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speljamr

speljamr

Joined September 2016

I must have all the books! INTJ. GoodReads Profile: http://www.goodreads.com/speljamr LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/catalog/speljamr
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speljamr
The Power | Naomi Alderman
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About to wear this costume. I'm supplying my own books.

AnnR 🎃👍 13mo
41 likes1 stack add1 comment
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speljamr
A Plunder of Souls | D. B. Jackson
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Pickpick

I haven't been here in a while, but figure maybe I should try posting more of my reading again. I absolutely love this series based on the first Thieftaker book. Only one more full length book to read in this one.

#fantasy #historicalfantasy #urbanfantasy

67 likes1 stack add
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speljamr
Democracy and Its Crisis | A. C. Grayling
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Ice cream and some appropriate reading based on today's events.

RebL The ice cream feels appropriate too 😉 2y
76 likes1 stack add1 comment
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speljamr
Fireheart Tiger | Aliette de Bodard
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Pickpick

A solid coming of age LGBTQ story set in a historical Vietnamese setting.

#fantasy

Smrloomis Sounds good! 3y
70 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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speljamr
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Pickpick

I liked the story in this one better than the last. Here we find Jack Boniface facing down his own internal demons that have long haunted him, even before becoming the most recent Shadowman.

#comics #superhero

TieDyeDude This is the only Valiant character I've gotten in to. Great comic 3y
Benthecatlover Good to see some comics books fan here ! 3y
64 likes2 comments
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speljamr
Shadowman Vol. 3: Deadside Blues TPB | Christopher Sebela, Jim Zub, Ales Kot, Justin Jordan, Duffy Boudreau, Neil Dvorak
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Mehso-so

I felt like this was the weakest of the Shadowman volumes I've read so far. It tell origins of the various Shadowmen that have come down through history, as well as the origin of his nemesis. Unfortunately, parts of it just felt blah to me.

#comics #superhero

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speljamr
Station Eleven: A novel | Emily St. John Mandel
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Pickpick

Just finished this one. Such a great read, both as a literary gem and a post apocalyptic novel. Now on to watch the TV show.

#sciencefiction #scifi

jlhammar The HBO adaptation is amazing! They did make some big changes, but it really worked and stayed true to the spirit of the book. Enjoy! 3y
Booksandtea23 I just finished the book also. I really liked the book even though it‘s a bit darker than the show. 3y
DHill One of my favorite books ever. 3y
See All 9 Comments
TheSpineView It is a great book! 3y
Kammbia1 This was a good read. 3y
TNbookworm I loved this book! 3y
Benthecatlover I loved this book ! 3y
Traceymclean I loved this book too....just finished watching the series and didn't think the series was as easy to follow especially if you hadn't read the book first (loved the lead actor in the series though!). 3y
Juliev I read this pre-pandemic, may feel different reading it post-pandemic. Enjoyed it either way. 3y
121 likes5 stack adds9 comments
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speljamr
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The feeling you get when you finally find that elusive 1st edition hard cover of a book that completes your collection of a specific author.

#sciencefiction #scifi

Soscha I ♥️ the old school sci-fi covers! Pure art 🎨 3y
wanderinglynn And it looks like it‘s in pristine condition! 🧡 3y
SRWCF @Soscha same!!! 3y
76 likes3 comments
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speljamr
Untitled | Unknown
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My reading progress through 2021 and 2021 totals. These Storygraph stats are more accurate since they track pages separate from books count.

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speljamr
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Pickpick

I finished book 3 just as the show started. I'll be trying to get through a few more in 2022.

#fantasy

65 likes1 stack add
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speljamr
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Pickpick

Prior to the show starting on Amazon Prime I continued my journey with the books. I'm absolutely loving these. Dated on things at times, but I love the detail in it. I like big book series and I cannot lie...

#fantasy

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speljamr
Sword of Destiny | Andrzej Sapkowski
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Mehso-so

This one wasn't the best I've read yet. It's another collection of short stories. I'm expecting better once I get into the core novels.

#fantasy

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speljamr
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Pickpick

Solid book about the martial Ethic that infused German society during the early modern era. This is an absolute must read for context if you are studying historical European martial arts.

#history #HEMA

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speljamr
Untitled | Unknown
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Squeaking it in just in time for year's end.

Over the next few days I'll be following this post up with all the ones read that I had not yet gotten to posting.

