Review

**‘Most Improved’ award slices both ways ** It’s a good promise of Blood wasn’t my first book in the Powder Mage universe, as I would have put the whole series down and missed out on Wrath of Empire. Frankly, there’s nothing this book that isn’t better done in Brian McClellan’s second trilogy. That might win McClellan the ‘most improved’ award, but also makes the first trilogy worth skipping. Most characters exist in differing shades of gray, but regrets, betrayals, and revenge left a sour aftertaste for the majority of POV characters. Women in the book are sidelined, shamed, or sex objects. Cringe. ...

So far, this series is the best I’ve found to engage my 11 month old son in reading. Since I was only able to buy these books used, anything destroyable is already gone, but there is plenty of texture and variety to keep an otherwise squirmy baby interested. In terms of my son’s favorites, this ranks below ‘Count Matisse’s Fish’ but above ‘Tickle Tut’s Toes’. Unlike most children’s books, I’m learning something too, making this a book I’m happy to read dozens of times.

** Defeat is More Interesting ** One of the most satisfying elements of a fantasy or sci-fi sequel is the opportunity to explore the consequences of the original story. Usually, the protagonists saved the world, but whatever the danger was had to have some sort of impact right? In Wrath of Empire, the protagonists lost the battle for the city they hoped to protect. Effectively, Napoleon has invaded Russia with easy early victories, but now rather than Kutezov needing to draw the French army out, there is a treasure hunt to find the remaining godstones. Tolstoy this is not, but I enjoyed the tactics and tone, which kept the pages turning far beyond when I should have been sleeping. ...

The tactile cover and pages are great for transitioning from touch-based object play to visual and audio cues around reading. This book was recommended by a friend and became an early favorite. Never Touch a Monster seems to keep my son’s attention better, but this book has more baby-bite marks – that’s a good sign.

** Sins of Fantasy Novels to Support Authors Surviving in a Capitalist System ** You’re about the only decent person in this whole damned city. * Sins of Empire is likely a story you’ve read before. Main characters include a mage (Vlora), an oddly unstoppable brute (Styke), and a hard boiled spy (Michel), all involved in various machinations for power in the capital of Fatrasta, known as Landfall. While Sins is the first in its own trilogy, it’s the 4th novel in the powder mage universe, which helped the world feel fleshed out more than most fantasy books. There were no surprising character arcs, but the pacing was spot on: start with an intriguing mystery, then introduce memorable characters, let these plot arcs merge towards a trajectory that will also solve mystery but set up the inevitable sequel. ...

DNF Chapter 6.

** Civil War Pattern Matching** A decade ago, I got front row seats to the low level Iraqi civil war playing outside my window. On a weekend off, I was stunned to discover that Game of Thrones was a nearly perfect analog to events happening in Baghdad: a story narrative that followed the story of post-invasion Iraq with uncanny detail. Circling back to read the true Game of Thrones source material on the war of the roses, I was again surprised at the similarities — wars may vary, but civil wars are miserable in similar ways. Fundamentally, power vacuums allow lesser conflicts to turn into national conflagrations, and mutual injury among leading groups allow weaker parties seize the moment and rise to power. ...

** Competent is Good Enough ** In special effects, faces are the hardest to passably recreate. This is because the human brain, through eons of evolution is trained to catch the nuances and twitches of every muscle, pore and stretch mark. When it comes to fiction, court politics are the equivalent of faces. Simple enough from the outside, but it turns out our evolutionary proclivity towards family-based power structures and small group social dynamics means that it’s easy to spot a fake in the uncanny valley. ...

**Build an Empire, Were it So Easy ** The Warrior’s apprentice takes a cocky 17 year old Miles as he machinates his way through warring factions to build a mercenary empire. From Miles’ initial failed leap of faith, I felt myself losing connection to both the characters and the world-building as every improbable and sub-optimal move led to spectacularly successful results. Would you jump off a wall too high to safely land knowing that you might break both your legs, just to make a point to a competitor that might not be paying attention? Do you want to read a full novel about somebody dumb enough to make that choice? ...

Skin Deep isn’t always Bad Bill Bryson is like a series lectures from the world’s ultimate science teacher. Like his previous science tome ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ he meanders through interesting facts telling facts about the body, dispelling common myths, and throwing in enough science history anecdotes to keep things interesting. It’s not that I learned very much from the book, but it is eminently snackable, and a reasonable second vantage for some of the topics covered in less skin deep treatments of specific parts of our biological hardware. One myth I do appreciate dispelling is that about cranial size and birth canal – it’s not about our big brains. ...