As I’d hoped, May was a good month. Work and real life continue apace, and in the many worlds of science fiction, I got a whole lot of reading done. This has been one of those months where I’ve had the vaguest notion that I might be achieving something here.
The biggest thing here on the blog was WarhamMay (the hastily renamed and rescheduled WarhamMarch celebration that I do every year. Warhammer 40,000 and Black Library continue to be the steadiest contribution to views around these parts, and it was fun going into a little more detail with some of my reviews and articles in that regard. Even outside of that grim dark future, a lot of my time was spent with franchise and tie-in fiction. So let’s take a walk down memory lane and see what happened in these past few weeks.
Reading Stats
- Books Read: 13
- Pages Read: 5184
- Pages per Day: 167.23
- Average Star Rating: 3.62
- Book of the Month: Galaxias, by Stephen Baxter
- Remaining TBR: 27
Book Haul
Having largely been focused on working through a tie-in backlog, I’ve got a reasonable haul this month, and have exceeded expectations by actually reading some of them the month of purchase.
- Pilgrims of Fire, by Justin D Hill
- Shadowsun: the Patient Hunter, by Phil Kelly
- Knight of Talassar, by Nick Kyme
- Krieg, by Steve Lyons
- Descendant Machine, by Gareth L. Powell
- Lords of Uncreation, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reviews
This month has been choc-a-block with reviews. As well as managing to review almost everything I read this month, I also reviewed a few from the end of last month. I have to say, it’s nice to be on top of the review pile for a change, instead of buried under it.
- Book: Galaxias, by Stpehen Baxter
- Book: Warboss, by Mike Brooks
- Book: Silent Storm, by Troy Denning
- Book: Oblivion, by Troy Denning
- Book: Last Light, by Troy Denning
- Book: Redliners, by David Drake
- Book: Pilgrims of Fire, by Justin D Hill
- Book: Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter, by Phil Kelly
- Book: Awakening, by George Mann
- Book: Federation, by H. Beam Piper
- Book: Ambulance Ship, by James White
- Book: Sons of Sanguinius, by various authors
- TV: Star Trek: Picard, Season 3
- TV: The Mandalorian, Season 3
- Music: Angus McSix and the Sword of Power, by Angus McSix
Articles
WarhamMay wasn’t just about book reviews, and I managed to put together some articles that have been in my head for a while, as well as one that came to me this month.
- AT BOUNDARY’S EDGE ESSENTIALS: Warhammer 40,000
- The Lost Art of Audio Dramas: A Warhammer 40,000 Retrospective
- THE WISHLIST: Black Library 2023 Releases
- WARHAMMER+: Is It Worth It?
SPSFC
We are deep in the final stages of SPSFC2, and I’ve only got three books left to read. Along the way I’ve been making notes for a wrap-up article on the whole contest, but that won’t be here until July. For now: here is my finalist coverage so far:
Updates
In terms of pure numbers, this has been my best month of blogging to date. I’m approaching a milestone in the next few months, so there’ll be something to celebrate there. But this has come with a few negative aspects.
First there is the ongoing debate over the use of AI in writing and art, which has now pulled the SPSFC into its heated debates and cries for mob justice. I’m staying out of that particular quagmire as much as I can, but don’t be surprised if you see a statement from me in the near future if this furore doesn’t die down.
The other thing is comments. I don’t get many of them, but some articles draw more than other. Currently, my God-Emperor of Dune review is followed by a string of accusations that I am clearly not smart enough to understand Dune. Frankly, I find it all rather hilarious, but it’s a reminder of why I don’t engage with certain subsets of the SF fandom. This may not be fantasy, but it seems we still have our share of trolls.
Until we meet again, keep reading and stay tuned.
At Boundary's Edge 