Milestone vs Ultraverse Discussion Thread

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

I'm back from my conference, I will try and address these as I can.

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Lel wrote: "Would people aspiring to be transhuman count as godlike? They are all able to connect mentally and download programs to their brains, kind of like Neo in the Matrix? Could I get a way with that?"


That sounds god like to me. Go for it.

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Audrey wrote: "Wayland, question:

For Ghoul, "where someone can talk to spirits," do the spirits have to be dead people or are noncorporeal beings in general okay?"

More detail, please.

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Christina wrote: "Melanie wrote: "I have a copy of Black Sun, so I will read that if y'all are confident it fits."

Not 100% sure that it fits but when I asked my friends on Facebook for suggestions I used Wayland's..."

Black Sun is find from what I remember of it.

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Lel wrote: "Wayland
For Iota: Why yes, she DOES come from the land Down Under, can I get away with an Australian author?"

Kind of stretching things, but if you either have a book by an Aussie author you really want to read or trouble finding an Aussie character, go for it.

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Johanne wrote: "Wayland, for Prototype: Serious Malfunction - I'm guessing it can't be about someone who goes lame and uses a wheelchair, if they don't get their legs amputated? I am reading such a book atm."

Yeah, looking at more loss of limbs here.

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Johanne wrote: "So, I need a second opinion. I just read The Red Scrolls of Magic for Rex Mundi: Delusions of Godhood, and I am honestly not sure if it fits or not. It comes down to how you interpr..."

Johanne, that sounds fine.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

Wayland wrote: "Audrey wrote: "Wayland, question:

For Ghoul, "where someone can talk to spirits," do the spirits have to be dead people or are noncorporeal beings in general okay?"

More detail, please."

Magicians can summon spirits to possess their bodies in exchange for certain magical powers, which vary based on the spirits' abilities. They're called spirits; they could also pass for demons or djinn-like beings.

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Ok, that works. Go for it

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

If you're looking for Australian characters, there's Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series. I recently read The Wife and the Widow and In a Holidaze, which have Australian characters.

[Shawnie]

I read book 1 from the Phrynne Fisher Mystery series set in Australia. It was really good.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

Wayland wrote: "Ok, that works. Go for it"

Yay

[Sandy]

Anyone have an suggestions on Demon Fox the third characteristic?

[Shawnie]

Sandy wrote: "Anyone have an suggestions on Demon Fox the third characteristic?"

I went with a succubus on that one. They literally suck emotions from people. Succubus Blues was pretty good, and I plan to continue the series.

[Shawnie]

Blood Price is a paranormal mystery that I enjoyed. It has a vampire on the cover.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

Sandy wrote: "Anyone have an suggestions on Demon Fox the third characteristic?"

I think that's not my team. What is the requirement?

[Shawnie]

Audrey wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Anyone have an suggestions on Demon Fox the third characteristic?"

I think that's not my team. What is the requirement?"

March villain, Demon Fox. :) Emotional vampire, manipulating the emotions of others, stealing emotions, vampire on the cover.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

An Unattractive Vampire -- vampire on cover
White Court vampires in Harry Dresden

[Shawnie]

I was able to get copies, so I'm going to try to finish both the 700+ page and the 988 page books of the month and the villain books this month! Reading goals... :p

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

I try not to vote for long books of the month anymore. :)

[Shawnie]

Audrey, that's been my strategy as well. :) I vote for the shorter books.

[Lel]

Goodreads deleted my progress post so i've had to re do it:(

Milestone

Heros: 12/12
Villians: 12/12
Portal heros: 2/2
Energy Cells: 21/24
Bonus Hero's 7/7

Heros

Icon (3/3)
Strange Visitor From Another Planet- Planetside
Augustus Freeman, Esquire- Dark Fire
Rocket- Eli and Sarel

Donner (3/3)
Nazi Geneticist Grandfather-The Bands of Mourning
Shadow Cabinet- Blood Shadows
Out and Proud-Strings Attached

Hardware (3/3)
DOBIE- Demon Seed
Prodigy-Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun
Skylark-Apex

Static (3/3)
It’s Static, NOT Static Shock-The Sea Wolf
Do The Right Thing- The Library of the Unwritten
Teenaged Geek-Vita Nostra

Flashback (3/3)
Rewind!-A Trail Through Time
Addict-The English Patient
Fade-The Dirty Streets of Heaven

Aquamaria (3/3)
1. LatinX- Mexican Gothic
2. Go With the Flow-Stillhouse Lake
3. She’s so Quiet-The Ill-Made Mute

Dharma(3/3)
Psychometry-Dark Wolf
Not On My Watch-The Alpha and His King
Leader of the Shadow Cabinet-Dogs of War

