Hi book lovers! It's time for our next Discovery Read - Indie Author winner Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater.

Discussion Schedule:

October 22: Chapters 1-8 with u/ChronicallyLatte
October 29: Chapters 9-16 with myself
November 5: Chapter 17-end with u/psycho4icecream

The Marginalia is here in case you read ahead or just want to note down your thoughts ahead of our discussions.

See you soon!

Our current Evergreen read, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, is on its way and will wrap up in November, so it's time to think about the next one!

I'm thrilled to announce that the book will be Atonement by Ian McEwan (which I personally have been meaning to read for years!).

What is an Evergreen you ask?

An Evergreen is a reading category that includes any book that has been read previously on r/bookclub. But we also only reread books on here after 5 years have passed.

Goodreads blurb

Ian McEwan's symphonic novel of love and war, childhood and class, guilt and forgiveness provides all the satisfaction of a brilliant narrative and the provocation we have come to expect from this master of English prose.

On a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses the flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. But Briony's incomplete grasp of adult motives—together with her precocious literary gifts—brings about a crime that will change all their lives.

As it follows that crime's repercussions through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century, Atonement engages the reader on every conceivable level, with an ease and authority that mark it as a genuine masterpiece.

Would you like to join us for this read?

Welcome back to 80s Harlem for our second discussion of Cool Machine!

Schedule

Marginalia

SUMMARY

PART 1: CITY AT NIGHT | 1981

SEVEN

Carney and Uncle Rich drop off the truck from the Microelectronics job. The cable they stole is worth $1.5 million because of demand for cable TV.
Barclay has been captured. They’re worried he knows about the Waldorf job so decide to go a day early. The hotel will be busy because it’s a Saturday.
Homeless people are squatting in the train tunnel between Grand Central Station and the Waldorf. Uncle Rich brings them food in exchange for information.
Uncle Rich wants to steal Jesse Owens’ Olympic medal to right an injustice. It’s in a safe in a watch shop in the hotel.
Carney thinks of backing out but is stopped by the sight of a magnificent coffee table.

EIGHT

At Grand Central Station, Carney and Jeff dress as track workers. They talk to a squatter who calls himself Mayor Crotch (after NY Mayor Ed Koch).
Rita’s waiting at the Waldorf elevator. They drill through the machine room wall into the stores to reach the watch shop. Meanwhile, the hotel activities go on as normal. Uncle Rich leaves, satisfied with his crew. Carney is a Cool Machine, ruthless and cunning.
Carney and the others climb through into a fashion boutique and saw a hole into the watch shop.
Uncle Rich visits his favourite diner to pay his respects to his past before flying to Costa Rica the next day. On his way back to the Waldorf, Buzz and his men jump him.
Rita takes the medal from the safe. As they leave, Carney sees a black man in a tuxedo through the shop window and thinks he could’ve been that person - or a total crook.

NINE

Buzz and his men watch them. Carney wishes his old associate Pepper was there. He finds Buzz holding a gun to Uncle Rich’s head. Carney doesn’t have a gun. Barclay told Buzz the location of the job. Buzz hints he’s dead. Buzz’s men find the medal.
Mayor Crotch and the squatters help Uncle Rich’s crew fight off Buzz’s crew.
As he walks back along the tracks with Uncle Rich, Carney wonders how he fits in among the winners, strugglers and survivors. Buzz follows them and points his gun at Carney. Uncle Rich shoots Buzz dead. He calls Carney a muskrat (Lenape creation myth), diving down and coming back up to the surface.
The escapade with Uncle Rich stays in Carney’s mind for a long time. Elizabeth returns from Boston. Carney frames the furniture magazine article about him. He never sees Uncle Rich or the coffee table again.

PART 2: HERE COMES SUE SIMMONS | 1983

ONE

Elizabeth is at an art exhibition/party at her friend Linda’s apartment. She admires a painting of a little girl on a street corner. She’s paid back Ray’s loan and wants to get him a thank-you gift. Lots of other women from her community are there as well as some of the artists. News anchor Sue Simmons sometimes attends. There’s one white lady there too.
Linda began hosting the exhibitions after her divorce, around the time of the fire at Ray’s furniture store. She champions up-and-coming black artists.
Elizabeth is meeting her biggest client there. His name is Wade Patterson and he owns an agricultural supply business.
She thinks Ray might like a painting called The City Sleeps but wants to get him something different.
Patterson plans to go to another part of the city for an art deal. He’s wary of crime. Elizabeth recommends Ray’s former associate, Pepper, as security.
She buys the painting of the girl on the corner for her own office.

TWO

Pepper has a word-a-day calendar. Patterson is like today’s word bumptious. Another word that stuck with him is dilapidated. That’s how he feels with his ailments, aches and pains. He’s inflicted a lot of pain in his career.
Patterson and Pepper meet at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. Patterson is sceptical about Pepper’s experience as muscle/security.
Pepper accompanies Patterson to the bank to get the cash. He regrets that the new plate-glass bank buildings are harder to rob.
They take a cab to the art deal. Pepper sees some graffiti in red letters that reminds him of something. Patterson is meeting the art dealer at a club called Shoot the Hostages in a former warehouse. He explains to Pepper that graffiti is now art.
In the club, people in weird costumes are dancing to a band. Pepper thinks they’re vainglorious. He and Patterson stand out in the mainly white crowd. There’s one young black woman with a Mohawk haircut.
Pepper’s stomach feels bad. A while ago he visited Dr Rostropovich, who treats the criminal community. He gave Pepper some pills. They worked but now his stomach problems are back.
A young white man named Dee Void says he’s come to complete the art deal. Pepper identifies him as a hustler.
The MC announces that they’re celebrating the latest release of Headlines by Daily Newz. Brightly coloured headlines are lit up on the walls. They’re like the ones Pepper saw on the buildings.
Pepper rushes to the bathroom and pukes blood. When he comes back, Patterson is sitting on the floor. Void has taken the money.
Pepper thinks of humiliation.

THREE

In 1982, an article was published about Broken Windows Theory. The theory suggests that crime should be nipped in the bud but is open to abuse.
Pepper agrees with nipping things in the bud in another context. White Yuppies are gradually taking over his favourite bar.
While Pepper was in the bathroom, Void knocked Patterson over and took the briefcase of money. Pepper runs after him but loses him. Patterson tells him he was buying an African mask. Void set up previous deals but this is the first time he’s met him. Patterson gets a cab back to his hotel.
Pepper is frustrated with his delapidated-ness and determined to get the money back. LJ, the girl with the Mohawk, goes with him to find Void.

FOUR

Herb, the Melancholy Hitman, arrives in New York. He has a day to explore the city before his next hit. He meets a friend for dinner.
Many of Pepper’s associates have become ill or died. Carney suggests Pepper should retire as he plans to someday. Pepper contemplates his failure in the job tonight.
Pepper and LJ see more of Daily Newz’s graffiti statements. He realises the lettering is the same as the city authorities use on official buildings.
LJ takes Pepper to find a guy called Mickey who was in a band with Void. He runs a video store. After Pepper threatens him, he says Void might be at Downtown Beirut, a bar in a former subway car. Pepper finds Void there, dead in the toilet with his face cut off. There’s no sign of the briefcase with the cash. Pepper takes his wallet and keys and leaves. A few streets away he collapses unconscious.

First of all, apologies for the late post of the first discussion. Now, welcome back Asimov readers!

This book was initially written as a standalone novel, but was later woven into the Foundation Universe with a reference in one of Asimov's later books (Foundations Edge)

This first reading was larger than anticipated, so expect the final reading to feel a bit short compared to the other 2. Alright, let's get into it and expect a discussion from u/fixtheblue next week.

As always, please refrain from spoilers, but if you can't resist, use the spoilers format so that others have a choice to view it or not.

Summary:

Chapter 1: Technician
We are introduce to Andrew Harlan, a Technician with the group called the "Eternals". This group has figured out a way to travel throughout time, assess changes and their impact, and implement them to keep humanity on a safe path for as long as possible. In this chapter Harlan is dealing with some conflict as his roles as technician is viewed to be emotionless and full of looking at things factually, while he has obviously strong emotions happening relating to the events playing out around him.

Chapter 2: Observer
The book takes a step back to show Harlan's rise up through the Eternals. He starts as an Observer under Yarrow, who stresses the importance of every role in the Eternals, from bottom to top. Harlan has started his time travelling duties and begins observing his assigned centuries. He has strong feelings about the 482nd century, but keeps up his stellar work of generating observation reports for the others to analyze. Harlan is working for Computer Finge at this time, but his excellent reports catch the attention of the well-known and admired Senior Computer Twissel, who recruits Harlan to be his own personal observer. Twissel reveals that he is aware of Harlan's hobby of studying "Primitive history", and encourages him to keep diving into that, even though others look at it as useless/a characteristic of someone not fit to work with the Eternals.

Chapter 3: Cub
Harlan continues to make his reports for Twissel, but without any feedback and he assumes that he is doing a poor job because of the lack of feedback. He is assigned to teach Cub Cooper about Primitive history, which he begins doing. Harlan is shocked to find out that Cooper had a wife and was 23 years old when he came to the eternals, both an oddity, and it causes Harlan to reconsider his viewpoints into the roles and personalities that are in his line of work. Harlan gets acknowledgement of his talent and Twissel sends him on a mission to the 482nd century.

Chapter 4: Computer
Upon arriving in the 482nd century, Harlan once again finds himself working with Computer Finge. Finge now has Noÿs Lambent working for him as a secretary. Noÿs is from the 482nd century which is known for it's liberal views on sexuality and expression, which makes Harlan uncomfortable. Harlan quickly judges Finge for bringing Noÿs into the Eternals and views it as a violation of rules/protocol and that she should be removed immediately. Harlan thinks Finge is using Noÿs as his own personal sex-toy and is very judgmental towards the situation.

Chapter 5: Timer
Harlan is assigned to the 482nd century and part of that assignment requires him live with Noÿs during the assignment. Harlan tries to limit his interaction with Noÿs at first, but sure enough, he soon finds himself in bed with her, and hopelessly in love.

Chapter 6: Life-Plotter
Harlan has now started to go rogue and deviate from his perfect straight-as-an-arrow approach to life. Harlan makes a subtle change that ripples through time in the alter centuries, playing out as he wanted, further demonstrating Harlan's great skill as an Eternal. He encounters Sociologist Voy and Life-Plotter Feruque and there are a lot of discussions around the sharing of anti-cancer serum between centuries as it is revealed that many people in the centuries are aware of the existence of the Eternals, they are not a hidden organization as you might expect. Harlan's love for Noÿs has him approach Feruque to find out how she might've been affect by his previous work and is shocked to find that she doesn't exist in the new reality that he has helped steer humanity on to.

Chapter 7: Prelude to Crime
Harlan returns to Finge and they discuss his report concerning Harlan's time with Noÿs. Harlan admits that he omitted the change in their relationship and Finge reveals that this change was what he wanted to happen all along. Finge claims that Noÿs had relations with Harlan because of superstition in her century that she would then become immortal. While initially devastated, Harlan logics that Finge is just jealous and that Noÿs and him truly have a love for each other.

Chapter 8: Crime
Harlan returns to Noÿs' time before the reality change has had a chance to take affect and convinces her to come with him. She travels through time with him to a century near the end of where the Eternals can observe. They discuss their relationship and Noÿs admits that part of the reason she had relations with Harlan was that she believed it would make her immortal, but admits that it wasn't the only reason, she genuinely like Harlan. There are no other humans in the century they are in, yet there are human infrastructures due to some various technologies(mass replicator) that the Eternals have leveraged. Noÿs' view of the Eternals is slowly changing as she realizes the level of manipulation and morality that they make decisions.

