#i think this is another trilogy that has the final book released this year???? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

euniexenoblade · 3 months

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hey, on your old blog you had a list of your favorite books. Do you think you could make another post like that?

Yeah totes, so if we just stick specifically to novels and no comics or manga, here ya go:

The Alchemists of Loom (trilogy) by Elise Kova: It's a weird story that I can only describe as a traditional fantasy and steampunk combine. The exposition is there was this world of people called the Fenthri who achieve achieve steampunk level of tech, finally inventing a flying machine and going beyond the clouds that surround their planet, to find floating patches of land where they discover a race of people that call themselves Dragons, who have magic. The dragons invade the planet and oppress its people. The main character is this woman known as The White Wraith, a Fenthri who is known for killing Dragons and harvesting their organs (source of their magic), her lesbian protege that leads a revolution, and a Dragon royal that betrays his people to help attempt dethrone the king. Shit's great. I love it. Please read it. That first book is outstanding.

Goth by Otsuichi: A Japanese horror novel about a boy who has impulses to kill and a girl who is suicidal. Both of them are attracted to death and interested in the grotesque and macabre. Endless trigger warnings for this, from animal abuse to obvi murder. It's one of my favorite horror novels, if not my absolute favorite horror novel. The story is unique, and uniquely Japanese in it's telling. I reread it every October.

Another by Yukito Ayatsuji: The other horror novel I reread every October, another uniquely Japanese story about a class that's cursed, where a dead kid ends up in the class every year, but no one can identify who it is that's dead. And, the more they interact with the dead student, the more likely everyone is to die. There's an anime adaptation of this, it's pretty decent though it feels more like "Final Destination: The Anime" than the novel does. There's also a manga, I know nothing about the manga. But yeah, read the novel, it's fun.

Mordred, Bastard Son by Douglas Clegg: One of my favorite Arthurian stories, it retells the King Arthur story from a perspective of Mordred, who in this rendition is a very kind hearted gay man. I don't like the portrayal of King Arthur in it really, but that's all of like, 5 sentences. The story really hovers on our protag Gay Mordred and the shit he goes through. Pretty sure it won an award for gay literature. The downside is it's a cliff hanger ending an the author never released the follow up (it's been almost two decades, idk if we're getting it). Book is like, 40% of where my name comes from.

Pretty much any Nisioisin book. He just has a really clever wit, and a story telling style that feels very fun and vibrant. My favorite of his books is probably Kizumonogatari, which is a prequel of Bakemonogatari, follows Koyomi Araragi saving a vampire and in turn becoming a vampire himself. I additionally love his book Zaregoto, which is a locked room mystery, and his books Katanagatari, martial artist goes on a journey to collect mystical swords. He's a fantastic writer, look into a book from him.

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde: I haven't read this in over a decade, but I've claimed it to be my favorite book since. I really should reread it. It takes place in a post apocalyptic world where humans eye sight has devolved and a caste system has formed around what colors people can see.

Some other novels I really like are Insomnia and The Dead Zone by Stephen King, Phantoms by Dean Koontz, Feed by M.T. Anderson, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas by Yoru Sumino, and the Spice & Wolf series by Isuna Hasekura.

#me #novels

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theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin · 11 months

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Hey! Was just in the midst of rereading "Lily" and I had a question about your rewriting process:

Was it hard having to replace all the "Harry Potter" elements? Are things REALLY different from "Lily" the fic, or is it just the basics? Is there still a school for magic?

The most important one, tho, is: Did you change Lily's name? I hope not lol

On another note, REALLY excited for the published book! Which actually brings another question, I looked at the word count, and I don't think you can make all of "Lily" one book, so is it gonna be a trilogy, cuz I remember once you said that there are three main arcs, or is it just gonna be a series?

Sorry about all these questions!

Feels weird answering this without having released anything to the wild yet but why not.

And no worries about the question, it's great to know people are still interested/interested at all. That fic is kind of... my ridiculous pet project gone wild that consumed my account for too many years.

Was it Hard Replacing Things?

Yes.

This was the main trouble/what took so damn long. The main story and characters (Lily and her journey and all of that) aren't really reliant on the HP framework, which why it was possible to convert at all, but it's dependent on there being known archetypes and tropes. I like to think I pull it off with a very stereotypical high fantasy setting but a lot had to change, while serving the interests of the story and characters, and also making internal sense.

That meant a lot of sitting down and thinking about the new world, how it works, and the new cast of secondary characters.

Are Things Really Different?

Yes and no.

The overarching point of the story is the same and the main characters go through the same major emotional arcs. The actual plotlines though are vastly different, the world is different, and the secondary characters are different (well, some are reminiscent of the fic but get way more speaking lines/some changes to personalities and others are new).

Basically, I had to write new content for most of it (but the beginning was sadly similar enough that we got the whole pulling down debacle that I still have to wait and see where that lands).

Some things are still the same in that there's still a prophecy, still a case of Lily having been dumped somewhere else for convenient reasons of convenience, and so on.

Is There a Magic School

Sort of.

It's Sir Not Appearing in Book One but does get quite a few name drops.

Is Lily's Name Changed?

She's still Lily and Ellie to start with but she has another name as well and the surname and middle name are different. I was too attached to Lily as a name to drop it by this point.

How Many Fucking Books Is It?

You're right in that it's a long story.

Fuck, it's a long story.

What I've got now for this to be published book is the first arc, roughly the equivalent of chapters 1-25 in the fic version for those following along (same major arc going on). In Lily I'd say while there's three major arcs it'd probably break down best into 4-5 books (though don't quote me, I'm bad at doing this stuff until I sit down to actually write it).

Once I finally get done with this editing business of book 1, book 2 is pretty well scoped out, I have a solid idea what book 3 would be, and then... could be one to two more as I have to sit down and really think about those (that's a future me problem).

#lily and the art of being sisyphus #ask #theviolettulip

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itsnightpond · 1 year

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IS IT FINALLY FUCKING HAPPENING?!?!?

Amazing insight from u/rehata on Reddit in r/books

Not mine just sharing

[image ID: a screengrab of the first paragraph of this post from r/books]

The Kingkiller Chroniclers is a fantasy trilogy written by Patrick Rothfuss. When the second book was released to critical acclaim, it was heralded as the next great fantasy series. Rothfuss, now the darling of DAW Publishing, signed a contract for another 3 books, and quipping "I have tricked you all into reading a million word prologue", hinting at a vast, layered world with much more to come. Fans of new and old began to wait eagerly for book three, the conclusion of Kvothe's story - Doors of Stone. Below is a recap of the rough journey to the present day which led on almost all of Patricks fans turning on him. This has been well documented over many posts, feel free to skip if you already know.

In July 2020, Betsy Wolheim - president, co-publisher, and co-editor-in-chief of DAW expressed her frustration and rare candor in the comment section of a Facebook article that villainized publishers, asking - "and what of the publishers that pay them? ". In a bit of a rant, she said she hasn't read a single word of book three, and isn't sure if Patrick even wants to write anymore. DAW Publishing was sold in July 2022. No publishing date has been announced.

Here's the important part. Patrick, throughout the wait, has not shed any light on the progress of the novel. He did not dispute Betsy's comments on never having seen a world of book 3. At this point, no one knew if the book was even written, or if the draft in that photo in 2015 was even real. The only people who would have intimate knowledge of the progress of the book would be Patrick himself, his inner circler, and his translators. But the translators, as said by Patrick himself, discussed the book in a private forum. No one knows of this forum - until now.

