Vagabond Treehouse (2023) [Beware of Chicken 3 - December 4th] Showing 2,501-2,550 of 5,829

[Choko]

I tell you what, we need those fluffy, no huge steaks reads, because I just finished the Warded Man and the second of the Bel Dam series, and if I hadn't read the TTCW and Cytonic in between, I would have wanted to wallow in depression for ever! Great books, horrific worlds and horrible treatment of one human being to another... Thank goodness this is not our life! And when those horrible dystopian stories are well written and engrossing, you want more of them, but they are not good for the psyche overall, if they become our predominant reading diet:)))

[Nirkatze]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Liars!!!… Our reading “diet” is like 50% popcorn and candy reads… anything to stave off burnout ;)"

LOL That sounds like me regular diet too...

Choko wrote: "The Subtle Knife... Up to Ch. 6... This parallel world hopping is interesting. Lyra is still a child, trusting or mistrusting exactly the wrong people. I think she should have made it a rule, neve..."

Hit Chapter 6! (view spoiler)[I think Lyra did a pretty good job of not telling the man in the museum anything unnecessary. Pan was helpful too, keeping her on edge. I think he might have been Will's pale man--and the little hints of a forked tongue in his sleeve--that would be his daemon, meaning he's from Lyra's world. Wasn't there a church person who had a snake daemon? But if so--how does the Church in Lyra's world find their way into Will's world? Such irony--all that work Asriel did to try to breach the worlds, and the Church already knew how all along...

I really loved the scene where Lyra and Will talk terminology: anbaric--electric--electrum--amber and so on. It was a fun little peek into the two worlds. And looking at our world through Lyra's eyes was also quite fun--“They’re trousers,” she said. “I’m a girl. Don’t be stupid.” LOL

I wish I knew London and Oxford well enough to be able to trace their path. That'd be a fun tourist thing to do sometime. I've always wanted to do a Dresden tour of Chicago.

I'd love to speculate on the Spectres with you, but unfortunately that is one of the aspects I do remember about the series. :) I will just enjoy your guesses in the meanwhile. :) I do think that they must be eating the adult's daemons though--which makes the adults they attack similar to the zombies who have their daemons cut out. I wonder if a witch would have trouble with them? Since they can send their daemons far away?

I'm thinking that Stanislaus Grumman must also be John Parry, Will's father. Two sides of the story, each searching for a missing man--it'd be good story for them to both be the same person. And that would explain why Grumman rejected the witch--he's married and still loves Will's mother. But why hasn't he gone back? And what about this object he is supposed to know of, that protects the bearer? Maybe it is the object of the title--the "Subtle Knife"--but what does it protect from, and how? (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "I tell you what, we need those fluffy, no huge steaks reads, because I just finished the Warded Man and the second of the Bel Dam series, and if I hadn't read the TTCW and Cytonic in between, I wou..."

Hear hear! On thing I will say though--I appreciate the fun light popcorny reads so much more when interspersed with the Grimdark. I look forward to the first of the month's Cradle read so so much--and I don't know if I'd appreciate them quite so much if I wasn't waiting so long and reading such darkness in between.

[Choko]

Same exactly, Iain! I can't wait for the Cradle reads, and I appreciate them 100 times more because I wait for them and have other stuff to read in between! So happy we are reading the next one tomorrow:)))

[Choko]

The Subtle Knife... I enjoy it, and really liked Will, but it felt a bit discombobulated from the first book and even in its own structure. I love the witches, well, most of them, and I hate that (view spoiler)[ Lord Asriel is the leader of the rebellion against The Authority... He is an ambitious, brilliant man, who is not a good person... And I don't like him, so I hate that everyone is flocking to him. I am also interested in understanding better how he is"controlling" time. Need more info!

You were right about the two groups searching for the same man:) It's a pity we lost two strong characters almost at once, plus the witch killed herself... Kind of a waste, and a horribly weak reason for doing so, if you ask me...

