jverkamp.com

The Golf (Peaks) of Solving

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Another day (week? month?), another puzzle game.

This time around, we’re going to solve Golf Peaks. I picked this up a while ago on iOS, but only recently on Steam. It’s a cute little puzzle game themed around minigolf.

Basically, you’re on a grid and you have to get the ball (in the bottom in that screenshot above) to the flag (currently at the top). You have a set list of moves you can take, styled as cards–all of which either move a certain number of tiles in a specific direction or possibly jump into the air (and fly over obstacles).

It gets more complicated from there, but hopefully you have the basic idea. 😄

Final Heir

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

And so it ends. With a bang and with a whimper.

On one hand, the stakes (heh (yes, I know I just did that joke)) couldn’t be higher. The Heir is coming. All the threads and mysteries of 15 books (that haven’t otherwise been killed already) are coming back to rear their ugly heads.

On the other hand, it doesn’t quite land? You have literal angels and demons, but they’re in far less of the book than would have made an impact. You have the big bad evil skinwalkers hinted at from the very beginning, but no real direct interactions with them. And you have vampire politics… but the Heir was never as interesting as the Sons of Judas.

On the other other hand (I know), as a final book in the series, it does work. You get a decent bit of closure for most the main characters (that have survived thus far). The world has changed, almost certainly for the better–and if not, certainly the more interesting. And Jane finally seems happy.

Was the series worth the read? Absolutely.

Would I have preferred that the series went a different direction about when the whole ‘Dark Queen’ idea was introduced? Probably.

Was the whole deal with time fascinating… and then ultimately less used than it could have been. Yup.

Overall, worth the read but I’m also ready to move on to other things.

Onward!

Within the Sanctuary of Wings

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

And so it ends (sort of).

Much like the previous books, it’s an adventure to somewhere new and far off, this time deep into the mountains (once again) of totally-not-the-Himalayas!

Taskmaster: Series 16

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Another season, we’re on a roll!

Another great cast, and I absolutely enjoyed them all, although I didn’t have a favorite stand out quite so much as did in the previous seasons.

Poor Lucy through so many of those tasks, but she took it in stride. The Sues were great, especially together. Julian–so gay. And Sam Campbell was just a lot of fun–and that hair the last episode. O.o

Onward to one more (for now)!

And then of course… all of the other regional Taskmasters as well.

A Million Worlds with You

Fri, 31 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Fate doesn’t guarantee us a happy ending. We’re not promised to be together no matter what. But in dimension after dimension, world after world, fate gives us a chance. Our destiny isn’t some kind of mystical prophecy. Our destiny is what we do with that chance.

A Thousand Pieces of You introduced us to the multiverse and Ten Thousand Skies Above You brought it to the brink of war. Now, in A Million Worlds with You, the fighting is on.

The core of the story comes in two parts:

For one, we have Marguerite chasing a twisted echo of herself (who she names Wicked; I do enjoy how everyone just goes with her names throughout the book). The entire idea that Marguerite can’t jump into the same world as Wicked and has to trail behind, digging herselves out of any trouble Wicked gets them into is fascinating. But by itself, entirely reactive.

So for two, we have a war between dimensions. We have some worlds that were already aware of parallel realities, but now, finally, they are beginning to work together and push back against the Triad.

To war!

I do love the premise. It’s solidly written and a worthwhile finish to the trilogy (although now I want more! what happens between all the worlds next?!). It … was rough to start it, mostly due to all the damage Marguerite and especially Paul went through last book, but that’s sort of the the point.

Well worth the read.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Thu, 30 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I still think the first one was the better movie, but man I still enjoyed this one. Biggest negative: I’d totally forgotten this is a part one / to be continued. That was… not fun to find out right at the end with no current release date for the next sequel!

Overall, it’s a great film. I love seeing more of Miles and Gwen, especially a couple of years later. I love the introduction to even more Spider-People (and not-people even, oh Peter Parkedcar) and the introduction of even more multiverse concepts that brings to mind. And the idea that there are fixed points in each Spider’s story that makes them who they are is great fuel, both for this and I hope the eventual sequel.

Visually, this story once again shines. I love seeing all the different styles, especially when you have more than one on screen at once.

And now, on seeing this, I learn that Marvel 2099 with more Miguel O’Hara is a thing. I should read that next!

Onward! (And hopefully not too long to a sequel.)

