Liz Bourke: And a short review of @ajdemas.bsky.social's HOUSE OF THE RED BALCONIES: lizbourke.wordpress.com/2024/06/28/7... (Or follow the Patreon link: www.patreon.com/posts/106943...)

I've been largely offline for a while, but I did put a couple of things up: a review of @swantower.bsky.social's NIGHT PARADE OF 100 DEMONS and GAME OF 100 CANDLES: lizbourke.wordpress.com/2024/07/01/7... (Or follow the Patreon link: www.patreon.com/posts/72-gam... )

72. A Game Worth The Candle: Marie Brennan’s “The Night Parade of 100 Demons” and “The Game of 100 Candles”lizbourke.wordpress.com Two fantastic novels set in a Japanese-inspired fantasy world. (And no, you don't need to know anything about Legend of the Five Rings to enjoy them.)

And a short review of @ajdemas.bsky.social's HOUSE OF THE RED BALCONIES: lizbourke.wordpress.com/2024/06/28/7... (Or follow the Patreon link: www.patreon.com/posts/106943...)

71. The House of the Red Balconies by A.J. Demaslizbourke.wordpress.com In a lightly alternate Greek antiquity, will love triumph over obstacles? Plus a brief round-up of interesting links

This one was a delight. And I enjoyed the shift in tone.

It's pretty great.

I have liked everything demas has put out, but honey and pepper perhaps a little less than some. This felt back firing on all cylinders (in an appropriately downbeat sort of way).

Honey and Pepper had less weirdness and shenanigans. I am here for more peculiar shenanigans, not fewer. Though it did some interesting thinking about slavery. (It felt more Roman than the previous work and I'm not so fond of Romans.)

But! Still very enjoyable.

I really don't know thinking she's capable of writing anything but! (I *think* my favourite is One Night In Boukos because I really do have a soft spot on for a good quality farce)

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