iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 7h

Day 15 - Respite! For this one, I added a new Downtime Project to allow you to bond with a creature. I envision this being a project you could use to gain an animal companion that could act as a mount or even a retainer. Should I add examples? Otherwise, it seems a bit too nebulous. #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Day 14 - Good King Omund! I don't run in Orden, so I treated this as just King. I've updated the Monarch title. I've changed it so only the monarch can gain it, not any party member. It also gives all benefits, but sets up for more duties as monarch. #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Day 13 - Nonleveled Weapon! Cindersteel is a special metal in my games, similar to how Mithril and Adamant exist in DnD. It allows the damage to be converted to fire and functions as a minor magical weapon. #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Day 12 - Orcs Attack! This is a more formalized version of an encounter I ran a while back. The Krina Vraesa or "blood letting" is an orcish battle ritual. The goal is for newcomers to the orc city of Rukhar to prove their strength in the arena and show they are worthy foes or friends! #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Day 11 - Void I already had this idea kicking around for creating a Void elemental similar to the existing level 3 elementals. Behind, the Secret of the Void. #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Day 10 - Negotiation! Here I wanted to design a trinket which would be a massive boon to anyone starting a Negotiation. #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Day 9 - Cinematic! I struggled a bit with this one. I kinda wanted to do an ability replicating Legolas sliding down the staircase loosing arrows in LotR: The Two Towers. But instead, I chose to make an optional rule to encourage players to describe their heroes' actions. #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Day 8 - The Law of Time! For this one, I designed a new Heroic ability for the Troubadour to "rewind time" and change the outcome of something. I know they have similar abilities, but I thought this would be fun. It probably needs some balance work, but I'd have to test it. #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Day 7 - Psionic! For this, I wanted to add another melee signature ability for a Talent. I somehow got stuck on the idea of cutting with a shard of glass. So here is Mindshard Slash. #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Day 6 - Armor! Here's a new kit, the Landsknecht. The goal is for it to be a kit for you to wade into battle with a greatsword, cleaving down enemies in your way. #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Book 50 of 2026: Black Powder War Naomi Novik. The 3rd book in the Temeraire series. Temeraire and his relationship with Laurence (and the crew) continues to be the best part of these books. There's several touching moments that just are very heart-warming. It's nice to read something like that,

The cover to Black Powder War. It features the outline of a dark city at the bottom, stylized to represent Istanbul. In top right and left corners, are the shadowy outlines of two dragons, likely the Kaziliks. In the center is another dragon with red on their face.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Book 49 of 2026: The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson. The 1st book in the Masquerade series. I really like how this book opens with Baru as a child and the coming of the Masquerade. It sets the scene perfectly for how the Masquerade "invades". I also love the dynamic of Baru's family, and

The cover to The Traitor Baru Cormorant. It features a woman's face, is if it were a mask. Her eyes stare unblinkingly forward. The mask has shattered around her right cheek, and bits of chipped on the chin and forehead. The broken pieces of the mask fly through the air as if it was just dropped and shattered.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Day 5 - Dragonknight! I just finished Black Powder War by Naomi Novik last night, so I had to include my new favorite dragon for this one. Behold, Iskierka as a level 1 Dragonknight retainer. #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Day 4 - Minions! This one isn't anything special. I'm modifying some human minions to be part of a hunting party my heroes will run into. #steeltober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Day 3 - Hero Tokens! These would definitely need to be tested, but here's some ideas for other uses for Hero Tokens: #steeltober #drawsteel #ttrpgpromtober

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Day 2 - Trinket! For this one, I somehow got fixated on translating one of my favorite things in fiction to Draw Steel: The Babel Fish from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. stawl.app/community/it... #steeltober #ttrpgpromtober #Drawsteel

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

My thread for @tintenseher.bsky.social's #steeltober Will be doing a bit of catch up here this weekend, since I saw this late, and then continuing on with it. For day 1, I actually posted this on its own. But I'll include it here. My first ancestry in my Guild Wars 2 overhaul for Draw Steel.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I didn't post this on here yet, but I'm currently working on a complete overhaul for a Guild Wars 2 version of Draw Steel. I ran a proof of concept playtest, and it went really now. Currently, I'm working on the ancestries. Here's the Humans v2. Let me know what you think! GW2 humans are actually

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Book 48 of 2026: Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee The final book in the Green Bone Saga. This book is a great conclusion to a great series. This book is extremely ambitious in scope, encompassing twenty years of the lives of Anden, Hilo, Shae, and the No Peak Clan. At one point, I had the thought 1/7

