User Profile

Apollo

apollo@bookwyrm.social

Joined 9 months ago

Speculative fiction and comics enthusiast.

Some other spots to find me:

https://apollolemmon.com/

https://cozymech.com/@apollo

https://seizemeans.com/@apollo

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Apollo's books

Currently Reading

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2023 Reading Goal

Success! Apollo has read 24 of 24 books.

The Internet Con (EBook, 2023, Verso Books) 4 stars

When the tech platforms promised a future of "connection," they were lying. They said their …

Doctorow's Best Explanation of Enshittification

4 stars

The Internet Con is the clearest expression of Doctorow's ongoing discussions around the ways monopolies have created significant harm to the Internet and how to fix it. The explanations of both the problems and solutions are accessible, and the book was a breeze to read.

Dungeons and Dragons : Dungeon Academy (2021, HarperCollins Publishers) 3 stars

A fun adventure and gateway to D&D

3 stars

A while back my daughter and I found a copy of Dungeon Academy: Tourney of Terror, the second book in the Dungeon Academy series, in a little library by a local playground. She insisted on bringing it home. Some of the first books I read to her were the 123s of D&D and ABCs of D&D. She also loves a D&D pop-up book, D&D miniatures, and monsters of every type. She's been on the path for embracing D&D from the start. I loved D&D most of my life and have tried to pass that on.

I got this first volume in the series this week and have given it a read. The story is charming, subverting some typical D&D tropes and presenting a fun adventure and some lessons with a light touch. It's exactly the kind of book I would have been head over heels for when I was 9 …

Red Team Blues (2023, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom) 4 stars

Martin Hench is 67 years old, single, and successful in a career stretching back to …

A Different Kind of Thriller

4 stars

This is a kinetic thriller dealing with cryptocurrency, organized crime, and homelessness. I'm not typically drawn to thrillers without some splash of speculative fiction mixed in heavily, but Doctorow has created something special here that will bring me back for the next two novels in this series.

The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins (GraphicNovel, 2018, First Second) 4 stars

A Great Adaptation

3 stars

I started listening to The Adventure Zone podcast while this story was being played, so reading this comic was revisiting characters, story and tone I'm very familiar with. This adaptation of the first story arc of the podcast is exceptionally well done. Breaking the fourth wall with the DM was a good fit for including the dynamics of an actual play with a fun fantasy story that packs in goofs, heart and surprises.

Dragons of Deceit (Hardcover, 2022, Random House Publishing Group) 4 stars

A Cracking Second Half

3 stars

This was my first Dragonlance book since I was a kid, and diving into a novel many books into the series is probably not ideal; there were probably countless characters and references I missed. The first half of the book felt a bit slow, and I was on the verge of getting bored by the typical fantasy trappings. The second half kicked into gear and I enjoyed experiencing the Kender Tas and the time travel introduced in that second half. I'm not sure if I would want to go back and read the older novels, but I might give the next book a read.