Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.
The number of artists who can/should cover They Might Be Giants is small–but my personal list grew when an algorithm fed me this song.
Fantasy with Friends is a weekly meme hosted by the good people over at Pages Unbound. Fantasy with Friends poses questions each Monday about fantasy, either as a genre as a whole or individual works.
This week’s prompt is:
When I saw this prompt, one title jumped immediately to mind. “Well, this is going to be an easy post,” I said to myself. And then I felt bad that I didn’t think of another book. Then another came to mind, and when I started actually writing. I will do my best to stop thinking about it so I can actually finish this post.
I’ve never seen anyone else talk about this fantastic series about a small ethnic group in Appalachia who are supernaturally wonderful musicians. And just supernatrual, too. I loved each and every one of these, even if I didn’t write about them all. For more information, check out https://alexbledsoe.com/the-tufa/.
Despite having loved this so much, I’ve yet to read the other two books in the trilogy. There’s Chosen One, who turns out not to have been; there’s a cranky old woman who’s the greatest martial artist alive–who teaches the spoiled brat who turns out not to be that Chosen more than anyone expected; there’s an assassin going around causing trouble and…so much else going on. I was blown away by this wuxia-inspired novel and highly commend it. (as I tried to express here)
This is the one that jumped immediately to mind. Ewington’s satire/celebration/commentary on D&D and related fiction/games is ridiculous and thoughtful. In this book, a non-adventurer goes around interviewing all sorts of Fantasy types who are adventurers or are adventurer-adjacent about what it means to be a hero. He finds a lot more than that–and maybe learns a bit about himself. (I gushed about it here)
Speaking of hilarity…this book tells the story of how a group of adventurers vanquish a dragon. It’s a well-known historical account. This book also is a telling of what really happened that didn’t quite make the official account. That’s as succinct as I can put it. Don’t miss it. (I rambled about it a bit more here)
I’m sure some of the other posts in response to this prompt will be more thoughtful and will include titles I need to add to my list. I’m looking forward to reading them. Do you have responses to this? (either for the comment section below or from your own post)
For years now, I’ve linked to posts by The Firsty Duelist–typically from his mother’s Witty and Sarcastic Book Club in Saturday Miscellany posts. Since he started his blog, he’s taught me more about manga than anyone that isn’t my kid. And now, I get the pleasure of co-hosting this review of JCM Berne’s great debut. Enjoy, and give ol’ Firsty a follow.
I got this image from jcmberne.com
This book follows Rohan, a man with half-alien parentage which gives him tremendous and spectacular Powers, who is working as a Tow Chief on the space station Wistful, bringing in ships by flying through space under his own Hybrid Power. However, he wasn’t always a Tow Chief, and he didn’t always use his Powers peacefully… When this past starts catching up to him in the midst of a scientific investigation into a nearby wormhole which recently displayed major signs of activity, will he manage to ride it through, or will he have to revert to his old self in order to save those he cares about? Only time will tell…
To put it simply, I loved this book! The pace kept things moving even during more subdued scenes, the dialogue was great and showcased the characters’ personalities really well, and the worldbuilding was super interesting as well. The idea of beings with one parent from a certain alien race having special Powers granted to them by their heritage that their full-blooded parents don’t exhibit is fascinating, and the additional details explained about how this system works later in the book made for some spectacular revelations.
To put it in more detail, this book is a shining example of the kind of sci-fi (or storytelling pace in general) that I like. From what I can tell a lot of sci-fi is a bit slower, or more of a downer, or tries to go more for weirdness than anything else, and this book doesn’t do any of that, which I appreciate. It reads almost like a comic book, which is a comparison definitely helped by Rohan’s quippyness and the fact that he basically has superpowers. And on the topic of those Powers, that was one thing that really stood out to me with this book as well! The idea that not only do some people in this world have the ability to use their own inherent energy to Push and Pull on things around them, as well as an increased healing factor and above-average strength, is cool enough, but the added wrinkle of it being dependent on heritage, and said heritage often using their Powered offspring for intergalactic conquest and warfare, was super interesting to me.