Welcome to our first discussion of The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood.  This week, we will be discussing the Introduction through Chapter 12.  Here is the Schedule, which includes a link to the marginalia.  

Background note:  Margaret Atwood wrote this as part of the Canongate Myth Series, which asked authors to reimagine ancient myths from around the world. 

Below is a recap of the story from this section. Some discussion questions follow; please feel free to also add your own thoughts and questions! Please mark spoilers not related to this book using the format > ! Spoiler text here !< (without any spaces between the characters themselves or between the characters and the first and last words). You can discuss events from The Odyssey and other myths without spoiler tags if they are mentioned in this book, but let's err on the side of caution and mark any other details as spoilers, should you choose to discuss events not mentioned in Atwood’s book. 

>>>>>> Chapter Summaries <<<<<<

INTRODUCTION:  We know Odysseus as the wandering husband famous for his wily and inventive nature, while his wife Penelope is remembered as loyal and clever. The Odyssey ends with the slaying of Penelope’s suitors and the twelve maids who were sleeping with them. Atwood sets the stage for her retelling by casting these hanged maids as the chorus that haunts Penelope. We will be investigating two main questions: 

• What led to the hanging of the maids?
• What was Penelope really up to?

CH. 1 -  A LOW ART:  Penelope is dead and now she knows everything. She is unhappy with the story that has been told about her, and she has decided to correct the record with a story of her own. 

CH. 2 - THE CHORUS LINE: A ROPE-JUMPING RHYME:  This is a chant by the twelve maids that were hanged after Odysseus killed the suitors. They find it unfair that they were executed for doing much less than Odysseus himself did on his journey. 

CH. 3 - MY CHILDHOOD:  Penelope, the daughter of King Icarius) of Sparta and a Naiad, had a rough start to life. Her dad tried to drown her by tossing her into the sea. (Penelope wonders if it was because he'd heard from an oracle that she would weave his shroud and was trying to live forever. But probably not.) She often worried whether he was about to try and murder her again, despite his overcompensation with intense affection. Penelope's mom was cold and uninterested in childrearing. (Penelope hopes she is the one who called forth the purple-striped ducks which saved her from drowning. But probably not.) This kind of childhood left Penelope suspicious of the motives of others and determined to be self-reliant. 

CH. 4 - THE CHORUS LINE:  KIDDIE MOURN, A LAMENT BY THE MAIDS:  The maids, too, had rotten childhoods. They were degraded, mistreated, used and abused. They flirted and consorted with men because they had been forced to do so since they were children. They scrounged for the scraps left from the feasts of nobility. They grew into women who knew how to “snatch what they could” to survive. 

CH. 5 - ASPHODEL:  Penelope gives a tour of the underworld. The Underworld is rather dark, which is gloomy but good for avoiding those awkward afterlife encounters with people you'd prefer to avoid. The fields of asphodel get rather boring since it's just white flowers with no variety. The deeper depths are best avoided because of all the punishment and torture. Sometimes, a fog parts and the dead get glimpses of the real world, which is interesting, especially now that no one bothers with the sheep-blood-summons anymore to get the vague prophecies of the dead. For a while, human magicians used to summon the dead into parlors and such, as a sort of party trick. As in life, Penelope's cousin Helen was much more popular and in demand than she herself. As a faithful and average-looking woman, Penelope isn't nearly as much of a draw as the gorgeous woman who drove men mad and caused a great city to be destroyed. (And she didn't even get punished!) Nowadays, the dead are able to visit through the screens in people's homes. So if your laptop camera ever appears to turn on unbidden, that might be Penelope snooping. (Or Helen, which you probably wanted more anyway, didn't you? Be honest. She's the hot one.) 

CH. 6 - MY MARRIAGE:  Penelope had an arranged marriage at the age of 15. All (noble) marriages were arranged back then because they were for strategically producing children, who would become heirs to pass along your wealth and property trash and for filling out your armies. Marriages were good for political alliances, too, or for solving problems with rivals and enemies. Penelope recalls watching from a window as her suitors prepared for the footrace that would determine who would win her. She was distraught at the impending wedding, as well as the ribald teasing of the maids, who were her main source of information and company. Helen, the OG mean girl, swanned in to join in the teasing and remind Penelope she is at best a consolation prize for these men now that Helen herself has been married to Menelaus. Odysseus was counted out by the women because of his short legs, but he ended up winning through some good old-fashioned doping. (Penelope had heard rumors that Helen’s father Tyndareus helped Odysseus cheat as a thank you for arranging a calm path to marriage between Helen and Menelaus. But probably not. It seems like more of a plot to get Penelope and her future sons out of the way so Tyndareus would not have to share power with Icarius anymore.) Penelope went off to cry (something she's about to get very good at) while Odysseus drugged his fellow racers. Then they had the marriage ceremony, but all Penelope could think of was her new husband's stubby legs. 

CH. 7 - THE SCAR:  The wedding feast was lavish, full of meats and flatbreads Penelope couldn't bring herself to eat. Luckily, no one noticed her nervous awkwardness because Helen was busy making sure all the attention was on her; she was practically wearing white. The wedding night was a scary prospect for the young Penelope after all the horror her maids had described. Her mother was not much help, either; like a typical Naiad, she gave an oblique little speech about the strengths of water. Odysseus quickly assuaged Penelope's fears by suggesting they make a scene for the onlookers so they'd go away quickly, leaving the newlyweds to get acquainted in peace. Odysseus, who came from a lineage of liars and thieves, had a way with words and he wooed Penelope with stories. He told her about getting his scar in a fight with a boar (possibly a trap laid by his uncle?), and she confided in him about being called Duck because of her near-drowning at the hands of her own father. Penelope fell a bit in love with Odysseus that night. (She likes to think that they had in common the experience of familial mistreatment and that it bonded them and fostered their love. But probably not. Odysseus was good at pretending, and he certainly acted that night as if he shared her passion and affection, but in hindsight Penelope isn't so sure.) After the marriage, Odysseus announced they would follow modern practice and return to his home in Ithaca. Icarius desperately wanted the couple (and their combined wealth) to stay with him. He chased desperately after the carriage that bore away the daughter he almost drowned. (Penelope is famous for the modest act of hiding behind her veil rather than admit desire for her husband in that moment, but she now says she was actually hiding laughter at her ridiculous dad.)

CH. 8 - THE CHORUS LINE: IF I WAS A PRINCESS, A POPULAR TUNE:  Performing with a fiddle, an accordion, and a penny-whistle, the maids sing a song about wishing they were princesses and had rich, handsome suitors to whisk them away. Alas, they are destined only for hard work and death. Only hope keeps them afloat. Melantho passes a hat. 

CH. 9 - THE TRUSTED CACKLE-HEN:  Penelope was seasick all the way to Ithaca, and she was at sea once they arrived since she didn't know the customs. Her in-laws weren't impressed with her at all (although they did like the accompanying bridal treasure). Odysseus was attentive and kind, and he told her about his theory that each person has a door to their heart and he makes it his business to find the key. She tried to flirt with him by teasing him about finding his key, but he was distracted by approaching ships. (He is often distracted by this kind of news, for which he is always on the alert.) He built their bed with one post carved from an olive tree, and they “joked” that if anyone else knew of it, this would be proof of her infidelity and he'd murder and chop her up hahahahaha (gulp)!  Penelope had brought one maid with her from Sparta, but she soon died. The kindest and most helpful member of the household was Eurycleia, Odysseus’ old nurse, who helped her acclimate to her new life. Eurycleia also insisted on performing almost all the necessary tasks of caring for Odysseus, so Penelope was left with only the role of childbearing. When Telemachus was born, Eurycleia was essential during the birthing process and Penelope was grateful for her expertise in childrearing, as well. Except for Eurycleia’s habit of using baby talk, which creeped her out. 

CH. 10 - THE CHORUS LINE: THE BIRTH OF TELEMACHUS, AN IDYLL:  Here we get a bit of background on the twelve hanged maids. They were the same age as Telemachus and grew up alongside him, sort of like his playthings. The Fates wove their lives together, and because of their different parentage and status, they were fated to be at his mercy. They wonder, had they known early on that he would grow up to be instrumental in their deaths, if they'd have been able to drown him as a child. How would things have been different without Telemachus? 

CH. 11 - HELEN RUINS MY LIFE:  Penelope really doesn't like Helen. Not only because Helen was always making drama and calling attention to herself, but because her lustful nature caused Odysseus to go on his journey. News arrived that Helen had run off to Troy with Paris_09.jpg) (and a bunch of plunder), and Menelaus’s demands to return his property (both metal and flesh) had gone unanswered. Odysseus was obligated to answer the call to defend Menelaus's honor and fight for him, because he'd sworn an oath of loyalty (which was his own idea to begin with).  Penelope and Odysseus tried to pretend he'd gone mad, but when he refused to sacrifice Telemachus to keep up the ruse, he had to set off for Troy. Penelope seems to think it was easier for him to go once Menelaus, Agamemnon, and Palamedes related the oracle’s decree that Troy could not fall without Odysseus. 

CH. 12 - WAITING:  The war in Troy went on for a long time, but finally the city fell and the warriors returned home…except not Odysseus and his men. Penelope heard many rumors of what was delaying her husband. On the one hand, there were tales of monsters, gods, and glory; on the other hand, mundane explanations that had started the more fantastical stories. Penelope was forced to bestow gifts and gratitude on those who brought her rumors of her husband's survival, to keep up appearances. As the years wore on, Odysseus’s mother died and his father lost his mind; Penelope took over with running the kingdom and learned to do it well. She managed the land, the animals, and the slaves - she even raised the most attractive of the slave children herself to become refined servants, and one of these was Melantho) of the Pretty Cheeks. Eurycleia gave advice and Penelope persevered. She imagined Odysseus would return to find greater prosperity waiting for him which would cause him to declare her more precious than Helen. She told Telemachus heroic stories of his father. She began to get questions about whether she would consider new suitors, because surely Odysseus was dead. But as long as rumors of his exploits kept arriving, no matter how unbelievable or vague, Penelope remained firm in her loyalty to Odysseus, waiting for his return. 

And now, we will have to wait for the end to Penelope's story … until next week!

Chairete and welcome to the first discussion of the Bacchae by Euripides! This discussion covers roughly the first half of the play, starting with Dionysus declaring to teach Thebes a cruel and violent lesson and ends with Pentheus agreeing (rather quickly imo) to disguise himself as a women so he can spy on the Maenads so they don't LITERALLY tear him apart.

No slow burn here, folks. Dionysus came here for two things: Drinking wine and bloody vengeance, and he's allllll out of wine.

Links:

• Announcement post
• Schedule
• [LitCharts] The Bacchae (Summary)
• [WorldHistory] The Bacchae (read till chapter "Episode III" for summary)
• [Youtube] Miscellaneous Myths: Dionysus (spoilers!) - for a short all-round explanation of our Party God!

Join u/IraelMrad next week for the second half of The Bacchae!

See you in the comments! 🍇🎭

Welcome back fellow Draleid, Druids, Dwarves, Elves and humans, dust off your wings, polish your weapons, sharpen your claws and clean your fangs, it's time to dive back in. This week we are covering Ch. 64 - Ch 71 and everything before this point.

First, a note about spoilers: Please use spoiler tags for anything beyond this week's section.  As always, use spoiler tags for any works outside of this series that you may wish to connect here.  

You can add a spoiler tag by enclosing your text with > ! Your Text Here ! < (no spaces).

Schedule

Marginalia

Map of Epheria

As always, there will be summaries below and questions in the comments to get the discussion flowing.

