Bookshelf Roundup 01/06/23: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on January 7, 2024 12 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Received for Review
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett (Del Rey): Early 2024 finished copies are coming in, and I received the gorgeous hardcover of the second book of the Emily Wilde series, which I recently finished. I hope to get a review up in the coming days.
The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Tordotcom): Very soon I’ll also be starting this novella about mammoths being brought by from extinction and the strange challenges about keeping a resurrected species alive. Releases in the first couple weeks of January are pretty light, but the arrival of this finished copy is a reminder that my TBR will be packed again before long.
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne (Bramble): Who can resist a title like that? This one sounds super cozy, and the new Tor SFF romance imprint Bramble is releasing it later this spring.
Unbound by Christy Healy (Blackstone Publishing): A Celtic inspired, gender-flipped retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Why a I always such a sucker for these things?
The Glass Box by J. Michael Straczynski (Blackstone Publishing): I remember reading JMS’s comics a lot as a kid, but he’s also been a filmmaker and television writer and done lots of other stuff. When I saw his name attached to his novel, a project that only came to my attention recently, I just had to check it out.
Reviews
This week was about rounding up some of my final reviews for 2023 reads. Even though I’ve got a couple more I still have to write, pretty soon the 2024 book reviews will begin in earnest.
- 4 of 5 stars to The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey
- 3.5 of 5 stars to Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
Recent Reads
This week was a weird one. While everyone went back to school or work, it felt like my time off had just begun. I think I worked more during the Christmas break! And yet it seemed like there was always something going on, and I constantly fell behind on things I was supposed to do. Maybe it was the post-holiday blues because motivation was low too, so I was only able to finish one review book, The Heiress (but it was really good). On the bright side, I also got to read Gwendy’s Button Box which was a “just because” mood read, and I did make a resolution to do more of that this year.
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read!
Novella Review: The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey
Posted on January 6, 2024 10 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Titan Books (October 10, 2023)
Length: 123 pages
Author Information: Website
I’m always a little leery of novellas, but Richard Kadrey has pulled off something rare, treating readers to a supernatural rollercoaster which combines dark fantasy with elements of mystery, action, and humor. It’s been a while since I read the author’s Sandman Slim series, but The Pale House Devil definitely evokes a throwback feel to that tone and style.
In this story, we follow protagonists Ford and Neuland, a paranormal mercenary duo with an unconventional skill set—the former is alive and the latter is undead, and Ford can only kill the undead while Neuland can only kill the living. Their differences aside though, they have a longstanding partnership that’s based on a rough, trusted camaraderie. After their latest job goes south in Manhattan, the two of them decide on a quick change of scenery, hastily departing for the sun, surf, and sandy beaches of California.
They have barely arrived, however, when they are approached by a young woman named Tilda Rosenbloom who comes to them with an intriguing proposition. Her great-grandfather, whom she refers to as Mr. Shepherd Mansfield, has heard of Ford and Neuland’s services and is willing to pay the pair of them big bucks to solve his problem. The old man claims that an evil entity has set up shop in his mansion and wants the two killers-for-hire to come up to his estate and dispatch the interloper, who he believes is the devil himself.
The Pale House Devil is the best kind of novella—one that is short but doesn’t feel short. There was just enough to make the world, the characters, the plot feel robust and coherent. Kadrey’s storytelling packs every page with interest and plenty of quirky moments with our memorable protagonists. Individually, both Ford and Neuland are given room to develop and grow on readers, making it a pleasure to tag along with them on their adventure. The story was also well-paced, even when the setting abruptly changes from New York to Los Angeles.
This was also accomplished without sacrificing the depth of the world-building. The Pale House Devil feels firmly rooted in horror, with just the slightest touch of cosmic horror, done in a way that is rich and immersive. However, the overall tone is also light-hearted enough to feel like a buddy comedy, complete with the easy ribbing and back-and-forth banter between our memorable protagonists, which even non-horror fans might find appealing. Best of all, when stepping back to look at the full picture, what shines through is a captivating and well-balanced narrative that is at once suspenseful, mysterious, and entertaining.
Since this was a short book, I’ll be keeping this review short as well. Ultimately, Kadrey leaves his readers engaged and satisfied while working within the confines of the novella format. I’ve found that few writers can manage such a feat, and I highly recommend this for readers looking for a quick romp into the realm of paranormal and horror.