#ReadingChallenge

Smartypants Good work! 3y
Avanders 🥳🥳 3y
Jas16 🙌🏽 3y
80 likes3 comments
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speljamr
Termination Shock | NEAL. STEPHENSON
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Pickpick

I got an advanced reader copy of this one. It tackles a huge concept: geoengineering. The technical details are good, but when it came to the actual characters I had a hard time getting attached to them.

56 likes2 stack adds
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speljamr
The Atrocities | Jeremy Shipp
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this quick novella with is very strange, Lovecraftian feel. It's a great read if you want a fast horror for the season.

#horror

73 likes2 stack adds
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speljamr
Dune | Frank Herbert
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Got a couple of fun things from my local game store for free roleplaying game day.

#roleplaying #games

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speljamr
Monstress, Volume 6 | Marjorie Liu
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Pickpick

Got this in the mail the other day and I've already finished it. Can't believe how good this series is. How long do I have to wait for volume 7?

#comics #fantasy

Tianarose Ooohhh! Exciting. I need to get this ASAP! Too bad my bank account currently doesn‘t agree. 😟 3y
nikirtehsuxlol My friend gave me the first of this series, I just haven‘t gotten around to it yet! 3y
84 likes2 comments
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speljamr
The Eyes of Heisenberg | Frank Herbert
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Mehso-so

One of Frank Herbert's early novellas, this one based on what happens when human genetic/cybernetic alterations are pushed to the extreme. It's a bit dated at this point, but the concept is still good.

#sciencefiction #scifi

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speljamr
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Pickpick

Finally got around to starting this series. I wanted to get the first book done before the TV show starts in November.

Wow. Seriously. Why did it take me this long to finally get around to this?

#fantasy

Graywacke Wot mania is a thing. Enjoy. 3y
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm YAY!!!! I‘m so excited for you! This is my all-time favorite series EVER! Enjoy! 🥰 3y
Jsuttonmorse I‘m re-reading the series and while I can‘t call it good, the scenes that I‘m a sucker for are absolutely exactly what I want to be reading 3y
TugstenDragon Lol I am doing the same thing! 50 pages till the end and I‘m loving it! 3y
BarbaraJean This is my husband‘s absolute favorite series, and we‘re both really looking forward to the series! The books have their issues (seriously, count the number of times a woman is described as crossing her arms underneath her breasts), but man, Jordan was a fantastic world builder, and Egwene has one of the best, most well-developed character arcs I‘ve read in fantasy. 3y
71 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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speljamr
Artemis | Andy Weir
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Pickpick

Good book. Lots of science. The only thing that didn't thrill me was that it was like reading the Martian, but for the moon. It would be nice to see him vary his stile a bit while keeping that great science in there.

#sciencefiction #scifi

73 likes3 stack adds
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speljamr
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Pickpick

This second book in the Mongoliad series is better than the first and really starts moving the story along.

#historicalfiction

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speljamr
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Pickpick

My first introduction to Ian M. Banks Culture novels, this was a solid 4 ⭐ for me. There was one horrorish scene in the book that I thought was pointless to the story which is why it's not getting 5 stars. I'll be continuing to go through all the Culture novels over the next couple of years.

#scifi #sciencefiction

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speljamr
Ruin and Rising | Leigh Bardugo
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Pickpick

A satisfying conclusion to this trilogy. Can't wait to see how they handle the rest of the story in the Netflix show.

#fantasy

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speljamr
Gods of Risk | James S. A. Corey
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Pickpick

A short novella about Bobby Draper and her nephew. The story here did make it's way into the TV show as well, though with some significant changes. But, it's cool to see that they really worked with all the material available to them.

#scifi #sciencefiction

62 likes1 stack add
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speljamr
Burning Roses | S. L. Huang
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Pickpick

This was an awesome little novella mixing together western and eastern fairy tails.

#fantasy

72 likes3 stack adds
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speljamr
Siege and Storm | Leigh Bardugo
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Pickpick

The 2nd book in the Shadow &Bone series, I found this one to be a bit better than the first book. Seemed to move a bit faster as well.

#fantasy

driftylew As someone that judges a book by its cover, I find this cover horrible. My brain can‘t read that title. But I have heard good things about the Bone and Ash series so I will@read it anyway. 3y
83 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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speljamr
Ark | Veronica Roth
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Pickpick

This is the last book in this short story series I read. This one was really good. While not every story in the Forward series was a 5 star book, it's well worth reading them

#scifi #sciencefiction

58 likes3 stack adds
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speljamr
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Pickpick

What a fantastic exploration of so much research that has been done trying to prove the infamous male and female brain. As expected, it's still a bunch of wishful patriarchal thinking when it all comes down to it. It's a slow read with a lot of details, but I highly recommend it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#science #gender #feminism

70 likes9 stack adds
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speljamr
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Panpan

This had to be the most disappointing book of this short story series. I just could not get into this one; it lost me very early on.

