Writer's Block, So Here Is What I'm Reading

The writer’s block is heavy these days. I don’t know if it is work or a sports lull. Maybe it’s the anticipation of warmer weather. Who knows? I don’t have anything to focus on, so I will share what I’m reading. I don’t plan to go too deep; I’m just going to share what I like or don’t like.

The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin by Jaleigh Johnson

Yeah, this is pure brain candy fun. It is part of the new Dungeons and Dragons novels that I have completely enjoyed. I really like the adventuring crew that Johnson has created for us. Like most D&D games, it is a collection of eclectic characters trying to make their way along the Sword Coast. They visit Baldur’s Gate, Candlekeep, and Waterdeep, where they go to the Yawning Portal to dive deep into the Undermountain. Oh, all the while being chased by a lich. This has been a complete indulgence of the mind.

Duke Volume 1 and The Transformers Volume 1 in The Energon Universe

Yep, that is Duke of G.I. Joe, and yep, that is the Transformers, as in the robots that turn into cars, trucks, jets, etc. These two volumes are collections of the first six issues of these story runs by Image Comics. Wondering why I mention them together? These stories tie in together as part of the Energon Universe, which also includes the title Void Rivals. This series is a ton of fun!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The characters are a range of interesting to compelling, the story is good with some nice twists, but the world-building is amazing! The story primarily takes place in one area of the world, but the characters are from all over the world, and those areas and backgrounds are well-developed. This world is fleshed out in the series Shadow and Bone and continues in the duology Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. I have to lean on my students' recommendations, as they say the duology is the best, and Shadow and Bone is not quite as good as Six of Crows. This is actually a non-Star Wars and non-Forgotten Realms series which I may actually read.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Really brief here, but I have been enjoying this story where Peter Parker is swept (or punched as it may be) into intergalactic adventures to learn how to defeat Hellscape. Norman Osborne takes on the Spider-Man mantle while he rediscovers who he is. The Spider-Team (Miles, Gwen, Spider-Boy, Silk, and others) try to hold down the fort in New York City.