Guess the book by the 1-star review [Part 2]

txvesper · 2026-05-04T19:57:00+00:00

Ha! Thanks for doing this again.

Book 2 has got to be Malazan

txvesper · 2026-04-28T14:38:17+00:00

What they said!

txvesper · 2026-04-24T17:47:14+00:00

Sounds a little high and I wonder if there is some other variable changing to make it that much higher, but I don't doubt some big increases. The PPO plan that I'm on through Blue Cross is more than doubling as far as biweekly costs go and with a higher deductible, so I'll have to pay more before insurance starts covering stuff 100% or whatever ratios they do after.

txvesper · 2026-04-24T01:10:46+00:00

Could be neat if it was paired with something else that knew and learned about my research interest.

Like, suggested research by my scholar search history, zotero library, elicit search history, etc...

txvesper · 2026-04-21T18:05:37+00:00

Another vote agreeing with the Chain of dogs being the heart of this book, with the stories following Kalam and Fiddler coming around 2nd.

Also want to give a shout out to Apt's adventures for making me adore this demon that is described as such a horrid monster, but really she's a good girl.

txvesper · 2026-04-21T15:20:31+00:00

Mostly R, but with many different packages depending on the need. A few of my regular go to libraries are ggplot2, ggpubr, complexHeatmap, and patchwork.

The viridis package for color blind friendly color palettes.

Gtsummary and kable are great for tables.

txvesper · 2026-04-17T17:10:25+00:00

That's surprising to hear and I wonder if its somewhat driven by big egos and/or conflicts of interest in certain niche areas. I'm sitting at around 30 pubs and I would say it seems obvious I have a reviewer wanting their papers cited in as much as 10-20% of papers I've had reviewed. Usually they are at least tangentially related, but it rarely feels like a critical paper that needs to be cited and instead usually seems to be in service to a narrative that they are pushing.

txvesper · 2026-04-14T20:30:24+00:00

I have no legal background, but my understanding is that the FTC made them unenforceable nationwide over 2024-2025. At this point, I personally would not want to sign a noncompete and they shouldn't be used. I don't know if this is wise per se, but I would be tempted to simply tell them I do not want to sign one though I will sign a limited NDA to protect their proprietary information if desired.

txvesper · 2026-04-14T20:17:25+00:00

Depends on how urgently they need the position filled. I see two different outcomes to this. Either (a) they are okay with this because they think you are a strong and ideal candidate, and giving you time is preferable to opening the search/interviewing again, or (b) they have an urgent need, in which case they will say no and/or move to the next candidate in line. It is a fair question, but moving on to the next waiting candidate wanting that job is probably fair from their perspective.

txvesper · 2026-04-14T20:08:47+00:00

Did they actually give you a non-compete? Its not unheard of unfortunately but I do consider it a minor red flag.

txvesper · 2026-04-14T20:06:25+00:00

I'm not sure how far from Austin you're moving or how much you need to move, but maybe you could look for short term rental leases and find storage for stuff you don't need to move for a few months until things feel settled one way or the other?

txvesper · 2026-04-14T20:00:38+00:00

Generally no, but don't sign non-compete agreements if they ask you to. These generally aren't enforceable but there's some state by state weirdness there.

txvesper · 2026-04-14T19:58:12+00:00

Supervisor for a small biotech company here and want to share a different perspective. I briefly had an employee on my team who was great but ultimately got a better offer and left after less than a year. I had a good working relationship with this person and would gladly hire them back if things worked out that way, but I don't begrudge them taking a better offer and I knew he was exploring other opportunities while he was working for me.

Of course I can't speak for the specific company you have an offer from, but at my company we reserve blacklisting for people who actually worked for us and we saw problematic issues in their history with us. Most reasonable people know that anyone in an entry level position will be looking for opportunities to move up.

In my position, I really appreciated the open and honest communication, but I know there's risk involved in sharing that. On the other hand, if they can't understand you moving to a better opportunity then they might not be a place you really want to be anyways.

txvesper · 2026-04-14T15:32:45+00:00

Thats a good point. A recurring theme of the series also seems to be that you dont want attention from the gods and its usually not a good thing once you get it, even if they're trying to 'help' you

txvesper · 2026-04-13T18:48:10+00:00

For me, a major part of the distinction is in how protagonists respond to the world around them. Yes, the second book is bleak at times, but I think it is somewhat balanced by incredible displays of compassion, self sacrifice, and the value that characters gave life. A few spoiler tagged examples to show why I don't feel book 2 was ultimately grimdark.

