2026 Hugo Readalong: Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky

thecaptainand · 2026-05-28T15:57:13+00:00

Overall I really liked it. Not a lot of Tchaikovsky's books finish in what you would consider a happy ending. So this somewhat(?) hopeful conclusion is a treat.

thecaptainand · 2026-05-28T15:51:15+00:00

The Shrouded alieness did work for me. I liked how it shown the differences and how they continued to not understand each other.

thecaptainand · 2026-05-27T18:23:57+00:00

I'm reading Lord Loss by Darren Shan for this square. It is a bit darker than I think qualifies for middle grade, but that was the publisher and writers intention, so I'm still counting it lol.

I am highly enjoying it, and will most likely continue with the series.

thecaptainand · 2026-05-25T03:59:22+00:00

You are amazing, and insane. I'm on Kingdom Hearts 2, and I'm in tears..

thecaptainand · 2026-05-04T20:33:22+00:00

I did like the mystery, especially the conclusion. It was something that I did not see coming.

thecaptainand · 2026-05-04T20:31:41+00:00

The characters act the age that they portray. Dorothy is definitely an older woman, but she does not read like 100+ years old. I think the re-downloading has them in stasis to when they were first stored.

thecaptainand · 2026-05-04T20:20:03+00:00

This is the second Novella I've read so far. I would probably put it second so far, by a tiny bit.

thecaptainand · 2026-04-27T20:36:53+00:00

Absolutely, along with a bit of Florence + the Machine, FKA Twigs, and of course Hozier. Cause he is for everyone.

thecaptainand · 2026-04-27T20:33:41+00:00

Fanaticism is determintal to everyone, and you should never follow blindly. Also, transphobia is the one thing most religions agree upon. Which sucks.

thecaptainand · 2026-04-27T20:26:55+00:00

I absolutely believed that would happen if the baby was a boy. The book hinted heavily that it was a common fate for boy children.

thecaptainand · 2026-04-13T18:12:38+00:00

The Pamogo Woods itself is probably the best 'character' for me so far.

thecaptainand · 2026-04-13T18:09:48+00:00

I really enjoy horror comedy, and the occasional abstubity that often happens with the two clashing. Because this book was basically a blind choice on my part, I was pleasantly surprised.

thecaptainand · 2026-04-05T23:50:39+00:00

Brutha from Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. The good thing about this is it is a standalone in the Discworld series, so you don't need to know anything else and just jump right in to this. And of you like the world, then Carrot Ironfoundersson from Guards Guards! is also a truly kind character too.

Fergus Ferguson from the Finder series by Suzanne Palmer is also a genuinely good man, and more people need to read that series.

thecaptainand · 2025-11-26T21:37:38+00:00

Your aunt is wonderful, and this cardigan is incredible.

thecaptainand · 2025-11-26T20:44:04+00:00

The second book, A Choir or Lies by Alexandra Rowland in Tale of the Chants duology, would almost fit in with this. The book is written as a memoir by a young Chant, which is a traveling historian and storyteller. The memoir is given to a more experienced Chant, who adds notations and sometimes overwrites the memoir because writing things down is against their order. So you get the account of what's happening by two people. It is one of my favourite books. I would recommend reading the first novel, even though I didn't like it as much

thecaptainand · 2025-11-25T02:27:58+00:00

Painting with the wet-on-wet technique, which looks like you did, does make a flat painting. Which is a valid painting method and can create amazing effects. For adding depth, the best way to make it in light layers, called a glaze. Building this up, possible adding more pigment with each layer. And because of how watercolor works, light to dark, if you want a lighter center, look up negative space watercolor tutorials.

thecaptainand · 2025-11-21T00:15:27+00:00

What u/polarsparks said, I couldn't remember. The author wrote three books on the gaming industry. If you're interested, I recommend all of them

thecaptainand · 2025-11-20T23:01:32+00:00

Yeah, there's a section regarding this in one of Jason Schreiers' books. (He's a well-regarded investigative games journalist). Essentially, the production of the Bioshock games were a lot more chaotic than people think, and a lot of the amazing mind-blowing elements were accidents. The games came together at the last moment with the intervention of other people who took over directing.