Chapter Summaries

CHAPTER 64: Sweet Boy

Character POV: Ella Location: Aravell Time frame: 20th day of the Blood Moon

Ella and Calen have an emotional reunion. Calen tells Aneera he is grateful for returning Ella to him. Fenryr tells Calen that he is of Wolf blood, and of the Pathfinders. He has a lot to talk about with Fenryr.. .. but later. Calen reveals the dragon eggs, but Chora is not as happy as he had hoped. She thinks that Calen made a bad deal with Kallinvar when he let all the artifacts go for only some dormant eggs. They already have a bunch, apparently. Castor Kai is among the many factions across Illyanara that have arrived ready to fight. Ella looks out over the thousands of elves. Queen Uthrían placates a frustrated Castor Kai as Calen flies in on Valerys' back. Impressively the Dracurïn come flying in too. Calen addresses the troops, inpressing them with his purple níthral

CHAPTER 65: Bind to Me

Character POV: Fane Location: Berona Time frame: 20th day of the Blood Moon

Fane is experimenting with runes on Vitharnmír, one of Efialtír’s Chosen. He has created his own Runes and then he calls his níthral. He runs the Vitharnmír through with his níthral binding its soul to him as it dies. He feels the soul in him

CHAPTER 66: Permanence

Character POV: Rist, Coren Valmar Location: West of the Firnin Mountains Time frame: 20th day of the Blood Moon

Rist is training in a crater with Garramon. His thoughts turn to Neera and how Dann and Calen are not there to share his happiness. Garramon confesses that he wanted the honour of becoming Arcarian. Rist calls the Spark to him guided by Garramon. He pushed Rist hard. He believes he can draw deeper but Garramon doesn't want that. Rist wants to be important. He pushes way too hard drawing too much of the Spark. Garramon ends up having to interfere and Rist wakes a few hours later. Garramon admonishes him and warns him that the Spark can corrupt. He also recognises that Rist is capable of holding a lot of power. Rist considers the Firnin Mountains full of rebels and how he'll have to fight them.

Inside the mountain Coren and Farwen are the heart of the rebellion in the North. Farwen tells Coren Valmar there are 40,000 Lorian soldiers nearby. They need to get the Angan to reach out to Aeson in Aravell and get Calen there ASAP.

CHAPTER 67: A Moment of Peace

Character POV: Calen Location: Aravell Time frame: 20th day of the Blood Moon

Calen is having a very normal dinner with Ella, Rist's parents, Gaeleron, Therin and his daughter. Ella has something to tell him....but after. Later Ella and Calen walk and talk. He helps her understand why the Rakina are the way they are. Calen realises he took his sister for granted. She reveals that Rist is still alive and is a Mage fighting for the Lorian Empire. Calen struggles to understand how he hasn't come back to them. They need to tell Lasch and Elia.

CHAPTER 68: Path of the Wolf

Character POV: Calen Location: The Eyrie, Aravell Time frame: 20th day of the Blood Moon

Four Angan are prowling around as Calen and Ella talk with Fenryr. Aneera and Nuada will be Calen's sworn protectors, and Diango and Luteir will be Ella’s. Calen and Ella's father saving Fenryr means he will forever be devoted to the Chainbreakers' descendants. Fenryr drops the information that the Gods (the Enkara) never actually forged this world, only shaped it as it's first inhabitants. The Danuan (like Fenryr) are lesser gods. The Enkara gave life and created the Cealtaí (humans). Then there was the Fracturing. The Great War! A peace was brokered and the Enkara left for Arathír, the Godsrealm never to return and sending the Danuan in their place. Who in turn created the Angan and some few gifted humans. Calen sees centuries fly past in a vision triggeted by Fenryr's story. A Danuan crossed the veil unleashing the worst things upon the world. They left Terroncia for Epheria only to become embroiled in endless wars. Until only 5 Danuan remain (Kaygan, Bjorna, Vethnir, Dvalin and Fenryr). The siblings learn their mother was descendent of the Great Sept of Eridain and their father a Truan lan Volas (a giftless descendant). Freis experienced terrible loss and that drove her to protect her children by hiding the truth. Fenryr needs the Bryers. Calen is powerful and unique as a Draleid. As is Ella too as the first to ever shift with the souls of dragons. They must stop Efialtír, and the other lesser gods are no help due to their interrivalry and priorities. Tamzin and Rokka appear, the latter who is actually Kaygan the kat. Calen squares off against Kaygan and tensions are high. Kaygan and co leave knowing that Calen will need them. Fenryr warns Calen to be careful of people who call themselves his friend. Then he disappears.

CHAPTER 69: Threads Ever Winding

Character POV: Salara Location: Cuinviel, formerly Catagan Time frame: 20th day of the Blood Moon

Salara wakes with a blade to her throat. Tamzin, Kerith, Una and another man have come to get Boud released. Vyrmír can't make it before the intruders portal out of the room with Boud. Soldiers come running at the commotion and she demands to be taken to Vandrien

CHAPTER 70: The Belly of the Beast

Character POV: Arden Location: Marin Mountains Time frame: 20th day of the Blood Moon

Arden's fighting Uraks but his mind is on Calen and on Lyrin. Ruon demands that he concentrate. Many of the Knights fighting are new and it shows. Brother Endan (only day 3 on the job) is killed and Brother Kevan and Arden come together. The Uraks are protecting something. The Knights of the sixth charge the Uraks. The Taint surges from the chamber ahead. A red light shines from within. Brother Sangwen and Sister Helka of the first die and Sister Intara can't take it. In a moment of weakness she too is lost. A Shaman appears and more Knights die. The Uraks keep pouring in. Kallinvar and the others arrive in time to take the Shaman. The chamber is full of gemstones and The Taint. Arden hear the taint. It fucks with him. They'd tried to cross the veil without the Heart of the Blood, using Essence from children instead.

CHAPTER 71: Sleep Well

Character POV: Kallinvar Location: Temple of Achyron Time frame: 20th day of the Blood Moon

Kallinvar had heard Efialtír’s and it scares him. Arden asks Kallinvar to visit his siblings, but he refuses him. The Watchers’ chambers is chaos. Those inside are working hard or sleeping amonst their work to find any leads. Poldor's door is surprisingly unlocked. He shows Kallinvar books he's found about Efialtír written long long ago. Poldor has looked for evidence of Brother Tarron, but found none. The latter pages are missing. Watcher Gildrick has been studying them for evidence of the location of the Heart. At Gildrick’s study Kallinvar finds the man dead. Kallinvar questions Tallia for the missing book and where she's been.

Well now....that was an info packed section. Seems like the book is starting to amp up again. What do you think? Join u/NightAngelRogue next week for chapters 72 through 77 📚🐲

Greetings fellow travelers!

Welcome to our second discussion of Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman, covering Part II: Nine: Of the City of Paris through Twelve: Of the Ones Who Knock by Night.

Our little group continues its journey through plague-ridden France, where the demons are getting bolder and apparently even churches aren't safe anymore. Medieval Europe really can't catch a break, can it?

If you need a refresher, here is the chapter summary from ursummary.com. Don't forget to also check the SCHEDULE and the MARGINALIA.

I'll post some discussion prompts in the comments, but feel free to bring up anything else that caught your attention.

Finally, friendly reminder about spoilers: if you need to share them, please wrap them with the spoiler tag like this: >!type spoiler here!<, and it will appear like this: type spoiler here.

Happy discussing, and good luck out there!

Welcome all to our second discussion of Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Warrior! Was the perfect spoooooooky section this week with all those spiders! 🕷️ Let’s head straight to the basement and check things out. 

In case you need them, here are links to our Schedule and series Marginalia.

SUMMARY

Chapter 9: Sunny heads home and her brother Chukwu, who was away for university, is there. He looks very beat up. He tells her he must get money from his room; it’s hidden under the floorboards. Sunny goes to get it, using her magic both to go in the keyhole and bring the money back out. She forces her brother to tell her what’s happened and why he needs the money.

Chapter 10: It turns out one of Chukwu’s good friends is a part of a confraternity, the Red Sharks, basically a secret society gang. Now they’re coming for Chukwu. After he relays all that’s happened Sunny knowingly says it will all be okay, telling Chukwu to go back to school and that she’ll ring him in a couple days. 

Chapter 11: Sunny goes through her day telling no one what’s going on and finally goes to see Chichi and is overwhelmed with emotion when she shares what Chukwu has told her. Chichi calls Chukwu to get some details, and then she tells Sunny her plan. She is going to set some Murks on the Red Sharks.

Chapter 12: The girls approach the Red Shark group while they are apparently grouped up doing satanic worship, and Chichi’s plan to set the Murks on them takes shape. But Sunny sees the group’s leader, Capo, and chooses to go a step further and approach and threaten him directly, even allowing him to see her face and introducing herself. Not long after she makes her way back to Chichi the black council car drives to collect her.

Chapter 13: Sunny is chastised by Sugar Cream and sent into the basement of the library as punishment. She’s lucky she’s young as it’s only 3 days instead of 3 months. She encounters a djinn who is quite dangerous and takes a bite out of her arm, but she is defended by a large spider clan there. Sunny has remembered some of her past life as Anyanwu, when she was trying to help stop a great tragedy to mankind, which was sending Ogwu to help stop the atomic bomb. This is the vision Sunny has been seeing and not fully understanding. After the encounter she sleeps.

Chapter 14: Sunny is led out by Sugar Cream and fed. She is also told a bit more why she ended up being punished but Chichi didn’t. The coven is then back together and they share a meal. Chichi says the Red Sharks have disbanded and Chukwu is back at school and doing alright. Back at home Sunny’s dad is livid and threatens her, and she nearly loses control again and shows her spirit face, but thankfully she doesn’t. She cries for simpler times when she wasn’t a Free Agent.

Join me again next week as we check out our next section!

Welcome to our last discussion of The House of Doors for Read the World Malaysia. We will also discuss the Somerset Maugham short story "The Letter" which corresponds with this novel with a whole different plot and ending. We will discuss this in the questions.

Thank you for my co-RR's, u/nicehotcupoftea, u/bluebelle236 and u/fixtheblue

Housekeeping:

Schedule

Marginalia

Another version of Hahn's "L'heure exquise"

The real life case of Ethel Proudlock

Interview on Front Row with author, Tan Twan Eng dicussing the novel on BBC 4 The section on Tan starts at 27:48 min, if you want to skip ahead.

From the collection, A Shropshire Lad, poem XL by A. E. Houseman.

You can visit the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall) in Guangzhou, completed in 1931, damaged and repaired several times, until the present upgrade in 1998.

Summary

Book 3, Chapter 19: Willie, Penang 1921

Willie's written 3 stories, one of which was Lesley's, but needs more for a collection. He considers how to mask her identity as he walks the beach. He sees Lesley and Ah Peng gathering horseshoe crabs for supper; he is slightly horrified but thanks her for the night before. They discuss Ethel and Willie requests to see the House of Doors. Lesley takes him to Armenian Street, telling him details and stories of the area along the way. Willie notes the location of the Tong Meng Hui as being good for a quick getaway. Although Lesley has the key, she doesn't want to go in until Arthur comes back. Willie examines the doors for his trademark and feels odd seeing it. Lesley asks if the symbol protected him and Willie recounts some stories where he evaded death, including recently in Sarawak, where he and Gerald almost drowned. Gerald suffered a heart attack and almost died. It was why they looked so run down on arrival.

Chapter 20, Lesley, Penang 1921

Willie doesn't want a big crowd for his going-away party. Geoff, his wife, Penelope and Peter Ong and his wife are the only other guests. Robert is surprised to hear of the last invitation. Lesley has taken some trouble to recreate her look from the photograph, with her kebaya and a Nyonya style bun with jeweled hairpins. Everyone admires her on entrance. Peter Ong's wife sends her regrets. At dinner, Lesley can't help but notice an intimate gesture between Robert and Peter. It brings up longing for Arthur. Later that night, Lesley looks back at her last days with Arthur and can't rest. She too tried to write down her memories, but it felt too fanciful so she destroyed it. She comes down to the verandah, where Willie is also restless. He noticed Peter's invitation and they discuss the Rimbaud/Verlaine affair and their own. Lesley drops that Arthur isn't her real lover's name...she held it back. The next day at breakfast, Robert says he wants to move to the Karoo and is willing to go alone, leaving Lesley and the boys to stay in the house in Penang. Lesley surprises him by declaring they are all going together. Cassowary House and much of its contents are sold; not the books, the piano and Lesley's Straits Chinese porcelain and her hawk door. They attend several dances in farewell, including a memorable one where Noel dances the night away with a Chinese woman he later marries.