Plugging the chroniclers library url ([https://www.chroniclerslibrary.com/](https://www.chroniclerslibrary.com/)) into the internet wayback machine - you can see the whole story. In 2015, he had an all-hands-on-deck meeting shortly before the draft was tweeted. Again, in 2020, just before the chapter was promised. 30+ out of 54 employees meeting at the same time across different time zones is no small event, to me it tells me Patrick told them all to be online because he was dropping a draft, and he would be around the answer questions after giving them time to read it

Things were really slow - only 3 of these big meetings over roughly 12 years. Until recently - 35/54 in January of 2023, and 51/54 this morning, just a month later. I think there's actual progress being made. What are your thoughts?

#kingkiller chronicle #name of the wind #wise man’s fear #notw #patrick rothfuss #doors of stone #the kingkiller chronicle #kkc

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rj-anderson · 2 years

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Hello hello!

A very good morning/afternoon/evening/time zone to you! I hope this message finds you in good health and you are doing well, especially with the whole [gestures to the world], y’know. But more to the point!

I’ve been doing a little cleaning lately, and found my copies of the Faery Rebels trilogy again — and also promptly re-read them all in about three days and completely forgot about continuing to clean. It’s been an absolute age since I’ve last read them, but they’re still so wonderful, and the magic (pun slightly intended) is still there. I’m about half-way through Swift as of this ask, and am still very much hooked onto each and every word.

I’m 21 now, and it’s been a good 12/13 years since I first started reading your stories (just about when Knife first released, I think!) They’ve brought me great comfort and intrigue then, and they bring just as much comfort and intrigue now. I mean it with my whole heart and soul when I say these books are like the Oak to my being Knife. I’m older now, different from who and what I once was, but this home has always been there for me and it is so near and dear I will always cherish it and love it in whatever ways I can.

Beyond the stories themselves, I, of course, must send all my love and appreciation to the one behind them all. Much of how and what I write now has been influenced by your own writing and ideas, especially since re-reading everything. You were (and are) a phenomenal inspiration to my own creativity. Ironically enough, however, I’ve spent a very long time agonising over how to write this ask.

I think I’ve rattled on long enough, and though it’s not quite an unpayable debt in it’s original context, I do owe a lot of what I make now to you.

So, thank you! 💙

- 🕊 (Much love from Britain)

This is so kind and complimentary that I feel almost shy about reposting it! But since you sent it anonymously it's the only way I can reply, plus it gives me the chance to share some (hopefully) exciting news about an upcoming release, so I hope my Tumblr followers will indulge me. Anyway, thank you very much for this lovely letter -- it means the world to hear that long-time readers are still enjoying the books even now they're grown up, and that up-and-coming writers like yourself have found them an inspiration. Encouraging notes like this are the reason I worked so hard to write and get Torch published a couple years ago, despite the seven-year gap between it and the previous book of the trilogy -- I knew that even though the readers of Swift and Nomad had grown up in the interim, many of them were still longing for a proper wrap-up to Ivy and Martin's story and would read it regardless of what age was printed on the cover. Which is also why -- and here comes the announcement -- I'm going to be self-publishing a collection of short stories (well, one of them is technically a novella and another is a novelette, but I trust nobody objects to them being a little longer!), set in the world of Knife and Swift but with slightly more grown-up sensibilities. Not "adult" in the explicit sense, I hasten to add, but featuring older characters and dealing with some more mature themes that I couldn't really dig into over the course of the main series. I'm just doing the final pass of edits and haven't fixed a firm release date yet, but I'm aiming to make Tales From the Oakenwyld available in e-book format (and perhaps paperback, if there's enough interest?) by the end of 2022.

I'll be announcing the release date and sharing the cover in a few weeks, so if you're curious to know things like how Thorn ended up as we find her in Torch, the never-before-told backstories of Rob and Martin, and what exactly Paul did tell his parents about Knife (the story of which is already available as a bonus for new subscribers!) I invite you to sign up for my Very Occasional Newsletter!

Thanks again for taking the time to write to me, and not agonizing yourself right out of doing it (as a chronic overthinker myself, I know how these things can go). Your words came at just the right time to encourage me today, and I really appreciate it!

#replies #anonymous #my books #my writing #Tales From the Oakenwyld #Faery Rebels #the Flight and Flame trilogy #No Ordinary Fairy Tale #Enclave Publishing

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yuamusuzuran · 6 months

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2023... but told in my hyperfixations

Just a post that allows me to track all of my various hyperfixations that have helped me pass this grueling and busy year

HADES (Supergiant Game)

I played this game for at least 6 months non-stop. I was obsessed with everything about it, from story, gameplay all the way to relationships and dialogue. I was ESPECIALLY whipped for PatroChilles and ThanZag. My major fixation spurs were January and February as well as May. I still play Hades when I need to decompress, I have almost 200h in it and I have 100% achievements which is my first time ever

Captive Prince series by C. S. Pacat

I read this trilogy during February and when I tell you I was smacked in the face by how good it was. From intrigue, plot and political drama all the way to relationships. But ofc I was mostly blown away by the relationship between Damen and Laurent, like, I DID NOT EXPECT to love their relationship so much. I WAS IN SHAMBLES BECAUSE OF THEIR GENTLE LOVE. Couldn't recover for weeks

KINGDOM - Dystopia

One of the things I was really looking forward to. The whole album blew me away and the Japanese aesthetic was top notch. How much my boys have grown, I was in shambles

GENSHIN IMPACT!!!!!!!

What can I say, I ENDED UP LOOKING INTO IT. I didn't start officially playing it yet, but I went through the lore, studied all characters and their relationships and ofc got sucked into shipping side of the fandom (it's not that hard to intrigue me with that)

I was specifically OBSESSED with DainKae (Dainsleif x Kaeya), XiaoAether, HaiKaveh and CynoNari. And as new patches come by and Fointaine was introduced, my fixation periods always come back with new content. And right now, I'm all about Wriollette. Fixation started in July and has been coming and going as the new content was introduced (when Furina's backstory was introduced, I was bawling)

RED, WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE MOVIE!!!!

I was prepared for this movie since last year BUT THE ACTUAL THING BLEW ME AWAY! I was so happy to watch it finally, I LOVED the chemistry and even though I have a couple of grievances with it, I think the whole message was portrayed nicely! I won't tell you how many times I've watched the movie, it's literally my comfort media. The main fixation period was before the release and entire August.

Avatar: The Way of Water

I was very late with my watch BUT BOY WAS I OBSESSED AND HIT LIKE A TRUCK WITH IT. The movie had everything I expected it to have and it really made me feel a lot of things. I was so devastated over Teyam, I had SO MANY theories about other three sequels and honestly, I'm still not over how good that movie is. And now, that I know the third sequel is coming around Christmas of 2025, I know the first part of 2026 will be marked by that movie alone. Major fixation period was end of August and ENTIRE September

KINGDOM - Coup d'Etat

Every time Kingdom has a comeback I go into brainrot, deal with it. This comeback was special because it was the last part of their History of Kingdom series and we got SO MANY information on their lore that also prepared us for Season 2! I cannot tell you how insufferable I'll become when the next series of albums starts. As far as this album goes, though, I had no complaints, another non-skip album and Coup d'Etat was a perfect showcase of their growth in the last 3 years. So yeah, majority of my October and November was occupied by them.

