My Dearest Friends,
Are you a cat in heat after reading this?
Apologies. I am not going to summarize this section. It mirrors the first half of the Morning Glory Milking Farm from Rourke's POV. That discussion is linked Here. I think you’ve got it! So let’s stop edging and get right to the discussion.
We have already read some stuff about him last year, when we read the Iliad. But aren't you excited to find out more about his story?
We will be reading The Aeneid starting in August as a continuation of our journey in classic epic poems! So get your copy ready, spend a few weeks worrying about finding the perfect translation (unless you want to give it a try in Latin!) and stay tuned for a Schedule which will appear soon!
Will you join us in this literally epic journey?
If you want to check out the other discussions
Hello, reading friends! I’m here with a double announcement of our winners for the Quarterly Non-Fiction and the Discovery Read!
2nd place - A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson**
3rd place - The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
2nd place - The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje**
3rd place - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
***The 2nd place books will be added to the Wheel of Books for a chance to become a Runner-up Read in the future!
And if you’d like to start thinking about what you’ll nominate next time, here are the topics for our future votes:
- Quarterly Non-fiction (Autumn - voting in October): Philosophy
- Discovery Read (voting in August): Book to film
Will you be joining us for one or both of these amazing books? Discussions will start sometime around the 21st of July, so look out for schedules soon. Now, get yourself to a library or bookstore and find a copy to read along with us!
Hello, readers! The voting posts for both the Discovery Read and the Quarterly Non-Fiction are full of amazing selections. We are now down to the last 24 hours, so be sure to head on over and make sure the one(s) you wanna read are upvoted.
Discovery Read - Booker Prize Winners
Remember you can (and absolutely should) upvote all and any of the books you would read with r/bookclub if they win. The second place on both posts will be added to the Wheel of Books for the chance to become a Runner-up Read in the future.
Happy upvoting 📚☑️
Welcome to our first reading discussion for ‘Blood and Gold’ by Anne Rice. This is the eight book in the Vampire Chronicles series.
Next week we will be reading chapters 5 and 6.
Schedule and Marginalia
Summary:
The Listener:
Chapter 1: The book begins from the point of view of an ancient Scandinavian vampire, Thorne. Thorne has been asleep in the ice for decades, possibly centuries, after falling out with his maker. Through luck, or something else, he survived Akasha’s vampire massacre in ‘The Queen of the Damned’. He also watched most of the critical moments of ‘The Queen of the Damned’ through the eyes of other vampires, using the Mind Gift so we get a bit of recap here. Thorne was kind of not bothered by what was going on with Akasha until his maker, Maharet, took centre stage and told her life story to the remaining vampires. He watched as she was reunited with her twin and the pair of them defeated Akasha.
Since then, he has been waking up slowly, occasionally getting glimpses of what Lestat has been up to. From what I can tell, events up to the end of ‘Memnoch the Devil’ have been alluded to. Now Thorne is fully awake. He hears a voice calling to him, which pulls him fully out of sleep, and he decides to go and meet it.
Chapter 2:
Thorne goes down the mountains and finds a vampire tavern. He also finds Marius, who has been calling out for someone to talk to. They become instantly interested in each other. Marius takes Thorne back to his modern Scandinavian town house to clean up. We learn that Marius lives mostly alone, except for Daniel, a young vampire who is kind of crazy. We’ve met Daniel before, of course; he is the interviewer in ‘Interview with the Vampire’. Marius is the vampire version of his granddad. Daniel is currently obsessed with building miniature towns. Marius doesn’t overly approve of this and there seems to be a growing tension between the pair. However, before we can get into that, Marius takes Thorne to a giant bathroom and they share a bath.
Marius wants to tell Thorne his life story and Thorne wants to catch up on all the progress human and vampire civilization has been through. Before they can do that though, they decide Thorne needs to feed. We get hints from Thorne’s pov that he is awake for more than just surface reasons, he seems to want to get to Maharet and possibly do her harm.
Chapter 3:
Marius, sensible creature that he is, decides to take Thorne clubbing. They dance with some women and Thorne drinks a sneaky bit of blood from each of them. When this doesn’t quench Thorne’s thirst fully, they decide to go to a casino and find some Evil Doers. Thorne kills a man and gets a big drink from someone else. Happy with this, they head back to Marius’ house. Dawn is on the horizon, so Marius takes Thorne to his guest crypt. Thorne goes to sleep thinking more about Maharet. We learn that he was not just her fledgling but her lover. Back during the era of the Vikings she travelled to his homeland and posed as a witch to find herself a Viking lover. She killed a lot of people in the area before finding and taking a shine to Thorne.
Chapter 4:
Thorne wakes up and goes to find Marius. He speaks briefly to Daniel, who tells him that Marius doesn’t see what he does as an artform. Daniel may be growing unhappy with his living situation.
Marius comes out to talk with Thorne. He tells him a little bit of his backstory that we already know from previous books. Marius was a Roman scholar and senator. He was taken by crazy druids and forcibly made into a vampire against his will during an odd time of mass extinction for the vampires. Marius’ maker was old but incredibly burnt and sent him to Egypt to find out what was going on to cause the vampire burns/deaths. In Egypt, Marius found Akasha and Enkil, the first vampires to exist and the holders of the Sacred Core. Due to age and trauma, both vampires were basically comatose and needed someone to protect them from other vampires. Akasha and Enkil had been mishandled and left out in the sun by their suicidal caretaker. Marius took on the caretaker role from then on, until the 1980s, when Lestat woke Akasha from her sleep. We get a brief look into what Marius was thinking during the events of ‘The Queen of the Damned’. Before he goes into more detail about his life though he makes Thorne promise to not harm Maharet. Thorne seems to agree.