Taskmaster: Series 15

Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We’re almost caught up to the present day! And what a crew to catch up on.

Mae Martin I think was my favorite, followed closely by Ivo Graham. Ironic given the final scores. 😄

I did love Jenny Eclair’s energy throughou the tasks though. And both Frankie and Kiell were a delight to watch as well. Really, I loved the entire cast.

Favorite task of the season? Wayne. The flail’y man.

Go watch it and find out why. 😄

For All Mankind: Season 2

Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Well that got away from me for a bit.

After the explosive introduction that was For All Mankind: Season 1, with the Soviets beating the US to the moon and all that changed through that… no we’re a decade in the future and things continue to change!

It’s fascinating to see Jamestown grow to a crew of around 20. The Baldwins have adapted a daughter. The chaos of escalating tensions, both on the moon and also back on Earth–and all the perils of space travel, even without that. And Gordo, Danielle, and Ed, back to space.

And that’s all in the first part of the week.

Man this is a good show.

And next season, with another time skip we may very well be going to Mars!

Onward!

Ten Thousand Skies Above You

Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A Thousand Pieces of You introduced us to the multiverse–and sent us on adventure across the worlds in a desperate gamble for revenge… Or perhaps to save a life. Or perhaps even to fall in love.

The multiverse is infinite. So, yeah, we go through some terrible things together, and I’ve seen versions of you who are darker, and damaged, and I don’t care. I want you even when you’re broken. I want you no matter what. Your darkness, your anger, whatever it is you fear inside yourself—it doesn’t matter. I love you completely, don’t you see? I even want the worst of you because it’s still a part of you.

Ten Thousand Skies Above You takes that idea and expands upon it in a fascinating way. Now, it’s not just searching through the multiverse, it’s the early stages of a war between realities. Once again, it’s about saving a life, but this time, it’s less a puzzle and more a scavenger hunt, with some serious repercussions if you don’t find all of the pieces.

Other than a cliffhanger ending (we’ll come back to that…), it’s really quite a good sequel. If anything, I think I enjoyed it even more than the first.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma

Mon, 20 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Oh, that’s a long book to read for a half a chapter a night (and not even every night). I enjoyed it, but I think I’ve been enjoying each book in the series a little less.

The first book, the kids were brilliant and that was the core of the story. They could think their way out of any wacky mystery they get into. Here, we have Constance literally reading minds and Reynie with his sixth sense for danger. Sticky with his perfect memory, reading just … everything in the house. Even Kate’s magical bucket–nah, I still enjoy that one.

On the other hand, there was a lot of action and for the most part, the kids are still working their way out of trouble all by themselves–even when a rescue is under way–and I enjoyed that. The plot itself didn’t go to quite as adventurous destinations as the first two, which I missed.

I still do really enjoy the found family aspects of the story on all levels. The kids themselves are great together and there are some really humorous points. And they’re extended family all together, especially with Mr. Benedict, I really did enjoy that. They do get quite the sense of closure towards the end.

Although there’s apparently a 4th and a prequel, I think it’s time to move on to something else.

Onward!

In the Labyrinth of Drakes

Sat, 18 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We’ve been to the mountains, a swamp/rainforest, and on the ocean. What’s next? To the desert!

It’s another book much like the first three: a bit of set up and lamenting the not-British society of the time, then off on an adventure! This time, as mentioned, to the deserts of Akhia.

The inciting incident this time is that the military is trying to breed dragons–either to harvest them for bones or train them for war–is interesting enough and sure to appeal to Isabella. The whole how do dragons breed / how did we get such variety has been a question for a long time now, and I’m just as curious as Isabella is to dig into it.

Characterwise, it’s a welcome delight to see Suhail again. I do quite enjoy seeing Isabella and Suhail’s relationship develop and this book certainly doesn’t slouch in that regard.

I sometimes imagine there is a clerk behind a desk situated between the brain and the mouth. It is his job to examine utterances on their way out, and stamp them with approval or send them back for reconsideration. If such a clerk exists, mine must be very harried and overworked; and on occasion he puts his head down on the desk in despair, letting things pass without so much as a second glance.

Oh they’re fun.

I will admit, after actually getting Jake at least somewhat in The Voyage of the Basilisk, it’s weird that he’s just completely ignored again for the most part here.

(Indeed, a female desert drake makes me look like a doting mother by comparison.)