And finally.... HEAVEN OFFICIAL'S BLESSING (TGCF)

This story pounced on me like a tiger from an ambush and honestly, I'm not complaining. I know all spoilers, I'm SO OBSESSED with HuaLian and am currently on the 2nd book. I think I'll be even more obsessed when I live though all the important moments though books and I CAN GUARANTEE my interest will once again peak when I start watching donghua (I'm waiting for season 2 to finish so I can watch both Chinese and English, oh, and Japanese will be watched eventually). And, ofc, I'm planning to buy all eight English volumes!!

#tgcf #kingdom kpop #atwow #rwrb film #genshin impact #captive prince #hades supergiant #hyperfixation

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somesortofcoincidence · 2 years

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The Greatest Writer that Never Was (Part 2)

So then, how did Martin Scorsese get his hands on the book if it wasn’t published yet?

Unfortunately, I don’t really know all of the details as to how this happened. However, here’s what I do know so far. In 1953, an unknown Hollywood producer named Scott Meyers got his hands on one of the drafts for Goncharov while living in San Bernardino. According to Meyers’ own account, he picked up the draft off the sidewalk that was sitting next to a garbage can, read through a couple pages, immediately got in his car, drove to the offices of Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, and pitched the idea for a movie adaptation of Goncharov. However, it was rejected on arrival and put into a drawer full of other rejected film proposals.

Twenty years later in 1973, another producer named Jeffery Hudson got his hands on that very same draft and decides to get into contact with Martin Scorsese along with screenwriter, Mardik Martin, to adapt Goncharov into a movie. The three of them agreed to adapt the movie into a feature length film. And, of course as we all know, the movie adaptation wouldn’t be released until 1978 seeing as production for the film took three years to make.

What happened to the final version of Morozov’s Goncharov?

Once again, I genuinely have no idea. All I can really speculate is that, in 1973, the day that Morozov died, the nurse who was taking care of him found the finished copy of Goncharov in his room and pitched the book for publication to Penguin Books to become a Penguin Classics. However, while Penguin Books loved the book and accepted the proposal, the book wouldn’t be released, in an official capacity, until December of 1993 due to, not just the political climate of the time, but also due to the amount of effort it took just to translate the book from Russian to English.

This is the cover for the 1993 version of Goncharov by Nathan Morozov.

In 2008, Martin Scorsese was asked during an interview how he managed to adapt Goncharov into the cult classic movie that it was even though the book itself was published in 1993. Scorsese is quoted as saying, “For some reason, Warner Bros. had this weird Russian novel I’ve never heard of before lying around along with their other rejected film proposals and a producer from the studio got into contact with me and my life long friend, Madik Martin, and he told us everything that the book was about. He told us about Goncharov, he told us about Andrey, Mario, Katya, Sofia, and all of these other side characters. It definitely helped that this producer knew how to read Russian, which was a blessing. But Madik and I got so inspired by that meeting, we began to lay out the blueprint for what this movie was going to be. I know that everyone has their interpretation as to what the book was about, but I feel like with this film, we set out to be as faithful to the work as possible and I think we’ve accomplished that.”

In 2018, Penguin Books decided to republish the book as a part of their line of Penguin Classics.

This is the cover for the 2018 version of Goncharov by Nathan Morozov.

Like many other Russian writers who have adapted Goncharov’s trilogy, the ending is always concrete. And, while Morozov’s version is no different from his contemporaries, the one thing I admire the most is that he focuses on not just the pocket watch, but he also focuses on the thoughts of each character in the book and, more specifically, Goncharov’s own thoughts. Goncharov doesn’t like the fact that he’s moved to Italy and then had to resort to crime. But he has no other choice. Russia was the country that broke him down as a man. But Italy was going to be the country that could make him become a new man. However, in the end, he was destined to fall from the start.

Rest in Peace

Nathan Morozov (1897 - 1975)

#goncharov #gonchposting #unreality

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jemandtherobots · 1 year

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All 50 books I read in 2022, why I read them, and if I'd recommend them

Notes:

F = Finnish, i.e. the book was either written in Finnish or was translated into Finnish.

3 titles have been redacted bcos they're uhh self-help type books and I don't want you guys to know what I've needed help with.

Jeanne DuPrau - The City of Ember

I wanted to start the year off with an old favourite. Literally this was my fave book when I was 10 years old, and the one that got me into sci-fi.

Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games trilogy

I think I saw a tumblr analysis post about these that made me want to re-read the series (and also, I was digging through my old books anyway). I think I liked these more now than I did ten years ago.

Kate DiCamillo - Because of Winn-Dixie

Another one from the pile of Books I Used To Love Many Years Ago. This one still holds up for sure, would recommend and not just to children.

Charlotte McConaghy - Migrations

Someone I follow online (an influencer!) recommended a different book by this author, but I found this one first and figured what the hell. It is a good book. It is a well-written book. But also as I was reading through every bad thing that had ever happened to the main character I kind of wanted to be like "isn't this enough? isn't is possible to write an interesting character without giving them every kind of trauma on the planet?".

redacted, (non-fiction)

A self-help book someone recommended in some Twitter replies, that happened to be on the audiobook service I was subscribed to for a couple of months. The advice in the book was very good but it didn't stick.

Rebekah Taussig - Sitting Pretty (non-fiction)

I don't remember how I came across this (it was also on the audiobook platform) but I'm so so glad I did. I don't just recommend this, I am physically coming to your house and making you read this book.

Alice Oseman - Solitaire

Final audiobook, listened to because I watched Heartstopper and figured I should see what Alice Oseman's works are about. I recommend this, if you don't mind a million Harry Potter references, mainly because I need the plot of this book to happen in the background of Heartstopper season 2 and I want people to understand.

Noora Tuhkanen - Kuuraattori (F)

I got (back) into poetry this year after attending a poetry open mic at my local library, and I decided I should read some poetry in Finnish. This one was alright.

Pauliina Haasjoki - Planeetta (F)

See above re: poetry. This one was actually on the librarian recommendations shelf and I only saw it as I was leaving the library, but the cover caught my attention so I went back for it. Glad I did; this is my favourite Finnish poetry I've read so far. A recommendation.

Jane Austen - Persuasion

I read this one fairly often anyway, but this year it coincided with the release of the trailer for the Netflix adaptation. Now that I'm writing this I'm thinking about The Letter so hard I might have to make this my first re-read of 2023. A definite recommendation.

Emmi Itäranta - Kuunpäivän kirjeet (F)

I bought this one ages ago because I will love and support anything Emmi Itäranta writes, but then I noticed it came out in the UK and I recommended it to a friend and immediately went "oh shit I should probably read it myself" so I read it really quickly and am pleased to say I didn't have to take back the recommendation. The best book Itäranta has written so far, if you're not from Finland please look up The Moonday Letters, this is probably in my top 3 books I've read all year. (Yeah, I recommend this.)

Eila Kaustia - Aikamerkki (F)

Poetry, Finnish, I was over at my grandma's for midsummer and it was on a bookshelf. I remember nothing about it, but I must have enjoyed it.

Jonathan Safran Foer - We Are the Weather (F translation, non-fiction)

I follow people online who are in what might be called the climate circles, heard good things about this one, read it, remember very little of it.

