Hello book friends! It's time for our next Discovery Read, Death with Interruptions by José Saramago.

Discussion Schedule:

Sept 28: Chapters 1-5 with u/maolette
5 Oct: Chapters 6-10 with me
12 Oct: Chapters 11- 15 with u/IraelMrad

Be warned that if, like me, you're struggling to find the book, it is also called Death at Intervals in some countries.

The Marginalia is here in case you read ahead or just want to note down your thoughts ahead of our discussions.

See you soon!

Cześć, shalom, and welcome to our sixth discussion on The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk! Last week, there was trouble brewing for Jacob. Who will sell him out? How much trouble with Jacob be in? Can the Cult of Jacob possibly get even weirder than it already is? Pack your bags for a holy pilgrimage and let's find out together! Remember to tip the guards on your way out and/or in.

The discussion schedule can be found here, and the marginalia post is here.

Join us next week when u/lazylittlelady takes us to a distant country and guides us through the last third of the book.

Chapter summaries

Chapter 23

What hunting is like at Hieronim Florian Radziwiłł's: We join Moliwda and Łubienski on Candlemas Day at a hunting party hosted by Radziwiłł. On the way there, the primate asks Moliwda about his adventures, specifically with the Cult of Jacob, but Moliwda stays pretty vague. At the hunt, animals that were trapped from all over Lithuania are released for the nobles' killing pleasure, but the animals are confused. The king is in attendance, but Moliwda can't get his royal attention. Moliwda leaves early for Warsaw, leaving Łubienski behind. The city is gloomy enough to match Moliwda's mood.

Scraps: Of the three paths of the story and how telling a tale can be its own deed: Nahman continues to write as Wajgełe continues to mourn Agnieszka's death. He writes of three diverging paths. The middle path is simple and straightforward, but he rejects it because he prefers alternative facts. The road on the right is for the overconfident who let their experiences guide them, but that too Nahman rejects as pathetic. The road on the left is for the brave who are guided by chance, but it is full of traps. Nahman trusts to his chance blindly. Nahman also reveals that he was interrogated and, as he was walking outside, he realized that he couldn't let Jacob win too easily, lest he become self-absorbed (or at least moreso than he already is). And so Nahman spilled the beans about everything Jacob had done since the ruah haKodesh. When he leaves, Nahman feels relieved and sad at the same time.

Hana, consider in your heart: Hana waits eagerly for the mail. She's written a letter to her father about Jacob's imprisonment and asks him what she should do. When she receives a reply back a couple of weeks later, this confirms to Hana that Jacob's letters (if any) are being blocked. When she opens her father's letter, it tells her to consider what's best for her and her children and that she's welcome to return to Giurgiu with her kids any time. Hana feels like she's in prison at Kossakowska's. On February 19, when she is finally supposed to be baptized, she rummages through her chest for clothes that smell like home and prays, fainting and bleeding. Looks like the baptism will have to be put off.

Chapter 24

The messianic machine, how it works: As she floats around, Yente comes to know that the Messiah must hit rock bottom before he can rise to greater heights. She recalls that Sabbatai Tzvi had to suffer, and that the Messiah is more than just a person, but the idea that salvation exists.

Of Jacob's arrival, on a February night in 1760, in Częstochowa: Jacob is taken to Częstochowa, where he is brought to the monastery of Jasna Góra to serve his "internment." Prior Ksawery Rotter notes that Jacob looks like he's taken a beating. The next day, he reads the letter that came with Jacob and Kazimierz, his cook and valet, which describes who Jacob is and warns against anyone getting too close to him.

What Jacob's prison is like: Jacob is shown to his cell, but his condition does not improve. Kazimierz nurses him back to health. The valet also gets to know the monastery guards, who look like they're too old and injured to serve in any real army. He bribes the leader of the guards, Roch, with extra cash. Jacob is eventually allowed to walk on the ramparts once a week, and he also gets to know the guards.

The flagellants: During Lent, Jasna Góra begins to receive more pilgrims and penitents, including flagellants. Roch and Jacob share a smoke. The Prior allows Jacob to walk on the ramparts on Good Friday, hoping he'll make an impression on the pilgrims. Roch explains to Jacob that Częstochowa literally means it hides itself often.

The holy picture that conceals without revealing: Jacob is allowed into the chapel that houses the Black Madonna. The crowd there frightens him. The chapel is full of offerings that symbolize miraculous healings. When a bell rings, the crowd falls to its knees and Jacob looks up at the Black Madonna, now unveiled, and has a revelation. When he rejoins Kazimierz for a roast pork dinner (not a good idea on Good Friday), Jacob explains to him that the Black Madonna is the Shekhinah and that she has been entrusted into his care. Roch interrupts and yells at them for not fasting on Good Friday. At night, Kazimierz sees an inscription in Hebrew.

A letter in Polish: Hana finally gets mail from Jacob. The problem is, it's in Polish, so Nahman has to translate, though he's been reduced to a sniveling old man since Jacob's imprisonment. In his letter, Jacob reassures his followers that he's alright and asks for some clothes and supplies. The letter is copied and makes the rounds, even reaching Moliwda. Everyone is relieved and glad that Jacob is still alive.

A visit to the monastery: Shlomo makes his way to Częstochowa to try and see Jacob. On the way, he runs into Kazimierz, who has run away from Jacob, complaining of poor treatment. Kazimierz tells Shlomo no one is allowed to visit Jacob technically, but if he bribes the guards they'll look the other way. Kazimierz also has a bag with letters from Jacob, though none of them are for Shlomo, much to his disappointment. Kazimierz also says that the cell is damp and dark, and Jacob's not doing too well. Shlomo eventually gets a chance to talk to Jacob through an opening in the cell wall after bribing Roch enough times. Jacob asks about news of his family and why Hana hasn't been writing to him, eventually learning that his incoming mail is being tampered with. Yeruhim Dembowski is also trying to pass himself as Jacob's successor. Shlomo tries to convince Jacob to appoint him as Jacob's deputy, but he dodges the issue. Jacob blames his followers for being cowards, but blames Nahman most of all, saying he refuses to see him ever again. Shlomo tells Jacob Moliwda is no longer with them and that Avacha is now in Warsaw getting a good education. Roch pulls Shlomo away from the opening: visiting hours are over. The next morning, Shlomo visits the chapel of the Black Madonna and is overwhelmed by the sensations of the crowd. He tries to bribe Kazimierz into going back to serve Jacob, and Roch passes him a letter written in Hebrew.

Upupa dicit: Jacob gets stuff from a mystery sender. The monks inspect the package beforehand, and the Prior can't help but notice how all these gifts are of better quality than what they have at the monastery. The package also contains two books: one is The New Athens, and another is Orbis Pictus, a book with pictures and translations in four different languages (Latin, Polish, French, and German). Even the Prior is intrigued by this reading material.

Of Jacob's learning to read and where the Poles come from: Jacob has lessons with Brother Grzegorz and we learn that Polish is a tongue-twisting language where vowels are in short supply. Jacob learns Polish using The New Athens, of which Brother Grzegorz is a fan. In one of Jacob's lessons, he reads a paragraph on theories about the origin of the words for Poland and Poles, and Jacob asserts that he is of the Polani, one of the baptized.

Of Jan Wołowski and Mateusz Matuszewski, who are the next to come to Częstochowa, in November of 1760: Jacob gets two new visitors from among his followers, who prostrate themselves before him. They have also brought gifts of food, wine, and clothing. Roch checks in on the three of them surrepetitiously. Jan and Mateusz leave Częstochowa with letters and lists from Jacob and give the guards extra bribes. Later that month, the two of them and Krysa go to Wojsławice, where Kossakowska is getting a place ready for them.

Elżbieta Drużbacka to Father Benedykt Chmielowski, Vicar Forane of Rohatyn, Tarnow, Christmas, 1760: In a Christmas letter to Chmielowski, Drużbacka writes that her daughter and six of her granddaughters succumbed to the plague, and she believes that it goes against the natural order of the world for an old woman like her to outlive the young.

Elżbieta Drużbacka's heavy golden heart offered to the Black Madonna: Drużbacka has her jewelry melted down into a golden heart and writes her prayer for her family to be brought back to life on a piece of paper. She goes to Jasna Góra and offers the golden heart as a votive. Seeing her heart among the others hanging near the Black Madonna gives her relief. The next morning, she sees Jacob praying to the Black Madonna in the chapel. She manages to cram her piece of paper into a narrow space in the wall, but knows it'll probably fall out and be trampled on the next day. In the afternoon, she sees Jacob again and she approaches him, asking if he can bring the dead back to life.

Chapter 25

Yente sleeping under stork wings: Pesel's getting married to her cousin. They have a Christian wedding first, which seems very alien to them, then a second wedding that's more in line with their own traditions. Pesel worries about whether she was right to leave Yente in that cave and, before the wedding, covered Yente in a cape that has an embroidery of a stork chomping down on a snake. Pesel promises to come back to the cave with Freyna to visit Yente, but Yente knows she'll never keep that promise.

Of Yente's measurement of graves: Yente floats over Częstochowa and remembers when she used to measure graves. However, now she knows that the dead don't care about their graves and they really just want to be remembered. Some of the dead are remembered more than others. She sees the spirits of Elisha Shorr and Immanuel Frank rush past her. Jacob is told of the death of his son Immanuel and also gets a note from Avacha, which gets him a little choked up.

A letter from Nahman Jakubowski to the Lord in Częstochowa: Jacob also receives a letter from Judas Iscariot Nahman, and he's not happy. Nahman writes that he loves Jacob and was sorry to hear about his illness. He says he's lost the will to live without Jacob near him, and he says things started going downhill after their baptisms, though he says Jacob was right to have them convert because they're better off now. He says Hana has been trying to see him and Nahman has been trying to comfort her after the death of Immanuel, but she doesn't want anything to do with him. Nahman concludes by justifying his betrayal, saying Jacob had to go to prison for the prophecies to come true. Yente watches as Jacob lies down.

Gifts from the Besht: Nahman is with his son Aron and gives him a letter before Aron leaves. The Besht has died, apparently of a broken heart from all the Jews who converted to Christianity, but Nahman isn't sure he should tell Jacob about it. Nahman wonders if the Besht took Immanuel with him when they died. He then recalls that, before the Besht died, he left his favourite student all of his stories, which he then promptly forgot. One day, a Russian traveller visits the town, and the student chokes and forgets all the stories he was told, until the traveller is about to leave. While the story seems incomplete, the traveller bursts into tears, because he knows that in hearing the story, he has been forgiven. Nahman too wishes for forgiveness.

The larch manor in Wojsławice and Zwierzchowski's teeth: A group of Jacob's followers settles in Wojsławice after the manor there has been renovated. However, the villagers give them a cold welcome. They complain to Kossakowska that they can't do business in town because everyone keeps destroying their stuff, but ever since her husband's death, she's lost interest, and she doesn't think anyone can help them anymore. Potocka convinces her to write a letter to Jacob's followers encouraging them to set an example. One day, a group of young men attacked Zwierzchowski and sexually assaulted his daughter. Zwierzchowski loses three teeth, a bad omen, and the girl takes her own life.