You’re not wrong.

Overall, if you’ve enjoyed the books up to now, you’ll almost certainly enjoy this one.

Onward!

(And only one left!)

S.H.I.E.L.D., Volume 1: Perfect Bullets

Fri, 17 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Well that was a weird, wild, and chaotic ride. More than most comics even, this volume didn’t feel like a volume so much as a series of vaguely connected issues. It’s fun to see Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. doing their thing, but I honestly couldn’t really get into the story before off we go again.

True Dead

Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

And now we’re wrapping up… just in time to add in some random new bigger badder big bad that we’d never heard of before?

Onward!

To be fair, it’s the right time for it. Jane has managed to take control of vampire world and solidify her power in and around New Orleans. We need something to shake up that new status quo, if the series isn’t just going to end now. And really, there was foreshadowing that something like this might happen all the way back to the early books.

Still feels weird.

On the plus side, seeing the new evolution of an old character was great fun, I hope we get more of that! The battles were exciting and bloody, more of that! And seeing Jane well supported and loved is something that’s she had a long time coming and well deserved.

On the flipside… I miss the smaller stakes (heh) of the older books. I don’t really understand why Jane became the Dark Queen (either from a personal perspective or a metaphysical one), beyond perhaps that there’s no one else. I’m still not a huge fan of the transition.

Still worth the read I think. And at this point, you absolutely can bet I’m going to finish the series. Only one book left. Onward!

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath

Sun, 12 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I quite enjoyed The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, but I’ll admit, I was a bit surprised to see that there actually was a sequel. I quite often find myself, after reading a book, wondering–but what happened next?!

Well, here we go!

For the most part, The Sinister Booksellers of Bath (I do love the titles of these), is more of the same. Susan has been trying to go on and lead a normal life… nope. Back into the magic! Merlin and Vivien are off doing magical things… and stumble into trouble, needing Susan to help them out.

I do love reading about the three of them. I think Susan, growing and changing and coming to terms with her powers is really the heart of these stories and I’m hoping for even more.

The worldbuilding remains fantastical in a way that Garth Nix is so good at. We have a wonderful blend of real world and an underlying magic, with ancient powers, magical artifcats, and statues coming to life.

Overall, I’m surprised but pleasantly so that the Left-Handed Booksellers had a sequel. If there’s ever a third in the future, I’ll most certainly give it a chance.

But for now, onward!

Little House in the Big Woods

Wed, 08 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I have read or listened to these books so many times with my children, but somehow never actually gotten around to writing up reviews.

Not that I expect there are many out there that have never heard of these books until reading this and are now going to go out and read them right now. But as these are reminders of what I liked in a book (and what even happened in a specific book), on we go anyways! 😄

When the fiddle had stopped singing Laura called out softly, “What are days of auld lang syne, Pa?”
“They are the days of a long time ago, Laura,” Pa said. “Go to sleep, now.”
But Laura lay awake a little while, listening to Pa’s fiddle softly playing and to the lonely sound of the wind in the Big Woods. She looked at Pa sitting on the bench by the hearth, the firelight gleaming on his brown hair and beard and glistening on the honey-brown fiddle. She looked at Ma, gently rocking and knitting.
She thought to herself, “This is now.”
She was glad that the cosy house, and Pa and Ma and the firelight and the music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago.

These are the quasi-non-fictional stories of Laura Ingles Wilder, who grew up in the American frontier of the late 1800s. In this book, they start out in the titular Big Woods of Wisconsin, living a relatively simple life of farming and hunting.

It’s a slice of life story as much as anything, detailing the lives of Laura and her family rather than following any overarching plot. That’s just not how lives work. And having read a number of other (purely fictional) books in the genre, I appreciate it. Sometimes, it’s just nice to live another life for a while, even if that life isn’t alway pleasant in turn.

It’s fascinating to see the little aspects of life. What’s important to Laura and her family. The sugar snow and maple syrup are always big huts, but the delight in finding a honey tree, the brand new innovation of a threshing machine, and even all the little mentions of what they eat, it’s all a window into ‘days gone by’.

Overall, I quite enjoy this book. It’s weird knowing that it was life for Laura and her family–as it was for many people of that time. But in my opinion, worth a read.

Side note: I’ve most often and most recently listened to the narration by Cherry Jones. She is the voice of these books and I do quite enjoy her narration. Worth a listen.