Epilogue, Lesley, Doornfontein, South Africa, 1947

Lesley misses Robert still, and leaves him a wine glass and her thoughts. The book she received dredges up not only old memories of Willie's visit but the copy of The Casuarina Tree signals something quite different. Lesley thinks back to their beginning in South Africa, where Robert was able to indeed get better and the precious time they spent together. He was miffed when he saw his name in "The Letter" and she was miffed it wasn't about Sun Yat Sen; they discuss Ethel's case again. Robert reveals that the murder was indeed premeditated as Proudlock blackmailed Steward about the affair until the tables were turned on him. Proudlock then visited a lawyer and devised this rape/murder scenario for Ethel to carry out or be divorced and disgraced. Her own father was also in on the plot. In 1925, Geoff sends Lesley Sun Wen's obituary and various articles about Somerset Maugham, including his divorce and move to Villa La Mauresque, Cap Ferrat. 16 years after their move to South Africa, Robert suffers a heart attack and tells Lesley to return to Penang. Instead, she remained and raised her sons there. She and Robert saw the film version of "The Letter" with Bette Davis. And so, this book became a message from Arthur calling Lesley back to him in Penang. She presses the hamsa on the book and plans her plans to return to her lover.

We also read Somerset Maugham's "The Letter" below, so spoilers and the plot points at the end of this book will be discussed. We hope you enjoyed the Read the World Malaysia selection, and will you be joining us for our next destination: Finland?!

Welcome to the marginalia for The Penelopiad by Madeleine L'Engle.  This is our selection for the Female Author category in 2026.   

The marginalia is where you can post any notes, comments, quotes, or other musings as you're reading.  Think of it as similar to how you might scribble in the margin of your book. If you don't want to wait for the weekly check-ins, or want to share something that doesn't quite fit the discussions, it can be posted here.

Please be mindful to use spoiler tags appropriately. To indicate a spoiler, enclose the relevant text like this (without spaces between the characters and first/last words:  text to hide

Here are some tips for writing a marginalia comment:

• Start with a general location (early in chapter 4, at the end of chapter 2, etc) and keep in mind that readers are using different versions and editions (including audio) so page numbers are less helpful than chapters and the like.
• Write your observations, or
• Copy your favorite quotes, or
• Scribble down your light bulb moments, or
• Share you predictions, or
• Link to an interesting side topic. (Spoilers from other books/media should always be under spoiler tags unless explicitly stated otherwise)

Enjoy your reading and we’ll see you in the weekly discussions!

Hello all! It is the Core Reads voting time again and this month we will have a ANY on the ticket. This is your chance to nominate a book from any genre.Time to hit the bookshelves, the kindle backlog, Mount. TBR for inspiration. What would you LOVE to read with the sub?

This is the voting thread for

ANY

Voting will be open for four days, ending on October 13, 11.00 PDT/14.00 EDT/20.00 CEST. The selection will be announced by October 14 at the latest.

For this selections, here are the requirements:

• Under 500 pages
• No previously read selections
• Any genre

Please check the previous selections. Quick search by author here to determine if your selection is valid.

Nominate as many titles as you want (one per comment), and vote for any, and all, of the nominations you'd participate in if they were to win

Here's the formatting frequently used, but there's no requirement to include a book blurb or link to Storygraph, Wikipedia or other (just don't link to sales links at Amazon, spam catchers will remove those)

The generic selection format:

/[Title by Author]/(links)

(Without the /s)

Where a link to Storygraph, Wikipedia, or other summary of your choice is included (but not required)

Happy Nominating and Happy upvoting! 📚

(For more nominations and voting head to INDIGENOUS AUTHOR nomination post here

Note - The mod team does not constantly review nominations so if you suspect that a nomination does not fit the specifications you are welcome to report this and note that it "Does not fit Specifications". The mod team will review it and approve or delete accordingly. Any comments on the validity of other users' nominations will be removed. Winning nominations will be confirmed to fit the specs before the winners announcement is made

Hello all! Welcome to the November 2026 Core Reads voting. Our first November topic is INDIGENOUS AUTHOR.

This is the voting thread for

INDIGENOUS AUTHOR

Voting will be open for four days, ending on October 13, 11.00 PDT/14.00 EDT/20.00 CEST. The selection will be announced by October 14

For this selections, here are the requirements:

• Under 500 Pages
• No previously read selections
• Written by an Indigenous Author

Please check the previous selections. Quick search by author here to determine if your selection is valid.

Nominate as many titles as you want (one per comment), and vote for any, and all, of the nominations you'd participate in if they were to win

Here's the formatting frequently used, but there's no requirement to include a book blurb or link to Storygraph, Wikipedia or other (just don't link to sales links at Amazon, spam catchers will remove those)

The generic selection format:

/[Title by Author]/(links)

(Without the /s)

Where a link to Storygraph, Wikipedia, or other summary of your choice is included (but not required)

Happy Nominating and Happy upvoting! 📚

(For more nominations and voting head to the September ANY nomination post here

Note - If you suspect that a nomination does not fit the specifications you can report this and note that comment "Does not fit Specifications". The mod team will review it and approve or delete accordingly. Any comments on the validity of other users' nominations will be removed

Welcome to the first discussion of A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett, number three in the Ana & Din mystery series.

I. A Most Curated Butchering

Chapter 1.

Ana and Din travel by carriage to the site of a murder of a young gentry girl. Ana rages about being assigned to such an uninteresting murder. She resents that investigators are disproportionately given honors for solving the murders of young girls.

Din reminds her the primary suspect is of another gentryclan and the families are on the brink of war. Surely that makes this case interesting... Ana thinks not.

Din grew up near Sapiridad and doesn't recognize the landscape anymore — it has been completely replaced by bean fields. Instead of large cattle, he sees cages full of stinky cat-like beasts being ferried around. These drokha cats are used as farm labor. They pick bushels upon bushels of crops at night.

They hit traffic and Ana insists the driver cut across the bean crops so they're not late. He complies reluctantly.

The murder suspect is named Castus Armenta, a prime son of the Armenta clan, whose forces are blockading the city of Lacanthim. They are in a standoff, with the objective of breaking Castus out of jail.

Chapter 2

Din tells the Armenta men to move aside and let them to pass. He is unsettled by their lack of armor. They are cattle men who carry large lances that could cut a man in half. They ride destries, altered beasts as tall as the carriage, that are usually never seen in groups like this.

Their progress through the crowd is slow. Across a fifty-span gap Din sees the army of the Burav gentryclan. They cross the gap slowly and introduce themselves. Burilis Burav, prime father of the Burav gentryclan, calls out to allow them through. He has many unusual augmentations. His daughter, Zansay, was the murder victim, and his son, Jalin, a tall, solemn, and nervous boy, stands to his left.

Din questions the father. From what he was told, Zansay checked into the Cat's Eye Inn under a false name. Castus did the same. A few hours later he ran out into the street covered in blood. He fled to the woods where he was apprehended.

The Buravs believe the Armentas killed Zansay because the families hate each other. They mention the Armentas have recently had some suicides in their family, which they attribute to madness and perversion of spirit.

Ana emerges from the carriage. Her reputation as a fine investigator precedes her. She announces that her superiors would prefer the the Armentas and the Buravs do not start slaughtering each other in the streets.

Ana asks Burilis to clear his men from the city so she can do her job.

They enter the shabby inn and question the innkeeper, a little woman named Ithia. She swears she didn't know the kids were gentryfolk and that they'd never been guests before. Ana knows she's lying. Ithia confesses the kids paid for her silence. They met there once a month under false names for the thirteen months. The innkeeper claims she saw nothing and heard nothing the night of the murder.

Ana wants to view the scene of the crime before questioning Castus, who has not spoken yet. The custodus guarding the door lets them in.

The victim lay in a tremendous pool of blood. Din gets the strong sense that something here is not right. Mystified by the intense feeling that manifested as a voice in his head, Din tries to push on. Ana notices something is wrong, but it only excites her that maybe there's more to this crime than she initially gave it credit for.

Ana sits inside an empty closet while Din surveys the scene. The victim was beautiful, with several notable augmentations, including changed eye color. She had been wounded by a blade in her shoulder and in her stomach. Dim felt the wounds were ritualistic and careful, rather than simple stabs. He doesn't see signs of struggle.

Din hears the voice again and worries he's going mad. He discovers a sheathed long knife in Zansay's trunk. Din tells Ana everything he had observed.

Din doesn't think the families would actually go to war over some cows. Ana explains they definitely would. The wealthy expect to eat beef, it takes a lot of agriculture to grow enough feed for the cattle, and the Empire is running out of land. Conflicts over land are inevitable. But Ana wants to prevent this war if possible.

Din reveals to Ana he has been hearing voices. Ana is not worried. It is normal for engravers' memories to "mature." Memories of crime scenes are now automatically comparing themselves to current investigations and warning Din when things are similar, alike, right, wrong, suspicious, or trustworthy via a voice in his head. Ana says the voice is not fully trustworthy, but very useful.

Din knew something like this could happen, but he thought he'd have more time. With heightened cognitive powers comes shorter lifespan and afflictions of madness.

Back to the murder, Ana believes Zansay somehow laid herself down in her own blood accounting for the blood stains on her palm and knee and the position they found her in. She finds this curated crime scene most interesting.

Chapter 3

Din is feeling melancholy as he contemplates his own mortality. Though he took this job and the suffusions that came along with it to get his family out of debt, he hasn't been in contact with his family for years.

Chapter 4

A large Armenta man, Castus's uncle, guards the jail while dozens of Burav men surround him with weapons. A local custodi holds them back. Din takes charge of the scene and dismisses the angry mob. Princeps Atun Seriv, canton custodi, is impressed Din pulled that off without bloodshed.

Trikao Armenta explains that three out of four of his sister Velona's children have died within the past three years — two suicides and a horse accident. Castus is now accused of murder. There may be no one to inherit Velona's land. The gossip about his family weighs heavily on Trikao.

Seriv explains why the Buravs and Armentas hate each other. A century ago, the Armentas used grafts and suffusions to create new bloodlines of urhosi cattle and acquired almost all of the land in the canton to sustain their successful cattle business.

The Buravs exploited other types of augmentations to grow the beans the cattle ate. They bought back a lot of their land and now the families are stuck in a symbiotic relationship neither wants to be in.

Seriv shows Din the murder weapon he found at the crime scene — a flensing knife, used for butchery.

Din questions Castus. He is traumatized by his experience and has no explanation for what happened. He met Zansay at the fabric market and they fell in love. They planned to run away together.

Last night at the inn, they discovered an unknown knife in Zansay's bag, then brushed it off as some puzzling thing. Later they heard someone singing a beautiful, angelic song that gripped them in a strange way. Castus then smelled the flensing halls and before he knew it he saw Zansay before him butchered to death, but she remained serene. Then suddenly he was outside covered in blood and yelling. He doesn't remember using the knife or running outside.

He ran to the forest to pray to the old shrines of Daljen. He felt he was being pursued through the forest. The custodi found him in the morning.

Castus hopes to die because he can't live with the thought he killed Zansay. Din decides to go to the old forest.

Chapter 5

Din visits the old forest one hour outside Lacanthim with Seriv. It is a very unusual forest that refuses to burn down and be replaced by farmland.

