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Michael Lopez

@themlopez

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Evan Leikam
By: Along With All Malice
5 of 5 stars

I read this in one sitting. It’s that good. A story of friendship and heartbreak. And it goes dark hard.

I don’t want to spoil anything. Just go read this book. It will have you on the edge quickly. by @themlopez

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16 hours ago

Pierce Brown
By: Light Bringer
5 of 5 stars

If you haven’t read the Red Rising series, you are missing out on an incredible journey of friendship. This series has so many themes; oppression, power, corruption, sacrifice, politics, but none are louder than what I believe to be the most important…. Friendship.

Light Bringer really goes hard at friendship and family. Chapter 48 really hits home as we see a rare glimpse of Darrow and Sevro in a personal moment sharing from their heart.

Whether it’s cheers or tears you are after, Light Bringer brings them both in this epic novel.

With just 1 book left in the series, Pierce Brown does a great job bringing much of the plot together for a final showdown that I expect to be a finale of finales. I cannot wait to see how this ends. Will anyone die in the finale? Any guesses? Personally, I don’t see Darrow surviving. But maybe that’s too easy. Could we see him having to witness Pax’s death? That would be tragic. No matter what, I’m here for the finale and look forward to taking some PTO when Red God comes out to give it my full attention.

If you are a fan of physical books, go follow @curiouskingbooks as they are producing the definitive edition for all.

#redrising #redrisingtrilogy #redrisingseries #redrisingsaga #lightbringer by @themlopez

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16 hours ago

Commission blank sketch cover by the highly talented @itsdavelaw

If you don’t know Dave’s work, you are missing out. He is the artist for @soundbooththeater DCC series. He also is the artist for some great books like The Space Odditorium.

I had met Dave at DragonCon 2025. DCC was big but not like it is today. We chatted and I picked up some of his prints.

When the blank sketch books came out, I immediately reached out to Dave asking if he’d draw on a cover for me. What I got was more than expected. He used the space on the front and back to make an epic scene taken from book 1.

I encourage everyone to check out Dave’s work. I’ve gotten to know him a bit more recently and he’s not only a talented artist but such a great human being.

#dungeoncrawlercarl #dungeoncrawlercarlfanart #dungeoncrawlercarlcomics by @themlopez

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a day ago

He Who Fights With Monsters: Book 2 Adventurer
By: Travis Deverell (Shirtaloon)
4 of 5 stars

Holy Cliffhanger Jason!!!  Wow, I am glad I read volume 2 of He Who Fights With Monsters. It had more of what I loved and less of what I didn’t from Book 1.   The writing was very much improved in book 2. There were still too many “Jason said” however, the dialogue was much improved and wittier. I found myself often laughing out loud as Jason just continues to confuse and baffle those he converses with.   Book 2 focuses on Jason growing as an Adventurer. This time, they pick up a case and get into teams. Together they have to solve some riddles and find a garden tool…haha and the rewards are hefty.

While Jason is the star of the show, the book does a great job of building up the secondary characters, giving them depth and desire to know more about them.   Often I see people asking what to read when not reading DCC. And many recommend HWFWM. I think these books are very different. However what both offer are found family and laugh out loud moments. I’m glad I’ve found this series and plan to continue it over the coming year.

#litrpgbooks #shirtaloon by @themlopez

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2 days ago

Empire of the Vampire
By: Jay Kristoff
4.25 of 5 stars

There was a lot to love about this book and some things not to.

Let’s start with the story of Vampires. Jay quickly builds a world that feels different than other vampire stories. They have purpose and identity. They have hard rules. They have souls…or at least purpose.

Our protagonist, Gabriel de Leon, is not your everyday hero but he has a hill and that hill he will die on. What I really enjoyed about Gabriel is that he grows as the story develops. But what he believes in doesn’t necessarily change. But how he views what he believes in does. The book spends the 6 parts helping us understand why Gabriel is and who he has become. It’s wonderfully told through an interview style. Similar to Interview with a Vampire but more grit and less Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.