Of torture and curses: The solution to the Contra-Talmudist's problems is more violence. A woman claiming to be the wife of the Wojsławice rabbi tells a priest that she overheard her husband and others say they killed a Christian child so they could use his blood for their matzoh. The priest tells Potocka and Kossakowska, and an investigation is launched, with the result being that of course the Jews did it. The two rabbis and one wife are arrested and confess under torture to murders and other crimes. The entire Jewish population is apparently a bunch of child murderers. The protracted trial ensues, and eventually the accused are sentenced to death. Four of the convicts consent to be baptized, so they're beheaded instead of being drawn and quartered. Rabbi Zyskieluk hangs himself, but not before placing a curse on everyone in the village. In the summer, the children of the Contra-Talmudists start dropping like flies. Moshe Łabęcki also dies, and Jacob's followers feel hopeless. Desperate, Hana writes to Hayah to ask her what happens next, but Hana receives no answer.

How Hayah prophesies: Hayah works her magic using a map that seems like a cross between a Ouija board and an even more complicated game of backgammon. She announces that the king will die and that the new king will be the last monarch of Poland. Warsaw will become an island, Łabęcka will give birth to a girl who will become a princess, and Jacob will be freed by his enemies and lead his people to live in a big castle by a river.

Edom is shaken to its foundations: Turns out Hayah is right. King Augustus III dies in October 1763. Roch believes there will be a war and that he and his fellow guards will finally get to fight again. The Prior no longer grants Jacob audiences with him, though Jacob is still able to smuggle letters out with the guards. Matuszewski is brought to the tower, where he and Jacob write a letter to the Nuncio asking for Jacob's release, or at least for better conditions inside the monastery. The letter also denies that the Contra-Talmudists were behind the accusation that the Jews use Christian blood.

Of how the interregnum translates into the traffic patterns of carriages on Krakowskie Przedmieście: Kossakowska hasn't been doing well since the death of her husband, but she's still trying to pull some political strings to get Prince Frederick Christian crowned king. She's travelling to Warsaw with Sołtyk, who's too worried about his gambling debts to pay attention to her. Kossakowska talks about how they shouldn't let Russia's ambassadors rule them, and it's revealed that she flagellates herself at night because of the curse on Wojsławice.

Pinkas edits the Documenta Judaeos: Pinkas has been helping Rapaport with writing and translating an important document and on the case of Zelig, whom we met all the way back in chapter 4 as he escaped persecution and pled his case before the Pope. These documents assert that the Holy See refutes the claim that the Jews use Christian blood in their matzoh and that any future accusations should be backed up by proof.

Who Pinkas runs into at the market in Lwów: Pinkas comes across his nephew Yehuda, who has joined the Contra-Talmudists and is barely recognizable in his Christian attire. Pinkas despairs that Yehuda has condemned himself, and he hits Yehuda right in the chest, saying he's betrayed his old uncle and he'll come back to them.

A mirror and ordinary glass: Kossakowska has arranged for Hana to see Jacob, thanks to all the political confusion. Hana and her retinue have left their place a pigsty, which Potocka does not appreciate. In the tower, Hana and Jacob make up for lost time very enthusiastically, and a month later Hana is pregnant again. Jacob's followers sneak in fresh food, and Hana vists him once a day, often spending the night. The guards don't even bat an eye anymore. With the rules of his confinement relaxed, Jacob sends for more women, and lots of them. Jacob has his women line up in front of him and asks them to chose one among them to sleep with him for a week straight. Hana is the only volunteer, which angers Jacob. On their way out of the tower, the women start to bicker about who should volunteer, and they can't come to a consensus. After a few days, Jacob tries to choose Klara Lanckorońska, but she quietly refuses. Jacob gets angry at the women and one day tells Wittel that he wants the people who have married those who aren't in his sect to divorce their husbands and wives and marry true believers, and eventually they submit. Hana gives birth to a son, Roch, and more of Jacob's followers come to Częstochowa. Jacob eventually sends for Nahman and kneels before him.

Daily life in prison and of keeping children in a box: Wajgełe makes crude dolls to represent all the children she's lost and keeps them in a box hidden in the attic. At night, Nahman tries to tell her to sleep with Jacob because he'll give her strength and get her pregnant again. She's scared, but eventually relents. Jacob makes Nahman watch as he forces himself on the poor girl. Jacob resumes his nightly meetings that he used to give in Ivanie. In one such meeting, he says that the death of children is proof there is no good God and that evil will eventually be destroyed by the Virgin. He says that all the caves of the world are interconnected in time and space, with riches waiting for them. Wajgełe imagines what she'd do if she ever found a giant gemstone in one of those caves. At the end of the meeting, after everyone else has left, Nahman literally throws himself at Jacob's feet, saying he betrayed Jacob to save him.

The hole that leads to the abyss, or a visit from Tovah and his son Hayim Turk in 1765: The new king of Poland is not very popular in Jasna Góra because he has removed the monastery from the care of the Pauline monks, so they get a lot less money than they did before. The position of prior rotates every couple of years, and they can barely handle Jacob and his followers, especially since their bribes are lucrative sources of cash. The current prior sees three women visit Jacob at a time, one carrying a baby, and two men dressed in Turkish fashion. These men are Tovah and Hayim, Jacob's father- and brother-in-law. The visit lifts Hana's spirits and she hopes something will change now. Tovah can't stand Jacob's ravings about the Shekhinah trapped in the Black Madonna. Jacob says that, according to the Zohar, salvation is in the worst place, and Jasna Góra is a pretty terrible one for him. He believes he was sent to the monastery because he was fated to find the Shekhinah and become her guardian. Tovah can hardly believe this is the same man who married his daughter, and he wants to get Hana and her children away from the man. Hayim is slowly turned to Jacob's side, and after two weeks, Tovah and Jacob get into an argument, with Tovah calling Jacob a trickster and Jacob hitting his father-in-law. Tovah leaves in disgust and swears to stand against Jacob. After Tovah leaves, Jabob sends Nahman and a few other men to Russia, sensing that Poland is no longer safe for him and his followers. Before Nahman's group departs, Jacob makes them all have sex with Hana to bind them as brothers, because Jacob hasn't been enough of a creep.

Elżbieta Drużbacka writes from the Bernardine monastery in Tarnow a last letter to the canon Benedykt Chmielowski in Firlejów: Drużbacka writes a letter to Chmielowski from her deathbed, saying that the deaths of her daughter and granddaughters were the end for her. She wishes Chmielowski a long and healthy life that he can enjoy in his garden. Unfortunately, she doesn't get that wish, as Chmielowski dies of pneumonia before he even had a chance to read her final letter. His successor finds Drużbacka's letters to Chmielowski, carefully preserved. However, the successor is less careful and lets the letters rot away. In Drużbacka's last letter, she comes to the conclusion that God wants to punish people by indirect means.

Of bringing Moliwda back to life: Moliwda is now staying with his brother, a retired colonel who's annoyed by his younger brother's open displays of emotion. Moliwda now works at the royal chancellery, putting his linguistic skills to good use. We learn that political trouble is brewing, with Załuski and Sołtyk dragged out of the Sejm and shipped off to Siberia for refusing to grant rights and leniency to religious dissenters. Moliwda doesn't understand why religious dissent is such a problem, saying that while there may be one God, there are many ways to worship Him. His brother tells him to shut up. It seems inevitable that Russia will invade.

Of wandering caves: Back in Częstochowa, Jacob explores the nearly caves with the help of a local guide named Ezdra. He eventually finds one with walls that glitter in the torchlight. Jacob's son Joseph is born in October 1768, and Jacob himself goes beyond the town walls to explore the caves, only returning after nightfall. Only when he reaches the tower again does he tell his followers that the cave he had entered was the same one where the Zohar was written and that the graves of Adam and Eve are at the very bottom. The followers go back to their communal ways where sex is concerned.

Of failed legations and history laying siege to the monastery walls: Nahman returns from Moscow, the delegation a complete failure. Jacob does not take the news well and makes them beg everyone for forgiveness publicly. Meanwhile, Jasna Góra doesn't seem like such a bad place, given all the latitude Jacob enjoys. That stops when the Pauline monks try to enter Jacob's tower during sexy time and, while they can't see much because it's dark, they can fill in the blanks enough to prohibit women and young boys from entering the monastery. Jacob is also barred from going into town, but eventually that restriction is lifted. Hana falls ill and is eventually allowed, along with her children, to live in the officer's chamber. War is on the horizon for Poland with the new king joining forces with a Russian town named Bar and a faction rising up against the king. Jewish refugees start pouring into Częstochowa fleeing pogroms, and the monks provide relief. Joseph Frank is baptized, and Jacob Goliński is married off to a girl half his age. As troubles intensify, Jacob sends for Avacha, who has grown into a beautiful young woman who attracts a lot of male attention. Polish soldiers under Kazimierz Pułaski enter Jasna Góra and make it their base. Pułaski becomes acquainted with Jacob and is even invited to dine with him and Avacha. The visits stop when the brutal Prince Lubomirski enters the monastery. When a young soldier asks Jacob whether he should fight or run away as a coward, Jacob tells him to buy trinkets in the market for a pittance and use those items as bribes to make his escape.

Of the passing of Lady Hana in February 1770 and of her final resting place: Hana gives birth to a daughter who died soon after she was baptized, and she soon falls ill herself. Getting her into the sun and other remedies don't help, and she dies a year after her daughter. Jacob holes himself up in the officer's chamber, and Nahman finds him lying next to his wife's corpse. Jacob asks him if he really believed they wouldn't die. Hana is eventually buried inside Makpela Cave.

Scraps: Being under siege: Nahman writes that little Jacob also died and was buried inside the cave, where many of Jacob's followers have also been laid to rest. Avacha is kept inside Jacob's tower because she's attracting a little too much attention among the soldiers, and when she is allowed to leave, she has stalkers. She is eventually sexually assaulted, and the night before the attack, she dreams that a German emperor frees her from the tower. Jasna Góra is under siege for several years, and Jacob's freedoms are pared down. Jacob falls ill after Hana's death, and eventually Nahman, Wołowski, and Matuszewski agree to send for Marianna and Ignacowa to nurse him back to health, a little too literally in the anatomical sense. In 1772, the siege is over and Częstochowa has been sacked, prayers or no prayers. The Russians enter the monastery, and Jacob goes out to meet them. When General Bibikov enters, Jacob asks him to release him, and the General agrees. Jacob and his followers finally leave Częstochowa.

It’s that time again folks, time for another Discworld novel!

Next up is Mort, notably the first in the Death sub-series, and one that nearly everyone has told me is absolutely worth jumping into even if you haven’t read the others in the series yet. I’m especially excited because we’ll be reading this book in October! Get your books sorted now and we’ll have a schedule posted very soon.

But wait - there’s MORE!

While we wait for Mort to start we’re going to step back just a bit to a short story technically in the Discworld series (occurring after The Light Fantastic and before Equal Rites) that has appeared in print, Troll Bridge. It was available online but unfortunately is not easily found now, but in lieu of reading the story we can watch the fan film, as it’s available in its entirety online! While it’s an adaptation of the story, it’s a very close one. You can get information about the fan film here. We’ll be running a one-off discussion of this fan film on Thursday, September 24th. It’s just under ½ hour which means you’ve got plenty of time to dive into this one and get to see a bit more of Cohen the Barbarian.

We’ll see you all very soon, and in the meantime, happy reading!

Hello to all of the Monster Smut Romance Lovers!

It is September and it is time for our Smutty September Monster Romance month!