Iota (3/3)
Why yes, she DOES come from the land Down Under-The Bat
Physicist-Nexus
What to take for Kleptomania-The Spirit Thief

Iron Butterfly (3/3)
Palestinian-We Hunt the Flame
Live By The Sword…-Heroes Die
Metal Wings-The Whisper Man

Blitzen (3/3)
1. Fast Woman-Dark Lycan
Self-Experimentation-The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror
Outspoken-Broken

Wise Son (3/3)
Devoted Muslim- The Empire of Gold
Invulnerable- The Song of Achilles
Blood Syndicate- Mage's Blood

Masquerade (3/3)
Who Am I?-The Snowman
Bloodthirsty-The Shrinking Man
Transgender-Dreadnought

Portal Heroes (2/2)

Ninjak (3/3)
I am ninja!-Shadow's Edge
Video Game Geek- Ready Player Two
Magical Transformation-The Harpy

Bloodshot (3/3)
Mobster/Secret Agent- The Misfit Soldier
Pale Skin-Heart-Shaped Box
Cyborg- Infiltrator

Bonus Heros (6/6)

Ms. Victory (3/3)
On the Homefront-The Snow
Fem Force- European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman
Started in DC-Woman, Eating

The Flame (3/3)
Missionary- Deeplight
Teleport- The Name of All Things
Lost in a Flood-The Haar

Tatooine (3/3)
Desert-A Black and Endless Sky
Binary Star- Allegiance of Honor
Sand- The Memory of Souls

Alderaan (3/3)
What a view!-Beautiful Chaos
Destroyed-The Massacre of Mankind
The Graveyard- Five Minds

Endor (3/3)
Forestland-Rustication
Ewoks- Bengal's Quest
No, that IS a moon-Night Shift Witch

Hellboy (3/3)
Summoned- The Summoning
Superior Firepower-The Heroes
Half-Breed- Tender is the Flesh

Elsa (3/3)
“Princess? That’s cute. I’m a queen.”- A Shiver of Light
The Snow Queen-The Queen of the Damned
Olaf-Wild Justice


Villains (10/12)

Holocaust (3/3)
Exception to the Rule-Snakewood
Fiery Aura- The Blinding Knife
Starting Young-A Study In Red: The Secret Journal Of Jack The Ripper

Rex Mundi (3/3)
Immortal-The Children of the Lightning
Serial Killer-My Sister, the Serial Killer
Delusions of Godhood-Crux

Demon Fox (3/3)
Firefox
The Cruel Prince
Emotional Vampire-Lover Unveiled

NME (3/3)
You Had One Job- The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Unspeaking Foe-Spaceside
Would You Die Already?-A Court of Thorns and Roses

Ash (3/3)
Putting On Airs-Nine Princes in Amber
Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time-Promise of Blood the cover.
It’s A Blast-The Crimson Campaign

Rafferty (3/3)
Master Assassin-The Way of Shadows
Heads Up!-book:Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances|22522808]
Weird Bling-. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

Headmaster (3/3)
Mind Games- 'Salem's Lot
When I’m In Charge…- The Maze Runner
Q-Juice- The Troop

Rune (3/3)
Strange Visitor-Every Heart a Doorway
Star Stones-Forbidden Mafia Prince
Kill the Dragon- The Ruin of Kings

Tarmack (3/3)
Born to Follow- Slaughterhouse-Five
Too Cold!-All the White Spaces
That’s What You Went With?-The Pallbearers Club

Lord Pumpkin (3/3)
Don’t Toy With Me!-The Silent Companions
Hostile Takeover-Sovereign
Weirdest Dealer Ever-Pumpkin Pies & Potions

Edwin Alva (3/3)
Respectable Businessman-Legends & Lattes
Exploitative Boss-Making it Personal
Frame Job- The Picture Frame

Atalon (1/3)
In places deep, where dark things sleep…-Metro 2034
Gravity Powers-Gravity
Steal the Nukes!-Point of Impact

Energy cells (21/24)
Velocity Weapon
The Shadow of the Gods
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
Foundation and Empire
Shards of Earth
Howl’s Moving Castle
Empire of the Vampire
Pandora's Star DNF
Daughter of the Moon Goddess
The Kaiju Preservation Society
Elder Race
The Hunger of the Gods
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
The Gutter Prayer
An Unkindness of Magicians
The Past Is Red
Upgrade
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Nettle & Bone
The Cartographers
Legendborn
Light from Uncommon Stars

[Christina]

Lel wrote: "Goodreads deleted my progress post so i've had to re do it:(

."

Oh no, Lel! I am so sorry. :(

[Lel]

It’s so annoying Christina, there are so many bugs with the goodreads app on the iPhone.

[Johanne]

Oh no!

