[QuickTidal]

THE WHITE QUEEN by Phillipa Gregory. I'm only about 100 pages in so far but I'm really enjoying it (It's also been a long time since I watched the Starz Show about it so it feels fresh) and I'm excited to keep this series as a regular I'll move in and out of as there are a lot of books. It's soapy and sudsy enough that it's making the period fun to read about even if I know a lot of it is quite fictionalized.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 12 August 2026 - 12:54 PM

[Mentalist]

Used the long weekend to finish off "Polostan" and power thru "Warriorborn".

After that, took me less than a week to get through "The Olympian Affair", the 2nd Cinder Spires book.

I have to say, this is a big improvement. Effectively it rekindled my interest in the series.

In the meantime, my copy of "Heart of the Nhaga" arrived. Given I'm curious about the upcoming game based on the universe, figured I'd give it a shot.

[QuickTidal]

Finished THE WHITE QUEEN this morning. It was really solid. If that's indicative of the rest of the books, I'm excited to keep reading the series. I like how she adds JUST a dash of magic or supernatural to this...like enough to seem valid but not enough to dip into fantasy. It gives it a bit of flair.

Started THE LOST METAL, and I forgot how much I enjoyed the characters in Mistborn Era 2, and I'l be sad to see the end of them when I finish. Wayne Especially I love.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

QuickTidal, on 14 August 2026 - 12:35 PM, said:

Finished THE WHITE QUEEN this morning. It was really solid. If that's indicative of the rest of the books, I'm excited to keep reading the series. I like how she adds JUST a dash of magic or supernatural to this...like enough to seem valid but not enough to dip into fantasy. It gives it a bit of flair.

Is The White Queen the one about Elizabeth Woodville?

Finished listening to John Robins' Thirst: Twelve Drinks That Changed My Life. It charts his history of alcoholism and how it has affected his life, and whilst not always an easy listen his delivery (being a comedian) is often very entertaining even during the heavier passages. It's a very brave book to have written and he seems to have come at it with a genuine desire to help others with what he's learned.

There are two bonus chapters which are John being interviewed by two of his friends (one of which is fellow comedian Elis James) and they're a real hoot - you can hear the genuine affection and friendship through the gently ripping him to bits.

Would definitely recommend, with the caveat of it does sometimes get quite upsetting.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 14 August 2026 - 01:37 PM

[QuickTidal]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 14 August 2026 - 01:31 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 14 August 2026 - 12:35 PM, said:

Finished THE WHITE QUEEN this morning. It was really solid. If that's indicative of the rest of the books, I'm excited to keep reading the series. I like how she adds JUST a dash of magic or supernatural to this...like enough to seem valid but not enough to dip into fantasy. It gives it a bit of flair.

Is The White Queen the one about Elizabeth Woodville?

Yep, that's the one.

[Tsundoku]

Didn't know where to put this so ...



Aside from Daniel's pronunciation of some of the names, and obvious lack of familiarity with a LOT of the material, there's also ... this is a Reddit list.
So proceed with several pinches of salt ready and prepare for some obvious ragebait.

But it IS interesting. And yes, Tairy, the late, unlamented Yearded One gets top billing in the "aged WORST" category. By a very long way. So there's that.
The discourse is a LOT of WoT and SoT (hey, that all rhymed), so be warned. Also be warned about his sponsor, it's ... cute.

Slight nitpick: it's not just Fantasy, there's some SF in there. So the title bugs me. Just call it "Speculative Fiction", or even "SFF".
Science Fiction is not Fantasy, IMHO. What are your thoughts on that?

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 16 August 2026 - 09:34 AM

[polishgenius]

I read Victoria Goddard's The Bone Harp, a standalone of hers (completely standalone- not in her Nine Worlds sequence) that is, essentially, an after-the-Silmarillion take, about what happens when the last Son of Feanor finally finds his rest, and tries to learn to accept it. Putting it that starkly seems an ungenerous way to describe it, but there's really no beating around the bush- there's some differences in both character and lore/worldbuilding in order to make the story work, but it is unquestionably what it is.


What it also is, however, is wonderful. I love Goddard's writing so much. This is the fifth book of hers I've read and I love them all. They're all different too.

What works well here is that Goddard doesn't forget that, in amongst all the epic grandness and hubristic tragedy, Tolkien's elves were also extra as fuck and capable of being silly and fun. Goddard's writing can itself be pretty extra, and while she doesn't write specifically like Tolkien really at all, she has enough lyricism that it works for what she's trying.


Which is not a story of the epic tales. Although they're mentioned here, in passing and in flashback- Tamsin has to reckon with his past- what this is about recovering from the epic tales.



It's not gonna be for everyone- even more than usual, she goes for a lot of flourishes, including in this instance a fair bit of repetition-for-effect, and given what it's about the pacing is not a typical adventure. But for those for whom it clicks, it's gonna really click.

[Abyss]

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 03 August 2026 - 11:29 PM, said:

If you like cozy sci-fi, then have you heard of Becky Chambers?

she's in the TRP!

[Abyss]

couldn't resist a reread of Shannen Chakrabortay's THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL SIRAFI ahead of starting the next book. Just Finished, and it's still great!

[QuickTidal]

Halfway through THE LOST METAL (Misborn Era 2 last book) and I wanted to comment on something. Sanderson's progressiveness as an author, and stretching a bit away from his Mormon-conservatism (for lack of a better term) is on display here in a way I was NOT expecting. There's talk of getting laid, and people behaving like bags of dicks here...and I'm fairly sure that would have been unthinkable in ELANTRIS and Era 1 MISTBORN...I think his blowing up as such a huge author has broadened by horizons from his roots (through the vast spectrum of people reading his work and talking to him about it) and he appears to be allowing himself to have more fun now with topics he would not have before? I mean this was released in 2022 as well, so it's been a few years since then too.

Anyways, just stood out to me and is a welcome variation in his writing.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 17 August 2026 - 12:10 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

I noticed a similar journey through the Stormlight Archive!

[Tsundoku]

On a whim, I read a few chapters of this:

https://www.royalroa...-mac-and-cheese

Hilarious!

[Tiste Simeon]

Finished The Black Company on Kindle, thoughts in dedthread. Am going to read non-fiction book Unwell Women next, a recommendation from TRB a fair while back now. Expecting to be educated and enraged all at once!

Finished the dead tree version of Malice, the first book of The Faithful and the Fallen. What a great book, feels like the kind of fantasy I grew up reading. Nothing too complex or anything but good worldbuilding and lots of foreshadowing of the epic battles to come. Will move straight onto Valor (book 2) I think.

Nearly finished a little bit of randomness in audiobooks - I recently spent he best part of 2 years listening to the whole MBOTF and NOTME series on ear book so wanted some very different books, and found some free light hearted and whimsical sort of romance-y books that have been entertaining.

Just debating what to move onto now. Maybe the sequel to the Adventures of Amina Al Sirafi...

[Macros]

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

[Mentalist]

Wrapped up "Heart of the Nhaga".
The dialogue definitely feels stylized, and the overall action/plot doesn't quite meet my threshold for "epic".
That being said, the setting is intriguing. Gonna be on the lookout for the sequels.

Anyway, now it's back to the Dark tower. On to "Wizard and the Glass"

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 25 August 2026 - 01:44 AM

[Tiste Simeon]

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.

[QuickTidal]

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.

[Tsundoku]

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

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

Yeah, it didn't grab me either.
I finished it, but had no desire to continue the story.

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 25 August 2026 - 11:47 AM

[QuickTidal]

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.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 02 September 2026 - 01:40 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

No please don't sell it to mDANG IT QT