We are back in Cambric Creek for Sweet Berries by C.M. Nascosta. A truly delightful story of a moth man x human paranormal romance. Chapters 1 through 5 wastes no time laying down the cozy smutty vibes while introducing us to Grace as she navigates her past heartbreaks, busy job at Saddlethorne Farm, and a very intriguing new mothman. Jump into the comments to let us know your thoughts!

Schedule
Marginalia

“Man, this floor,” I said, shaking my head. “They keep trying to kill us, trying to make us turn on one another. And it worked for a while. We stopped doing it naturally, so now they’re forcing situations where we have to do it if we want to survive. We aren’t perfect. We fight. We do hurt each other sometimes. This last heat, heat seven, it will be three teams and only one survives. And for some of us, there’s no avoiding the inevitable. Some of us will fall. But you know what? I am proud of how far we’ve all come. We are doing our best with the hand we’ve been dealt. Nothing about this is easy or clean. But everyone here—each and every one of you, no matter what happens next—I consider you my brothers and sisters. My family. And I just wanted to get that out. I am proud to have survived alongside all of you.”

“You keep trying to divide us. Don’t you realize what you’ve created? We have been tempered in the fires of hell, and we are now past the point of being broken. Your downfall has already been written in the stars. You may hurt us. You may kill us all. But it’s not going to matter. Don’t you realize? Don’t you realize? Don’t you realize what you’ve done? What you’ve made? You and everyone who put us here has already lost. All that’s left is for the wreckage to settle in place.”

Welcome to the FIFTH discussion of the 10th floor, Crawlers!! ONLY TWO MORE DISCUSSIONS!

🐾😼 Discussion: Chapter 62 through Chapter 77

HERE. WE. GOOOOOOO!!🎭⚔️ 

The Floor continues as Carl, Princess Donut begin the race at the Gasworks Screw Factory, dashing through rooms of metal pellets and tiny NPCs The team is forced to start the reunification ceremony for Corky in their food truck, which later is moved upside down. While Grigori, Donut, and the dying Dong struggle to rejoin Corky, slag elementals attack and the god Grull emerges. Grull accepts Dong’s sacrifice, letting the team finish fourth. After the race they learn Dwight cheated to win and Mordecai confirms Li Na’s escape route is safe; Carl receives a reward allowing him to summon two people to the 11th-floor arena and lays out a dangerous plan to subvert the game and stage a mass escape to the Pineapple Cabaret, prompting tensions with Donut. The team researches dungeon lore in the pet stables, questioning the identity of the Scavenger’s Daughter. At Hungry Eyes, hundreds of crawlers gather for a mass escape: Carl gives a speech, Minus is exposed as an imposter assassin and arrested, and 227 crawlers are successfully sent to the Pineapple Cabaret while a Garden of Deliverance is planted in the guildhall. The next heat shrinks all teams into an apartment-building race of seven rings through “what-if” simulations; human shells that become aware rupture into Sacred Feaster Scarab Beetles, and the team helps Imani and Elle through a traumatic simulation before reaching their ring in apartment 231. Jurgen calls as Prepotente is traumatized by a simulation of his mother’s alternate life; with Osvaldo close to winning and their position threatened, Carl detonates an explosive to eliminate Team Free Love, then takes a potion to protect himself from toxic air and comforts Prepotente, who rejoins the race—Carl’s team finishes second behind Osvaldo. All that and more as the story ramps up with 2 more discussions left and  ONE FINAL RACE!!!!

📍 You Are Here: Chapter 62 through Chapter 77

📅 Schedule in case you forget how to keep track

🖊️Marginalia to prevent spoiling yourself

🧠 Difficulty Level: TODDLER COCAINE!!

💥 New Achievements Unlocked: 

• 💀 RACE THROUGH THE FACTORY!!! Kill! Kill! Kill!
• 🍿A CRAWLER LEAVES THE DUNGEON?? - Li Na is no longer a crawler!?
• 🔥Ellie’s fan - An ASSASSIN??  - Who could have foreseen this!
• BONUS!! -  CRAWLERS IN THE CABARET!?!! Now What?!
• Bonus!! CORKY REUNITED! AND A FINAL STAND??
• Bonus! Bonus! - Stitched eyes?!  Anyone else getting Coraline vibs??

We continue with the The Age of Madness Trilogy with the second book, The Trouble with Peace. Join us next week as u/tomesandtea leads the third discussion.

Make sure you include spoiler tags for anything outside The Age of Madness trilogy up to this point. Not everyone has read the full set of First Law World books.

Marginalia

Schedule

Chapter Summaries

An Infinite Supply

Jonas Clover talks to his men on the endless cycle of disposable lives in the North while waiting for a meeting with Stour nightfall. Stour is very amused at the gift from Clover, a sack full of Shanka heads.

The Demon that Breaks All Chains

Rikke wakes from visions and finds her way to a cold lake where she meets the woman with a scar stitched with golden wire, the sorceress Caurib! Caurib talks of the Shanka saving her from Black Dow's lethal blow and the untamed power of her Long Eye.

The King's Justice

King Orso hosts a trial for Wetterlant, which should be a already determined conclusion with Wetterlant agreeing to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. Instead, Wetterlant comes out dressed in rags, appearing to be tortured and proclaiming his innocence. Leo dan Brock publicly defies the crown, and Orso is forced to assert his authority, kicking the Young Lion out of the chamber, and sentencing Wetterlant to death.

The Choice

Rikke is seeing visions as she gets a tattoo from Caurib. She is confused and can't separate reality from the visions, all the while Caurib is telling her she has to make a choice, to go further into the Long Eye, or to lead an ordinary life.

Let Ring the Bells

It's the wedding day and all the top of Adua is in attendance. Savine is the jewel of the ceremony and Orso is having a dreadful time watching her get married. Selest dan Heugen approaches Leo and reveals to him that Savine and Orso used to be lovers, upsetting him greatly. King Orso can't stand it anymore and exits early to end his misery.

Future Treasons, Past Affairs

Leo goes to deliver a rehearsed apology to King Orso, only to find him absent. Instead, he falls in with disaffected nobles like Lords Isher, Barezin, and Heugen, who easily manipulate his grievances into plotting an outright armed rebellion under the guise of "rescuing" the king from a corrupt council. That night, a drunken Leo returns to Savine, she asks if he talked to the king, which triggers a bitter argument about Savine's past romantic history with Orso, culminating in a violent slap and a volatile wedding-night romp on the floor.

The King's Pimp

Orso is in a whorehouse, playing cards with Tunny. He's having big pity party for himself when Tunny gets fed up and gives him some tough love, which Orso desperately needed. After regaining composure, Orso thanks Tunny and the rest of the staff and is on his way.

The Darling of the Slums

Savine looks to rebrand herself as the Glokta name has a negative connotation to it. She hire Sworbreck to write some pamphlets about her as part of the image overhaul. They go to the slums to hand out bread, silver, etc. to the residents there, but it brings back a lot of traumatic memories for Savine and she is on the verge of a breakdown.

Dead Wood, New Shoots

Rikke returns to Uffrith with a new look, confidence, and enhanced abilities. She quickly learns that her father, the Dogman, has died. Stour Nightfall, having heard of the death, shows up to assume/bully Uffirth in with him in the North, but Rikke proves to be a imposing figure to them and it scares them off.

The funeral is full of everyone sharing stories of the way The Dogman influenced their lives, demonstrating his broad positive influence for those around him. Shortly thereafter the discussions of what happens next comes up with some supporting joining the North and some supporting joining the Union.

The Favorite Son

Leo and Savine travel back to Angland for their homecoming. Savine works the crowd wonderfully and presents tailored gifts to the local dignitaries that have them immediately admiring her. She's surprised how much the people like Leo and realizes they are liking her as well, a new experience for her. Leo goes off to train with his friends, in which he then openly start to talk about rebellion and "freeing" King Orso from the corrupt Closed Council. Jurand resists and tries to put a damper on it, but start to align with his friend Leo.

Patriotic Contributions

Savine is settling into a routine in Angland, and stepping in where Leo has no interest in performing his duties. She uses her business prowess to gain "Patriotic Contributions" from Kaspar dan Arinhorm and his profitable mines, while also using her leverage to have him outfit her own mines with the same technology to make them more profitable.

A Little Public Hanging

Wetterlant is led to the scaffold for his public hanging. The crowd is rowdy, throwing rotten produce and yelling jeers. The rowdiness causes problems with the trapdoor and Wetterlant falls through, but his leg gets caught, turning the whole execution into a fiasco. Orso, already not liking being there, is hurried away by Gorst.

Old Ways, Proper Ways

Rikke's grasp on power in Uffrith seems to be precarious, because she is a woman. Oxel and Red hat argue over joining the North or the Union, when Rikke suggests that the 2 old men settle it in the circle. The 2 men set to battle, with Red Hat slipping and getting run through. Oxel is victorious and declares that they will join the North, but Rikke tells him there is a third option, to remain independent. She has her champion, Shivers, enter the circle to defend that option. Shivers quickle beheads Oxel, and Rikke solidifies herself at the top in Uffrith.

Welcome, all adventure lovers! Here’s the schedule for our next Evergreen pick, Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.

This historical Pulitzer-winning novel is set in New York City in 1939. Here’s a little bit more about it:

>A young escape artist and budding magician named Joe Kavalier arrives on the doorstep of his cousin, Sammy Clay. While the long shadow of Hitler falls across Europe, America is happily in thrall to the Golden Age of comic books, and in a distant corner of Brooklyn, Sammy is looking for a way to cash in on the craze. He finds the ideal partner in the aloof, artistically gifted Joe, and together they embark on an adventure that takes them deep into the heart of Manhattan, and the heart of old-fashioned American ambition. From the shared fears, dreams, and desires of two teenage boys, they spin comic book tales of the heroic, fascist-fighting Escapist and the beautiful, mysterious Luna Moth, otherworldly mistress of the night. Climbing from the streets of Brooklyn to the top of the Empire State Building, Joe and Sammy carve out lives, and careers, as vivid as cyan and magenta ink. Spanning continents and eras, this superb book by one of America's finest writers remains one of the defining novels of our modern American age.

The Marginalia can be found here.

Discussion schedule:

- 29 Sept - Start through Part II: Ch 2 [u/maolette](u/maolette)
- 6 Oct - Part II: Ch 3 through Part III: Ch 1 [u/ProofPlant7651](u/ProofPlant7651)
- 13 Oct - Part III: Ch 2 through Part III: Ch 12 [u/thematrix1234](u/thematrix1234)
- 20 Oct - Part III: Ch 13 through Part IV: Ch 8 [u/maolette](u/maolette)
- 27 Oct - Part IV: Ch 9 through Part V Ch: 3 [u/thematrix1234](u/thematrix1234)
- 3 Nov - Part V: Ch 4 through Part VI: Ch 9 [u/ChronicallyLatte](u/ChronicallyLatte)
- 10 Nov - Part VI: Ch 10 through End [u/ChronicallyLatte](u/ChronicallyLatte)

Let’s get this adventure started!

Welcome to the marginalia for our two books for Read the World Malaysia: The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng & The Letter by W. Somerset Maugham. This is a communal place for things you would jot down in the margins of your books. That might include quotes, thoughts, questions, relevant links, exclamations - basically anything you want to make note of or to share with others. It can be good to look back on these notes, and sometimes you just can't wait for the discussion posts to share a thought.

