Innkeeper Chronicles - Sweep of the Heart (December 2022/January 2023)

[Nirkatze]

Looking forward to having you join us Iain!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I didn't realize there was a prequel story... I'll have to check that out...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Narilka wrote: "The current book they're releasing is in the main series with Dina. I read a couple of the earliest posts and stopped. I prefer to wait for the edited versions. Like Iain said, they do some clean u..."

For some reason I thought they were doing a Maud book, because of the poll?... anyway, that means there's one more Dina book AFTER Sweep of the Heart, right?... someone said there'd be one more Dina book, and I think that makes more sense if there's also this Heart book... I mean (view spoiler)[not too much has happened on the main story front since they realized the cat is connected, and that Dina's brother became that soul-sucking anti-Innkeeper right?... my memory of the details of the overarching plot are deteriorating, for all I remember the first book so well... (hide spoiler)] -- spoilers for overarching plot of the series, don't read newbies :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Caroline wrote: "Haven't read the series before, but I started reading the Kate Daniels Series of Ilona Andrews in January (and savoring each book, because I enjoy them that much - I originally searched and found t..."

KD is another series I've read way too many times... I honestly can't re-read it anymore, for a long time... I found the series when there were 5-6 books, and re-read it basically every year until the series ended, I think... Master of Djinn actually gave me vibes for books 4 & 7 where (view spoiler)[the headquarters of the Knights of Merciful Aid is attacked by gods/generals... (hide spoiler)]

I think IA knew what they were doing when they started a serial... if you're only releasing chapters or partial chapters at a time, things need to happen to hook you fast and frequently :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Trying to find Caldenia fanart, I see someone has cast Helen Mirren as Caldenia, in their head canon... totally works... I think Helen Mirren works for just about any role :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nyssa wrote: " Caroline wrote: "Chapter 7 [spoilers removed]
Chapter 8 [spoilers removed]" ..."

Would be a boring book if it didn't continue :D

But seriously, (view spoiler)[I don't think Dina like to abandon things, once she start them... and her position is pretty precarious at the moment, with the cop nosing around and the relatively low Innkeeper rating... so it's probably a bit about damage control? (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Narilka wrote: "This is a series reread for me so I'll be commenting more about everyone else's comments than my own until the last book.

Through Ch 3. It's nice to be reading Ilona Andrews again. I've missed the..."

I read some books as a kid with weird/magical houses, but I can never remember the names...

Only one I can remember is Secret Garden, I think... altho I'm not even sure that's the one I was originally thinking of (is that the one where the time travel aspect appears when the grandfather clock strikes 13?)... more recently, I read the Garth Nix series in college, Keys to the Kingdom: Mister Monday

The one I really wish I could remember, is too fuzzy to even try... it was a book my 8th Grade Math teacher read to the class, for some reason, I think... over the course of days/weeks when there was time?... or I just made this whole memory up... hard to say, anymore...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nyssa wrote: "I'm almost finished, but something is bugging me... Is Dina's name pronounced with the long I or the long E?

I keep tripping over myself when I read her name. I want it to be pronounced Deenah. B..."

I dunno what I did, before I had audiobooks to pronounce complicated names for me... like Klbkch in Innkeeper Chronicles...

When I was a kid, I read the Animorphs (late 90s kid)... and it had all these aliens... Andalites were easy, but the Hork-Bajir got me... I pronounced it Hork Bijar for some reason, until a classmate pointed it out... and then it was too late, I think I just stuck with my wrong pronunciation... I was like 20 books in, at that point :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Emily wrote: "Yay finished this! Good start to a series, intrigued to know more about magic, technology and the other worlds ..."

Sean (view spoiler)[will be back (Arnold Schwarzenegger voice)(I love that that last name was spellchecked for me :D ) (hide spoiler)]

Arland: spoilers... just wait until (view spoiler)[he meets Maud... space vampires definitely love capable women, and Maud's a bit rougher around the edges than Dina... for good reason... (hide spoiler)] gotta wait until at least book 3 for that... plenty of other stuff happens in the meantime...

