“The Red Scholar’s Wake” by Aliette de Bodard
Hessan YongdiI have meant to read a book from Aliette de Bodard’s "Xuya Universe" series. With the recent release of The Red Scholar’s Wake, I had the perfect excuse to do…
In the Vanishers’ Palace – Aliette de Bodard
Before I started the Hessan's County blog, this all started out as me doing informal book reviews on the Rule of Lore discord's Media Club. I wanted to bring back…
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
How does one describe a book like Iron Widow? Amazing, raw, and angry is a start, but let's try to do better.
Wǔdé: The Five Powers – Exploring TTRPG Engines
In Today's blog, I examine "五德: The Five Powers." Also known as WuDe, its Elemental Dice System is the basis for entries to the Five Powers Jam.
World-building Currency: How We Pay
One thing to think about when worldbuilding is how citizens get the things that they need. These included cash currency, does it always evolve to that?
International Tension in “Fireheart Tiger”
I was first introduced to the worlds of Aliette de Bodard through her Obsidian and Blood series and then In The Vanisher’s Palace, both works I hope to review for…