The pair also discuss Mael, a vampire they both hate. Marius hates him because he was one of the druids who abducted him and made him a vampire. Thorne hates him because he wanted a monogamous relationship with Maharet and Mael got in the way of that. We learn that Thorne left Maharet following Mael entering their relationship and that this eventually led him to going to sleep in the ice. Thorne has seen images of Lestat in chains made by Maharet, which he is also interested in learning more about.
Hi everyone and welcome to the third discussion of Fool’s Fate! The group make their way across the glacier on Asjeval and start digging for Icefyre, with many twists and turns along the way. The Fool and Fitz make amends, but Fitz is dealt a major blow with Peottre’s “courage cake”. There is also still a major split between parties with what to do when the dragon is revealed. I’m excited to hear what everyone thinks!
Hello everyone! It's warm out there and things are heating up in Shaker Heights! Let's discuss the last section of Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere. For reference, here are the Schedule, Marginalia, and some brief summaries to refresh you on the final third of the book:
Chapter 14: Mia accepts the Ryans’ offer and becomes their surrogate. She hides her pregnancy from her family, except Warren, who disapproves that she plans to give up the baby. After Warren’s funeral, Mia writes to the Ryan’s claiming she lost the baby and leaves town. She settles in San Francisco, giving birth to Pearl. Mia and Pearl visit an ailing Pauline, who takes photos of them. After Pauline dies, she sends the photos to Pearl, with instructions to contact her art dealer Anita and sell the photographs as needed.
Chapter 15: Mrs. Richardson finishes her visit with the Wrights, contacting the lawyer hired by the Ryans and a friend at the New York Times. Pearl brings Lexie to her home to recover from her abortion. Lexie is surprised by Mia’s kindness when she covers for Lexie’s absences from school and at home. Mia is honest with Lexie about not being able to truly know if she made the right choice. After overhearing part of a call between Mia and Bebe, Lexie starts to reconsider whether Bebe deserves a second chance with her daughter.
Chapter 16: Bebe, her lawyer Ed Lim, and the McColloughs, represented by Mr. Richardson, attend the hearing over custody of May Ling. For each detail of the case raised to suggest negligence on Bebe’s part, there is a countervailing explanation of Bebe’s desperation during that period of her life. Ed Lim brings Mrs. McCollough’s inability to recognize the limitations of raising May Ling in a household with a racial identity so different from the child’s own.
Chapter 17: Moody discovers Trip and Pearl’s relationship. Of all the non-Moody people she could choose to be with, he feels immensely betrayed she’s chosen his brother. They argue, then stop speaking entirely. Lexie goes to Mia for comfort after she and Brian break up. After a month, the judge hasn’t rendered a verdict on May Ling’s custody case, but Mrs. McCollough tells Mrs. Richardson about her suspicions Bebe may have recently had an abortion. Mrs. Richardson contacts her old friend who leads the clinic and asks to unofficially see the list of patients from the last few months.
Chapter 18: Despite her friend’s refusal, Mrs. Richardson finds the clinic’s patient list and discovers Pearl’s name there. She confronts Moody about “Pearl’s” abortion, while Izzy overhears Moody redirect his mother towards Trip. Instead, Mrs. Richardson goes to confront Mia, calling her a hypocrite for denying the Ryans their child and trying to do the same to the McColloughs, telling Mia to vacate the apartment after she confronts Mrs. Richardson. The judge orders May Ling to stay with the McColloughs, with no visitation rights for a devastated Bebe. Izzy is startled to find Bebe so distraught at Mia’s home, but Mia insists Bebe will persevere through the trauma of the court’s decision.
Chapter 19: Mia pulls Pearl out of school early, tells her the truth about the Ryans, and convinces her they need to leave. Izzy gets one final piece of advice from Mia about sometimes needing to burn things down to start anew. Izzy puts the pieces together about Lexie’s abortion and Moody steering their mother against Pearl and Mia, but Mia and Pearl have already left by the time Izzy reaches their apartment. Izzy takes Mia’s advice to heart, feeling that her whole family has foisted this unfairness on Mia and Pearl, and starts the fire in the Richardson home.
Chapter 20: With their home destroyed, Mrs. Richardson leads her family to the apartment where they find a picture left for each of them by Mia. May Ling is taken from her crib during the night, presumably by Bebe, and after a year the McColloughs are planning to adopt a baby from China. After setting the fire, Izzy sets out for Pittsburgh to find the Wrights and search for Mia. Mrs. Richardson grapples with having lost Izzy entirely, telling herself she will search for Izzy among strangers for as long as it takes to find her.
We're also gauging interest in a follow-up discussion of the 2020 television miniseries adaptation of the book. Make sure to respond to #15 if you'd be interested!
Wow, it’s July already?! I’m excited to hear how everyone has started off the month! Tomorrow is America’s 250th birthday, so many of us in the USA are gearing up for some fireworks, cookouts, and parades! What are you up to this weekend? Are you looking forward to anything in the coming week?
In case you're new to Free Chat Friday or need a refresher on what this thread is for: this is a space to know one another better and share whatever you'd like with the group. Of course, we can talk books, but we'd also love to hear what you're doing this weekend or what you've been up to recently!
Hello and welcome back to more contemporary poetry by political activist Amanda Gorman! This discussion include the 2 sections 'Earth Eyes' and 'Memoria'. We read a LOT of different poems this week, so I've split up the questions by poem to make it easier to discuss.
