Anyway, remember Risa? Who gave herself up to protect her friends? Who are basically all dead now? The dressing room she’s waiting before her next interview has a TV, and what just happened is all over the news. (more…)
Category: Books
Children of the Dragon Ch7
The camp was set in a dry valley between two low hills, and offered as much luxury as the country north and east of Reddust could provide. Pelesh had fretted long and loudly over the possibility that they had set up camp in a flood gully, and pointed hysterically to the heavens on no fewer than six occasions to point out clouds scudding low overhead.
The core problem of Pelesh is he’s in the wrong subgenre. This sort of attention to what life is like traveling is really good – if you’re showing the humble details relevant to humans like the reader. But, nothing about abyssals should ever be humble. They more than any of the exalts should be above this kind of thing. Other exalts can deal with life’s problems easily, abyssals just shrug and remind everyone they noped out of dealing with life at all. The Prince of Shadows isn’t in any danger, and if Pelesh drowns, the Prince of Shadows shrugs and reanimates his corpse.
Children of the Dragon Ch8
Let’s celebrate Freedom Explosions by more of this despite it not being a Friday.
Last time, the Prince of Shadows traveling! Today, Ratcatcher bumming about the Prince of Shadow’s castle, which he explains is basically empty.
UnWholly 76-79 Dreamliner, Starkey, Trace, Starkey
Well! Summer is over and I can get back to doing stuff. Wonderful!
Now I get to…go back to this awful book.
…As I said months back, we are at least in the home stretch here. We’re now entering Part 7 – Landings. And we get two quotes! (more…)
UnWholly Ch80-84 Miracolina, Hayden, Connor, Nelson, Connor
Having finished with the Goblin King and Trace, it’s time to finish our roundup of characters with names.
We last saw Miracolina get shot with tranquilizer yet again, and Lev asked a kid to help her, and the kid agreed while internally screaming FUCK THIS EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF because this is not a book where people without names get any sympathy.
Miracolina’s head is spinning as she awakes. That’s how she knows she’s been tranq’d. This is the fourth time she’s been tranq’d—she knows the drill by now.
It is ridiculous, isn’t it?
Dresden Files Grave Peril Ch1
I did threaten just doing the Exalted book, but I’ve had a break either way, so might as well get back to slogging through this.
Let’s see where we’re going.
There are reasons I hate to drive fast. For one, the Blue Beetle, the mismatched Volkswagen bug that I putter around in, rattles and groans dangerously at anything above sixty miles an hour. For another, I don’t get along so well with technology. Anything manufactured after about World War II seems to be susceptible to abrupt malfunction when I get close to it. As a rule, when I drive, I drive very carefully and sensibly.
So, solid opening. We’re recapping info for new readers, something that’s particularly important when one of the defenses of this series includes telling people not to pick up the first two books. For another, this is obviously setting up for the fact he’s about to tell us he is driving fast, and by listing the reasons that’s bad, we get a double shot of tension – speeding is even more dangerous than usual, and something even worse must be going on for him to be doing so.
Dresden Files Grave Peril Ch2
Last time:
I speared him into place with my most ferocious, dark-eyed smile and said, between teeth clenched
on the leather sack, “Hi. Could you tell us where the nursery is?”
Today:
We took the fire stairs.
Yup. We did just completely skip over how they managed to convince anyone to let them through after charging in like they were LARPers who’d finally lost the last vestiges of sanity. (more…)
Dresden Files Grave Peril Ch3-4
It’s time for us to jump back in time! Harry decides we really need the backstory to the fun present events.
Even days that culminate in a grand battle against an insane ghost and a trip across the border between this world and the spirit realm usually start out pretty normally. This one, for example, started off with breakfast and then work at the office.
Admittedly I’m way more sick of anyone thinking they need to start the story with breakfast than usual, but I don’t think anyone really wanted to stop and hear about what Harry’s office looks like instead of him following the ghost. Even if I accept this is basically necessary, I think a better point would’ve been to resolve the ghost thing then have an exhausted Harry quip about how this wasn’t how he expected things to go today, cue flashback.
Children of the Dragon Ch9
Ah, back to this nice, wholesome story of sociopaths and evil gods.
Today is a Wren chapter. A while back, Wren got into a fight with some people trying to loot the smoking remains of Yushuv’s beloved peasant village, took them out because they were just mortals, and took their horses. Now he’s trying to rest at an inn and see what new items the town has on offer. He decides to get a wide hat, which is a felt/leather hat because the book is boring and no one’s wearing conical straw hats or anything.
Dresden Files Grave Peril Ch5
Alright. So, last time, Harry was a piece of shit. Today, back to what he was doing when the book opened, back before he made it clear that yes, this book would be horrible.
Michael and I plunged through the hole I’d torn in reality and into the Nevernever. It felt like moving from a sauna into an air-conditioned office, except that I didn’t feel the change on my skin. I felt it in my thoughts and my feelings, and in the primitive, skin-crawling part of me at the base of my brain.
The book makes a desperate attempt to make me forget about that.
The little leather sack of ghost dust in my duster pocket abruptly increased its weight, dragging me off balance and to the ground. I let out a curse. The whole point of the ghost dust was that it was something extra-real, that it was heavy and inert and locked spiritual matter into place when it touched it. Even inside its bag, it had become a sudden stress on the Nevernever. If I opened the bag here, in the world of spirit, it might tear a hole in the floor. I’d have to be careful. I grunted with effort and pulled the little pouch out of my pocket. It felt like it weighed thirty or forty pounds.
Michael frowned down at my hands. “You know, I never really thought to ask before—but what is that
dust made of?”
“Depleted uranium,” I told him. “At least, that’s the base ingredient. I had to add in a lot of other things. Cold iron, basil, dung from a—”
And it does really good job! It’s not good enough and I still hope Harry gets mauled soon, but I’m willing to let the subject drop for a moment. (more…)
Dresden Files Grave Peril Ch6
Last time, a woman showed up and her appearance was only a little creepily described!
Harry gets right to the point, asking how Godmom got to him so fast. She’s all lolnope. Niceseeingyoubye? tries Harry.
She walked closer, her body moving with a lithe, sensuous grace
aaaaaaaaand so much for that. (more…)
Children of the Dragon Ch10
We ended the previous chapter with Wren picturing the poor innocent survivor of the massacre, running away sobbing from the horrors, so naturally we transition to the actual survivor, who is doing no such thing.
The book, though, is attempting to walk back on Yuyu being a complete sociopath by having him dream of the time before everyone he knew was brutally murdered. (more…)
Dresden Files Grave Peril Ch7
Last time, our heroes just finished heroing it up to save a whole roomful of newborn babies – the most baby babies you can get!
Today:
Michael rested his chin in his hands and sighed. “I can’t believe we’re in jail.”
Okay yeah, but, like, noir + ignorant muggles. Of course you are. (more…)
Dresden Files Grave Peril Ch8
Last time, vampires! Now, vampires. Yay, vampires! (more…)
Dresden Files Grave Peril Ch9
Last time, Harry either puts some arrogant murderers in their place OR is a bullying prejudiced jerk to people.
Today, remember sexy godmom? Time for Harry to remember last time’s sexy adventures with sexy godmom, which, yes, I guess the idea he got molested at sixteen was decided right from the start, as was that it was sexy. (more…)