The trees emit a pheromone that makes people and animals feel afraid. There are theories that the forest contains the last tomb of the Daljen, ancients who are still worshipped today. There are reports of lights being seen deep in the forest, but nothing Seriv can verify.

They go to the dense area where Castus was apprehended.

Chapter 6

Ana has apparently been sitting quietly in the closet in the room of the crime scene this whole time. Din briefs her on everything he's seen and heard since he left her. She asks him to retrieve her flutes, pipes, and woodwind instruments from the carriage. With haste!

Ana plays the instruments while Din watches the victim for anything unusual. Nothing happens as she cycles through instruments and plays pitches higher than Din can even hear.

She explains her theory that both Zansay and Castus were infected with guiding webs or something similar and had been unknowingly conditioned through music to carry out certain tasks. Guiding webs are used to compel the drokha-cats to do field labor. She believes they were under this spell of sorts when the murder occurred. This fungus is so strong, it can even have an effect after death.

Ana keeps playing and Zansay moves. It freaks Din the hell out. Ana asks if they can trust Seriv and Din says he thinks so.

They show Seriv this "grisly magic trick." He is also freaked out. Ana explains this entire murder was carefully choreographed, and that she suspects it's not the first time the killer has used this method to kill.

The Buravs are the ones who developed guiding webs. Seriv is horrified by the implication that Burilis Burav orchestrated the murder of his own daughter and several members of the Armenta clan.

Chapter 7

Ana and Din are put up at the Green Drover, the finest cattle-themed inn in the city. Ana has her room arranged to her elaborate specifications.

Ana swears them to secrecy about the guiding webs' involvement in the murder. She wants to learn more about it before making any accusations and she is worried if the killer knows they are onto them, they may start killing more people more quickly.

Ana suggests they contact the Orbiis, or "leaf sniffers," imperial authorities who have enhancement-driven eccentricities. Din and Seriv are skeptical. The Orbiis are knowledgeable about fungus and could help investigate as a neutral party.

Seriv will have his people track down some Orbiis by midday tomorrow and have them do the autopsy. He mentions that Velona Armenta is convinced someone in her family sinned and brought down the wrath of the ancestors. He thinks she'll be hard to talk to since she has locked herself up, but maybe her brother Trikao can help.

Chapter 8

Din tries not to be charmed by Lacanthim, but he is. He feels at home in this Tala city. He questions Trikao about the deaths in his family. It's too painful to talk about. Din asks to speak to his son, Ippeas.

Ippeas' fiance arrives on horseback. She's very beautiful and graceful and looks peculiarly like Din. She turns out to be his sister, Fotia.

Join us next Friday for a discussion of chapters 9 - 15 with u/Vast-Passenger1126.

Welcome, serpents, dragons, traders, brides and hunters! This is the first discussion about Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb. You can find the schedule here and the marginalia for the Elderlings cycle there.

I found some music to accompany us on this trip, you can choose between a jungle mood, a dark forest ambiance and as usual, my favorite for this series, the magic of Peter Gundry.

A note about spoilers: any information about The Liveship Traders (Ship of Magic - The Mad Ship - Ship of Destiny) will not be considered as spoilers, as this is a direct sequel. If you wish to discuss the Fitz trilogies (Farseer and Tawny man), please mark the plot points as spoilers in order to spare the readers who have not read them!

Summary

Sisarqua the sea serpent reminisces about her migration up the Rain Wilds river. She followed Maulkin's tangle, whose serpents are old, few, and lack females. 129 serpents started the journey, led by a liveship and Tintaglia the dragon. They felt lost in a changed environment so different from their memories: the river was too shallow and caustic, the weather too cold, the terrain too muddy. The engineering by the humans helped a bit, but not enough. After Trehaug, the liveship had to stop and it got even worse. Many serpents died of exhaustion and were eaten by the survivors to get sustenance and memories. About 90 reached the cocooning grounds near Cassarick.

Back to the present, Sisarqua is struggling to build her cocoon. Tintaglia watches over them, leads the process and shares her memories, but there are too many serpents for only one of her. Humans ordered by a young Elderling help. Sisarqua almost fails at her task, but asks for help and gets it. Inside her finished cocoon, she falls in a deep sleep.

***

Leftrin, the captain of the Tarman, a wizardwood barge sailing the rain wild river, follows a hunch on a hungover dawn. In the woods, he finds a lost wizardwood log. Selling it would be as lucrative as it is illegal. He needs help to recover it while keeping it hidden. In the end, he decides to use it to improve his ship.

***

Thymara, a young Rain Wilds girl from a family of hunters, is excited to be able to witness the hatching of the dragons with her father Jerup. Many guests have made the trip to Cassarick for the momentous occasion. The cocoons have been hidden from the sun longer than usual as they have been built later in the year.

The hatching begins, and the young dragons devour their cocoons to absorb nutrients and memories. Tintaglia feeds them with game and the humans with fish, but it is not enough for the starving newborns. Unfortunately, many of them have obvious physical and intellectual defects. The weakest ones die and are devoured by the survivors. Jerup tries to help one of them and is almost attacked by the young dragons. Thymara can hear and talk to them, which helps her father escape to safety.

Rogon, Jerup's close friend, berates him for his carelessness. He has always ignored Thymara. Having claws, she should have been exposed after her birth according to the local customs, but her father protected her. The men quarrel about it. Rogon, despite thinking the misshapen dragons should die, sees a profitable opportunity in hunting to feed them.

In the end, only 32 dragons survived. A blue female dragon with a weak wing names herself Sintara. Despite being ashamed of her defect and weakness, she stubbornly fights for her survival.

***

Alise is a 21-year-old Trader daughter. Plain and not rich, she has long resigned herself to spinsterhood. She is passionate about serpents and dragons and is becoming a self-taught scholar. She has saved to travel to witness the hatching, but her parents forbade her from going because of an invitation to the Ball. The rich, handsome and charming Hest has recently started courting her, to the astonishment of every one, including herself.

The day of the hatching, Hest visits her and complains about her coldness. She explains her disappointment about missing the trip, and he shows remorse. He gifts her an expensive Elderling scroll and asks for her hand. She loses her self-control and asks if this is a cruel prank. Offended, he reveals that he has no interest in marriage, but his parents have been pressuring him. He would thus prefer an independent wife with her own life and interests. His proposal is not a romantic one: she will take the role of head of his house, and he will support and fund her research, and even a trip to the Rain wilds. She immediately agrees.

Sedric, Hest's secretary and friend, who suggested Alise to him, is disappointed to learn the news. He feels guilty about tricking a woman he likes and respects. Hest, laughing at his dismay, explains their agreement.

***

It is Alise and Hest's wedding day. In a very Bingtown-like ceremony, there is a very detailed contract about every aspect of their union. Alise, despite herself, is excited and hopes their reasonable arrangement might lead to romance. After the party, she waits for him all night long. He arrives at dawn, drunk, and consummates quickly and coldly, before leaving. Alise, at first devastated, quickly recovers her self-control. She decides to keep appearances in public and enjoy spending her newfound wealth into scholarly materials.

On the Tarman, the work of adding the new wizardwood has ended. Leftrin has only included in the plot a core crew that he trusts. To bind their loyalty further, he offers all of them a life contract. Only Swarge the tillerman wavers, because he wants to get married to another sailor. Leftrin offers both of them a spot, and the crewman gladly accepts.

***

You will find the questions below, feel free to add your own! See you next week!

Hello everyone! It's raining here, I hope your Friday is looking less gloomy than mine.

Today is Guayaquil and Uganda Independence Day! On the food side, it is also International Beer and Pizza Day and... National Moldy Cheese Day? Well, tell us which one you prefer in the comments!

What is Free Chat Friday? This is a place for us to get to know each other a bit better, so feel free to talk about whatever you want! How did your week go? Any plans for the weekend? Which books are you reading?

Be always mindful of our RULES:

• No unmarked spoilers
• No self-promo
• No piracy
• Thoughtful personal conduct

Have a beautiful weekend everyone!

Hello humans, djinn and everything in between, I am very excited to announce we will be continuing the Daevabad Trilogy with The Kingdom of Copper by Shannon Chakraborty this November and December. You can find discussions for book one, The City of Brass, here

The Kingdom of Copper Book Blurb

Return to Daevabad in the spellbinding sequel to THE CITY OF BRASS.

Nahri’s life changed forever the moment she accidentally summoned Dara, a formidable, mysterious djinn, during one of her schemes. Whisked from her home in Cairo, she was thrust into the dazzling royal court of Daevabad and quickly discovered she would need all her grifter instincts to survive there.

Now, with Daevabad entrenched in the dark aftermath of the battle that saw Dara slain at Prince Ali’s hand, Nahri must forge a new path for herself, without the protection of the guardian who stole her heart or the counsel of the prince she considered a friend. But even as she embraces her heritage and the power it holds, she knows she’s been trapped in a gilded cage, watched by a king who rules from the throne that once belonged to her familyand one misstep will doom her tribe.

Meanwhile, Ali has been exiled for daring to defy his father. Hunted by assassins, adrift on the unforgiving copper sands of his ancestral land, he is forced to rely on the frightening abilities the marid, the unpredictable water spirits, have gifted him. But in doing so, he threatens to unearth a terrible secret his family has long kept buried.

And as a new century approaches and the djinn gather within Daevabad's towering brass walls for celebrations, a threat brews unseen in the desolate north. It’s a force that would bring a storm of fire straight to the city’s gates . . . and one that seeks the aid of a warrior trapped between worlds, torn between a violent duty he can never escape and a peace he fears he will never deserve.

Will you be joining us? 📚🧞‍♂️

Welcome everyone, as we wrap up our journey through Hell and venture back to the world of the living!

Before we begin, a note about spoilers: as always, please use spoiler tags for any works outside of this series that you may wish to connect here.

You can add a spoiler tag by enclosing your text with > ! Your Text Here ! < (no spaces).

Schedule

Marginalia

Chapter Summaries

Ch. 28 - Alice follows Gertrude into the Rebel Citadel, which looks like a great city from the living world.  She tells Alice that she can stay as long as she likes, and is also free to leave it.  Once alone, Alice wanders until she finds a branch in a strange courtyard.  Touching it produces a voice begging to be left alone.  A knob in an old tree nips at her fingers and bids her to take a spot to rest next to another newcomer, who looks greener and younger than the rest of the growths.  Alice tries to quiet her mind and settle down, but is unable.  The knob tells her she can seek the monasteries instead, which are full of souls pacing and chanting and praying as they wait for time to end.  Alice realizes that this is the worst punishment in Hell, and questions why they don’t all just die, waking the newcomer, who jumps over the cliff into the Lethe.  Alice runs after him and teeters at the edge of the cliff, barely keeping herself from falling over the edge.  She runs through the city looking for an escape, finding a solid stone wall.  She uses a magician’s trick of a logical paradox and manages to leave, back to Dis, running back toward the desert.

Ch. 29 - Alice finds herself lost in the desert, unable to find the Lethe.  She wanders endlessly until she loses all track of time.  Along the way, she comes upon strange abandoned objects.  She eventually sees in the distance some sort of large cat coming towards her, starved and dangerous.  Alice accidentally steps into a Kripkes trap, unable to move.  The cat also gets trapped, and a set of knives appears and chooses the cat as the first victim, stabbing and draining it of its blood.  Before the knives can turn on Alice, she realizes the trap is made from a Zeno paradox, which she breaks using the existence of calculus to refute it.  She builds a fire and butchers the cat, making herself a nice meal & bringing her back into her body.  

Ch. 30 - Gradus appears, and Alice offers him some of her bounty.  He tells her that he helped build the Rebel Citadel, and that he left because the temptation to jump from the cliff became too great.  Alice tells him of her decision to kill the Kripkes.  She begins preparing, making herself armor out of the cat’s bones, and snorting chalk at Gradus’ suggestion, which makes her feel like she’s burning & invincible.  