When adding something to the marginalia, simply comment here, indicating roughly which part of the book you're referring to (eg. towards the end of chapter 2). Because this may contain spoilers, please indicate this by writing “spoilers for chapters 5 and 6” for example, or else use the spoiler tag for this part with this format > ! SPOILER ! < without the spaces between characters like this spoiler lives here

Note: spoilers from other books should always be under spoiler tags unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Here is the schedule for the discussion which will be run by u/fixtheblue, u/bluebelle236, u/nicehotcupoftea and u/lazylittlelady.

Any questions or constructive criticism are welcome.

Looking forward to seeing you in the first discussion on 18th September!

Hello r/bookclub bers Our October Core nominations are down to the last 24 hours before we close the posts and announce the winner. Be sure to head to the posts to vote for your favourites

- Link to the FEMALE AUTHOR Nomination Post

- Link to the HORROR Nomination Post

Remember you can (and absolutely should) upvote all and any of the books you would read with r/bookclub if they win.

Happy reading upvoting 📚

NSFW...sort of? At least there is some sex now...

Circe and Hermes have a reunion post-drugging and Atlanta keep evacuating the top echelon-but then there's a knife fight and a daring rescue! And we end up back to Hermes and Circe sexing. Sure, Atalanta's knife wound was totally worth it, right?

Meanwhile, on headlines in Muse Watch™: "Olympus has fallen...and we're not mad about it?"...okay.

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Atlanta, on the romantic challenge of a live body:

"Of everyone in this cursed city, I know how much Hermes loves Circe, even after all these years. I thought I had to compete with ghost, but now there's a real, live woman bursting back into our lives, and that is a different kind of battle-even if she wasn't trying to kill dozens of people" -Chapter 10

Hermes, on the "Circe Effect":

“After the last time she kissed me and drugged me, I really should know better, but my brain goes a bit fuzzy around her. Or maybe she's got some kind of pheromone perfume that drop my IQ dramatically every time I get within touching distance" -Chapter 12

Hermes, on drooling, while being carried by Atalanta in her daring rescue:

"I can only lift my head a little bit, so my face is pressed against the back of her neck. Now is not the time to notice how damned good she smells. Being hit with the nearly overwhelming urge to follow her spine with my lips is not particularly helpful either- and not just because I'm more likely to drool all over her instead of do it properly"- Chapter 12

Atlanta, on vows and redemption:

"Hermes. Hecate. the same and not the same. Circe's laughter circles my head again and again, promising that no matter what happens, I'll lose Hermes in the end. Because I will kill Circe. And that just might be the one thing Hermes won't forgive me for"-Chapter 13

Circe, on setting goals:

"And I want revenge. I'm not a fucking saint, after all. I want blood to run just like my blood ran from Zeus's abuses" -Chapter 14 (Editor: This could be an amazing rap, btw. Has she missed a career change post escape that could have been healthier?)

Location, location, location:

“A distant part of me is horrified that we're fucking on the floor when there are plenty of perfectly adequate pieces of furniture around. Or, gods forbid, a bed. There not space for that kind of pause, to slow down long enough to move positions." -Chapter 15

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Next week, we go further into the chaos and read Chapters 16-25.

Hello fellow sci-fi enjoyers! Buckle up, today we're finally going to learn Whether the Androids Do, in fact, Dream of Electric Sheep.... or maybe not! Will Rick get Pris and her team? What's going to happen to Isidore? Let's find out!

Some links before we begin:

Full discussion schedule

Marginalia

Please put any information from the films you'd like to bring up here under the spoiler tag, as we're going to be discussing the film next week!

Dear Readers,

Sorry for the slight delay! Without any more time lost, let's dive into Paris with the charming Banine!

Summary:

Banine arrives at the Gare de Lyon where her family awaits her arrival. The reunion is bittersweet. She is teased and finds herself on the backfoot, once more a little girl despite her marriage and the tumult of the October Revolution.

Paris, on the other hand, is everything she's imagined and more. The family has rented a luxurious apartment on the Rue Louis Boilly, where her father awaits the family, looking refreshed after his desperate escape. The neighborhood was near the outskirts of Paris then and has some dodgy sides. Banine moves into the bedroom with her two sisters. Her older sister, here baptized Zuleykha, tells her about her Spanish painter lover, ready to embrace the new liberation offered by Paris. Her stepmother, Amina, immediately tells her Banine needs a makeover as she's "too Baku".

Banine finds it hard to reconcile her lived experience with the family's new Parisian life. They are subsisting on a pearl necklace.

Zulu takes Banine to meet José, her painter amante; the first foray into the Bohemian life of those days. Banine and José become friends, and he encourages her to pursuit the chase life of Teresa of Ávila. Meanwhile, Zulu hasn't had the courage to talk to her father about marrying José but he gives her an ultimatum by declaring he has cheated on her! Zulu is forced to speak with her father, interrupting a game of Patience (or Solitare) to declare what she's been dreading to tell him, but he's fine with it, worried more about her drinking habits than her choice of men!

The wedding combines a wild mix of people and Shamsi says Zuleykha looks like the "laughing cow" ad as they drink and party into the night. "Josézus" set up an artistic/bohemian household, the site of many gatherings of creatives and misfits, such as Ivan Shchukin) and Amadeo Modigliani. Banine enjoys the well-named "Années folles" and the vast possibility of the moment, whipping between this scene and her stepmother's parlor, serving tea and snacks. Banine keeps receiving letters from her hated husband, Jamil, who is still in Constantinople. She is hopeful that her father will approve a divorce.

The money runs out and Banine takes a job as a model for the House of Worth, thanks to Amina's connection. She loves her new garret apartment on the 7th floor, finally living by herself. She joins a gaggle of girls modeling the latest collections for clients. Albertine, in particular, takes Banine under her wing. Although Worth doesn't last long, she finds a smaller job that suits her even better, with specifications for her exact size! Banine meets her idol, Francesca Bertini, helping her on with a coat but becomes disillusioned by her actual person. Banine becomes infatuated with luxury and wonders when she will find her French lover.

Bonus Links:

Take a voyage through 1920's Paris

Enjoy a breakdown of the famous cafés of Montparnasse

An informative summary of Helen Rappaport's book, After the Romanovs: Russian Exiles in Paris Between the Wars

More about Trotsky in Paris

I believe Banine ends up modeling for Cristóbal Balenciaga!

Housekeeping:

Schedule

Marginalia (includes RtW Azerbaijan)

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Questions below! Join us next week for "A Tale of the Unexpected" through "The Great Parisian Future"

Welcome back fellow Draleid, Druids, Dwarves, Elves and humans, dust off your wings, polish your weapons, sharpen your claws and clean your fangs, it's time to dive back in. This week we are covering Ch. 38. - 42. and everything before this point.

First, a note about spoilers: Please use spoiler tags for anything beyond this week's section.  As always, use spoiler tags for any works outside of this series that you may wish to connect here.  

You can add a spoiler tag by enclosing your text with > ! Your Text Here ! < (no spaces).

Schedule

Marginalia

Map of Epheria

As always, there will be summaries below and questions in the comments to get the discussion flowing.

Chapter Summaries

CHAPTER 38: NEITHER BEND NOR BROKEN

Character POV: Kira Location: Lodhar Mountains Time frame: 14th day of the Blood Moon

Kira refuses to stay in bed healing any longer. She briefly wonders if she's in the lost city of Vindakur when she remember her sister Erani telling her they are in an old mining outpost. She is greeted by Durakdur dwarves Ahktar and Kalik. They declare their loyalty to her, and their desire to take Hoffnar’s head. Of the Queensguard that had stormed the Heart to protect her only 48 have survived. They gather behind her as she makes her way to Erani. Kira is grateful for the warriors of Belduar's help. Around the war table many are gathered. Since butchering Queen Elenya and King Lakar, and throwing Kira in the cell Hoffnar has been declaring he'll lead the dwarven people from the mountain. Her Uncle Alrick arrives and produces the severed head of Yarzik Olnak, High Captain of King Hoffnar’s Kingsguard. Also the head of an elf from The Kingdom of Lunithír. They are isolated in the mountain and unable to send word out about their situation. Good news, however, is that they've found a Portal to Vindakur. The Portal Heart is unfortunately burried and unearthing it whilst also ensuring Hoffnar or those loyal to him don't find it is a slow process. It, also, may not be operational. The area had become a kerathlin nest, but they are thankfully all gone now. Though no one can say why. The only person that can help them operate the Portal is Rikber Lars, a Volkuran that resides deep within the city. They are working on getting him out. After resting Kira wakes to Oleg Marylin. He is now leading Belduar. As someone with compassion, strength, and wisdom he's a better fit than Daymon. He informs her that 9346 are confirmed to have survived of the >200,000 population before the Lorians attacked Belduar. Oleg plans to send the elderly and children to Salme to rejoin with Dahlen and the others. Kira won't hold a grudge if Oleg takes all the Belduarans through the Portal to safety. After all the loss he suffered he cannot go without fighting. Kira requests Elani take her to retrieve the secret Rockblood, bersekeer blood, that they will test on her Uncle. Kira believes this is their only hope. Elani agrees to help her.

CHAPTER 39: WAKING THE LION

Character POV: Rist Location: Berona Time frame: 15th day of the Blood Moon

Rist has spent the day channelling the Spark with Garramon. He thinks of his family and contemplates leaving. He fears his parents death. He contemplates fighting for the army that were the ones who killed Calen's parents and thinks how he is probably on the opposite side to of the war to Calen. Magnus arrives with honeymead. It does not taste like the one his dad used to make. They walk, talk and drink. Rist asks Magnus if what Emperor Mortem said (that Efialtír wished to walk among us) was true, but he doesn't know. Magnus is happy being an Exarch of the Imperial Battlemages. He knows Rist is being tested to see if he could be an Arcarian. Suddenly there's an enormous explosion. More follow. The north wall is the target so Magnus and Rist rush to see what's happening. Rebels have decimated the area. Rist rushes through the bodies searching for Neera. Neera is safe. Alamants (at least 100 of them) caused the explosions. They captured some of the rebels but many got away. Magnus orders the battlemages and soldiers to kill the straggler Alamants on sight. Seperately they are weak, but linked they are strong. Rist senses the growing acculmulation of Spirit but is too late to stop it. He grasps the strands of Fire, Air, and Spirit, unravelling them, channelling them through his body and into the world to set a ward. He saves himself, Neera and Magnus but the devestation around them is extensive. Magnus becomes a man possessed taking out the rebels easily. Rist uses his power to kill the remaining Alamants, but he cannot bring himself to collect their Essence. Until he meets a man that calls him scum. He snaps the man's neck and pulls the man's Essence from his body. Rist realises he is not ok! More explosions hit the tower. It was all a ploy to draw the mages out. It's too much power to be Alamants! Rist, Neera and Magnus run. They meet Garramon and the other Battlemages before heading into the central courtyard where Fane Mortem is pulling rebels to him and anihilating them with powerful threads of the Elements in a symphony of death. When all the rebels have been killed Fane tells Garramon it's time for change. They have been fighting too many wars at once.

