1yoyogod
Let's see if I can beat last year's 174 books. So far, I've got one book in:
1) Mother of Learning ARC 1 by Domagoj Kurmaić
This is a progression fantasy novel about a student in a magical school who gets caught up in a time loop and has to constantly repeat his first month of school, which culminates in an attack on the city by the forces of evil. It's entertaining, though I do have some qualms as there are (at least) two more volumes in the series and I'm really not sure how the author can keep a time loop story going for that long.
1) Mother of Learning ARC 1 by Domagoj Kurmaić
This is a progression fantasy novel about a student in a magical school who gets caught up in a time loop and has to constantly repeat his first month of school, which culminates in an attack on the city by the forces of evil. It's entertaining, though I do have some qualms as there are (at least) two more volumes in the series and I'm really not sure how the author can keep a time loop story going for that long.
3PaulCranswick
Happy new reading year, Nathan.
4yoyogod
>2 drneutron: >3 PaulCranswick: Thanks
2) Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King & Richard Chizmar
This is the final volume in the Gwendy Peterson trilogy. In this one, Gwendy is now in her 60s, is a US senator, and is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's. She is also, once again, in possession of the Button Box, but this time the forces of evil are after it, and the only way to save this world and all other worlds if for Gwendy to go to the space station and launch the Box into deep space. This was a fairly quick and exciting story, though it was also pretty melancholy.
2) Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King & Richard Chizmar
This is the final volume in the Gwendy Peterson trilogy. In this one, Gwendy is now in her 60s, is a US senator, and is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's. She is also, once again, in possession of the Button Box, but this time the forces of evil are after it, and the only way to save this world and all other worlds if for Gwendy to go to the space station and launch the Box into deep space. This was a fairly quick and exciting story, though it was also pretty melancholy.
5yoyogod
3) He Who Fights with Monsters 8 by Shirtaloon
This was a not very good entry in the series. Not a lot happened, and it was badly in need of editing, not in a spelling/grammar way, but because it was originally written as a web serial where people were reading on chapter a week (or whatever rate it was published at) and having each chapter start with a summary of the events of the previous chapter was at least slightly useful, but is now a novel and I don't really need each chapter to contain paragraphs recapping stuff I just read a minute ago.
This was a not very good entry in the series. Not a lot happened, and it was badly in need of editing, not in a spelling/grammar way, but because it was originally written as a web serial where people were reading on chapter a week (or whatever rate it was published at) and having each chapter start with a summary of the events of the previous chapter was at least slightly useful, but is now a novel and I don't really need each chapter to contain paragraphs recapping stuff I just read a minute ago.
6FAMeulstee
Happy reading in 2023, Nathan!
7yoyogod
>6 FAMeulstee: Thanks
4) Beasteborne: Crucible by James t. Callum
This was a fun bit of adventure.
5) Bloodcrete by Sarah Lin
This is volume 6 of The Weirkey chronicles. It was pretty good.
4) Beasteborne: Crucible by James t. Callum
This was a fun bit of adventure.
5) Bloodcrete by Sarah Lin
This is volume 6 of The Weirkey chronicles. It was pretty good.
8yoyogod
6) Portal to Nova Roma: the Rhine by J. R. Mathews
This is the third book in the Portal to Nova Roma series about an AI that builds itself a bio-android body and travels to a LitRPG world that's an alternate version of medieval Europe. This volume is about his attempts to found a trading empire by transporting goods from Venice, through Dwarven tunnels beneath the Alps, and along the Rhine. Being a LitRPG, this involves a lot of fighting. It's a pretty good book.
This is the third book in the Portal to Nova Roma series about an AI that builds itself a bio-android body and travels to a LitRPG world that's an alternate version of medieval Europe. This volume is about his attempts to found a trading empire by transporting goods from Venice, through Dwarven tunnels beneath the Alps, and along the Rhine. Being a LitRPG, this involves a lot of fighting. It's a pretty good book.
9yoyogod
7) Bronze Rank Brewer by James Ghoul
This is a slice of life LitRPG about a former adventurer who is living in the woods as a hermit when a group of wandering monks passes by and shares some beer brewed in their monastery, which inspires him to become a brewer. It's pretty good.
This is a slice of life LitRPG about a former adventurer who is living in the woods as a hermit when a group of wandering monks passes by and shares some beer brewed in their monastery, which inspires him to become a brewer. It's pretty good.
10yoyogod
8) Mother of Learning Arc 2 by Nobody103
In this one we start to learn some of the secrets behind the time loop that the series is set in. It's still pretty good.
9) Spice & Wolf: Volume 12 by Isuna Hasekura
This is mostly about trying to acquire a map by helping a silversmith investigate an angel sighting. It's pretty good.
10) A Late-Start Tamer's Laid-Back Life: volume 5 by Yuu Tanaka
This book has a lot to do with yokai and has the hero taming a mole and a salamander (the fire kind).
In this one we start to learn some of the secrets behind the time loop that the series is set in. It's still pretty good.
9) Spice & Wolf: Volume 12 by Isuna Hasekura
This is mostly about trying to acquire a map by helping a silversmith investigate an angel sighting. It's pretty good.
10) A Late-Start Tamer's Laid-Back Life: volume 5 by Yuu Tanaka
This book has a lot to do with yokai and has the hero taming a mole and a salamander (the fire kind).
11yoyogod
11) Juniper Wiles and the Ghost Girls by Charles de Lint
This is the second volume of the Juniper Wiles urban fantasy series about a former actress who can talk to ghosts and becomes a paranormal investigator. In this volume she gets some cases involving the local police's paranormal investigation division, a box that has the ghosts of several murdered girls bound to it, a blood witch, and a series of Harry Potter-esque books. While I liked it, I think that in general I prefer de Lint's older style of urban fantasies that don't revolve around paranormal investigation.
This is the second volume of the Juniper Wiles urban fantasy series about a former actress who can talk to ghosts and becomes a paranormal investigator. In this volume she gets some cases involving the local police's paranormal investigation division, a box that has the ghosts of several murdered girls bound to it, a blood witch, and a series of Harry Potter-esque books. While I liked it, I think that in general I prefer de Lint's older style of urban fantasies that don't revolve around paranormal investigation.
12yoyogod
12) Defiance of the Fall 8 by TheFirstDefier
This is the 8th volume of a series about a guy who can turn into an undead and spends most of his time chopping up his enemies with an axe.
13) Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
This is the first volume of a series where magic users are part necromancer and part lawyer. I mostly picked it up because I'm still trying to finish my r/Fantasy 2022 book bingo (3 more to go after this one), and this book wits into the "read a book from the r/Fantasy LGBTQIA list" category and the ebook was on sale cheap. I'm not entirely sure why it's on the list as, unless I missed something, none of the characters mentioned being LGBTQIA (though as it's a series, I expect someone comes out a later volume or something). Still, despite finding the setting a bit depressing, I enjoyed the book.
This is the 8th volume of a series about a guy who can turn into an undead and spends most of his time chopping up his enemies with an axe.
13) Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
This is the first volume of a series where magic users are part necromancer and part lawyer. I mostly picked it up because I'm still trying to finish my r/Fantasy 2022 book bingo (3 more to go after this one), and this book wits into the "read a book from the r/Fantasy LGBTQIA list" category and the ebook was on sale cheap. I'm not entirely sure why it's on the list as, unless I missed something, none of the characters mentioned being LGBTQIA (though as it's a series, I expect someone comes out a later volume or something). Still, despite finding the setting a bit depressing, I enjoyed the book.
13yoyogod
14) Kolchak the Night Stalker 50th Anniversary (Deluxe Edition) ed. by James Aquilone
This is an anthology published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the cult classic 70s TV show Kolchak the Night Stalker about reporter Carl Kolchak, a reporter who continually stumbles across weird supernatural monsters that he has to fight against alone, because everyone else refuses to believe in them. The anthology has stories set both before and after the TV series, including Kolchak's first encounter with the supernatural as a teenager and his final encounter as an old man. It's a really great collection, especially the deluxe edition, which contains both the comics stories from the regular edition and a selection of short stories.
15) The Fortifier by D. K. Landtroop
This is another apocalyptic LitRPG where the protagonist randomly gets powers that make him stronger than anyone else around for no real reason. The only thing that makes this one stand out is that it's the only one in the genre I've read where the protagonist actually seems traumatized by the apocalypse. That said, it was still fairly mediocre.
This is an anthology published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the cult classic 70s TV show Kolchak the Night Stalker about reporter Carl Kolchak, a reporter who continually stumbles across weird supernatural monsters that he has to fight against alone, because everyone else refuses to believe in them. The anthology has stories set both before and after the TV series, including Kolchak's first encounter with the supernatural as a teenager and his final encounter as an old man. It's a really great collection, especially the deluxe edition, which contains both the comics stories from the regular edition and a selection of short stories.
15) The Fortifier by D. K. Landtroop
This is another apocalyptic LitRPG where the protagonist randomly gets powers that make him stronger than anyone else around for no real reason. The only thing that makes this one stand out is that it's the only one in the genre I've read where the protagonist actually seems traumatized by the apocalypse. That said, it was still fairly mediocre.
14yoyogod
16) Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by Tara A. Devlin
This is pretty much exactly what the title says it is. It's fairly interesting.
17) Goblin Apocalypse by Sean Hall
This book is a bit odd. It's an apocalyptic LitRPG, but instead of being set on Earth, it's set on a world inhabited by all the standard standard fantasy races, though for some reason halflings don't seem to be the standard non-copyrighted Hobbits. In this world, the apocalypse is caused by humanity, who apparently go around destroying civilization on alien worlds and then infecting them with nanomachines that make the world operate like an RPG, all so the ultra-wealthy can bet on the battles between survivors. As is usual in the genre, the protagonist quickly becomes the strongest ever, though in this book it feels completely unearned and makes no real sense. In fact, most of this book makes no real sense.