Book Review: Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
Posted on January 4, 2024 9 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Del Rey (September 26, 2023)
Length: 640 pages
Author Information: Website
I read Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig as part of my catch-up challenge for the month of December, and this chonker of a book proved to be a perfect one to settle in with during the holiday break. That said, I won’t deny the novel’s length ended up trying my patience at times, making me wish for a swifter resolution towards the end.
The story begins with an introduction to Dan Paxton, a man with ambition and a desire to revive the legacy of his family’s orchard. An apple farmer, he has come by the branches of an exotic and exceedingly rare variety of the fruit by mysterious means, grafting them onto his own trees in the hopes of creating a delicious and lucrative new breed. Taking his daughter’s suggestion and naming it the Ruby Slipper, the new apple takes off years later when Dan sells his first harvest at the farmer’s market, and soon the whole town of Harrow is clamoring for more of his product.
However, what no one knows is that the Ruby Slipper has a bloody past, and the apples have a powerful and sinister effect on those who eat them. At first, the results are euphoric. Those who consume a Ruby Slipper experience enhanced strength, feeling happier and healthier. But then comes the more insidious consequences, as the apples also awaken the worst impulses and darkest desires in a person. They are also addictive, so that you can’t stop with just one taste. Strangely though, Dan’s own teenage daughter Calla has not succumbed to the temptation of the apples, and that was even before she saw how they changed her father and her boyfriend for the worse. Dan is becoming meaner by the day, relishing the hold he has over the town as he alone controls the supply of Ruby Slippers.
Meanwhile, Emily is a newcomer to town, having just moved here to reconcile with her wife following trouble in their marriage. After taking a tumble into the river, she unwittingly discovers a dead body, thus making the acquaintance of John Compass, a Quaker and war veteran who identifies the dead man as his friend Walt. The two men had been apple hunters together, and with Emily’s help, John sets out on a quest to find out how the search for an elusive variety of apple had gotten Walt killed.
Black River Orchard is a fast-paced and suspenseful read, at least initially. The setup of the novel contains plenty of twists and turns, as Wendig builds upon the eerie and claustrophobic atmosphere by layering the plot with multiple points-of-view and interludes, also weaving in facts and history. The amount of research that must have gone into this book is astounding, as you will learn more about apples than you’ll ever want to know. As for the story elements, the book is full of vivid descriptions and imagery (and for readers like me who may have a sensitivity for anything to do with teeth—it can and WILL get uncomfortable at times, fair warning).
In terms of criticisms though, Wendig does have a habit of letting his left-leaning views color his writing and characterization. As a rule, I don’t give a crap what an author’s political beliefs are; I may agree or disagree but generally do not let it affect my experience with their work unless it leads to poor writing. Unfortunately, this is not the first time I’ve felt that Wendig includes diversity for the sake of diversity which negatively impacts authentic or meaningful characterization, and this very shallow view of the world is reflected in his stories.
It’s also true that Black River Orchard is quite a tome, sitting at nearly 650 pages. While the early momentum carried me through the first three quarters of the book, towards the end I did feel it start to wear out its welcome. It happens sometimes, when a story starts to lose its grip due to excessive length, and I think we missed the sweet spot in finding the balance between depth and brevity, thus my enjoyment took a bit of a hit.
Overall, I can’t say I’ve ever read a book like Black River Orchard, and I won’t lie, reading about evil apples was kind of fun. But ultimately, it’s probably not one of my favorites by Chuck Wendig. While the unique concept added an interesting twist, it seems the execution did not resonate as strongly with me as I would have liked, though I appreciated the author’s approach to unconventional ideas.
Waiting on Wednesday 01/03/24
Posted on January 3, 2024 5 Comments
Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi (June 4, 2024 by Titan Books)
“Five childhood friends are forced to confront their own dark past as well as the curse placed upon them in this horror masterpiece from the bestselling author of Come with Me.
Maybe this is a ghost story…
Andrew Larimer thought he left the past behind. But when he receives a late-night phone call from an old friend, he finds he has no choice but to return home, and to confront the memories—and the horror—of a night, years ago, that changed everything.
