounty on their heads. They also have to worry about public perception so they don't lose viewers.

The Awake: The Dispensable by Warren Wright: It asks the question of what is reality and how we play a part in it.

I have reviews on other sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books that I have finished on my profile, if you would like to check those out.

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil by Tolkien. J.R.R.
Fantasy | Classics | Poetry | Commentary

Tom Bombadil Collection ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Almost a decade ago I had a borrowed copy of this "Red Book", but it had to be returned before I could finish. So it was with comfortable nostalgia that I finally got around to reading it properly.

The eponymous Tom immediately springs to life as he sets off seeking adventure.

"Ho! Tom Bombadil
Whither are you going
With John Pompador
Down the River rowing?"

Alongside Tom are familiar hobbit-flavoured nursery rhymes and several bestiary legends. My favourite composition is The Hoard. My bias toward dragons is undoubtedly a factor, but its atmosphere also strongly reminded me of Smaug. Apparently it is written in the caesura style. The entire collection is a cornucopia of delights for enthusiastic LotR fans.

The accompanying commentary serves up both real and imagined geography, showing how these poems contributed to the development of Middle-earth. The linguistic background is equally fascinating. Fragments of old European speech, both common and obscure, found new life in Tolkien's fantasy, demonstrating the greatest strength of his worldbuilding.

As for the perennial question of "Who actually is Tom?" I suspect interpreters may be overcomplicating a simple thing. Tom, to me, is the wholesome community spirit of a fulfilled people. He is no god, myth, or hero. He is a song-symbol for everything hobbits stand for: animated, tireless celebration of their very merry nature.

The spirit of Tom Bombadil manifests most fully in Bilbo Baggins. That's the seed from which the entire legendarium grew.

And it's pure magic.

💡Final Impression:

Swept me away!

📚Tolkien works read:

Dungeon Crawler Carl Series by Matt Dinniman
LitRPG | SFF | Adventure

Book 1 Dungeon Crawler Carl


This is everywhere! Did not pause to investigate until I knew a cat called Princess Donut features in this. Isn’t that just precious?

👉🏽Currently reading.
This post will be updated.

Jay wrote: "Dungeon Crawler Carl Series by Matt Dinniman
LitRPG | SFF | Adventure

Book 1 Dungeon Crawler Carl


This is everywhere! Did not pause to..."
The series is pretty good. Princess Donut is hilarious. I am currently on book three right now. I have reviews for the first two books on my profile.

J wrote: "Jay wrote: "Dungeon Crawler Carl Series by Matt Dinniman
LitRPG | SFF | Adventure

Book 1 Dungeon Crawler Carl


This is everywhere! Did ..."

J wrote: "Jay wrote: "Dungeon Crawler Carl Series by Matt Dinniman
LitRPG | SFF | Adventure

Book 1 Dungeon Crawler Carl


This is everywhere! Did ..."

I’ve added this to my TBR Clean-up Challenge for the “Dammit Donut” one, hehe. Are you on that?

Agree! Princess is hilarious. She is carrying this whole book for me up to page 140, which I’m currently on.

But omg Carl sucks, he’s so lame. I have no rapport for this character in literally any way. Plus, there’s some really disturbing imagery here trying to be funny, like mass accidental infanticide. That’s exactly what put me off The Adventures of Barron Trump earlier this year where the protagonist blows up a string of babies too. Not funny even through the lens of irreverence!

I like the consistency of feet jokes, though. imo this is one genre where feet fetish is mandatory.

Btw, I can’t find your reviews. Really bad at navigating this site. Will keep trying, you’ll know when I find them.

Hi Jay,

I am locking this thread and will encourage you to start a personal challenge thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
*One of the rules is to create your post slots ahead of time and to update with new posts less frequently so you don't spam the group with new post notifications.

If you want to tell us your thoughts on a book you just finished, tell us about it in the What Else Are You Reading thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...