18) The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus by Harry Harrison
Back in the 90s, The Stainless Steel Rat was one of my favorite sci-fi series. This is the last volume in the series that I hadn't read. Since the 2022 r/Fantasy bingo had a square for Family Matters, and this book is all about master criminal 'Slippery' Jim DiGriz and his equally larcenous family, I decided it was time to stop putting off reading it. In this one, Jim is tricked into investigating a series of bank robberies by a guy who claims to be the richest man in the universe. The clues seem to point to a circus strong man, but when Jim starts digging, things go haywire, and it takes the combined efforts of him, his wife, and their two sons to sort it all out. It wasn't the best book in the series, but it wasn't the worst either, and I enjoyed it.
19) The Great White Space by Basil Copper
This is a bit of cosmic horror that was written in the 70s, but reads very much like it was written 30 or 40 years earlier. It's also pretty derivative, with the general premise being what if Professor Challenger lead the expedition in At the The Mountains of Madness, but with different names. It's not bad, but it doesn't do anything really new or interesting.
This is pretty much exactly what the title says it is. It's fairly interesting.
17) Goblin Apocalypse by Sean Hall
This book is a bit odd. It's an apocalyptic LitRPG, but instead of being set on Earth, it's set on a world inhabited by all the standard standard fantasy races, though for some reason halflings don't seem to be the standard non-copyrighted Hobbits. In this world, the apocalypse is caused by humanity, who apparently go around destroying civilization on alien worlds and then infecting them with nanomachines that make the world operate like an RPG, all so the ultra-wealthy can bet on the battles between survivors. As is usual in the genre, the protagonist quickly becomes the strongest ever, though in this book it feels completely unearned and makes no real sense. In fact, most of this book makes no real sense.
18) The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus by Harry Harrison
Back in the 90s, The Stainless Steel Rat was one of my favorite sci-fi series. This is the last volume in the series that I hadn't read. Since the 2022 r/Fantasy bingo had a square for Family Matters, and this book is all about master criminal 'Slippery' Jim DiGriz and his equally larcenous family, I decided it was time to stop putting off reading it. In this one, Jim is tricked into investigating a series of bank robberies by a guy who claims to be the richest man in the universe. The clues seem to point to a circus strong man, but when Jim starts digging, things go haywire, and it takes the combined efforts of him, his wife, and their two sons to sort it all out. It wasn't the best book in the series, but it wasn't the worst either, and I enjoyed it.
19) The Great White Space by Basil Copper
This is a bit of cosmic horror that was written in the 70s, but reads very much like it was written 30 or 40 years earlier. It's also pretty derivative, with the general premise being what if Professor Challenger lead the expedition in At the The Mountains of Madness, but with different names. It's not bad, but it doesn't do anything really new or interesting.
15yoyogod
20) Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends: Volume Two by Tara A. Devlin
I didn't think the second volume was quite as good as the first, mostly because there were way too many legends that were Japanese variations of American urban legends like the one where the babysitter is told that "the calls are coming from inside the house."
21) Easter Core by Jonathan Brooks
This is the third volume of the Dungeon Core series about a dungeon that models its levels after holidays. It's entertaining enough.
22) Don't Go to Wheelchair Camp by David Irons
This is the final book I needed to complete my r/fantasy 2022 bingo card. There was a square for books that were award finalists that didn't win, and this was nominated for the 2022 Splatterpunk Award for best novel, but lost to The Night Stockers. It's essentially an 80s era slasher movie in novel form that features a group of wheelchair-bound teenagers and their camp counselors being picked off by a murderer. It's mostly good, except for the scene where the killer somehow rigs two cars to explode despite not seemingly having any access to explosives or knowledge of demolitions .
23) Shadowcroft Academy for Dungeons: Year Three by James A. Hunter and Aaron Michael Ritchey
This is the third volume of a dungeon core/magical school series, and it features an evil dungeon-destroying luchador who can only be stopped by the team of pluck students who serve as the protagonists.
I didn't think the second volume was quite as good as the first, mostly because there were way too many legends that were Japanese variations of American urban legends like the one where the babysitter is told that "the calls are coming from inside the house."
21) Easter Core by Jonathan Brooks
This is the third volume of the Dungeon Core series about a dungeon that models its levels after holidays. It's entertaining enough.
22) Don't Go to Wheelchair Camp by David Irons
This is the final book I needed to complete my r/fantasy 2022 bingo card. There was a square for books that were award finalists that didn't win, and this was nominated for the 2022 Splatterpunk Award for best novel, but lost to The Night Stockers. It's essentially an 80s era slasher movie in novel form that features a group of wheelchair-bound teenagers and their camp counselors being picked off by a murderer. It's mostly good, except for the scene where
23) Shadowcroft Academy for Dungeons: Year Three by James A. Hunter and Aaron Michael Ritchey
This is the third volume of a dungeon core/magical school series, and it features an evil dungeon-destroying luchador who can only be stopped by the team of pluck students who serve as the protagonists.
16yoyogod
24) Reincarnated as a Sword: vol. 11 by Yuu tanaka
In the latest volume of the series, the catgirl Fran and her magic sword, Teacher, fight against an marquis who is possessed by an evil sword. It's pretty good.
In the latest volume of the series, the catgirl Fran and her magic sword, Teacher, fight against an marquis who is possessed by an evil sword. It's pretty good.
17yoyogod
Once again, Ive been forgetting to update this list, and have a bunch to add:
25) Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends: Volume Three by Tara A. Devlin
This is the final (and least interesting) volume of Japanese urban legends. This book has too many stories that are just variations on American urban legends, and even the legends that are original to Japan are less interesting than the ones in volumes 1 & 2.
26) The Transcendent Green by Mati Ocha
This is a Scottish apocalyptic LitRPG that starts a new series. It's pretty good.
27) The Dungeon that Walks Like a Man by Alex Raizman
This is a dungeon core novel set in the same universe as Raizman's other series Dinosaur Dungeon,Factory of the Gods, and The Dragon's Scion. It's about a mutant dungeon core called a yaga core that makes a mobile dungeon that looks like Baba Yaga's house (that is a house with chicken legs). The core has to look for a witch to bond with so it doesn't explode, and then the pair go out hunting demons. It's a fun story.
28) Sovereign Soul by James T. Callum & K.H. Sohmer
This is a LitRPG/cultivation fantasy set in the same shared universe as Callums' other series. It's about a Magus, a type of Earth wizard who can travel to other worlds with different magic systems to get stronger. The book is mostly about institutional racism in a world where the forces of light defeated the forces of darkness and are now treating the "evil" races (goblins, orcs, etc.) as lesser beings. It's good.
29) House Wolf by Tom Elliot
This is the latest volume in another LitRPG series I enjoy, despite being annoyed that in a series in which wolves play a prominent part, the author couldn't be bothered to so much as read the Wikipedia article on the subject of how wolf packs work. Also, he seems not to know that ice floats.
30) Apocalypse Assassin by J.J. Thorn
This is the first volume in a new post-apocalyptic LitRPG series. It's about a teen girl who, along with a bunch of other orphans, was kidnapped shortly after the apocalypse and essentially tortured for years in an effort to give her superpowers by some sort of black ops program. Now, she's the only survivor, and she has a system quest to kill the 100 people responsible for the program. It's surprisingly good, and a bit less dark than it sounds.
25) Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends: Volume Three by Tara A. Devlin
This is the final (and least interesting) volume of Japanese urban legends. This book has too many stories that are just variations on American urban legends, and even the legends that are original to Japan are less interesting than the ones in volumes 1 & 2.
26) The Transcendent Green by Mati Ocha
This is a Scottish apocalyptic LitRPG that starts a new series. It's pretty good.
27) The Dungeon that Walks Like a Man by Alex Raizman
This is a dungeon core novel set in the same universe as Raizman's other series Dinosaur Dungeon,Factory of the Gods, and The Dragon's Scion. It's about a mutant dungeon core called a yaga core that makes a mobile dungeon that looks like Baba Yaga's house (that is a house with chicken legs). The core has to look for a witch to bond with so it doesn't explode, and then the pair go out hunting demons. It's a fun story.
28) Sovereign Soul by James T. Callum & K.H. Sohmer
This is a LitRPG/cultivation fantasy set in the same shared universe as Callums' other series. It's about a Magus, a type of Earth wizard who can travel to other worlds with different magic systems to get stronger. The book is mostly about institutional racism in a world where the forces of light defeated the forces of darkness and are now treating the "evil" races (goblins, orcs, etc.) as lesser beings. It's good.
29) House Wolf by Tom Elliot
This is the latest volume in another LitRPG series I enjoy, despite being annoyed that in a series in which wolves play a prominent part, the author couldn't be bothered to so much as read the Wikipedia article on the subject of how wolf packs work. Also, he seems not to know that ice floats.
30) Apocalypse Assassin by J.J. Thorn
This is the first volume in a new post-apocalyptic LitRPG series. It's about a teen girl who, along with a bunch of other orphans, was kidnapped shortly after the apocalypse and essentially tortured for years in an effort to give her superpowers by some sort of black ops program. Now, she's the only survivor, and she has a system quest to kill the 100 people responsible for the program. It's surprisingly good, and a bit less dark than it sounds.
18yoyogod
31) By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 11 by Roy
With the anime adaptation starting a second season, I decided to try and get back into this series after a year's break. I found this volume a bit dull with nothing very interesting happening.
