[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 02 September 2026 - 04:12 PM, said:

No please don't sell it to mDANG IT QT

Haha! Sorry not sorry.

Put it it this way though. I have it on ebook from a sale and I like it so much I’ve ordered the hardcover.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 02 September 2026 - 06:28 PM

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 02 September 2026 - 01:37 PM, said:

I'm reading THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME by Ilona Andrews (first book in the Maggie the Undying trilogy), and holy fuck is it good.

When urban fantasy authors (Kate Daniels series) try their hand at epic fantasy, I feel like they often struggle, but goddamn if they don't manage it here with aplomb and ease.

Sell it to you? Okay, a woman from our world is mysteriously transported into the world of her favorite unfinished gritty fantasy series with all the knowledge of two of the three books of that series that WILL happen, and discovers very quickly that if she dies, she gets resurrected (she doesn't know how many times or why though) and must find a way to survive there.

It's fucking great. I got sucked right in.

SOLD

...in the sense that i already own it in earbook

[Chance]

QuickTidal, on 02 September 2026 - 01:37 PM, said:

I’m reading THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME by Ilona Andrews (first book in the Maggie the Undying trilogy), and holy fuck is it good. 

When urban fantasy authors (Kate Daniels series) try their hand at epic fantasy, I feel like they often struggle, but goddamn if they don’t manage it here with aplomb and ease.

Sell it to you? Okay, a woman from our world is mysteriously transported into the world of her favorite unfinished gritty fantasy series with all the knowledge of two of the three books of that series that WILL happen, and discovers very quickly that if she dies, she gets resurrected (she doesn’t know how many times or why though) and must find a way to survive there.

It’s fucking great. I got sucked right in.

Think Ilona Andrews is probably the only author I'd try that concept from, will start as soon as my re-read of the Red Knight is done.

This post has been edited by Chance: 02 September 2026 - 09:20 PM

[Tsundoku]

Looks like I'll be loading up a recent release by some Minty chap on the ol' Kobo.

[QuickTidal]

Chance, on 02 September 2026 - 09:20 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 02 September 2026 - 01:37 PM, said:

I’m reading THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME by Ilona Andrews (first book in the Maggie the Undying trilogy), and holy fuck is it good. 

When urban fantasy authors (Kate Daniels series) try their hand at epic fantasy, I feel like they often struggle, but goddamn if they don’t manage it here with aplomb and ease.

Sell it to you? Okay, a woman from our world is mysteriously transported into the world of her favorite unfinished gritty fantasy series with all the knowledge of two of the three books of that series that WILL happen, and discovers very quickly that if she dies, she gets resurrected (she doesn’t know how many times or why though) and must find a way to survive there.

It’s fucking great. I got sucked right in.

Think Ilona Andrews is probably the only author I'd try that concept from, will start as soon as my re-read of the Red Knight is done.

Finished it at the cottage on the holiday weekend. REALLY solid outing throughout. A lot of charm, some decent twists, and just a bunch of ragtag characters to root for. I'm also impressed with how the worldbuilding was achieved piecemeal as things went along, we learn of new creatures or groups or regions or cultural stuff and even historical stuff mostly in passing or due to events that occur. IT very much does the whole "this happens, THEREFORE this happens" instead of "This happens and then this happens".

Just a really interesting way to approach epic fantasy worldbuilding without resorting to infodumps. Can't wait for book 2!

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 09 September 2026 - 04:41 PM

[Abyss]

Almost done Scott Hawkins' new book BLACKTAIL,,, holy fuck this book is INSANE.

[Chance]

Finished up THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME and found it a nice little read Ilona Andrews has this kind of book down to a science.

Returned to re-read of the Traitor's Son Cycle with The Fell Sworn and I love the Liviapolis part of the setting as a true Byzantine nerd.

Abyss, on 13 September 2026 - 02:48 AM, said:

Almost done Scott Hawkins' new book BLACKTAIL,,, holy fuck this book is INSANE.

Added it to my wishlist recently but didn't buy cause the description sounded maybe too weird. Is it good?

This post has been edited by Chance: 13 September 2026 - 05:51 AM

[Tiste Simeon]

Abyss, on 13 September 2026 - 02:48 AM, said:

Almost done Scott Hawkins' new book BLACKTAIL,,, holy fuck this book is INSANE.

Good on audio?

[Tiste Simeon]

Just finished the audiobook of The Tapestry of Fate, the sequel to The Adventures of Amina Al Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty.

An excellent follow up to the brilliant first one. Lots of danger and excitement and crazy supernatural shenanigans. The main narrator is very good too.

Edit: I have started the audiobook of Blue Remembered Earth by Alistair Reynolds, which I got primarily because Kobna Holdbrook Smith narrates it.