For Andrew and his friends, the past is not dead, and the curse that has befallen them now threatens to destroy all that they’ve become.
One dark secret…
One small-town horror…”
Most Anticipated Releases of 2024: January to March
Posted on January 2, 2024 11 Comments
Happy 2024! As we dive into another year, it’s time to look ahead to the Science Fiction and Fantasy reads I’m most excited about. I love making lists and I also find it helps me plan my reading schedule by focusing my attention on my review books and highly anticipated releases, so every quarter I’ll be putting together a post of my must-reads. While I’m under no illusions that I’ll be able to read them all, hopefully I can get to most of them, and also put some new books on people’s radars. I’ve gotten started on a couple January reads already, but how about you? What are you most excited for in early 2024?
January
January 1 – Scorpio by Marko Kloos
January 2 – That Time I Got Drunk and Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming
January 9 – The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
January 16 – The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett, Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham
January 23 – No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall, Faebound by Saara El-Arifi, Exordia by Seth Dickinson
January 30 – The House of Last Resort by Christoper Golden, City of Stardust by Georgia Summers, The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
February
February 6 – Bride by Ali Hazelwood, Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine, The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, The Trial of Empire by Richard Swan
February 13 – The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden, The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond, An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
February 20 – Night for Day by Roselle Lim, Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa, The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong, The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert
February 27 – A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke, Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan, A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
March
March 5 – Murder Road by Simone St. James, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano, Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim Harrison, The Hidden Queen by Peter V. Brett
March 12 – Dark Dive by Andrew Mayne, Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner, Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff
March 19 – A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock, Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland
March 26 – The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones, Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Bookshelf Roundup 12/31/23: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on December 31, 2023 10 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Wishing everyone a fantastic New Year’s Eve as we bid farewell to 2023 and usher in the promise of a brand new year! Who knows what 2024 will bring, but may your celebrations be filled with joy, laughter, and cherished moments with loved ones. Happy New Year to all!
Received for Review
My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
The Silverblood Promise by James Logan (Tor): I love the sound of this one. The premise is giving me strong Lies of Locke Lamora vibes, and as we’re likely not going to see a new Gentleman Bastard book for a long while, I could really use some more thieves and magic in my fantasy. Besides, I’m so shallow, I would have picked this up based on the epic cover alone.
Heroes by Alan Gratz (Scholastic Press): I put in a request for this one because my daughter is a huge fan of the author and has learned so much from his World War II novels. Still, he’s a pretty big name in MG fiction so I didn’t actually think I was going to get a copy, so imagine my surprise when an ARC showed up! My kid’s excited reaction made me feel like mom of the year. Once she reads this, I’ll probably make her guest review it.
Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan (Orbit): A siren story inspired by East Asian mythology and British folklore? I very much like the sound of this fantasy debut and was very excited to receive an ARC of this first book of the Drowned World series.
Reviews
Recent Reads
On the bright side, I finally got to The Temple of Fortuna which was one of my goals before the end of the year, and the ending of the Wolf Den trilogy was everything I’d hoped it would be. The bad news is, I had wanted to get more of my early 2024 books started, but I only managed to finish Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands this week. My verdict is that it’s not as amazing as the first book but still quite good.
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read!
Best of 2023 and the Year in Review
Posted on December 30, 2023 18 Comments
It’s once again that time of the year where I look back at the last twelve months and do a round up my favorite reads and goals, and what a year 2023 has been! As I’m sure many readers can relate, it’s hard enough to narrow a whole year’s worth of reading (this year, that’s close to 150 books) down to a “Top 3”, or heck, even a “Top 10.” What I usually do is highlight each genre category and all the books that 1) were my favorites of the year, 2) I thought were most memorable, or 3) I think should be getting more love and attention. The one thing they have in common? I loved them all!
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Horror
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
As you can see, 2023 was dominated by horror, and it wasn’t even close – most years I feel like publishers push all their big horror titles around the autumn months, but this year I was reading amazing horror books all year long. In contrast, science fiction releases felt a bit sparser, reflected in the fewer sci-fi titles I read in general.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve read any of these books!