I am also fascinated by the Dust particles, and the way I understand it, the angels are constructed of them... Does that mean that there are good and bad Dust particles, or is it just how the people they affect are inclined? Again, need more info... (hide spoiler)]

I am looking forward to rounding up the series with you:)))

[Choko]

Iain, I am halfway through the Pale Dog, and their reactions to the puppy are absolutely hilarious:))) I want to take it home and feed it steak too:)))

[Nirkatze]

You two are really making me want to read those books--I'll have to hit y'all up in a few years for the next reread. They look really cool.

[Tonari no Emily]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Liars!!!… Our reading “diet” is like 50% popcorn and candy reads… anything to stave off burnout ;)"

Ahem, what you talking, I like to think my book tastes are always Michelin star meals *Looks at "Read" shelf nervously*😅

[Nirkatze]

Emily wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Liars!!!… Our reading “diet” is like 50% popcorn and candy reads… anything to stave off burnout ;)"

Ahem, what you talking, I like to think my book tastes are always Michelin..."

LOL. I won't tell if you don't. :)

[Choko]

Marla Mason#1... Up to Ch. 3 (view spoiler)[ I can't believe her friend and martial arts tutor is dead! I really thought he would be around for a while... And frogs? A weird Frog-monster statue stollen and the Asian master possibly inhabiting the young apprentice's body... I don't know if I believe that, or if he is going to try to use Rondo's sympathy to help him still her body... We will see... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Forgot to mention, I enjoyed the Pale Dog and the Pride is an Engine. A bit rough for the Pride story, but I am intrigued by the way he has multiple versions of one story. A reader can kind of choose which one fits their vision of the characters the most...

[Nirkatze]

Subtle Knife, Chapter 7--I see what you were talking about now, about Lyra being too trusting. (view spoiler)[She walked right from the frying pan into the fire--straight from one chasing person into the next. But if the pale haired folk aren't connected to the snake Lord, then who are they? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 10. (view spoiler)[John Parry confirmed! What excuses will he have for not returning home to Will and his mother? Hm... so he says the way back to his world was barred, so he could only move forward? I guess I can forgive him that.

Was thinking Will and Lyra would be able to bond over crappy fathers that they used to idolize. Maybe not.

And the knife is the protective object--funny that Lee is bargaining with Parry for something that Lyra already has, and that Parry has no right to bargain for. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 13 (view spoiler)[Pan's grumbling about how they should've never gone into the retiring room--and if they hadn't Lord Asriel would be poisoned, and none of this would have ever happened. Except that the Gobblers would have continued taking children, and who knows if Mrs. Coulter would have still come for Lyra or not? Let's say that aspect did stay the same. Then, in the end, Lyra would stopped with bears, and would never have gone over the bridge. Mrs. Coulter probably would have recaptured her, with no place to escape to. What would she be doing in her world now?

The ancient cliff-ghast speaks of ... Aesahaettr? "God Destroyer"--that sounds like it could be the Subtle Knife. Though the witches are thinking Lyra--which could be true also--someone who is supposed to bring an end to destiny could well be a God Destroyer. Or even Will, wielder of the Subtle Knife.
(hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Subtle Knife Chapter 14 (view spoiler)[RIP Lee! You were awesome, and Harriet was the best daemon ever. (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Marla Mason#1... Finished:) This was a very fast and cute listen:) I can see the changes in how the author has gone about telling Marla's stories. He had some darker vibes in the first drafts of the short stories, but here he has a bit of a lighter tone and definitely more fitting and pleasant to read. I really am enjoying Rando, who has come a long way from the small urchin boy with no jaw, to her besty at this point. Her experience with the cloak is also more controlled and les terrifying. It is still a powerful artifact, but it doesn't feel as evil as in the shorts.

Yep, the Emperor of San Francisco is definitely mentioned several times and I wonder what is the fascination with him the fantasy authors have. I have heard of him, I just don't know much about him, so I need to do some research...