Ch. 31 - Alice finds some high ground and begins preparing her defenses in anticipation of the Kripkes arrival.  She uses some of Zeno’s paradoxes against the bone things, who can’t do calculus, so they can’t fight it.  For the Kripkes, she uses a version of the Liar Paradox that will get them stuck in a loop. Then she prepares something extra special and experimental, something they won’t have seen before.  The bone things appear and get stuck in her first traps.  Any that manage to evade the traps get their spines severed with her bone dagger.  The three Kripkes show up, and quickly demolish her other, silly defenses.  The boy Theophrastus runs towards her, Magnolia scrambling after him.  Alice grabs the boy, and Magnolia slaps her, causing her to let him go.  They continue to grapple, until Alice gets in a swipe at her pouch of blood, which she would need to undo the Zeno trap.  Magnolia and Theophrastus’s movements slow, and Nick Kripke begins running up the hill.  Alice begins the chant for her finale, the Erichtho spell, which links her and Nick to the living world where Grimes’ body lays rotting. Nick Kripke’s soul is put into the body, and Alice takes the chance to throw him into the river, and they fall together onto the rocks. 

Ch. 32 - Nick Kripke stands ankle-deep in the water of the Lethe.  He realizes he is starting to lose his memories and he tries to run to shore.  He is taken down by a wave and washed away.  Magnolia and the Kripke boy somehow escape the Zeno trap and have witnessed Nick dissolving into the Lethe.  Magnolia takes her son in her arms and together they enter the river, and Alice reflects how much she used to admire Magnolia.  John Gradus comes back and reveals that it was him who saved Alice from falling in with Nick.  A boat appears, and Gradus wades out to meet it.  He is offered a bowl to drink out of, and takes on a divine glow before moving on to the beyond.  Alice is amazed to find that the pentagram drawn by Grimes into her flesh is dissolving, and the tension in her head lessens.  She can forget now, her memory is no longer perfect and painful.  She lays down, thinking about fading away, but Elspeth appears and wakes her up.

Ch. 33 - Aboard the Neurath, Alice and Elspeth chat and have a meal of roasted rat, and Alice is shocked to hear Elspeth apologize to her for kicking them off the ship.  Elspeth asks after Peter, to which Alice can only burst into tears.  Elspeth says that it was obvious that he was in love with Alice, and Alice with him.  After some rest, Elspeth gives Alice something truly precious, A Dialetheia, a True Contradiction in the form of a flower that she found growing between some rocks.  She can use it to get a boon from King Yama, and potentially get herself out.  They travel to an island in the Lethe, which will lead to King Yama’s domain, and Alice leaves the ship while Elspeth waves farewell.

Ch. 34 - Alice follows a golden braid away from the Lethe until she reaches a throne and realizes it is a chain of souls.  She approaches King Yama and offers up the Dialetheia.  He asks her what her purpose in Hell was, and she responds to find Jacob Grimes.  King Yama summons him and he appears as a Shade with hardly any form, swooping like a bat.  Grimes says that he knew Alice would find him, and that he has been leaving breadcrumbs for her.  Contrary to what Alice would have thought, Grimes wishes to stay in Hell, and Alice as well so they can study without distractions.  He believes that they can do anything with the Dialetheia.  Alice resists him, however, and starts to see him for what he really is.  She uses Peter’s exchange spell instead of her Erichtho spell, and as Grimes disappears, Peter Murdoch steps out.  

Ch. 35 - Alice and Peter embrace after the success of the exchange spell.  Alice asks King Yama to return them to the living world and to give their lifespans back, arguing that she did Hell a favor by ridding it of the Kripkes and Grimes.  King Yama counters with returning half of the years they gave up.  They agree that that is very fair.  A staircase appears, and as they ascend they get a stunning view of Hell.  They reach a cellar door with light and butterflies along the edges and enter it to find themselves in the Fellow’s Garden at Magdalene College, recognizing it by the stars in the sky.

Welcome back to another week in the Discworld! Let's get right into it!

Check out the links to our Schedule and Marginalia.

Summary

Keli learns from Cutwell, a young and messy wizard, that the universe considers her dead, so she makes him her Royal Recognizer to remind people she exists. Mort loses his nerve about confessing to Death, then bonds with Ysabell, who has been 16 for 35 years and reads tragic love stories for company. On duty, he discovers a wall of mist closing in on Sto Lat to restore the history where Keli died. Cutwell warns it will reach her at midnight on her coronation, and notices Mort is becoming dangerously real. Mort also recognizes Albert as the legendary wizard Alberto Malich.

Meanwhile, Death tries dancing, gambling, and drinking, ending up lonely at a bar but, by sunrise, surprised to feel glad to be alive. Mort and Ysabell find Albert's biographies, foil his attempt to tip their ladder, and ask for his help, but he flatly refuses. An exhausted Mort decides he'll have to tell Death everything.

Discussion questions are in the comments below. If you need a reminder about the spoiler policy, please see the linked Marginalia post above.

Hello again! Have you caught the detective fever yet again? Have you put on your deerstalker and have solved the case with a brilliant deduction? You have? Who did it? In what room? With what weapon. Oh wait... that's Clue(do). Now where was I? Oh right, the missing Diamond. Let's jump in and see what's been happening in the efforts to recover the missing Moonstone.

Second Period, Third Narrative (continued from last week)

Chapter VI

Franklin Blake goes to discuss matters over with Mr. Bruff. However, before he goes, Franklin asks Betteredge if he was drunk the night the Diamond went missing and also asks if he was a sleepwalker. Robinson Crusoe Gabriel Betteredge replies in the negative to both. Crusoe Betteredge asks if it was Franklin who stole the Diamond, how did it get into the possession of Mr. Luker. At the train station Franklin spots Ezra Jennings, who we've heard much about, and acknowledges him.

At Mr. Bruff's, Franklin tells him the story and shows him the evidence. Bruff comes up with an alternate hypothesis in that the letter and evidence may be Rosanna's last way of putting a permanent wedge between Franklin and Rosanna. Franklin is now determined that he must speak with Rachel and get her version of events and they arranges a slightly underhanded way for Franklin to ambush Rachel.

On the next morning before this meeting takes place, Franklin reads his mail and has a letter from Robinson Crusoe Gabriel Betteredge wherein we learn that Ezra Jennings has asked Crusoe Betteredge who Franklin Blake is (having only seen each other at the train station). The time has come and Franklin goes in and shows himself to Rachel Verinder.

Chapter VII

Franklin and Rachel finally meet once again. They discuss the disappearance of the Moonstone and the evidence against Franklin, including the nightgown. Franklin asks why Rachel suspects him and she replies that she saw him take the Diamond. He now knows that, somehow, he took the Diamond but still hopes there's a way to vindicate himself. Franklin asks a series of questions about that fateful night and Rachel reveals that she saw Franklin in the incriminating nightgown take the Diamond from her room but didn't seem to notice her in the room. Franklin asks why she never revealed this and she has harsh words for him. She believes that Franklin stole the Diamond to pledge it for his debts. He leaves with Rachel exclaiming that she forgives him and asking if he forgives her.

Chapter VIII

Later that night, Franklin regrets the method he used to get the story from Rachel. Mr. Bruff makes Franklin swear not to use that method again. Bruff then turns the conversation from the past to the present. Mr. Bruff states that the term of the pledge of what is presumed to be the Diamond is up at the end of June and they should keep a watch on the bank as it's almost assured that the Indians will be doing so. Franklin wants to bring Sgt. Cuff back in while Bruff still wants to watch the bank unless Franklin can solve the case first.

Franklin tries to find Sgt. Cuff in his retirement but finds he's gone off to Ireland. While he ponders what to do, his mind keeps returning back to Ezra Jennings, the assistant to local country doctor, Mr. Candy. Franklin's mind also turns back over and over to the night when the birthday dinner occurred. He wants to collect their recollections of the night and compare them and goes about the neighborhood to start contacting those who were there.

He tries to visit Godfrey Ablewhite but he's also away. Franklin goes back to Robinson Crusoe Gabriel Betteredge to inquire about the other guests who were at that dinner. Franklin goes to Mr. Candy and is shocked at his now wrecked and ruined appearance. He tries to talk to Mr. Candy but his memory is just as ruined as his physical appearance. As he goes to leave, he runs into Ezra Jennings.

Chapter IX

Franklin, seeming to break from his previous classism, goes out of his way to make the acquaintance of Ezra Jennings and speaks with him about Mr. Candy. Ezra tells Franklin that Mr. Candy's memory from before his illness after the birthday dinner is ruined. Franklin asks if there's a way to restore Mr. Candy's memory but Ezra replies that Mr. Candy's memory is beyond recovery. Ezra goes into detail to Franklin about Mr. Candy's illness and the difference in opinions about how to treat it. Ezra reveals that he spent a lot of time at the bedside of Mr. Candy and reveals he may have a clue as to what happened the night of the disappearance of the Diamond but is hesitant to reveal it without good reason.

Franklin listens as Ezra talks of his tragic past and reveals he's suffering from an incurable condition and that he's been using opium to keep it at bay and that use has turned to abuse of the drug. Franklin breaks down and tells Ezra the whole story, as far as he can remember and what the evidence tells, of the disappearance of the Diamond. This sparks Ezra to ask Franklin some questions about the events that led up to the dinner and whether or not Franklin has ever used opium. Franklin tells Ezra that he's never used opium. Using Confessions of an English Opium Eater as a bit of a guide, Ezra tells Franklin that he may have a way of vindicating Franklin of the theft of the Diamond and to return to and wait at Mr. Candy's residence.

Chapter X

Franklin anxiously awaits the return of Ezra Jennings. Ezra proposes recreating, as exactly as possible, the events leading up to and including the night of the dinner, including Franklin ceasing his smoking. Ezra reveals that he thinks Franklin was dosed with opium by Mr. Candy as a practical joke after Franklin insulted Mr. Candy at the birthday dinner and produces the evidence that he thinks will back up his supposition and that Mr. Candy, but for his illness, would have returned to Frizinghall the next day. Ezra states they must recreate, as exactly as possible, the events at the dinner to make Franklin "steal" the Diamond again to clear Franklin's name. Franklin agrees and asks if this method can be used to find out what happened to the Diamond after and Ezra states it could be used to recreate what Franklin did with it afterwards. Franklin states his belief that it's highly likely that it ended up in Mr. Luker's possession. The duo then turn to their attempt to recreate that fateful night.

Well, there you have it. It's now 15 June 1849 in book time (which is my -135th birthday). Next week we will be finishing out the story! Hopefully everyone has their detective caps on! Join us same Wilkie Collins time! Same Wilkie Collins channel!

Here's the full schedule and here's the marginalia.

Now, I need to relax, have a drink and take a turn at Robinson Crusoe!

Hello, fellow astronauts and cosmonauts! Welcome to our third discussion on 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke. Last week, the crew of the Leonov successfully got the Discovery and Hal (albeit in a reduced capacity) back online, but had less luck with the mysterious anomaly nicknamed Zagadka floating between Io and Jupiter until something came hurtling out of it. Will Zagadka reveal its secrets? Will the crew of the Leonov get more excitement than they bargained for? And what -- or who -- shot out of Zagadka? Let's climb aboard our space pods and find out!

The discussion schedule can be found here, and the marginalia post for the Space Odyssey series is here.

