Petition for you to get a motherfucking break

Yes, and it's fantastic. The book is constantly jumping POVs, sometimes midsentence, and the narrator just. Catches it all in his voice and guides you through it. No confusion. Great performance, too, captures all the pain, but also all the humour. Might actually seek out other stuff he's read.

when you start crafting your pitch with a single person in mind and then they don't even need to be pitched to, you've got to do SOMETHING with it

🌙 you like gorgeous prose you can taste as you read it, and experiments with form

🌙 you like myths and fairy tales and also characters so vivid they just about pop off the page

🌙 you want to see an empire burn but you also want to read a love story

🌙 "a love story, down to its blade-dented bone"

You should read The Spear Cuts Through Water if...

🌙 you liked MCTNA or the Radiant Emperor duology

🌙 you like sad dumb horny boys who keep having fistfights because feelings are hard

🌙 you like fucked up shit but also narratives which give weight to every life they touch, no matter how briefly

when i started reading it i had to keep pausing it to like, mentally process how wildly good it was---the prose, the worldbuilding, the playing with form---and now i couldn't put it down even if i wanted to

(hastening to add before certain interested parties see this that it is an AUDIOBOOK and therefore i am not cheating on any other physical books i do not currently have time to read)

Me: Okay, should start getting ready for bed now, big day tomorrow

Brain: SLEEPING IS GIVING IN

Like, if you do arson dressed as Trogdor the Burninator that's objectively better than regular arson

But if you shout "here's Johnny" while ax murdering someone that's even cringier than regular axe murder

Much to ponder. 🤔

Counterpoint: fantastic Banghwi AND Seonhwi by @judiwench.bsky.social on AO3

tinyurl.com/JudiMCTNAFic

Watching Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan walking away together side by side hurt so much I felt physically ill 🥰

I saw him live earlier this month he was glorious

I actually generally enjoy light brief chat with strangers but not as a boss fight I have to complete every time I want to access my living room