Black Mirror: Season 5

Tue, 07 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A whole series in three episodes? Whee!

It’s interesting how the three episodes are at once similar and so different. There’s little enough radically different technology–mostly extrapolations of what we have now or may expect to have soon–but it’s done well.

And even with just three, we already have one that’s a straight forward exploration, one that’s more of a slow burn, and one that has a sudden sharp escalation.

A lot to fit into a short season.

Onward!

Black Mirror: Season 4

Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Onward to Season 4!

We have a lot of interesting technology this time around. Virtual reality. Filtering reality (again). Messing with memories (they really like this one…). Dating. Being hunted.

I’m still quite enjoying this series. Check it out!

A Thousand Pieces of You

Sun, 05 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I would love you in any shape, in any world, with any past. Never doubt that.

It’s one part jumping into parallel reality sci-fi, one part murder mystery, and one part YA adventure story (complete with love tangle).

For me at least, it works surprisingly well. I’m normally not a huge fan of love tangles taking up a large part of a story. Here, I think it works pretty well. We have the additional tension of investigating murder. Plus having the feel of previously established relationships and growth throughout the story. It works.

Parallel reality / sci-fi wise, it’s… light. There’s not really much in the way of exactly how parallel realities work and what the rules are for moving from one to another. On the other hand, as a vehicle to jump from our world (ish) to a vaguely futuristic London. To one where Russian is still in it’s full Czarist grandeur. To another where climate change has already flooded the world.

It’s also interesting how on one hand you have the parallel reality ’everything is possible’, contrasted throughout the entire book by:

“There are patterns within the dimensions,” Paul insisted, never looking up again. “Mathematical parallels. It’s plausible to hypothesize that these patterns will be reflected in events and people in each dimension. That people who have met in one quantum reality will be likely to meet in another. Certain things that happen will happen over and over, in different ways, but more often than you could explain by chance alone.”

“In other words,” I said, “you’re trying to prove the existence of fate.”

I was joking, but Paul nodded slowly, like I’d said something intelligent. “Yes. That’s it exactly.”

I feel like you can’t really have it both ways… and the story doesn’t really either. It’s really just the latter.

Overall, I really enjoyed listening to this story. I’m really curious where it goes from here. There’s certainly room for the sequels, let’s see what they do!

A Grand Adventure

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 00:29:54 +0000

Taking 4 kids and 3 grandparents out West. To Yosemite and then the Bay Area for a week and a half. Beautiful as always and great fun for all.

View on Flickr

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Books help us anchor our souls, or re-anchor them; particularly for us, the left-handed, given the things we have to do.

Abhorsen is one of my favorite series, full stop. The Keys to the Kingdom were … weird? But I remembered liking them well enough. And I haven’t been back to The Seventh Tower in years (since I started writing reviews). But somehow in there I managed to miss seeing the Left-Handed Booksellers of London.

It’s a fun older, lighter style of urban fantasy, set in 1980s London. You have magical booksellers, a missing parent (who of course is going to be magical), and all manner of mysteries, beasties, and mysterious beasties. On top of that, some delightful side characters (Merlin St. Jacques is my favorite) and some magically described scenes.

I think Merlin has explained to you that the mythic landscape is layered, and usually quite local. Entities and environments are generally confined to a particular geographic area and often also to particular times of day or night, phases of the moon, that sort of thing. Even weather, as with the things that come out after rain, or only when it snows. And they are bound by custom and lore to behave in certain ways, to do certain things, and of course these days are mostly dormant anyway.

I enjoyed this book. It’s not up to the level of Sabriel and it’s sequels, but it was a fun read and I’m glad to have found it. And I am curious where the apparent sequel might go, which is always a good sign.

Fantasy writers, they’re the bane of our existence!

Onward!

The Hobbit

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.

I don’t really need to review the Hobbit. It’s a delightful book and you’ve probably already read it. If you haven’t, you should.

What I can do though is highly HIGHLY recommend listening to the audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis (the voice of Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies). Oh, he’s good. And not just as Gollum, but as everyone.

I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone.'

I should think so — in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!

The Quantum War

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In The Quantum Magician, Bel pulled off the ultimate heist and changed everything. In The Quantum Garden, we got a sort of sequel-prequel, that sort of kind of answered how that all came to be (time travel is weird). Finally now, in The Quantum Evolution, we’re starting to get some of the effects.