Links:
The next discussion will be on Monday for the section Atonement. See you there!
Hello and welcome to the fourth discussion of this classic. In this section we have seen Alyosha continue to try to make amends for Dimitri’s behaviour and him sharing a deep and meaningful philosophical discussion with Ivan.
Please find a link for the chapter summaries below or skip straight to the questions. I’m looking forward to hosting next week’s discussion before I pass on the baton to u/lazylittlelady
Welcome to the next Quarterly Non-Fiction (QNF) of the year. Our summer theme for 2026 is Any, and this means that the field is wide open for nominations on any topic!
What is Quarterly Non-Fiction (QNF), you ask? The Quarterly Non-Fiction is meant to provide more opportunities for the sub to explore the deep catalog of non-fiction texts which may not be as readily chosen in other categories like Read the World, Gutenberg, or Discovery Reads. So start thinking of what you’d like to learn next, based on the theme of, well, “Anything”.
Voting will be open for four days, from the 1st to the 5th of the month. The selection will be announced shortly after. Reading will commence around the 21st-25th of the month so you have plenty of time to get a copy of the winning title!
Please check the previous selections to determine if we have read your selection. You can also check by author here.
Nominate as many titles as you want (one per comment), and upvote for any you will participate in if they win. A reminder to upvote preferred reads will be posted on the 4th, so be sure to get your nominations in before then to give them the best chance of winning.
Happy Nominating and Voting!
Hello, I'm /u/Ser_Erdrick and you may remember me from the George Eliot Author Profile! I'm here again this week to discuss Wilkie Collins' No Name. So much drama happened last week and while this week we don't have as much drama we get more intrigue. So, let's recap this a bit
Second Scene, Chapter 1
The setting is York on 23 September 1846, which was a Wednesday (I looked it up!). The Second Scene is told from Captain Wragge's POV and we see him go to the train station where he "acquires" a reward poster for the missing Magdalen which prompts him to search for her. He finds her and confronts her with the poster. She accuses him of only wanting the reward money but he offers to let her stay with him and she accepts.
Chapter 2
They arrive at Wragge's home where he informs the landlady that Magdalen will be taking her empty bedroom. We then meet Mrs. Wragge who is very tall and perhaps mentally slow. Mrs. Wragge tells Magdalen how she and Captain Wragge met and about their homelife.
At tea, Captain Wragge offers to assist Magdalen is she will hear him out. He reveals that he is a professional swindler who has now become too well known. After this, Magdalen will consider his offer overnight.
Chapter 3
The next morning she decides she doesn't trust Wragge but is still determined to recover her lost family inheritance and ultimately decides to ask Wragge for his assistance. Magdalen begins by telling Wragge that her and her sister must make their own way in the world and that she (Magdalen) is determined to become an actress and asks his assitance in getting information on Uncle Michael Vanstone. Wragge and her start to make plans. Magdalen starts practicing her acting and Wragge formualtes how to get her safely from York.
Between the Scenes
Starting in October, Wragge details Magdalen's rise as an actress and how he digs up information on Michael Vanstone. We also learn that Wragge is defrauding Magdalen by underreporting just how much money her performances are bringing in. Magdalen eventually makes over £400 and wants to finish performing and that she has 'new objects in view'. Wragge specualtes what she is up to.
Michael Vanstone dies and his son inherits. Magdalen then turns the attention of her campaign to the son. Wragge, however, is now determined to play both sides.
Third Scene, Chapter One
With Mrs. Wragge in tow, Magdalen established herself in an apartment in Vauxhall across from where Noel Vanstone lives. She follows a servant and finds that they are looking for a railroad guide indicating they will be leaving London soon. That night, Magdalen plots and decides to persue her plans the next day before Noel Vanstone can leave London.
Chapter Two
Magdalen makes sure no one will see her leaving in her disguise and heads over to Noel Vanstone's residence only to find Mrs. Lecount is out and will not be back for a while. With some time to kill, she goes and seeks out her sister who is working as a governess and see her getting abuse not just from her charges but from the people around her and her employer.
She returns to Vauxhall and Mrs. Lecount has returned. Magdalen introduces her self as Miss Garth and that she is coming on behalf of the orphaned Vanstone sisters. Seeing that Noel Vanstone is having a good day and, after expounding on the virtues of the toad in the aquarium, brings the false Miss Garth to speak with Noel Vanstone.
Next we will continue reading all the way up to Scene 4, Chapter 2. Be sure to join us next week as we will find out just what happens! Same Wilkie Collins time! Same Wilkie Collins channel!
Here's the schedule and here is the Marginalia
Hey folks another month has come to its end and that means book report time!! One book or a million books we don't care. This is a space to celebrate all reading, swap opinions, add to the ever growing TBR and hear other's insights and thoughts on books on our radar. So share with us your June reads and your feelings about them in this month's Book Report 📚
What did you finish this month?
Hello book friends. It's time to choose our next Discovery Read!
As always, our Discovery Reads are a chance to read something a little different, step away from the BOTM, Bestseller lists, and buzzy flavor of the moment fiction. We have got that covered elsewhere on r/bookclub. With the Discovery Reads, it is time to explore the vast array of other books that often don't get a look in.
This year's theme is Prize Winners and this month we'll be nominating:
We will be accepting winning works from both the Booker Prize and the International Booker Prize.
You can find the winners for each prize here to make searching easier for you.
