Have I become too numb? What is Postcolonialism? Put simply, postcolonialism studies the nature and lasting effects of colonialism and imperialism, wherein nations seek to impose their will on others by conquest or other forms of influence . If that sounds like a familiar topic around here, it absolutely is! Many of my favourite novels and series are deeply postcolonial, most often by directly examining imperialist mindsets and philosophies and contrasting them with peoples and cultures attempting resistance. Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills" (above) is another clear example of a postcolonial work, contrasting Indigenous perspectives with those of rapacious settlers. I've been steeping in these stories for almost five years now, beginning with N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season (apparently there's an adaptation in the works, so maybe I'll finally talk about those books!) and currently working on Adrian Tchaikovsky's Pretenders to the Throne of God (book four of The Tyrant Philosophers ). Importantly, this has also included quite a few nonfiction and loosely fictional stories about real events and experiences, often from immigrants to Canada and occasionally our southern neighbour. Characters from Seth Dickinson's Masquerade series, art by ArianWells [The works of Seth Dickinson , Ann Leckie , Adrian Tchaikovsky , N.K. Jemisin   and more feature casts of deeply human characters caught in the pull and sway of imperialism, often overcoming empathy and justifying their actions by the fact that they're either just one cog in the system, or not 'as bad' as the system they intend to dismantle.] I've grown a lot over this time, thanks in no small part to engaging with these stories and coming to learn the vast number of ways imperialism continues to oppress individuals and entire communities today. And I'm hardly alone – postcolonialism is deeply embedded in the speculative fiction genre, not to mention being central to a lot of discourse happening online. What hasn't significantly changed are the stories, either real and fictional. The problems persist despite being better understood, and continue to impact the lives of real people. (Perhaps more than ever, given the anti-immigration trend that's been sweeping the world in recent years.) I read a lot of books about societal injustice for my book clubs in February, and I found myself growing numb to them. Because despite being from different people with their own unique stories, the structure and beats had simply become familiar – the same societal issues still looming for all to see. Am I [becoming] a bad person? Murderbot & the Preservation team, by asterion-out-of-the-maze [ Murderbot  begins utterly apathetic to anything and anyone beyond itself, partly because it is aware of just how awful the universe is and feels it can't make any difference, so it might as well just enjoy its favourite shows. It comes to care for its group of humans, however, and the effects of that empathy have ripples felt far and wide.] Global (Online) Compassion Fatigue At the very least, I don't think I'm entirely alone in this. It's been clear for a while that part of Trump's success at pushing through illegal and evil bullshit is simply due to blitz tactics: attacking everywhere, all at once, so that not just bureaucracy but also we as people struggle to keep up with – let alone process – what is happening. Add to that the globalized 24-hour news cycle and the rage- and guilt-baiting which now define social media, and is it any wonder we struggle to conjure up emotions for situations we're all but powerless to make a difference in? Even when we desperately want to be there, to show up fully for each and every cause. It'd be impossible even if you never took a second off, let alone if you also want to live your own life. But! The goal of those blitz tactics, of that implanted or reactionary defeatist language, is to make us think that just because we can't make participate in every battle or raise a flag for every cause, we can't make any difference at all – and that's bullshit. (Including, perhaps especially, when it comes from voices on your side.) Show up where you can, when you can. Locally and offline will often be more effective and fulfilling than any amount of reposting! Frenchie from The Marrow Thieves , artbyjaafar [ Frenchie's story is defined by his people's dehumanization in the eyes of the world, where Indigenous bodies are harvested to return dreams and happiness to settlers. His people must come together and fight for themselves, because empathy has otherwise been made invisible – if not erased entirely.] ADHD & Narrowing the Scope Just because there are billions suffering in the world doesn’t mean you ignore the person bleeding to death in front of you. Likewise, I think by focusing in on the individual lives and perspectives shared in books, rather than constantly comparing them to the literary canon, I’m able to rediscover some of the empathy and curiosity I thought I’d lost.  My experience is also certainly tied to my continued struggle to understand and work with my ADHD. As I've written about before , I often find myself mentally paralyzed (experiencing executive dysfunction) by having too many tasks weighing me down at once, to the point that I'm incapable of doing anything. I talked back then about writing individual things down in the moment in order to clear the storm – in the past two weeks I've implemented a new ongoing list in the hopes of tackling exactly the same issues. Because, obviously, the solution is to just take things one at a time. But damn if my brain doesn't want to work that way. And the world doesn't either, when there are a hundred thousand crises demanding our attention, signatures, money and time at any given moment. Take care of ourselves, and show up when we can. It sucks we can't solve every problem! But better one at a time, building our strength as we go, than none, and dissolving in an acidic blend of guilt and hopelessness. (I was initially going to extend into post-postcolonialism and intersectionality, but I think the ADHD connection was more helpful today. I'll get there another time, if not next week.) Thanks for reading and until next time <3

Representation, struggle, hope, philosophy Simplicity It feels to me like our world is increasingly interested only in simple, straightforward answers, often delivered by a charismatic authority rather than a knowledgeable one. There’s plenty of reasons for this trend: the speed and quantity of information we consume, structural attacks on education and critical thinking, the simplicity of unquestioning faith, and more. The effect is to overlook – if not erase – complexity, and thereby any ties to reality. One consequence of this is how we tend to think of representation in media, as either present or absent; good or bad. (I’m focused on queerness in particular today, but many of the same points should be true for race, disability, neurodivergence and more.) But there’s so much more to it that I think is worth discussing – some of which can even help us escape this very trend toward simplification and false dichotomies. This post is a spiritual sequel to one I wrote last year about ADHD, queerness and categorization , in addition to following up on ideas of meaningfully empty content I discussed a little last week .  As is often the case, this piece is also me thinking ‘out loud’ about a topic that has lodged itself in the back of my mind and has so far eluded my understanding.  Let’s get into it! Harrow & Gideon from The Locked Tomb , by RosieVernonArt Representation I'm sure I've written before about how validating and enlightening it was for me to first see Ally Beardsley (they/them) in content produced by CollegeHumor (now Dropout). Their comedy and characters opened my eyes to what it could mean to be non-binary, and led to me better understanding my own gender identity. Representation is deeply important, and there's a lot more to it than a checkbox to be either filled or not. It's been discussed to death, but The Rise of Skywalker 's lesbian kiss remains a potent example of morally and meaningfully bankrupt representation: two unnamed characters, barely noticeable in the background, cut entirely from the film anywhere Disney thought it would lose them a penny. It barely even qualifies as tokenism , let alone helping anyone to feel known. But the core of what I wanted to write about today is the difference between two types of queer representation – both of which I believe are important, but which struggle to co-exist. Rlain and Renarin from The Stormlight Archive , art by Rachel Greene The first really only exists in the realm of speculative fiction: queer people depicted in a world where they no longer (or never had to) face discrimination for their queerness. What does it mean to remove the struggle for existence from portrayals of queer experiences? I think the main effect is to establish that queerness is normal; biologically, psychologically, sociologically. A baseline shared humanity to the point that one need not differentiate anyone based on their gender or sexuality. (I love searching for what feels like a niche topic and discovering someone's already named the damn thing – in this case, stories like those above are apparently called queernorm , and include the likes of The Locked Tomb , Winter's Orbit and The Left Hand of Darkness !) Of course, the other type of representation is then more similar to our world, where queerness is definitionally different to the norm. These characters necessarily reflect the struggles countless real people have faced, in addition to being subversive in ways I'll explore further in the following section. A final note on representation: I find it frustrating how often queer characters (and real queer people) are oversexualized in media, and I appreciate stories which establish queerness without devolving into voyeurism. ( Pluribus and Severance immediately come to mind for TV shows, and maybe Yellowjackets as well.) Also, the continued preponderance of the queer tragedy trope – good grief. Baru and Tain Hu from The Masquerade , by marceline2174 Theory & Praxis I'm endlessly fascinated by the subversive nature of queerness, and the way discussion surrounding it necessarily involves moving beyond simple definitions and binaries and into richer veins of meaning. It's interesting to me that two similar authors I love can approach queer representation so wildly differently: Adrian Tchaikovsky casually including queer characters whenever possible, Brandon Sanderson putting so much thought into each one that it almost feels problematic. There's a moment in The Masquerade I've discussed before , where protagonist Baru Cormorant identifies a sociobiological explanation for her lesbian nature, which also always comes to mind. I love seeing queer theory and ideas working alongside science and reason, where many in the world today refuse to see them as anything more than an oppositional binary. Lest we forget, the world we live in is infinitely complex. Anyway. Not my longest or best piece, but hopefully you can take away a critical eye for queer representation in media. Is that character token, stereotypical, oversexualized, nuanced? Who's behind that portrayal, and what's it's effect on the media it's in? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for reading and until next time <3