Bethany Clift - Last One at the Party

I've long had a thing for books in the "almost everyone in the world dies" genre (god knows why), but this wasn't it. Not bad, not the worst in the genre, but… could the sole survivor of the virus not have been a more interesting person, at least?

Mary Jean Chan & Andrew McMillan (ed.) - 100 Queer Poems

I feel like the title is explanation enough for why I bought this book. What more do you need to know? It's fuckin fantastic. I keep it on my bedside table and hug it occasionally. Would recommend.

Emily M. Danforth - Plain Bad Heroines

My local library has a section of books in English, and this one was in there with a rainbow flag sticker on the spine. Not sure how I feel about it, I mostly liked it but some parts made me go "uhh what the fuck". The writing itself was really good, though. I recommend it if you don't mind Weird Shit with your lesbian hauntings.

Dave Wolverton - The Rising Force

This one's a Star Wars book. About a young Obi-Wan Kenobi. Target audience: 9-y.o. boys (see: my brother when this book was bought for him) and me.

Mary Oliver - Blue Horses

This was a gift from a dear friend, and I treasure it almost as much as I treasure our friendship (a lot). Would recommend, both reading Mary Oliver and having friends.

Sini Helminen - Hurme (F)

This was one of my NaNoWriMo prep research books. I ventured into my library's YA section for this, to find Finnish fantasy books. I find it hard to rate this, considering it's in a genre I don't tend to read.

Elina Rouhiainen - Muistojenlukija (F)

More NaNoWriMo prep reading. I liked this more than I did Hurme, and wasn't even too distracted reading about the area of Helsinki where I'm from (fuck yeah Vuosaari). But again, it's not this book's fault, but fantasy YA just isn't for me.

Erin Sterling - The Ex Hex

NaNoWriMo prep reading of a different sort, this time a witchy romance. Felt a bit meh.

Ursula K. Le Guin - The Word for World is Forest

I'm a simple man: I see a Le Guin book, I read it. Obviously I would recommend this.

Ann Aguirre - Witch Please

Back to NaNoWriMo prep reading. Here's the thing: I read some questionable books in 2022. This was the worst. You may ask me why I hated it, but only if you want to hear a very long rant.

[redacted] (non-fiction)

A Humble Bundle book.

Charlotte Brontë - Jane Eyre

NaNoWriMo prep reading, again, this time taking the gothic romance approach. It's nicely written, and a classic for a reason, I guess.

Ryan O'Connell - Just By Looking at Him

Actually looked at my Bookbub email for the first time in years and this was in there! I loved Ryan O'Connell's Netflix show, Special, and I loved this book. I don't love what it did to my Google Play Books recommendations because it was marked as erotica. But I do recommend this book.

Remi Carrington - Wrangled by Lilith

Another Bookbub find, this one might even have been free. I saw the words "cowboy romance" and was somewhat disappointed.

Autokoulun oppikirja (F, non-fiction)

So I went to driving school, and this was the textbook I used for the written test. I guess I'd recommend it if you were learning to drive in Finland. The "what not to do" pictures were entertaining, so bonus points for that.

Claudia Burgoa & Grahame Claire - Holiday With You

Bookbub, free, Christmas romance. One of the better romance novels I read this year.

Ellie Cahill - I Temporarily Do

Bookbub, free, fake marriage trope. Also a pretty fun read.

CP Ward - Autumn in Sycamore Park

Bookbub, free, had a fun time with it.

Ashley Poston - The Dead Romantics

Bookbub, cheap, ghost romance. I liked it enough that I think I did recommend it to someone, and certainly enough that I was horrified when I saw it in a bookstore on the "tiktok made me buy it" shelf. I'd say this is my favourite booktok book I read.

Tamsyn Muir - Gideon the Ninth

This book was first marketed to me by a friend whose taste I do not trust (see "The Flatshare" and "Red, White & Royal Blue") as "sword lesbians in space" which obviously piqued my interest. Also, people on the internet who I don't see talking about books have been talking about this series for ages. And finally, I came across it at my local library. You guys were right, this is really good, and yes I would recommend it.

Sophie Ranald - No We Can't Be Friends

Bookbub, cheap (free?). Eh.

Rebecca Crowley - Shine a Light

Bookbub, cheap (free?). A holiday romance, set not at Christmas, but at Hanukkah. Obviously I'm reading it. And unlike many of the romance novels on my list this year: I would genuinely recommend this one if you enjoy the genre.

Emily M. Danforth - The Miseducation of Cameron Post

I guess I did like Danforth's Plain Bad Heroines enough that when I saw this in the YA section of the library I took it home. Not the most exciting book I've ever read, but fine.

Ali Hazelwood - The Love Hypothesis

The first time I saw this on the "tiktok made me buy it" shelf at the bookstore, I was curious as someone whose interests include romance and academia, but who got burned by a book about those a few years back. Then I heard it was originally a Reylo fic, and I knew I had to read it. Bookbub came through for me, I paid a euro, and… well, it's not the worst book I've read all year. I wouldn't recommend it, but I did have fun with it.

Anni Nupponen - Valkoinen kaupunki (F)

Of the books in my library's tiny sci-fi section, this one seemed the most promising out of the ones I hadn't read before, and it turned out to be So Good. The world-building was amazing. Unfortunately most of you will have to take my word for it because this book has not been translated into any other languages, sorry.

Diana Wynne Jones - Howl's Moving Castle (F translation)

The movie adaptation was my comfort watch of 2020, and this book my comfort read of the same year. I don't remember what made me think of it, but I got it out the library once more. Lovely book, what more can I say? Also, the translation is really good - I'm annoying and picky about translations but this one worked. Would therefore recommend both the book and the translation.

Mary Oliver - Swan & A Thousand Mornings (both F translation)

Well. I read these because I adore Mary Oliver (we know this) and I needed lines from poems I liked for a poetry class assignment. I would recommend the poems but not the translations.

Tiina Tuppurainen - Sinä olet perheeni (F)

I heard the author speak at a Pride event and I was curious about this book as a queer Finn. I very much wanted to like this book. I did not.

Ashlyn Kane & Morgan James - Winging It

Another cheap Bookbub find. As someone who has spent a lot of time reading a lot of Check, Please! fanfiction, what was I supposed to do, not read the gay ice hockey romance? I'd recommend it if you would like the experience of reading Check, Please! fanfiction except with different characters, but it doesn't really have much more to offer.

[redacted], non-fiction

Another Humble Bundle book.

Shirley Jackson - The Lottery and Other Stories

I've read and loved two of Shirley Jackson's novels, and I figured I would love her short stories just as much. I almost did. I think I just didn't "get" some of the stories which is really a me problem.

Beth O'Leary - The Flatshare

A pal recommended this, and I read the Finnish translation a couple of years ago, and I read it again because it came up for like 1€ on Bookbub and I remembered thinking it was okay. It's a fun concept, but a fun concept does not a brilliant book make. My 2020 self was right: it was okay.

Connie Willis - Doomsday Book

I bought this in like, 2015 or 2016, when my method for selecting a book was "as long as it's sci-fi written by a woman" (which is something I still do in bookstores). It's set around Christmas, so I have a tradition of reading it around then, going so far as to buy the ebook copy because my physical copy is with my brother. I would absolutely recommend this book, but not without content warnings.

Casey McQuiston - Red, White & Royal Blue

A friend (see above re: The Flatshare) actually recommended this to me back when it came out, so I was curious about it, and another friend read it and said they hated it. This second friend lent it to me with the words "I'd tell you to enjoy, but I don't think we can be friends if you do" and I'm happy to say I wouldn't recommend this book. It's a fun read, but it isn't good.