Additionally, this book does a great job not only expanding on the details that are actively relevant to the plot, but also the details of the universe at large. It really felt like the Empire was a massive looming presence, even though they weren’t directly involved in the story. And the ramifications of recent events, especially the ramifications of Rohan’s involvement in said events, also came into play in great ways, further deepening the overall plot. The story pretty much takes place entirely on Wistful and in the surrounding space, but it feels like a much grander scale due to the way the far-reaching parts of the universe play into things.
Meanwhile, the characters were all great as well! Rohan was likeable while still having his own issues to work out, making him a good protagonist trying to do his best despite his flawed past, but for me the supporting cast is even better. The Security Chief Wei Li’s deadpan sense of humor (or maybe just plain deadpan seriousness?) was fantastic to read and always seemed to catch Rohan off-guard, and the scientific research vessel Insatiable was also a highlight for me, with their extremely energetic personality and difficulty with keeping secrets.
Actually, the idea that a spaceship (or space station, for that matter) could be sentient was something that I wasn’t expecting when going into this book, and it surprised me a bit at first, but I feel it makes the story even more unique, and also adds more weight to things like firefights, with multiple ships taking damage or being destroyed. Depending on the scale and origin of the ships involved, destroying them is the same as taking a life, even without taking into account the lives of the crew members, and that additional wrinkle was very interesting. Plus, like I said earlier, the ship Insatiable was really fun to read, and Wistful definitely has a few secrets which I hope will be explored later in the series…
Another thing this book did well was making the different alien species feel, well, alien! There’s a certain alien race in this book that are basically talking space bears, and the way they’re written makes them feel just different enough to feel like aliens, while still having customs and mannerisms that a normal human can understand. I can’t say much more without spoiling some of the latter half of the book, but I really like how the “Ursans”, as they are called, played into things in particular, and some of the offhand descriptions of their rituals and such that I felt did a great job conveying what sort of society they have.
Overall, I can’t say enough about this book! If you want a fast-paced sci-fi story with an unforgettable world, great characters, and a fantastic balance of intense action, a bit of drama, and some good humor as well, then I highly recommend this book.
But, that’s about it for this post! I hope you enjoyed reading what I had to say, and may you have a fantastic day, night, or whenever it is you’re reading this!
-Bye!
Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Neverending Stories: On the continuation novel
The Key to Writing Effective Action and Suspense (Part 1): It’s all about answering a question.—Nick Kolakowski follows up on a viral tweet (that I loved), sure, it’s for writers, but we readers can get into it, too.
Modern Retellings for Your Bookshelf
8 Changes I’ve Noticed in Book Blogging in the Past Few Years—now that Briana says it, yeah, I think I’ve noticed that, too.
10 Series I Won’t Finish (And Why I’m Okay With That) —I totally get where Already Overbooked is coming from here.
A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
A. R. Witham The Shadow of JCM Berne—Witham chats with the author about the fourth book in the Hybrid Helix series, Shadow of Hyperion. How fun is that?
To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Got Luck by Michael Darling—I’m still annoyed that I didn’t read the sequel.
Elphie and Dad go on an Epic Adventure by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
And I mentioned the releases of: Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye; Got Luck by Michael Darling; and Transgalactic by James Gunn
This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Enemy of My Enemy by Alex Segura—”Matt Murdock defends the Punisher in the trial of the century—the murder of the Kingpin—while by night Daredevil staves off a war of succession for the throne of the criminal underworld.” I can’t wait to dive in.
Tales in the Midst: A Collection of Short Stories from the World of Jane Yellowrock by Faith Hunter—6 tales from the Yellowrock-verse
Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy by Jo Walton, Ada Palmer—”From two of the most acclaimed writers in the field today, a groundbreaking look at how SF and fantasy writing—and reading!—work.”
We all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (yet, publishing companies spend big bucks on cover design/art and we all do judge them that way). But, the opening sentence(s)/paragraph(s) are fair game. So, when I stumble on a good opening (or remember one and pull it off the shelves), I like to throw it up here (especially if I’m out of time to come up with a post that involves writing on my part).
from Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite:
Near the topmost deck, in a small lift with glass walls and flickering buttons, I, Dorothy Gentleman, ship’s detective, opened a pair of eyes and licked a pair of lips and awoke in a body that wasn’t mine.
