39/ Heir of Sea and Fire by Patricia A. McKillip. Good second part of the series – unconventional, as it makes the first protagonist's fiancée the new protagonist.
https://books.rixx.de/patricia-a-mckillip/heir-of-sea-and-fire/ #rixxReads
40/ Harpist in the Wind by Patricia A. McKillip. Interesting conclusion to the trilogy. Not what I expected. Good stuff, and rewards attention to detail.
https://books.rixx.de/patricia-a-mckillip/harpist-in-the-wind/ #rixxReads
41/ The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. Sadly, Bujold's Fantasy is not for me. I'll stick with the Vorkosigan saga.
https://books.rixx.de/lois-mcmaster-bujold/the-curse-of-chalion/ #rixxReads
42/ Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker. Not quite as good as the title, but decent. Roman military engineering fanfiction, in a good-ish way.
https://books.rixx.de/k-j-parker/sixteen-ways-to-defend-a-walled-city/ #rixxReads
43/ Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews. More fantastical innkeeper stories. This time – intergalactic diplomacy edition. Enjoyable comfort read.
https://books.rixx.de/ilona-andrews/sweep-in-peace/ #rixxReads
44/ One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews. The Innkeeper series with more of an ensemble cast. Not bad, but worse than the previous books, I'm probably going to stop reading here.
https://books.rixx.de/ilona-andrews/one-fell-sweep/ #rixxReads
45/ The Bone Ships by R. J. Barker. Proof that worldbuilding-focused fiction is not restricted to sci-fi. Enjoyed this a lot, though – an extremely well-built naval fantasy world, with ships and sea dragons and all kinds of great stuff.
https://books.rixx.de/r-j-barker/the-bone-ships/ #rixxReads
46/ The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. Coming-of-age portal fantasy. Nice, but not my cup of tea.
https://books.rixx.de/alix-e-harrow/the-ten-thousand-doors-of-january/ #rixxReads
47/ The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Basically Achilles fanfiction. A bit better than I make it sound but not *that* much better. Reading this so soon after War Music was not a good idea.
https://books.rixx.de/madeline-miller/the-song-of-achilles/ #rixxReads
48/ Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer. Excellent YA about a friendly AI that really only wants to look at cat pictures (and help their friends).
https://books.rixx.de/naomi-kritzer/catfishing-on-catnet/ #rixxReads
49/ Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike. Super fun fantasy satire – reminded me a lot of Pratchett, in a D&D-ish world. Managed to be often fun, mostly interesting, and occasionally genuinely hearbreaking.
https://books.rixx.de/j-zachary-pike/orconomics/ #rixxReads
50/ The March North by Graydon Saunders. Extraordinary start to an extraordinary series. I love it to pieces, as weird and unreadable as it is.
https://books.rixx.de/graydon-saunders/the-march-north/ #rixxReads
51/ Heretics by G.K. Chesterton. Chesterton is an extremely entertaining bastard. Heretics is a good read if you can tolerate him.
https://books.rixx.de/g-k-chesterton/heretics/ #rixxReads
52/ A Succession of Bad Days by Graydon Saunders. "A fairy-tale lost in a civil engineering manual", literally. Amazing stuff, if you like civil engineering manuals in your fantasy.
https://books.rixx.de/graydon-saunders/a-succession-of-bad-days/ #rixxReads
53/ Safely You Deliver by Graydon Saunders. This one is pure worldbuilding, but three books into a series is a good place for that.
https://books.rixx.de/graydon-saunders/safely-you-deliver/ #rixxReads
54/ Under One Banner by Graydon Saunders. A drop in quality, but still nice worldbuilding. Only worth it if you enjoy the series a lot.
https://books.rixx.de/graydon-saunders/under-one-banner/ #rixxReads
55/ A Mist of Grit and Splinters by Graydon Saunders. The latest Commonweal book circles back to mil sci-fi. I still enjoy the book, but it's enjoyment in spite of most of the story.
https://books.rixx.de/graydon-saunders/a-mist-of-grit-and-splinters/ #rixxReads
56/ The Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y. Yang. Asian-inspired genderfun fantasy. Not compelling to me, but not terrible either.
https://books.rixx.de/j-y-yang/the-black-tides-of-heaven/ #rixxReads
57/ Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Coming-of-age novel about a trans gay Latinx boy in the US, who fights to become a brujo and solve a mystery. Well-done intersectional queer-by-default YA.
https://books.rixx.de/aiden-thomas/cemetery-boys/ #rixxReads
58/ Peter Darling by Austin Chant. Peter Pan, a trans boy, returns to Neverland to figure things out and finally grow up, by the power of Hook's pretty eyes or something.
https://books.rixx.de/austin-chant/peter-darling/ #rixxReads
59/ City of Lies by Sam Hawke. White-hat assassin siblings have to save the not-king from poison attempts and defend the realm. Nice inversion of the shining city into the decadent city on a rotting foundation.