Voting will be open for four days, from the 1st to the 5th of the month. A reminder will be posted 24 hours (+/-) before the vote is closed and the winners will be announced asap after closing the vote. Reading will commence around the 21st of the month so you have plenty of time to get a copy of the winning title!
Please check the previous selections to determine if we have read your selection. You can also check by author here. Nominate as many titles as you want (one per comment), and upvote for all and any you will participate in if they win. A reminder to upvote will be posted on the 4th, so be sure to get your nominations in before then to give them the best chance of winning!
Happy reading nominating 📚
Note - The mod team does not constantly review nominations so if you suspect that a nomination does not fit the specifications you are welcome to report this and note that it "Does not fit Specifications". The mod team will review it and approve or delete accordingly. Any comments on the validity of other users' nominations will be removed immediately. Winning nominations are always confirmed to fit specs before the winners announcement is made
Cześć i witaj (hello and welcome....I think) to our first discussion for the Read the World - Poland book Ferdydurke. Today we will be discussing the first three chapters . As always there will be a summary below and a bunch of questions in the comments to get you started.
If you need 'em
#Summaries
#1 - Abduction The narrator wakes from a bad dream with deep feelings of anxiety and concerns about his own immaturity. He considers his book Memoirs from the Time of Immaturity and its reception by various groups. The MC, Joey, shunned the elite but found his book was considered immature by the "semi-educated". He reflects on his social demeanor and how it was inadequate due to contrariness and/or anxiety. Taking stock leads the MC to burst into fits of laughter. This is when he notices an apparition of himself in the corner. He jumps out of bed and slaps the apparition away then begins writing. The maid brings his breakfast when shortly after T. Pimko appears (a doctor of philosophy and a professor, in reality just a schoolteacher, a cultured philologue from Kraków). He offers condolences for Joey's dead aunt. The Professor reads the Joey's work as he, uncomfortably, watches and waits. The Professor questions the Joey about poet Kasprowicz the historian Lelewel and adverbs/conjugation. The Professor gives him a poor grade then says Joey must go to Mr. Piórkowski’s school to fix his lacking education. The maid begins wailing as he is dragged from the house. On the way, as Joey tries to keep up, a little dog jumps up and rips Pimko's trouser leg....
#2 - Imprisonment and Further Belittlement Pimko drags Joey all the way in to the school and demands he is enrolled in the sixth-grade. He is left with the students who behave immaturely though they remain under the eyes of their mothers standing outside the fence?!. A school inspector is reported to have been seen snooping from behind the tree. It is, in fact, Pimko, and he has written a note in which he says that the students are innocent. The students laugh at this. Joey tries to get Pimko to come out from behind the tree, but he continues to assert that all the students are innocent even as they swear and mock him. After he leaves the students joke about Syphon being innocent. Things escalate and when Syphon rejects Kneadus' apology they fight. In the face of defeat Syphon and his side begin singing the Falcon's March. Kneadus can do nothing but walk away. He and his friends plan to stop Syphon singing as Joey is called in to Principal Piórkowski's office by Pimko. From there he meets the disagreeable teachers who haven't a thought in their heads, and whom the Principal keeps anemic with a poor diet. At the bell all the students pile into the classrooms and come immediately with excuses and attempts to get out of class. The teacher, "Ashface", tries unsuccessfully to teach poetry, which should be appreciated for poetry's sake, but the students do not care. The teacher argues with a student called Gałkiewicz, but the the boy is not buying it. Ashface makes Syphon recite some poetry which has an effect on the students. Joey realises he has to run away, but he cannot run away from himself and what Pimko has made of him. Kopyrda quietly appears...
#3 - Caught with His Pants Down and Further Kneading After the bell the students are released and Pyzo rallies for Syphon and his lads while Syphon himself sits quietly. The boys fight over their varying, yet equally narrow, awkward, constrained, and inept ideals. The argument becomes dishonorable and only Kopyrda avoids getting sucked in. Joey tries to prevent Kneadus jumping Syphon but that only puts him head to head with Kneadus. He tries to convince Kneadus to run away with him to the real world of the journeymen. The Syphonists over hear and mock Kneadus for being a farmhand sentimentalist. Things escalate and....Kneadus challenged lls Syphon to a face-pulling duel *(Ok I tried to keep the commentary out of my write-up but seriously....WHAT on earth is going on?!?!?!)* to which he names Joey as umpire. The bell rings and Latin class begins, but none of the class has done their homework. They are systematically awarded F's by the teacher who insists Latin enriches the mind. Eventually he calls on Syphon who recites the passage fluently and with ease. The teacher is amazed. At the bell he walks out and the conflict resumes. Kneadus won't let Joey off the hook, because he is upset that Joey let out his secret desire to be farmhand. Mizdral and Hopek (Kneadus' seconds) beg him not to participate, believing he'll be defeated. Joey is alone with the 2 fighters and their seconds. The battle begins....amid the facepulling Kneadus eats a fly and they both break down crying then Syphon points and Kneadus picks his nose but Syphon keeps pointing and that somehow means he is the victor.... IDK folx .... I honestly don't know. Kneadus refuses defeat and they attack Syphon and co. Particularly Syphon's ears. Joey is frozen to the spot. Pimko returns....
#References This site has a particularly good break down by chapter of the book (credit to u/bluebelle236 for finding this).
Well friends that was....er....different and I fully empathise with all the high-school Polish literature students having to wade through this odd book. Next week join u/bluebelle236 for chapters 4 through 6. 📚🇵🇱
Welcome knights, ladies, lords etc. to our latest discussion of The Bright Sword. Today we'll be discussing chapters 25 through 29 and God's blood do we have a lot to discuss. You can check out the marginalia here and the schedule here. Next week u/IraelMrad will lead the discussion for chapter 30 through Chapter 34. For Camelot!! Let's do it.