The cover to Jade Legacy. It features a blue background with the same stylized golden circuitry-esque geometry. There's a man in black wearing a suit and tie. Inside of him, there is the city skyline with three riders on motorcycles, backlit by golden light.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Book 46 of 2026: Jade War by Fonda Lee. The 2nd book in the Green Bone Saga. This book is a very cool expanding of the world set up in the first book. We now get to see more of the wide world Lee has created with Anden heading to Espenia and the growing conflicts Kekon finds itself dragged 1/5

Cover to Jade War. It features a red background, with gold styling around it. In the center, is a woman wielding a katana in a light blue color. Overlaid on her, is a two storied Kekonese building with two female warriors engaged in a duel.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Book 47 of 2026: Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik. The 2nd book in the Temeraire series. This book continues with the amazing story of Temeraire and Laurence's growing friendship. At times, it is super heartwarming, and it's a joy to read their interactions. It is definitely the best part of 1/5

Cover to Throne of Jade. It features a red, Chinese style wall at the bottom, with a large white dragon at the top. The white dragon has four legs, and the six fingered wings of Chinese dragons. The dragon's tail spirals very long in the center of the cover.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Got the final version from the amazing @dojikaan.bsky.social. Love the artwork! Can't wait to share more on this project. Coming soon! Here's a little sneak peek. #drawsteel

The image features a green tunic over a mail coat. A hand holds a small plant, blooming with pink flowers. The flowers glow with a magical green light.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Book 45 of 2026: The Daughter's War by Christopher Buehlman. A dark epic fantasy prequel to his novel The Blacktongue Thief. I had no idea this was a prequel to another book until I just was searching up the cover for this post. I was recommended this by a friend, so I didn't know much about 1/5

The cover to The Daughter's War. It features a field of bodies in black and grey. The bodies are both human and goblin, and flames burn on some of them. Galva kneels in the field, reaching her hand to a fallen soldier. Behind her, the background is red and evokes flames.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Book 44 of 2026: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik. An alternate-history fantasy novel about the Napoleonic Wars where dragons form a key part of aerial warfare. The way this book mixes history with fantasy is great. It feels like a completely normal extension of the Napoleonic Wars for 1/6

The cover of His Majesty's Dragon. It features a wave-swept ocean at the bottom with a ship sailing upon it. Above, Temeraire flies. He's a four-legged dragon with a long, twisting tail. His head is closer to a chinese dragon and his wings are spread wide.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Book 43 of 2026: The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden. A historical fantasy novel set during WW1 focused on a Canadian nurse and her brother. I really liked how this book split up the POVs for Laura and her brother, Freddie. The differences in the timeline of their stories leads to 1/6

The cover for The Warm Hands of Ghosts. It features a bunch of poppy flowers with human skulls in the center of the flower.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Book 42! of 2026: Jade City by Fonda Lee. The first book in the Green Bone Saga. This book is really interesting and a very fun read. It is a bit like a crime-family story like the Godfather, but it is set in a fantasy, Asia-inspired city. The magic centers around jade and imbues powers into 1/6

The cover to Jade City. It features a green background with golden styling which seems to hint at circuitry. There's a man in a suit carrying a pistol in black/blue, but his body is transparent. Inside is the city of Janloon with two darkened figures walking down the street. One carries a sword at her side.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Book 41 of 2026: Renegade's Magic by Robin Hobb. The third and final book in the Soldier Son trilogy. This book, and this entire series is really hard for me to come to grips with. It is a series almost entirely focused on the misery and suffering of the main character to a point that all 1/5

The cover of Renegade's Magic. It features a blue and white, sky-like background with a "croaker" bird on the front. The croaker bird is a bit vulture-like with a black body, white edges to its wings, and a red head with a wattle.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Book 40 of 2026: Katabasis by R.F Kuang. A fantasy novel about two magicians who descend into Hell. I have really enjoyed the other R.F Kuang books I've read, but I found this one to be a bit of a disappointment. I did really like the way Kuang blends all the different myths, stories, and 1/5

The cover to Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. It features a multi-level building library. The building features some Escher staircases to reflect the paradoxes of the book.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I was unable to get the battlemap or the bow art to fit in the 2 page limit ☹️ Here they are if anyone wants to see! #drawsteel #ttrpg

The Shrine of the Kirin battlemap. It features an island amidst a blue sea. In the center is a shrine that has been blackened and destroyed by lightning. It is surrounded by what were once beautiful cherry blossom trees, which are now charred husks. The ground is cracked and splintered from the Lord of Lightning's fury.