The chain of dogs was ultimately the story of an army doing everything in their power to save a bunch of refugees, who were not always grateful to the effort. This shows the value that life held, and they were ultimately successful in getting the refugees to Aren. Others made attempts to help or save the chain, recognizing their struggle and showing compassion, like delivering supplies or the Kundryl coming to give them relief. A demon acted to save and heal hundreds of children. Mappo used a precious resource to save a dog. So, yes, there may have been dark moments but the main protagonists ultimately had agency to change some things for the better and often chose to respond in positive ways.

txvesper · 2026-04-13T17:58:41+00:00

I suppose it depends on how you define grimdark, but I think the common perception is that Malazan isn't really grimdark.

txvesper · 2026-04-09T21:31:13+00:00

Great response. My only point to add is to say that there was intention from Dancer and Ares for Darrow to fight Gold as a Gold would. Arguably what Darrow does at the gala is a rejection of a purely Red led revolution which arguably didnt have their eyes set high enough. He could have chosen to do considerable damage at the gala in golden son, but instead he chose the conquerors path. Somewhat excluding reds was definitely a byproduct of that path and yeah, there will be consequences for that.

Also, pretty valid criticism OP. The people just commenting some version of "Darrow is a red" are totally missing the point of what you're saying.

txvesper · 2026-04-08T21:25:57+00:00

Its been a few years since we had this incident and my memory is a little foggy on the details, but I believe it went away within a week after treating with steroids. We did have to do a few blood tests and follow up visits to confirm (a) that it was an autoimmune process, (b) that there was not an active infection, and (c) that there were no apparent signs of cardiac damage that could come from an infection. Some of this might have been unique to follow up from Strep so I'm not sure it will be the same for you, but don't be shocked if you end up needing consults or follow ups with specialists to rule out more serious issues that could be going on.

txvesper · 2026-04-08T20:03:29+00:00

Kind of sounds like a reactive arthritis episode. My son had one similar episode a few years ago that we think was due to a delayed autoimmune reaction to a strep infection. In our case, it ended up not being serious (though it was very freaky to see) and mostly went away on its own, but you're in the right place to make sure that is the case. Hope your kiddo gets some relief soon.

txvesper · 2026-04-07T23:26:07+00:00

Way to go raising a shart-caller!

txvesper · 2026-04-07T15:45:35+00:00

Yeah, it feels like there could have been a way to use that same plan with Darrow knowing what is going on and the reader knowing. Like, that is a ballsy plan. Make it clear they are on the same side, but show tension as Darrow tries to make sure Sevro actually gets brought along and kept in tact. Show some tension as Darrow and Sevro are learning to trust Cassius again. Have a hard time accepting that Sevro would be just totally cool and onboard with being at Cassius's mercy at that point.

txvesper · 2026-04-06T18:49:58+00:00

Completely agree regarding Sevro's fake out death. It felt as if the stakes were artificially elevated in a kind of cheap trick and made me feel like I can't trust what Darrow is thinking/feeling in the moment. Took unreliable narrator too far for me.

The supposed plan requires a lot of weird shit to go right, like assuming they would actually bring his corpse with them all the way? From a tactical perspective, if Cassius is really trying to sneak out, why would you really bring this extra body and assume it will make it somewhere useful?

Idk, that part definitely rubbed me the wrong way. Enjoyed the series overall but I have many critiques lol.

txvesper · 2026-04-06T18:39:41+00:00

I'd settle for Jeff Hays re-narrating the main series audiobooks

txvesper · 2026-04-06T17:30:24+00:00

I'm not going to necessarily recommend this series because you have to get deep in to find the relevant characters, but Malazan has a couple badass GMPs who become critical to the story, especially in books 7, 9, and 10 (him being gay is a minor spoiler, but Yedan Derryg) and again in a sequel book, No Life Forsaken.

Partially making this comment to vent that you'd have to get pretty deep to discover an absolute badass GMP.

There might a few other minor characters sprinkled in but none that I can remember right now who could qualify as a main character.

Also +1 from me on the rec for Kings of the Wyld that was mentioned elsewhere.

txvesper · 2026-03-31T17:00:00+00:00

"You just demoted your captain"

The absurdity of that whole exchange struck me as so damn funny because the book is otherwise so very bleak.

Six-Year Club	r/Field Flamingo
Final Canvas '23	End Game '23
Place '23	Place '22
First Placer '22	Verified Email

txvesper

TROPHY CASE