Summaries
Twenty-five Miracles After the tournament, the knights shake hands with Lancelot du Lac except Dagonet (who apparently doesn't shake hands with anyone) and Bedivere. Lancelot swears to Bedivere that he didn't betray Arthur and would not have left Arthur had he not been forced to. Bedivere does not care and walks away after threatening Lancelot. Lancelot escorts the rest of the knights to Hoxmead Abbey, which is where Lancelot has decided to spend the rest of his days. Dinadan and Constantine recount their story of the Battle of Camelot to Lancelot, and then Lancelot shares his story. After the disaster of Camlann, Lancelot swears that he never betrayed Arthur, but the shame of his failure ran so deep he fled instead of facing it. The knights ask why Lancelot didn't tell them who he was when he was fighting as the Indigo Knight, and Lancelot states that he couldn't because as soon as he put on his armor, he couldn't speak. He guesses that "God didn't want me to spoil the surprise." The Knights tell Lancelot that they are looking for the Holy Lance, hoping it will give them a new king, and ask Lancelot to join them. He declines, saying that his place is at the abbey. The following night, Lancelot recounts an adventure he had in his early days in which he healed Sir Meliot de Logres's wounds with a bloody cloth from the Chapel Perilous and that while he was healing Meliot with magic, he could feel God work through him. Lancelot also tells them about growing up with the Lady of the Lake (a different Lady of the Lake from the one who presented Excalibur). He is trained by the fairy in the lake for seven years, and when he turned seventeen the lady states that Lancelot must pay his boon and sleep with her. Lancelot refuses and kills her. Lancelot strives for the rest of his days to be the perfect knight in order to feel God's love and warmth again as he did when he healed Sir Meliot. Lancelot admits that though he didn't betray Arthur, he would have had Guinevere wanted him. The knights wonder who sent the summons to Lancelot that night and think it could have been Mordred. With that, Lancelot bids them good luck with their adventure.
Twenty-six The Waste Land King Arthur and Guinevere are going through parchment rolls pertaining to the kingdom, and then out of nowhere King Arthur throws a tantrum and walks out to the courtyard. Guinevere notices that King Arthur is wearing himself thin. The adventure of the Holy Grail has been disastrous for the past eight months, and Arthur is trying to find the meaning in all of it. She convinces him to back inside where it's warm to give the latest news of the Holy Grail. Inside, Arthur wants to wait for Mordred before receiving the news. We learn that Lancelot has returned from his adventure but did not find the Grail. After dismissing Mordred Arthur and Guinevere discuss their options. Arthur, as a man of action, doesn't know what to do. Arthur guesses that God is "washing his hands" of them. Guinevere then suggests they go hunting and tells Arthur to meet her on the grounds. Arthur is late meeting Guinevere because he is held up by King Erec, who told him a story about some knights causing trouble in Destregales. The knights Lavaine and Bellangere kill a giant named Umfrey who was on friendly terms with the locals. So the locals being upset, Erec had the ringleader hanged and the rest put in the stocks. King Arthur comes to the conclusion that no one cares about the search for the Holy Grail and, with that, that God must not care as well. Arthur denounces God as his God. Guinevere states that God may abandon them, but she will never abandon Arthur. They decide that without God Britain may become a wasteland without God and that they will have to find a way to live in a waste land or bring it back to life.
Twenty- seven The Barrow Collum is woken up by a Saxon hunting party. The knights fight off the Saxons with the exception of Dagonet; he climbed a tree when the fighting started. The knights continue their journey, and Bedivere tells Collum that maybe Collum could be a child that Arthur had hidden away. Collum is annoyed and states that it's not him because he thinks he would know if it was him. Nimue wants to know why he is so bent on denying it being a possibility, and Collum states because there's no way it could be him. Collum states that though he never met his father, he knows that he knows that he knows that he is a fisherman's bastard. Nimue counters with, "Why is it that Morgan le Fay is always sniffing around Collum?" Collum states that Morgan is perverse and that he is not. They come upon a foul smell, and Nimue knows by the smell that they have reached Merlin's Hill. Nimue suspects that either God or Merlin brought them to the hill. Nimue doesn't trust Merlin, but the knights think that she should put aside her feelings and free him from the hill so that he can aid them. Merlin speaks to them from underground and admits that he was not the one who brought them to the hill. Merlin taunts and tempts them, but Nimue refuses to set him free. Merlin believes that the fall of Britain began with his own downfall. Merlin agrees to give them a spell that will send them north if Nimue gives him a key to the cave so that he can do God's will. Merlin gives them the spell, but they do not set Merlin free, and he is angry that they lied. He yells at them to let him out as they walk away.
Twenty-eight The Tale of Nimue Nimue's life as a fifteen-year-old laundress leads her to slowly starve herself as she tries to provide for her seven-year-old sister, Mary. Mary learns that she cannot survive on her laundress's salary and also learns that the steward of the castle was waiting for her to come to this conclusion so she could sell herself. Nimue refuses to become a prostitute but doesn't know how to make enough money, so she prays to God. And with that, Merlin arrives and takes her as an apprentice once she causes a machine that he built to respond to her touch. Nimue doesn't trust Merlin and feels conflicted about practicing pagan magic. But she continues to devote herself to God and learn magic from Merlin and is allowed to visit her sister once a year. On day Merlin tries to force himself on Nimue, and what ensues is an epic battle between Merlin (and the major gods like Taranis) and Nimue and the minor gods (such as Tumbo, Awel, and Durelas). With the help of Durelas and Taranis striking down Merlin, Nimue is able to escape, and Merlin is buried deep within a hill.