#phew this accidentally posted early ANYWAY #here enjoy this post where i justify my reading choices instead of reviewing them properly

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luminouslumity · 1 year

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THOUGHTS ON: THE COSMERE SERIES

So I said last year about how I was going to be reading the Cosmere books for the first time, one book/series at a time, and I've finally done just that!

So I started with Elantris and it was... eh. Yeah, I can see why this one isn't really talked about much. I didn't even hate it, tbh, but I still found it to be pretty boring overall. I know it was Branderson's first book, though, so I'm willing to cut him some slack here. Hopefully I'll enjoy the sequel more, whenever it comes out.

Next was the original Mistborn trilogy, which I've actually been wanting to read for awhile now! I can certainly see why it's Branderson's most popular work and I myself really liked it, too! Kelsier is probably my favorite character since I love how many layers there are to him. Elend is a close second, and considering what happens to the latter... Yeah...

Speaking of villains, I still can't tell if we're meant to pity Rashek or not due to things like this:

It's calling him "a good man" is what has me thrown off. I know his actions were at least in part due to Ruin's influence, but still! As for Ruin himself, again, I love Chessmaster characters! I do however think I would've preferred it if the Hero of Ages did turn into a tyrant, just because I've always loved this sort of trope, but I'm not too bothered about the twist, either.

So since I finished Era 1, I decided to read Era 2 while I was still on Scadrial, and as someone who's not too fond of Westerns in general, I thought the Wax and Wayne series was okay. I was feeling so bad for Wax throughout it, though! And I'm also really looking forward to the inevitable big crossover that's been teased at this entire time after getting a taste of it in a main book.

And now we come to my favorite of the Cosmere books, Warbreaker! And it's just fun! Really, really fun! Of the PoV storylines, I think I liked Vivenna's arc the most and how determined she was to rescue her sister, but Siri's was still a close second. Favorite character in general, though, Bluefingers. I repeat, I love a good Chessmaster! But more than that, I really liked how sympathetic he was, just trying to free his people, but he and his supporters ended up taking things way too far! Which brings to what is really my only big complaint with the book, and that's how abruptly it seemed to end, especially where the conflict with the Pahn Kahl is concerned, so for better or worse, I really hope their fate gets explored in Nightblood. Which reminds me, I loved the chaotic sword, too!

White Sand was next and it was another story I found to just be alright, both the graphic novel as well as the prose version.

Now comes The Stormlight Archive, another I've been wanting to read for awhile now, though I know it won't be completed for a few years now. I actually read the audiobook to the Prime version of TWoK first, so it was fun to compare it with the official release and I really hope we get more Sanderson Curiosities in the future! All that said, I'm really enjoying the story so far and how grand everything feels, but oof, did these scenes make me cringe:

On one hand, I totally get scolding Kaladin for just automatically assuming the worst of everyone who's a lighteyes and being fed up with his cynicism. At the same time, though, I also really hate how dismissive Shallan comes across in this chapter. At first, I thought that was the intention, but then we get this:

This isn't even the first time I've felt like anger towards oppression was being dismissed in one way or another, btw (again, Warbreaker, my beloved), these are just the moments that stood out to me the most. It'd be one thing if it were just condemning extremists, but when you have scenes like Shallan's talk with Kaladin and... Yeah... Again, I totally get the intention, I just wish the scenes had played out better, because I actually do like Shallan otherwise.

Anyway, I ended up reading Arcanum Unbounded afterwards, as well as Dawnshard, and I liked them just fine. Secret History is probably my favorite of the short stories, and I really hope Nalthis gets a short story eventually. I also received Aether of Night literally yesterday (thank you, 17th Shard!) and it was interesting seeing the similarities between this and other Branderson works, such as Ruin and Decay.

If I had to rank them from favorite to least favorite, it would probably be Warbreaker, The Final Empire, Wax and Wayne, The Stormlight Archive, White Sand, and finally, Elantris.

So yeah, great stories by someone who seems like an overall great guy, I just question some of the writing choices.

#brandon sanderson #branderson #cosmere #the cosmere #fantasy #elantris #mistborn #the final empire #wax and wayne #warbreaker #white sand #white sand prose #the stormlight archive #the way of kings prime #arcanum unbounded #aether of night #thoughts

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bookwyrminspiration · 1 year

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please please please give me your thoughts and opinions on trc I need to know every thought you have had about the series ever

I would love to share! Have not read the dreamer trilogy yet, hence the reread because I'm finally getting around to it. I got to Ronan crying after trashing Adam's dorm and being banned, then for some reason got distracted from it.

But! There are a few things that first come to mind: ronan is so so precious to me. I have a type of favorite character and he is it. I would hold him in my hands but he'd never in a million years let me. He is raw and unbridled and fascinating. I don't think we'd get along great, but he's such a good character.

Second, I'm like 97% sure Blue and I have the same haircut. Not pictured: me five minutes ago tying my hair into the spikiest ponytail and trying desperately to find more clips because it's just not quite long enough to work, but I like it. Need more clips tho. Enamored with her eccentricity and commitment to it. When I first read her descriptions however many years ago, I didn't quite get it, but I do now and I aspire to be as unconventional and intentional as she is.

Another thing I can't stop thinking about: Noah. No other loss has hit me and stuck like him. It's wrenching, just how poignant his "death" is. I say death because I know he's dead, but I'm referring to how he quietly faded from time. It guts me every time I think about it because it's so unlike what you find in any other writing. As painful and raw as death can be, in other books, they aren't gone. Not fully. There are memories and memorabilia and fond thoughts and moments. There is a space where they were, and it may be empty but the space is there. Not for Noah. He isn't dead, he doesn't exist anymore. There are no thoughts, no space where he used to be. He's gone from the story in a way no other character death provides--and it hurts. Especially reading that scene where Ronan wrote remembered in the car window. Because I know he isn't. I know that the only place Noah exists is in our, the readers, minds. That he's only truly there in your first read through and you don't even know to treasure it. Because rereading it, you see him on the page and know he's not there. Not in the same way. At least to me. It is devastating and I don't think any death will ever compare to it for me.

This series was designed to be reread and even though it's been long enough I don't remember everything, it still hits. And I am immediately reminded why I adored the series so and why I read through it so fast, even though it hadn't been anything like what I thought it was about. I cannot believe I've let cdth and mister impossible sit on my shelf for so long--i've had cdth since like 2019, 2020 or something. really soon after it was released

i know the series just ended or something like that, and I'd been joking like "haha everyone else has reached the end of the story but since I haven't read it I get to live in a world where it isn't over <3" but now I am oh so aware that's it's over and that time it limited. i am going to reach the end and that will be it but I won't be the same. you know how that is, when a story ends and there's nothing new, and you can reread and talk about it and enjoy it but something has changed?

anyway, my point is wow I missed this series and I'm so glad I picked it up again on a whim

#trc #the raven cycle #quil's queries #nonsie #long post #i need to eat this series alive with my teeth #they are THE found family #also I know I didn't talk about everyone but i didn't wanna go overboard #and also I've forgotten like 95% of everything about henry #toga party. working with blue and staging and argument to keep her raven boy hating reputation intact #that's about it #wait something about a bee and not enough clothes #i didn't have the chance to grow fond of him my first read through but I know some people really are #so I will be entering into those books with a more open mind #oh and I'm part way through dream thieves at the moment #will also try to be open minded about kavinsky. as I wasn't too fond of him first time around either

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muppeted · 2 years

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3, 10 and 13 for the book asks!

ahhh tysm for asking! I’m putting this under a read more bc i got a lil out of control lmao

3. what are your top 5 books of the year?

ok I’m planning on making a separate post w my top 10 2022 releases so consider this list like. my top 5 books I read this year that were NOT released in 2022. if that makes sense. in no particular order:

-the inheritance trilogy by nk jemisin—putting an entire series as one book may be cheating BUT. also me recommending jemisin is very like. hey, did y’all know that one of the most acclaimed sf writers of our generation is uhhh….really fucking good? but oh my god she is.