#scifi #sciencefiction

ChaoticMissAdventures I have not read this series but over and over I am seeing people disappointed by authors I love 😔. Short stories can be so hard to pull together well. 3y
speljamr @ChaoticMissAdventures I'm sure it's just the story itself. Just didn't grab me. Other stories in this short story series are excellent. But I'm sure this is not a reflection on the author's other works either. 3y
Eliza-beta Oh no. What a bummer. I love his other books. 3y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I was unimpressed by this one, too. 3y
60 likes1 stack add4 comments
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speljamr
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Pickpick

A good read about some of the various scientific explorations and level of knowledge during the middle ages. Despite being called the dark ages there was a surprisingly good amount of science done, though not quite with the same level of methodology introduced during the enlightenment period. Good context read for some of my other medieval studies.

#history #science

65 likes4 stack adds
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speljamr
Randomize | Andy Weir
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Mehso-so

This short story was a bit underwhelming next to the full novels by Andy Weir. It was an already much used trope involving quantum computing.

#scifi #sciencefiction

74 likes1 stack add
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speljamr
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Just recently picked up this new 5th edition conversion of one of my absolute favorite classic D&D adventure modules.

#roleplaying #dungeonsanddragons #dnd

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speljamr
Shadow and Bone | Leigh Bardugo
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Pickpick

Recently read this one prior to watching the show. I found it enjoyable, but it pales next to some of the more recent books in this universe.

#fantasy

71 likes6 stack adds
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speljamr
Remote Control | Nnedi Okorafor
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Pickpick

Another great novella from Nnedi Okorafor! Can't wait for her next book.

#scifi #sciencefiction

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Someone else with a few Star Wars figurines guarding their books, I approve! 3y
86 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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speljamr
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars | Christopher Paolini
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Pickpick

Wow, this book absolutely sucked me in. There were a few parts of the plot that could have been improved, and some of the names for things made me think he forgot this was an adult level novel instead of his previous young adult. But overall, really good.

I really enjoyed the recent interview he did with the scientist who helped with the FTL concept. Absolutely fascinating.

#scifi #sciencefiction

tracey38 I have this book on my shelves and really want to get to it sooner rather than later. I admit it intimidates me a bit by how big it is though! 4y
Gissy I‘m glad to hear something positive about this book. I only have heard bad reviews and I have the book and I want to read it🤗 4y
73 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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speljamr
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Pickpick

Codex Amberger is a collection of long missing illustrated plates from a medieval fight book. There are only a handful of illustrations in the found book, but they appear to lineup with other illustrations from the time period where we get treatise collected together by Paulus Hector Mair. By itself it's not much information, but as part of my growing fight book collection it adds to the overall history.

#history #HEMA #fencing #swordsmanship

LindaLaforgeAuthor Looks like a well designed and considered publication. 4y
55 likes1 comment
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speljamr
Summer Frost | Blake Crouch
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Pickpick

I've been away from litsy for a while, but I'm back now. I have a bunch of read books to post, but I'll start with this one I just finished while sitting by the fire. This book in the Amazon forward collection is an AI story that is down right terrifying in the end. This one definitely rates a 5 ⭐ review. Highly recommend it.

#scifi #sciencefiction

LindaLaforgeAuthor Terrifying, as too close for comfort with recent world developments and the hype around AI? 4y
speljamr @LindaLaforgeAuthor Yeah, kind of along those lines, but in a horror scifi way. I've seen enough arguments on how AI becoming like us is still a pipe dream, enough to think the hype isn't all that. But it sure makes for a good story. 4y
68 likes2 comments
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speljamr
2312: A Novel | Kim Stanley Robinson
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Enter here for a chance to win this stack of books in Orbit Loot's monthly contest:

https://swee.ps/quJVR_cwehszd

ShelleyBooksie Thanks for sharing! I've been wanting to read Kings for ages 4y
MsLeah8417 Rosewater! 4y
82 likes2 comments
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speljamr
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New Burgundian Poleaxe book and practice polearm delivered today! Can't wait to start digging into this!

#HEMA #polearm #poleaxe #history #medieval

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speljamr
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Pickpick

First book finished in the new year: another psychedelic whirlwind of a Jerry Cornelius adventure. Two more main books to go in this tetralogy, and then several other compiled stories. I'll be working through more of them later this year.

79 likes2 stack adds
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speljamr
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My final counts on the 2020 year in books.