It was the nails that first tipped me off. Blank bodies were just that: blank. My nails ought to have been the same color as the skin beneath—in my case, somewhere in a range of pinks, tending to florid.
Not silver, and not shaped.
This body was already inhabited.
My skin—someone’s skin—broke out in gooseflesh. Of course every human body was a horrifying collection of juices and tissues, acids and effluvia poured into a bag with a bunch of long rocks, a shambling accident of biology that made its own mysterious and often frustrating decisions without reference to the mind. They were disgusting miracles, every one. It was always a bit unsettling to wake up in a fresh form, until habit made a home of it.
But someone else’s home, and my self inside it! A nightmare. Imagine going to the washroom to be sick and having someone else’s sick come out.
I came very close to making this more than a metaphor. It took many deep, deliberate breaths for the squeamish feeling to subside.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
It’s the last Friday of the month, so it’s time for my Most Captivating Character of the Month post. This month, I’ve decided to go with Ruslav, a thug from Adrian Tchaikovsky’s City of Last Chances.
When we meet Ruslav, he’s a despicable person. Truly. And by the close of the novel… he’s still a despicable person, but we’ve discovered a vein of decency in him, and he’s prevented from acting on most of his despicability.
Ruslav makes his money by beating people up for a pair of crime lords–well, doing more than beating people up, but let’s just leave it at that. It’s not just his profession–it’s his passion; he really enjoys inflicting pain. Off the clock, Ruslav falls for women–hard. Once he “has his way with them” (a phrase that makes my skin crawl, but it’s the best I’ve got), he falls out of love with them and really doesn’t give them another thought. He doesn’t love and leave them, because leaving seems to indicate a lot more active distancing from the women than I think he’s capable of.
This is spoilery, so feel free to skip down to the final paragraph, but I don’t think it’s that bad. In the pursuit of his latest “true love,” Ruslav goes to an art show put on by some college students. One painting there catches his eye–he buys it, and is later seen in his quarters staring at it. I don’t think we’re supposed to get the idea that this is great art–maybe not even good art. But it speaks to Ruslav in a way that I don’t think he knew art could. It doesn’t change him–but it reminds him of a younger version of himself and what motivated him then.
What does change him–at least his actions, but not his core–is a deal he unwittingly entered into with a deity. I won’t get into the details, but he literally has to change careers permanently. There’s no change of heart, no road to Damascus moment, nothing like that at all–he just has to stop hurting people if he wants to live.
While remaining a vile person, there’s a moment when he has a heart-to-heart conversation with the man who made that painting. Ruslav opens up to him in a way I doubt he has to anyone in years–if ever. He’s able to talk to the artist about what that painting meant to him and to remind the painter what of him was represented there. It’s probably the best version of himself that Ruslav has been in years, if ever.
And it’s all possible because of the way a piece of art–likely a kitschy painting–struck him in just the right way. In a way that nothing else could. A way that reminded him of something more than being a brute. I find that captivating.
The Lost Daughter of Spartaby Felicia Day, illustrated by Rowan MacColl
DETAILS:
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: March 17, 2026
Format: Hardcover
Length: 193 pg.
Read Date: March 21, 2026
Day explains this better in the book, but I bring this up because it’s kind of a key to thinking about this book. Day came across a reference to a curse that was imposed on Helen of Troy and her sisters—which led to her rethinking Helen. As she looks into that some more, she reads about Helen’s sister Philonoe being made immortal by Artemis. And that’s it. No details provided.
Which gets her imagination percolating and us getting this graphic novel.
Whereas big sister Helen was a legendary beauty (literally), Philonoe was born with a birthmark denoting her as ugly—think Gorbachev’s scalp birthmark but covering about half her face. She’s sent to live with goatherds for most of her life, but is brought back by her parents following the Trojan War to get married.
Her future husband is a prince of Gla. If he has a redeeming quality to him, Day didn’t do a great job of making sure we saw it. Her mother reveals to her the nature of the curse that Aphrodite had put upon her and her sisters.
Philonoe goes to Aphrodite’s to ask for help with this curse and is sent on a quest to retrieve three items. Due to a previous sacrifice to Artemis, that goddess is paying attention to her, too. Artemis plays Ghosts of Sister Present with her, letting her see how things are going for them in a way to help her learn about the world.