32) The Primal Hunter 5 by Zogarth
This volume of The Primal Hunter sees Jake and the rest of Earth's elite taking part in a treasure hunt. It was decent enough.
33) Grand Sumo Villainess: Volume 1 by Kawausoutan
This is an isekai romance novel, which isn't my usual thing, but since it was also about sumo, I couldn't resist. It's about a young woman who is reincarnated as a character in an otome (i.e. romance) game with a medieval fantasy setting. She gets framed for a crime she didn't commit as part of an attempted coup by the game's supposed hero. Luckily, she remembers that she was an amateur sumo wrestler in her previous life, and sets out to save the kingdom using the power of sumo. It's incredibly silly, and I loved it. The only thing I didn't much care for was the frankly creepy way she (18) was lusting after the young prince (12).
With the anime adaptation starting a second season, I decided to try and get back into this series after a year's break. I found this volume a bit dull with nothing very interesting happening.
32) The Primal Hunter 5 by Zogarth
This volume of The Primal Hunter sees Jake and the rest of Earth's elite taking part in a treasure hunt. It was decent enough.
33) Grand Sumo Villainess: Volume 1 by Kawausoutan
This is an isekai romance novel, which isn't my usual thing, but since it was also about sumo, I couldn't resist. It's about a young woman who is reincarnated as a character in an otome (i.e. romance) game with a medieval fantasy setting. She gets framed for a crime she didn't commit as part of an attempted coup by the game's supposed hero. Luckily, she remembers that she was an amateur sumo wrestler in her previous life, and sets out to save the kingdom using the power of sumo. It's incredibly silly, and I loved it. The only thing I didn't much care for was the frankly creepy way she (18) was lusting after the young prince (12).
19yoyogod
34) Levelong Up The World: book one by L. Eclaire
This is a YA litRPG about a college student who gets isekai-ed to a world where select individuals have the power to enter the inner worlds of objects and battle against guardians there to improve said object. It's okay.
35) Deepwater Dungeon by Ryan Rimmel & Boe Hagen
In this LitRPG, through a series of coincidences, a crab gains sapience, gets an rpg class, and becomes trapped in a dungeon that's being taken over by eldritch forces. It's fun enough.
36) Path of Stars by David North
I just spent a "fun" 15 minutes cleaning up this work since some halfwit thought it would be a good idea to combine every book by this author into a single work. Other than that, I think it's okay, but probably the weakest book in Guardian of Aster Fall.
37) The Black Rose of Helvetia by Gary Spechko
This is the most recent volume of The Hero of the Valley, which features a LitRPG hero who somehow never really seems to struggle to beat any foe.
This is a YA litRPG about a college student who gets isekai-ed to a world where select individuals have the power to enter the inner worlds of objects and battle against guardians there to improve said object. It's okay.
35) Deepwater Dungeon by Ryan Rimmel & Boe Hagen
In this LitRPG, through a series of coincidences, a crab gains sapience, gets an rpg class, and becomes trapped in a dungeon that's being taken over by eldritch forces. It's fun enough.
36) Path of Stars by David North
I just spent a "fun" 15 minutes cleaning up this work since some halfwit thought it would be a good idea to combine every book by this author into a single work. Other than that, I think it's okay, but probably the weakest book in Guardian of Aster Fall.
37) The Black Rose of Helvetia by Gary Spechko
This is the most recent volume of The Hero of the Valley, which features a LitRPG hero who somehow never really seems to struggle to beat any foe.
20yoyogod
38) Bloodstorm by Patrick Laplante
this is the 17th book in the Painting the Mists cultivation fantasy series. This brings to a close the current story arc in which the MC, and various friends and enemies, are taking part in a contest on another plane of existence. While it wasn't bad, I didn't much care for this story arc and am glad to see it end.
39) Leveling Up the World 2 by L. Eclair
In this volume of an isekai LitRPG series, the MC goes from the small village he started in to the big city. There he mostly succeeds because everyone else seems kind of stupid.
40) That Time I Got Turned into an Amoeba by Simon Archer
This is the first volume of a new LitRPG series by a very prolific author who I've never read before because most of his other books seem to be creepy harem stuff. This one is about a guy who gets isekaied into what is essentially the 2008 video game Spore. It's okay, but it would be a lot better if the protagonist wasn't so obnoxious.
41) Operation: North Pole by William Meikle
This is the 16th S-Squad novel. This time the squad is sent to the Arctic to rescue a British science expedition that's gone unexpectedly radio silent. As it turns out, this is because they have been attacked by remote controlled, genetically modified polar bears that are weapons being developed by a Russian black ops group. Despite the silly sounding premise, this was actually pretty good.
42) The Captain by Will Wright
This is the first novel in a new series by the author of the extremely popular cultivation series Cradle. This one is a space fantasy featuring an archmage who undergoes an experiment to gain the powers of seven archmages by gaining the powers of six alternate possible versions of himself. Things go wrong, and he gains the powers of five alternate versions along with their memories including the memories of five deaths and five galactic apocalypses. So he sets out to save the galaxy from multiple threats by finding a lost, mythical space ship and putting together a crew of six extraordinary individuals. It's really good.
43) Reikan: The Most Haunted Locations in Japan: Volume One by Tara A. Devlin
This is pretty much exactly what the title says it is.
44) The Black Maybe by Attila Veres
This is an excellent collection of horror short stories by Hungarian author Attila Veres, who wrote my favorite story from The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories: Volume 1, which is included in the collection. It's mostly a mix of cosmic horror and folk horror. I think it's the best horror collection I've read in quite a while.
this is the 17th book in the Painting the Mists cultivation fantasy series. This brings to a close the current story arc in which the MC, and various friends and enemies, are taking part in a contest on another plane of existence. While it wasn't bad, I didn't much care for this story arc and am glad to see it end.
39) Leveling Up the World 2 by L. Eclair
In this volume of an isekai LitRPG series, the MC goes from the small village he started in to the big city. There he mostly succeeds because everyone else seems kind of stupid.
40) That Time I Got Turned into an Amoeba by Simon Archer
This is the first volume of a new LitRPG series by a very prolific author who I've never read before because most of his other books seem to be creepy harem stuff. This one is about a guy who gets isekaied into what is essentially the 2008 video game Spore. It's okay, but it would be a lot better if the protagonist wasn't so obnoxious.
41) Operation: North Pole by William Meikle
This is the 16th S-Squad novel. This time the squad is sent to the Arctic to rescue a British science expedition that's gone unexpectedly radio silent. As it turns out, this is because they have been attacked by remote controlled, genetically modified polar bears that are weapons being developed by a Russian black ops group. Despite the silly sounding premise, this was actually pretty good.
42) The Captain by Will Wright
This is the first novel in a new series by the author of the extremely popular cultivation series Cradle. This one is a space fantasy featuring an archmage who undergoes an experiment to gain the powers of seven archmages by gaining the powers of six alternate possible versions of himself. Things go wrong, and he gains the powers of five alternate versions along with their memories including the memories of five deaths and five galactic apocalypses. So he sets out to save the galaxy from multiple threats by finding a lost, mythical space ship and putting together a crew of six extraordinary individuals. It's really good.
43) Reikan: The Most Haunted Locations in Japan: Volume One by Tara A. Devlin
This is pretty much exactly what the title says it is.
44) The Black Maybe by Attila Veres
This is an excellent collection of horror short stories by Hungarian author Attila Veres, who wrote my favorite story from The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories: Volume 1, which is included in the collection. It's mostly a mix of cosmic horror and folk horror. I think it's the best horror collection I've read in quite a while.
21yoyogod
45) A Riddle in Bronze by Simon Haynes
One of the squares in r/Fantasy's 2023 Bingo is "Robots," so I decided to see if there were any books in Haynes' Hal Spacejock series that I hadn't read as it's one of my favorite series involving robots. There wasn't one, but I did notice this other series, the first book of which works for the "Mundane Jobs" square, as the main character is a book keeper. Mind you, he's the book keeper to a Victorian era professor and his daughter who work as ghost busters, and he helps out in busting ghosts. It's a funny and fun gaslamp fantasy sort of book.
46) Norby Down to Earth by Janet and Isaac Asimov
The next place my mind went when thinking of robot books was Asimov, and I remembered the YA (or possibly midgrade) series he co-wrote with his wife about Norby, the Mixed-Up Robot. I had read the first six books back in elementary school, but I knew there were more, so I checked to see if they were available cheaply, and saw that the series is on Kindle Unlimited. This is the 7th book in the series, and it's not as good as I remembered, but it is okay. It's more or less what you'd expect from an 80's kiddie sci-fi series written by Asimov.
47) The Rules of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps
This is my favorite book I've read for 2023 bingo so far. This is for the "Superheroes" square. It's about a gut who gets ahold of a magic cloak that used to belong to his city's greatest superhero, but he decides to be a villain instead. Frankly, he's not very good at it in a rather comedic way, but somehow manages to keep accidentally killing other villains. It's great fun.
One of the squares in r/Fantasy's 2023 Bingo is "Robots," so I decided to see if there were any books in Haynes' Hal Spacejock series that I hadn't read as it's one of my favorite series involving robots. There wasn't one, but I did notice this other series, the first book of which works for the "Mundane Jobs" square, as the main character is a book keeper. Mind you, he's the book keeper to a Victorian era professor and his daughter who work as ghost busters, and he helps out in busting ghosts. It's a funny and fun gaslamp fantasy sort of book.
46) Norby Down to Earth by Janet and Isaac Asimov
The next place my mind went when thinking of robot books was Asimov, and I remembered the YA (or possibly midgrade) series he co-wrote with his wife about Norby, the Mixed-Up Robot. I had read the first six books back in elementary school, but I knew there were more, so I checked to see if they were available cheaply, and saw that the series is on Kindle Unlimited. This is the 7th book in the series, and it's not as good as I remembered, but it is okay. It's more or less what you'd expect from an 80's kiddie sci-fi series written by Asimov.
