[Macros]

Just finished Redemptions blade by Tchaikovsky, bummed he only wrote the first book in this world, all indications are books 2 and 3 are poop, book 1 was definitely fun.

This was definitely a DnD or similar campaign somewhere along the line

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Speaking of Tchaikovsky, I just finished all of the (published — one more is coming later this year) Tyrant Philosophers books.

These are very good! I highly recommend the series.

[Tattersail_]

Started to read Gardens of the Moon, kindle version, I cannot put it down.. nothing touches Malazan. The characters, the locations, I'm just in awe of the scope and how well written they are. Nothing compares.

[Slow Ben]

Nope. Nothings particularly close in my opinion either.

[Tiste Simeon]

Just finished the Crippled God in my Malazan reread via Audiobook. Nothing touches Malazan indeed.

Shouldn't have been listening to the finale while grocery shopping though, it's hard to go shopping while trying not to cry.

[worry]

 Tiste Simeon, on 18 May 2026 - 12:43 PM, said:

it's hard to go shopping while trying not to cry.

That's how I felt after they discontinued Crystal Pepsi.

[Macros]

The Impossible Forturne by Richard Osman.

Book...5? Of the Thursday murder club.

These books are just great,fun, light hearted, but with a few threads of heart through them that kick you in the feels.

Haven't seen the adaptation yet, but bar Pierce Brosnan the cast looks fucking spot on (now Im a HUGE Brosnan fan, but hes too young and hale to play Ron, were he alive a gritty Terraced Stamp would do it, or a hammy northern wide boy Charles Dance)

This post has been edited by Macros: 24 May 2026 - 08:14 PM

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Macros, on 24 May 2026 - 08:13 PM, said:

The Impossible Forturne by Richard Osman.

Book...5? Of the Thursday murder club.

These books are just great,fun, light hearted, but with a few threads of heart through them that kick you in the feels.

Haven't seen the adaptation yet, but bar Pierce Brosnan the cast looks fucking spot on (now Im a HUGE Brosnan fan, but hes too young and hale to play Ron, were he alive a gritty Terraced Stamp would do it, or a hammy northern wide boy Charles Dance)

I love these. Perfect fun reads.

[QuickTidal]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 25 May 2026 - 03:26 PM, said:

Macros, on 24 May 2026 - 08:13 PM, said:

The Impossible Forturne by Richard Osman.

Book...5? Of the Thursday murder club.

These books are just great,fun, light hearted, but with a few threads of heart through them that kick you in the feels.

Haven't seen the adaptation yet, but bar Pierce Brosnan the cast looks fucking spot on (now Im a HUGE Brosnan fan, but hes too young and hale to play Ron, were he alive a gritty Terraced Stamp would do it, or a hammy northern wide boy Charles Dance)

I love these. Perfect fun reads.

You guys, I don't need MORE books to check out! They sound wonderful....damn you both!

[Macros]

They're quick reads, you wont regret it

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

What Does This Button Do? Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden's memoir (earbook version)

I suspect most memoirs benefit from the subject reading the audiobook (I have David Mitchell's queued up and his Unruly was immeasurably improved from an already good read by listening to him) and I suspect this would have been drier without it.

Wisely steered clear of his politics etc and charts the history of his music career and various ventures into being a pilot, a fencer representing the UK and a half dozen other things (I'm not sure the man has sat still since 1982). He played his first gig in a pub ten minutes from where I grew up in Sheffield which I've eaten in a few times, which was a surprising bit of trivia. I'm not sure he'd be the easiest man in the world to get on with but he's certainly interesting.

Probably a few too many flying anecdotes for me on balance, but overall an enjoyable listen.

[Abyss]

 worry, on 18 May 2026 - 01:37 PM, said:

 Tiste Simeon, on 18 May 2026 - 12:43 PM, said:

it's hard to go shopping while trying not to cry.

That's how I felt after they discontinued Crystal Pepsi.

TOO SOON

...i still miss Blue Pepsi too.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 06 May 2026 - 02:05 PM, said:

...
k back to The Burnished City!

And Just Finished bk 3 THE REBEL BLADE, notes in the ded-thread.

Was contemplating what to read/ear next and fell into BBC audiodrama THE LOVECRAFT INVESTIGATIONS. Now, a brief mea culpae (that's latin for 'fuck off i don't care'), i ack this series is not an audiobook in any real sense, it's a BBC modern retelling/adaptation of some of olde Howard P Racist's stories, in the form of a podcast about people making a podcast, but since the original Cthulhu books were all books, i think i'm good AND ALSO YOU CAN'T STOP ME.... so, carrying on...