The way the snake G-d and Marla talked to each other was awesome! I hate it that he didn't forgive her and is now her enemy for life. I liked her relationship with the old city magician and that he is going to tutor the actor on his abilities. Loved the sex talk and action of Rondo! You go, man!:))))

I am thinking about reading the second book right away. I already read 1.5, grander than the see... Another cute story! Love all the mental health issues the magic practitioners often deal with... I mean, I love that we have a place that deals with those... And as Rondo said, the doctor is kind of hot:)))

[Choko]

Nirkatze, I think Aesahaettr is the knife, but you might be right and it could be Will or Lyra... They didn't even cross my mind for that... Either way, I hate that the final goal is to go fight on the side and under the leadership of Lord Asriel...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Pale Dog and the fantasy world story were the best shorts, imo…

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Things were definitely adjusted some more in Marla Mason 1 vs the short stories… more retcons than progressions, I think… but for the betterment of the characters/story, too…

If you want to zoom, I’ll zoom with you…

This isn’t the end of multiverse shenanigans… can’t wait for you to meet some characters in Broken Mirror I think?… several other books to read in the meantime…

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "Nirkatze, I think Aesahaettr is the knife, but you might be right and it could be Will or Lyra... They didn't even cross my mind for that... Either way, I hate that the final goal is to go fight on..."

I just got to Chapter 15, and someone just confirmed Aesahaettr is the name of the knife.

But yeah, it's a bummer that so many people are lining up for Asriel. I do, however, like that it shows that the two sides aren't necessarily any different--the "good" rebellion is just as ruthless as the "bad" establishment. And that a cause can be worthy even if its leaders are not. It makes for great conflict and depth. I definitely look forward to the eventual reunion of Lyra and Asriel.

[Nirkatze]

Finished The Subtle Knife! (view spoiler)[Oof, the "go support Lord Asriel" bits is even worse than I was thinking when I read your comment earlier Choko! And now Will is torn between his father's last words, and Lyra's disappearance! >.< Of course he should go after Lyra, but will he? (hide spoiler)]

I'm good to start book three whenever.

[Choko]

How does Tuesday sound, Nirkatze?

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "How does Tuesday sound, Nirkatze?"

Sounds good!

[Nirkatze]

Started the next Middle Falls--Hart Tanner. Another character who is unlikeable at outset, and back to short lives. Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[Hey! We get to see Charles at work! I thought that first blip in Hart's mom's room was weird, and now we get it explained. Nice that they're changing up the programme a little.

Also, even though we started off with the new lives pretty quick, we seem to be getting first life info in longish memory dumps. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Poison Sleep is my least favorite entry in the Marla Mason series... only 3 star I gave... I think it was (view spoiler)[the mind-rapey lovetalker, and the 2nd book in a row that didn't really get to showcase Marla in command of her city (thanks to the manipulations of the lovetalker)...

I really liked the idea of the dreamshaper, and that whole aspect of the story... and Ted the Muggle... (hide spoiler)]

Not quite done with my re-read, yet...

[Choko]

Iain, Poison Sleep... I really enjoyed it! I get where you are coming from, about the (view spoiler)[ Joshua and his mind control love making... I think the reason it didn't upset me as any compulsion or mind-manipulation magic usually does, is that Marla knew from the get go what she was getting into, and still went into it, despite knowing all the dangers... I was actually more upset with her, because she was cocky and overconfident that she will be the one person not susceptible to his love magic. Come on, girl! You know better!

Genevieve was a wonderful character! Her fear, and her inability to control it, was so very relatable and understandable, my heart hurt for her. You just wanted to give her a hug and do something to make her less afraid...

I also liked Ted, and I was very sad for his outcome...

I am terrified by the Chaos girl, who ended up killing her boss, when really she was the core reason for the whole situation, starting with trying to free the really insane and powerful Chaos lady from the hospital, to getting the seer dude to lie and set all of that up to get more power. This chick is going to be a problem in the future, I am sure. I wish Marla got rid of her, instead of letting her live and make new plans for Marla's demise...