-the book of atrix wolfe by patricia a mckillip—was reading this when I found out mckillip had passed away, which made for an extra emotional experience. her writing is so, so beautiful, and has had such an impact on the way I write (ok, try and mostly fail to write)/think about fantasy. this is a great standalone from her, about ghosts and curses and the magic of kitchens.

-the singing hills cycle by nghi vo—this is just like. everything I want from a series of linked fantasy novellas. if that makes sense. Like I’m such a sucker for books where the frame narrative is someone going around collecting stories, and the stories vo tells are so real, feel deeply embedded in history and mythology, love and rage. and, ofc, also very very queer and hot (who among us has not wanted to be semi-abducted by beautiful morally ambiguous tiger lady).

-ghost summer by tananarive due—one of the things I love abt due is her stories work SO well read aloud—levar burton’s podcast featured one of the stories from this book and it was such a good ep, I really recommend seeking it out. listening to her read at an event I attended a couple years ago was also amazing—the entire audience was like so tense and so with her for the entire story, it was great. another thing I love about this collection is that at the end of each story she gives some context around the writing of the story—it’s fun! I think more authors should do this w their short story collections!

-peter darling by sa chant—yes it is embarrassing that it’s taken me this long to read this. but I did! finally! and I did cry !

ok actually going through the list I cried while reading 4/5 of these despite the fact that none of them are like. stereotypical cry-y books. which could mean 1) i love books that make me cry or 2) i just cried a lot this year. probably both

10. what was your favorite new release of the year?

gonna say it’s a tie between the daughter of doctor moreau by silvia moreno-garcia and the hurting kind by ada limon. I just finished the hurting kind so that might make me a lil biased but limon is one of my all time favorite poets and this collection peeled me like an orange so ! (is that a phrase? is that something ppl say? icr)

And then the second daughter of dr Moreau was announced I was like I’m going to love this and then I did. reworking SF classics is just so completely my shit and moreno-garcia does it sososososo well. really recommend watching island of lost souls (the 1932 adaptation) right before watching this, they pair together perfectly (it;s like, one takes this base story and does something mostly shitty but still kind of fascinating/intriguing with it, and the other takes this base story and turns it into something incredible).

13. what were your least favorite books of the year?

Listen. I read so many bad romance novels this year. also a lot of really really good romance novels but. so many bad ones. i don’t want to like name names but here is a vague list:

-romance that was literally just ted lasso but ALSO the author was originally a het romance writer who had never written gay before so the sex scenes were like ‘he put his thingy in my thingy’ and it’s like maam. this is not my immortal. either say hole or leave.

-tiktok popular book that was EXTREMELY badly-written (yes this happened 3 times. it will probably happen again. I’m not even on tiktok--i’d see some non-tiktok person rec it also so i’d be like oh then it must be good ! and it never was. idk i am Charlie Brown and tiktok is lucy holding the football)

-started reading a fantasy romance and was intrigued by the premise and then they described the love interest and I was like ‘oh. this is just fantasy k*lo ren.’ i have like zero feelings on k*lo ren he just is not sexy to me so it always took me out of it and made me put the book down. also I don’t even think the books themselves were r*ylo or republished fanfic or anything I think the authors just think that character/actor is sexy. which is fine. i just am not personally into that. this also happened twice

#books #seriously thank you sm for the question v clearly im love to talk abt books 🥰🥰🥰#also yeah i would say the top genres I read this year were 1) sf 2) romance 3) poetry

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veeples · 6 months

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3, 5 and 12 for the book asks!! 💕

hi silv <33 ty beloved!

3. What were your top five books of the year?

Answered here! Even though The Broken Earth trilogy didn't make my top five just because, like, I consider it together as a series and I technically started that in 2022, I'll give a funny story and say that when I borrowed The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin a bunch of water from my bottle spilled onto it and I had to buy the library a new copy OTL. Which I'm totally fine with replacing it, I'm just mortified at myself that it happened! It made me finally throw away that water bottle since it never closed correctly.

5. What genre did you read the most of?

According to StoryGraph, it's LGBTQIA+ which really isn't a proper genre of it's own, but after that, it's fantasy, literary, and horror! I would love to continue to delve more into the horror genre, maybe dip my toes into older works and see where the foundation lies.

12. Any books that disappointed you?

I kind of touched upon it in another ask, but The Spite House by Johnny Compton set me up for low expectations (because, like, I can kind of eye a B-rated horror concept from a distance), but overall it has a poor build in tension and suffers from just way too many POVs for a novel of it's length. I think for a classic haunted house sort of narrative, the thriller part should revolve around the threat of the house, and yet the most thrilling part happens... at a different house??? And there's so little satisfaction in unravelling the mystery when the characters who are new to this town and this house don't really have to do any digging themselves. Another character offers insight, and another character is able to push the Informational Character to Release the Information. There's no digging, there's no uncovering, and I think this is due in part to the POVs extending to characters outside of the focal family who know nothing about the situation they're in. And then because there are so POVs, I do feel like it cut in hard to deeper and more meaningful characterization for the family. I mean, a haunted house is cool, but it's really about the people who haunt it and people who get haunted by it, so. Really a bit of a clumsy narrative with a halfway decent mystery and concept of death and ghosts, but it felt very flat for me.

[end of year book asks!]

#ask game #queerbrujas #i'm so sorry johnny compton you had something interesting with your ghosts #maybe limit your POVs next time :(

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ladala99 · 9 months

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More Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermilion Rambling

Extreme spoilers edition - I'm about 7/8 of the way through the game, I think. Maybe a little less. My characters are level 36 and my completed file has them at like, 43.

After a big Detective Pikachu->Mewtwo Raid->preparing 3DS Pokemon games Pokemon for transfer (which I'm still in the middle of) break, I'm back to playing A Tear of Vermilion, at least during the weekdays.

At first I had a harder time getting into it, but then I actually got to the next story beat: the confirmation that Mile is alive.

I didn't actually remember this part - the part at the starting village. With Mile's possessed body being used by the main villain to cause problems in the village and corrupt the nature spirit.

Already, I am a sucker for games that take you back to the starting village, but something is wrong. Neopets: The Darkest Faerie in particular hit me hard since I played in the starting village as a kid and didn't beat the game until I was in college.

In this game it didn't hit me as hard, but it still hit. The darker music in the familiar town. The peaceful villagers being possessed by the villains and being used against Avin. And Mile in particular. The childhood friend. The healer in all aspects. Being used as a weapon against his best friend.