Power metal ballads belted by groups of camp heroes and villains An Unserious Article It's been a little heavy around here (and everywhere) lately, so I want to take a moment to write about a silly pleasure of mine. For all that I love to examine stories in various media for lessons about living in the real world, there's still some times when I just want to hear about swords and lasers and hidden crystals that will unlock portals to hell, regardless of how devoid it is of deeper meaning. That's made difficult in most cases by how cheap, dull and problematic most pulp SFF books and films tend to be. At a recent book club, a friend brought up this quote from Kurt Vonnegut on the relative respect the genre got from critics: “I have been a soreheaded occupant of a file drawer labeled 'science fiction' ... and I would like out, particularly since so many serious critics regularly mistake the drawer for a urinal. ” And while I hope times have changed at least a little in the intervening 52 years, I can also see where that view originated, given the era of pulp stories that defined early science fiction and fantasy. But I'm here to tell you that these meaningless stories, comprised of more proper nouns and action verbs than you'll know what to do with, have found a place to thrive in the power metal scene – and it's great. Read on to hear about a few of my favourites, as well as a few more whose music is flirting with this genre. ( If you’re in the mood for something a little more substantial and serious , I can’t recommend this video  on the psychology of addiction, food and information highly enough!) Gloryhammer, art by Boiled_Lemon Gloryhammer, Angus McSix, Devin Townsend Project This phenomenon is embodied best for me personally by Gloryhammer, who themselves began as a parody of the more serious story-driven music of groups like Rhapsody of Fire . Member of the band have characters who fill similar roles in each album, which tell stories akin to books in a series. My instinct is to attempt at least a brief explanation, but I'm resisting because the whole point is that it's fun nonsense. I will say that Gloryhammer gets me continuously laughing by setting their sword-and-laser-and-undead eagle-and-unicorn stories in Dundee, Cowdenbeath, Auchtermuchty, Aberdeen and other mythical lands (which certainly aren't just places in Scotland.) If you're interested, I'd recommend just putting on their second or third album while doing another task and enjoy! Or at least watch the video above to get a taste of the chaos. The band Angus McSix as of October 2025 A bit of drama in 2021 saw Gloryhammer's lead singer depart and start his own group, cheekily named Angus McSix after his Gloryhammer character Angus McFife. I haven't listened quite as thoroughly to them yet, but 'Master of the Universe' slaps – as does the fact that they debuted with a talented Cuban-Italian woman on guitar and have since added another female guitarist to their lineup; a rarity in this genre and frankly across the music industry. Finally on this front, I simply have to shout out Nanowar of Steel's Valhalleluja for the greatest crossover of all time. (Just a click to cross 'Hymn to Ikea' off your bucket list!) Playing in a very similar space to these groups, though entirely unrelated in origin, is Devin Townsend Project with the albums Zildtoid the Omniscient and Dark Matters . These solo concept albums follow the story of the alien Ziltoid visiting Earth in search of good coffee, and for my money venture straight into the absurd faster and farther than anything else I'm discussing today. Here's a taste if you like ! (I did warn you.) Ziltoid the Omniscient, art by Maasogist Others! Like I said in the intro, these are groups who are playing in what I'd consider a similar space, but whose albums aren't entirely devoted to telling a single "cohesive" story. First up has to be Alestorm, whose co-founder is also the mind behind Gloryhammer. Writing and performing exclusively pirate-themed metal music since 2004, this is certainly the most crass group I'm mentioning today, but sometimes dumb is fun. One of my favourites of theirs is Captain Morgan's Revenge , as well as their cover of The Last Saskatchewan Pirate and that time they got Peter Dinklage to appear in a music video . I love Brothers of Metal, whose music is all devoted to Norse Mythology and who – at least to me – seem to have the most genuine passion for their art. Now, is it fair to lump them in with the rest of these groups? Eh, I think so. But be warned that there might be an actual theme or two in amongst the sagas and smiting . Powerwolf have a lot of songs about werewolves and religion and war, though there's very rarely any narrative to a song, let alone an album – which is kind of a shame, because I'd love to see a world and story built out of their unique and imaginative imagery. Sadly (along with Sabaton, who I considered discussing), some of their music is occasionally co-opted by individuals and groups looking to celebrate and real world violence – but I've seen nothing to suggest that either band wants anything to do with those outliers. (Honestly, a not insignificant portion of Powerwolf's appeal to me is in all the fantastic art by Zsofia Dankova. Shocker, I know, that I'd appreciate some good art.) Powerwolf, art by Zsofia Dankova Perfect Home If you listened to any of the music linked above, hopefully you'll get a sense of what I love about this genre of power metal storytelling. We have legendary heroes and dastardly villains questing and conspiring and battling in minutes-long episodes, to catchy melodies and never overstaying their welcomes – even in the 10+ minute tracks which serve as climax to each Gloryhammer album. It's the kind of simple enjoyment you can only get when you strip away any and all complexity and just sit back to have fun. That being said... Is there ultimately value to these stories? As this video I linked above discusses, we are constantly being fed hyper-consumable but empty calories and content in today's world. My inexpert opinion is that it's okay to enjoy a silly rock ballad from time to time, but to recognize and be (you guessed it) mindful that it's not the type of thing helping me grow as a person. Are there any groups or albums that you enjoy for similar reasons? I'd be very curious to hear (about) them! A final treat below. Thanks for reading and until next time <3

An ordinary life journey, explored extraordinarily Spoiler-Free Overview I happened upon On the Calculation of Volume I in a bookstore a month ago and decided in the moment to pick it up, recalling that I'd seen it at one point listed alongside other weird fiction I'd enjoyed but still not being 100% sure it wasn't just a strange little misshelved math textbook. Suffice to say, I'm incredibly glad I did. On the Calculation of Volume is a (currently) six-part series of Danish-language novels by Solvej Balle, begun in 2020 and with English translations beginning in 2024. Volume IV 's English publication is expected April 14th, 2026. The series follows Tara Selter, a woman in her late 20s whose ordinary life as a wife and traveling antique dealer takes a sudden turn when she finds herself repeating the same day, November 18th, over and over again. As time passes, we see her adapt to and attempt to understand her new world through her daily journal entries. I’ll be referencing author Solvej Balle alone for the remainder of the post, but I want to also credit translators Barbara Haveland (Volumes I & II), Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell (Volumes III & IV) for carrying through the calm, reflective, mesmerizing tone that makes these books what they are. I highly recommend these books if you're in the mood for a thoughtful, mysterious read that certainly doesn't overstay its welcome. I think discovering Tara's circumstances along with her is the best way to enjoy it, but feel free to read on into spoiler territory if you need more convincing – or just want to hear what makes this story and experience so fascinating. On the Calculation of Volume I & II Plot Since the story is ostensibly made up of Tara's journal entries from her many November 18ths, most of Volume I interweaves Tara's current life at day 121 and beyond with her flashbacks and explanations to what has occurred up until that point. My brief summary will be linear, which may again detract a touch from the experience. Tara is traveling to Paris on November 17th, seeking rare books and manuscripts on behalf of her and her husband's joint antique business, T. & T. Selter. Her first November 18th also proceeds normally, with her purchasing a few older volumes her clientele are interested in before stopping in to socialize with her old friend Philip, another antiques dealer specializing in coins from ancient