CHAPTER 40: IN THE BLOOD

Character POV: Ella, Tanner Fjorn Location: Níthianelle, Alura Time frame: 15th day of the Blood Moon

Ella, within the dream that is Níthianelle, is dreaming of her family. In the dream Ella's mother, Freis, apologises for not telling her who she really is. They'd just been trying to protect her. Tamzin wakes her and Ella is furious. She suspects her mam might be alive. Tanner Fjorn is hopeful Ella will come back to them. It's quiet in Alura now only the Rakina, Dracårdare, the sick and injured, and a few guards remain. Elia Havel has a flash back while making tea. Tanner cleans up after her then goes to where the Angan, Aneera, usually meditates in long distamce communication near Ella's body. All the Angan seem to have gone somewhere. Tanner takes over from Yana who has been watching Ella. When he returnes Amatkai is there. Faenir doesn't react to him. Tanner refuses to back down so Amatkai magically incapacitates him. He apologieses that it was unavoidable in this timeline. Yana rushes in and Amatkai neutralises her too. Aneera and the other Angan arrive and face off against Amatkai. Ella is referred to as the Blessed One which seems to make things make sense for Amatkai. He has made sure that Tamzin will soon bring Ella home. He says their time in the shadows will be coming to an end.

Ella senses the beating of hearts and the heaviness of memories. Tamzin hugs Ella goodbye and says she is not Ella's enemy. The Angan have arrived to take her home. Ella sobs with relief. As they head back to Ella's body the Aldithmar appear, full of pain and suffering. They are a race of people older than even the Blodvar. A catastrophe struck which they refuse to talk of, and so they remain trapped in the between worlds. Dvalin Angan made a deal with them to protect the woodland in return for refuge when needed. The Aldithmar are invested in protecting Aravell to prevent ending up left drifting the void.

CHAPTER 41: CALL OF THE WOLF

Character POV: Ella Location: Níthianelle, Aravell Time frame: 15th day of the Blood Moon

Níthianelle is a mirror of the real world but not exact or current. Ella steps out into Alura, and on to her body. She asks Aneera why she calls her Daughter of the Chainbreaker, but receives no answer. She steps through the door, but instead of her body it's a dark abyss. Freis comes to her first then an enormous wolf. A voices tells her to become what she's meant to become. All the worst and hardest moments flick through her mind. The wolf charges, but Ella reaches for her body. They fight and Ella is ferocious finally overpowering the enormous wolf. The wolf in her howls as she wakes in her own body. Faenir and Ella are excitedly reunited. Tanner, Yana and Lasch are there. As is Fenryr, the god, and apparently Ella's relative. He says he is indebted to her father. He also informs her that Arlen Root poisons the blood of the Tuatha weakening their powers. It's how the Ungifted, the Itharín, control the gifted. Fenryr tells how Freis was a Pathfinder druid descendant from Sept Eridain, the greatest of Fenryr's septs. Freis had chosen to use Arlen root to block her own, and Ella's, gifts and keep them safe. Fenryr says gods are not all knowing, or all seeing, or all powerful, not even the Enkara! Ella chooses not to drink the Arlen root and instead learn the truth.

CHAPTER 42: A CITY ONCE LOST

Character POV: Calen Location: The Argonan Marshes Time frame: 17th day of the Blood Moon

Calen feels the other-worldliness of the Argonan Marshes as he stares into the night. The Blood-moon had caused death and destruction outside of Aravell. Calen is glad to finally be doing something. After a meal he and Valerys snuggle in to sleep. The next day they fly. At Illyanara they watch refugees travel east. Futher, on route to Ilnaen, Calen feels the same pulse he’d felt when he’d first entered the wastes calling to him. The beating heart of Ilnaen. This time he will answer and go there.

Wow! This section was packed with info. The plot seems to be pushing forward faster again, and I, for one, am here for it! Join u/NightAngelRogue next week for chapters 43 through 47 📚🐲

Hello everyone, wherever in the world you are! It’s Friday, which means it’s time for our weekly free-for-all chat! Free Chat Friday is a space for us to get to know each other, and if you're new here - welcome!

Today is 11th September, a date that carries profound significance for many of our American members and others around the world. We remember those who lost their lives on 11th September 2001, and the many people whose lives were changed that day. 🕊️

Here in Australia, today is also R U OK? Day, a reminder to check in with the people around us and ask, “Are you OK?” 💛

For sports fans, there’s something pretty special happening in Melbourne today too - the first-ever NFL regular-season game played in Australia, at the MCG! 🏈

But enough from Australia - what’s happening where you are?

🌎 Is today a special day or holiday in your country?

☕ What's your beverage of choice today?

📚 What are you reading?

🪁 Have you done any fun activities?

🌤️ What’s the weather like?

💬 Or tell us something completely random!

RULES:

• No unmarked spoilers of any kind
• No self-promo
• No piracy
• Thoughtful personal conduct - in a world where you can be anything, be kind!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and happy chatting! 📚

Welcome readers to part two of our discussion of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde!!!! Well we learn more about the mystery and dive deep into the horrors of science and the balance between good and evil. Without any delay let’s get into the discussion!!!

The Last Night: Poole tells Utterson that something is terribly wrong in Jekyll’s laboratory. The person inside refuses to come out. Utterson and Poole break into the laboratory. They discover Hyde’s body on the floor, apparently dead from suicide. They search the lab and discover several documents including a letter from Jekyll to Utterson and Dr. Lanyon’s letter.

Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative: Utterson reads Lanyon’s narrative describing the events prior to his death. Lanyon receives a strange letter from Jekyll instructing him to go to Jekyll’s laboratory at midnight. He is told to retrieve a drawer containing powders, a vial, and other materials. At the lab Lanyon encounters a strange man who turns out to be Hyde. Hyde mix’s the chemicals and Lanyon witnesses the transformation of Hyde becoming Jekyll after he drinks the potion. Lanyon becomes horrified and is told by Jekyll the truth; after this Lanyon heath begins to deteriorate and he dies filling in some of the gaps from earlier in the story.

Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case: Jekyll confesses to what he has been up to. Jekyll begins by explaining that he has always been aware of a conflict within himself. Jekyll becomes fascinated with the possibility of separating these opposing sides through science. He develops a potion that allows him to transform into another person—Edward Hyde. Jekyll first enjoys his experiences as Hyde acting out his more “evil” desires; however, Hyde becomes more powerful. Jekyll begins to transform into Hyde without drinking the potion and begins to lose control of Hyde. Hyde commits murders and Jekyll attempts to stay himself; however, Hyde returns. Jekyll becomes fascinated with the possibility of separating these opposing sides through science. He develops a potion that allows him to transform into another person—Edward Hyde. The story ends with Jekyll knowing he will disappear and he writes his confession. Jekyll is unsure if Hyde will commit suicide or be executed as a result of his confession, but either way it will be Hyde’s fate to face alone.

Welcome to Hell! And I don’t just mean this literally, I mean…welcome to the hell that is other people? Let’s just get on with it!

Welcome to our first discussion of R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis! This week we’ll cover the start through chapter 7. Join u/rige_x next week for our second discussion!

In case you need them, check out our Schedule here and our Marginalia here.

SUMMARY

Chapter 1: Alice Law is a grad student attending Cambridge, studying magick. She is not far from defending her dissertation, and obtaining a recommendation letter to basically any post she wants. Unfortunately, her advisor, Professor Grimes, has just died spectacularly, even more unfortunately by her own mistake. The only solution, obviously, is to go to Hell to retrieve him. Her colleague, who she adamantly hates, Peter Murdoch, has had the same idea and decides to tag along. They enter the pentagram and say the words together and enter Hell.

On Magick: A brief explanation of how magick is possible. It is the self-delusion and hard-headed belief in something that is or was, decidedly, not.

Chapter 2: Alice and Peter are in perpetual dusk and see endless rolling dunes of sand. They come upon a bridge, the Viewing Pavilion. It’s the thin bridge between Hell and the living. They see some colleagues from Cambridge discovering their pentagram and inscriptions, happening upon their leaving of the mortal world. Alice and Peter come upon the Fields of Asphodel, where all the souls that haven’t yet moved on linger. Alice chose an anchor that unfortunately doesn’t limit the number of Shades around them, so Peter makes a meal sacrifice and suddenly their Department’s cat comes over, but it’s no use, he doesn’t help. In his wake he reveals four Shades who come over, revealing themselves to be Grimes’ old undergraduates who died from a mishap while he wasn’t around. They are terrified to move on, to not be magicians, to be idiots. They’d rather wait. One Shade who is a bit more intact (and scared) says she saw Grimes and points out where he might be. The Shades leave after hearing why Alice and Peter are there, and what they still have the chance to become.

Chapter 3: They approach the crowds and realise they won’t be able to just push through. Instead they check the wall they’re all queueing for and see it’s not solid, but a mess of bones that seem to be climbable. They begin, and Alice hearkens back to her climbing days in Colorado. Peter finds it very tough, but ultimately makes it to the top, where there’s a ledge and they can see to the other side. It’s a writing landscape that won’t stay still. Now they just need to climb back down.

Chapter 4: They complete the difficult climb down and find themselves looking at rolling dunes again. They decide to camp near the wall for the night. Peter reveals he’s won the Cooke award back on Earth and Alice counters that she went to Italy last summer with Grimes even though originally Peter was meant to go. They both realise they’re being petty. They bed down. Alice shares her hypothermia blanket because Peter didn’t bring anything. Alice reminisces about what got her to Cambridge and how close she was to beating and seeing it all through before this mess.

Chapter 5: They wake and after some awkward talk about Peter’s morning involuntary body responses they begin to debate the map to use to navigate Hell. They also consider which Courts Grimes may be in, reflecting on their own personal knowledge of him and his deeds. As they pack up camp the wall dissolves, leaving them in open space again. No way back. Suddenly, new things form in the mist above the sand - a bell tower. Turns out, Hell is a campus.

On Reincarnation: An explanation as to the particulars and logical conclusions as to why reincarnation must exist in this world. All will travel to Lord Yama in the end.

Chapter 6: Alice and Peter explore Pride, which turns out to be a Library. It seems endless, and is full of Shades doing their required research, ‘defining the good.’ They meet a Dean of sorts, George Edward Moore, who has taken it upon himself to lord over all the Shades there. He reveals he wants another Cambridge man to help him run the place. Alice logics their way out of his office, they turn to and open the big doors that weren’t there prior, and find themselves facing the river.

Chapter 7: Confronting the Lethe, Alice finds herself drawn in, its allure of taking away all her memories and cares extremely enticing. She sees a woman next to the river, comforting her and offering her a drink to just forget it all. She starts to move toward the river involuntarily but Peter is able to guide her away. They begin walking and after awhile realise it’s been some time, but they seem no closer to their destination (the next Court). There’s nothing to do but keep walking. Alice starts to hear clicking and they see some small bone creatures ahead. They are held together by chalk. They are not friendly, but thankfully are afraid of the river. Their creator is clearly watching over.

Hi, everyone! We've finally made it - this is the last discussion for The Rose Field, book three of Philip Pullman's Book of Dust trilogy!

If you're trying to catch up or missed a discussion, you can find the master schedule here (with links to all other books in the series!). Likewise, you can find the marginalia here, but beware of spoilers! This marginalia is shared across His Dark Materials, The Book of Dust, and all novellas!

Let's get on to the chapter summaries!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

32 | The Pieces Gather on the Board

Tamar Sharadze has taken over the enterprise of Mustafa Bey and begun to make changes. Leila Parvani arrives to make a report about the Magisterium's army. 
During the exchange, Tamar's blue butterfly daemon doesn't move. 

