The Dagger and the Coin series by Daniel Abraham

Having burned through this entire fantasy epic, my verdict is that it’s enjoyable and light, you could read it on the train or at the beach, it’s written with craft and each book has one or two great moments, but it’s missing something - verve, jazz, poetry… art, I guess. 

The Spider’s War by Daniel Abraham

Abundantly readable and exactly as satisfying an ending of a five book fantasy series as you could ask, but also totally boring - it seems like Abraham took the least-risk option every step of the way here, and so ends up with a conclusion that feels like the solution to a mathematical equation. 

The Window’s House by Daniel Abraham

4th book in the dagger and coin series is another bridging story like the 2nd; as such, it’s a bit boring from an action perspective, but overall satisfying and clearly setting up a nice finale. 

the brave little toaster (1987)

Just as nonsensical and whimsical and dark as many children’s movies of the era, but also (and this coming from someone who hates 80s music) the music kinda slaps. 

The Tyrant’s Law by Daniel Abraham

As I continue to tear thru this series I continue to think the same thing I have all along, that it’s funny to see a fantasy world inherit so many world building elements from the Malazan series while being so utterly different in most other ways; furthermore I can confidently say that this book lives up to the bridging promise of the previous, with some outstanding and deep character-driven moments. 

Supernatural Thing by M. Ward

The rare later career album success - just so so cozy and sweet. 

The King’s Blood by Daniel Abraham

Second book in Abraham’s Dagger and Coin series follows precisely in the path of the previous, except that it’s very clearly a bridging book, meant to continue the story and move multiple plot elements along and so it lacks the first book’s dramatic scale, which, come to think of it, is kind of a knock on the book and the series because I’d like to think that the artifice of novelmaking shouldn’t be so obvious - but all that said, it was very fun. 

The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham

It would be hard not to compare this first entry in Abraham's epic fantasy series to the Malazan series by Erikson that I read last year, since there are quite a few setting and style elements in common, but that would be fairly unhelpful because for one, not many people have necessarily read all of the Malazan book of the fallen series (it's a lot...) and for two, numerous superficial symmetries aside, the Dagger and the Coin seems to have a lot going for it that the other does not - it's approachable / easy to read, for one, and thus far easier to recommend: I really liked it.

late night with the devil (2024)

very impressed by the taut creepy action, campy setting, and the decision to narrate the exposition instead of show it - everything about this fun movie was measured, smart, and cool. 

Gai-Jin by James Clavell

I thought a continuation of the last two books in this saga would be enthralling and I was wrong - this third book is just talking, talking, this person goes here, talks to that one. then goes there, all they do is talk, I realized I didn’t care. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

This long, carefully-plotted psychological thriller is hard to put down as it gets going, and while on the minus side it tries too hard - over-wrought, precious, implausible in its complexity - on the plus side it’s well-crafted, fun to discuss, and fairly unique. 

Impro by Keith Johnstone

The first half of this book is chock full of fun stories and inspiring wisdom on how to live and act spontaneously- like most good advice, it seems specific (improv techniques) but ends up being applicable to broad swathes of life. 

Tai-pan by James Clavell

The first third of Clavell’s second book in the Asian Saga is slow to get moving and full of characters and places and lingo and it’s all kind of hard to care, but he earned my attention with Shogun so I stuck with it and I’m really glad I did, because the second two thirds really use all that exposition and tell a fascinating tale. 

Dispatches by Michael Herr

This Vietnam war travelogue is so packed with anecdotes, stories, quotes, thoughts, and prose poems it’ll make your head spin, really just insightful, deep, and strong. 

Shogun by James Clavell

What a sprawling, gorgeous, unique, massive, engrossing, satisfying masterpiece - it revels in deeply involved chess-like strategic intricacies, but it also, separately from that, invokes an alien world effectively and completely, and the two feats in combination are exquisite. 

Barons by Austin Frerick

Frerick does a great, readable, well-cited job laying out the history and effects of corporate consolidation in US food systems, and a nice quick job at the end laying out possible remedies, but like everything else I’m always left wanting more investigation into who and what is actually preventing those obvious remedies from enactment.