Last year I was a Kickstarter backer for Faster Purple Worm, Kill! Kill! By Beadle and Grimm. (Available for Pre-Order here). I was originally going to use it as a low-stakes way to introduce some family and friends to TTRPGs. It would be low-stakes since everyone is expected to die at the end anyway, so no one has to feel sad or disappointed if they die since it’s expected. However, the timing of getting together hasn’t worked out well recently.

Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is the lowest rating I have given an October Daye book. It mostly comes down to the final chapter, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

This should have been a book I loved. It had ALL the lore. We almost (as far as I know) know the answers to all the things - what happened to Oberon and his wives. How was The Ride broken and what were the consequences. What has The Sea Witch’s plan for Toby been all along? We now know all that and more. Also at this point Toby is firing on all cylinders. She knows how to rely on her friends and family. Everything was going to well until we got to that final chapter….

Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins: Series I & II Collection by Matthew Mercer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whether you’re a fan of Critical Role’s Vox Machina storyline from the live play or the cartoon on Amazon Prime, this is a fun set of stories that tell how the group got together and some of their early adventures. This version is oversized when compared to a traditional trade paperback or graphic novel, but it’s got a nice quality to the cover as well as the pages.

When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Toby’s finally getting married. If you’ve made it this far, you know nothing is ever that simple for Toby. (And McGuire has been preparing us for that via Toby and Tybalt’s chatter about the wedding for 1-2 books now) Overall I enjoyed the book and the cast reunion that the event leads to.

I’m going to get a little more spoilery than I usually do with my reviews, but by book #15 you should know if you’re in or not with series rather than depending on a review.

I’d Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts by Larry Wilmore

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is one of the oldest books that I added to my “to read” list on Goodreads. It was #28 and I added it on 3 Oct 2014. Wilmore was probably on the Daily Show at the time, which is where I know him from (subsequent roles not withstanding). At the time I found him to be very funny.

A Killing Frost by Seanan McGuire

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another book that seems to tie a bow on Toby’s plotlines. I’ve said something akin to this more that once, but this time truly seems as though McGuire has finally finished up all the plotlines. (Not 100% true, there’s a certain person who is white as snow who isn’t QUITE done yet….) The climax of this book seems to finally resolve the one HUGE plot that I thought would mark the end of the series. Yet I know, here in 2025, that there are another 5 or so books (and multiple short stories). I have one theory - I think someone who was very angry at the end of this book will be teaming up with someone else who has cause to be upset with Toby. Other than that, I have no idea what could be awaiting our protagonist.

The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The sea witch has been promising for a while now that things would be coming due soon with the Selkies. The day has arrived. But Toby’s involved, so nothing is going to go all that smoothly. We get to see a new realm and another very important fae. We get more lore dumps. We get family reunions. Of course, Toby gets stabbed.

Today Kobold Press opened up the Kickstarter for thier Player’s Guide 2. While Kobold Press has already done a couple Kickstarters that are going to dramatically expand Tales of the Valiant when they come out later this year (Enter the Labyrinth - both a campaign book and a setting book; Monster Vault 2 - an expansion of their bestiary), Player’s Guide 2 is a huge expansion to the Tales of the Valiant ruleset. I, for one, am very excited about this update. Actually, I’m not the only one - at the time that I am writing this (end of the first day of the Kickstarter) there are 1461 backers that have pledged $114,000 against a $50k goal. This means after just about 8 hours they’ve almost reached 3/4 of their stretch goals.

The Adventure

As the crew sails towards the Astral plane they suddenly see tons of flowers in the water as well as lots of sea creatures. Thomas checks the flowers, but they are normal. (ie not magical) Suddenly the current seems to “grab” the ship and start pulling it to an island. The Captain has everyone head to various stations where they can help with navigation and they help avoid any damage to the ship. The current carries the ship far up the shore and it’s beached. Thomas attempts to push the ship, but it’s way too heavy and too far ashore.

The Adventure

The living star, which takes the shape of a turtle, is named Shelly by the crew. It becomes over-excited while playing with the crew and causes some of the wood on the ship to sprout leaves and branches and attracts the attention of a squid-like sea monster. After the heroes get rid of the sea monster, the Oahtu who joined the journey a while ago help repair the ship.