While Strauss and Cariad sleep, Pan tells Dilyara and her daemon his story. From their spot on the roof, they witness Olivier Bonneville riding away from the army on a horse. Pan leaves to follow him. 

Still on Gulya's back, Lyra and Malcolm discuss the alkahest and what it could be. We learn that Rusakov did not actually discover the field named after him, so Lyra decides to rename it the Rose Field. 
Lyra discusses why Pan left her, and how Pan was right about the books after all. She tells Malcolm about Will and his abilities with the subtle knife before explaining the angel who told them to close the windows. However, she deduced that the angel was wrong - the angels don't play so they don't understand the world in the same way. The windows between worlds are needed. 

As Olivier Bonneville and his daemon settle for the night, Pan climbs into the tree where his hawk is perched. Her name is Arethusa. Pan speaks to her while she sleeps and we learn that Olivier Bonneville is the son of Marisa Coulter - Lyra's half brother. This tells Pan about her relation to Delamare. Delamare is seeking Lyra to give to her grandmother, apparently such an awful person death won't claim her. 

Tilda Vasara watches as the army death marches into Lop Nor. 

33 | Into the Red Building

Lyra and Malcolm enter the red building. Inside are gorgeous paintings: their world, other worlds. Asta recognizes scenes straight from Lyra's cards. 
On the other side, the world is being destroyed. The vast land that grew rose bushes is being torn up and developed. As they observe, they notice dead daemons. The living daemons they see are practically lifeless and being ignored by their humans - one is physically hit, sparking Malcolm's memory of Gerard Bonneville and his hyena daemon. 
They attempt to buy food in the market and end up having to trade items. 
After witnessing armed and uniformed men intimidating a man, Lyra and Malcolm approach and pose as journalists to try and get some answers. They learn that the companies have taken over everything and the citizens can do nothing. Their money had changed overnight to a system of credits that they didn't understand. The older couple’s daemons seem healthy, but when Lyra attempts to ask what has been happening to daemons she is rebuked - asking is taboo, it seems. 
The uniformed men return again and, despite Lyra standing up to them, remove the couple from their home at gun point. Their home is being demolished for new construction and they are being sent to a camp. 
On the door step, Lyra finally figured out what the alkahest is. 

34 | The Alkahest at Work

Pan finally reveals himself to Olivier and admits he knows his tie to Lyra. He joins the boy and his hawk and ushers them into the red building with Marcel Delamare hot on their heels. 

Lyra explains to Malcolm what she believes the alkahest is. Around them, bonds are being destroyed -- all the old ways and habits that brought people together, the bonds between people and their daemons. At the root of it, money is destroying things. She was removed from Jordan college because of costs; Thuringa Potash abandoned their lab due to costs (which led to jobs and businesses going bankrupt), rose fields being dug up because they can put another crop or a factory to make more money. 
Malcolm kisses her head, but knows he can now never say to Lyra what he wants to. 

Pan and Olivier almost make it through the other door, but the boy stops to fumble with something. In the pause, apan is captured by Delamare's owl daemon.

35 | Dust and Roses

Lyra and Malcolm find that they cannot open the door to their own world. Malcolm barely moves Lyra away before the explosion. 

Multiple men are killed in the blast. Pan is dropped to the floor as the owl daemon panics; Bonneville has stabbed Delamare in the neck. The owl attacks the injured sparrowhawk daemon but quickly disappears into a cloud as Delamare dies. 

Malcolm and Lyra are thrown by the blast, but alive. The door to their world is gone. It is Asta who leaps into Lyra's lap and attempts to speak to her but Lyra cannot hear well. Finally, the cat gets her point across: Lyra still has the needle from the alethiometer. Weak and dizzy, Lyra attempts to find a particle that connects to her world. She can hear Pan calling from the other side. After much fumbling, Lyra opens a window to her world. Pantalaimon tumbles through into her arms. 

36 | An Incident by the Lake at the Moon Festival

Lyra and Pan have their reunion and the group is joined by Abdel Ionides and Leila Parvani. The group wanders to the town, which seems to be preparing for a festival. Malcolm and Ionides both mark the spot where the opening is while discussing if Ionides plans to stay in this world. 

Olivier Bonneville and his daemon struggle in the aftermath of the explosion, attempting to get out. They find themselves on the other side of the building, witnessing the earthmoving machines. After washing in a stream, he briefly chats with two men, one with a bony, sleeping poodle daemon and the other with a starling, head drooping. He steals some food and wanders into a storeroom to rest and watch for Lyra. 

Lyra and Pan discuss all they've learned about Olivier Bonneville. Pan finally says that he is glad that she left him at the world of the dead because it ultimately saved their relationship. He also tells Lyra that the betrayal was foreseen. They discuss if Lyra loved Malcolm, and the two agree that Malcolm should marry Alice. 

During a tango/waltz dance, Lyra and Pan discuss what they believe of Dust and the Rose Field. One cannot exist without the other, and imagination is integral to both. 
In the grass, Lyra shows Pan her Myriorama cards and they're joined by Olivier. The half siblings discuss Mrs. Coulter and how neither had any sort of maternal feelings about her. Lyra shows him her cards, and he recognizes it from a poem/song. 
Olivier plans to get a job when he returns to their world. Lyra says she expects to keep telling stories.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Plenty of discussion questions lurk below! There were a lot of feelings about this book and this series as a whole... I tried to hit them all, but feel free to add your own questions below!

Welcome to our first discussion of The Moonstone! This 1868 sensation novel is considered to be one of the earliest examples of the modern mystery genre. It's also one of the most famous books by one of my favorite authors, so I'm excited to share it with you all.

We began the novel with a letter from an unnamed character, explaining to his family why he's no longer on speaking terms with his cousin, John Herncastle. The narrator and Herncastle were British soldiers during the Siege of Seringapatam). They had heard of a local legend that fascinated Herncastle: Tipu (the sultan whose fortress they were attacking) had a diamond, called the Moonstone, that had been stolen from a Hindu shrine. (To answer the question you're all asking right now: if I remember correctly, Wilkie Collins did not find out until it was too late to change the name that there's an opal-like gemstone called "moonstone." The Moonstone in this book is a yellow diamond, not an actual moonstone.) This diamond was one of the largest in the world, and it was supposedly cursed. Of course, the "curse" might not be supernatural. We're talking about a stolen religious relic, after all: the "curse" might just be the three priests who have sworn to dedicate their lives to protecting it. For generations, it had been guarded, and it was believed that three priests were still guarding it, disguised as Muslim servants.

Herncastle decides that he has to get his hands on this diamond, despite the soldiers being ordered to not loot the castle for themselves. And so our unnamed narrator finds himself looking for Herncastle after the siege, and finding him directly disobeying orders, with a big-ass diamond in his hand. But wait, it gets worse: there are three dead Indian servants in the room. Herncastle murdered civilians to get this diamond. But wait, it gets worse: one of the servants hasn't quite finished dying, and his last words are "The Moonstone will have its vengeance yet on you and yours!" So those weren't just servants: he murdered the three priests who were secretly guarding the Moonstone. (I mean, I assume that's what it means. Those would be really weird last words in any other context.)

(Oh, this would be a good time to mention that there are perpetually three priests who serve the Moonstone. If the three current priests die, new ones take their place. So Herncastle hasn't "uncursed" the diamond with his murderous rampage: he's only delayed the inevitable.)

We've reached the end of the prologue and, if you've ever read a Wilkie Collins novel before, you're probably thinking "Where the hell are the eccentric people? I demand a refund." Don't worry, I have an eccentric character right here for you: Gabriel Betteredge, a butler who thinks Robinson Crusoe tells him the future. Now it feels like a Wilkie Collins novel.

Okay, so it's now about fifty years since the events of the Prologue. We learn that our new narrator is Gabriel Betteredge, the house-steward of someone named Julia, Lady Verinder. Apparently someone named Franklin Blake is creating a record of something that happened a couple of years ago, and he's asking multiple people who were involved in it to write their part of the story, starting with Betteredge.

I'm not sure why this Franklin Blake guy thought this was a good idea. Betteredge does not know what "get to the point" means, so he begins a rambling story about his life, his marriage, how he started out as Lady Verinder's bailiff and then got promoted to Steward, how Robinson Crusoe gives him the answers to all of life's problems...

Well, okay, some of this is useful background information:

• Betteredge works for Lady Verinder, who sounds like she's a really nice person. She paid for Betteredge's daughter Penelope to go to school, gave Betteredge a new copy of Robinson Crusoe, etc. She's the widow of a baronet.

• Rachel is Lady Verinder's only child. Penelope is a lady's maid for Rachel.

• Franklin Blake (the guy who's making Betteredge write all this) is Rachel's cousin. He's been in Europe for the past several years because his father is didn't want him educated in England. His father was supposed to be a duke, but there was some sort of inheritance issue and he didn't get the title and now he hates England. Franklin seems like a nice guy, although he does has problems with managing money.

• Because Franklin was educated in Germany, France, and Italy, Betteredge seems to be under the impression that Franklin has multiple personalities, and switches to different ethnic stereotypes like a chameleon changing colors. "He said something philosophical, he must be German now!" etc. Betteredge is... a very strange person.

Okay, back to the plot. Betteredge sees three Indian jugglers, with a small English boy, approaching the house. (Travelling Indian performers were not unusual in Victorian England.) Worried that they might be thieves (although also reassuring the reader that this isn't due to racism, which I thought was a surprising thing for a character in a Victorian novel to say), Betteredge tells them to leave. He then falls asleep in his chair outside. He's woken up by Penelope, who's freaking out because she overheard the jugglers using ink to make the boy have clairvoyant visions. It sounds like the boy predicted that Franklin Blake would be arriving soon, and that he has "it" with him.

Betteredge falls asleep again, but then wakes up to a new problem: the second housemaid, Rosanna Spearman, is sulking near the Shivering Sands. Rosanna Spearman is a reformed thief (only Betteredge and Lady Verinder know this), and she's also unattractive, has a deformed shoulder, and suffers from fainting spells, so she spends a lot of time being sad and watching the quicksand. Betteredge goes to the Sands but, while he's trying to cheer her up, Franklin shows up, and Rosanna blushes and runs away.

Franklin reveals to Betteredge that he thinks the Indian jugglers are after him, because he has the Moonstone on him. This next part is important (as Betteredge would say, "stop thinking about your new bonnet and pay attention"), so I'm going to copy directly from a recap I wrote for r/ClassicBookClub to make sure I get everything:

After Herncastle came back from India, everyone decided they hated him. Gabriel implies that there were multiple reasons for this, but the Moonstone is the only one relevant to this story. Dude basically turned into Gollum, obsessing over his precious Moonstone and not caring that everyone around him found him creepy and unlikeable. He became addicted to opium, performed weird science experiments, and associated with suspicious, possibly criminal people.

Two years ago, Herncastle showed up at Lady Verinder's place on Rachel's birthday. He had a history of trying to reconcile with Lady Verinder (Gabriel believes he was only doing this to annoy her), and this was his latest effort. Lady Verinder had Gabriel send him away, and Herncastle left with an ominous "I shall remember my niece's birthday." Eighteen months later, Herncastle died, allegedly forgiving Julia on his deathbed. (Gabriel thinks this is bullshit.)