47) The Rules of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps
This is my favorite book I've read for 2023 bingo so far. This is for the "Superheroes" square. It's about a gut who gets ahold of a magic cloak that used to belong to his city's greatest superhero, but he decides to be a villain instead. Frankly, he's not very good at it in a rather comedic way, but somehow manages to keep accidentally killing other villains. It's great fun.
22yoyogod
48) Alien: Enemy of My Enemy by Mary SanGiovanni
This is a novel set in the world of the Alien franchise that's written by one of my favorite horror writers. This one starts off on a moon with a rapidly decaying orbit that's home to two research stations, one of which is run by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, who are messing around with Xenomorphs. Naturally, one escapes and pretty soon almost everybody on the moon is either dead or hosting a Chestbuster. It's a really good story, though it does tend a bit more towards sci-fi/action than sci-fi/horror.
This is a novel set in the world of the Alien franchise that's written by one of my favorite horror writers. This one starts off on a moon with a rapidly decaying orbit that's home to two research stations, one of which is run by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, who are messing around with Xenomorphs. Naturally, one escapes and pretty soon almost everybody on the moon is either dead or hosting a Chestbuster. It's a really good story, though it does tend a bit more towards sci-fi/action than sci-fi/horror.
23yoyogod
49) Sesqua Valley and Other Haunts by W. H. Pugmire
This is an excellent collection of short stories (and some poems) from one of the great writers of Lovecraftian fiction. Most of the stories are set in Sesqua Valley, which was Pugmire's Pacific Northwest equivalent to Lovecraft's fiction New England towns. The stories are weird, disturbing, and lyrical. It's a great book.
This is an excellent collection of short stories (and some poems) from one of the great writers of Lovecraftian fiction. Most of the stories are set in Sesqua Valley, which was Pugmire's Pacific Northwest equivalent to Lovecraft's fiction New England towns. The stories are weird, disturbing, and lyrical. It's a great book.
24yoyogod
50) Boots: A Puss in Boots Retelling by Julian Greystoke
One of my goals with r/Fantasy's 2023 book bingo is to get it done as quickly and cheaply as possible. This means mostly either reading books already on my massive TBR pile or that I can get from Kindle Unlimited. Since one square is Retellings, and I don't own any unread retellings, I went to KU and put retelling into the search bar. There I found hundreds of results, most of which seem to be romance retellings of fairy tails. I think I went through at least six pages before I found something that wasn't a romance and didn't look like garbage. That books was Boots.
This is a retelling of the fairy tale "Puss in Boots," which is about a miller's third son who inherits only an old horse and a cat after his father's death, so he sets out to find his fortune, which involves getting the cat to kill a shapeshifting ogre so he can steal its castle. In this version the miller's son is cursed with bad luck and hopes the ogre can remove his curse as it has stolen all other magic from the kingdom, the cat doesn't wear boots and cannot talk, and the princess is a warrior who seems to be asexual and has no intention to marry anyone. It all makes for an entertaining enough adventure story.
51) The Demon in the Glass by Matt Wildasin
This is a cosmic horror novella by a local author. It's about an old man who starts to keep a journal after he has a weird and very disturbing dream about an otherworldly entity that he somehow knows is real. It's a really creepy story that's only marred by the poor editing.
One of my goals with r/Fantasy's 2023 book bingo is to get it done as quickly and cheaply as possible. This means mostly either reading books already on my massive TBR pile or that I can get from Kindle Unlimited. Since one square is Retellings, and I don't own any unread retellings, I went to KU and put retelling into the search bar. There I found hundreds of results, most of which seem to be romance retellings of fairy tails. I think I went through at least six pages before I found something that wasn't a romance and didn't look like garbage. That books was Boots.
This is a retelling of the fairy tale "Puss in Boots," which is about a miller's third son who inherits only an old horse and a cat after his father's death, so he sets out to find his fortune, which involves getting the cat to kill a shapeshifting ogre so he can steal its castle. In this version the miller's son is cursed with bad luck and hopes the ogre can remove his curse as it has stolen all other magic from the kingdom, the cat doesn't wear boots and cannot talk, and the princess is a warrior who seems to be asexual and has no intention to marry anyone. It all makes for an entertaining enough adventure story.
51) The Demon in the Glass by Matt Wildasin
This is a cosmic horror novella by a local author. It's about an old man who starts to keep a journal after he has a weird and very disturbing dream about an otherworldly entity that he somehow knows is real. It's a really creepy story that's only marred by the poor editing.
25yoyogod
52) Defiance of the Fall 9 by TheFirstDefier
The ninth volume of this series sees Zac, the main character, finish off the contest he was in and then get kidnapped by a giant space fish. It's okay, though I do wish authors of popular-ish series like this would shell out for a decent editor who could have told him not to keep using the word "gristly" when he clearly means "grisly."
53) Repairman Jack: A Mysterious Profile by F. Paul Wilson
This is a really short book that serves as a profile of Repairman Jack with info on how he was created.
54) Of Slicing Men by Eric Ugland
This is volume 14 of the LitRPG series The Good Guys. In this one Montanna, Duke of Cogglehall, is forced to fight off an invading army. It's an okay-ish book that's badly marred by the complete lack of editing that lead to multiple sentences literally being indecipherable gibberish.
The ninth volume of this series sees Zac, the main character, finish off the contest he was in and then get kidnapped by a giant space fish. It's okay, though I do wish authors of popular-ish series like this would shell out for a decent editor who could have told him not to keep using the word "gristly" when he clearly means "grisly."
53) Repairman Jack: A Mysterious Profile by F. Paul Wilson
This is a really short book that serves as a profile of Repairman Jack with info on how he was created.
54) Of Slicing Men by Eric Ugland
This is volume 14 of the LitRPG series The Good Guys. In this one Montanna, Duke of Cogglehall, is forced to fight off an invading army. It's an okay-ish book that's badly marred by the complete lack of editing that lead to multiple sentences literally being indecipherable gibberish.
26yoyogod
55) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
I bought this for the Kindle years ago and never got around to reading it until r/Fantasy put YA fiction on their bingo card this year. This is a gritty, dystopian scifi novel that manages to be grimmer than The Hunger Games or Battle Royale. It's all about a boy who has to run away from home on his colony planet because the men of his village are a bunch of evil religious loonies. Overall, it was good, though a bit dark for my tastes, but I did have two quibbles with the plot: 1: A major plot point is that the boy and his companions are being chased by a deranged preacher who is nearly as unkillable as the villain from a slasher movie. It turns out that the preacher's whole motive is that he wants the boy to kill him so he'll be a murderer as that's part of the town's warped manhood ceremony. This completely ignores the fact that killing someone who's been chasing you across half a planet and trying to kill you and your friends is hardly murder, and even worse, it completely ignores the fact that by that point in the story the boy had already murdered one of the planet's native inhabitants (in cold blood no less). 2: The dog dies.
56) The Haunted Bookstore, Gateway to a Parallel Universe: Vol. 1 by Shinobumaru
This is a light novel about a young woman who was adopted by a yokai and grew up in the spirit world where she works in her father's bookstore. One day she finds an injured teen boy on the streets of spirit world and brings him home with her to heal up. It turns out that he's an exorcist who's there to search for his missing demon partner. This is a cute, light hearted series of adventures that I really enjoyed.
I bought this for the Kindle years ago and never got around to reading it until r/Fantasy put YA fiction on their bingo card this year. This is a gritty, dystopian scifi novel that manages to be grimmer than The Hunger Games or Battle Royale. It's all about a boy who has to run away from home on his colony planet because the men of his village are a bunch of evil religious loonies. Overall, it was good, though a bit dark for my tastes, but I did have two quibbles with the plot:
56) The Haunted Bookstore, Gateway to a Parallel Universe: Vol. 1 by Shinobumaru
This is a light novel about a young woman who was adopted by a yokai and grew up in the spirit world where she works in her father's bookstore. One day she finds an injured teen boy on the streets of spirit world and brings him home with her to heal up. It turns out that he's an exorcist who's there to search for his missing demon partner. This is a cute, light hearted series of adventures that I really enjoyed.
27yoyogod
57) Incursion City by Ryan Rimmel & Boe Hagen
This is the 2nd volume of a LitRPG series about a sapient crab. It's reasonably fun, though it's one of those LitRPG series that uses pop culture references as "humor," which I always find kind of annoying.
58) Back on the Bike Path by Mike Sirota
This was a surprise. Back when I was in high school, one of my favorite series was a trilogy about a guy named Jack who was given a magical bicycle by an alien that allowed him to ride on the mhuva lun gallee, the ultimate bike path, which can take you to other worlds, times, and dimensions. Each volume was about Jack having a series of silly encounters with weird beings and people. It was only by pure happenstance that I discovered that the author wrote a 4th volume 27 years later that's set 27 years after the last volume ended. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though it got a bit more political than I remember the previous volumes being.
59) The Golem and the Jinni by Helen Wecker
This is a book that I got on the Kindle long ago and for some reason never read, despite it being a generally highly praised historical fantasy novel. I finally read it for this year's r/Fantasy book bingo, and I loved it. It's a slice of life story about a golem and a jinni trying to find their place in the human world of New York in 1899.
60) A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life: Volume 6 by Yuu Tanaka
This is the latest volume in a really cute series about a guy playing a VR RPG as a monster tamer who just keeps catching really cute monsters and making cool discoveries.