And now, past that, I've reached a plot point where Avin and co. are trying to find an explosive crystal and I'm like "why do I remember this of all things?" Although, by Michel's reaction to them, I wonder if what I remember is from Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch, as I've played that game twice. I do recognize Michel's full name and I know he's from that game, but I think he has green hair in that game while it's brown in this one? Unless I'm mixing him up with someone else.

Seems there is one nature spirit left to save, and then we'll be able to enter the final area. Writer guy says he's wrapping up his series, and I got the final book in the Swordsmaster series, so the game seems to be coming to a close.

It is interesting how the story changes to be much more videogame-y after the first half. In the first half, you're traveling the land with two goals: deliver a thing to one place, and then another, and find Eimelle, wherever she happens to be. Everything else that happens is incidental, and Avin and co. get involved because they're good people who want to help. This ends up making them friends who help Avin in his goals.

The second half, you go to a shrine and find out you need to backtrack across the land and go to 5 other shrines. Each shrine has a boss you must defeat to receive a token. Get all the tokens to unlock the final area.

And of course, getting back into the series, I get obsessed a bit and decided to think about/chart out my course through the Trails series to follow. Nevermind that I still have two more Gagharv games I want to beat before then, and nevermind that I have a ton of other games I'll be mixing in, meaning it will be literal years before I get to my first new game.

Perhaps my biggest problem - the fact that I own Trails in the Sky First Chapter and don't have any way to get the others - will be solved by then. Maybe they'll actually release that trilogy for Switch (or Switch 2 or whatever).

Or maybe not. And I'll have to make the decision then whether I want to watch a playthrough of the other two games to see their stories before moving on or accept the uncommon situation of having the information of the first game and not the others going into the second arc.

I should probably watch the videos. Since I think I'd be more confused knowing some but not all than I would knowing nothing going into the second arc. But I'm not going to not play the game I bought.

But this is also Not Something I Should Be Worrying About Right Now. Because, again, it'll be years before I reach the point where I'm starting the Trails series.

#the legend of heroes #a tear of vermilion #gagharv trilogy

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byneddiedingo · 2 years

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Yuko Miyamura in Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku, 2000)

Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Takeshi Kitano, Taro Yamamoto, Masanobu Ando, Kou Shibasaki, Chiaki Kuriyama, Takashi Tsukamoto, Sosuke Takaoka, Eri Ishikawa, Hitomi Hyuga, Yuko Miyamura. Screenplay: Kenta Fukasaku, based on a novel by Koushun Takami. Cinematography: Katsumi Yanagijima. Production design: Kyoko Heya. Film editing: Hirohide Abe.

In my brief and admittedly superficial exploration of Japanese cinema, I have often been struck by how postwar filmmakers take a rather harsh attitude toward the generation born after World War II. Even so hip a director as Nagisa Oshima paints a rather jaundiced picture of wayward teenagers in films like Cruel Story of Youth (1960), though suggesting that American influence at least helped push Japanese young people into delinquency. Masahiro Shinoda's Youth in Fury, made the same year as Oshima's film, focuses on the student riots against the Japanese-American mutual security treaty, suggesting that the political impotence of the young is to blame. An older filmmaker like Keisuke Kinshita, in The Young Rebels (1980), blamed the rebelliousness on parents, a familiar scapegoat. And then there's Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale, which subjects the problem of turbulent youth to what we might call a final solution: mutual extermination. In an era plagued by depression and unemployment, the government passes a population-control law: Each year, a middle school class is chosen and sent to a remote island where they are forced to fight to the death. If you're thinking this sounds a lot like The Hunger Games, have another drink. In fact, Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games trilogy, the first book of which appeared in 2008, has said that she never saw the film or read the 1999 novel by Koushun Takami on which it was based. Her claim is plausible: Battle Royale stirred up so much controversy in Japan over its violence that it wasn't released theatrically in the United States until 2011, partly because American distributors were scared off by memories of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. Fukasaku's film is in fact like a bloodier, more barebones version of The Hunger Games movies (Gary Ross, 2012; Francis Lawrence, 2013, 2014, 2015). It's also funnier and scarier because it has been shorn of the Olympic Games-style spectacle of the American movies. Instead, we get a "training video" in which a ditzy instructor (Yuko Miyamura), a parody of Japanese game show hosts, explains the rules: Each player gets a bag of supplies that includes a "weapon" -- ranging from a semiautomatic rifle to a paper fan -- and they are all fitted with monitoring collars that will explode if they try to remove them, as well as if the game ends on the third day with more than one survivor. The film, written by the director's son, Kenta Fukasaku, doesn't waste a lot of time on character development, except for two principal combatants, Shuya (Tatsuya Fujiwara) and Noriko (Aki Maeda), who fall in love along the way. There are also a trio of villains: Mitsuko (Kou Shibasaki), who relishes the thought of killing her classmates, and a ringer, a "transfer student" named Kazuo Kirayama (Masanobu Ando), who is really a psychopath brought in by the sadistic director of the game, the schoolteacher Kitano (Takeshi Kitano), to spice things up. There's another supposed transfer student, Shogo Kawada (Taro Yamamoto), who is actually a survivor of an earlier game, but he turns out to be a good guy, seeking revenge on Kitano for his girlfriend's death in that game. Aside from these characters, most of the players are nondescript, except for the computer geek, Shinji Mimura (Takashi Tsukamoto), who manages both to hack into the game's system and to construct a bomb he plans to use to take out the game headquarters. There is much vivid killing in the film, but it's paced so fast, and the characters are mostly so undefined that, except for the fact that these are kids killing kids, it's easy to get caught up in it all. It's not surprising that it's one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite movies.

#Battle Royale #Kenji Fukasaku #Yuko Miyamura

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mell-eight · 2 years

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The End of Reprints and Transitioning to New Books

10/15/22 For the past three years, it feels as if all I've been releasing are reprint after reprint after reprint. I know I've peppered in some new material here and there, but it really felt like the process of re-releasing older books would never end. I have loved revisiting beloved characters and worlds, particularly my earliest works that helped me grow into the writer I am today. However, I have missed the process of crafting new things. That is why I am very happy to say that with the release of The Oracle's Prophecy (renamed from The Sentinel's Prophesy) on October 11th (buy here), I am done with reprinting old material! It is an incredibly exciting milestone! I really appreciate everyone who stuck with me through what has been a very long road. Re-editing and getting 29 reprints available again for you all to enjoy took a lot out of me (and out of my wonderful editor!), and greatly reduced my writing time for new material. Thankfully, I had written some new stories prior to starting the reprinting process, so you were able to enjoy brand new material like Wounded Alpha, Ground of Resurrection, and the new fairy tales included in A Little Fairy Dust while you were waiting. Still, I know there is a hankering for more new books from me. Which brings me to what's next. I was able to finish writing the sixth and final book in The Oracle series, The Oracle's Current, in between all the editing. Current has since been waiting for the rest of The Oracle series to be reprinted. When Current is released on October 25th, it will officially mark the start of my only publishing new material from here on out. You can already pre-order from NSP! As the reprinting process slowed throughout 2022, I have been able to spend more and more time focused on writing. I recently completed a trilogy of books called Witch's Circle about a witch, his familiars, a werewolf, and the difficulties they encounter while navigating the supernatural world. The first book, Coven, could potentially be released at the very end of this year, but certainly no later than very early 2023. The latter two books in the trilogy, Hunter and Witch, will definitely come out next year. Plus, I completed a short story called Water's Price about some mermaids, which you should also see in 2023. But wait, there's more! Lol While that is everything NSP has currently contracted with me to publish, I have a few other things I've been working on that I hope to submit for NSP's consideration within the next few months. I have finished writing and am editing a stand alone fantasy story with the (very tentative) title of Fire and Water. As soon as I come up with a better title, I plan to submit it to NSP. I have also passed the halfway point in writing another stand alone fantasy/sci-fi crossover story called You Can't Sell A Dragon's Heart. I still need to write the major climax scene and tie the HEA off with a pretty bow, so there's still a lot to do, but I definitely think I'll have this story completed soon. Plus, now that I'm done with reprints, I should have more time to focus on my oversized to-do list, upon which I hope to begin making progress again very soon! I look forward to keeping everyone in the loop as I continue to work on more of my new stories and get them ready for you to read.