Twenty-nine The Wild Hunt Nimue prepares the spell that Merlin gave them, and it yields an arch between two beech trees that leads to somewhere. Before they set off, Constantine states that he will not be joining them and that he intends to change Lancelot's mind about being king. They make their way north and push through an empty gate in Hadrian's Wall. Sometimes, people who are willing to talk to them share news of Camelot, but the knights take the news to be confused rumors. One night Collum wakes up to a hunting horn, and an assortment of Otherworld animals trot through their camp. Nimue seems worried, and it becomes clear why she is worried when Morgan shows up. Morgan claims the rules of old magic state that because their party witnessed The Wild Hunt: one of the knights must now join them. Palomides joins them. They continue their journey, and when they arrive north, Collum recognizes it as Mull. Even Alasdair is there. Alasdair invites them in, and Collum, not wanting to be around Alasdair, goes out to gather firewood. Collum wrestles with his feelings about Alasdair and hates the idea of forgiving him. Nimue joins him outside and tells him that he has, like Merlin, made her feel weak; Alasdair made Collum feel weak. She kisses him and tells him that now he can show Alasdair how strong he was then and now. Back inside, Alsdair asks if Collum can forgive him since it's Christmastime. Collum says no and stabs Alasdair's hand to the table. Collum knows that whoever or whatever Alasdair is, it's not the real Alasdair. The Alasdair transforms into a fiend and proves Collum right. They try to escape, but the back door and windows that used to be in the house have vanished. So Collum leads them to a pantry in the kitchen up a ladder that leads to a trapdoor that opens onto the roof. As the fiend chases them Bedivere decides to stay behind and the others escape, but Collum doesn't think it's Bedivere's fight; it must be his (Collum's fight). As they argue Scipio shows up and forces Bedivere to give up the fight and escape with Collum. As they leave Scipio yells that Collum must be Arthur's heir and must be taken to the end of the adventure.
Hello readers, welcome to the last discussion of The Great Believers!
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The time of the year has arrived when we feature a webcomic in our Monthly Mini! This year, we are reading the first two chapters of Keeping Time, which has recently been nominated for an Eisner Award. Of course, feel free to read ahead if you’d like, just make sure to use a spoiler tag to discuss future plot points.
The author, Okamoto, is a 4th generation genderqueer Japanese-American. As they say, when not working on his long-form webcomic, Kody can be found singing songs to his cats about how stinky they are.
What is the Monthly Mini?
Once a month, we will choose a short piece of fiction that is free and easily accessible online. It will be posted on the 1st of the month. Anytime throughout the following month, feel free to read the piece and comment any thoughts you had about it.
Bingo Squares: Monthly Mini, Published in the 2020s, LGBTQ+, POC Author, Graphic Novel
The selection is: First two chapters of "Keeping Time" by Kody Okamoto. Click here to read it.
Once you have read the story, comment below! Comments can be as short or as long as you feel. Be aware that there are SPOILERS in the comments, so steer clear until you've read the story!
Here are some ideas for comments:
Still stuck on what to talk about? Some points to ponder...
Have a suggestion for a short story you think we should read next? Click here to send us your suggestions!
Hello again. I'm /u/Ser_Erdrick and I'm here to bring you the third week of our exploration into the life, times and people surrounding Mary Anne Evans Marian Evans George Eliot as chronicled by Kathryn Hughes in George Eliot: The Last Victorian.
We are creeping up on our discussion of The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot. Here's a link to the schedule so you know exactly what sections are being read and when and when we'll start The Mill on the Floss.
And here's the link to the Marginalia for any random thoughts\quotes\snark or whatever else you'd like to. Just be sure to mark any spoilers there!
Chapter Seven - 'A Man of Heart and Conscience' Meeting Mr. Lewes (1852 - 1854)
Marian takes a break from editing the Westminster Review due to it wearing down on her and visits old friends to mentally recharge. For a brief period she lives with her recently widowed sister and her brood of six children but leaves again for London which sparks barbs between her and her brother Isaac. Marian will, instead of providing direct care, will send monetary assistance when she can. However, money will be short as Marian leaves the Westminster and decides to go freelance and leaves Chapman's house.
The chapter then gives us a long flashback where we learn how Marian learned of George Henry Lewes came to become acquainted first with Lewes' writing and then later the man himself. We then get a biographical sketch of Lewes. Eventually the couple, obviously in love, leave for the continent in July of 1854.
Chapter Eight - 'I Don't Think She Is Mad' Exile (1854 - 1856)
Marian and Lewes leave England and make their way across Europe and they make their way to what is now Germany so Lewes can work on his biography of Goethe. However, back at home, Marian being unmarried and Lewes married to another woman, leaves scandal and gossip behind them in England. While there, Marian continues to write sporadic articles and assists Lewes in translating and does works on translating Baruch Spinoza's Ethics (which will ultimately go unpublished until 1981!).
They return home where Marian continues her works on Spinoza while Lewes works on his Goethe biography. Marian, while opening living with Lewes, tightly controls who they interact with and begins to review books (Erdrick's note: 166 of them in a two year period or a little over three books over every two week period!) and begins to consider what type of fiction she herself will want to write. The chapter also chronicles the difficulties, especially in the case of Marian, in their personal lives.
Next week we will be back as we discuss chapters 9 & 10. Hope to see you there!