It turns out that by showing off his Quantum MAGIC!(tm), Bel has brought quite a lot more attention than he ever intended to Homo Quantus. And now everone wants a piece of him and his.

The characters still drive teh book. Bel and Cass remain Bel and Cas. Stills remains delightfully crass. I was delighted to see Marie again.

And then… the Puppets. That’s quite the weird, uncomfortable part of these books and it’s even more to the fore in this one. It’s … probably worth something to have read it?

If this is the last book, it’s a weird one. There’s a big epic conclusion, but it doesn’t feel completely earned. The stakes are higher than ever, but it doesn’t feel particularly ’new’ this time.

Overall, the first book is the best. The next two are worth reading. And I would probably read a fourth. But for now… onward!

Shattered Bonds

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Dark Queen did quite a lot to shake up the world, so it’s about time to step back a bit and take a breath. After all, there’s no better time than Jane’s managing to really screw things up with her magic (finally) and is dying.

So now we have Shattered Bonds. The vampire world reeling, Jane dying and back in the mountains, and a new bigger badder big bad on the prowl.

At this points, things are all at once wrapping up (only 2 books left after this one!) and escalating to something bigger. I’m not a huge fan of Jane’s new place in the supernatural world, but even then I think it’s being dealt with in interesting ways.

My favorite part of this book? The continued melding of Jane and Beast.

Well, isn’t that just ducky.

Is not ducks, Beast thought. Is vampires.

The Quantum Garden

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Quantum Magician was a wonderful bit of scifi worldbuilding and technology wrapped around a heist novel. Future tech harnessing time travel and the forces driving the inflation of the universe and you have to sneak it right through a wormhole and maybe steal it all on the way.

I had no idea how to top that… but was curious to see.

Turns out… time travel.

It’s a risky choice. Time travel at a small scale can be a lot of fun. It helps you pull off heists after all. And yet… when you try to make it significantly larger, you really have to deal with the question: how does time travel work in this universe?

Well… it’s never entirely answered. Things get all sorts of quantum and fuzzy. Effects proceed causes (and sometimes you get neat little loops with no original cause at all). Other than that, I’ll let you see how they deal with it all.

I do still love the side characters the most. We get more Scarecrow, which is fascinating. And of course Stills and anti-piss (you’ll just have to see it).

Overall, the first book is stronger. But this one has some fascinating ideas and I’m happy to get the chance to live in this world for just a few hours longer. Onward to see if it can be done–one more time. 😄

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Yeah, this definitely fits this year’s ‘Judge A Book By Its Cover’ on the [[2024 Book Bingo]]. I mean… look at it! I love the title and have a soft spot for the illustrated manuscript style.

And then on top of that, it’s actually quite a delightful book as well. Win win!

I mention this because that’s how the world changes. It’s either so quick that we never know what hit us, or so gradual that we don’t notice.

In a nutshell, it’s the story of an alternate history Earth. Take a roughly medieval european tech level empire and an army corps of engineers (they build bridges) out on their own. Add a force somehow conquering everything, leaving said engineers really the only remaining hope. And then stick them in a city, the only hope to hold off against a siege.

But what really shines (for me–and your milage really may vary on this one) is the tone. The main character is competant (perhaps too much so at times) and wonderfully snarky.

I have strong views about not tempting providence and, as a wise man once said, the difference between luck and a wheelbarrow is, luck doesn’t work if you push it.

Things that have always been done? About to be undone–in the name of defending the city.

My belief is, either you understand things or you understand people. Nobody can do both. Frankly, I’m happier with things. I understand stuff like tensile strength, shearing force, ductility, work hardening, stress, fatigue. I know the same sort of things happen with people, but the rules are subtly different. And nobody’s ever paid for my time to get to know about people.

Yeah… he knows people better than he claims.

The people turn out to be—well, people; a collective noun for all those individual men and women, none of them perfect, some of them downright vicious, most of them monumentally stupid. As stupid as the emperor, the great hereditary lords, the priestly hierarchs, the General Staff and the Lords of the Admiralty, the merchant princes and the organised crime barons.

Anyways. You’ll know right away if you like this book or not. I loved it. Give it a try.

Of the people, by the people, for the people. I can’t remember offhand where that quote comes from; it was something to do with some bunch of wild-eyed idealists overthrowing the tyrant so they could become tyrants themselves. No good will have come of it, you can be sure. The people; God help us.

