The new year got off to a good start with 12 books and 2,594 pages read. Unusually, it was quite roleplaying heavy, although I read some fantastic novels, along with perhaps the best non-fiction book that I've read in a long time. This year I've set a target of 52 books again. I hope to beat that, of course.
The roleplaying books were driven by Cairn. This is a game by Yochai Gal that I've often heard of in cross references but never read or played. One of my friends mentioned it as a possible alternative system for a return to Dolmenwood and my ears pricked enough to pick up the core second edition books (Cairn Player's Guide, Cairn Warden's Guide and Cairn Bestiary). The game is very light but, like Mausrítter with which it shares some ancestry, it's surprisingly deep. I think I'll be rereading this and considering using it at some point.
After Cairn, I read both Coriolis: The Great Dark and its campaign set, Flowers of Algorab, in preparation for a campaign that I'll start in February. The fact that I'm planning to run it should tell you everything about my opinion of the game.
As part of my Clarkesworld catch up, I read Issue 226 and Issue 229, both of which were very enjoyable.
The non-fiction book I loved was Duncan Mackay's Echolands: A Journey in Search of Boudica. MacKay is an archaeologist who lives in East Anglia, and the story of Boudica's revolt has long fascinated him. He tells the tale well, sharing what we know of the culture of the Iceni, their Roman overlords, the nature of the Colchester Colonia and the ongoing military operations on the island by the Legions as the rebellion erupted. There's a fascinating exploration of the likely location of the final battle and then discussion of its aftermath, likely mass starvation. I listened to the audiobook which is read by the author and highly recommend this. Of course, growing up near Chester, I've long had a fascination with the Romans in Britain, so this was like catnip for me. It also touched on places I know and have passed through with work.
The Elle Cordova Bookclub pick this month was The Power by Naomi Alderman, which I found hard to put down. The book's caused a lot of discussion in the club Discord and has had mixed responses, but I found it compelling and read it very quickly. It talks about the overturn of the patriarchal nature of society when women start to develop the power to manipulate electrical fields. It's written from the perspective of several thousand years. Challenging but interesting.
I wanted a bit of change of tone after that, so I finally started reading James Ellroy's LA Quartet, starting with The Black Dahlia, which follows the lives of two LAPD cops, both ex-boxers, and the woman they both love as they are at the heart of the investigation of the Black Dahlia murder. Really well done, sunshine, grime, corruption and a fascinating mystery alongside.
The final book of the month was Mayflies by Andrew O'Hagan, which tells the story of two friends from Scotland. The book is split into two parts, one in the 1980s around a mad trip to Manchester to see various bands over a weekend, and the second part set thirty years later when the protagonists are drawn together again by adversity. I found this sad and joyful and enjoyed it. Certainly made me feel reflective about the passing of time.
8 February 2026
No comments:
Post a Comment