Rome, and his new assistant & girlfriend Marie. She burns her hand on an old heater, purchases a Roman sestertius from Philip, and retires to her hotel for the night, anticipating an appointment on the 19th. Which never comes, as she wakes to find November 18th repeating on her. She notably keeps a toothbrush and a few (but not all) of the books she'd purchased the day before, as well as the scar from her burn, but the sestertius and remaining items have returned to where they came from. Other than her, no one perceives that the day is being repeated. Tara re-purchases the coin and a few other things before returning home to her husband Thomas in the fictional French town of Clairon-sous-Bois, explaining her situation to him honestly rather than inventing some reason for coming home a day early. He believes her and resolves to help her, except it's already late and by morning he's forgotten, forcing Tara to repeat her explanation. (Tara herself stays in place as the day resets, unlike most time loop stories, so she simply wakes next to Thomas and explains upon his waking.) This paradigm repeats for almost half of Tara's first year of November 18ths, as she does her best to live her life normally despite the changed circumstances. She makes a number of discoveries during this time: time is passing for her body, between her hair and nails growing and her scar healing things she keeps on or very close to her person do not reset, thus allowing her to begin and keep her journal she is using up the world around her: the shelves home to her most frequent purchases grow barren over the months, and cafes remove offerings she's exhausted though she can use a phone or computer, nothing electronic is ever saved and the technology ceases to function altogether if no longer important to her Eventually, not being able to bear repeating her explanations to Thomas, Tara moves into their guest room and avoids him throughout the day, pretending to be in Paris and knowing every moment of his day by heart. Later she finds her own house in the town, visits her family, lives in Paris (as she had as a student) and even travels Europe in search of the seasons she feels she should be experiencing based on her calendar. A moment comes at the end of Volume II which disrupts Tara's increasingly reclusive and reflective existence, and which had me exclaim out loud upon reading it. I won't spoil it here (you can find the blurb for Volume III if you're desperate to learn it), but it's truly a perfect development that has me incredibly excited to dive into III and IV once that translation is released in April. Art by MK Cooper // Bearded_Artist_Studios Analysis & Allegory As I've already alluded to plenty, Tara's journey is a relatively calm and reflective one. She repeats ideas in her journals as she tries to process them and spends a lot of pages waxing poetic about the material impact she's having on the world around her and her longing for summers and springs and winters in her world of November 18ths. From a sci-fi/mystery perspective, her discoveries are relatively slow but are incredibly rewarding each time, because author Solvej Balle has clearly thought this through and has Tara taking rational steps to understand her situation: whether staying awake through the night to attempt to avoid/observe the reset or thinking over every moment of her first November 18th to identify a cause, whether it be the sestertius or one of the rare books. I'd already enjoy just the normal story plenty, for its quiet mystery and tension and how it calls to mind parts of House of Leaves and Our Wives Under the Sea among other wonderful weird fiction. But (and this is purely my observation, I haven't read up on anyone else's impressions yet) I think On the Calculation of Volume is also an incredible allegory for a woman's relatively ordinary life, given added tension and attention by being told through this sci-fi/mystery lens. Take away the time loop, and what is metaphorically happening here? Tara is on a work trip, chats amiably with an old friend, sustains an injury and decides to come home early. She spends a few months trying to live her normal life with her husband, but can feel that something has irreversibly changed. He can no longer truly understand her without her working to make herself known. She moves, first to a different bedroom, then to a different house and city, as she tries to make a life for herself as an individual. But the world still feels wrong, so she travels in search of something that feels right. All the while she searches for the answer to what went wrong, explores new interests and hobbies, and reflects on both her profound personal impact on the world as a consumer under capitalism and her inability to leave any lasting mark on the world otherwise. (Okay I saw environmentalism listed under the book's themes on Wikipedia, which I hadn't consciously thought of but also neatly weaves into her material impact on the world and her search for the correct seasons!) While again avoiding spoilers for the end of Volume II , it seems to fit into this allegory perfectly by having something 'real' disrupt Tara's isolated existence. And Solvej Balle achieves all of this subtext without having either narrative layer suffer for it; I could follow both throughout and had a much enriched reading experience for the dual meanings. As for the title, I think it's most suited to the allegory: the volume of a person's life, the space they take up and resources they consume. The illustrations on the covers? That'll have to wait. "Precious Time", art by Brandon Lillibridge Verdict & To be continued... If it isn't clear already, I highly recommend these books to anyone who has the patience and curiosity to follow Tara at her own pace. I'll certainly be back to review and discuss Volumes III & IV after the latter's April release, and may even return sooner to discuss On the Calculation of Volume alongside Pluribus and Russian Doll , because I think there is a lot of rich overlap in narrative and meaning. Have you read these books? I'd live to hear your thoughts! If, like Tara, you find yourself living an isolated and alienated existence, perhaps my post about mindfulness and death from last week will help! Thanks for reading and until next time <3

Music and existential revelations brought to you by Ghost Ghost Last week I was lucky enough to see three of my favourite bands play live: The Birthday Massacre, Lord of the Lost ( see Part I ) and Ghost. It's always strange trying to explain Ghost to friends who haven't heard of them, between their tendency to dance between genres, the multiple levels of lore and the way they blaspheme to the extreme. Beyond the quality of their music, I deeply appreciate Ghost constantly challenging the world that we live in. What begins as a critique of organized religion ends up having almost universal applications, because so many aspects of our society – from advertising to politics to entertainment – are now trying to manipulate us in very similar ways. Add to that the multiple layers of meaning inherent to most of their songs, and you have a deep reservoir from which to pull lessons and reminders about life and the world. Although I'm not writing about it today, I think Ghost's " Kaisarion " is very apt for this week in particular , dealing with humanity's tendency toward zealotry over science and having a line about "the continence of bishops with their choirboys en-suite." I've previously written about Ghost's " Twenties ", " Lachryma ", " Marks of the Evil One ", " Satanized ", " De Profundis Borealis ", and "Missilia Amori" & "Umbra" . Anywho. Death! (As with last time, beware existential themes ahead.) Exclusive art for the Toronto concert, created by Aaron Lea On a Pale White Horse While I've chosen just two songs to focus on today, there are probably at least a dozen you could point to as being relevant to my topic. After all, Ghost are consistently interested in subverting Catholic themes: so where a church service is all about securing that sweet sweet life after death, Ghost is here to remind you to live your life before death too . Don't you forget about dying Don't you forget about your friend death Don't you forget that you will die Don't you vomit savage slurs // Spewed up wickedly // To hide from me Navigate all alone // On this tempestuous sea // To ride with me - Ghost, "Pro Memoria" While you sleep in earthly delight // Someone's flesh is rotting tonight Like no other to you // What you've done // You cannot undo I have always kept you closer than you've known I, I am riding in the shadows behind you // On a pale white horse - Ghost, "Witch Image" The songs in Part I  stared apocalypse in the face and reacted with awe and rage, and Ghost wants to bring some of that immediacy into our day-to-day lives. Not to make us miserable and paralyze us with existential dread, but to do the opposite: asking us to be mindful about how we choose to spend our limited time on this Earth. As I wrote in the intro (and have discussed more in-depth before ), our predatory world thrives on us falling into static, unquestioning routines – from which it hopes we will never again have a unique thought of our own, let alone lift a finger in protest. To remember our mortality inherently means to remember that these mindless routine will only go on so long, and to recognize how much of our time it has already devoured. It can hopefully lead us to make more conscious decisions about how we spend our time and to reaffirm that our actions and desires are in line with our core values and beliefs. Ghost artwork by Sam Dunn ADHD & Anxiety This conflict of mindfulness vs. mindlessness is probably the most common topic around here, and it's partly because I need to keep thinking about it in order not to fall into the trap! I think ADHD makes it so much easier to adopt a comfortable routine and maintain it unquestioningly until someone or something pulls you out kicking and screaming. I think that's what Ghost does for me, and I think it's what they could do for our society as a whole, by pointing out all these absurdities