This is the 2nd volume of a LitRPG series about a sapient crab. It's reasonably fun, though it's one of those LitRPG series that uses pop culture references as "humor," which I always find kind of annoying.
58) Back on the Bike Path by Mike Sirota
This was a surprise. Back when I was in high school, one of my favorite series was a trilogy about a guy named Jack who was given a magical bicycle by an alien that allowed him to ride on the mhuva lun gallee, the ultimate bike path, which can take you to other worlds, times, and dimensions. Each volume was about Jack having a series of silly encounters with weird beings and people. It was only by pure happenstance that I discovered that the author wrote a 4th volume 27 years later that's set 27 years after the last volume ended. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though it got a bit more political than I remember the previous volumes being.
59) The Golem and the Jinni by Helen Wecker
This is a book that I got on the Kindle long ago and for some reason never read, despite it being a generally highly praised historical fantasy novel. I finally read it for this year's r/Fantasy book bingo, and I loved it. It's a slice of life story about a golem and a jinni trying to find their place in the human world of New York in 1899.
60) A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life: Volume 6 by Yuu Tanaka
This is the latest volume in a really cute series about a guy playing a VR RPG as a monster tamer who just keeps catching really cute monsters and making cool discoveries.
28yoyogod
61) War Core, Book 4: The Guardian by Dean Henegar
This is the final volume of the War Core series, which has a bit of an easter egg reference to the author's other series Derelict. It's a nice ending to the series.
52) Spell Thief by J Pal
This is the first volume in an alternate universe historical tower climbing progression fantasy. In the middle of the 19th Century, a tower known as Gaia's Ark was discovered in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It was soon discovered that by climbing the tower's floors and killing its monsters, people could get cards that grant magical powers. Fifty years later, the great powers have built an artificial island around the tower, and the wealthy and powerful are sponsoring teams to try to climb to the top. This book follows a young Indian man called Diya, who is forced to form his own team after being betrayed by the noble family that had sponsored him. It's pretty good, though I do wish some editor had pointed out that the author clearly meant "hostiles" and not "hostels" when talking about enemies.
This is the final volume of the War Core series, which has a bit of an easter egg reference to the author's other series Derelict. It's a nice ending to the series.
52) Spell Thief by J Pal
This is the first volume in an alternate universe historical tower climbing progression fantasy. In the middle of the 19th Century, a tower known as Gaia's Ark was discovered in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It was soon discovered that by climbing the tower's floors and killing its monsters, people could get cards that grant magical powers. Fifty years later, the great powers have built an artificial island around the tower, and the wealthy and powerful are sponsoring teams to try to climb to the top. This book follows a young Indian man called Diya, who is forced to form his own team after being betrayed by the noble family that had sponsored him. It's pretty good, though I do wish some editor had pointed out that the author clearly meant "hostiles" and not "hostels" when talking about enemies.
29yoyogod
53) The Hedge Wizard 3 by Alex Maher
In this volume, the wizard and his friends help defend a city from evil warlocks. It's pretty good.
54) The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells by John Bierce
This is the final volume of the Mage Errant series.It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was still good.
55) The Houndsman 4 by J Pal
This is the final volume of The Houndsman. It sees the protagonist learning to use his inherited Druidic powers and ties up all the loose ends from the previous volumes. I view it as just okay. It did a good job of ending the series, but there really didn't seem to be much actual story of its own there. The only thing of any real interest is that I didn't realize until I finished this volume that the book Spell Thief by the same author that I read a few weeks ago is set in the same universe.
56) The Flock by James Robert Smith
This is an early 2000s eco-thriller in which it turns out that a flock of Titanis walleri aka Terror Birds, which are a prehistoric species of large predatory flightless birds, have survived in the wilds of an abandoned Florida military base undisturbed by humans, until now. Now the old base is up for sale and it's a three-way fight between a billionaire environmentalist, a thinly veiled stand in for Disney who have started to build a planned community on the edge of the property, and a racist right wing militia leader. Normally, with a setup like that, you'd expect it to be about killer dino-birds going on a rampage, but instead it's about the environmentalists trying to save the birds while the evil corporation and right wing loonies try to wipe them out. It's not bad, but I think I would have preferred the birds on a rampage story I was expecting.
In this volume, the wizard and his friends help defend a city from evil warlocks. It's pretty good.
54) The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells by John Bierce
This is the final volume of the Mage Errant series.It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was still good.
55) The Houndsman 4 by J Pal
This is the final volume of The Houndsman. It sees the protagonist learning to use his inherited Druidic powers and ties up all the loose ends from the previous volumes. I view it as just okay. It did a good job of ending the series, but there really didn't seem to be much actual story of its own there. The only thing of any real interest is that I didn't realize until I finished this volume that the book Spell Thief by the same author that I read a few weeks ago is set in the same universe.
56) The Flock by James Robert Smith
This is an early 2000s eco-thriller in which it turns out that a flock of Titanis walleri aka Terror Birds, which are a prehistoric species of large predatory flightless birds, have survived in the wilds of an abandoned Florida military base undisturbed by humans, until now. Now the old base is up for sale and it's a three-way fight between a billionaire environmentalist, a thinly veiled stand in for Disney who have started to build a planned community on the edge of the property, and a racist right wing militia leader. Normally, with a setup like that, you'd expect it to be about killer dino-birds going on a rampage, but instead it's about the environmentalists trying to save the birds while the evil corporation and right wing loonies try to wipe them out. It's not bad, but I think I would have preferred the birds on a rampage story I was expecting.
30yoyogod
57) Reincarnated as a Sword, vol. 12 by Yuu Tanaka
This brings to a close the story line from the previous volume, about people getting possessed by an evil sword and going on rampages. It's pretty decent, and I eagerly await volume 13.
58) Waybound by Will Wright
With this volume, the cultivation fantasy series Cradle reaches its conclusion. It was a good ending to the series.
59) Shattersoul by Kyle Kirrin
This is the 4th volume of the LitRPG series The Ripple System.
This brings to a close the story line from the previous volume, about people getting possessed by an evil sword and going on rampages. It's pretty decent, and I eagerly await volume 13.
58) Waybound by Will Wright
With this volume, the cultivation fantasy series Cradle reaches its conclusion. It was a good ending to the series.
59) Shattersoul by Kyle Kirrin
This is the 4th volume of the LitRPG series The Ripple System.
31yoyogod
Wow, not only has it been a while since I last updated, but I just realized that when I reached book 62, I somehow subtracted 10 from my total books read and am actually at 75 with this batch:
70) Leveling Up the World 3 by L. Eclaire
This is mostly about the mc's friends from book 1 visiting him in his new home. Plus lots of leveling up.
71) The Primal Hunter 6 by Zogarth
This volume marks the star of the school arc, where the mc goes to a special alchemy school.
72) By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 12 by Roy
This brings an end to the long ongoing story arc about bad guys causing trouble in the mc's home city.
73) Chrysalis 4: Between a Rock and a Carapace by RinoZ
This book is mostly a tournament arc, where the mc is kidnapped by an evil cult and forced to fight for his life.
74-76) STEWdio: The Naphic Grovel ARTrilogy of Chuck D by Chuck D
This was a book that I got through ER. It's essentially a collection of three illustrated journals by rapper Chuck D that are set in 2020 and 2021. The first volume is all about the start of covid and some beef he had with Flavor Flav that I never could quite get a handle on. The second volume is all about the 2020 presidential election. The third volume is about stuff that was happening a few month into the Biden presidency. The art is okay. Chuck D is a rapper, not a professional artist, and I'd rank his drawing ability at talented amateur level. As far as the writing goes, the first two books were pretty good, as covid and the 2020 election were interesting bits of history, but volume 3 was kind of just a boring mishmash or random stuff. Overall, I'd say this is mostly going to be of interest to fans of Chuck D and hip hop in general.
77) Everything by Dakota Krout
This is the third and final volume of the Full Murderhobo series. It was decent enough, though I really didn't care for the ending.
70) Leveling Up the World 3 by L. Eclaire
This is mostly about the mc's friends from book 1 visiting him in his new home. Plus lots of leveling up.
71) The Primal Hunter 6 by Zogarth
This volume marks the star of the school arc, where the mc goes to a special alchemy school.
72) By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 12 by Roy
This brings an end to the long ongoing story arc about bad guys causing trouble in the mc's home city.
73) Chrysalis 4: Between a Rock and a Carapace by RinoZ
This book is mostly a tournament arc, where the mc is kidnapped by an evil cult and forced to fight for his life.
74-76) STEWdio: The Naphic Grovel ARTrilogy of Chuck D by Chuck D
This was a book that I got through ER. It's essentially a collection of three illustrated journals by rapper Chuck D that are set in 2020 and 2021. The first volume is all about the start of covid and some beef he had with Flavor Flav that I never could quite get a handle on. The second volume is all about the 2020 presidential election. The third volume is about stuff that was happening a few month into the Biden presidency. The art is okay. Chuck D is a rapper, not a professional artist, and I'd rank his drawing ability at talented amateur level. As far as the writing goes, the first two books were pretty good, as covid and the 2020 election were interesting bits of history, but volume 3 was kind of just a boring mishmash or random stuff. Overall, I'd say this is mostly going to be of interest to fans of Chuck D and hip hop in general.
77) Everything by Dakota Krout
This is the third and final volume of the Full Murderhobo series. It was decent enough, though I really didn't care for the ending.
32PlatinumWarlock
>31 yoyogod: Congratulations on 75!
33FAMeulstee
>31 yoyogod: Congratulations on reaching 75, Nathan!
35yoyogod
Thanks everyone.
78) Silver Rank Brewer by James Ghoul
This is the second volume of a LitRPG series about a guy who just wants to brew the best beer in the world. I didn't like it quite as much as the first volume, but I did enjoy it.
