Suddenly, I slowed my car to a stop. Up ahead, all I could see were brake lights along with the sharp strobe of emergency vehicle lights. My morning commute had come to a standstill. As the cars in front of me started turning around, I knew that I needed to find an alternate route, a detour.
I have been stuck in a rut lately and didn’t even know it. Since January, I have been listening to the Dungeon Crawler Carl books on Audible. For anyone unfamiliar, Dungeon Crawler Carl follows Carl and Princess Donut as they battle their way through the dungeon one floor at a time. I just finished The Gate of the Feral Gods. Book was bonkers! But what impresses me is how author Matt Dinniman keeps everything moving forward by keeping all of the details at hand. He seriously has to have a bible that contains plot points yet to come and plot points set into motion. What I don’t like are the occasional sexual jokes that seem baked in for fun but veer into the uncomfortable (at least for me). But I committed to finishing the series. I want to know what happens.
But speaking of ruts in life, listening to Dungeon Crawler Carl became a big rut for me. Listening to the books, day after day, became boring. And the books aren’t boring at all. I had just listened to one too many for months on end.
I decided to climb out of my rut. I finished The Gate of the Feral Gods and then put the series on pause. I picked up two books:
The Orb and the Airship by Jenelle Schmidt
The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman
Both books stray away from the science-fantasy and literary role-playing game elements, leaning instead into steampunk and traditional fantasy.
I have been reading The Orb and the Airship on my Kindle. This book is about two friends who are going to school, Gandalf, and sky pirates. The book has been sweet (not sickly so). Reminds me of Brian Jacques Redwall series… and my friend Scott.
The Blacktongue Thief is about a thief paying off his debts to the guild. The author narrates this for Audible. Not bad so far… except for the songs.
I ended up detouring through back roads. Only to arrive at work a few minutes late.
Sometimes you gotta mix things up.
Take a detour. Don’t get in an accident. Accidents are bad.
JohnnyBGamer 