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Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne

Impressions

Not quite reviews, I talk about books I read and enjoyed.

Kill the Farm Boy is a coming-of-age story. Well, sort of. It’s as satirical of its tropes as Monty Python is of, well, everything. It’s got enough puns to be a Xanth novel but it’s a lot better a story. It’s got a Chosen One who isn’t up to the task, political intrigue, romance, an elder statesman I can actually look up to, and interesting ways to die.

Oh and did I mention the talking goat?

Here’s how good this book was. I finished it, put it down, and preordered No Country for Old Gnomes (the next book in the series) immediately.

Come for the poop jokes, stay for the talking goat.

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Delays in One Among the Dead…

One Among the Dead

Sometimes you need a project that’s just for, y’know, goofing around. This is the ongoing saga of my Minecraft character. For lack of a better title, we’re going with “One Among the Dead”. 

If you happen to be one of the fans of One Among the Dead and you’re wondering where it’s gone, well… the latest Minecraft update has been crashtastic. I can’t keep it running long enough to record a day, much less write a post for one, which is putting a significant dent in the post schedule since no play = nothing to write about.

As soon as either I replace the Mac or Minecraft starts to play nice again, we’ll resume updates.

In the meantime, just assume our protagonist is digging and sorting dirt, because, y’know, that’s what she’s good at.

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Day 276: paper for maps

One Among the Dead

Sometimes you need a project that’s just for, y’know, goofing around. This is the ongoing saga of my Minecraft character. For lack of a better title, we’re going with “One Among the Dead”. 

Day 276:

Well, I ran out of paper, which definitely puts a crimp on the map production.

And I ran out of paper because I ran out of paper supplies.

I spent the day today harvesting the bamboo or cane or whatever it is down by the waterfront, then boiling the hell out of it.

(It’s kind of sugary, and now I’m trying to figure out if I can make sugar crystals out of the water.)

Once the fibers are suitably boiled, they unroll almost like a scroll anyway, and that means I can lay them out and press them and turn them into really low-quality paper.

At least the boiling I can do outside, so I’m not covered in both soot and sugar.

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Day 275: maps

One Among the Dead

Sometimes you need a project that’s just for, y’know, goofing around. This is the ongoing saga of my Minecraft character. For lack of a better title, we’re going with “One Among the Dead”. 

Day 275:

Spent the day updating my maps and I have to say this is getting to be a ridiculous part of my life. There’s an entire room dedicated to paper and paper-making equipment, and since the caverns are always a bit on the dank side, trying to get anything to dry involves fire and chimneys and soot.

On the other hand, getting permanently lost isn’t so great either, so I end up drawing the maps, memorizing them in the process, and hoping I don’t remember them wrong when I go digging. Because it’s not like I can carry an entire book of maps with me either.

What I’d give for an info tablet or a computer of any type!

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Day 274: Back where I started

One Among the Dead

Sometimes you need a project that’s just for, y’know, goofing around. This is the ongoing saga of my Minecraft character. For lack of a better title, we’re going with “One Among the Dead”. 

Day 274: I finally reinforced this chamber all the way back to where I started, so I took a few hours to harvest the cane by the water near my primary entrance.

I think maybe I can turn it into sugar? It seems kind of starchy and sugary and sweet. And so far nothing here has poisoned me. (Then again, I haven’t tried the puffer fish.)

To find out, I think I’m going to need to forge a pot.

I wish I knew how to make a sand cast.