The Quantum Magician

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A con man called Gander had once taught him that there were only three bets. Sometimes, you play the cards. Sometimes, you play the player. Sometimes, you just throw the dice. The Quantum Magician is … not what I expected. I’m sure at one point, I read the blurb, but I’ve slept since then. So all I had to go on when I picked it up just now was the title.

The Haunting of Hill House

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.

A haunted house? Let’s do SCIENCE!

Well, that’s the claim. Mostly, it’s a vehicle to get all our main characters in one place, plus a bit of conflict later on.

Other than that, we have character introductions. They’re some weird folks–the best kind for these stories. And then the house as character. It’s impressive how you can get such a feel for a place with only minimal (initial) description. And then the caretakers of the house. Quite the characters those two are.

And then… things get creepy. There’s little jumping out of the page to scare you. It’s not that sort of story. But it’s creepy nevertheless. Perfecting that evermounting sense of dread. And at that, it’s quite well done.

I think that I enjoyed this book more having listened to the audiobook. It’s a slow burn and… hard to describe just why it’s so intriguing?

Worth a try.

Journeys end in lovers meeting; I have spent an all but sleepless night, I have told lies and made a fool of myself, and the very air tastes like wine. I have been frightened half out of my foolish wits, but I have somehow earned this joy; I have been waiting for it for so long.

The Voyage of the Basilisk

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 02:00:00 +0000

The third book of [[The Memoirs of Lady Trent]]. First she went to studing dragons in rocky mountanious islands–and almost died. And then she spent some time studying river dragons deep in the jungle–and almost died.

And now she’s off on a voyage around the world–akin to Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle–to study dragons. Only to almost die not once, not twice, but at least three times. Assuming I didn’t miss any.

Oh, and have all manner of other adventures along the way.

“I have never attempted to hide that I have had two husbands in my life. I have, however, neglected to mention that in between them, I had a wife.”

In any case.

“That should be my epitaph when I die: ‘she did not have to do it’.”

I’m still loving riding along with the titular Lady Trent on her adventures and learning all about how dragons work in this world right along with her. And this time, she’s actually bringing her son along, which gives a whole new dimension to the journeys–for the most part.

A fun book. I expect if you’ll like the first two, you’ll continue to enjoy this one.

Onward!

Mooses with Bazookas: And Other Stories Children Should Never Read

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 01:00:00 +0000

That… is a very weird and very silly book.

It’s got a frame story of one Wally Warmbottom. He’s shipwrecked on an island far from anything–but luckily, he’s got lots of paper and bottles to send out letters.

And some of those bottles have other stories in them. Such as the titular mooses and bazookas. And another about rocket(s). And a few others.

It reminds me of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, with the same overwritten funny because it’s saying the same thing a bunch of times in a row sort of humor.

It gets old.

Or perhaps I got old.

My son seemed to enjoy it well enough though.

Jade Legacy

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

“You’d think it would be easier to face death as you get older, but it doesn’t work that way. You get more attached to life, to people you love and things that are worth living for.”

Wow.

I first read Jade City and Jade War a few years¹ ago–before the third and final book was out. So when I finally got a chance for a re-read (re-listen this time), I figured I’d give it a chance.

And oh, does this book ever deliver. If you’re like me and have read the first two and not this–what are you waiting for?

Solving Sokobond

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Another solver that I’ve been working on, after A Good Snowman Is Hard To … Solve?. This time, we have Sokobond! It’s a Sokobon… but with chemical bonds! Yeah, that’s a really good title.

The basic idea is you have a field of elements with (chemical accurate) free electrons):

Here we have 4 hydrogens (1 bond each) and a carbon (4 bonds). It should seem pretty obvious that the carbon should end up with a hydrogen on each end. The one last bit of interest: the element with the dashed border is the one we actually control, that will never change.

This eventually gets more complicated, adding:

Modifiers that are placed on the map between squares:
- One that strengthens bonds, turning a single bond into double into triple
- One that weakens bonds, turning triple to double to single or breaking single bonds
- One that rotates bonds as you move by it
More elements, eventually hydrogen (1), oxygen (2), nitrogen (3), carbon (4), and helium (0)
Solutions that require forming multiple elements at the same time

It’s a pretty neat puzzle game with 144 levels of increasing difficulty. Perfect to solve.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 10: Time and Again

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A weirdly weak ending. It felt like they were building up to so much more… but this is the end of this particular run. I suppose it’s time to find out where/what is next. Comics are confusing yo. One Night Only Sleepover! Of course things go wrong. Over and over again. And then… Right. It’s about time. A cute story. Short though. The Ratio SCIENCE time with Bruno! You know, given that Ms.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 9: Teenage Wasteland

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Teenage Wasteland

Ironic that.