I’m of two minds when it comes to the art. It’s not the cleanest, most attractive, or most consistent art you’ve come across. But there’s a charm to it—the more I read, the more I enjoyed it.
I know MacColl is capable of cleaner work—I’ve checked out their website and have seen it. So what I’m trying to talk about has to be intentional. There’s part of me that sees some similarities between the art and figures on Grecian Urns I’ve seen in books.
There’s just nothing subtle about the storytelling, or the dispensing of the moral(s) of the story. It might have been a bit more effective if it were.
Still, it’s hard to fault the moral(s) she’s dispensing—particularly if her daughter is the primary target audience.
This isn’t a feminist re-imagining of a classic character, like so many we’ve seen. Philonoe is a blank slate as far as history and literature are concerned, so Day has the freedom to draw whatever she wants on it—and she’s taken advantage of it. There’ve been so many interpretations of Aphrodite and Artemis over the centuries that one more isn’t notable (and Day likely echoes as many as she diverges from)—the two of them are rather amusing together.
It’s a classic hero’s journey that is full of commentary on Greek heroes and how they are used by the Olympians. I’d have liked to see a bit more of that, really. But what Day gave us was pretty effective.
It’s a fast read with some fun turns—it’s not perfect, but what is? Is Day capable of better? Yes. Can you feel her investment in the project on every page? Yeah, pretty much.
I’m glad that I read The Lost Daughter of Sparta, and I assume anyone the premise appeals to will be, too. I’d suggest checking it out.
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
The way this week is shaping up, I’m not expecting to get a lot more audiobook time in–I’ll hopefully finish my current book this week, but I don’t expect to move on. I should actually wrap up my March TBR, with a couple of bonus reads, to boot. That’s a pleasant change (and probably a more realistic TBR than I went for in the first two months of the year).
This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:
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| True Color: The Strange and Spectacular Quest to Define Color—from Azure to Zinc Pink by Kory Stamper |
Return to Sender by Craig Johnson, read by George Guidall |
Stamper’s book is just fascinating. I’m not sure what else to say. But this book about defining colors is full of drama, grief, suspense, and a delicious use of vocabulary. I’m eager to see what’s around the corner.
Man, I was annoyed when the work day ended today–I got over it quickly, I should stress–I was right in the end game of Return to Sender. I’m enjoying revisiting the book and am getting hyped for May’s release of the next book.
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| Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie |
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, read by Caitlin Davies |
Ancillary Justice is a heckuva read. I’m not sure yet what I think about it–I’m still chewing. But Leckie can write.
The Spellshop is probably too Romance-forward for a lot of my friends/readers. But there’s enough other things going on that the (squeaky-clean) Romance is palatable.
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| Nav’Aria: The Marked Heir by K.J. Backer |
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz, read by Emma Ladji |
Looking forward to diving into this Fantasy from K.J. Backer, a Literary Local (who will hopefully appear here in a Q&A soon)
I recall reading some good things about Violet Thistlewaite, but reading the description now leaves me scratching my head about why I’d put this on reserve. It just doesn’t seem like me. But trusting past-me has worked out a couple of times this year, I’m hoping I knew what I was doing.
Head Fakeby Scott Gordon, read by Nick Mondelli
DETAILS:
Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc.
Publication Date: April 29, 2025
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hrs., 43 min.
Read Date: February 27-March 2, 2026
Mikey has been unhoused a lot recently, but is currently staying with his father to recover from a sickness. If he can keep a job for a while, he can stay with him. His dad has a connection that can get Mikey a job at a school for high-risk offenders with mental illnesses as a bus driver.
It’s not much, but it’s something.
Then, due to a fun set of circumstances, he’s put in the job of coaching the team’s small basketball team.
Oh, I should probably mention that Mikey’s dad is a couple of months away from becoming the winningest High School basketball coach in the U.S., and despite the tortured relationship between the two, Mikey learned a lot from him.
Mikey needs to get the trust of his team (and the school’s administration), fight through his own mental illness struggles, and keep his father from tossing him out. That should be no problem at all, right?
I have no notes. Mondelli got everything from Mikey’s attitude, the students, his father, and everyone else just right.
I honestly don’t remember how I came across this book. But I put it on a list at some point, and eventually got around to picking it up.
