What are you reading in 2026?

[gban007]

People may also be interested that Audible sucks hard, ethically speaking (as expected of Amazon). Consider taking that into account before buying there.

Here is a little overview: reddit link

Wow, did not know that

 

[jian]

Found an online quote of the scene:

Maaaybe he could flip forward over his swords, like a somersault axe kick?

Really, it would be better to trap parry to the side and then roundhouse kick him in the head.

Still sounds pretty silly. Also, this requires the opponent to have not also chosen to have an off-hand weapon.

 

[Retros_x]

Wow, did not know that

yeah its known in specific fan circles but it didn't make bigger news unfortunately

 

[trappedslider]

yeah its known in specific fan circles but it didn't make bigger news unfortunately

i recall that Sanderson who made the deal was not happy how audible figured things out

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I finished reading Effinger's The Exile Kiss. The final Budayeen book, it's such a shame he died so young. The world he wrote was so compelling and interesting.

Now I'm reading Bruce Sterling's The Artificial Kid. I'm 1:1 with Sterling's books so far, so we'll see how this one goes.

Maaaybe he could flip forward over his swords, like a somersault axe kick?

Really, it would be better to trap parry to the side and then roundhouse kick him in the head.

Still sounds pretty silly. Also, this requires the opponent to have not also chosen to have an off-hand weapon.

Anyone else remember TSR talking about how realistic R.A. Salvatore's combat descriptions were because he worked as a bouncer?

 

[Voadam]

Also, this requires the opponent to have not also chosen to have an off-hand weapon.

The opponent specifically had an offhand weapon, the maneuver was to counter a low double thrust. Drow in 1e had a racial ability to double wield two weapons and a lot wielded either short swords, daggers, or light maces (for clerics) in the 1e modules and according to their 1e monster entries.

For PC drow in the 1e Unearthed Arcana it specified "Dark elves do not gain the combat bonuses of the surface elves with regard to sword and bow, but may fight with two weapons without penalty, provided each weapon may be easily wielded in one hand." Salvatore was the first to apply that to scimitars that I saw. It also allowed drow to be rangers as a class which was an inherently outsider thing as rangers had to be good and the drow culture was predominately CE. In 1e when Drizzt first showed up in the Crystal Shard novel rangers had no special class ability/training with two weapons. 2e came out shortly later with an independent thing of rangers having two weapon fighting abilities and drizzt had already been a two-weapon wielding ranger so he fit well under the new rules even though PC drow lost their special drow powers in the 2e PH and just had standard elf powers to start.

 

[Autumnal]

I finished reading Effinger's The Exile Kiss. The final Budayeen book, it's such a shame he died so young. The world he wrote was so compelling and interesting.

Oh yes. George talked some about how he planned to end the series, in a sixth book, but his ex-wife Barbara Hambly found very little in the way of notes or anything about how he planned to get the among his effects.

Spoiler

The plan was to end with old Marid returning to the city after many years in exile, with nobody who knew him remaining.

 

[Retros_x]

after the Sworn Soldier series, I couldn't get enough of Kingfisher so I've read "The Hollow Places"

The characters are not as good as in her sworn soldiers series, but the horror is... so good. First of Kingfishers novels where I actually felt some scary moments. But it really depends on what kind of horror makes you tingle. Its not bloody, its not serial killer etc. Its more abstract horror, cosmic horror, liminal space, impossible geography. If you're into that - this book is for you.

Unfortunately the second half and payoff are not as good. There is a moment at halftime where the heroes think they are saved - and as a reader you dread what is gonna happen and how the horror returns. This is great in the beginning, but the author takes too long to bring the horror back and ultimately it falls flat IMO. But its still definitely worth reading especially for the exploration of that strange parallel world in the first book that gives you the chills with all its quite creative ideas that something is absolutely wrong here and against all nature. I loved the comparisons of the main character to falling through a wall in a video game - these kind of glitches really scared me as a kid and when they happened I had to immediately quit the game.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Oh yes. George talked some about how he planned to end the series, in a sixth book, but his ex-wife Barbara Hambly found very little in the way of notes or anything about how he planned to get the among his effects.

Spoiler

The plan was to end with old Marid returning to the city after many years in exile, with nobody who knew him remaining.

Ah, that would have been a perfect ending to the series. Alas!

 

[Cadence]

Reading Stout's sixth Wolfe book "Some Buried Caeser" and came across this quote I had forgotten:

"Nowadays an Erinys wears a coat and trousers and drinks beer and works for pay, but the function is unaltered and should still be performed, if at all, mercilessly. I am going to find out who killed your brother."