[Shawnie]

Lel wrote: "It’s so annoying Christina, there are so many bugs with the goodreads app on the iPhone."

The app is so annoying. I only use the website. :(

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

I like scanning barcodes with the app, but that is it.

[Shawnie]

Audrey wrote: "I like scanning barcodes with the app, but that is it."

I didn't know about this. Pretty handy.

[Johanne]

Wayland, question for you:
In Dragon Haven the (view spoiler)[dragons change some of the keepers into elderlings, a different race, this involves physical changes (one of the characters gains wings) and longer life spans. (hide spoiler)] Could this work for Prime: Transform?
And if not, one of the main characters is a very skilled hunter and very good with a bow. Could that work for Firearm: Deadly aim?

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Not sure about the first, but the second absolutely.

[Johanne]

Thanks :)

[Johanne]

Friends in the Ultraverse:
Any ideas for shorter books for this months villain and bonus hero?
I have committed to some large books this month, and I'm not sure they fit (and there's not 6 of them anyway), so I am in need of help here.

[Lel]

For the villain this month I've gone for The Troop for Q juice and The Maze Runner for When im in Charge. Both are under 400 pages. Im hoping the maze runner fits but not entirely sure until ive read it.

[Shawnie]

For #1 and #3, I'm using the Death Before Dragons series by Lindsay Buroker that starts with Sinister Magic. The dragons can mind control (#1) and the dark elves create/use devices that change people (#3). The books are under 300 pages usually and are pretty good. I'm using books 5 and 6 for the villain.

[Shawnie]

I don't have any ideas for #2 yet.

[Christina]

Yeah, I am totally stuck with #2 for the villain as well.

[Johanne]

Oh thanks, I'm going to read Rain wild chronicles #3 and 4 and they also work for the villain #1 and 3, for the same reasons. Don't know why I didn't think of that.
It would be most appreciated if anyone has more ideas for villain #2, and for the Ultraverse bonus hero :)

[Johanne]

Can anyone confirm if Shadow of the Gods would work for one of Ultraverse's portal hero? I have that high on my want to read soon list.

[Hayley]

Johanne wrote: "Can anyone confirm if Shadow of the Gods would work for one of Ultraverse's portal hero? I have that high on my want to read soon list."

It would work for #3, god on the cover. For #1 I might read Shadow and Bone or the second one in the series, the MC is the first sun summoner so think it would work. I'm a bit stuck on #2 too though but was thinking of something like the hunger games if I can find a book similar where someone survives a deadly trial as I've already read that.

[Johanne]

Hayley wrote: "Johanne wrote: "Can anyone confirm if Shadow of the Gods would work for one of Ultraverse's portal hero? I have that high on my want to read soon list."

It would work for #3, god on the cover. For..."

Thanks :)
Good idea with going the deadly trial route. There must be several, though my brain is a bit blank.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

For Statesman #2, there was a similar prompt last year, and I read Hiroshima, which is kind of short.

For #3, maybe a Discworld or Harry Dresden? Any Rick Riordan.

#1 could be almost anything. First king or emperor of something, founding of an organization.

[Johanne]

Oh yes Discworld! And good idea with Hiroshima (or something similar). Pretty sure I read Svetlana Aleksejevas Chernobyl book for that one last year.

[Hayley]

Does anyone have any ideas for Ultraverse summer bonus #1? Someone has a huge overreaction to something or a city block is destroyed. I was thinking something like a city under siege, I love a good battle in fantasy books but that sort of thing normally doesn't happen until later on in series and I just can't think of anything. (I've read the poppy war books so something along those lines.)

[Shawnie]

Seems like urban fantasy usually has things like city blocks getting destroyed. Dragons. Also, Sanderson's Steelheart series has big destructive fight scenes.

[Johanne]

There’s a lot of destruction going on in The Broken Empire trilogy by Mark Lawrence. I’m not 100% sure buildings get destroyed in the first book, but maybe someone else has read it recently, or has a brain that works differently than mine.

[Shawnie]

Wayland, any issues with using girls rather than women for "read a book with a group that’s only women, with a team of women working together for something, or with at least three women on the cover?" I'd like to use Wilder Girls.

[Shawnie]

Not a problem if it doesn't work. :) It's available so I thought I'd ask.

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Shawnie wrote: "Wayland, any issues with using girls rather than women for "read a book with a group that’s only women, with a team of women working together for something, or with at least three women on the cove..."

That's fine. Go for it

[Lel]

Does this apple on the cover look like its made of a gem? Can I get away with it for Rune this month?
Forbidden Mafia Prince

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Lel wrote: "Does this apple on the cover look like its made of a gem? Can I get away with it for Rune this month?
Forbidden Mafia Prince"

Stretching it a wee bit, but go for it.