that we are in danger of growing accustomed to and normalizing. These songs also help with my anxiety; years ago in therapy I learned to question my anxious thoughts by asking, "what's the worst that could really happen?" And before giving a reasonable answer, I would sometimes smile to myself and think, Well, I could die . Because, though it was ridiculous depending on the scenario, imagining absolute zero or null seemed a lot better than the painful anxious chaos in my head. (Note: This is not about self-harm. If you need help, seek help !) Instead, what I take from Ghost's songs and my own experience is just another version of 'life is short'. There will be pain, anxiety, loneliness and more. But it will be finite, and Death will be there in the end regardless of the path. (And in the meantime, the sun will shine again .) Just as this isn't meant to paralyze us, it isn't meant to make us go into a panicked frenzy either. Mindfulness in the context of our limited existence. Choosing again , that we can live our best lives rather than what the billionaires and algorithms have set out for us. Concert Photo from Ghost's Skeletour: Toronto Remember and Rage As with Avatar's "Hail the Apocalypse", there's little use be angry with death itself. But there is a lot of room to be angry at the systems that are making our brief lives shittier. The liches who are feeding off our energy in order to prolong their corrupt lives and advance their dystopian vision of the future. That idea is also lightened slightly by Witch Image in particular, which reminds that death is universal and unequivocal. Those who spend their days running in fear from it have wasted their time just as surely as someone scrolling TikTok ten hours a day. Which reminds me of this piece I did on an incredible short story ! I dunno, I hope this makes sense to someone! And if not, I hope you at least enjoyed the pretty tunes. Thanks for reading and until next time <3

Sic semper tyrannis Context Despite the title of my blog, I rarely react to current events in this space. Our online lives are flooded with people’s opinions on every topic under the sun, whether we asked for them or (usually) not. I made an exception  a little over a year ago, largely because that event was so closely related to multiple books I was reading at the time. And if you’ve read any of my writing, you know how powerfully my frustration and hope for the world fuels my craft. My plan for this week was to follow up with Part II of ‘The Catharsis of Endings’, on the subject of death. But while I fully believe those lessons are valuable, I don’t think they’re appropriate for today. So rather than a long article today: a moment of silence, and a year of rage. Rest in peace Alex Pretti, Renée Good, the dozens more  murdered by ICE; the millions of victims of genocide, civil wars and invasions over the past year. The POTUS’ Gestapo thugs are kidnapping children out of schools while he tests the limits of modern day appeasement . It makes me fucking mad. "Alex Pretti defends his city", art by author Molly Crabapple This will be the topic of a full piece at some point, but for now I just want to say: remember that anger isn’t inherently bad . It’s a sign that the world isn’t aligning with your expectations and core values. What we do with anger can often be problematic: lashing out at ourselves or those around us with any number of different kinds of abuse. But do we really have to think very hard to find the root cause of our emotions, here and now? And there are a hundred positive ways  to channel it, if you just look . I’m blazing through Biography of X  by Catherine Lacey right now for a book club, and one small facet of this novel (which reminds me a little of House of Leaves in a lovely way) is that it offers a potent reminder that things could still get a lot worse if we let them. Let’s not. Down with tyrants. Thanks for reading and understanding; until next time < 3 'The Poet' Renée Nicole Good, portrait by Taryn Okesson

Songs about the end of the world which help me remember the big picture An Existential Piece for Peace I want to open with a quick content warning : I'm going existential today, so if for any reason you're not in the not in the right mindset for that right now, consider skipping this one or coming back another time. Much love either way! This is an article I've been sitting on for a while; possibly since last spring, if not even earlier. It came to me, as many of my topics do, by way of my ADHD mind noticing a pattern. In this case, the number of songs by my favourite (metal) bands which either revel in the end of all things, or warmly remind the listener of their mortality. Now if you know anything about the genre you know that an easy explanation for this trend is metal's tendency toward exaggeration and the taboo. And that's certainly a factor with each of the songs I'll discuss in this series, but I've also grown to take a deeper message and even find solace in them. Part of it is simply the idea that death gives life meaning ; but I think it's also related to my journey with ADHD and anxiety, and the way perspective can alter my experiences moment to moment. Listen to the songs if you're able! I'll just be quoting a few lyrics here and there. Up first, armageddon. (Here's a Spotify playlist !) 'Raining Stars' Strangely, lodged in my mind alongside these (and similar apocalyptic) songs is Tinder's 'Swipe Night' choose-your-own-adventure video/game/experience from 2019. It saw users making small choices about what to do as a potentially world-ending meteor approached – essentially putting people into different pools based on how wildly they decided to spend their last night on Earth. Raining Stars has some parallel themes, anyway, painting an image of two people – perhaps lovers, friends, or simply drawn together by circumstances – watching, mesmerized, by the last and greatest show they'll ever witness. We hold each other and hail // The final act All words are worthless now // There's no way back ... We're hypnotized from above // No time, no time for fear just for love ... On the horizon, blue-silver thunderbolts stole our breath The warm embrace of facing death // The sweet defiance Your eyes ignite in the fumes // Just like diamonds in the blood moon ... Now welcome, dear apocalypse! // We dance in raining stars We turn this nightmare into bliss // Snowing fire and raining stars And I hope you can already feel a little of the relief I find in these songs; the way everyday struggles and worries melt away in the face of existential awareness. Lord of the Lost also literalizes the beauty of this catharsis by describing the majesty and wonder of the experience. The phrase "snowing fire" has always felt exquisite to me, as in this moment of clarity the characters are the first and last humans to witness fascinating new phenomena. I should also say that years in, I'm still working on understanding that music video. But the song being lost/destroyed media, combined with the band's incredible makeup and outfits, immediately place it among my all-time favourites. My best interpretation right now is that the existential ideas I'm discussing today are banned in this world, because they would awaken people to perspectives beyond the ones they are force-fed by the system. But I'd be curious to hear another take! Edmund Weiß: "Bilderatlas der Sternenwelt”  'Hail the Apocalypse' On the surface, Avatar's Hail the Apocalypse might present as identical – worshiping or welcoming the end of the world. But look closer and the song holds no beauty or awe for the end; instead unleashing a torrent of manic rage at how we got here. There's a storm heading our way, all that's been will be gone All your cities will sink into the ocean You run away like cattle, but you cannot flee the battle Stand up straight and fucking put on your war-paint ... Time to die // Hammer high // Name your price // And kneel Hail the apocalypse! All flesh is equal when burnt // We are forgiven Forgive us, we never shall learn // Get down ... Once you built, now you run away, the world is coming down Leave your mark upon the graves of your stillborn Just wrap it up in plastic; isn't killing things fantastic? Fuck your greed, come on and put on your-war paint ... All the lords I've sworn to obey // I take it back! Now, I think part of that absolute fury inherent in this song is that the lyrics are a varied mix of taunts, commands, confessions and grim philosophy – what you might get from a prophet raving on a street corner, as depicted in the music video. There's just two points I'll focus in on, the first of which is another line that cuts me to the core: "all flesh is equal when burnt" is what metal is all about, y'all! None of our worldly divisions and prejudices matter in the face of death or apocalypse, and in fact only get in the way of making progress and surviving as a species. 'Death is the great equalizer' and all that. The second point is that this rage isn't actually directionless, screaming into the void. The song is telling us that the end of the world is staring us in the face, right fucking now , and that we need to put on our war-paint and act. Gaining this cathartic clarity moments before death is neat and all, but we can literally have it now – in time to make a difference. This aspect of the song reminds me of 'Die by the Blade' by Beast in Black , which I take to be about fighting with all your heart and soul for a cause you believe in. "It's Raining Stars", ArtByJoonas Eyes Bright with Intent I went back and forth on whether to make this a series or push through with a single lengthy, (half-assed towards the end) article, and have apparently landed on series. Whether next week or later, I'll return to discuss a couple lovely Ghost songs that make you think about death and get sad and stuff . Either towards the end of that piece or in a Part III, I'll bring in a good palate cleanser that always hits me just as deeply as these songs do. I'll also get more into the ADHD & anxiety stuff next time – another good reason to split this up, as I definitely would've glossed over it in my race to the finish. If you're strange like me and enjoyed these songs, check out Lord of the Lost's 'Destruction Manual' (the magic of makeup!) and Avatar's 'Hazmat Suit' for some similar vibes. Let me know if you have other songs you'd recommend in this vein! Thanks for reading and until next time <3

Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind (apologies for the thumbnail, the song's great though!) One Year Later I hadn't quite intended this when I chose today's topic, but it turns out I published my previous post about AI on January 16th, 2025 – maybe there's something in the air that has me dreaming of smashing circuits and burning data centers this time of year. As you may have observed, the goblins – I mean tech moguls – have not in fact recognized and repented for the damage they are doing to the Earth's water supply and people's livelihoods, and in many cases have instead doubled down on their humanity replacement scheme. I admitted last year that certain areas, like medicine and the sciences, would probably reap true benefits from the technology. Maybe that's even happened! But all I see are the AI videos and influencers, melting our brains at the best of times and spreading horrifying amounts of disinformation the rest of the calendar year. I've also found myself lowering my guard and accepting the Google AI's summary far more than I would have thought possible this time last year. Sure it can be nice to have a quick answer, but how soon before the average person's ability to research drops below zero? How long will there still be information to be researched at all, rather than buckets of AI slop endlessly pouring into one another? Back in 1965, Frank Herbert envisioned a world where humanity had overcome its reliance on and subjugation by machines, instead focusing on expanding the limits of human potential. When will we make that dream a reality? (I endeavour to bring new and unique insights each week, so I'll readily admit that I'm certainly not the first or only person to write about this topic in recent years. Which is probably a good thing, in this case! It also means I'll try to keep this one a little shorter, after two weeks in a row counting among the longest I've ever written.) Tor Books 2019 cover of The Machine Crusade (artist likely Jim Tierney but I'm having a difficult time confirming that) The Butlerian Jihad As I've written about before , the Dune saga is fundamentally about keeping humanity free, both from charismatic tyrants and placid stagnation . The Butlerian Jihad, an event which took place over ten thousand years before Frank Herbert's books, is intrinsically related to both of those fears – though perhaps it depends on what you consider canon. I think the Jihad Frank Herbert originally envisaged was one we might easily imagine today, albeit more visibly Catholicism-coded. Not a war so much as a rapidly growing movement to destroy the technology that had enslaved humanity into the form of mindless drones, overwritten their hopes and dreams with drooling placidity. The Jihad that Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson portray in Legends of Dune (2002-2004) is all-out war against literal sentient machines bent on oppressing humanity, with mighty human heroes and terrifying posthuman Titans embroiled in a galaxy-spanning conflict. Look, eleven-year-old me loved it, and even now a hint of that fascination remains... but I think it's fair to say that those books lack much of Frank Herbert's nuance and thoughtfulness. Whether you prefer the first, the second, or even some combination of the two, the result was humanity doing away with the vast majority of their technology, and adopting a fundamental law into their new Orange Catholic Bible (which includes a wide mix of Earth religions and philosophies): "Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind." Painting of the Butlerian Jihad from Dune (1984) TV Prologue Modes of Thought Post-Jihad, Herbert envisioned specialist humans taking on the roles previously filled by thinking machines. In the absence of even so much as calculators, 'mentats' would eventually rise as human supercomputers, enhanced by drugs and inevitably bringing their human loyalties and biases into their calculations. (There is also perhaps a conversation to be had about mentats and problematic depictions of savant autism – and furthermore Dune 's relationship to ideas around eugenics – but I'll simply remark on that and move on today). Similarly, the complexities of interstellar travel are eventually handled by mutated Guild Navigators, who rely on the future sight of the spice in order to choose their routes – the routine calculations of which are beyond even the abilities of mentats to calculate. Other schools, like the Bene Gesserit and Swordmasters, show societies specializing in specific areas that had previously been made obsolete by thinking machines. Meanwhile the Bene Tleilax dive headfirst into hacking and reprogramming human bodies in ways that today's AI enthusiasts would probably be totally on board with. (There are no Tleilaxu women, only biological wombs in the form of axlotl tanks.) Maybe that 'Eugenics and Dune ' post should actually come sooner than later, huh. Something I'm just realizing (remembering?) now is that Frank Herbert actually shows hints of technology returning in his later books, and that his son's sequels aren't entirely to blame. The Houses of Ix and Richese are mentioned as early as the original Dune (1965) as leading machine industry, and the galaxy is wary of them toeing the line set by the Butlerian Jihad. But four thousand years later, we see Ix replacing Guild Navigators with computers once more – threatening the Guild's monopoly but also finding a solution to how fragile humanity's reliance on spice is. Of course, this development is concurrent with Ix's development of the 'no-room', which also mimics a Guild Navigator's innate ability to shield themselves and those around them from the future sight (prescience) of others. Which, the more I think about it, seems to imply that they're either toying with extremely powerful supercomputers or are cheating somehow. But Leto II also managed to isolate prescience-invisibility in the Atreides genome over a few thousand years, so who the hell knows! Thufir Hawat, portrayed by Stephen McKinley Henderson, art by DeathRayGraphics Smash Your Laptop? AI's negative impact on our critical thinking skills, media literacy and general intelligence is only just beginning to show itself . Its role in creating unemployment is already being felt across sectors. The internet we knew three years ago is long gone, now filled with both AI slop and AI channels reposting human content. Even if you take AI out of the mix, I find it hard to look at the way we're consuming media and feel hopeful about our species. I'm in awe that Frank Herbert envisioned this philosophical issue over sixty years ago. And in some ways he's more right than he ever knew, with the way a few goblins – billionaires? no, goblins – tyrannically shoving their complacency machines down our throats until we and the Earth we inhabit suffocate. With most of my posts, I end with a reminder that what I'm talking about is only fiction, that we can take lessons from it but can't emulate the actions it details. But in this case, I think our species genuinely has a choice ahead of it: succumb to the machine, or break free. Thanks for reading and until next time <3

A vampire, werewolf, pirate, necromancer, monk, princess, elf and revenant walk into Troy Joe Abercrombie Happy New Year! I’ve spent a good portion of my 2026 so far with Joe Abercrombie’s The Devils  (2025) and, as the title might suggest, I want to talk about it. After more than 140 articles here you’d think I’d have covered most of the series I’ve read and enjoyed, yet thus far I’ve somehow only alluded to Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law trilogy twice, with regard to tea  and a character with disability . (Though it strikes me now that I certainly overlooked Logen Ninefingers when listing potential Einherjar characters .) Joe Abercrombie is best known for The First Law  and the many other books and stories he’s written in that world. I’ve only read the first trilogy so far, but adored a lot of its worldbuilding and complex characters. On the other hand, I had issues with the lack of women in the books and how they handled race.  All of which intro is to say that The Devils  solves one of those problems, at least! This is Abercrombie’s first book separate from the world of The First Law  in a decade, and I’ll say up top that I really enjoyed it! So consider reading it first if you want to avoid the spoilers ahead . The Devils , cover art by John Anthony Di Giovanni Alternate History & (Euro)Fantasy Unlike The First Law , The Devils takes place in medieval Europe – kind of . Rather than building from the foundations of ancient Greece and Rome, this Europe is descended from (the Witch-Engineers of) Carthage and mythical Troy. Abercrombie illuminates some key 'historical' differences in a passage I find utterly fascinating from a worldbuilding lens: "... set into a dome decorated with scenes from the history of Ancient Troy: Hector humbling Achilles, Cassandra tricking Odysseus, the burning of the Trojan Horse, the triumph of Astyanax and the sack of Mycenae." - The Devils, Joe Abercrombie Thus the events of the Iliad and Odyssey are re-written with Trojan victors, with Carthage taking Rome's place as the architects of a grand empire that has since collapsed (with the city itself having apparently been sucked into hell). There are far more differences than I could list here with any brevity, many of which are varying shades of wonderful. One that is... let's say complex, is the idea that the world east of Troy is full to the brim with hordes of man-eating elves. That Troy was the focus of this world's Crusades, because it is a beacon and bastion of defence for Europe against this alien threat. And look, from a fantasy worldbuilding perspective I absolutely love these ideas. But as a person wary of Euro-centrism