Yeah, the “nobody has any idea what’s going on” is not my favorite genre. Give me competence porn any day.

Dang, Sept 18 was a busy day for everyone in Dracula!

Dang, Sept 18 was a busy day for everyone in Dracula!

I cringe every time Lucy gets a blood transfusion. Like I have to read it with my hands over my eyes, peeking through my fingers. (Yes, I know Dracula was written before blood typing existed, but I live in 2022 and it freaks me out. She's gotten transfusions from 4 different people. FOUR! I'm just going on the assumption that she's AB+.)

And also! She's gotten 4 transfusions -- do you think Dracula is confused as hell? Like, he goes one night and drains her almost competely...and the next night he does back and she's full of blood again! And then 3 more times! He HAS to be bewildered. (But he's also not passing up a good meal when it keeps presenting itself.)

I know! Just blithely filling her up with blood from whoever happens to be handy, yikes! I am actually AB+ and I wouldn’t want to do that. Convenient from the drink-all-you-want-we’ll-make-more perspective, though, you are correct.

I somehow didn’t really notice in previous readings that they use wreaths of garlic flowers, not cloves of garlic. That should make a comeback.

Does it seem sinister that Lucy’s mother, Harker’s employer and mentor, and Holmwood Sr all die more or less at the same time? Another thing I didn’t really notice before.

Does it seem sinister that Lucy’s mother, Harker’s employer and mentor, and Holmwood Sr all die more or less at the same time? Another thing I didn’t really notice before.

Oh, very much so. That really got brought home in this serialized re-reading for me, too. It's very much more "creeping horror" which is so perfect for Dracula.

Ohhhhh, Nona the Ninth, y'all. I'm just in love with her so much, and with TazMuir's layering. It's so great.

Although I did have to go back and re-read The Hands of the Emperor for some hopeful post-collapse (because that is what The Fall was) fiction after that.

This read is at it happens thing is delightful, I have to say.

I still haven't started Nona, I only got as far as making sure I have Gideon and Harrow ready to listen to...it's too bad I can't just devote myself to that 24/7, I think I'm going to want to

BTW, juliana, there's a new young Kip novella or something out - Those Who Hold the Fire

Thanks, -t! I did already read it, between that & Buru Tovo's story, I just want to wrap young Kip up and tell him everything's going to be okay.

Right? It made me want to read Hands again, too

Although I did have to go back and re-read The Hands of the Emperor for some hopeful post-collapse (because that is what The Fall was) fiction after that.

So have you read The Return of Fitzroy Angursell? It is less annoying than THotE w/rt communication problems, and the story moves along at a more brisk pace.

It is followed by The Redoubtable Pali Avramapul, which is the story about the woman scholar that came to study the Emperor's archives and Kip realized she was someone important to the Emperor. I enjoyed that as well, just finished it yesterday, but it does have a great deal of "why don't these people just fucking TALK TO ONE ANOTHER" going on. Still fun, though.

And it explains more than any of the other novels about the Fall of Astandalas and what the deal was with Fitzroy and the Red Company.

I'm getting to the point where I might need a wiki for this universe. There's a LOT of backstory. Plus all these different planets/worlds/whatever.

I definitely need a wiki, or at least a clear timeline of when all the books and short stories fall? But I do like.