This post has been edited by Tiste Simeon: 14 September 2026 - 12:48 PM

[QuickTidal]

Five years after his death I finally felt ready to read Jack Whyte's last book (from 2018; he passed in 2021), THE BURNING STONE which is a prequel to the Dream of Eagles series and concerns the family and grandfather of the Publius Varrus character in the SKYSTONE, and I'm only about 5 chapters in so far but it's lovely and very good. Some of the things that bothered me in his later writing (his Guardians of Scotland series the main culprit) are gone and this feels like he wrote it back when he was writing the other Eagles books as a younger man...so I'm so pleased he seemingly went out on a high note and not a whimper. Anyways, it's bittersweet as this series means almost as much to me (and my love of reading) as Tolkien does. I also have feeling this might trigger me wanting to re-read the whole series again, which will be welcome as I've not read them in 20 years.

Anyways, I'll weigh in after I finish on it.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 14 September 2026 - 01:17 PM

[JPK]

Hey Abyss, I've finished up season 2 of Midnight Burger. Going into S3 and spotted a certain spinoff involving a younger version of one of the main cast. Spotify has them mixed together. What order do you suggest tackling them?

[Abyss]

JPK, on 14 September 2026 - 10:06 PM, said:

Hey Abyss, I've finished up season 2 of Midnight Burger. Going into S3 and spotted a certain spinoff involving a younger version of one of the main cast. Spotify has them mixed together. What order do you suggest tackling them?

Absolutely listen to the spinoff, either all at once and then resume MB, or in release order mixed. Do NOT skip it, or the other spinoff, but that you can and probably should alternate w MB in release order.

The writing is meticulous and it all ties together beautifully.

[Abyss]

Chance, on 13 September 2026 - 05:47 AM, said:

...

Abyss, on 13 September 2026 - 02:48 AM, said:

Almost done Scott Hawkins' new book BLACKTAIL,,, holy fuck this book is INSANE.

Added it to my wishlist recently but didn't buy cause the description sounded maybe too weird. Is it good?

It's brilliant. I havent had a book so completely and repeatedly not go the way i expected in way way too long. I'll do a proper Just Finished shortly, but short version, yes it's weird, but it works. Im certain not everyone will love it bcs some of the swerves are wild and ugly, but it's worth the try.

[Abyss]

Tiste Simeon, on 13 September 2026 - 11:34 AM, said:

Abyss, on 13 September 2026 - 02:48 AM, said:

Almost done Scott Hawkins' new book BLACKTAIL,,, holy fuck this book is INSANE.

Good on audio?

Very, but i did have to relisten to a few chapters to follow properly.

[Tiste Simeon]

Abyss, on 15 September 2026 - 12:31 AM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 13 September 2026 - 11:34 AM, said:

Abyss, on 13 September 2026 - 02:48 AM, said:

Almost done Scott Hawkins' new book BLACKTAIL,,, holy fuck this book is INSANE.

Good on audio?

Very, but i did have to relisten to a few chapters to follow properly.

I'm getting it.

[HoosierDaddy]

Currently listening to "There Is No Antimemetics Division" while training for a marathon. It's SOOOO good so far.

[QuickTidal]

HoosierDaddy, on 15 September 2026 - 01:04 PM, said:

Currently listening to "There Is No Antimemetics Division" while training for a marathon. It's SOOOO good so far.

GREAT book. A really fun twisty cerebral story.

[JPK]

Abyss, on 15 September 2026 - 12:25 AM, said:

JPK, on 14 September 2026 - 10:06 PM, said:

Hey Abyss, I've finished up season 2 of Midnight Burger. Going into S3 and spotted a certain spinoff involving a younger version of one of the main cast. Spotify has them mixed together. What order do you suggest tackling them?

Absolutely listen to the spinoff, either all at once and then resume MB, or in release order mixed. Do NOT skip it, or the other spinoff, but that you can and probably should alternate w MB in release order.

The writing is meticulous and it all ties together beautifully.

Thank you. I'll go ahead just keep it mixed in with S3. I can see that there's an interesting story there, and I'm really interested in anything that continues to develop the Triad.

[QuickTidal]

QuickTidal, on 25 August 2026 - 11:10 AM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 25 August 2026 - 10:14 AM, said:

Macros, on 24 August 2026 - 06:33 PM, said:

I bounced off Malice, didn't like it at all

Huh fair enough. It's not groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination but it's fun and entertaining imo.

Yeah, I dug MALICE too...but I took too long between MALICE and the second one so I bounced off the section one as I'd forgotten everything.

Last night I was on one of my used book (overstock) websites I check frequently, and was able to get RUIN and WRATH (for cheap prices) to complete the quadrology on my shelf, so I may have to seek out a summary of MALICE now so I won't bounce off the second one and I can finish the series properly.

[Tiste Simeon]

QuickTidal, on 15 September 2026 - 05:22 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 25 August 2026 - 11:10 AM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 25 August 2026 - 10:14 AM, said:

Macros, on 24 August 2026 - 06:33 PM, said:

I bounced off Malice, didn't like it at all

Huh fair enough. It's not groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination but it's fun and entertaining imo.

Yeah, I dug MALICE too...but I took too long between MALICE and the second one so I bounced off the section one as I'd forgotten everything.

Last night I was on one of my used book (overstock) websites I check frequently, and was able to get RUIN and WRATH (for cheap prices) to complete the quadrology on my shelf, so I may have to seek out a summary of MALICE now so I won't bounce off the second one and I can finish the series properly.

It's not long since I read it so feel free to ask anything haha