It can be read, outside of some of the trappings and language, as a kind of historical-fantasy tale with which plenty of people today are familiar. We still tell monster tales, albeit usually not in alliterative verse.
Blog
Reaching for Words
I am more aware of the words I am choosing, I think about the writing itself more with each sentence, and that is a problem. It makes me more aware of the gap, makes the gap between the story I want to tell and what seems to be appearing on the page loom larger.
Life in a Medieval City Review
We’re all supposed to be getting away from the stock, default medieval Europe-inspired fantasy settings, because they’ve become passe. It’s true such settings can be overused, but they are mostly overused because so many authors fail to utilize books like Life in a Medieval City.
A Delay
At risk of being made a liar yet again, I’ll offer September 2026 as a new goal to finish Golems and Kings.
The Prophet Review
I wouldn’t recommend against reading it, but it does not have the density of wisdom and insight which you might expect from reading other major works of philosophy.
Addendum to “Trapped in Silk Slippers”
While the focus of “Trapped in Silk Slippers” is not the NSS, and I do not think the failure to reference the new NSS drastically affects the post’s central arguments, I do want to take a moment to examine the 2025 NSS, partially in the context of my previous post, but also as an interesting document in its own right.
Wind and Truth Review
Entire subplots of the book read like anachronistic polemics on mental health, and the result is a robbing of depth from most of the characters who powered the series’ earlier installments.
Some Thoughts on Character Death (And Resurrection)
We can all agree there are fates worse than death, but death can still be considered the “ultimate” consequence because it is, at least under normal circumstances, final.
Buddhist Monastic Traditions of Southern Asia
Reading Buddhist Monastic Traditions of Southern Asia is most interesting for its comparisons: to Chinese Buddhism, of course, but also to Christian, European monastic traditions, and to the tenets, rules, and commandments of other religions.
International Law and Moral Relativism
International law is increasingly twisted by moral relativism to protect dictators, terrorists, and other euphemistically-named “bad actors,” while constraining, censoring, and punishing democratic, law-abiding nations.
IGC Publishing 