The fights were pretty cool and the flying creature, it broke my heart!!! Speaking of, that mad scientist magic doctor, he also scares me a bit... I hope Marla is able to make him truly loyal, or he could be another person to watch out for... (hide spoiler)]

Actually, the series so far have a bit of a Danny Faust vibe, which is a great thing in my eyes, since I love that series:))) This was a great idea to read, Iain! Thank you:)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

That's a core of the Marla Mason series... everyone's a threat... Nicolette, for sure... and others...

Elsie Jarrow is an interesting character (and unless she appears at the end of the book, you've only heard about her so far, and everyone being afraid of her chaos)... she's actually the author's second favorite character behind Marla... she'll appear more as the series progresses... for good or ill...

And the author is big into TV Tropes, so that will play a part in the story later on, too... playing on tropes, acknowledging they exist, etc...

Glad you're liking it... I really liked the series when I found it years ago... maybe it's why I like the Faust series so much, since I read them the other way around?... definitely another questionable hero type series...

Book 3 is a great entry in the series, and has far-reaching consequences...

[Choko]

I am definitely enjoying quite a lot! I am planning on letting my Faust friends know about it, unless I am the last of the bunch to have heard of it, hahaha!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

It's a pretty niche book, with a dedicated-enough fanbase to turn a "failed" 4 book series from a traditional publisher into a 10 book series with two 5 book arcs, thanks to Kickstarter...

Blood Engines only has 3200 ratings and 300 reviews...

Re:Blood Engines: I loved the idea that the world is just one big blood engine, and the fuel tank is close to empty...

And I just saw on the book page that GR is recommending Dead Djinn Universe as something other readers of Marla Mason might enjoy...

[Tonari no Emily]

TTHT #12
Through 14ish (view spoiler)[ I wonder if his comment to the Bank kid about ducking worked.. We never got to know if anyone survived the bank robbery on that life... Probably not, but you never know? (hide spoiler)]

Through 18? (view spoiler)[ My goodness living a whole life paralyzed must have been not great to say the least... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

TTHT #13... The life where he was (view spoiler)[ Paralyzed was very rough... I felt sorry for his wife in that life.

I actually finished it and enjoyed, but I never really connected with Hart much, except when he was with Mu-Shu... Those parts were very touching! I liked Nancy and her girlfriend, I wasn't found of any of his actual relatives or the mother of his daughter... A lot of dysfunction all around.

Apart from Mu-Shu, I also loved seeing Charles!!! He is in the control room! I am so happy for him:)))) I think he is my favorite character of the series so far...

I am glad once again, the character was able to reach his perfect life without getting into a lover relationship for happily ever after... Honestly, I would have been perfectly fine with him just loving Mu-Shu and not having a daughter to steal his heart. It was good, but not as good as the previous book:)) (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Woops, this one is #13 isn't it? haha

Lots of the same thoughts as you Choko.. (view spoiler)[ While I wasn't necessarily fond of Miranda (Baby Mama haha), I kinda like how the story played out (maybe not so much her death). I wouldn't call it so much dysfunction as an accident and they were working through it. Given how he fell in love with his daughter I think he might have done so if the mother stayed alive as well. Perhaps they would have ended up co-parenting? Hard to say...

But yes definitely the best parts were with Mu-Shu. And him being reunited with Mu-Shu at the end was just great! What a good boy. I think Charles might have been manipulating Mu-Shu to be reincarnated with Hart. Charles is a very good fit for being a Watcher with his methodical mind and able to see patterns and equations... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Emily wrote: "TTHT #12
Through 14ish [spoilers removed]

Through 18? [spoilers removed]"

re: 14 (view spoiler)[I was wondering the same thing. The whole bank robbery bothered me for his 3rd? life too--how he could just ignore it? Why didn't he just make a bloody phone call? (hide spoiler)]

re: 18 (view spoiler)[Paralyzed, and with old technology! >.< I feel bad for his wife too--tying herself to someone who had stopped caring for her. She was happy with the other dude. (hide spoiler)]

Only a little less than half through. Will finish today probably.