https://books.rixx.de/sam-hawke/city-of-lies/ #rixxReads
60/ The Innkeeper's Song by Peter S. Beagle. Reminded me of Princess Bride in places: very solid, always slightly unconventional fantasy, but failed to grip me. Still an enjoyable read, Beagle just can't disappoint.
https://books.rixx.de/peter-s-beagle/the-innkeepers-song/ #rixxReads
61/ The Seep by Chana Porter. Earth gets infected by aliens who give everybody amazing powers at the price of turning them into hippies. Slow and underexplored.
https://books.rixx.de/chana-porter/the-seep/ #rixxReads
62/ Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker. Short story collection - two or three really worked for me, and you can't ask more than that from a story collection.
https://books.rixx.de/sarah-pinsker/sooner-or-later-everything-falls-into-the-sea/ #rixxReads
63/ Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. Urban fantasy, set on a reservation in post-collapse America. Follows all the genre tropes – not bad, just not good either.
https://books.rixx.de/rebecca-roanhorse/trail-of-lightning/ #rixxReads
64/ Vicious by V.E. Schwab. Did not finish. Superhero story from the perspective of a villain.
https://books.rixx.de/v-e-schwab/vicious/ #rixxReads
65/ Way Station by Clifford D. Simak. Published in 1963, the story of Earth as one of many way stations in a galactic transport network, and also commentary on the Cold War. Aged well.
https://books.rixx.de/clifford-d-simak/way-station/ #rixxReads
66/ God Stalk by P.C. Hodgell. 80s fantasy that is ALL over the place. The good parts are Bas-Lag levels of fantasy city building, but the uneven pace and sheer mass of things shoved into this book make it hard to enjoy.
https://books.rixx.de/p-c-hodgell/god-stalk/ #rixxReads
67/ Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling. Fantasy novel somewhere between "solid" and "excellent". Well-done apprenticeship-to-the-mysterious-spy story with vivid characters and a great world.
https://books.rixx.de/lynn-flewelling/luck-in-the-shadows/ #rixxReads
68/ Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor. St Mary masks as a history institute, but does time travel. Very fun popcorn read.
https://books.rixx.de/jodi-taylor/just-one-damned-thing-after-another/ #rixxReads
69/ Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis. Unconvincing first-contact fiction.
https://books.rixx.de/lindsay-ellis/axioms-end/ #rixxReads
70/ With the Lightnings by David Drake. Navy swashbuckling, but in space, with a touch of Lord Peter Wimsey. Lots of fun, and only the first part of a long series.
https://books.rixx.de/david-drake/with-the-lightnings/ #rixxReads
71/ Stalking Darkness by Lynn Flewelling. Great second book in the Nightrunner series, but with some serious yikes thrown in.
https://books.rixx.de/lynn-flewelling/stalking-darkness/ #rixxReads
72/ Traitor's Moon by Lynn Flewelling. The series continues to be good fantasy, and earnestly inclusive – but it's uneasy about its inclusivity, disappointingly.
https://books.rixx.de/lynn-flewelling/traitors-moon/ #rixxReads
73/ Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling. This is where I stop reading the Nightrunner series. The protagonists are kidnapped by NOT AT ALL ARABS who proceed to torture them for the rest of the book, until they escape.
https://books.rixx.de/lynn-flewelling/shadows-return/ #rixxReads
74/ The Economy of Cities by Jane Jacobs. Excellent, classic book on how cities come to be, neatly paired with a small history of invention.
https://books.rixx.de/jane-jacobs/the-economy-of-cities/ #rixxReads
75/ Cathedral, Forge and Waterwheel by Frances Gies, Joseph Gies. The best history book I've ever read, going into dense detail about technology and inventions in the Middle Ages. I'm in love to the point of taking excessive notes.
https://books.rixx.de/frances-gies-joseph-gies/cathedral-forge-and-waterwheel/ #rixxReads
76/ A Case of Possession by K.J. Charles. More gay magical Victorian mystery shenanigans – the charm of the first part has worn off a little, but still good as a comfort read.
https://books.rixx.de/k-j-charles/a-case-of-possession/ #rixxReads
78/ Cart and Cwidder by Diana Wynne Jones. Diana Wynne Jones just always delivers great family dynamics. Nice YA book.
https://books.rixx.de/diana-wynne-jones/cart-and-cwidder/ #rixxReads
80/ Oranges by John McPhee. Yup, it's an entire book about oranges.
https://books.rixx.de/john-mcphee/oranges/ #rixxReads
81/ Vita Nostra by Marina Dyachenko. Excellent, dark book about a depressing magic college in Russia. Extremely strong on the vibes and worldbuilding; enough to forgive the sometimes rough translation.
https://books.rixx.de/marina-dyachenko/vita-nostra/ #rixxReads
82/ Das Jesus Video by Andreas Eschbach. Wannabe Dan Brown trash.
