Gerald > Recent Status Updates

I read this as a teen & I’m so happy it turns out to be as delightful as I remembered. I /shouldn’t/ be, as Patricia C. Wrede is fantasy royalty (& Minnesotan!), but you never know when rereading things from when you were much younger. It’s an epistolary novel where each author writes one side of the exchange & they wrote it together without planning, so it’s got a uniquely twisty-turny fun style of plot.

Fun to see a sequel so fundamentally divergent from the previous book (the *INCREDIBLE* /Hands of the Emperor/), and a character from such a fundamentally divergent perspective despite this book following immediately upon the previous. Everything about Goddard's free approach to writing is so special and could only happen in the self-published track; any publisher would surely try to "refine" this delightful mess!

Very diverting and interesting so far; it's confirming to consistently see Isaac Asimov as so much more pleasant a person than Campbell, Heinlein, Hubbard, since I love his writing so much more (I know later in life he had similar issues with treatment of women, so it will go downhill eventually). I really like this style of history, following an intertwining cast of characters in novel-like biographical detail.

Weird and wonderful so far!

I’ve never read a book with more slow breakfasts, interminable teas, and long sessions of whining from a generally passive protagonist, and somehow I absolutely love it!

I've been stalling on this one, even though it doesn't seem to be the one most people struggle with, but perhaps it's because the last two had been re-reads for me? I also don't really like the protagonist much, so despite the ideas being Gladstone's usual fascinating combination of magic, economics, and computer science all woven together to create oddly compelling intrigue, I'm getting a bit bored.

The depiction of extended family here is incredibly sweet, and really quite unique in my fantasy reading experience. Maresca does such a good job with writing complex webs of loving relationships.

I waited too long to start this after loving /Velocity of Revolution/, it’s great! It’s Maresca’s debut, and it’s certainly not as good as the masterpiece that is Velocity, but it’s fun as hell to read about fantasy Nightwing beating up drug dealers on the streets of Maradaine!

Putting this one on hold for now. Just not quite what I'm looking for at the moment, and the lack of familiar characters from the trilogy means there isn't a strong draw to push until I get hooked.

As much as I love the language, weirdness, and general vibe, the middle has somewhat lost me, and I've taken long enough breaks that I'm confused when I get back to it.

Still loving this. So weird. I did like the intro setting more than their eventual journey into disturbed Narnia.