Enjoying seeing @Iain & @Choko talk Marla Mason books. :)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Speaking of Faust, Craig Schaefer is a favorite author of mine... I've read pretty much everything he's published... he's a writing machine, when he's not battling depression...

His writing speed has tapered off some, in the past year or so... started on new meds and new therapists, after spiraling a bit during the pandemic, I think?... I check out his blog sometimes...

Hard to believe he hasn't released anything in Faust/Black world in nearly 2 years... but I like the Ghosts of Gotham and Charlie McCabe stuff, too, so it's fine...

Looks like he released a new book in a new series last week: Any Minor World... we should check it out when it releases on audio (no idea when)... it's on KU as an ebook, but I'm not sold on ebook reading yet... if audio takes too long I probably will at some point... that's what I did last year, when I couldn't wait for The Hungry Dreaming any longer...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Blog says Any Minor World should be in audio production soon, hopefully... Faust has been written, and being edited... Black is being worked on...

And Any Minor World is set in the parallel world briefly visited in Chapter Tangerine of The Locust Job (previous Faust book I think)... I honestly don't remember, it's been so long... standalone cast of characters...

[Choko]

I haven't read everything of his, including Charlie McCabe and Ghost of Gotham, but I love Faust and Black, and the witches series!!!! Love them! Didn't realize he is dealing with depression... I know how that is, so my heart goes out to him. Hopefully he gets better, so we can get more books:) I know, selfish, right?:)

[Choko]

Emily, I totally agree - Charles makes a perfect Watcher! I hope we keep seeing him as we go:)

[Choko]

OMG! Look at this! How had I missed it? I am so happy for her:)))

http://craigschaeferbooks.com/blog/20...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "OMG! Look at this! How had I missed it? I am so happy for her:)))

http://craigschaeferbooks.com/blog/20..."

Thanks for that... good for them... it has a nice FAQ at the end, too... I figured changing name on old books and maintaining fanbase might be confusing if the name change was done on the professional side vs personal...

That question about glocks in Red Knight Falling busted me up laughing, tho :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

You know, that post brings light to the character of Seelie in The Hungry Dreaming, a trans MC, iirc...

I think a sequel to that is the next book Schaefer is writing, after the Harmony Black book...

It's weird how that series is just numbering entries, as if there aren't two entirely separate casts of characters... I guess it's just kinda become an umbrella series name for books set in the same world, where reporters get tangled up with magical people...

[Choko]

I need to read that soon... Maybe I will re-read Faust on my own time too... I just feel comfortable in his world... Her world, I mean:)

[Nirkatze]

I hadn't heard of that author! Thank you for sharing a nice little tidbit.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

They kinda zoomed out of nowhere in the past 5 years and released like 50 books... and they're not low quality books like SOME authors...

*cough*Michael Anderle*cough* (sorry Choko) :D

I enjoyed our Buddy Read of the Kurtherian Gambit... but the quality kinda was all over the place, and the expectation of reading 100 side novels co-written with other newbie authors was ridiculous, later on... I'm glad I paused where I did, at the end of the first main series...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Re:Schaefer:

From 2014 to 2018, they released 19 books across 4 series, that connected into a larger narrative called The Storybook (view spoiler)[lovers cursed to die tragically, across the multiverse (hide spoiler)]... the Revanche Cycle setup the backstory of the connective story, and the Wisdom's Grave trilogy wrapped it up... Daniel Faust and Harmony Black series came first, and they play a part in the other 2 series, but more as cameos and wrenches in the bad guy narrative...

After that wrapped up, Schaefer continued writing stories in the Faust and Black world, because they have their own storylines going on...

And then they started writing in some new worlds, too... Charlie McCabe is a mystery/thriller series with a military veteran working in the private security field...

Ghosts of Gotham is a new world of reporters and mythology...

And now there's the new Midnight Jury series this week...

