u/mgrier123

Featuring:

Overkill (old school set)

Beherit

Armored Saint

Metal Church

Bulldozer

Exumer

Gallowbraid

Titan Force

Omen (final US set)

Thor

Steroid

Hellwitch

Ebony Pendant

Thangorodrim

Fire Magic

Fortress

Gudsforladt

Woe Bather

Wanted

Street Tombs

Zorn

Concilium

Show n Tell

Accuser

Living Fast

Grozov

Coffin Hunters

Sacred Steel

> Taking someone’s money without delivering commensurate value is a crime, unless it’s done by a business. Exploiting the law to ruin another person’s life or livelihood is unsavory, unless it’s done for business. Crushing the weak, abandoning the sick, exploiting the desperate—all of these sins can be excused when done in pursuit of profit. Under the protective shroud of business, such acts are no longer acts at all, but the result of a market force, an unavoidable reality of economics, a certain outcome of a rational system and not—as would otherwise be the case—evidence of a depraved turpitude so rank that it leaves a greasy residue on the soul. This is why the ruthless are quick to give their victims and detractors alike stringent assurances that their cutthroat tactics are “just business”—often garnished with a polite smile and incongruous well-wishes.

Pike gets what made Sir Terry Pratchett (GNU) so good. He just does, and he does it in his own way. It's not just the surface level stuff like the comedic footnotes or the puns, though those definitely add to it, but it's the whole package. The ethos. This now 4 book series, well trilogy + standalone sequel, is a Pratchett-esque take on a D&D fantasy setting revolving around a fantasy version of modern finance.

It's been a few years since the original trilogy, and now our intrepid Dwarven barbarian Gorm Ingerson is the Guildmaster for the Hero's Guild in charge of Audit and Enforcement. He's traded in his mace for a stack of papers and corkboard for which he can investigate crimes perpetuated by heroes. The case here is one of necromancy involving a former banker and a brand new type of asset, Crypt Currency, that's traded over the inter aethernet.

There's a side plot throughout the book recounting a gnoll working as a delivery driver who gets convinced by a young woman in a tea shop to drop her job to sit around all day investing in this new asset. At first, it goes great. She's making money paw over fist even though it doesn't really make sense how she's making money doing this. And then, inevitably, it collapses and she loses everything including her fancy cart she spent so much time and money improving. And the young woman who convinced the gnoll to get into this new, high risk market? Her rich father cuts her allowance in half and sends a golem driven carriage to take her back to the family manor; and as she leaves the teashop tells the gnoll "we're in the same boat here" to which the gnoll responds: "are we?"

This is what I mean when I say Pike gets it. When you look past the puns and jokes, this kind of critical examination of modern society through a fantasy lens is where Pratchett excelled and also where Pike excels. Alongside the commentary and the jokes, Pike here also presents a great character focused story of Gorm coming to terms with what it means to truly be a Dwarf between his strained relationship with his home clan and father, the Dwarf clan he's investigating, and the feelings he starts developing for someone. A very interesting and unique take on fantasy dwarves.

Would highly recommend this series to anyone who likes Pratchett, D&D, and/or finance/economics. I'd recommend starting at the beginning but this one serves as a good introduction to the setting and is stand alone, you don't need to have read the prior books. You'll miss some of the cameos and might get a little of the ending of the prior books spoiled but should otherwise work.

A very slept on later Riot album. If you like Thundersteel you gotta give this one a listen

Come join us in this week's discog club