A whole Ms. Marvel story about when it’s all too much and Kamala steps down.

It’s such a cute story. Some friends step up to (try) to take her place. Some (try to) track her down … for a sandwich. It’s what friendship is about.

Oh. And somehow the Inventor is back. But that’s not really the point now, is it?

I really liked this one.

Something New

Baby!

But that’s… totally only the first few pages. After that, we get Bruno back (for a visit? Or more?), a new kid at school… that can crush lockers with her bare hands, and oh so much relationship drama.

It’s a good time.

I wonder of Bruno shows up in any Black Panther issues while he was there.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 8: Mecca

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Mecca K.I.N.D.—or anything but—is in town. Rounding up anyone that ‘doesn’t look like they belong’. 😃 No, not quite like that. It’s a good one. Northeast Corridor And then… People are good at ignoring things, but even that’s a bit obvious… A cute enough story though.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 7: Damage Per Second

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Election Day Politics! Get out and vote! Man single issues are short. Damage Per Second Troll! Or computer virus. Close enough. Ready to reveal all the big bad secrets of the world. Sometimes people are clueless. But sometimes Zoe is right on. She’s a fun side character. It’s a cute story. Expected weird/sappy solution. So it goes. Meanwhile in Wakanda And as an aside, Bruno! In Wakanda! That’s a fun one.

2024 Book Bingo

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:01:00 +0000

Let’s do it again! Previous years: 2023 Book Bingo 2022 Book Bingo 2021 Book Bingo If anyone I know wants to read along on any of these, drop me a line. Love to chat about books! 😄 Rules: Must be speculative fiction (SF, fantasy, horror with speculative elements) Limit the number of novellas (fewer than 40k words or defined by the author as such) or combine them A book of short stories counts Graphic novels/manga should be treated as novellas Web novels count (if they’re long enough) Audiobooks count Official thread

Black Mirror: Season 3

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Another solid season. I’m so hit and miss at watching these.

Social media. Virtual reality writ real (they do that a lot this season). Extortion. Life after death (of a sorts). Bugs. Politics.

It has it all.

It’s fascinating to me how Black Mirror at once manages to explore such a wide variety of potential future technology–and at the same time have the same little VR dots on the head in episode after episode. 😄

Onward!

A Good Snowman Is Hard To ... Solve?

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I enjoy puzzle games. I especially enjoy letting computers solve them for me 😄. Once upon a time, I set up a framework for solving random things. Let’s solve some more.

Today: A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build

It’s a Sokoban about making snowmen! You can push snowballs of three sizes around, collecting snow if you roll over it. You can push smaller snowballs onto bigger ones, stacking them. Or back off, in order to get around one another.

And that’s really it.

There are some interesting twists (multiple snowmen, the ability to leave and re-enter levels, and even a whole second ‘hard mode’), but at a basic level, it’s just pushing.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 6: Civil War II

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

High school athletic competition! New Jersey vs New York! Kamala vs…

Miles? Oh my.

Haven’t seen him for a while…

So that went well.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 5: Super Famous

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

And… swap. Continued volume numbering, new issue numbers. Same writer, new artists.

Onward!

Whoa, wait a minute. Less onward. More context!

Okay, so six months have passed. And it’s not just we the readers who missed everything—apparently Kamala’s been flaking hard as well.

lol.

Also, Tyesha!

Which makes everything even more super busy! So of course…

Yup. Bad idea.

So good.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 4: Last Days

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The world… is ending.

Or at least that’s how it feels.

Didn’t she know him for like… a couple days? I suppose it’s not that unusual. First times are so much bigger.

But still.

Bigger problems.

Also, the dream team up!

It’s fun and exactly the sort of thing Kamala dreamt about! Even if the scale of it all… doesn’t really make sense. The end of the world looms and they’re starting with the looting?

But getting to the part of the story we saw in the show? “I know.” That’s the story I’m interested in!

A chaotic delightful mess of a story.