Greetings people of Earth, and welcome to our third and final discussion on Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov! Last week, Dr. Arvardan went to a secret appointment with Dr. Shekt and also declared his undying love for a young woman he only met once before. What will happen at this meeting? Will we learn what the Ancients are planning? Will Secretary Balkis succeed in his nefarious ambitions? Will Arvardan get cooties from kissing an Earthgirl? Let's find out! A summary of this week's chapters will follow.
The discussion schedule can be found here, and the marginalia post for the Galactic Empire series is here.
Chapter 15: The Odds That Vanished
Dr. Shekt prefaces his news by offering Arvardan an orange that is grown only on Earth and found nowhere else because the Ancients are so isolationist that they don't export anything. Arvardan is mad because neither the Empire nor the Zealots on Earth want to solve the prejudices, but there's only so much he can do as he's not Procurator Ennius's go-between. The elder scientist touches upon the Common Fever, a mutated virus to which the people of Earth are immune, but the rest of the Galaxy is not. Arvardan is suddenly afraid he got radioactive cooties from smooching Pola, but Shekt reassures him her cooties won't kill him. Shekt also reveals that the Synapsifer is more successful than he's let on: the Council of Ancients made him swear to secrecy in exchange for avoiding the Sixty. It was used on Earth biologists who were tasked with creating an artificial strain of the virus that would kill everyone in the Galaxy except the people of Earth, and Shekt wants to put a stop to this plan. Unfortunately for them, they have unwanted company: Secretary Balkis has broken in, says they've captured Schwartz, and tazes Arvardan with his neuronic whip.
Chapter 16: Choose Your Side!
We join Schwartz in the Hall of Correction. Schwartz has been using his incarceration to practice his Mind Touch on the guards and knows he's sentenced to death. A guard takes him to another room, where we find Shekt, Pola, and Arvardan, who are also condemned, but Schwartz suddenly finds himself unsympathetic to their plight. Arvardan asks Schwartz why he's mixed up in this mess, and our temporally displaced tailor reveals he's from the distant past. Shekt wonders about the energy required to dislodge a person or object from time and remembers a theory about time faults caused by uranium nuclei mixed with copper and barium exposed to gamma radiation. Arvardan asks Schwartz to speak a few words in English and recognizes them as an ancient language found on inscriptions in places such as Sirius, which is proof that Earth really is the original planet of humans. Schwartz says no one will listen because they're not interested in the truth, only traditions. Shekt changes the subject to one of the side effects of the Synapsifer: mind reading. Shekt and Arvardan ponder how to use Schwartz's newly acquired gift to get out of jail. Schwartz demonstrates his Mind Touch on Arvardan with painful results for our young archaeologist and tells the trio he's not interested in helping them out. As far as he's concerned, the Galaxy can sod off.
Chapter 17: Change Your Side!
Nursing his injured pride and indignation at a man of the Empire being left to rot in prison, Arvardan ponders how he can convince Schwartz to change his mind. Schwartz counters by telling Arvardan what he's thinking right now, and it includes a slur for Earthmen. When our young archaeologist denies it, Schwartz tells him not to bother asking help from an Earthman like him. Arvardan tells Pola not to listen to Schwartz, but she says it's no use denying it, and that Schwartz likely has some unspoken prejudices of his own. She then asks Schwartz to probe her mind for her true feelings. Arvardan similarly submits himself to a mind probe, admitting that he was raised with strong anti-Earth prejudice that he's been fighting within himself as an adult. He says Earth is freer from war and poverty than ever thanks to its representational government and asserts that Earth's legitimate grievances can only be solved if there's a Galaxy around to help solve them. Schwartz finally relents and, at Arvardan's request, finds Balkis's mind. He learns that the Secretary's plan hasn't started yet, but that there are homing missiles armed with the virus and aimed at other planets, and these missiles are stored in the Temple of Senloo, a place where two rivers converge, which is surrounded by radiation and only Ancients can access. Balkis himself stops by for a visit to gloat and tell the prisoners they're sentenced to die. Arvardan valiantly tries to rush him, but is blown back with a gentle shove. Balkis then offers them a deal: Arvardan must tell him how much the Empire knows. When the archaeologist tries to say that's above his pay grade, Balkis threatens with using the Synapsifier on Shekt and Pola until their brains turn to oatmeal, while Arvardan and Schwartz will be subjected to a modified version of the virus and die a slow death. When Balkis accuses Schwartz of killing Natter, the time-displaced tailor doesn't deny it, but says he'll do something worse to Balkis.
Chapter 18: Duel!
Schwartz tells Balkis he knows the Secretary is in this for personal glory, not for justice. When Balkis acts unconcerned and mentions the hour of the strike has been moved up, Schwartz uses his Mind Touch to learn the exact day and time. Schwartz activates his trap card and freezes the Secretary in place with some difficulty. Schwartz tells Arvardan to get the Secretary's blaster because he's not sure how long he can hold the Secretary like that. The archaeologist fights through his own paralysis and lunges at Balkis in the nick of time. Shekt picks up the blaster and points it at Balkis, who tries to dodge it and, in doing so, leaves his mind open for one last attack from our brave tailor. Balkis drops to the floor like a sack of potatoes, unconscious but still alive. Schwartz wanted to see if they could use Balkis as a decoy to get out of jail, but he's not sure how long he could keep him under control. Shekt encourages him to try anyway and says they'll need to give Balkis his blaster back, which the other three think is insane. As the Secretary slowly comes to, Schwartz tries to place him under mind control and manages to make Balkis move like a robot, which is good enough to fool the guards. The five of them head to the Secretary's ground car, where Schwartz comes across his first problem: he can't make Balkis drive. Shekt volunteers to be their Uber driver instead. They head to Fort Dibburn, an Imperial base, where Arvardan demands to see the commanding officer and namedrops the Procurator. The guard eventually lets them through.