The artwork I did for the Stormsoul bow. It is a fully drawn Tatar style bow. The wood has been blackened from lightning and courses with brilliant azure veins. The limb tips are made of horn, blackened at the end by the lightning damage. The bow is loosing an arrow wreathed in lightning energy.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Book 39 of 2026: Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee. A novella about a girl who becomes a rukhar, a falconer for the mythological rocs. 8/10. This book is really well written. I love the narrative voice given to Ester, and I think my biggest wish is that this was a full fledged novel. Lee does a 1/5

The cover to Untethered Sky. It features Ester, riding on a chariot, wearing red and white robes. Her black hair billows in the wind. Above her, soars Zahra, her roc. Zahra has brown and white plumage and looks reminiscent of a Red-Tailed Hawk.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Book 38 of 2026: The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills. A fantasy novel about the life of a disillusioned cyborg warrior. 7/10. This book has so many great story telling elements to it, but so much of it falls flat for me. It just feels like it needed to be a 450-500 page book, instead of 1/6

The cover to The Wings Upon Her Back. It features a set of mechanized wings. The bone part of the wing is made to look like a spine, and then the plumage is a mix of more "feathery" looking parts and mechanical parts.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Book 37 of 2026: Forest Mage by Robin Hobb. The 2nd book in the Soldier Son trilogy. 7/10. This book is extremely hard to rate, and I think I wavered back and forth on it for longer than any other book I've read. It could be a 5, 7, or 9, depending on how you look at it. Let's dive into it. 1/8

The cover to Forest Mage. It features a weathered, parchment like background. In the center, is a beautifully drawn trout with green and white coloring.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Book 36 of 2026: Grave Empire by Richard Swan. The 1st book in the Great Silence series, set 200 years after the events of the Empire of the Wolf trilogy. 7.5/10. This book is written with three POV characters: Renata - an ambassador to the Stygion mer-men, Peter - an officer in the army 1/6

The cover of Grave Empire. It features two white marble Greek-style columns. In the center of them is a large shield framed by two beastly skulls at the top and bottom. The rest is made to look like a banner, featuring flames, swords, men carrying rifles, and cannons.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Book 35 of 2026: The Harris's Hawk Revolution by Jennifer and Tom Coulson. A deep dive into Harris's Hawks with a focus on their use in falconry. 9/10. This book is the textbook for Harris's Hawks and especially using them in falconry. I read this book, because I've always loved raptors, and 1/4

The cover to The Harris's Hawk Revolution. It features a Harris's Hawk taking down a jackrabbit.

An image from The Harris's Hawk Revolution. It features a Harris's Hawk grasping a tennis ball in its right talon.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Book 34: The Secret History of the Mongol Queens by Jack Weatherford. A non-fiction book about the key female figures throughout the history of the Mongol Empire. 8/10. This book is a great followed up to Weatherford's Genghis Khan and the Making the Modern World. This book dives deep into 1/4

Cover to The Secret History of the Mongol Queens. It features a woman on woman on the back of a light brown horse. The woman is wearing a yellow set of armor and drawing a bow to loose an arrow behind her.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Book 32 of 2026: A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Emma Southon. A dive into murder and killings throughout the Roman Republic and Empire. 7/10. I don't really feel like this book was for me, but it was still fairly entertaining and educational. The book takes a look at the 1/4

Cover for A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. It features a bust of Julius Caesar with the head sliced in half at a 45 degree angle. Three daggers stick into the bust from the top, and bright red blood drips down from them.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Book 32 of 2026: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford 8/10. This book provides a more story-driven version of the history of the Mongols with a focus on the major innovations they brought to the world. If I read this before Empires of the Steppes, I probably 1/4

Cover for Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. It features a line of gers of orange cloth up the left hide side of the cover. The gers are covered with different symbols in black. In the center, is a Mongolian warrior. In his right hand, he holds a spear. On his back is a quiver of arrows and a bow. He wears bright clothes and a white headdress.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Forgot to post this the other day. Got a great lesson in thumb draw and Asiatic Archery from Texas Asiatic Archery. www.texasasiaticarchery.com

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Draw Steel Supplement Review: Kelestren's Couriers by Brandon Crilly. Kelestren's Couriers is a Draw Steel Adventure for four level one heroes. It contains 3-4 victories, a unique magic item, two beautiful maps for play, and a supplement for the science fantasy world it is set in. The gist 1/10

The cover for the Kelestren's Couriers Draw Steel adventure. It features a time raider woman wearing thick steel boots, black armor with blue cloth over it. Their hair is a long white braid. In one of their four warms, they hold a staff-like weapon with four spiked blades at the end.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Book 31 of 2026: Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb. The 1st book in the Soldier Son trilogy. 8.5/10. This book is a really hard one for me to rate. At times, it is absolutely amazing (more details in the spoiler section), and at others it feels very strange and doesn't stand out much to me. 1/5