Season 1 - THE CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD - i cycle through a lot of audiodrama, and much of that is a trial ep or two and then bail, often bcs 'the podcast about a podcast/radio-show/reporter/recordings/lost-tapes' trope is well and truly worn to the point that even an old 8-Track cassette can give me badly narrated nightmares... a lot of it is done badly, or weakly, or without any real effort to stand out. This series, which is four seasons in and running since 2019, is none of that. The story revolves around Brit Matthew and American Kennedy, two 'real crime' podcasters who are investigating an apparent locked room disappearance and slowly but steadily realize there is more to the story, and by more we mean ancient cults, bloodlines, rituals, human experimentation, government conspiracy... all that good stuff. It's done very cleverly, the two leads work within a 'we livecast everything so the audience learns with us' setup, and the people they interview routinely open with some version of 'i listened to your podcast ahead of this meeting' which draws the listener into the story further because they have the same background the characters do. They also switch it up between phones, found recordings, messages, hidden mics, and vary the clarity and background fx effectively - this is likely where a BBC audio production has a massive advantage over a DIY podcaster working in their bedroom closet lined with egg cartons. Anyhoo, it's well done, anyone familiar with the Lovecraft mythos will see a lot of what's going on but at the same time they flip things, zig instead of zag, and go w a portion of the mythos that's not the obvious. By the time they/we know (most of) what happened to Dexter Ward it's hard not be be deeply invested. And it ends in ep10 with an absolutely masterclass hook for...

SEASON 2 - THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS - picking up where S1 left off and dropping a whole series of lovely twists right off the start, and continues to build. A supporting character from S1 asks them to look into another disappearance, which leads to a rural English village and weird noises in the night and a nice steady build that ties back to S1 very effectively. Am at ep7 / 9, they have done an excellent job of surprising me repeatedly, and while they're doubling-down on the level of Mythos incorporated, it's done very cleverly and maintaining both the character and the listener's skepticism. I'm in and eager to hear how it ends. This time they've switched from 'everything is live' to a 'i'm telling you what happened but i have to be careful bcause 'they' are listening so i'm editing some things '

[polishgenius]

My read to start my holiday: The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson. For the most part, a well-written example of a classic fantasy adventure, with a gang of various talents thrown together on a quest (I think it's very obviously one of the role-playing inspired genre). The characters are engaging and it does well balancing multiple plot threads. And then comes a truly spectacular ending which has me wanting to dive into the sequel. Probably won't be next, but good chance it'll before my holiday is out. Recommended.


Before that I finally finished up Lords of Uncreation, the finale of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Final Architecture space opera trilogy. Also a lot of fun, as per Tchaikovsky.

[Slow Ben]

polishgenius, on 26 May 2026 - 07:12 PM, said:

My read to start my holiday: The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson. For the most part, a well-written example of a classic fantasy adventure, with a gang of various talents thrown together on a quest (I think it's very obviously one of the role-playing inspired genre). The characters are engaging and it does well balancing multiple plot threads. And then comes a truly spectacular ending which has me wanting to dive into the sequel. Probably won't be next, but good chance it'll before my holiday is out. Recommended.


Before that I finally finished up Lords of Uncreation, the finale of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Final Architecture space opera trilogy. Also a lot of fun, as per Tchaikovsky.

I felt the exact same about the Lost War. Really enjoyed it. I was pretty underwhelmed with the sequel though. So much so that I didn’t pick up the 3rd.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 26 May 2026 - 02:28 PM, said:

... BBC audiodrama THE LOVECRAFT INVESTIGATIONS....the original Cthulhu books were all books, i think i'm good AND ALSO YOU CAN'T STOP ME.... so, carrying on...


Season 1 - THE CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD ...

SEASON 2 - THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS ...

...and Just Finished seasons 3 and 4. I give the writer huge credit for going the very Lovecraftian / X-Files route of the MCs always not quite being in on the entire story but soldiering on, the approach makes the payoff at the end of S4 when everything / everyone (who survives) comes together more effective. It's an entertaining work, well handled, and they make good use of the audiodrama medium and duck a lot of the pitfalls of trying to tell the listener something without losing pace or attention. Worth a listen for Lovecraft fans.

Next... dilemma... Tachikovsky's CHILDREN OF STRIFE, the next AMINA AL SIRAFI book, aaAAAANNNDddddd the next MURDERBOT. Spoiled for choice!

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 02 June 2026 - 02:53 PM, said:

Next... dilemma... Tachikovsky's CHILDREN OF STRIFE, the next AMINA AL SIRAFI book, aaAAAANNNDddddd the next MURDERBOT. Spoiled for choice!

Coming off The Burnished City and Lovecraft i decided i was feeling something sf and a bit more serious, so CHILDREN OF STRIFE it is! Two chapters in, loving it. Already enjoying more than CHILDREN OF MEMORY, this is more concrete without losing the wild elements from that story.

Also, GIANT MANTIS SHRIMP ASTRONAUT!!!!!!!!

[Tiste Simeon]

Wait there's a new Amina Al Sirafi?