https://books.rixx.de/andreas-eschbach/das-jesus-video/ #rixxReads
83/ The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. YA about teenagers forced to live in Faerie. Good setting, lame execution; predictable and flat.
https://books.rixx.de/holly-black/the-cruel-prince/ #rixxReads
84/ Running on Empty by Jonice Webb, Christine Musello. Despite its overly sweeping approach a decent, practical book for people with problems getting in touch with their emotions.
https://books.rixx.de/jonice-webb-christine-musello/running-on-empty/ #rixxReads
85/ Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell. Excellent adventure story set just before the Trojan war.
https://books.rixx.de/david-gemmell/lord-of-the-silver-bow/ #rixxReads
86/ The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. Djinn and more during the Napoleonic wars in Egypt. Very flat despite the interesting setting – plot devices getting pushed through exposition blocks on a great stage.
https://books.rixx.de/s-a-chakraborty/the-city-of-brass/ #rixxReads
87/ The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz. Short, sweet queer sci-fi romance about a world where the last humanoid robots live out their life.
https://books.rixx.de/meredith-katz/the-cybernetic-tea-shop/ #rixxReads
88/ Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I like Andy Weir and the Martian as much as the next nerd, but please take away his dialogue writing rights. (The competency porn is great as always, though.)
https://books.rixx.de/andy-weir/project-hail-mary/ #rixxReads
89/ A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark. Steampunk with new living gods and everything, set in 1910s Egypt. Great worldbuilding, mediocre writing and story, overall an enjoyable read.
https://books.rixx.de/p-djeli-clark/a-master-of-djinn/ #rixxReads
90/ The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells. She sure likes writing outsiders from human society – this time winged shapeshifters. Not as compelling as I had hoped.
https://books.rixx.de/martha-wells/the-cloud-roads/ #rixxReads
91/ Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone. I love Gladstone in all his forms usually, but this wasn't it.
https://books.rixx.de/max-gladstone/empress-of-forever/ #rixxReads
92/ Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals by BitterKarella. First of the Kickstarter prints of the Midnight Society threads, sadly not very good to the point that reading them on Twitter is better.
https://books.rixx.de/bitterkarella/submitted-for-the-approval-of-the-midnight-pals/ #rixxReads
93/ Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals II by BitterKarella. More of the same. Still glad I supported the Kickstarter, because I love the account, but.
https://books.rixx.de/bitterkarella/submitted-for-the-approval-of-the-midnight-pals-ii/ #rixxReads
94/ D'Shai by Joel Rosenberg. Sweet 90s fantasy that casts flow states as magic. Pretty cool!
https://books.rixx.de/joel-rosenberg/dshai/ #rixxReads
95/ Gender Euphoria by Laura Kate Dale. Mildly underwhelming collection of essays. Might have been better if the editor hadn't written 11 out of 29 herself.
https://books.rixx.de/laura-kate-dale/gender-euphoria/ #rixxReads
96/ God's Philosophers by James Hannam. I'm very much into the subject, and still didn't manage to finish this book.
https://books.rixx.de/james-hannam/gods-philosophers/ #rixxReads
97/ The Lost Books of The Odyssey by Zachary Mason. Excellent and enjoyable short story collection with surprising variations on the Odyssey.
https://books.rixx.de/zachary-mason/the-lost-books-of-the-odyssey/ #rixxReads
@rixx Didn’t you publish that some months ago? My feed reader has the entry from the 5th September. (I want to read it, that’s why it’s still in there 😉)
@juli Yeah, I forgot to post the last three reviews to social media, but 11 more coming right up.
Also, the feed date is my read date, not my actual post date, cause I can't be bothered to track yet another date.
@rixx Ahh ☺️😊
@rixx hehe, it seems that Andy Weir has found their writing niche in space robinsonades.
@daniel_bohrer Absolutely! Just somebody make him stick to his niche – my books in the past months included two authors I honestly like leaving their niche to terrible effect tbh
@rixx When the book was first published in 1998 pretty much nobody in Germany had even heard of Dan Brown...
@elzoido so? I don't mean to say that he literally ripped off Dan Brown, I meant that it's trash of the same variety, and not even good at that.
@rixx Just wanted to nitpick a bit. I read it 20 years ago and liked it then. But now, in my 40s, I totally get what you're saying. And please, please, please stay as far away as possible from the trash fire sequel "Der Jesus-Deal".
@rixx hey, this was before Dan Brown :D but the TV movie wasn't good either.
@daniel_bohrer (oh god)²
1: there was no time before Dan Brown, I refuse to believe
2: whyyy is there a movie
79/ The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. What's there to say? The book is a giant pretentious nerd trap and I enjoy pretty much everything about it. Re-read.
https://books.rixx.de/umberto-eco/the-name-of-the-rose/ #rixxReads