The cover to Shaman's Crossing. It features a white background with a black horse in the center. The horse has white patches just above his hooves and is saddled and in full tack.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Book 30 of 2026: Empires of the Steppes by Kenneth W. Harl. A history of the nomadic tribes who shaped civilization. 9/10. This book was exactly what I was looking for to give me a good historical context for the Huns, Mongols, and other steppe peoples. It covers an extremely broad period of 1/4

Cover to Empires of the Steppes. It features a horse archer riding on a black horse with white feet. The rider wears red pants and a blue shirt, and is turned backward firing an arrow from a bow.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Book 29 of 2026: Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell A non-fiction book about Lafayette and the American Revolution. 5/10. I don't often listen to audiobooks, but my wife and I have been driving to Dallas a lot recently (World Cup!!), so we picked this as a book to listen 1/6

The cover to Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell. It features a miniaturized scene of Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War with soldiers and flags flying.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Book 28 of 2026: The Traitor by Anthony Ryan The final book in the Covenant of Steel series. 8.5/10. I thought this book was a good way to wrap an enjoyable series. The ending does feel a bit rushed, as there's ton of build up, leading to a climatic battle that feels a bit rushed in execution 1/5

The cover to The Traitor by Anthony Ryan. It features Alwyn in full plate armor holding a longsword. He is charging forward into three enemy soldiers in plate armor. Behind him, a gothic cities is wreathed in flames.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Book 27 of 2026: Speaking Bones by Ken Liu. The 4th and final book in the Dandelion Dynasty series. 8/10. A good conclusion to a good series. This book is full of twists and turns, and every moment I thought I knew how the series would end, I was wrong. This provides a good, satisfying 1/4

The cover to Speaking Bones. It features a three headed dragon made of bones in the center. Above it, fly the garinafins. In the background are mountains.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Book 26 of 2026: The Martyr by Anthony Ryan. The 2nd book in the Covenant of Steel series. 8.5/10. This book picks up right where The Pariah left off, but this time we have a bit more of clarity of purpose for Alwyn. I like how the storyline in Alundia is handled, especially when they end up 1/2

Cover for The Martyr. It features a knight in plate armor with a longsword resting on his shoulder. He stands atop the battlements of a castle. In the background, a woman in a red dress and cloak can be seen.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Book 25 of 2026: The Pariah by Anthony Ryan. The 1st book in the The Covenant of Steel trilogy. 8/10. This book is pretty good, and I like the gritty, more grounded fantasy style of Ryan. Alwyn is a good main character, and I really enjoy his twisting life story. I have no clue what will end 1/3

Cover to The Pariah. It features a hooded and cloaked figure sitting cross-legged on a cobblestone floor. Laid across his knees, is an arming sword in a red scabbard.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Book 24 of 2026: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. Book 1 in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. 7/10. I feel like this is a bit of a hot take, because everyone loves these books, but this just didn't really land for me. It's the first LitRPG I've read, and I felt like that part of it was 1/4

The cover to Dungeon Crawler Carl. It features Carl and Princess Donut running from a goblin wearing a pot for a helmet atop of a bulldozer like vehicle with spikes at the front.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Book 23 of 2026: The Veiled Throne by Ken Liu. Book 3 in the Dandelion Dynasty series. 8/10. This book took me forever to read, not necessarily because it is bad, but the pacing is very slow. That and I had tons going on with life (wedding + honeymoon). Every time I sat down to read this 1/3

The cover to The Veiled Throne. It features a garinafin (dragon-like creature) in the center with a rider atop it. In the sky above, there are falcons made of white light fighting against other garinafins. On the ground, a Lyucu style tent-village.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Book 22 of 2026: Empire of the Dawn by Jay Kristoff. The 3rd book in the Empire of the Vampire series. 9/10. This book is a great conclusion to a great series. I really enjoyed seeing the current events catch up to how Gabe ended up in a Chastain cell and why all of this matters. I was really 1/4

The cover for Empire of the Dawn. It features a coat of arms style, where the title is on a banner in the center. Above it, is the walls and skyline of a medieval city with two angels over it. On the right and left, are ships sailing. On the bottom, the Redeemer's wheel and a porcelain mask.

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Brian Schaab @brianschaab.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Book 21 of 2026: Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff. The 2nd book in the Empire of the Vampire series. 8.5/10. I like how the frame expands, and the book begins with a moment from Jean-Francois's perspective. This book doesn't have as much of the mystery surrounding it like the first one, 1/4

Cover for Empire of the Damned. It features a blank mirror in the center with the title on it. Above it, is the skyline of a gothic cathedral with two skulls. Below it, is a pair of ravens.

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