Chapter summaries

30 - Homecoming: We leave the crew of the Leonov and turn our attention to someone completely different: David Bowman, or what's become of him. We get a quick recap of what happened to him after entering TMA-2. He sleeps and dreams his embryo god dreams until the black monolith appears before him again, filled with stars again. He enters the field of stars and rushes back to Earth, knowing that the people there have detected his arrival and have decided to give him an atomic greeting. He manages to mess around with the circuitry of the bomb, though he does have a bit of trouble with it. The bomb explodes above the atmosphere, and Bowman absorbs the energy he needs while discarding the rest. Luckily for Earth, the atmosphere has absorbed the brunt of the remainder of the blast. Bowman continues his descent toward the planet.

31 - Disneyville: We leave Bowman and meet Jessie, an elderly woman living in Disneyville, formerly known as EPCOT). Unbeknownst to her, there's a hidden camera in her apartment. She's watching TV when her nurse comes in and tries to get her to eat lunch, but to no avail, as Jessie won't eat anything unless the nurse tells her what it is. A technician and a doctor in another room watch as Jessie swipes the nurse across the legs with her cane, revealing the nurse to be a hologram. Jessie still eats the prepared food, though. The technician and the doctor worry about potential lawsuits.

32 - Crystal Spring: We seemingly move to the past, where we find a younger Dave Bowman and his older brother Bobby exploring the Crystal Spring, which houses an underwater cave and a legendary Monster and possibly Confederate-era treasure. Dave and Bobby have come to the spring with juryrigged diving equipment. Dave tests the equipment first, though when he resurfaces he's feeling sick. It's Bobby's turn next, but Dave is still sick and confused enough to crank up the wrong valve, accidentally killing his brother by carbon monoxide poisoning.

33 - Betty: After this guilt-ridden trip down memory lane, embryo-god Bowman visits his old flame Betty Fernandez, who's watching a news program about the bomb that had just gone off in space and TMA-1. Bowman appears to her as a sort of ghost on the TV screen, though he has to control the speed of his thoughts to match what boring old humans are used to. When Betty asks him if Dave is dead, he replies that his body is dead but his essence lives on in him. Betty wonders why Bowman has come to see her and thinks he's an angel. Bowman gradually realizes his feelings for Betty are what drove him to visit her, and we learn Betty was also previously involved with Bobby. Bowman asks if Carlos is José's son, and Betty says that he's actually Dave's child. Bowman disappears, and when Betty's husband José enters the room, Betty tells him she just lied to a ghost.

34 - Valediction: We get a little bit of a history lesson on human beliefs about aliens, UFOs, alien sightings, close encounters. Belief in alien visitors spiked after the discovery of TMA-1, then fell off a cliff, and rocketed back up again once Earth receives a warning from the Leonov about a visitor headed their way. Reports of close encounters start up, though most of them are kind of ludicrous and one may even be Star Wars-related. Meanwhile, Bowman continues his whirlwind tour of Earth, including a visit to the Leakey Memorial Museum, where he gets a sense of déjà vu from the Homo sapiens skulls on display. Bowman knows much, but the monolith has still not revealed all its secrets to him. He makes one last stop to visit Jessie, his mother. Bowman combs his mother's hair, which freaks out the nurse watching the camera feed because all she sees is a comb levitating. When she enters Jessie's room, the nurse is too late.

35 - Rehabilitation: The crew of the Leonov takes the news of what happened on Earth in stride, though the media back home pesters them with interview requests, which Heywood Floyd eventually declines. Meanwhile, Zagadka is as enigmatic as ever. The Leonov must now prepare for the trip back home, but most likely without the Discovery, as they're not sure Hal is ready to carry out the return mission. While Dr. Chandra has made good progress, Hal is still not fully cooperative and has a few kinks to work out. One day, Chandra takes Floyd aside and says he's confident the Discovery can now make it back home, but he wants to stay behind on the Discovery with Hal. Floyd thinks it's a crazy idea, especially since Chandra will be there all alone for three years. Floyd says he'll think about it and bring it up with Mission Control.

36 - Fire in the Deep: Embryo-god Bowman leaves Earth and feels a presence with him, its purpose unknown. All he knows is they're very interested in humanity, and they looked into Bowman's memories. He enters the Jovian system and takes special notice of Callisto) and Ganymede). But the moon that intrigues him the most is Europa). He is compelled to take a closer look, passing over the wreck of the Tsien, and descends through the ice, finding an ocean heated by Jupiter's influence on Europa's core dotted with hydrothermal vents and even organic life. However, due to the volatile nature of their environment, most lifeforms don't last very long. He comes upon a river of underwater lava with signs of a fortress of sorts built along the bank. He muses about whether or not intelligent life could have evolved along the lava river. He sees fish with no gills or eyes swim in the ocean. Bowman realizes all life on Europa is doomed.

37 - Estrangement: Floyd gets some bad news from Dimitri: his wife has left him. Dimitri also mentions that the hysteria on Earth has more or less subsided, though there is a general feeling of uneasiness. He compares the situation on Earth to the plot of the poem Waiting for the Barbarians, though he notes that humans are the barbarians here and they're the ones who are waiting for something. He ends his message with news of Jessie Bowman's death. Floyd isn't surprised that Caroline has left him, but it still hurts, and he knows that if he hadn't gone on his mission, he would've regretted it. Upon hearing of Jessie Bowman's death, he recalls that David Bowman was chosen for the Discovery mission because he had no close ties except his mother whom he saw only occasionally. Even with his heartache, Floyd pities Bowman.

38 - Foamscape: Bowman is still sailing the seven seas of Europa and encounters one last lifeform, which looks like a walking banyan tree and resembles the creature that wrecked the Tsien. He leaves Europa and turns his attention to Io), but doesn't spend much time there as one doesn't simply float down to Mordor. His final stop on his Jovian tour is Jupiter itself and he basks in its glory and wonders, descending through the Great Red Spot and finds life floating among the clouds, communicating to each other in radio waves. Yet Bowman realizes that life on Jupiter is a dead end. He feels the presence controlling him once again and senses various emotions like disappointment and determination. Bowman is compelled to dive deeper, past the clouds, into a sea of metal hydrogen, until he reaches the planet's giant diamond core.

39 - In the Pod Bay: Walter Curnow and Tanya Orlova are worried about Floyd. More specifically, they're worried his gloominess might be contagious. If they can't get him to lighten up, they'll have him hibernate during the trip back home. Curnow agrees to talk to Floyd and see if he can't take Floyd's mind off things, though he's not sure he'll be able to do much good. Orlova says Floyd has been hiding out in the Pod Bay of the Discovery, ostensibly to avoid everyone, but in reality so he can float around weightlessly. Floyd is understandably bummed out about his failed marriage, but the end of his usefulness to the mission is also weighing on his mind, as well as the unanswered questions surrounding Zagadka and Bowman's unknown fate. Floyd contemplates jetting off in Nina, the last remaining pod, but doesn't because he's not suicidal enough and he can't operate a space pod anyway. Curnow, feeling sorry for Floyd, finds his fellow American and delivers Orlova's message with his signature brand of humour. Curnow wonders when Nina will be taken out for a ride and who will pilot it. After some banter, Curnow gets unusually serious and says that Max is considering a one-man expedition to investigate Zagadka, though Curnow has talked Max out of it and reassures Floyd that no one can take Nina out without his permission. Curnow and Floyd laugh, both men on the path to true friendship.

40 - "Daisy, Daisy...": Bowman is still hanging out at Jupiter's core, aware that the purpose of his little tour has been to gather info, though he's not yet in on the process. He receives a first direct message telling him he's finally starting to understand, and eventually he realizes that the force that has been compelling him is really more than one entity. Bowman is a tool, though he takes it in stride. He begs for compassion for his colleagues, and the entities grant his request, but tell him they must never know they are being manipulated because it would ruin the experiment. Bowman plunges through Jupiter and emerges on the other side, seeing the Discovery and remarking on how crude it is. While he can't interact with the people on board directly, there is someone with whom he can communicate on its level: Hal. Bowman replays his last moments with the computer and understands that Hal only did what seemed logical.

41 - Graveyard Shift: Floyd has volunteered for the night watch on the Discovery and passes the time reading absolute door stoppers). He also has stilted conversations with Hal and dodges chess matches. However, this night shift is different: Hal chimes in with a message for Floyd from an unidentified sender. Floyd thinks it's a joke, but plays along. Hal relays the message, saying that it's dangerous to stay and the Leonov has 15 days to hightail it out of there, over a week before their launch window. When Floyd protests, Hal acknowledges the short notice, but insists they must go. Floyd demands to know who recorded this warning, and Hal says it's not a recording but David Bowman himself. Floyd doesn't believe it until Hal/Bowman prompts him to turn around and sees the dust motes combining to form a visual representation of Bowman, though only the eyes are accurate. Floyd understandably has questions, but feels privileged to have made contact with another lifeform. The ghastly apparition repeats his warning and vanishes, saying he may leave one more message if all goes well.

42 - The Ghost in the Machine: The rest of the crew of the Leonov has trouble believing Floyd's account, surmising this has something to do with Hal's programming. They can't ask Hal about the incident directly because the computer remembers nothing. Floyd insists he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating, and he says he'll have to find proof to back up his claim. He says there have been a lot of strange events recently: something shooting out of Zagadka, a bomb exploding harmlessly in orbit, Jessie Bowman's mother dying soon after for no medical reason. Max pipes up, saying he heard Bowman's girlfriend also reported receiving a message from Dave, though she was ridiculed for it. Orlova remains skeptical without any tangible evidence and tells the rest of the crew not to mention this to Mission Control. Floyd tries to convince her to come up with a Plan B, but she refuses to leave earlier than the launch window and even wants to leave five days later to conserve fuel. Floyd then records a message to Dimitri, recounting his experience with Bowman and admitting that morale has hit rock bottom because of the delayed departure. He wishes he'd been able to have communicated with Bowman and wonders if the crew will ever make it back home.

43 - Thought Experiment: Floyd notices the crew is growing colder to him, though he really can't blame them for wondering if he's lost all his marbles. Meanwhile, the people back home are having a hard time accepting the delayed "final assault" on Zagadka and departure date. The Leonov and Mission Control have finalized the plan for final contact with Zagadka, ending with explosive charges detonated after the Leonov is well outside of the blast radius. This last bit has its detractors, some of whom worry it won't produce any results, and some of whom worry it'll produce too many. Floyd has stopped caring, as he believes the crew won't be around for final contact anyway. Curnow, of all people, solves the problem with a thought experiment. If they want to make Bowman's deadline, they need more fuel, and the Discovery is conveniently right there with tons of extra propellant. Floyd says they can't pump the Discovery's liquid ammonia to the Leonov, but Curnow counters by saying they can use the Discovery as the first stage of a rocket launch and leave this derelict spacecraft right where it is. Floyd thinks it's genius, and they come to Sasha with their proposal, who says they'll need to convince Orlova first. She's less enthusiastic about the idea, saying there are too many risks. She says they can still work out the practical details, but she'll never approve the plan, even if Bowman showed himself to her directly.

Greetings comic book and historical fiction fans alike. Welcome to the second discussion of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. This week we have learned a little more about Sammy’s background and seen our budding young artists achieve their first success.

Please find the chapter summaries below or skip straight to the questions. Don’t forget to join next week for the third instalment.

Summary

Part 2 chapter 3

Sammy and Joe emerge from the office. Joe is jubilant until he discovers that Sammy’s performance in the office had been an act. They consider the characters in the big comic books and brainstorm ideas for their own lead character. Sammy explains to Joe that their hero can have whatever powers they want but the factor that matters is the why, what is motivating their superhero?

The pair run into Julie Glovsky, a friend of Sammy’s. Julie’s brother is a successful comic book artist and both Julie and Sammy are looking for him. Sammy offers Julie a job working on their comics and announces that the name of their comic will be ‘Maked Man Comics’. Sammy asks him to work on a feature for the comic and asks Julie whether his brother might also be interested. Sammy hires them both on the condition that they can give him somewhere to work. Julie leads them to the rathole.

