A review for The Veiled Throne by Ken Liu
Read MoreThe Veiled Throne

A review for The Veiled Throne by Ken Liu
Read MoreMy 2025 goals list.
Read MoreA moment of nostalgia for PlayStation in Astro Bot
Running through all the games I beat in 2024.
Read MoreA quick lookback at Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and why you don’t always need to revisit the past.
Read MoreIn praise of the wonderful iOS app, Callsheet.
Read MoreA quick update on Like a Dragon Gaiden
Read MoreMy quick thoughts on Super Mario RPG remake for the Nintendo Switch.
Read MoreExploring my frustrations with music streaming services.
Read MoreFrom 2023, a review of Starfield and why I won’t play a Bethesda RPG ever again.
Read MoreA list of my favorite mangas I read in 2023. Not exhaustive, more of the moment. Lots of good lists and too many stories to recount. Shonen-heavy if that’s your vibe.
Read MoreA series of mini reviews on the games I completed in 2024.
Read MoreA current list of my favorite Japanese RPGs of all time
Golden Sun 1 & 2, Suikoden 5, Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (all M&L Games), Xenoblade Chronicles 1, Chrono Trigger, Shenmue, Dragon Quest XI, Dragon Quest VII and IX, and Dark Cloud.
Sometimes a game tells you exactly what is going to happen and when it does, you can still find it surprising.
That’s the reaction to Goro Akechi, teenage boy detective who sold my Phantom Thieves. The game made it clear he’s not going to stay on your side forever. So did the character. And yet, here I am getting a fake shadow shot in the head. Swerve? Maybe.
24 hours to go
Keeping notes on my progress in Persona 5 Royal. Let’s see if I remember this blog exists.
Read MoreKeeping notes on my progress in Persona 5 Royal. Let’s see if I remember this blog exists.
Read MoreI heard about the Grace of Kings by Ken Liu on the Triple Click Podcast. There, host Jason Schreier — an avid Suikoden fan — noted the similar vibe that this book series had to my favorite Japanese RPG series. It hit the mark, with a mixture of politics, friendship, family and mysticism that painted a picture akin to the fantastical Jade Empire game series.
Truthfully, it was so long ago I don’t remember each bit that stood out other than protagonists Kuni Gary and Mata Zyndu, and how their great partnership quickly turned sour thanks to pride and ambition (don’t they always?).
Can’t wait to read the sequel. Let’s hope I become a more avid novel reader in 2023, eh?
I’m never one to journal or keep a written record of times and places. It’s a habit I should develop more. Recently, I was turned onto The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu.
A fan of the game series Suikoden, the idea of destiny moving parties in a revolution together and the wild cast of characters that make up the ranks is a concept I’ve always enjoyed.
I tried to read Outlaws of the Marsh when I was younger and a more ambitious child , but that dense story is for another time and life.
This is all to say The Grace Of Kings distills these plot formations into a neatly-designed package that makes managing a large roster quite easy.
Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu live so fiercely in my imagination. I can see the Japanime-inspired smirks on Garu’s face as he concocts a scheme, and Zyndu is the the straight man sees his destiny ahead of him.
It’s a fun book. A fun excuse to talk.