and cultural erasure in media... what happened to the Levant and Asia? ('Afrique' is mentioned a few times as its own distant, mythical place and the Americas not at all.) Brother Diaz & Alexia Pyrogennitos, by Joel Daniel Phillips This is the first book of its own trilogy, so there's every chance Abercrombie will expand on this later. We also spend the novel with an elf in Sunny, who behaves very differently than the stereotypes (and Jakob's experiences) suggest, so I'm certainly willing to believe that there's more to the elves than meets the eye. But man, I woulda personally thought twice before basically dividing the world into |Europe| and |Violent Savages|. *Upon doing a little research, it sounds like Abercrombie intentionally based the elves on European fears of threats from the East. Which; great, cool. But is literalizing those fears actually helping anything? Maybe an issue I'll return to in another article. What do you think? Another difference in this Europe, you may have noticed, is the fact that all sorts of powerful magic exist. We have vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, magicians, demons, yada yada yada. The characters we follow (I haven't even gotten to the plot yet, have I?) are apparently bound by God's will through the (Western, female) Pope, though it's hinted toward the end that there might be a trick to that, so I wonder whether there really is any divine magic at play in this world. Balthazar Sham Ivam Draxi, by Joel Daniel Phillips Plot & Characters It's a Suicide Squad , basically. The Western Church has dirty work that needs doing, and they have the 'Chapel of the Holy Expediency', or the Devils, to get it done. In this case, their job is to bring the long lost princess of Troy, street thief Alex, to be crowned Empress. They are newly led by Brother Diaz, a fairly hapless monk who wasn't looking for this kind of promotion. The Devils themselves are Baptiste, a roguish jack-of-all-trades; Jakob of Thorn, a knight in search of redemption and cursed with immortality; Baron Rikard, a vampire; Balthazar Sham Ivam Draxi, a necromancer; Sunny, an elf; and Vigga Ullasdottr, a Swedish werewolf. The book sees them facing down all manner of fun and dangerous threats on their way to Troy, mostly brought to bear by Alex's cousins who would have preferred the heir to remain lost. When they do finally reach Troy, things go surprisingly perfectly! (Until they don't.) I have to give Abercrombie credit for keeping me on my toes with the pacing and tension – things might be just on the edge of feeling like a slog, but then the situation would wrap up cleverly and often humorously, and just like that we'd skipped ahead to the next thing. I experienced a nice mix of picking up on a few of the twists while also being bamboozled by others, so I could feel satisfied but certainly not bored. That was perhaps also aided by the strange darkly comic tone of the novel, which a few times transitioned from quaint to grotesque (or the other way around) at the blink of an eye. Vigga & Sunny, by Joel Daniel Phillips The worldbuilding may have cemented by enjoyment of The Devils , but it's the cast and their interactions that make this book as good as it is. Brother Diaz is the quintessential straight man in this group of monsters, whose perpetually flabbergasted state is only made funnier by his attraction to the massive crude pagan Vigga. She's absolutely phenomenal herself, with the memory of a goldfish, occasional profound insights and all the ass-kicking prowess in the world. Alex is the heart of the group, constantly doubting herself and (rightfully) scared to death of both her protectors and her true enemies. Watching her relationship with Sunny blossom over the course of the book was really lovely, especially when contrasted to Diaz/Vigga and the not-to-be Balthazar/Baptiste. Sunny herself is excellent, incredibly capable of changing the shape of fights by trickery, yet also utterly isolated and living with every belief humans hold about her kind. Balthazar Sham Ivam Draxi, third-best necromancer in Europe, is a stuck-up ass who spends half the book trying to become its villain, by breaking the Papal Bond and enacting his revenge. Of course he eventually finds a heart (his own, in addition to the many many corpses he puppets), and ends up having just as much of a character arc as Diaz and Alex. Jakob of Thorn may not change much over the course of the novel, but he's got enough history to explore that I look at him with very different eyes towards the end. The man may be immortal, but he keeps the scars, the aches, the stabbing pain of his wounds. We learn that he held high rank as a Templar and did some awful things before taking his current oaths, and it's fascinating to see his weathered faith contrast with the various philosophies of the group around him. Jakob of Thorn, by Joel Daniel Phillips The last two characters are the only members of the party who don't have point-of-view chapters. I briefly alluded to Baron Rikard towards the end of last week , and while he's a very fun vampire I don't think he quite needs his own post – at least not yet. The Baron has a slightly strange place in this book, serving as a fatherly/apathetic etiquette teacher to Alex, dark confidante/heartwarming inspiration for Balthazar, and being very all-or-nothing in the group's encounters. Rikard has the ability to charm people by talking to them, at the cost of rapidly aging. (It's hilarious that he always ends up talking about his wife's dumplings, regardless of the context.) There are a few times in the book where Rikard puts his power to use and saves the day. There's also one scene where he just shows up to bite a guy. And there are other scenes where he's just gone , with no explanation. I guess the implication is that he's feeding on enemies so sneakily that the other protagonists don't take notice... but it ends up feeling very constructed/artificial what role he plays in a given scene, basically just whether Abercrombie needs him as a deus ex machina or not. Baptiste is fun, constantly switching between saying she should have retired after the last job and mentioning strange roles she's played in the past. She's a fun partner for Jakob, a fun banter buddy with Balthazar, and is a key actor at a few key moments in the plot. She's also the only one who dies; offscreen to an out-of-control Vigga, presumably saving Brother Diaz's life. We don't even get a hint of Balthazar being interested in trying to properly resurrect her – he simply mourns with the rest and moves on. I dunno, I think she deserved better. Adrian Tchaikovsky has a character named Banders in The House of Open Wounds ( Tyrant Philosophers Book 2) who plays a similar role and ends up working extremely well; maybe she set my expectations too high. But I also think there's gotta be some connection between Rikard and Baptiste's issues and their lack of PoVs – perhaps being rushed or afterthoughts compared to the rest of the cast. Rikard & Baptiste, by Joel Daniel Phillips Favourable Beginnings As always, my nitpicks will be louder in a post like this than my praise, because I want this book (and world and series) to be the best version of itself. The Devils ' epilogue already shows Diaz's (he chooses to stay in Troy with Alex) and Baptiste's replacements showing up for duty, so I think it's clear that the Chapel of the Holy Expediency will be taking on more of God's dirty work before too long. Assuming that we do follow these characters again in the sequel, it will be fascinating to see how Abercrombie handles: Jakob post-Baptiste; Sunny post-Alex; Balthazar with his newfound heart and renewed hope of breaking free; how much of this Vigga even retains; and whether we see Rikard better-developed or otherwise play new roles. I could easily see a world where Baptiste's position is filled by a new person each book, but hopefully the new guy ends up being a little more interesting than the first glance suggests. As for their new priestess, I'm excited to see someone coming back to the job and playing a very opposite role to that of Diaz. I certainly hope we get more about the elves, though The First Law isn't the most promising blueprint in that regard. Likewise more exploration of the world and cosmology in general; as you'll see below, Balthazar summoning a Duke of Hell was certainly a moment to remember. Thinking of picking up the book? Read it already? Curious to hear your thoughts! Thanks for reading and until next time <3 Balthazar and Duke Shaxep, by Jeff Brown

Gluttony, identity and morality in ‘The Buffalo Hunter Hunter’ Nosferatu Welcome to the ninth entry in my series on vampires! You can find all the previous entries (and hopefully some explanation for my endless fascination with the topic) here: Part I examines vampires for their allusions to our societal threats and fears Part II flips the perspective, exploring how vampire experiences reflect our own Part III questions the nature of vampire souls; related to art, redemption and more Part IV engages with The God of Endings and its themes of immortality & intervention Part V focuses on Let Me In ’s recontextualization of the monstrous and our relationships Part VI looks at Midnight Mass and its themes of faith, addiction and redemption Part VII on personal growth in Nosferatu and Ghost's song "Lachryma" Part VIII dedicated to ideas of community and belonging in the film Sinners Hard to conceive that it’s been almost eight months since that last one, and I’ll admit I believed to an extent that I had exhausted the best of the genre. (Ha.) Turns out it just took someone shoving it into my hands via a book club, but Stephen Graham Jones’ The Buffalo Hunter Hunter proved how wrong I was. Spoilers for the book ahead ; I can’t recommend it enough if you want to give it a shot (it strongly reminds me of The God of Endings , Midnight Mass  and Sinners  if that helps)! The Buffalo Hunter Hunter (2025) by Stephen Graham Jones Three-Persons There's quite a lot happening in this novel, so as usual I'll be approaching my topic with a fairly narrow scope rather than spending ten minutes