The Tropic of Serpents

Sat, 23 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A Natural History of Dragons set out an interesting world. It’s more or less our world (although with all the names rewritten, so you’re always playing a game so is ‘xxx’ just like ‘yyy’), but with dragons. And of course the titular Isabela Trent just wants to study them, like any Natural Historian would! Give me dragons any day; I understand their ways far better than those of my fellow human beings.

Dark Queen

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Well, that was an awful lot.

Who are we kidding, we’re 12 books into a series, but not quite at the end.

So if you’ve gotten this far, what are the chances that you’re going to stop now–and you really don’t want to, just in case.

And if you’re looking ahead to the end of the series before reading it to see if it’s still worth it… well, so far it is!

All that being said… man that was a lot.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 3: Crushed

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

…

Well. As far as hooks go, that is most certainly one of them.

Pity it’s only got one volume.

Other than that we get the introduction of Kamran—instant meetcute with Kamala, what can possibly go wrong—inhuman strife, and… a S.H.I.E.L.D. crossover?

Looks fun. Maybe I’ll read that one next.

Anyways, everything feels like it’s flying by, in the way of comics. It takes too long to illustrate an entire volume, so everything gets crammed together.

Onward!

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 2: Generation Why

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

You know all those rumors about pet alligators flushed down the sewers?

Yeah, they generally fail to mention the freakin laser beams.

Comics are weird. Volume 2 and we’re already with the crossovers (hallucinatory Avengers don’t count). So many crossovers. But they’re cute! And it’s still mostly Ms. Marvel calling the shots.

A solid volume 2! Onward!

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Ms. Marvel! I watched the TV show, so this should be about the same right?

Right?

Well… things get weird. Mostly due to an origin not entirely in the movies. So it’s a bit different.

But the feel?

It’s still street level, teen girl, dealing with being from a Pakistani family/Muslim born in America.

It’s a fun start!

Star Wars Vol. 13: Rogues and Rebels

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

And now everyone’s back together for one giant showdown. Champions, rock monsters, and all!

It’s all quite exciting in all the best science fantasy sorts of ways Star Wars has to offer!

Quite a way to end this particular series. Whatever could be next?!

Infinite Craft Bot

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

You’ve probably seen Neil.fun’s Infinite Craft game somewhere on the internet. If not, in a nutshell:

You start with 4 blocks: Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind.
You can combine any two blocks, for example:
- Earth + Water = Plant
- Plant + Fire = Smoke
- Smoke + Smoke = Cloud

That’s… pretty much it, from a gameplay perspective. There’s not really any goal, other than what you set yourself (try to make Cthulhu!). Although if you manage to find something no one has ever made before, you get a neat little note for it!

So wait, what do I mean by ‘something no one has ever seen before’?

Well, if two elements have ever been combined by anyone before, you get a cached response. Barring resets of the game (no idea if / how often this has happened, but I assume it has), if A + B = C for you, A + B = C for everyone.

And here’s the fun part: if you find a combination no one has ever found before: Neil.fun will send the combination out to an LLM to generate the new answer. The specific prompt isn’t public (so far as I know), but essentially what that means is that you have a basically infinite crafting tree¹!

So of course seeing something like this I want to automate it. 😄

Star Wars Vol. 12: Rebels and Rogues

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

All of our lives, we have fought this war. Tonight I believe we can end it. Tonight is not an accident. There are no accidents. We have not come here by chance. I do not believe in chance. When I see three objectives, three captains, three ships. I do not see coincidence, I see providence. I see purpose. I believe it our fate to be here. It is our destiny. I believe this night holds for each and every one of us, the very meaning of our lives.

Wait. No. Wrong franchise.

It doesn’t help when that’s their disguise garb.

Luke’s off to lure some imperial probes away, Han and Leia are going to try to trick criminals (and perhaps an old ex) into fighting a war for them, and Chewie and C-3PO? Well, they have a planet to blow up.

What could possibly go wrong?

A thrilling… part one!

Star Wars Vol. 11: The Scourging of Shu-Torun

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Princess Leia has a plan! Economic upset on a massive scale… and if it happens to come with revenge against a certain recent traitor to the Rebellion? All the better.

What could go wrong?

(It’s even better, as Luke was just looking for them…)

It’s quite cinematic. Fetch quests, exotic locales, a crazy multipliprong battle with stakes both huge and personal…

I quite enjoyed this one.