Gerard: more like 100+ years stasis, I think?... cars have been around since at least 1920s/1930s, I think?... I'm a bit fuzzy on details, but know Henry Ford was back then, and you see them old style crank cars... (Kate Daniels vehicles kinda remind me of them, actually)...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Narilka wrote: "In Ch 11... not really a spoiler but tagging in case [spoilers removed]"

Assuming Costco works similar to Sam's Club: if they have early hours, it's quiet 8-10am, then explodes with people at 10am to 1pm, then there might be a lull until 3pm when schools/work starts ending for some people, and explodes until 6-7pm...

I had to go in for a prescription last night, hours after leaving work, and it was pretty dead, at 6:55pm...

Tuesday to Thursday are also the slow days (weekends and monday morning rush for things needed during work week are busy)... and Sundays are surprisingly busy, since hours are generally reduced, so it starts busy immediately at open, and then only gets worse when church ends and everyone goes after-church shopping/mingling...

That's about all my retail knowledge, from working in carts a decade ago, and working 4am to noon-thirty the past 3 years...

I actually kinda miss pre-pandemic overnights, when I could go shopping at 2am on my days off... stores don't really stay open 24hrs, anymore...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "I started, and totally understand the John Wick reaction about the dog!!!

The lifetime member is a very interesting lady:))) "How was his equipment? It's a natural curiosity"... Haha! So true! But..."

Caldenia is great... (view spoiler)[she's like Space Hitler or something, but so charming... then just slices open the lid of her Mello Yello with her claws... (hide spoiler)]

And Beast (view spoiler)[even if it's basically the same shapeshifting dog Kate Daniels found in the 3rd or 4th KD book... IA clearly loves shapeshifting dogs... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nyssa wrote: "Long “I” would be “Ice”, “Bite”.

Long “E” would be “Seen”, “Green”"

English sucks at sound rules... you just have to inherently know how every word sounds and is spelled...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Choko wrote: "Haha! Yeah, there is that... Alpha males and all... I personally prefer the "nerds", but that is me. I am cool with alphas for other people:))

I also enjoyed this one. Boy, I didn't ..."

Pirateaba's solution has been occasional edits of earlier chapters to facilitate retcons, I think...

Traditionally published authors just kinda have to live with it...

In the Pride series by Shelly Laurenston, sometime between books 1-4, Eggie Ray Smith shifts from being an uncle to a cousin, accidentally...

And (pretty famously) in Harry Potter, Cedric Diggory (and maybe his entire class) should have graduated the year before the Tri-Wizard cup happened in book 4, based on his school year as listed back in books 1-3...

OOPS... so easy to forget throwaway details, before they suddenly become relevant... not everyone has an entire continuity department making sure his stories lack contradictions, like Brandon Sanderson and Dragonsteel Entertainment...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "Haha! Great take-away Nirkatze:))) I totally know sexy geeks and am all for them, but occasionally, there is a place for a bit of alpha male, as long as they are also smart, kind and honorable, rig..."

Authors like Robert Jordan and JK Rowling and the likes have so much supplementary material, that they basically have the unpublished life stories of all the important side characters, to maintain continuity, I think (from what I know of the extensive notes RJ had for Brandon Sanderson to finish the Wheel of Time series, and from the talk of how many boxes of notes JK Rowling had when writing the Harry Potter series as a poor person)...

Someone like Diana Gabaldon seems like they can't have supplementary material and not include it... even if it turns into a 500 page tangent in France ;)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: " Caroline wrote: "Haven't read the series before, but I started reading the Kate Daniels Series of Ilona Andrews in January (and savoring each book, because I enjoy them that much - I originally se..."

I think peeing/defecating in one spot is bad... but if you spread it around like a sprinkler (do the helicopter? ;) ) it's better in small doses?...

[Narilka]

Timelord Iain wrote: "For some reason I thought they were doing a Maud book, because of the poll?... anyway, that means there's one more Dina book AFTER Sweep of the Heart, right?... "

It's a Dina book. I think there's going to be at least one more book after this one.