79) Grand Sumo Villainess Z by Kawausoutan
This is the follow up to an isekai story about a young woman who is a sumo wrestler in college until she gets reincarnated as the villain in her favorite otome game and has to use the power of sumo to stop the supposed heroes from pulling off a coup. In this book it's two years later and the protagonist and her fiance are in the elvish capital when another coup happens, this time backed up by the Demon Lord and his monstrous army who practice Dark Sumo. Naturally instead of ordinary violence, everything gets solved via a series of sumo matches. It's just as silly as the first volume, and the mc's shotacon tendencies are slightly downplayed since the prince is now 16, which is apparently legal age in the kingdom as the story ends with their wedding.
80) Island of the Super People by Kevin Shamel
One of the squares for the 2023 r/fantasy bingo is "Island or Coastal Setting," and I was having a hard time deciding what to read for it until I remembered this old bizarro novel that's been sitting on my Amazon wish list for over a decade. The book is about a group of anthropologists who visit an island somewhere in the Pacific that's inhabited by two tribes of super people, one heroes and the other villains. They soon discover that the villains aren't so bad, and the real threat is the military, who are on the island performing secret evil experiments. The anthropologists and both tribes of supers have to team up to fight them off. It's a fun book.
81) Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Another one of the r/fantasy bingo squares is "Queernorm setting," so I decided to read the book about the lesbian necromancers in space. It's a good book, though I thought it dragged in spots, especially when the mc and her companion/enemy were being so pointlessly mean to each other that it almost felt like weird flirting.
78) Silver Rank Brewer by James Ghoul
This is the second volume of a LitRPG series about a guy who just wants to brew the best beer in the world. I didn't like it quite as much as the first volume, but I did enjoy it.
79) Grand Sumo Villainess Z by Kawausoutan
This is the follow up to an isekai story about a young woman who is a sumo wrestler in college until she gets reincarnated as the villain in her favorite otome game and has to use the power of sumo to stop the supposed heroes from pulling off a coup. In this book it's two years later and the protagonist and her fiance are in the elvish capital when another coup happens, this time backed up by the Demon Lord and his monstrous army who practice Dark Sumo. Naturally instead of ordinary violence, everything gets solved via a series of sumo matches. It's just as silly as the first volume, and the mc's shotacon tendencies are slightly downplayed since the prince is now 16, which is apparently legal age in the kingdom as the story ends with their wedding.
80) Island of the Super People by Kevin Shamel
One of the squares for the 2023 r/fantasy bingo is "Island or Coastal Setting," and I was having a hard time deciding what to read for it until I remembered this old bizarro novel that's been sitting on my Amazon wish list for over a decade. The book is about a group of anthropologists who visit an island somewhere in the Pacific that's inhabited by two tribes of super people, one heroes and the other villains. They soon discover that the villains aren't so bad, and the real threat is the military, who are on the island performing secret evil experiments. The anthropologists and both tribes of supers have to team up to fight them off. It's a fun book.
81) Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Another one of the r/fantasy bingo squares is "Queernorm setting," so I decided to read the book about the lesbian necromancers in space. It's a good book, though I thought it dragged in spots, especially when the mc and her companion/enemy were being so pointlessly mean to each other that it almost felt like weird flirting.
36yoyogod
82) Wizard's Tower 3 by Gregory Allanther
I;m not sure if this is supposed to be the final volume in the series or not. It wraps up most of the major plot points of the previous volumes, but does so in a really boring way.
83) To Flail Against Infinity by J. P. Valentine
This is the first volume of a neat sci-fi/cultivation fantasy series where the universe is led by powerful cultivators who run the risk of going violently psychotic if they spend to long in space. The main character isn't a cultivator, until he gets killed by one suffering from the psychosis. Then he learns to cultivate the void, which no one else can even sense.
84) All the Skills 2 by Honour Rae
I think I liked this one more than the first as the main character starts to become a bit more self-aware toward the end.
85) Zombies in Saudi Arabia by Andy Ibrahim
This is another book that I read specifically for r/Fantasy's 2023 book bingo, since one of their squares is for SFF set in the Middle East. This is a decent enough book that's a fairly standard zombie novel with the most interesting thing about it being that it features a group of young women trying to survive a zombie apocalypse in modern day Saudi Arabia. It's not bad though it does have some really odd phrasing that makes me suspect that the author's first language isn't English (I'm not 100% sure though since there is zero biographical info available that I can find so I have no clue where the author is from or even if they're a man or a woman). Also, there is some stuff that happens that makes no sense (like a tank full of goldfish being the first zombies we see despite their being no obvious way for them to get infected), which I attribute to this being a self published first novel. Still, it isn't bad and is worth reading for zombie fans.
86) A Summoner Awakens: Origins by Kerberos
This is the first volume of a deck building, tower climbing LitRPG. It's about an old man who dies in the apocalypse but gets a chance to live his life over again. It's pretty good despite the protagonist talking like what is supposed to be an overly formal old man, but in reality sounds like no human being I have ever met.
I;m not sure if this is supposed to be the final volume in the series or not. It wraps up most of the major plot points of the previous volumes, but does so in a really boring way.
83) To Flail Against Infinity by J. P. Valentine
This is the first volume of a neat sci-fi/cultivation fantasy series where the universe is led by powerful cultivators who run the risk of going violently psychotic if they spend to long in space. The main character isn't a cultivator, until he gets killed by one suffering from the psychosis. Then he learns to cultivate the void, which no one else can even sense.
84) All the Skills 2 by Honour Rae
I think I liked this one more than the first as the main character starts to become a bit more self-aware toward the end.
85) Zombies in Saudi Arabia by Andy Ibrahim
This is another book that I read specifically for r/Fantasy's 2023 book bingo, since one of their squares is for SFF set in the Middle East. This is a decent enough book that's a fairly standard zombie novel with the most interesting thing about it being that it features a group of young women trying to survive a zombie apocalypse in modern day Saudi Arabia. It's not bad though it does have some really odd phrasing that makes me suspect that the author's first language isn't English (I'm not 100% sure though since there is zero biographical info available that I can find so I have no clue where the author is from or even if they're a man or a woman). Also, there is some stuff that happens that makes no sense (like a tank full of goldfish being the first zombies we see despite their being no obvious way for them to get infected), which I attribute to this being a self published first novel. Still, it isn't bad and is worth reading for zombie fans.
86) A Summoner Awakens: Origins by Kerberos
This is the first volume of a deck building, tower climbing LitRPG. It's about an old man who dies in the apocalypse but gets a chance to live his life over again. It's pretty good despite the protagonist talking like what is supposed to be an overly formal old man, but in reality sounds like no human being I have ever met.
37yoyogod
87) Wandering Cultivator by Robyn Wideman
This is a cultivation fantasy that I'd rank as okay. I thought it was fun, but it could have stood to be fleshed out a little bit more.
88) On a Throne of Lies by Eric Ugland
So, this is the 10th book in The Bad Guys litRPG series, and it's pretty bad. It seems like it's just a bunch of stuff happening more than being an actual story. On top of that, large portions of the book are just retellings of parts of Flex in the City, a book in The Good Guys which another series by the author, only told from the POV of this series' main character who is watching the events happen, except for one memorable passage where he was listening in on a conversation petween the other book's MC and the villain and Ugland just cut and pasted the dialogue without bothering to edit the dialogue tags, which was really confusing since both series are narrated in the first person.
89) The Fusionist by Jonathan Brooks
This is a progression fantasy with some LitRPG elements. It's about a young, and kind of stupid, lumberjack who wants nothing more than to cut trees and be left alone as he's seven feet tall, and in this magical land, the citizens are prejudiced against tall people. Unfortunately, he is forced to leave his home and join a magic academy when it's discovered that he has magic. It's pretty good.
90) Leveling up the World 4 by L. Eclaire
This was okay.
This is a cultivation fantasy that I'd rank as okay. I thought it was fun, but it could have stood to be fleshed out a little bit more.
88) On a Throne of Lies by Eric Ugland
So, this is the 10th book in The Bad Guys litRPG series, and it's pretty bad. It seems like it's just a bunch of stuff happening more than being an actual story. On top of that, large portions of the book are just retellings of parts of Flex in the City, a book in The Good Guys which another series by the author, only told from the POV of this series' main character who is watching the events happen, except for one memorable passage where he was listening in on a conversation petween the other book's MC and the villain and Ugland just cut and pasted the dialogue without bothering to edit the dialogue tags, which was really confusing since both series are narrated in the first person.
89) The Fusionist by Jonathan Brooks
This is a progression fantasy with some LitRPG elements. It's about a young, and kind of stupid, lumberjack who wants nothing more than to cut trees and be left alone as he's seven feet tall, and in this magical land, the citizens are prejudiced against tall people. Unfortunately, he is forced to leave his home and join a magic academy when it's discovered that he has magic. It's pretty good.
90) Leveling up the World 4 by L. Eclaire
This was okay.
38yoyogod
81) Defiance of the Fall 10 by TheFirstDefier
This was fun. it's mostly about the MC going undercover to try and obtain a a space monster that he needs to get to have a spaceship built.
82) Card Mage: Slumdog Deckbuilder by Benedict Patrick
This is a progression fantasy set in a world where the big thing is a Hearthstone-like card game played by people who can use cards to actually summon monsters and cast spells. The story follows a young man who lives in the slums of a city ruled over by a theocracy that's pretty obviously evil, but the MC is kind of dumb and doesn't realize this even after they ban his family from playing cards because his mother was some sort of rebel or something. It's a decent enough book.
