https://youtu.be/H14T15uIspU Fonda Lee's Green Bone Saga has gained the status of a modern classic over its publication between 2017 and 2021. I haven't read it yet, and so can tell you, hand over heart, Untethered Sky is a triumphant introduction to Lee's work. Chock-full of compelling characters, this novella exudes a love and respect for... Continue Reading →
Death’s Beating Heart by Rob J. Hayes (The War Eternal #5) – Book Review
https://youtu.be/ClaEXVuFo4Y Eskara Helsene has been many things: an angry teenager, the victim of brainwashing and abuse, queen and villain and an enemy to the gods themselves. In Death's Beating Heart, she aims for the stars by trying to save the world from Sevorai's nightmarish hunger, Norvet Meruun. The issues with that are numerous: first among... Continue Reading →
How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It by K. J. Parker – Book Review
https://youtu.be/9OJ8tWgmLQA K. J. Parker is a master of voice. His Siege Trilogy accents this mastery, providing the reader with narrators with personalities large enough they threaten to drown out most other voices. How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It, the middle book in this trilogy, has to contend with a difficult task:... Continue Reading →
Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds – Book Review
https://youtu.be/tiysvCXILfw Another fast-paced novella courtesy of Alastair Reynolds, Slow Bullets makes for one of those reads you can't step away from. After reading the first scene in the library, where I picked this title up, I sat down in the evening and didn't stop reading until there was no more Slow Bullets left to read.... Continue Reading →
Unsouled by Will Wight (Cradle #1) – Book Review
Because all you needed was another Unsouled review https://youtu.be/RAVjoVfBWMI How about literature as comfort food? Sometimes you need to unwind in-between serious, demanding reads, to lose yourself in a world whose stakes, while not low by any means, don't hit quite as deep as they otherwise might. For me, Unsouled, the first book in Will... Continue Reading →
Steam Next Fest Had Some Great Games…And a Few Mediocre Ones | Darkest Dungeon 2, System Shock, Planet of Lana
https://youtu.be/OdxQfs0QnFM Every time Steam sets up one of its Next Fests promises to be busy - and this latest one was no different. Join me as I do a quick run-down of the demos that left an impression on me one way or another--and if you'd like more content like this, don't forget to let... Continue Reading →
The System Shock Demo Is Cyberpunk Horror Hype (And I Love It)
https://youtu.be/J6boXx9LpLQ System Shock is the granddaddy of immersive sims, a game nearly thirty years old by now, known by every hardcore gamer but experienced by an increasing minority; after all, we're being babied by gamer-friendly systems and few of us have the appreciation for the rough'n'tumble design principles of yesteryear, right? Right! The demo of... Continue Reading →
The Planet of Lana Demo Was Breathtaking
https://youtu.be/GFxn_mbOtl8 I've experienced some amazing demos during this Steam Next Fest but Planet of Lana was an early favourite. For all the others I have played, I'm not sure many can hold a candle to Lana and if you're wondering why - fret not, I'll tell you. (But do like the video and don't forget... Continue Reading →
Marauders Vol. 01 by Gerry Duggan
https://youtu.be/C4pZKdOuNv4 Katherine "Kitty/Kate" Pryde and Emma Frost are two of my absolute favourite X-Men*. The mere suspicion that they might take center stage is invitation enough to pick this hardcover up. That their relationship is one of the driving forces behind this book is, well, chef's kiss. Kitty ("Oh, and…call me Kate") Pryde has a... Continue Reading →
The Perseus Titan Slayer Demo Did Not Impress – Steam Next Fest
https://youtu.be/zk-n-ONHyM8 Ham! So much ham! I can't remember the last time I've experienced this much ham in such a short amount of time. For reference: it took me a little over twenty minutes to wrap up the demo of Perseus: Titan Slayer, and you know what? It might've been the most cliched, angry version of... Continue Reading →