explaining the whole thing. At its core, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is about a Blackfoot man named Good Stab and his quest for vengeance in the wake of the brutal historical Marias Massacre . Forty-two years after the event, he darkens the door of a small church led by Three-Persons (a name given him by Good Stab for how the pastor supposedly represents the trinity) to tell his story and confess his crimes. We see all of these 1912 scenes through Three-Persons' eyes, only getting Good Stab's perspective when he is telling his story. Stephen Graham Jones does a great job of establishing the pastor's perspective and gently lulling the reader into sympathizing with the old man, who walks with a limp, has put alcoholism behind him and constantly reflects on the various food items gifted him by women of his congregation, admitting they are something of an indulgence between him and his faith. It's quite casually delivered, but Jones also establishes Three-Person's fervent belief that Indian Peoples' time has ended, and that the remaining few are well on their way to being either swept aside or absorbed by "civilized" America. It takes most of the book, but Good Stab eventually extracts Three-Persons' own confession: that he not only participated in, but played a pivotal role in the Marias Massacre. As with the historical record , the reason for the attack boils down to deep-seated, genocidal racism – but I was also struck to the core by how for Three-Persons it was also about food . His entire confession letter is spent rambling about how he wants to get back to headquarters and taste the warm pudding they serve there, ultimately pushing other attacking leaders over the edge by whispering in their ears about this perfect goddamn pudding. But it even continues as he's describing the atrocities; the economical, bullet-saving murders of Blackfeet women and children. You see, Three-Persons spends the book telling us that he's atoned, that his sins are long behind him. But we've also spent the book watching him smilingly indulge in a savory sausage here, a fruit pie there, while maintaining a worldview that falls all-too-perfectly in line with that held by him and his cohorts the day they committed the Marias Massacre. His gluttony is so clearly intertwined with his crime that it is clear as day to me that he hasn't truly repented or atoned. And Good Stab clearly agrees, given the reckoning he brings to Three-Persons' door. There's a scene in the burning church, with Three-Persons crucified and the pews filled with Good Stab's victims, which is probably one of the most tense and horrifying I've ever read. Even that isn't the end for our food loving friend, but back to that in a minute. Reversible jacket cover for the Owlcrate edition of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter , art by inkdrunkghoul Good Stab & The Nachzehrer At this point you might be wondering, with good reason, what any of this has to do with vampires. Have no fear, for we have arrived. Good Stab's story opens a day or two before the Marias Massacre, with him being recruited to help hide evidence of an attacked caravan on his people's territory – while they had nothing to do with it, the scene was clearly (badly) staged to look like an Indian attack on the settlers' wagon. Yet amongst the corpses, they find a pale, human-rat-like creature in a cage, the iron bars of which are covered in small wooden crosses. Events transpire; eventually Good Stab lies dead on a hill, his mouth just open enough to capture the down-flowing blood of the incredibly quick and violent "Cat Man" after the creature had been shot in half with a cannon. Much later, Good Stab rises again, hankering for the red stuff. Again, I lament that I can't go into more of Good Stab's story, which makes up the meat of the novel. What follows are just a few key takeaways from a lot of excellent prose. The Marias Massacre occurred simultaneously with Good Stab's own death. Alongside the direct destruction of his people (through that and cotemporaneous historical events), Good Stab witnesses the near-extinction of the buffalo perpetrated by hunters who would take the animals' hides and poison the meat with hard-to-detect strychnine. The book's title comes from the fact that Good Stab spends decades hunting down these hunters. Good Stab's vampirism (not referred to as such until the very end of the book, mind) has a few unique traits: Sunlight doesn't burn, but it's extremely bright on his enhanced senses He doesn't have super speed or strength, but his normal inhibitions are gone: meaning he can do incredible things, but his bones are likely to break in the process Once he starts feeding, he can't stop 'til the person/animal is dead The blood physically inflates him, starts spouting through his skin if he drinks too much If there is a way for him to fully and permanently die, he doesn't know it Over time, he becomes what he eats It turns out that the Cat Man had been fed only rats by his captors, thereby giving him something of a snout and whiskers and diminishing him to an animal-like intelligence. Good Stab starts off drinking only from deer and elk; he soon feels himself beginning to grow antlers from his skull. When he begins hunting the buffalo hunters, his skin grows paler and he begins growing a reddish-brown beard. In order to stay Blackfoot (which is how we see him forty years later, talking to Three-Persons), he has to feed on his own people. Owlcrate cover of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter , picture credit to matts_books.and.drams A significant portion of Good Stab's story encompasses his decade-long struggle against the Cat Man, who it turns out very much survived being shot in half as little more than an animal himself. We learn he is at least 450 years old and that he knows a fair few tricks about his condition – possibly even how to end it – but he doesn't share them with Good Stab. Over the course of their struggle we see the Cat Man take on a monstrous, nearly three-meter-tall antlered form, establish himself as a Blackfoot Chief after draining enough of them, and imprison Good Stab beneath the ice in another deeply horrifying sequence I'll not soon forget. Eventually – after so so so much torment and requiring a strange narrative choice (once-in-a-generation MacGuffin blood, oh boy) – Good Stab gets the upper hand by trampling the Cat Man with a herd of buffalo, then spends a couple years feeding him a specific type of fish, eventually turning him loose with no memory or apparent hope of regaining human form. Why's getting out of being a fish so much harder than getting out of being a rat? I dunno, but the book presents it as conclusive so we might as well take it as such. Back to Three-Persons. Did I mention there's a third timeline, in 2012, with his great-great-great-granddaughter? No? Well, she's as surprised as you are, especially when Good Stab turns up with a human-sized prairie dog he claims is her sinful ass of an ancestor. Hell of a fate for our food-loving pastor, especially since he's been unable to keep anything other than rodent blood down for a century. (Unrelated) Art by Valin Mattheis Transformation? I love this book; the way it meaningfully brings together real traumatic history with a fascinating personal vampire story. It's also hard to make gluttony an interesting character flaw, let alone theme of a book, but I think Stephen Graham Jones did it pretty masterfully in this case by having indulgent Three-Persons on one side and vampiric Good Stab on the other. While things like Vampire: The Masquerade touch on the 'you are what you eat' idea by having your emotional temperament match that of your prey, I really appreciate how far Jones went with having his characters literally transform in body and mind. Though, as folks in the book club brought up, he does utterly gloss over sex/gender in this regard. My personal headcanon is that these vampires are entirely stripped of their sex as in The God of Endings , but it (and the lack of female characters in general) certainly still stands as a glaring omission from the book. And, obviously, 'you are what you eat' applies to us mortals too. Eat like crap and you'll feel like crap. Watch only Hallmark movies and you might forget that non-white people exist . Read only sci-fi/fantasy and maybe lose the ability to talk to normal people – I wouldn't know a thing about that. The other vampire book I've been working my way through is The Gilda Stories (1991), so that may well be the foundation of Vampires X at some point in the near future. But I'm also head-over-heels loving Joe Abercrombie's The Devils (2025) right now and that has a fun vampire too, so you never know. For now, I return to my coffin in order to finish my pneumonia recovery. Thanks for reading and until next time <3

