Like so many good stories, March started off quite slowly then escalated into pure madness by the end. Work kept me busy for much of the month, but I still found time to run the second #WarhamMarch. Not only did this clear out my Black Library backlist, but it also led to a lot of conversations between myself and other readers. I managed to squeeze in a few other things too, so let’s review how March went At Boundary’s edge.

BOOK HAUL

After a dry February, I indulged myself in March. I’ve managed to keep up with my goal of reading more than I buy for the next few months, but there are a fair few additions to the TBR tower. There’s also the welcome arrival of a much delayed pre-order.

• The Icarus Corps, by Zachary Brown
• Memory’s Legion, by James S. A. Corey
• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!, by Nate Crowley
• Cadian Blood, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
• Light Chaser, by Peter F. Hamilton & Gareth L. Powell
• Oblivion’s Gate, by David Mack
• The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi
• Elder Race, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

And in non-SF:

• Age of Ash, by Daniel Abraham

IN TRANSIT

Not every book I ordered arrived this month. Some are just in the post, while others are pre-orders that I’m not expecting for a few weeks.

• Deacon of Wounds, by David Annandale
• Assassinorum: Kingmaker, by Robert Rath
• Kingdoms of Death, by Christopher Ruocchio
• Catachan Devil, by Justin Woolley

READING

All but a fraction of my reading this month was in the grim, dark future. But there was still a lot of variety to be had there, with everything from horror to comedy, as well as the expected military adventures.

• The Magister and the Martyr, by Matthew Farrer
• Volpone Glory, by Nick Kyme
• Reign, by Nate Crowley
• Crisis of Faith, by Phil Kelly
• Empire of Lies, by Phil Kelly
• Cadian Blood, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
• The Bookkeeper’s Skull, by Justin D Hill
• Day of Ascension, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!, by Nate Crowley
• Dead Endless, by Dave Galanter
• Wonderlands, by Una McCormack

And in non-SF:

• Black Library Celebration 2022 (a free cross-genre anthology)
• The Eagle in the Sand, by Simon Scarrow
• Centurion, by Simon Scarrow

AUDIO

I’ve fallen behind on my audio reviewing, but I listened to a lot of audio dramas this month, including several from Big Finish’s The Worlds of Blake’s 7 range, and Picard: No Mans Land. There’ll be full thoughts on those very soon. I’ve also decided to use my Audible subscription to feed my non-fiction bug, starting with Gene Kranz’ Failure Is Not An Option

TV

The big story here is comedies. Space Force and Upload both returned for seven-episode second seasons, and both excelled themselves. the former is a mix of cringeworthy moments and genuine laugh out loud jokes, while the latter has already eclipsed The Good Place as my favourite post-death comedy. Star Trek: Discovery also managed to provide a strong ending to a series for once, and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on that in the next few days.

ARTICLES

I put out a lot more articles than usual this month, which proved a nice counterpoint to all the reviews. These articles all came as part of my #WarhamMarch offerings, but one also provided a teaser for something I’ll be returning to later in the year.

• Warhammer 40,000 Is Every Genre, And That Is Why It Works
• EMPRIES OF SIENCE FICTION: The Failed States of Warhammer 40,000
• THE WISHLIST: Black Library 2022
• Where To Start With Black Library?

SPSFC

I’m slowly getting through my SPSFC semi-finalists. Neither of the two books thus far have impressed me much, but there are some more promising entries to come. I’ve debated putting up reviews, but decided to wait until I can reveal the team scores rather than just personal preference. Since one of our judges has already finished the semi-finalists, I better get a move on.

SITE UPDATES

March marks another month of decline, which is a bit disappointing. Until last week, I’d been losing views week after week for two months, with no apparent reason as to why. The Warhammer content continues to perform strongly, but other reviews seem to sink on release. Still, there’s not much I can do about that. Hopefully April will pick up again. And even if it doesn’t, 2000 views a month isn’t a bad place to be.