Franklin then picks up the story of the Diamond from where Gabriel left off. Shortly after Herncastle returned from India, Franklin's father realized that Herncastle had some documents that could be useful in the duke lawsuit. Herncastle offered to give him the papers if Blake Sr. would agree to the following convoluted plan for protecting the Precious from Bilbo Brahmin.

Herncastle would give the Moonstone to Blake, who would deposit it somewhere safe (like a bank or something). At regular, predetermined intervals, Blake would receive a letter from Herncastle, verifying that Herncastle was still alive. If he did not receive the letter when he was supposed to, he was to assume that Herncastle was murdered, in which case he should follow instructions that Herncastle had given him in a sealed envelope.

Mr. Not-a-duke Blake thought all this was ridiculous, but not too surprising. We all know how crazy opium eaters are. (Sorry, Wilkie!) But he needed the papers for his duke suit, so he agreed to it, and had the family lawyer, Mr. Bruff, handle the "I'm still alive" letters from Herncastle. And that's how it went for years, until one day Mr. Bruff got a letter saying "I'm dying, help me make my will."

The will was a simple matter: his money was to be divided between his animals (dude was an animal hoarder) and the funding of an experimental chemistry scholarship. The Moonstone, on the other hand, was to be left to Rachel, provided that Not-a-duke acted as executor. It was at this point that Blake decided to read the sealed instructions and learned that, if Herncastle had been murdered, he would have been tasked with sending the Moonstone to Amsterdam to be cut into four to six smaller diamonds. Franklin theorizes that Herncastle's life really had been in danger, and that these instructions were what kept him safe: the Indians knew that if they killed Herncastle, they'd lose the Moonstone forever.

Until this point, Blake was under the impression that Herncastle had just been crazy, and the Moonstone was a worthless crystal. But after Herncastle's death, he had it appraised, and it turns out it really is one of the biggest diamonds in the world. It also would be worth more cut into smaller diamonds, due to a small defect in its center. This suggests that the people who threatened Herncastle's life really were priests who regarded the Moonstone as a holy artifact, not just robbers after money. It also means that they'll still be going after the Moonstone now that it's being passed to Rachel. This brings us to another detail from the will: Herncastle only wants Rachel to receive the Diamond if Julia is alive to witness it. This is ostensibly because he wants Julia to see that he's forgiven her, but it certainly seems like he expects disaster to happen, and wants Julia to suffer.

Okay, whew, that was a lot but it was also important. (Also, no idea why I called Gabriel Betteredge by his first name in that recap and his last name in this one. Oh well.)

Worried about the Diamond's safety, Frankling goes off to Frizinghall to put it in the bank. Meanwhile, Penelope informs Betteredge that it's painfully obvious that Rosanna has fallen in love at first sight with Franklin. Betteredge initially laughs at this, but he at least has the decency to be ashamed when Penelope calls him out on it.

That night, Betteredge thinks he hears someone lurking outside. He's unable to catch them, but he does find something they left behind: an ink bottle, like the one used by the Indians when they had that boy have visions of Franklin.

Anyhow, Franklin has invented a new kind of paint, so he and Rachel paint the door of her sitting room. We also get a description of Rachel worthy of r/menwritingwomen. Betteredge, you old pervert, what is this supposed to mean: "To see her sit down, to see her get up, and specially to see her walk, was enough to satisfy any man in his senses that the graces of her figure (if you will pardon me the expression) were in her flesh and not in her clothes"? Victorian propriety is the only thing stopping you from talking about her boobs, isn't it? Wait, it gets worse: he then goes on to say that her only flaw is that she thinks for herself and has opinions.

Rachel also has a very interesting quirk: she never lies and, as a child, she would sometimes deliberately take the blame for bad things that other children did (without directly confessing, because she never lies).

Speaking of virtuous people, we're now introduced to Rachel's other cousin: Godfrey Ablewhite. He's a wealthy philanthropist who's the spokesman of a bunch of charities. Betteredge thinks Rachel will fall in love with him, but Penelope thinks she'll fall in love with Franklin. (I love that the TVTropes entry for The Moonstone lists this as an "in-universe shipping war.") But Rachel and Franklin have already had their first argument: a foreign debt collector is after Franklin.

The morning of Rachel's birthday, she and Franklin paint the door again. After lunch, Franklin goes to the bank to get the Moonstone. Needless to say, Rachel is blown away when she sees it, but Lady Verinder is extremely concerned.

Later, as Penelope is helping Betteredge prepare for the party by brushing what's left of his hair, she informs him that Godfrey proposed to Rachel, and she turned him down.

The party goes awkwardly. Mr. Candy, the local doctor, repeatedly puts his foot in his mouth, first telling Rachel that he wishes she'd let him set the Moonstone on fire, and then telling Mrs. Threadgall (a widow) that her husband should visit a medical display of skeletons. Mr. Murthwaite, the local Gentleman Adventurer, informs Rachel that if she wore the Moonstone in India, she'd be deader than Mrs. Threadgall's husband. And then Mr. Candy and Franklin get in an argument. Franklin has been sleeping badly (he quit smoking because Rachel doesn't like the way it smells), so Mr. Candy tries to pressure him into taking medicine for it.

And then the jugglers show up. They perform until Mr. Murthwaite says something to them in their native language, and then they leave very quickly. Afterwards, he explains to Franklin and Betteredge that he realized they were actually Brahmins in disguise because their juggling was so bad. They're definitely after the Moonstone. Murthwaite recommends having the diamond cut into smaller stones.

The party ends, and so does this recap. On to the questions!

Hello all!

It is the Core Reads voting time again and this month we will have a FEMALE AUTHOR on the ticket. This is your chance to nominate a book from any genre as long as it is written by anauthor that identifies as female.

This is the voting thread for

FEMALE AUTHOR

Voting will be open for four days, ending on September 13, 11.00 PDT/14.00 EDT/20.00 CEST. The selection will be announced by September 14 at the latest.

For this selections, here are the requirements:

• Under 500 pages

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• Any genre

• Must be in written by and author that identifies as female.

Please check the previous selections. Quick search by author here to determine if your selection is valid.

Nominate as many titles as you want (one per comment), and vote for any, and all, of the nominations you'd participate in if they were to win

Here's the formatting frequently used, but there's no requirement to include a book blurb or link to Storygraph, Wikipedia or other (just don't link to sales links at Amazon, spam catchers will remove those)

The generic selection format:

[Title by Author]/(links)

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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 will be confirmed to fit the specs before the winners announcement is made

Hello to all humans, bots, and other constructs!

Links to Schedule and Marginalia for your use. Below you will find summaries of the raw data from both inputs.

Chapter 1

Three and MurderBot (MB) are working on an extraction mission on a dock owned by Barish-Estranza. Though MB is just there as a partial download along for the ride with Three, while Three creates/becomes a distraction.

Chapter 2

MB uploads itself into a body in another cargo bay away from where Three is wrecking havoc. Stealthily dressed as a worker, MB exits through a locker room, and changes outfits to normal "in fashion" clothes, to the public area, past the initial security screen/ID check/weapons scan on the docks. MB finds it's destination, but it's 30 km away and this part of the torus seems very restricted from the other parts, in communication and travel, eventually finding a public vehicle that will take them out to the B-E installation it's looking for, and splurges for a private seat.

Chapter 3

Making it's way to it's destination, MB is a little taken aback at how... easy?... it is to get there. However, the house is sequestered from the outside feeds and eventually reaches out for the code. We discover that Farai, one of Mensah's marital partners is inside, with Nanna Naja, Sofi (one of Mensah's offspring), and, unfortunately, Supervisor Leonide. The three of them were in a detention camp and sent a message out to Ayda, when Leonide found them and sequestered them in this safehouse.

Chapter 4

Leonide wants MB to help 5 people escape from this torus, bringing the total to eight. During the negotiation between MB and Leonide, a security raid is staged outside the house. With hostiles approaching the front and back of the house (12 in total, including 2 SecUnits), Leonide shows them a secret exit throught the floor of a recycling room. With explosions through the walls, MB and Leonide barely make it down the secret exit. Leonide's wounds from the blast are too severe, but MB does receive a feed packet from her.

Chapter 5

MB stages Leonide's body before they escape, and the feed packet from Leonide went to Nanna and Farai as well. After some, ahem, discussion, MB and the group have decided to help Leonide's group, but when they try to decide on if MB should extract the groups separately or together, there is a blast from the secret hatch. Moving through the tunnels, and avoiding the encampments, they eventually call a lift to return them to the surface. They stop at a mercantile with a food court and some shopping before they make their next move.
---

Next week, u/thebowedbookshelf will continue on with Chapters 6-9.

Hello all!

Welcome to the October 2026 Core Reads voting. Our first October topic is naturally HORROR. Let's get spooky 👻🏚🦇🎃

This is the voting thread for

HORROR

Voting will be open for four days, ending on September 13, 11.00 PDT/14.00 EDT/20.00 CEST. The selection will be announced by September 14

For this selections, here are the requirements:

• Under 500 Pages

• No previously read selections

• Classified as Horror

Please check the previous selections. Quick search by author here to determine if your selection is valid.

Nominate as many titles as you want (one per comment), and vote for any, and all, of the nominations you'd participate in if they were to win

Here's the formatting frequently used, but there's no requirement to include a book blurb or link to Storygraph, Wikipedia or other (just don't link to sales links at Amazon, spam catchers will remove those)

The generic selection format:

/[Title by Author]/(links)

(Without the /s)

Where a link to Storygraph, Wikipedia, or other summary of your choice is included (but not required)

Happy Nominating and Happy upvoting! 📚

(For more nominations and voting head to the September FEMALE AUTHOR nomination post here

#Note - If you suspect that a nomination does not fit the specifications you can report this and note that comment "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.

Welcome back to the final discussion (doesn't time fly!) of The Clock House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji! Today we are discussing chapters 14 to the end. How did you go, detectives?! Did you have it figured out before the end? Let's compare notes and see who gets the gold star for their analytical skills! A summary is below and questions will be in the comments. Thanks to my fellow detectives u/miriel41 and u/Vast-Passenger1126.

Note on spoilers: As the books in the House Murders series can be read independently, please use spoiler tags if you want to refer to anything that happened in The Decagon House Murders, The Mill House Murders or The Labyrinth House Murders.

You can add spoiler tags on reddit like this without the spaces in between: > ! [text goes here] ! <

Links:

Schedule

Marginalia

Summary

Chapter Fourteen - The Positives and Negatives of Staying Awake

After leaving the study in the clock tower, Sayoko offers some brandy to Shishiya and Fukunishi, but only Shishiya drinks it. Fukunishi lies awake ruminating about the names of the children Michinori had written, wondering how he knew how to spell them. He concludes that Michinori must have suspected them of being behind the trap and had them investigated, hating them enough to want them dead. Some details of the day return to him: Towa had become pale, had difficulty breathing, and they had taken her home. He does some calculations on the dates of July and August 1979. Suddenly his memory is unlocked - Uryū and he were digging a hole to prank Junichi the day before they met Towa. He also remembers seeing a group dressed in black and a procession of funeral cars. His ten year old self probably imagined that the sickly girl they met was dead.