ADHD & Routine, Stories & Passion My Year Other than the month-long illnesses that seem intent on bookending my year (and, you know, everything ), 2025 has been a really monumental year for me. I've found new friends, hobbies and communities; I've read a lot of phenomenal books from a wider variety of authors, and (including this and next week's) I'll have published 70 articles here this year. I'm proud of the seven months I spent writing twice per week, and I think it was appropriate for where my life was this time last year, I've really appreciated returning to the slower schedule since June. Even considering what I'll talk about regarding routine below, there is a line between consistent artistic passion and anxious content burnout, and I was definitely toeing it by the end there. That being said, I could see finding a middle ground in 2026; perhaps an extra monthly article, specifically focused on the book club reads that wouldn't otherwise get much attention around here. But we'll see – I'm partly still just ecstatic that I have this and next week's posts planned ahead of time for once. Speaking of book clubs, they've been a wonderful development in the latter half of my 2025 – as of December I can say I'm a part of six monthly groups and one bi-monthly. In addition to what these groups offer in community and selections beyond my usual scope, I've found it immensely helpful to learn from other people's experiences, insights and interpretations – which, astonishingly, can sometimes be quite different from my own. So much love to all the folks who've welcomed me this year, and to my original group who gave me the confidence to venture forth into the wilds. 'Evening Stroll', painting by Rosemary Yue Power of Routine I think a significant theme of my writing this year has been related to exploring, understanding and managing my mental health and my relationship to ADHD . Perhaps obvious in retrospect that the more I think about these issues, the more I'll see echoes of them in the media I consume. (Though at least or especially with Sanderson's novels, those ideas are very intentionally explored. I took a break to eat dinner while writing this and discovered he recently announced 'Next Step Coins' , free for those who need them or available for purchase, physical coins which include the 988 Lifeline , access to online mental health services and two quotes I've discussed previously: " You will be warm again " and " The most important step is always the next one ". Truly heartwarming to see Sanderson following through on his books' messaging, and out of his own pocket no less.)(I shouldn't have watched the video, it summoned someone cutting onions into my room.) 'Old Souls', art by jedwardneill998 Anyway! Aside from the many specific ideas I've explored this year, consistently writing here has been an incredible reminder that routine is a cheat code to ADHD – and probably other areas of mental health as well. Preparing to do something for the first time can feel overwhelming, disruptive and simply impossible. But once you're in it, and you've got a few under your belt? A cake walk. (Though what is that exactly? Sounds a little scary, to be honest.) And hey, if one example of routine working is good, then more is better! This year has been a bit of exposure therapy for me in terms of committing to things, and it has indeed felt easier both each time I follow up on something and when I add something new to follow up on. Plus, despite what the mind-over-matter, lost-in-their-imagination teen in me says, keeping busy with good or at least neutral activities is incredibly helpful for staying outside any and all pits of wallowing despair. Of course, things like illness can then be doubly frustrating for how they disrupt my routine in addition to, you know, being themselves. But hey, I stick to as much of it as I can, find some books , TV , movies and video essays to devour (yes that's my last three days), and remember that there will be sunshine again. Art by M.K. Cooper / Bearded_Artist_Studios Stories 'Prose and Context' is first and foremost about my appreciation for stories: how they entertain and allow us to briefly escape reality, but also for how they allow us to reframe and contextualize our reality through different perspectives. 2025 has been a shitshow for the world at large. Fascism's on the rise, AI's well on it's way to eclipsing not just our efforts to save the environment but also our careers, creativity and critical thinking skills, and every day it seems harder to live ethically in this world. So again, I'm thankful for stories. Those that allow me to live in another world for a few hours, and those that give me a little hope for our world – and especially those that cleverly do both. I'll be fascinated to see the short stories and novels written in response to this year, and I'll continue to be inspired by the genuinely good things we as a species are capable of – Ada Palmer, author of the Terra Ignota series, often shares such stories . "Yet, he reasoned, perhaps in the end it was fitting, for his master was ever in love with misfortune and believed the world a wounded thing that can only be healed by story" – Ferdia Lennon, Glorious Exploits Thanks for reading and until next time <3

How ‘Wicked’ and ‘Wind and Truth’ reminded me that authority is merely a mask The Wizard I’ll level with you, I only thought to include Wicked  in the subtitle because of the song I chose to include above (give it a listen!) and then because I took courses on trends and SEO.  But! The fact that Oz  is currently (or was recently) in the cultural zeitgeist is also deeply important because it gives a popular parallel for the ideas I want to write about today. (And Ghost were referencing the Wizard back in 2022, so I’d say it’s a fairly recognizable touchstone regardless.) The Wizard of Oz, pulling levers and maintaining his carefully crafted illusions, is a potent reminder that power and authority are always  projected through a lens, or mask, such that people see only what they are supposed to see. In the Wizard’s case, this is further emphasized by his actual abilities being far less than he implies; like so many real figures, he rules with his fearsome bark despite having no bite to speak of. Though as Wicked (2024) shows, people wielding this illusory power will also desperately try to control anyone capable of the real thing. Wind and Truth That isn’t quite the case in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive , even considering the revelations we got in Wind and Truth . ( Spoilers ahead  for that book; you can find much of my past writing about the series here .) There's a lot going on in Wind and Truth , as you might expect for a novel clocking in at 1,344 pages. One theme that I really only understood as I began thinking about this piece is that there is a lot of humanizing in this book – here more meaning 'granting personhood' considering the number of non-human characters involved, whether they be Singers , Shards or Spren .   We learn a lot about mythical figures like the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and Herald Ishar, seeing the underlying suffering and dreams behind their world-shattering actions and millennia-spanning lives. This will certainly serve to make the back half of the series (and re-reads of the front) all the more tense and engaging, since we'll be seeing conflict between more empathetic and fleshed-out characters. But the most profound revelation to me in this area was about the three gods (Shards) of Stormlight . We already knew they were once normal people – sure Cultivation was a dragon, but those are people too around these parts – but as always, there's a profound difference between expectation (knowing) and reality (seeing firsthand). Through the eyes of Tanavast, Vessel of Honor, we learn that he and Rayse, Vessel of Odium, were on deeply unfriendly terms long before they each ascended to aspects of godhood. Tanavast worked as a simple tanner, and was a kind man with a fondness for dogs. He participated in the Shattering because he thought it would be a kindness to both Adonalsium and the Cosmere. Rayse was cruel and clever from the start, every action he took – including the Shattering – for his own self-interest. Rayse as Odium in Human and Singer forms, art by Felix Abel Klaer Tanavast admits that he was not a good fit for Honor, particularly when forced into a millennia-spanning struggle with Rayse as Odium, who still taunted and bullied his rival even as he had in their mortal lives. Tanavast wanted to help people, where Honor wanted justice. This tension ultimately led to his death and the splintering of Honor. All of which would have been nearly incomprehensible to me before reading this book, let alone for the characters who have lived their lives worshiping Tanavast as their one true god. It's amazing to see the difference perspective can make, when you see the mask fall away. Three final notes: Though Wind and Truth focuses on Honor and Odium, I think Cultivation is just as powerful an example of this. Despite being a wise dragon, mother figure and the literal god of care and planning, she spends both this book and her ten thousand years on Roshar fucking up catastrophically: blind to her husband Tanavast's struggles and the threat Odium poses, then serving up both Shards to Taravangian on a silver platter. Tanavast and Rayse's stories are done, but Koravellium Avast 's may be still to come. Speaking of Taravangian (whom I wrote about here ), it will be fascinating to see a very dangerous but very human mind move forward as Retribution – the new Shard formed by the combination of Honor and Odium. A scene late in the book makes clear that Taravangian isn't as imperturbable as he would have the universe believe, having secretly saved his loved ones' souls when Cultivation moved against them. I'll also be fascinated to see how much his new Intent meshes with his goal of 'saving' the Cosmere. Intriguing as hell but only a hint at this point, the dormant Shard of Honor began gaining a sentience of its own in the years following Tanavast's death. The book ends with Dalinar placing his hope – and the fate of the Cosmere – in this nascent intelligence, that it will one day grow enough to break Taravangian and Odium from within. Is there still a mask when the person is the power? It will be very interesting to see where Sanderson goes with it. The Death of Honor, art by Ari Ibarra Takeaways // On the Horizon I was going to have a whole section dedicated to our own frail reality, but you get it. These assholes only have as much power as people believe they do. Behind their masks, they're far dumber and more human than you can even imagine. --- For once in my life, I can actually offer some small insight into what the next two weeks will look like around here. (Don’t get used to it or anything.) Next week will mark two years of writing here, so as I did in 2024 I’ll be taking a look back at the journey so far. Two of my book clubs this month are reading vampire novels, and the first (Stephen Graham Jones’ The Buffalo Hunter Hunter ) already has me chomping at the bit to write Part IX. We’ll see whether I end up writing about both books together or saving the second for a Part X, but you can look forward to at least a little more fanged action before New Years. Thanks as always for reading and until next time <3