Schaefer definitely writes the types of stories I like... Soo isn't a big fan of the story structure, tho, for some reason... it's a shame Karishma isn't around much anymore... she's another big fan around here... we did some Buddy Reads a few years ago, before she got busy in accounting school, I think...

[Tonari no Emily]

I'll have to check their books out sometime!

Man since really getting into buddy reads I've found so many things I want to read and I just wish I had the time to read it all!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Emily wrote: "I'll have to check their books out sometime!

Man since really getting into buddy reads I've found so many things I want to read and I just wish I had the time to read it all!"

That's the beauty of the groups and discussions around here... in my early years on Goodreads, I just used it as a digital bookshelf for tracking my reads and finding new ones (before I started making fancy spreadsheets)...

Then I got into some groups and did some discussing, and eventually found another group that discussed books alot, and eventually was led into this group, with takes it to the extreme, in the best ways...

Lots of mega-readers, people to Buddy Read with, and people who know lots of books you haven't read yet... it's a good thing I read fast, as I've managed to read tons of stuff in a short amount of time (moreso in the past)... but you always wish you could be reading MORE... there's just so many books out there... literal millions... I think GR has like 61,000,000 catalogued books, based on the numbers in the URL...

Any Minor World is URL'd as book 60,894,529... and it kinda dropped without warning, so it's probably only had a book page for a week or two...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I just made a post in the Wandering Inn thread that stemmed from a bit of a rabbithole... Any Minor World above, to a new UF series I can try later, to Alex Verus, to the author Benedict Jacka's blog, and wondering when his next book is coming out...

I/we are big fans of the Alex Verus series around here, and it ended last year... since then he's been working on the first book of a new series... looks like it's on it's fifth rewrite, which is expected to be finished in June, and then there should hopefully be a release date scheduled... Jacka seems pretty positive about it, and how well-shaped the world/series is planned out, compared to the Alex Verus series at this point in writing the first book... he has vague outlines of the first 2-3 books, and an idea of the larger story that will take 8-9 books to realize...

Here's hoping I like it as much as Alex Verus... not much is known about the new book/series, yet, except that it's being written...

Pre-EDIT: digging a bit deeper, I found a post about how long Alex Verus was written without any planning... and it's kinda crazy... should be interesting, seeing him write a series with a bit more idea it's going to be a series, this time...

[Nirkatze]

Emily wrote: "I'll have to check their books out sometime!

Man since really getting into buddy reads I've found so many things I want to read and I just wish I had the time to read it all!"

Ditto on this Emily! I love that I'm learning about all sorts of new books and authors that would've never crossed my path normally, I wish I could read faster, to devour more stories.

[Nirkatze]

Waa, Choko, I'm falling behind on my audio this week. I can start Amber Spyglass if you've already jumped in, but if you've not, do you mind postponing?

[Choko]

Nirkatze, I haven't started it either. We can totally postpone it. Just let me know when:)))

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "Nirkatze, I haven't started it either. We can totally postpone it. Just let me know when:)))"

You're the best Choko! Thank you for always being so willing to read anything with me and being so flexible! I've been having so much fun sharing books with you (and everyone else too)!

[Nirkatze]

Emily wrote: "Woops, this one is #13 isn't it? haha

Lots of the same thoughts as you Choko...."

A little late but I just finished. Same thoughts as you both! (view spoiler)[The main thing that made me uncomfortable about the Miranda plot line was that her death felt too much like fridging--killing off a female character to progress the character development of a man.

I loved Mu-Shu, and would have also been happy without the addition of Jilly. In fact--once Jilly came on the stage, the book more or less ended--we had a straight up summary/epilogue-style right to the ending. Little action, little dialogue, just a rush to the end. So I think even the author agreed. :) Jilly was a necessary plot device to kick Hart out of his loop--Charles' "earthquake"--but the real star of the show was totally Mu-Shu. I loved how she showed up at the end in the Life Center, and I totally agree that Charles must've been arranging her reincarnations as well. Now they can be together forever! (hide spoiler)]