83) Kill Radio by Lauren Bolger
As seems to be the case with so many of the ER books I've won lately, this horror novel was bad. For starters, it features one of the absolutely, most unbelievably stupid protagonists ever. Let's see if you're smarter than our girl Rachele, a young, single mother:
1) You're on your way to work, but decide to stop at the coffee shop next door tour job first. As you get out of your car, you see an unknown man who has parked next to you get out and start walking towards your place of employment. You warn him that he will be towed, but he says that he was told it's okay to park there and continues on. Do you:
A. Assume he knows what he's talking about and leave your car there.
B. Assume he's an entitled idiot and move your car to the proper lot after you've gotten your coffee.
2) It's late at night, and you hear a strange noise in your back yard. You open the sliding glass door only to see your new boss. His eyes are glowing eerily as he digs in your yard with his bare hands and stu7ffs dirt into his mouth. Do you:
A. Bring him inside, clean him up, and then sleep with him.
B. Slam the door shut and call the cops.
Congratulations. If you answered B to either question, you're smarter than Rachele. Of course, nobody else really seems to behave in very believable ways. You also have Stanton, the commercial fisherman, who owns his own boat, has only one employee, and has to deliver his catch to local restaurants himself, but somehow has the time to spend nights and most of the day at Rachele's house solely because his mom was single too and he wants to help out. Then there's Gaia, the next door neighbor, who refuses to spend the night at Rachele's when she's freaked out about the weird stuff that's been happening because Gaia needs to be home to keep an eye on her alcoholic brother, but somehow has the time to go on a cross country trip from Massachusetts to California for the book's climax. Then there's James the warlock.witch/Rachel's new boss/Rachele's love interest/ the guy who got her car towed who is frankly the worst occult detective-type I have ever seen. And let's not forget Rory, Rachele's young son, who seems to have some sort of psychic abilities or something that make certain houses look like they're on fire, let's him see into the underworld or something, and let's him see a "red rainbow," all of which is never explained or used in any way to advance the story.
Besides that, I found that starting the book with a chapter one that takes place immediately after chapter two was an incredibly annoying gimmick. Also, I found the story incredibly dull, had no interest in any of the characters, and thought that the climax felt completely unearned and kind of silly.
This was fun. it's mostly about the MC going undercover to try and obtain a a space monster that he needs to get to have a spaceship built.
82) Card Mage: Slumdog Deckbuilder by Benedict Patrick
This is a progression fantasy set in a world where the big thing is a Hearthstone-like card game played by people who can use cards to actually summon monsters and cast spells. The story follows a young man who lives in the slums of a city ruled over by a theocracy that's pretty obviously evil, but the MC is kind of dumb and doesn't realize this even after they ban his family from playing cards because his mother was some sort of rebel or something. It's a decent enough book.
83) Kill Radio by Lauren Bolger
As seems to be the case with so many of the ER books I've won lately, this horror novel was bad. For starters, it features one of the absolutely, most unbelievably stupid protagonists ever. Let's see if you're smarter than our girl Rachele, a young, single mother:
1) You're on your way to work, but decide to stop at the coffee shop next door tour job first. As you get out of your car, you see an unknown man who has parked next to you get out and start walking towards your place of employment. You warn him that he will be towed, but he says that he was told it's okay to park there and continues on. Do you:
A. Assume he knows what he's talking about and leave your car there.
B. Assume he's an entitled idiot and move your car to the proper lot after you've gotten your coffee.
2) It's late at night, and you hear a strange noise in your back yard. You open the sliding glass door only to see your new boss. His eyes are glowing eerily as he digs in your yard with his bare hands and stu7ffs dirt into his mouth. Do you:
A. Bring him inside, clean him up, and then sleep with him.
B. Slam the door shut and call the cops.
Congratulations. If you answered B to either question, you're smarter than Rachele. Of course, nobody else really seems to behave in very believable ways. You also have Stanton, the commercial fisherman, who owns his own boat, has only one employee, and has to deliver his catch to local restaurants himself, but somehow has the time to spend nights and most of the day at Rachele's house solely because his mom was single too and he wants to help out. Then there's Gaia, the next door neighbor, who refuses to spend the night at Rachele's when she's freaked out about the weird stuff that's been happening because Gaia needs to be home to keep an eye on her alcoholic brother, but somehow has the time to go on a cross country trip from Massachusetts to California for the book's climax. Then there's James the warlock.witch/Rachel's new boss/Rachele's love interest/ the guy who got her car towed who is frankly the worst occult detective-type I have ever seen. And let's not forget Rory, Rachele's young son, who seems to have some sort of psychic abilities or something that make certain houses look like they're on fire, let's him see into the underworld or something, and let's him see a "red rainbow," all of which is never explained or used in any way to advance the story.
Besides that, I found that starting the book with a chapter one that takes place immediately after chapter two was an incredibly annoying gimmick. Also, I found the story incredibly dull, had no interest in any of the characters, and thought that the climax felt completely unearned and kind of silly.
39yoyogod
Wow, I keep forgetting to update this list.
84) He Who Fights With Monsters 9 by shirtaloon
I had mixed feelings about this one, which isn't surprising since I downloaded it months ago and kept putting off reading it because the main character is such a whiny, self-righteous hypocrite that I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it. The book started off pretty bad with the main character having to deal with a bunch of politics and generally acting like a spoiled toddler who refuses to take a nap. Eventually he got around to some proper adventuring and things picked up, but still, this series is far worse than it should be due to starring the second worst MC in all of LitRPG, a genre whose authors seem largely incapable of making a protagonist that you wouldn't want to punch in the face after spending five minutes in a room with them.
85) Quest Academy: Silvers by Brian J Nordon
This is a Lit-RPG-adjacent, magical shool novel that's more inspired by My Hero Academia than Harry Potter. It's set in a world where demon portals started opening up and spewing monsters and magic into the world, which results in people gaining superpowers. It's a few generations later, and there's a school to train the next generation of heroes, and our protagonist has a super cool power that's going to let him save the world. This one's pretty good.
86) Wakespire by Sarah Lin
This is the latest volume of The Weirkey Chronicles, which is my favorite ongoing non-LitRPG/non-cultivation progression fantasy. I enjoyed it.
87) Echoes of War by David North
This is the latest volume in the Guardian of Aster Fall LitRPG series. It's pretty good.
88) Dead Tired, Book I by RavensDagger
This is a fun LitRPG about a scientifically minded lich wizard who, upon reaching the max level, went on a bit of a rampage and slaughtered the gods before laying down and going to sleep until the end of the world. Only he accidentally gets woken up early by an unwary adventurer only to discover that the world has changed, people can no longer advance through the System, and instead have to cultivate. This piques his curiosity, and and he sets out to discover what the heck is going on. I thought it was pretty fun and funny, and I loved it.
89) Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad
This is a comic memoir by the host of the Abroad in Japan YouTube channel about the 10 years he's spent in Japan. While the book covers 10 years, more than half of it is dedicated to Broad's first 3 years in japan, when he was working as a high school English teacher. The rest of the book covers the time wehn he began living off of his YouTube earnings, and includes lots of interesting stuff, too, like his first meeting with the evil genius known as Ryotoro, his interview with Ken Watanabe, or how posting a short video on getting woken up by a North Korean missile got him invited to news programs around the world. This was a really fun book.
84) He Who Fights With Monsters 9 by shirtaloon
I had mixed feelings about this one, which isn't surprising since I downloaded it months ago and kept putting off reading it because the main character is such a whiny, self-righteous hypocrite that I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it. The book started off pretty bad with the main character having to deal with a bunch of politics and generally acting like a spoiled toddler who refuses to take a nap. Eventually he got around to some proper adventuring and things picked up, but still, this series is far worse than it should be due to starring the second worst MC in all of LitRPG, a genre whose authors seem largely incapable of making a protagonist that you wouldn't want to punch in the face after spending five minutes in a room with them.
85) Quest Academy: Silvers by Brian J Nordon
This is a Lit-RPG-adjacent, magical shool novel that's more inspired by My Hero Academia than Harry Potter. It's set in a world where demon portals started opening up and spewing monsters and magic into the world, which results in people gaining superpowers. It's a few generations later, and there's a school to train the next generation of heroes, and our protagonist has a super cool power that's going to let him save the world. This one's pretty good.
86) Wakespire by Sarah Lin
This is the latest volume of The Weirkey Chronicles, which is my favorite ongoing non-LitRPG/non-cultivation progression fantasy. I enjoyed it.
87) Echoes of War by David North
This is the latest volume in the Guardian of Aster Fall LitRPG series. It's pretty good.
88) Dead Tired, Book I by RavensDagger
This is a fun LitRPG about a scientifically minded lich wizard who, upon reaching the max level, went on a bit of a rampage and slaughtered the gods before laying down and going to sleep until the end of the world. Only he accidentally gets woken up early by an unwary adventurer only to discover that the world has changed, people can no longer advance through the System, and instead have to cultivate. This piques his curiosity, and and he sets out to discover what the heck is going on. I thought it was pretty fun and funny, and I loved it.
89) Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad
This is a comic memoir by the host of the Abroad in Japan YouTube channel about the 10 years he's spent in Japan. While the book covers 10 years, more than half of it is dedicated to Broad's first 3 years in japan, when he was working as a high school English teacher. The rest of the book covers the time wehn he began living off of his YouTube earnings, and includes lots of interesting stuff, too, like his first meeting with the evil genius known as Ryotoro, his interview with Ken Watanabe, or how posting a short video on getting woken up by a North Korean missile got him invited to news programs around the world. This was a really fun book.