Whole series spoilers, newbies don't click (view spoiler)[They authors have stated in at least one q&a that the series will wrap when they find the parents. I heard that answer in person when I went to a book signing as part of their KD10 tour. Since I'm not reading the serial releases, I have no idea how much progress is being made in that direction in book 5. Also doesn't mean House Andrews couldn't change their mind :D

I too remember books 1 & 2 plots quite well and start to get fuzzy after that other than book 3 is where the romance happens :) I know there's something shady about Klaus but don't remember details. With Maud's book being set on a whole other planet and entirely focused on her integration into House Khrar, neither Klaus nor the parent's plots progress there if memory serves. (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Iain, I think good editing and the "knowing" of how far you should go with the detail in your book, is the mark of a good author. To have the debt of knowledge about your story world and characters, but to express it, instead of telling and explaining it, this is the talent of the truly great ones. And in my mind, RJ, BS even Steven Erikson and King, among some others, really show that distinction... Not that others are not good and write well, but there is a degree of difference, in my opinion. As you know, I tolerate, like and even love many sub-par authors, but when you read one of those really special ones, it touches you in a different level...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "Iain, I think good editing and the "knowing" of how far you should go with the detail in your book, is the mark of a good author. To have the debt of knowledge about your story world and characters..."

Is there anything more painful than WANTING to love an author/book/series based on blurbs/synopses, but the execution is too painful to push through?...

[Choko]

Exactly!!! And then you, are at least I, do the pity rating and forget the book almost immediately...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "Exactly!!! And then you, are at least I, do the pity rating and forget the book almost immediately..."

Yea... I lament the lost potential...

I used to forge on, for the sake of the blurbs, but I do that less often these days...

[Choko]

You know my brain doesn't allow me to stop a series once I start it... I read on no matter what...

[lorii (Loriidae)]

I adore this series, and for anyone that is a Graphic Audio fan, books #1 and #2 are out and I am eagerly awaiting #3 on April 18. and #4 (Maud's book) is due out in June.

https://www.graphicaudiointernational...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

begone foul demon... I kinda hate graphics audio... between the abridging and all the sounds...

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Timelord Iain wrote: "begone foul demon... I kinda hate graphics audio... between the abridging and all the sounds..."

:)

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "You know my brain doesn't allow me to stop a series once I start it... I read on no matter what..."

I feel y'all's pain...

I would add on to that pain--the pain of starting a series you want to love (or a series that starts out strong but then disintegrates and draaaaaags), getting distracted and not finishing (or not having all the books), but determined to PUSH THROUGH some day to the end... and when you do return to it, having to start FROM THE BEGINNING again in order to remember enough to make it all the way to the end.

[Choko]

Exactly!!! I have felt aaaaallll of that!!!! It just hurts!

[Nyssa]

I plan to start Sweep in Peace this weekend.

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "Exactly!!! I have felt aaaaallll of that!!!! It just hurts!"

Painful high-five!

I'll probably start this weekend too. :)

[Narilka]

I am still wrapping up my previous book. I'll start book 2 in another day or two.

[Choko]

I will be here this weekend as well:)

[Narilka]

I started Sweep in Peace this morning.

Prologue (view spoiler)[Ahhh, Klaus! Iain, you remembered much better than I did. This prologue also kinda makes me want to reread the Edge books but perhaps later. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 2 (view spoiler)[Caldenia blinked. "Who are the attending parties?"

"The Holy Anocracy, represented by House Krahr; the Hope-Crushing Horde; and the Merchants of Baha-char. They are coming here for the arbitration, and they will probably try to murder each other the moment they walk through the door."

Caldenia's eyes widened. "Do you really think so? This is absolutely marvelous!"

Caldenia is the best lol (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

I snuck a peek at your comment about the prologue, Narilka. I have a question for you and Ian - (view spoiler)[I read the first two books of The Edge series like seven years ago (give or take). I don't remember much about it. Do you think it will affect my understanding/enjoying Sweep in Peace? (hide spoiler)]

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Nyssa wrote: "I snuck a peek at your comment about the prologue, Narilka. I have a question for you and Ian - [spoilers removed]"

No, not at all. The characters, George, Jack and Sophie were children in the Edge, and are peripheral but important adults in the second innkeeper only.

[Nyssa]

Okay, Thank you. I have a vague memory of George and Jack.

[Caroline]

I started reading this at the start date, but haven't been on my laptop as much.