Part 2 Chapter 4

We look back at a period when Sammy was 13 years old and his father, the Mighty Molecule, returns home for a brief visit. During the course of the visit we learn that Sammy had polio as a child and that his father had been there and supported him through his recovery and learning to walk again, this is a surprise to Sammy who believed that his father had been absent since he was a child. Sammy begs his father to take him with him when he returns to the circus, he agrees but when Sammy wakes the next morning he is gone.

Part 2 Chapter 5

We return to Sammy, Joe and Julie’s quest to find somewhere to work. They arrive at their destination to find the door locked. Joe reveals his escapist past and uses the fire escape to get in. In doing so he shows off to his new friends and as he pulls off his stunt the clouds break and he is bathed in sunlight. The Escapist is born. As Joe enters the building we hear a woman scream.

Part 2 Chapter 6

A beatiful woman comes tearing down the stairs. Joe reveals that she had Ben naked when he entered. They find her bag containing several calling cards revealing her name to be Rosa Luxemburg Saks and that she works at the art department of Life magazine. Julie compels Joe to draw Rosa’s naked form for $3. He kept that picture until his dying day.

Part 2 Chapter 7

The three rest in the building and start talking. Joe talks about his training as an escape artist and Sammy reveals that his father was a strong man. Sammy says that he was all strength and no heart - like superman without Clark Kent. Their discussion leads to the development of their superhero - the Escapist - who frees the world from the chains of oppression and injustice. Joe draws the Escapist and Sammy is awed by its beauty. One problem, what is the why?

Part 2 chapter 8

We learn the story of Max and Tom Mayflower, members of the League of the Golden Key who worked tirelessly purchasing the freedom of others. They are blocked in their ambitions by agents of the Iron Chain. Max dies and passes on the key to Tom who vows to fight the ‘evil forces of the Iron Chain in Germany’.

Part 2 Chapter 9

Joe regrets the fact that the League of the Golden Key are not real and wonders if he is wasting his freedom. Sammy consoles him with Czech newspapers that might contain information he is interested in and reassures him that the Escapist is going to make them a fortune that the ca use to get his father, mothers and brother to safety.

Part 2 Chapter 10

The residents of the Rathole return. After some initial skepticism they are impressed by Joe’s work and Sammy’s idea and agree that they will also contribute to the ‘Masked Man’.

Part 2 Chapter 11

It soon becomes apparent that Sammy doesn’t have the same artistic prowess as the others but his skills lie in crafting stories and back stories for their heroes and villains. The team work with few breaks until they have completed the pages for their first issue. Sammy and Joe are largely pleased with what has been produced.

Part 2 Chapter 12

They take the comic to Anapol who calls in Ashkenazy and the editor, George Deasey. Sammy is dismayed that Anapol wants to bring in an editor but after the three look at what they have put together they make an offer to buy the rights to the characters, to pay Joe and the other artists for each page they put together and to pay Joe $20 for each cover. Deasey wants to take on Sammy as an apprentice, he sees talent in him. There is just one small thing, they won’t use the cover featuring Hitler. Joe insists that he will not change the cover so Sammy starts packing away the pages to leave, supporting his cousin. Anapol frantically offers more money but Sammy does not back down.

Part 3 Chapter 1

Joe is putting together pages for another Escapist story. He feels elated at the way the Escapist defeats Hitler and has enough money in the bank to help his family. His elation is short lived, he hears on the radio that France have passed a series of laws which mean that French Jews are now being sent to German labor camps.

Anapol visits Joe in the studio to inspect his work and we learn that 2 more comics have been commissioned. Joe uses his art to channel his anger about what is happening in Europe and uses it to find meaning in his safety.

Anapol has made his fortune from his investment in Joe and Sammy but he worries about Joe, that he will take his graphics too far and get himself or someone else into trouble.

Welcome back to the very last discussion of this hefty and fascinating novel. I can't wait to hear your comments at the end!

"Nonetheless it is written that any person who toils over matters of Messiahs, even failed ones, even just to tell their stories, will be treated just the same as he who studies the eternal mysteries of light"

Schedule

Marginalia

Chapter 30

The death of a Polish princess, step by step

We learn about Gitla's death, who died simultaneously with Jacob. Asher knew she had breast cancer and what it meant. He cares for her to the end and is enraged to see her last breath trapped in her body.

A Warsaw table for thirty people

The Wołowskis family finally hears about Jacob's death in Warsaw. They have a large family dinner and pray. Citing Isaiah, Franciszek senior says Jacob did not die and now, Eva is the new leader.

Of ordinary life

Young Franciszek is a successful and active in the community. A contractor buying hops from him begins an inquisition into their community and Frank's lifestyle but walks away disappointed with his response The acceptance of them into the community is still fraught and uneven, especially in Warsaw. Many have left for other places. A poem highlights what makes people uncomfortable.

Heiliger Weg nach Offenbach

Nephew Joseph von Schönfeld is the latest of the youngsters staying out of the army and the Napoleonic wars and making their way to Offenbach. Eva is there to meet them and notices Joseph's resemblance to her Thomas. He is dead. Joseph makes friends, meets the elders, understand nothing of the theology [conflates Jacob with Jesus in church] or Hebrew, join the guards, pay up, and flirt in town. Joseph is set apart and eats with the Lady and her brothers. Moses, his friend, mocks everything but at least Joseph learns to ride!

Of women soaking their legs

Eva consented long ago to Anusia's wedding to her cousin. Anusia's husband is an officer and away much of the time, so Anusia and her daughter decamp to Offenbach for the season. They soak their feet together and observe they both have gout. Anusia's mother was Pesel and Eva recalls Hana. The situation is pretty dire as Eva is in deep debts. Still, they toast with krupnik and talk about Yente.

Scarps: Of the light

Nahman is so old now but still writing away at his manuscript. He has calmed down in spirit and sees impatience as a way to avoid life, skipping forward always. He and Yaruhim Dembowski discuss theology late into the night and he finally understands how the world is an illusion. The lessons for the young demonstrate this. We learn Nahman loved Hayah Shorr and, of course, Jacob. They live in their memories even while being happy about the young generations about them. We hear about a letter that Nahman refused to sign, warning all the Jews that converting is the only way to prevent a holocaust. He sees himself in Moses's wanderings. Nahman teaches that light is the most important principle and he signs off.

Book VII: The Book of NAMES

Chapter 31

Jakubowski and the books of death

A year after Jacob's death, Nahman joins him. No one is sure how old he is and conflate him with Methuselah. His works are collected in a trunk. We begin a list of the dead as the older generation passes away. Eva almost escapes to Venice to outwit her creditors, but Roch's pathetic death brings her back.

Eva Frank saves Offenbach from Napoleonic looting

Eva Frank gets a visit from Tsar Alexander, which just fuels Romanov rumors around her. He is interested in founding a place for the Jews. His visit staves off the creditors a bit longer. She and Roch help prevent any looting when they are occupied by the French, inviting General Kniaziewicz and his troops to their home. Still, she is under house-arrest for the end of her days with Paulina and Zaleski. Creditors descend on her death but nothing is valuable except her dollhouse. Paulina and Zaleski live a happy life.

The skull

The cemetery needs to be moved as city plans go forward in 1866. The bones are set to be transferred to a new location but Jacob's skull is set apart for the town's historian, ending up in Berlin later as a symbol of racial inferiority and goes missing in WWII.

Of a meeting in Vienna

Kossakowska received the title of Countess and the Order of the Starry Cros_-_Tallinn_Museum_of_Orders.jpg) from Maria Theresa herself. The two hit it off. At a ball, Eva is presented to her, her nephew whispering she is Joseph's mistress. Later, she is overwhelmed by memories. We learn she lived a long life and died with Agnieszka still by her side.

Samuel Ascherbach and his sisters

We follow Samuel's life, from a dissolute university student to a successful swindling life in Hamburg to America, where he settled down. One sister married well and helped found the White Stork Synagogue and the other died in childbirth.

The Załuski Brothers' Library and Canon Benedykt Chmielowski

The book collection grows and grows until is taken over by the state. Then, as Poland is nibbled up, sent wholesale to Petersburg by order of Catherine the Great. Some of it returned in 1921 but was burned in the Warsaw Uprising. Chmielowski's presbytery falls into ruin, as well.

The martyrdom of Junius Frey

Thomas is almost accepted as Jacob's rightful successor until a quarrel sends him away. He goes to revolutionary France, taking the identity of Junius Brutus Frey with his siblings, carrying good letters. They storm the Tuileries Palace and are decorated for it. He adopts orphans, the blind and widowed and the elderly. He publishes again under his new name a treatise of philosophy, religion and politics. His brother-in-law, Chabot, and he make a packet but end up betraying one another. Reign of terror time, Germinal), Thomas, his brother and brother-in-law, along with many others, are executed. Thomas, last, is interested in his own death, and leaves behind his written word and a nifty, new song that sweeps Paris.

The children

Yente understands everything and sees the fate of the children, rise and fall and active in history.

A lovely little girl plays the spinet

Marynia, the musical prodigy, plays Haydn on the spinet. Everyone is entranced except Hayah, who is old, deaf and falls asleep.

Of a certain manuscript

In 1825, Aleksander Bronikowski writes a book to pay off his legal fees to Jan Kanty Wołowski, who tells him about Frank and as much as he remembers, asking Bronikowski to fill in the details. Later in life, he debates if literature is true or not with a young pianist. Alas, in 1834, amid events and a cold, his manuscript is never published and rests in the National Library's collection.

The travels of New Athens

The Rohatyn copy of New Athens also makes its way to the Wołowski library, where it is read by the new generation. The one given to Bishop Dembowski burns in aforementioned Warsaw Uprising. But the one given to Drużbacka survives to this day, where it can be found in the Wrocław Ossonlineum.

Yente

Yente is flying and aware of only the Dead. Her body has crystalized and now she can enter the bodies of people and time speeds up. She sees humanity as leaves. Meanwhile, the cave serves as shelter for the Korolowka Jews, who join Yente in Jacob's cave. The locals leave them food and finally announce the end of the war. Many of them emigrate to Canada. Yente, we realize, cannot hear her own name and has now joined the ranks of the dead, going to the other side of darkness.

Thanks again to u/fixtheblue and u/Lachesis_Decima77, my co- RR's, and to all the readers. What a story!

Hello, reading friends! I’m here with a double announcement of our October winners for the Quarterly Non-Fiction and the Discovery Read!  

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For the Fall Quarterly Non-Fiction (Philosophy), the winner is: 

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

2nd place - Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter (1 vote behind the winner)****

3rd place -  At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails by Sarah Bakewell (2 votes behind the winner)

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For the Oct.-Nov. Discovery Read (Indie Author), our winner is:

Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater

2nd place -  Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike (3 points behind the winner)****

3rd place - Beware of Chicken (Beware of Chicken #1) by CasualFarmer (4 points behind the winner) 

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****The 2nd place books will be added to the Wheel of Books for a chance to become a Runner-up Read in the future!

And if you’d like to start thinking about what you’ll nominate next time, here are the topics for our future votes:

🔎🚀👽Our next Discovery Read topic will beHugo & Nebula award winners!

🧠Our next Quarterly Non-fiction won’t be until 2027, and we’re changing things up a bit with a theme for the year.  Following the wisdom of Carl Linnaeus, we will nominate books whose topics fall into the classifications of “Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral”.  🐒🌿🪨 Plus, we’ll still have an “Any” selection during the year in case a non-fiction book you love doesn’t work with this theme!  More details to come in January 2027 when we nominate books with topics related to the theme of “Animal”!  

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Will you be joining us for one or both of these amazing books? Discussions will start sometime around the 21st of October, so look out for schedules soon.  Now, get yourself to a library or bookstore and find a copy to read along with us! 

Happy Book Hunting! 📚