I stuck with it because I liked Mikey—his voice and him as a person. He got his hooks in me right away and wouldn’t let go. I really just had to find out what happened to him—the more I got to know the students, the more I got invested. (just the way a reader is supposed to)
This is a book about broken people helping other broken people (and, in some cases, hurting broken people). While there are some similarities in the problems each character has faced and is facing, it’s not the commonalities that connect them—it’s that they’ve faced a problem and are still trying, however weakly.
Also, a love for basketball.
While set in a high school, this is not a YA book. But it is YA-friendly.
This book is really a mash-up of two sure-fire feel-good stories. First, you’ve got an underdog sports team battling just to be taken seriously—and it ends up winning a lot. Gordon nails this part. Granted, it’s hard to mess that kind of story up—but there’s something so satisfying when it’s done right.
The other part of the mash-up is the outsider connecting with students in an inspirational way. Think Lean on Me or Sister Act 2 (more of the latter than the former). Granted, a bus driver isn’t much of an authority figure—but that’s where the coach part comes in.
You combine the two with some strong character growth from one of the underest underdog characters I can think of, some dumb humor, and a metric ton of earnest goodwill, and you’ve got yourself a wholly pleasant book that I can’t imagine a reader/listener wouldn’t be charmed by.
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
I borrowing bits from my In Medias Res check-in.
Banners of WrathDETAILS: Series: Dreams of Dust and Steel, #3 Publisher: Chainbreaker Books Publication Date: February 12, 2026 Format: eARC Length: 873 pg.>
Read Date: February 7-18, 2026
In short, Namarr is at war—from within and, pretty soon, from without. Some characters are trying to stop the war (which, at this point, equals winning it before it gets worse), some are trying to take advantage of it, some are ignoring it in favor of their own concerns, and some are just trying to survive.
Obviously, the bulk of the book is picking up where Book 2, A Graveyard for Heroes left off. But there are some smaller plots that were largely absent from the last half that get picked up, too. And there’s one storyline that wasn’t really a factor in that book, but is coming back into the spotlight (although not as much—as it was in The Price of Power).
It’s hard to talk about this beyond that—I’ve tried, but really, this is part 3 of something that needs to be read from the beginning.
This is a very simple answer for both questions: because of the first 100 pages of The Price of Power (possibly fewer). I’m in for this series until the final page, or until Garlenna is killed, whichever comes first.
Okay, that’s not true—I’m in until the last page, if only so I can rant about Michel offing Garlenna with full context and be able to defend how it wasn’t worth it for the ending.
That we are a giant mixed bag of depravity, self-interest, fear, and noble actions. Sometimes, good—on a micro- or macro- level—comes from this, often it doesn’t. So, you know…it’s a pretty accurate representation.
There’s a lot to admire in various characters—self-sacrifice, acts of love, people trying to improve themselves. People “improving” themselves against their own impulses because of someone else. People fighting dark inner impulses (not always successfully).
Michel is on the verge of telling too many stories—and some of them make me wonder why he’s telling them. Are they really going to pay off in a way that justifies stretching our attention? Also, the chronology of too many of the storylines is slippery; it’s hard to know just when past events are happening (and each time I think I nail it down, I’m given a reason to question it).
Note, however the use of the word “verge” there. Also, I’m sure that the chronologies will become clear soon enough.
The important things to say that this book is as good as the last—both almost as good as the first (see what I said about the number of stories). The character development (and/or what we’re shown about them before we met them) is fantastic and entirely satisfying. The combat scenes are so well executed—and most of the emotionally raw scenes are better. The characters…ugh. I can’t talk about how much I love these characters (even the ones I hope end up losing a duel to the Dread Pirate Roberts “to the pain.”).
My big complaint is how Michel spoiled us by releasing the first too books so close together so we were lulled into thinking we’d continue to be fed that quickly (and, yes, he was clear about his schedule from the beginning—shhhhhh). Other than that, all I can say is that book four is going to be so grim, that I can only hope he gives us a few rays of hope as he prepares us for the final book.
If you haven’t yet—go get The Price of Power and A Graveyard for Heroes. Then come back here after you’ve read Banners of Wrath and tell me what you’re thinking. Deal?
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