Up till Book 2 Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[ This peace summit experience is hilarious. I don't see it going anywhere and I haven't quite grasped, if the "humble them" part of the plan with Sophie worked.

Anyhow, I'm very interested in the invisible person and who or what it is as well as its motives. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

I just went and read the prequel short--it's a nice little tease, but is very teasing. Makes me want to know more about Dina's parents!

[Nirkatze]

Loriidae wrote: "Nyssa wrote: "I snuck a peek at your comment about the prologue, Narilka. I have a question for you and Ian - [spoilers removed]"

No, not at all. The characters, George, Jack and Sophie were child..."

Very cool! I like it when series are tangential. Sounds like George had an interesting life between then and now.

Trying the audiobook this time 'round, but keeping my ebook at hand for when my mind wanders.

Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[ weather description--...that plain had only one type of weather: scorching. That wasn’t true at all. In fact, we had two types, drought and flood.--I wonder if every place has such jokes about their weather? In AK we say AK has 4 seasons: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.

LOL and Caldenia playing Civilization...that's just great. (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter 1 (view spoiler)"

We have a similar saying in Florida, except replace winter with summer. lol
We also say if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. This state takes its sun showers (and not-so-sunny showers) VERY seriously..lol.

My favorite weather-related memory is talking to one of my friends on the phone. He asks his sister why she's carrying an umbrella; she, of course, thinking he is being dumb, says, "to stay dry." I then hear him pause, and he says in a perplexed tone, but it's not raining. So at this point, they're both wondering what the other is up to. I hear her tell him in an exasperated tone to go look out the back window, and he tells her to go look out the front window. A few seconds later, they're both laughing. They were both right.

[Nirkatze]

Nyssa wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter 1 (view spoiler)"

We have a similar saying in Florida, except replace winter with summer. lol
We also say if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. This state takes ..."

LOL That's a great story!! Me--I carry an umbrella on rainy AND sunny days--one to stay dry, one to avoid sunburn.

[Nirkatze]

Narilka wrote: "Chapter 2 [spoilers removed]"

I love how (view spoiler)[the other inns all refused to host due to worry about the safety of their guests.

Dina hosts and it is entertainment for her guest.

And Dina pulled the hall decorations from Beauty and the Beast! I don't know why all the pop culture hints tickle me so, but they do.

And the night-sky theme she ends up with... that's what I want in my home, darnit! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[The new chef Aro is funny! I hope he sticks around. The audio emphasizes his drama-queen-ness too.

And everyone knows Caldenia. (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

Nirkatze wrote: "I love how (view spoiler)"

Right!?!

[Narilka]

Nyssa wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter 1 (view spoiler)"

We have a similar saying in Florida, except replace winter with summer. lol
We also say if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. This state takes ..."

What a great story! Florida's rain is something else for sure. It can be there and gone in an instant.

[Narilka]

Nirkatze wrote: "I love how..."

hehe wait until you get to the explanation!

I finished up this morning. I love these books.

[Choko]

I will start in a bit. About all your weather comments - hahaha! At least in Florida, when you wait the 5 minutes, you might be wet, but still mostly warm:) And in Alaska you are usually dressed for the weather. Here, in Missouri, yesterday got to 88 degrees, today is in the 50's, and I think in couple of days we might get snow. The most schizophrenic weather in the world! Until two days ago the heat was on in the house, yesterday I turned on the air conditioner... I think we had about a week in the Fall, when we could just open the windows and not have any air heating or cooling on... It really confuses the plants as well...

Can't wait to get into this book today:)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Starting #2 now, finally...

You know... I love this series... but, I'm going to bring up my biggest question / plothole...