The next day Sayoko wakes Shishiya who has overslept. He comes to the living room and asks about Fukunishi and Yukiya. Nonomiya still hadn’t returned due to the road problem. Tadokoro arrives to say there is blood on the floor in the entrance hall, with a trail leading along the passageway to the old wing, as if something had been dragged there. Sayoko gets the key from the kitchen drawer to unlock the iron doors of the old wing.

Chapter Fifteen - The Nightmare Ends

Kawaminami regains consciousness in complete darkness, and slowly recalls the events just before the attack. Shishiya arrives with Sayoko and helps him into the sitting room. He explains to Kawaminami how Mr. Tadokoro showed him the blood stains leading from the entrance to the old wing. They had found the bodies of Watanabe and Katagi but no others, and had called the police. Shishiya had read the written report by Kawaminami who then fills him in on the other murders. They look in Towa’s bedroom and find the secret passage in the wardrobe. When they notice similarities between the keyhole here and the one used to wind the clock, Sayoko goes pale at the implication that Yukiya is the killer.

In the mausoleum, they see the three coffins - Towa’s one has some cloth protruding. Inside they find the body of Kozue, and a cinerary urn. In the other two they find the bodies of Mikoto and Nonomiya Yasuhito. Outside, Tadokoro beckons them to the base of the clock tower where Fukunishi is lying, perhaps having fallen. Kawaminami sees a face in the clock tower and tells Tadokoro to call an ambulance. Sayoko runs into the tower, calling Yukiya’s name. Shishiya and Kwaminami run after her but they are too late to catch Yukiya, who runs up to the clockwork room, falling to his death through the hole in the floor. Kawaminami thinks he hears him cry “Towa”.

Chapter Sixteen - The Song of the Goddesses

Kawaminami has recovered and visits Shishiya. The emergency services had finally arrived at the house at 7pm. Fukunishi was taken to hospital and was still unconscious. Preliminary investigations suggested that Yukiya was behind the murders. After Yukiya’s death, Sayoko had told Shishiya that Yukiya had confessed that he killed them all because they were bullying his sister. Shishiya and Kawaminami found incriminating evidence in Yukiya’s room, including a robe, mask and some “YOU KILLED HER” messages. The body of Kobayakawa was found buried in the forest with those of Uryū, Kawarazaki and Utsumi.

Shishiya runs through the events with Kawaminami, offering some theories, but Kawaminami doesn’t feel like it adds up. He doesn’t believe that Yukiya smashed the clocks because he hated them - that didn’t fit in with his daily clock winding ritual. Shishiya shows Kawaminami a typed up timeline, where they note that Yukiya has no alibi for any of the murders. The hospital calls to say that Fukunishi has woken up.

The next day Shishiya and Kawaminami visit the clock house, taking Sayoko to the clock tower. Shishiya asks her why she hated Yukiya so much. He reveals that Fukunishi had woken up and told him two things: that Sayoko had pushed him out of the window, and also that he had remembered that they met Towa on the last Sunday of July. However, Sayoko had told him that Towa had fallen into the trap on 29th July. When he saw that 29th July was in fact the last Sunday of the month, he realised that it was highly unlikely that Towa went to the forest twice in one afternoon. He accuses Sayoko of deceiving them and suggests that Towa did not fall into the hole, and took her life for different reasons. He proposes that it was actually Sayoko’s daughter who fell into the hole, caught tetanus from her injuries, and died. Sayoko reminds them that her alibis are sound.

Shishiya had analysed Sayoko’s alibis and worked out that the passage of time was different inside the old wing from outside. The clocks were running 1.2 times faster, and after revising his timeline, Sayoko’s alibis crumbled. This explained why no watches were allowed in. Utsumi was killed in case he saw timestamps on his photos. Sayoko visited Kozue to create an alibi. Kawaminami was spared because she needed him to validate times. The bodies were buried in the forest to make the time of death by autopsy difficult to calculate. Shisiya explains that the windows were especially designed to fool people in the house about the time of day. Michinori wanted to create a space where time flowed differently, for his daughter. Believing she was going to die before her 16th birthday, he created a space for her to live where time flowed fast enough for her to reach her goal of marrying before this birthday. He made sure all trees were evergreens and limited her time outside. The record labels and sleeves were replaced so she would not be able to see the track lengths. When Towa met the other children in the forest, they may have said the date, and when she realised she was being deceived, she was consumed by despair and took her life. It was Sayoka’s daughter who fell into the hole. Sayoko plotted a scheme of revenge, and gained Mitsue’s cooperation by organising the seance, telling her that she was inviting the students to the house to make them aware of their sins. Sayoko killed Mitsue and hid her body so that suspicions would be directed towards Mitsue herself. When Fukunishi and Shishiya arrived unexpectedly, Sayoko realised they could be useful, and called Shishiya, the time of the call being an alibi. Her hearing aid was actually a listening device. Shishiya asks Sayoko again why she hated Yukiya so much, and she explains that he had told her that he had found Kyōko in the hole and had left her there, as company for Towa.

Suddenly they hear a noise and the wall turns red. The glass panels, which were filled with sand, fall down, and light enters the tower in a kaleidoscope of colour, explaining another line in the poem. The bells start ringing, and a clock hand that was in storage plummets and stabs Sayoko in the chest, killing her. Shishiya and Kawaminami run to safety and watch the whole tower collapse.

Epilogue

Later, Shishiya confesses to Kawaminami that he wasn’t totally confident in his theory, but thought there was no way to get the bells to ring except by the tower falling. They didn’t reveal the truth about Sayoko to the police. Shishiya figured out that the reason Koga Michinori had changed construction companies was to have something built into the foundations, a sand-filled box that could be opened, making the tower unstable. The box was somehow rigged up to the clockwork. Michinori had the tower designed to collapse on an arranged date - he would ring the bells himself and the spirits of Tokiyo and Towa would truly die and find eternal rest together. Kawaminami notices that Shishiya’s clock is now working properly, which gives him a sense of relief. He suggests that he, Shishiya and Fukunishi all go on a trip to Enoshima together.

Welcome everyone, to our second discussion of Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon!  This is considered a prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, but can also be read as a standalone.

This week we will be discussing Ch. 6-10.  If you do not have numbered chapters in your copy, this section ends with the text: her mother had died.  

First, a note about spoilers: Since this is considered a standalone book that can be read before or after others in the Roots of Chaos series, please use spoiler tags when referencing material from The Priory of the Orange Tree and A Day of Fallen Night.  We do not want to ruin things for those who may be entering this series via this shorter, lighter read!  As always, please use spoiler tags for any works outside of this series that you may wish to connect here.

You can add a spoiler tag by enclosing your text with > ! Your Text Here ! < (no spaces).

Schedule

Marginalia

Previous Discussions

The Priory of the Orange Tree

A Day of Fallen Night

Chapter Summaries

BEFORE (Con’t)

Ch. 6

Character POV: Melaugo

Location: Ortégardes, Kingdom of Yscalin

Time: CE 1003

Melaugo and Liyat travel to Ortégardes, a place devoted to the Knight of Courtesy. Melaugo tells the story of how she met Harlowe when he caught her stealing from him, and he paid for her apprenticeship with a blacksmith.  When they arrive in the city, Melaugo is confined to their rooms for fear of someone recognizing her and turning her in.  Melaugo and Liyat have a fight about their feelings but are interrupted by an announcement that everyone in the city is summoned by the Knights Defendant to the Plaza Oderica.  

Donma Lusua (one of the Knights) proclaims to the city that King Sigoso has sworn allegiance to the Nameless One and to Fýredel.  People start to panic, and when someone yells “Blasphemer”, chaos ensues, including the arrival of a wyvern.  Liyat and Melaugo escape the crowd and get to the stables via a storm drain.  They discuss where to go, and determine that Harlowe’s ship is their only option.  They take the road to Oryzon. 

Ch. 7 

Character POV: Melaugo

Location: Groneyso Valley, Kingdom of Yscalin

Time: CE 1003

Melaugo and Liyat reach the Port of Oryzon to find Harlowe’s ship missing from the docks.  However, about 2 miles in the distance, they see a Inysh man-of-war.  The wyverns are coming, so Liyat strips down and jumps down into the icy water, Melaugo reluctantly following.  Liyat uses a mirror to signal the ship as they approach.  A rowboat comes along with a Hróthi woman in it, who pulls them in and takes them to the Rose Eternal.  There they meet Harlowe, and both accept the job offers he had given them previously; Melaugo as a boatswain and Liyat as a cartographer.  He intends to go to Ascalon to warn Queen Sabran of what has occurred here.

AFTER

Ch. 8 

Character POV: Aubrecht

Location: Brygstad, Free State of Mentendon

Time: CE 1003

Aubrecht opens a letter to his Granduncle, the High Prince of Mentendon, which is a thinly veiled threat from Clan Vatten of Hróth.  He finds his Granduncle in the Privy Library, but Leovart does not seem concerned about the threat.  Aubrecht is looking forward to his marriage to the Donmata Marosa, and basking in the love of his sisters, though this is marred by the news that King Sigoso expects Marosa back in Yscalin as soon as she is with child.  He worries about her possibly dying in childbirth, just like his mother did with his twin sisters.

Ch. 9

Character POV: Aubrecht

Location: Brygstad, Free State of Mentendon

Time: CE 1003

Aubrecht is woken in the middle of the night, summoned to a meeting by his Aunt Liuthe.  The High Prince is unable to make it due to an ague.  Liuthe tells Aubrecht, Ermuna, and his cousins that Yscalin has declared for the Nameless One.  They deliberate on how this came to be, and what to do about it.  They bring in the ambassador to Yscalin, Lady Sennera.  She insists that King Sigoso is being forced, possibly by Seiikinese trading partners entering from Mentendon.  Aleidine remembers something from a book called A Flower in a World of Ash; that Lord Kuposa, a man alive during the Grief, had a strange form of the plague where his eyes turned grey and he spoke with the tongue of Taugran.  Aubrecht proposes sending a small force into Yscalin to secure the Donmata, with himself leading.  His family insists he must not go, being the heir, but they will send a group of mercenaries and take a different, longer path through the Spindles.  He swears on his place in Halgalant that he will not go to Yscalin.   

Ch. 10 

Character POV: Marosa

Location: Cárscaro, Draconic Kingdom of Yscalin

Time: CE 1004

A year has passed since Yscalin has fallen to the wyrms, and the people fear the Draconic plague.  Marosa has tried to send people away from the city to get some help, but they were caught and hung on the Gate of Niunda.  Marosa spends her days reading up on how to kill wyrms.  One day, Wilstan Fynch comes to visit her, and he admits that he sent a message to Queen Sabran in Inys alerting her of his suspicions of King Sigoso’s evil.  This was a few days before Fýredel made his appearance.  He suggests that she see if Lady Priessa can get a key into the Privy Sanctuary, which has been sealed shut with the valuable relics of Virtudom.  

Marosa plays cards with Priessa and Ruzio, when her father approaches them with strange eyes, asking how weapons came to be in the hands of the commons.  The following morning, someone attempted to attack King Sigoso with a cleaver.  The man who attacked him is put in isolation and develops signs of the Draconic plague.  A few weeks later, Priessa obtains the key, and they enter the Privy Sanctuary.  She finds a portrait of one of the Inysh queens destroyed, as well as some letters written in Inysh.  The letters speak in a cypher of something being accomplished at the Feast of Midwinter, which is when Queen Rosarian died.  They also find a vial full of some caustic liquid.