Gissy Great!!!📚📚📚📚👏👏👏👏👏🎉🎊🎉🎊 4y
Cathythoughts 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 4y
101 likes2 comments
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speljamr
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"The time might be July 31st 1970."

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

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speljamr
Blood of Empire | Brian McClellan
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Blood of Empire, by Brian McClellan

#fridayfunwith451 @451Degrees

MsMelissa Nice pick! I‘m actually using this one today for #12booksin2020 I really hope McClellan has something new coming out soon. I wish he got more love on Litsy. His books are fantastic! 4y
451Degrees This sounds pretty epic! Have to check out the first two books too! Thanks for the tag! 4y
LindaLaforgeAuthor The Tatooist of Auschwitz was a beautifully harrowing read, and inspiring in troubled times. 4y
54 likes4 comments
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speljamr
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The last book of 2020 was the Final Programme, by Michael Moorcock. The first book in 2021 will be A Cure for Cancer, by Michael Moorcock, the second book of the Jerry Cornelius series.

#lastfirst @BookNAround

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speljamr
The Last Conversation | Paul Tremblay
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Pickpick

Another one I read last month and forgot to post here. This is the second of this short story series I've read and I'll be finishing the last three this year. This one is a disturbing combination of scifi and horror and the consent to be cloned.

#scifi #sciencefiction

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speljamr
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Pickpick

A quick short story about the development of the Fred Johnson character in the Expanse novels. I read this last month but forgot to post it here. I'm going to try and catch up more on the Expanse novels and novellas this coming year.

#scifi #sciencefiction

Traci1 Hopefully the next book will come out this year. 🤞 4y
speljamr @Traci1 Thankfully I still have a few of the previous ones to catch up on. 4y
SaraFair Me too! This having only one show each Wednesday is making me want to start the books for sure. 4y
Traci1 @SaraFair you should! The books are fantastic. 4y
62 likes4 comments
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speljamr
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Pickpick

Wow. This is a book that feels like I should be reading it while taking a hit of acid. It's fast paced and a pretty wild ride. I also noted a couple references and scenes that tie this into the multiverse of the Elric Saga I read prior to this. Very different books and stories, but there are subtle connections if you're paying attention.

63 likes4 stack adds
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speljamr
Reading Challenge | Casey Malarcher, Andre Janzen
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And got it done right close to the end. Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge complete!

MsMelissa Nicely done 👍🏻 4y
PurpleyPumpkin Well done!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 4y
Librarianaut Congrats!!! 4y
See All 15 Comments
Cortg Yay! 4y
Reggie Way to go!🥳 4y
Karkar Congratulations 4y
Jas16 🙌🏽 4y
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Very nice, congratulations! 👍 4y
Deblovestoread Congrats! 4y
Crazeedi Congrats!🎉🎉 4y
BookDragon25 Congrats 4y
BookishBelle Congratulations!! 🎉 4y
LeahBergen 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 4y
Nebklvr Yeah! 2020 didn‘t throw you off your game! 4y
bookaholic1 Congratulations!!! 4y
104 likes15 comments
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speljamr
The Elric Saga | Michael Moorcock
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Pickpick

Over the time of the COVID pandemic I've been collecting all the Michael Moorcock books. This is the second one I've dived into. Elric is the antihero most other scifi/fantasy antiheroes are based on. A servant of Chaos, but destined to keep the balance between Law and Chaos. This is only the beginning of my journey into the Moorcock multiverse.

Bookwomble I re-read Elric a few years ago - Great trip down memory lane! How're you looking it? I'm thinking of queuing up Hawkmoon for 2021 re-read. 4y
speljamr @Bookwomble I'm planning on eventually getting through all of the Moorcock books. I got two down for this year. Queueing up Jerry Cornelius in The Final Program next. It'll take me a few years to get through everything, but I'll probably try to squeeze in 4ish Moorcock books each year. 4y
Therewillbebooks Where's a good place to start with the Elric books? I've actually only read The War Amongst the Angels as far as Moorcock goes. 4y
speljamr This is the first volume of Elric, so this is the place to start with him. Keep in mind Moorcock's books are mostly all set in his multiverse and many of the primary characters are variations on his Eternal Champion who must balance Chaos and Law. Elric of Melniboné is the first story in the linked volume. The War Amongst the Angels is actually the 3rd book in another trilogy that starts with Blood: a Southern Fantasy 4y
speljamr @Therewillbebooks ^ I forgot to tag your name in the reply. 4y
77 likes1 stack add5 comments