How is Gertrude Hunt a backwater Inn, far from any Crossroads?... if all guests are aliens, any Inn should be easily reachable... we're a spinning planet, and they have space ships... the description makes sense if taking Earth guests, but that clearly doesn't happen, unless they happen to be aliens, too... and there's no evidence of that outside of the refugee werewolves like Sean's parents...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nyssa wrote: "I snuck a peek at your comment about the prologue, Narilka. I have a question for you and Ian - [spoilers removed]"

The Edge was a series of 4 PNRs about (view spoiler)[an "Edge World" that bridged the gap between Earth and the Weird... Earth had some other name, to distinguish it's lack of magic, weird-worlders needed... edge-worlders were children of both worlds, and could enter both worlds, as long as they didn't have too much weird magic in their blood... series of romances ensued... Jack & George were siblings/kids of the female lead of the first book, and recurring side characters in all the books of the series... books 2-4 they had moved to the Weird, since their sister married royalty... became assassins... met Sophie, the child of another Edge family that married an assassin or something, I think... last 2 books took place fully in the Weird and explored their society more... and built this rivalry between George and the Spider... elite assassins from opposing empires... (hide spoiler)]

So the prologue kinda serves as an epilogue to the Edge series and a prologue to this book... some character recycling... and it's important to note that they're from another dimension, not just another world... because Earth in their dimension didn't really have magic... altho, I guess Innkeeper Earth doesn't technically either... the Inn seeds are alien, I think?... oh well...

Like Loridae said, you can make do without reading the Edge series... it's just a nice Easter Egg, and you know some things about some characters' backstories, if you read the Edge series...

[Nirkatze]

LOL I love hearing all y'all's weather stories! And thank you for the Edge info Iain--it looks like fun.

Chapter 4-7--I'm loving Nuan Cee & his family. So cute! (view spoiler)[And the animals! All the family members! And "Bring all the things!" Grumpy cat! Lots of smiles. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4-7 Officer (view spoiler)[I'd forgotten about the nosy police officer. I wonder how this will go down the road? I'd rather see, eventually, a police ally, than a "civilian" (by interstellar innkeeper standards) who needs to be protected from himself making trouble just 'cuz he's got a chip on his shoulder.

Though I did enjoy the scene of him waking up and freaking out. I'm a bad bad girl. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4-7 Boy rant (view spoiler)[I don't like Sean Evans. He's not even in this book yet, but I don't like that it's setting him up to be The Romantic Interest. I would take almost any of the folks introduced in this book over him. Dina thinks: "Sean had learned who I was and accepted it. I didn’t have to pretend to be someone else."--yeah, I disagree. He found out who you were and decided he needed to have a pissing contest to show you who was boss. He has yet to show any respect for you. He sees you as someone who needs to be protected and put in a box, not as an a person who is powerful and intelligent in your own right.

I even prefer vampire Armand to him. Any of the George family. The Nuan family. Maybe even some of the otrokor. Not asshole vampire Lord, but other ones. Gah! (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "LOL I love hearing all y'all's weather stories! And thank you for the Edge info Iain--it looks like fun.

Chapter 4-7--I'm loving Nuan Cee & his family. So cute! [spoilers removed]

Chapter 4-7 Off..."

Officer: things to come, for sure... (view spoiler)[something happens in this book, and he mentions an unexpected result in the next book... then shortly after that, or in the following book, he starts pulling over aliens and citing intergalactic law at them, lol... (hide spoiler)] (spoilers for book 3 and maybe 4)

Armand = more "wait for book 3" talk :D...

Book 3 is a solid entry in the series, and sets up stuff for future books and the spinoff series...

Re:Sean: IA definitely have a type in their male leads... Sean, Curran, Mad Rogan, etc... the stories act like they're less Alpha Male than they generally are... Kate Daniels has a whole annoying romantic miscommunication storyline for the first 4-5 books, and the side content that reveals it from his POV doesn't paint the best light on it, either... and kinda convolutes some aspects of the Pack, I think... anyway...

[Nirkatze]

LOL lots of "wait for book 3" there. :)

Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[Of course, video games for the vampires.

Feistykins! But how could she just leave Count there? She has to go back for him. Yes! Yes! Go back for him! Yes! The Inn needs a cat too! (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Caroline wrote: "I started reading this at the start date, but haven't been on my laptop as much.

Up till Book 2 Chapter 8 This peace summit experience is hilarious. I don't see it going anywhere and I haven't qu..."

The invisible (view spoiler)[person is an interesting random mystery! I really wonder how it's tied in to everything. And poor little Cookie. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 12 (view spoiler)[Weird masterminding George. So this is all aimed at Dina somehow? Is this related to his hiring? Wasn't it Dina's absentee worldhopping brother who hired him as an arbitrator in the prologue? (hide spoiler)]