40yoyogod
90) Conquer: Fear of a Black Cat by Edward M Erdelac
This is the second volume (and first novel) in the John Conquer occult detective series, which is set in the 1970s and has a very pulpy, blaxploitation-esque feel to it. This story has Conquer investigating the murder of the woman who raised him after his mother's death, and involves the Son of Sam, a devil worshiping cult of rich white racists, and the birth of rap music. It was awesome.
This is the second volume (and first novel) in the John Conquer occult detective series, which is set in the 1970s and has a very pulpy, blaxploitation-esque feel to it. This story has Conquer investigating the murder of the woman who raised him after his mother's death, and involves the Son of Sam, a devil worshiping cult of rich white racists, and the birth of rap music. It was awesome.
41yoyogod
91) Book of the Dead: Awakening by RinoZ
This is the first volume of a new LitRPG series by the author of Chrysalis. This is set in a world where people are assigned a class by the system upon turning 18, but some classes are illegal, and the protagonist was assigned one of them: Necromancer. So he's faced with the choice of either having his class erased and being forever weakened or of running away and being hunted by minions of the fairly corrupt government. This was pretty fun.
92) Wolf in the Void by Tom Elliot
This is the latest volume of The Grand Game. My main complaint with this one is that I really wish that authors who compile their serialized fiction into novels would do a better job of choosing where to start and finish the story.
93) Shattered Races by D.K. Landtroop
This is the sequel to The Fortifier, a rather mediocre LitRPG that I read back in February. This is also rather mediocre, and definitely badly needed copy editing. Also, why would anyone set a story in (what used to be) the southern United States and have characters measure distance in kilometers and refer to gasoline as petrol. For that matter, why is the author obsessed with the word wampum?
94) Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals 3 by Bitter Karella
This is the latest compilation of the Midnight Society tweets wherein various horror authors gather around the campfire and attempt to tell stories, and also J. K. Rowling is a snake woman with a squad of terf death eaters. My only complaint is that none of the recent stories featuring Elon Musk made it in, probably because the book was already at the printers when he started his little feud with Stephen King.
95) The Games of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps
I read the first volume of this series a few month back, and loved it, so when the author put an omnibus edition of the first 6 books on sale for 99¢ to celebrate the release of the latest volume, I snapped it up. This one has the supervillain Merciless saving his city from an evil cult. It's fun.
This is the first volume of a new LitRPG series by the author of Chrysalis. This is set in a world where people are assigned a class by the system upon turning 18, but some classes are illegal, and the protagonist was assigned one of them: Necromancer. So he's faced with the choice of either having his class erased and being forever weakened or of running away and being hunted by minions of the fairly corrupt government. This was pretty fun.
92) Wolf in the Void by Tom Elliot
This is the latest volume of The Grand Game. My main complaint with this one is that I really wish that authors who compile their serialized fiction into novels would do a better job of choosing where to start and finish the story.
93) Shattered Races by D.K. Landtroop
This is the sequel to The Fortifier, a rather mediocre LitRPG that I read back in February. This is also rather mediocre, and definitely badly needed copy editing. Also, why would anyone set a story in (what used to be) the southern United States and have characters measure distance in kilometers and refer to gasoline as petrol. For that matter, why is the author obsessed with the word wampum?
94) Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals 3 by Bitter Karella
This is the latest compilation of the Midnight Society tweets wherein various horror authors gather around the campfire and attempt to tell stories, and also J. K. Rowling is a snake woman with a squad of terf death eaters. My only complaint is that none of the recent stories featuring Elon Musk made it in, probably because the book was already at the printers when he started his little feud with Stephen King.
95) The Games of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps
I read the first volume of this series a few month back, and loved it, so when the author put an omnibus edition of the first 6 books on sale for 99¢ to celebrate the release of the latest volume, I snapped it up. This one has the supervillain Merciless saving his city from an evil cult. It's fun.
42yoyogod
I've been forgetting to update again, and now I have quite the backlog:
96) Monster Farmer by DB King
This was okay. It's about the heir to a noble house (though he's forgotten that part) who's been working as a mercenary since childhood and who decides to run away from his group to become a farmer on the edge of civilization. Only it turns out he was tricked into buying a cursed farm which will cause any corpses buried on it to rise as monsters. It's way better than the last book I read by this author.
97) Edge of the Woods by Andrew Rowe
This is the start of a new series by the author of the fairly popular Arcane Ascension series. It's the story of a young man (who isn't human despite looking like one) who is raised in the fairy woods and is learning to be a master swordsman. It's pretty good.
98) The Secrets of Supervillainy by C T Phipps
This wasn't as good as the first two supervillainy books, but was still pretty funny.
99) Planesfall by Patrick Laplante
This was pretty good. It brings the most recent story arc of Painting the Mists to a satisfying, if sad, conclusion.
100) Tales from the Gas Station: Volume Four by Jack Townsend
I somehow missed this coming out last year. It's the epic conclusion to one of the weirdest horror series I've ever read.
101) Warriorborn by jim butcher
This is a novella in the Cinder Spires series. It was pretty good.
102) The Primal Hunter 7 by Zogarth
Not much to say about this one, but I enjoyed it.
103) Sanctum by Sue Rovens
My feelings on this are a bit mixed. On the one hand, I like the writer's style, but on the other it's kind of dull. There's no real tension at all. Just some spooky stuff happens, a house eventually gets sold, a marriage dissolves, and a new realtor learns that his company is evil-ish(There big plan is to somehow let the ghosts of rich bastards haunt any houses they sell, which as evil plans go is pretty weak sauce) .
96) Monster Farmer by DB King
This was okay. It's about the heir to a noble house (though he's forgotten that part) who's been working as a mercenary since childhood and who decides to run away from his group to become a farmer on the edge of civilization. Only it turns out he was tricked into buying a cursed farm which will cause any corpses buried on it to rise as monsters. It's way better than the last book I read by this author.
97) Edge of the Woods by Andrew Rowe
This is the start of a new series by the author of the fairly popular Arcane Ascension series. It's the story of a young man (who isn't human despite looking like one) who is raised in the fairy woods and is learning to be a master swordsman. It's pretty good.
98) The Secrets of Supervillainy by C T Phipps
This wasn't as good as the first two supervillainy books, but was still pretty funny.
99) Planesfall by Patrick Laplante
This was pretty good. It brings the most recent story arc of Painting the Mists to a satisfying, if sad, conclusion.
100) Tales from the Gas Station: Volume Four by Jack Townsend
I somehow missed this coming out last year. It's the epic conclusion to one of the weirdest horror series I've ever read.
101) Warriorborn by jim butcher
This is a novella in the Cinder Spires series. It was pretty good.
102) The Primal Hunter 7 by Zogarth
Not much to say about this one, but I enjoyed it.
103) Sanctum by Sue Rovens
My feelings on this are a bit mixed. On the one hand, I like the writer's style, but on the other it's kind of dull. There's no real tension at all. Just some spooky stuff happens, a house eventually gets sold, a marriage dissolves, and a new realtor learns that his company is evil-ish
43yoyogod
104) Tenacity by Dakota Krout
This is the latest Completionist Chronicles novel, and it kind of sucks.
104) Academic ConFusion by Jonathan Brooks
This is the sequel to The Fusionist, which I read a few month back. This one has the main character going to a different magical school as he blew up the old one (well part of it). We learn a bit about his secret origins and overall it's pretty good.
105) Dverger by Tracy Gregory
Did I ever mention how much I hate cliffhanger endings in books? Because I really loathe them with a passion, and this book, the latest volume of Goblin summoner has one. The general plot has the hero and his friends travel to pseudo-Australia to battle the magical equivalent of the Borg, but then they get distracted by helping out some kangaroos reclaim their homes from monsters. Somehow this isn't the craziest story I read lately...
106) The Naked Clone: A Nick Nolte Mystery by the various writers of Rifftrax
So this is an absolutely insane story written round robin style by the Rifftrax writers. It stars Nick Nolte, who is used as a running joke in many rifftrax films, as a down and out PI who is hired to track down the person who is kidnapping Hollywood executives. Things quickly go off the rails and we get cameos from rifftrax/MST3K faves like Joe Don Baker the "star" of Mitchell and Clint Howard, the actor voted most likely to be mistaken for someone wearing a prosthetic forehead. This is the most insane thing I've read since Steve Gerber's 70s era run on The Defenders.
107) By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 13 by roy
This was an improvement over the previous volume of the series as it has the main character get back to adventuring. Fun.
This is the latest Completionist Chronicles novel, and it kind of sucks.
104) Academic ConFusion by Jonathan Brooks
This is the sequel to The Fusionist, which I read a few month back. This one has the main character going to a different magical school as he blew up the old one (well part of it). We learn a bit about his secret origins and overall it's pretty good.
105) Dverger by Tracy Gregory
Did I ever mention how much I hate cliffhanger endings in books? Because I really loathe them with a passion, and this book, the latest volume of Goblin summoner has one. The general plot has the hero and his friends travel to pseudo-Australia to battle the magical equivalent of the Borg, but then they get distracted by helping out some kangaroos reclaim their homes from monsters. Somehow this isn't the craziest story I read lately...
106) The Naked Clone: A Nick Nolte Mystery by the various writers of Rifftrax
So this is an absolutely insane story written round robin style by the Rifftrax writers. It stars Nick Nolte, who is used as a running joke in many rifftrax films, as a down and out PI who is hired to track down the person who is kidnapping Hollywood executives. Things quickly go off the rails and we get cameos from rifftrax/MST3K faves like Joe Don Baker the "star" of Mitchell and Clint Howard, the actor voted most likely to be mistaken for someone wearing a prosthetic forehead. This is the most insane thing I've read since Steve Gerber's 70s era run on The Defenders.
107) By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 13 by roy
This was an improvement over the previous volume of the series as it has the main character get back to adventuring. Fun.