Reading Challenges Update
Again, I have been neglectful of my Audiobook Challenge updates this year, but I have been keeping track! Looks like I only did a midyear update, so today you’ll get my full year report. At the begining of the year, instead of scaling back as I should have done, I stuck with my usual goal of Marathoner which was 50 books, but then in July I came to my senses and downgraded my soft goal to My Precious, which is 30. Let’s see if I made it…
The final tally came to 41, which means I made a good call with my decision. Until I step up my audio game, looks like next year My Precious will be the way to go, since I was already padding my numbers to include the books where I listened to the audio edition for at least a part, even if it’s just a few chapters I fit in here or there.
Overview: Books Read in 2023
And now for my favorite part of end-of-year roundup posts: the Goodreads stats and the pretty Year in Books collage!
Since we only have one day left in 2023, these are pretty much my final numbers, minus maybe one or two books I can squeak by past the finish line. I have no complaints, it’s been a pretty productive year!
Goodreads Ratings:
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Best of 2014 and The Year in Review
Best of 2015 and The Year in Review
Best of 2016 and The Year in Review
Best of 2017 and The Year in Review
Best of 2018 and The Year in Review
Best of 2019 and The Year in Review
Best of 2020 and The Year in Review
Best of 2021 and The Year in Review
Best of 2022 and The Year in Review
Book Review: Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
Posted on December 29, 2023 8 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (July 11, 2023)
Length: 341 pages
Author Information: Website
Christa, a woman haunted by both her present and a traumatic past, heads into the snowy heart of the Rocky Mountains with her boyfriend Kiernan, hoping that their vacation will take their relationship to another level and help her heal. Unexpectedly though, a bad storm sweeps into the region, forcing the couple and the other travelers on their broken-down tour bus to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. But in the chaos of the blinding blizzard, Christa is separated from Kiernan. Heartbroken, she must wait until conditions are safer before they can launch a search party.
However, the discovery of their decapitated tour guide puts an end to any hope of rescue. His severed head, strategically displayed for the horrified group to see, serves as a grim warning: No one is getting out alive. In this frozen isolation, the winter landscape transforms into a grisly stage for a sadistic hunter to pick them off one by one. All communication with the outside world has been cut off, and Christa knows Kiernan is dead. Now she and her fellow survivors find themselves trapped in deadly game of terror against an elusive killer.
Darcy Coates showcases her flair for urgency and tension, offering thrills and chills in Dead of Winter, a novel that grips readers with its delectable premise. I love a good snowbound horror—and the more atmospheric the better. This being my first book by the author, and I was also impressed with the setting and how the isolated Rockies were brought to life, becoming a character in its own right. Coates turned the wide expanse of the wilderness into a claustrophobic blend of eeriness and suspense, brava.
Then we have the protagonist. The book’s main pulse is set by Christa’s journey, her worldview colored by a dark past and a guilt she cannot shake. With Kiernan, she thought she could start a new chapter in her life but losing him sends her off into a deeper spiral. Even though this novel features a large cast, we never lose sight of Christa’s main role in the story, which is to pull the whole mystery together, as the end eventually reveals. But everyone else—Simone, a stern practical woman; husband and wife team Steve and Miri; Denny and his son Grayson, traveling together in shared grief; Blake, who recently lost his job; Hutch, a young DJ; and Alexis, who become a close friend to Christa as they try to who the killer is and why they are doing this—all of them are puzzle pieces that fit into a whole. At first, I was impatient to know why all these strangers should matter, but as it turns out, every one of them holds a clue.
Yet, within this twisty narrative, Dead of Winter ultimately succumbs to the pitfalls of predictability and familiar horror tropes. From the way I looked at it as a “final girl” type slasher horror, it was rather easy to guess who the killer was, even though Coates tried to hide her tracks well, and it shouldn’t have been that easy to predict. Without revealing spoilers though, there was just enough left unsaid for me to suspect who did it, though admittedly, the whys and the hows still surprised me.
All told, Dead of Winter emerges as a promising offering for fans of horror—especially if you like your horror bloody. It successfully delivers a suspenseful and brutal escapade, the tensions heightened by the atmosphere. For me, though, the overall experience was a slightly diminished, simply because I happened to guess a big part of the ending, but even though the book may not shatter conventions or introduce anything groundbreaking, it’s a good old fun thrill ride if that’s the kind of entertainment you enjoy.