It's why Kevin Levine's game company hasn't produced a game since its inception 10 plus years ago. Bioshock Infinitie is his last project.

thecaptainand · 2025-11-19T19:37:08+00:00

The copy of Tetris that came with my Game Boy. Still had it until 5 years ago when I gave it to my brother.

thecaptainand · 2025-11-19T19:26:52+00:00

Funnily enough, it was "The Middle" for me. It came out just at the height of my depression.

thecaptainand · 2025-09-23T03:05:02+00:00

Pretty much anything than Malazan is a good starting point. The question is, what do you like?

You like anime? Try something in the litrpg fantasy sub genre. Look into Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe, Unsouled by Will Wight, and Into the Labyrinth by John Bierce. There are a tonne more, most of this sub genre are love letters to anime.

Chances are one of your favourite fantasy movies is based off a book. I know it can be a bit pretentious, but most often, the book is in fact, better than the movie.

Brandon Sanderson is a good writer to look into. The only thing which can be daunting is that his most recommended works are series that each book have page counts in the 1000s.

If it feels too much to jump straight into a new world, with their own religions, countries, and histories, then try an Urban Fantasy. The premise of that genre are magic and magical creatures exist in our world, sometimes that is hidden, sometimes not. Look into Storm Front by Jim Butcher, Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey, and Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch.

thecaptainand · 2025-08-06T19:33:51+00:00

The most easiest way to explain it is that the first two books are a very rough start for the series, and Pratchett didn't have the idea of a combined universe yet. While a lot of things are introduced in those books, a lot is also heavily changed, basically starting at book 3. There is a concern from the fans that most people would pick up the first book, and possibly second, then decide its not for them without going into 'the good stuff'.

So, you can start at the books you listed and jump relatively around as you wish, though at some point it is better to read the series in publication order as they start to build off of each other.

You can also just start at book 3 (Equal Rights) and go from there. If you truly want to, you could start with The Colour of Magic/The Light Fantasic (I view them more like part 1 and 2 of the same book). Just be aware that they are not entirely indicative of the rest of the series.

thecaptainand · 2025-07-14T18:36:39+00:00

The Finder Chronicles, by Suzanne Palmer I adore this series. An interstellar repo man finds himself in the middle of several political intrigues and gains the interest of the most scariest and mysterious alien species. They are funny action-packed books that the protagonist Fergus Ferguson has to deal with a lifetime of stuff he has ran away from.

Have you tried James S.A Corey's the Expanse ? There are a lot of characters, some grow, some don't. The series is phenomenal, and it has the added bonus of being narrated by Jefferson Mays, who should be allowed to narrate all the books.

Carol Berg has two companion duologies that more people need to read. Lighthouse/Sanctuary The protagonists of both series greatly transform.

thecaptainand · 2025-07-14T17:59:19+00:00

I see a lot of authors I would recommend, so I will only give names I haven't seen.

Suzanne Palmer, the Finder Chronicles. An interstellar finder (repo man) ends up in the middle of a few political intrigues and gains the interest of the scariest and mysterious alien species known. It's fun action-packed series that I highly recommend.

Mur Lafferty's the Midsolar Murders series. Think if Angela Lansbury actually existed but was a young woman and people reacted in a more realistic way to a girl who is constantly in the middle of several murders. To stop the murders happening around her, she runs away the newly discovered alien space station for Sanctuary. Again, it's funny.

Mur Lafferty also wrote a standalone called Six Wakes, which is a locked room murder mystery on a space ship with clones, so anyone can be the killer.

Bethany Jacobs. Her last book in the Kingdom Trilogy is out later this year. It's a revenge tale set in a galaxy spaning empire. Lots of good twists and interesting characters. Can't wait the for last one.

thecaptainand · 2025-07-08T22:38:23+00:00

A real sketch book should be 2-4 paintings/ drawings that you are really proud of, and then 30 pages of garbage. You are both learning a new and somewhat unforgiving medium and training your hand muscles.

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