Just about finished with most recent Dresden, Twelve Months. Got about to what I think is the final battle, which feels a bit bolted on. I imagine the conversation with his editor: "Hey Jim, I think we're missing a climactic final battle - got any ideas?" "Oh yeah, people hate black court vampires, I'll do that. I'll sprinkle in some foreshadowing earlier." I do actually think this is setting up a big fat showdown with Drakul in either the next or next next volume.
Guess I didn't read fast enough, my Dungeon Crawler Carl vol 1 has to go back to the library. That's ok, I've got other books, like going back to finish Lessons in Magic and Disaster, which I'm very much enjoying. Not the least because the characters are full-on adults; not teens; not twenties; but later 30's and beyond. Depending on when I get DCC again from the library, I'll hopefully have started the Robert Jackson Bennett book The Tainted Cup in the next month or so. Heard good things.
On the topic of graphic novels, I'm kind of burnt out on Versus. It's interesting world building I guess; but there isn't really a character to hang my hat on except Hallow (one of the "Heroes"), but he's not in every volume (like v5 that I just read). And in some ways the idea of having these 12 (?) worlds all crash together is cool in theory, but in linear storytelling format, I'm having a tough time keeping all the various worlds straight. I did pick up The Woods and Assorted Crisis Events at the FLCS last weekend - both on the strength of the art and the premise. Assorted Crisis Events are a bunch of one-shots in a world where time has gone whacky. Looks horrible and darkly funny. We'll see. The Woods is by James Tynion IV as writer, and I like his stuff. It reminds me of a Japanese manga I read a few years ago about a high school that gets transported to another dimension.
On the non-fiction front I'm reading Decolonizing Wealth, which was published in 2016, and tbh I feel like the whole world and myself have woken up to a lot of the issues in the book. And the focus is on the super wealthy and philanthropic organizations like the Gates Foundation - big money charity arms. That said, he's got some interesting points, and it's a pretty quick read. Author promised the second half is all about solutions, so I'll stick around I guess for that.
Finally in gaming, reading both Vault of the Drow (in original version) in preparation for my high school buddies game; as well as Heroes of Faerun. I do love me a great gazeteer, but man the area maps inside the book are so small, these old eyes have a hard time reading.