Chapter 19: The Deadline That Approached
Inside the fort, the Secretary is disarmed and released from Schwartz's Mind Touch, then punched out by Arvardan, who accuses him of conspiring to overthrow the Empire. When Arvardan demands to see the commanding officer, the group is taken to another room, where they wait for a few hours. Eventually a familiar face pops up: it's Lieutenant Claudy, and he's got a few bones to pick with Arvardan for fraternizing with filthy Earthmen. Claudy informs them that the Colonel isn't in and he's the officer on duty, and he makes Arvardan grovel and beg for an interview. When the archaeologist complies, Claudy slaps him as payback for his broken arm, then grants the audience, leading Shekt, Pola, and Schwartz behind. Pola sighs and pines for Arvardan and tells daddy that she loves him. Shekt has been listening to the Secretary, holed up in another room, pacing back and forth; but now he hears nothing. They wake up Schwartz, who uses his Mind Touch to learn Balkis is with the Colonel, who is most definitely in. Meanwhile, Claudy indulges in his favourite hobby, which is being racist, and forces Arvardan to listen because he's in love with an Earthgirl, and accuses him of being in league with the armed mob that has gathered outside the fort. After another altercation nearly breaks out, Claudy says the Colonel will see Arvardan after all. At this next interview, he insists to the Colonel that the Galaxy is in mortal danger, but can't provide evidence or further details except to Procurator Ennius. The Colonel orders the soldiers to standby and not to shoot at the mob unless in self-defence. An Earthman from the mob walks over with a truce flag, and the Colonel grants him and the Secretary an audience, which Arvardan insists he must attend as well.
Chapter 20: The Deadline That Was Reached
The Secretary enters the interview room. The Colonel apologizes and says Balkis is free, but he must first investigate the charges laid against him. Balkis downplays the competency of his accusers. The Earthman with the truce flag is one of the Ancients and agrees to make the mob outside disperse. When the Colonel lets Balkis go, Arvardan protests and banks on the Colonel's prejudices, saying it's not fair that an Earthman gets more consideration than a man of the Empire. The Secretary suddenly decides to stay until Ennius arrives to prove his loyalty to the Empire. Arvardan returns to the gang and admits he screwed up. Schwartz has probed the Colonel's mind and hasn't found any treason, but he's also sensed that the Secretary is super pissed about the whole mind control thing and is petty enough to set aside his plans for Galactic domination if it means getting back at them. Arvardan suggests that Schwartz try to control someone else, but Shekt warns that it's too much of a strain. Time passes, and it's midnight of the final day. Everyone is gathered, even Ennius. Shekt reveals what the Synapsified biologist told him before he died and that the conversation was recorded. Balkis retorts that a dying, delirious man's confession is worthless, and that Shekt is getting paranoid because he's approaching the big 6-0, to which the elder scientist replies he's being watched by the Ancients, so of course he's paranoid. Shekt then mentions how Schwartz "volunteered" for the Synapsifier and can now read minds. Schwartz demonstrates this by reading both the Secretary's and the Procurator's minds. Ennius states that the evidence means nothing if they can't find a second, impartial mind reader. Balkis asks that Schwartz be taken away and goes so far as to accuse him of being the real traitor. Pola speaks up but breaks down crying. Balkis offers to remain in custody for a week and wait and see if the epidemic hits. Ennius agrees, Arvardan tries to lunge at Balkis again, and is promptly tazed again for his trouble.
Chapter 21: The Deadline That Passed
Arvardan wakes up when the deadline for the attack has passed. Pola tells him that Ennius decided to do nothing and Schwartz was never brought back. When the Procurator stops by for a visit, Arvardan tears into him and tells him what he can expect when the virus hits. Ennius suggests that Arvardan could release a statement saying he wasn't in his right mind when he accused Balkis of conspiracy, and after all, he'd have to have lost his marbles to be in love with an Earthgirl. Our hotheaded archaeologist grabs Ennius by the throat and is about to be arrested when the Colonel enters, saying the mob is still outside despite the Secretary's pinky promise. Balkis appears right on cue and gloats about his evil plan to the Procurator. Ennius apologizes to Arvardan, Shekt, and Pola, as if that's going to make things better. He's about to return to Everest to die with his family when Schwartz returns and says he's foiled Balkis's plans. When he left in Chapter 20, he knocked out his guard and went searching for a pilot with the most genocidal tendencies he could find: Lieutenant Claudy. Schwartz gave him a few gentle mental nudges to bomb the Temple of Senloo (formerly known at Saint Louis) out of existence. Schwartz waited this long because he knew he had to wait for the Secretary to gloat over his victory and put in the nail in his own coffin. Balkis collapses in a fit, defeated.
Chapter 22: The Best Is Yet to Be
A month later, Schwartz is adjusting to his new life, freshly decorated for his efforts in saving the Galaxy. The people of Earth are starting to import non-radioactive soil from other parts of the Galaxy to slowly decontaminate their planet. Schwartz approaches Shekt's house and overhears Arvardan and Pola, newly married, discussing his plans to take her on a Galactic honeymoon tour before returning to Earth to help with the relief efforts. Schwartz waits outside and recites a few lines from a Robert Browning poem.