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incorrectpizza · 2 years

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Why 2022 will be a make it or break it year for Star Wars

Ok, so I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, especially with the Kenobi trailer finally dropping. I’m convinced that 2022 will be the year that either saves Star Wars for me or which pushes me to apathy, if not distaste, of the franchise.

While this is, of course, my personal opinion, I believe that this will be the same for many other Star Wars fans. So, hear me out. I’m going to be analyzing each of the major projects in 2022 and detailing why I think their success is so vital to the franchise.

Putting the actual post under the cut because it got a little out of hand.

Reblog & put your own predictions in the tags - I would love to read them!

THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT

I want to touch on TBOBF briefly because it was predominantly a 2022 release. I don’t think this show helped Star Wars as much as it could’ve. It proved to be yet another divisive piece of media; I’d say it got much more love, than, say, The Last Jedi or The Rise of Skywalker, but it also didn’t get the level of praise The Mandalorian did. And it stole some key moments that could’ve made the season premiere of that show a real banger.

OBI-WAN KENOBI

This show is arguably the most anticipated piece of Star Wars content since The Force Awakens. People have been begging for Ewan McGregor’s return to Star Wars ever since Disney bought the franchise. This show is likely to draw an outsized audience of “normies” as opposed to the other Star Wars content that’s coming out this year.

This show has an outsized level of hype and is playing with a LOT of beloved legacy characters (even more than the sequel trilogy?!) Already we have confirmed Obi-Wan, Darth Vader, Owen, Beru, and a young Luke Skywalker (albeit from a distance). There are a few others who are heavily rumored but not outright confirmed which I’ll refrain from listing here.

Obi-Wan and Darth Vader having another confrontation will almost certainly be epic, but if done sloppily it could really break lore. Same with Obi-Wan possibly interacting with Luke.

On top of this, they are also dealing with some popular characters from outside the movies. The Inquisitors’ presence - emphasized so heavily in the very first teaser - could confuse or delight fans.

If they screw this show up, it could have a profound impact on the way people view both the Original Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy (albeit to a lesser extent).

To put things succinctly: Obi-Wan Kenobi is an extremely anticipated show which will likely change the way all of Star Wars is seen - for the better or worse.

ANDOR

This show isn’t as big a deal as Obi-Wan Kenobi, but it holds a unique place as the series that could most surprise Star Wars fans. In my humble opinion, Andor could be a shocking success that brings together fans of the prequels, animated shows, originals, books, comics and, of course, Rogue One.

This slice of the timeline is full of possibilities: pretty much any character from the Prequels, Originals, or the time in between could show up.

Perhaps the biggest question is “Will we get to see Jedi?” There haven’t been many concrete rumors about Andor, which means they could totally surprise us with some mind-blowing connections. Could Ewan McGregor have filmed an extra scene or two while he was working on Kenobi? Or maybe a younger Ahsoka Tano will show up here as Fulcrum? Kanan Jarrus hasn’t revealed his identity, but it’s entirely plausible he and/or Hera Syndulla could show up in their roles as young rebellion heroes.

It’s not just Jedi that could show up, though. The show will deal with both the Rebellion and the underworld, opening up a world of possibilities. There’s the possibility of a clone trooper or two cameoing, or even young Boba Fett; Temeura Morrison is still very well connected with Star Wars. Maybe young Fennec Shand could make an appearance as well? We know she’s already bounty hunting by this time. A persistent fan hope is Star Wars Rebels’ Alexsandr Kallus, who would still be an Imperial agent at this time.

Add in the odd, persistent rumors of George Lucas’s involvement, and you get a recipe for something special.

Will Andor be a magical Neapolitan pizza with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella or a sad stale piece of cardboard covered in a dry, just-barely-tomato-esque paste and cheese that looks like it was chewed by a dog?

THE BAD BATCH

So, here’s the thing about The Bad Batch Season Two:

We know absolutely nothing about it.

Aside from the fact that it’s coming, there have been zero announcements, and few leaks or rumors, since the initial announcement of the renewal last year. The latest development? Bob Chapek actually left the show out of the list of the remaining content for 2022 during Investor Day yesterday, and Star Wars Insider changed the sidebar from “Coming Spring 2022″ to “Coming Soon”.

Are there production woes? Could it be cancelled? Or do they just not have an easy spot to slide it into their lineup of content? We know courtesy of Michelle Ang that the show was recording lines months ago.

This show is big for a few reasons. It’s not the most beloved Star Wars animated series by far, but it had a sizeable fandom. It’s also the only animated Star Wars on the horizon in the near future.

Some of Star Wars’ best content has been animated. The Clone Wars and Rebels are both very well-loved. Visions had a fun breakout moment, and Resistance is severely underrated.

I worry that, if The Bad Batch doesn’t get a great second season - and a renewal for a third, if it’s been sketched out - it could be very bad news for Lucasfilm Animation and its fans. I’m thoroughly convinced that Resistance got cut short. If The Bad Batch doesn’t perform up to snuff, I’m afraid they might decide that animation isn’t worth it anymore. With the Rebels sequel storyline moving to live action, there isn’t a very clear direction for Star Wars animation to go after The Bad Batch, and I’m afraid it could become scarce.

LEGO STAR WARS: THE SKYWALKER SAGA

This game has been coming out for so kriffing long that Lego Star Wars fans could be extremely salty if it isn’t everything they’d hoped and dreamed. (I’m not a huge Lego fan, so this is pure speculation, but I can’t say I’d blame them.)

JEDI FALLEN ORDER 2

This is a long shot but if the Jedi Fallen Order sequel gets a killer trailer and/or a release in 2022, it could provide a lifeline to some Star Wars fans who are struggling to enjoy the other content. (I know it’s one of my most anticipated Star Wars projects).

BOOKS & COMICS

I felt weird leaving these out entirely, because they do exist, but there isn’t anything huge going on. Other than The High Republic, which I’m pretty sure everyone has either gone all-in one or abandoned by this point, we have just a handful of books that look to either enhance or cast a dark shadow over a few beloved characters. But these aren’t likely to make a huge splash, so I don’t see them making a big difference to the fandom writ large.

THE MANDALORIAN SEASON 3

I tacked this on at the last moment to remind people that we should’ve gotten a third season of The Mandalorian in 2022. If it weren’t for Disney’s firing of Gina Carano and subsequent rewrites, it likely would have premiered as scheduled in 2022. It could’ve been a fantastic banger of an ending to a year of epic Star Wars (if everything above went well and on schedule). But as things stand, it’s looking like The Mandalorian will come out in 2023 at the earliest.

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