Waiting on Wednesday 12/27/23
Posted on December 27, 2023 7 Comments
Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence (April 9, 2024 by Ace)
“Two people living in a world connected by a vast and mysterious library must fight for those they love in the second book in a new trilogy from the international bestselling author of The Book That Wouldn’t Burn.
The Library spans worlds and times. It touches and joins distant places. It is memory and future. And amid its vastness Evar Eventari both found, and lost, Livira Page.
Evar has been forced to flee the library, driven before an implacable foe. Livira, trapped in a ghost world, has to recover the book she wrote—one which is the only true threat to the library’s existence—if she’s to return to her life.
While Evar’s journey leads him outside into the vastness of a world he’s never seen, Livira’s path will taker her deep inside her own writing, where she must wrestle with her stories in order to reclaim the volume in which they were written.
The secret war that defines the library has chosen its champions and set them on the board. The time has come when they must fight for what they believe, or lose everything.”
Novella Review: Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch
Posted on December 26, 2023 8 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 9.5 of Rivers of London
Publisher: Subterranean Press (December 1, 2023)
Length: 227 pages
Author Information: Website
With nary a sign of the next Rivers of London novel in sight, what’s a girl to do? Fortunately, Ben Aaronovitch has expanded upon this universe with several novellas that follow secondary characters, which is what led me to Winter’s Gifts—a wonderful way to keep my connection to this world alive.
This story follows FBI Agent Kimberley Reynolds, a character who has shown up previously in the main series working alongside Peter Grant on another magical case. Though not a practitioner herself, she has been trained to recognize magic, and when one of her retired colleagues calls in an “X-Ray Sierra India” incident, no one at the agency understands the code until it reaches Kim’s desk. Following her instincts, she traces the call and sets off on a journey from Washington D.C. to the frozen wilderness of north Wisconsin, discovering that a bizarre tornado has leveled most of the town, but the missing agent is still nowhere to be found.
As Kim continues her investigations, the plot weaves together elements of First Nations traditions, early American history, as well as supernatural threats, creating a unique tableau which explores themes of magic and tradition. The situation quickly escalates as obstacles seem to keep turning up to prevent our protagonist and her newfound allies among the local authorities from doing their jobs, ranging from sabotage of evidence to uncanny weather events. Not to be deterred, Kim continues to follow elusive clues that lead back to the origins of an ancient mystery, awakening a malevolent force.
As the first book in the Rivers of London world to take place in the United States, Ben Aaronovitch had his work cut out for him. No doubt his experience as a screenwriter came in handy though, as in many ways, Winter’s Gifts read like an episode of a supernatural FBI television series. The author also shifts gears dramatically to follow Kim who is a very different character than Peter Grant, and in this area, he did a significantly better job than he did in The October Man, which focused on German investigator Tobias Winter. Whereas I felt a lack of distinction in the narrative styles between Tobias and Peter, that was thankfully not an issue here, as Kim had her own unique personality and a way about her that was unmistakable. Were there times Aaronovitch slipped up on his Americanisms and got a few awkward terms mixed up or some words wrong here and there? Sure, but they were no big deal. On the whole, Kim felt like a relatable presence in a Midwest setting that was overall quite convincing.
Still, Winter’s Gifts runs into the same issue as most of the novellas in this series in that it was too short, and the plot felt too sparse. There’s so much to explore here, yet it feels as though Aaronovitch has barely scratched the surface of topics like indigenous traditions and history. On the plus side, if this was the first book of a new series starring Agent Kimberley Reynolds, I would be totally on board. I love her character, especially her backstory and her personal religious beliefs, and it’s a real shame we didn’t get a more nuanced exploration into those aspects. Her limited presence in the main series has always intrigued me, but after getting a glimpse of her personality here in Winter’s Gifts, I definitely want to know more. For while chances are this will be a one-off novella, Kim truly has the potential to evolve into a captivating protagonist in her own right.
At the end of the day, Winter’s Gifts left me with the feel of a “throwaway story” as most novellas of this type tend to do, but with that said, it still delivered an enjoyable, entertaining, and well-crafted tale. I’d probably recommend it primarily to mega fans of Rivers of London, as only they would truly appreciate the significance of side characters and certain details of the world, but of all the shorts that take place in this universe, this one is among my favorites.
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