The plot is well laid out over these 6 parts with a fantastic tale that draws the reader in. While it the book is a bit lengthy, and could easily be trimmed down 100 pages, you’d find a tough time determining which 100 to trim. Each page seems to help us understand Gabriel a little more while also developing additional characters.

What I really struggled with in this book, besides the length, is the language. Was this book French, Australian, Irish, English, Spanish maybe… truly I don’t know. Characters would have all types of dialect and it was tough to follow. I heard the audio really makes it bad. In addition, the book would jump from telling a story to speaking with the interviewee to back to the story without any notice or change in pace. Via audio, that was really hard to pick up on.

All in all I truly loved this story, the lore, the characters and I want more of it.

#empireofthevampire #empireofthevampirejaykristoff #octobervibes by @themlopez

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3 days ago

The Lies of Locke Lamora
By: Scott Lynch
4.75 of 5 stars

I had the pleasure of attending GenCon. Upon signing up, I realized Scott was going to be attending and signing books. This was on my TBR so I decided to bump it up and give it a read.

I had heard many good things about it, but no one told me just how good the dialogue was. This may be one of the best written books for dialogue that I’ve read.

The story was great. Very Oceans 11, but set in a different era. We get the back and current story of Locke Lamora and how he came to be who he is.

Scott does a great job leveraging the past and present to tell a compelling story of friendship and greed all while giving us fantastic compelling characters.

While speaking with Scott he let me know there will be 7 books and by the end of the year or early next, but definitely before Jordan Con, the details will be out for book 4.

“Justice is Red” by @themlopez

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11 days ago

My favorite covers are 1/1 unique commissions. Having @mattdinniman and @jeffhaysofficial tattoo this piece with their signature was really unique.

#dungeoncrawlercarl #dungeoncrawlerfanart #dungeoncrawlercarlcomics #dungeoncrawlercarlsketch #dungeoncrawlercarltattoo by @themlopez

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a month ago

Iron Gold
By: Pierce Brown
4 of 5 stars

I was not at all prepared for Iron Golds POV. Having read the original trilogy multiple times I’ve alluded all spoilers and I suppose I will attempt to not spoil anything here.

Overall the book was very enjoyable. It took me about 25% of the book to get me fully settled in, but that’s not a bad thing. Pierce spends the first 25% catching us up on the past 10 years as well as introducing us to new characters and some old ones, including one that we didn’t get to know very well in the original series.

Once I had digested the characters and the POV, the plot took off like a rocket and was very captivating.

Pierce does a very good job of reminding us just how expanse the world he built is and quickly takes us on a tour. Given 10 years has passed, much has changed and I found it interesting to see what good and bad has come from the changes.

My favorite characters remained my favorite. And no it’s not Darrow. I wonder how many people actually have Darrow as their favorite.

What really struck me about this book is how much Pierce has improved as a writer. He definitely stretched himself here and I believe it’s going to payoff in a big way over the next couple of books. I’m looking forward to continuing this series this year. It feels good to be back with the Reaper and the Howlers.

“She would have lived in peace, Darrow, but you have brought her nothing but war”

#redrising #irongoldtetralogy #redrisingseries by @themlopez

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a month ago

August reads reminded me why I love to read. by @themlopez

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a month ago

Before They Are Hanged
By: Joe Abercrombie
4.25 of 5 stars

I am starting to see how Joe is the father of Grim Dark. The story that is unfolding doesn’t leave a lot of room for happiness, the characters are all despicable. And by the end, you can’t help but feel a little grim.

Before they are Hanged, Joe’s second book of the First Law Trilogy builds on what book 1 started with. Intriguing characters, dialogue and world building. What I believe he does even better is plot building.

We pick up right where we were left off and continue down the paths of some of our favorite characters. Whether Logan Ninefingers, Sand dan Glokta, Jezal Dan Luther, Dogman or Bayaz. The pacing moves fast, the laughs land often, but the tone is always dark. It’s truly just wonderful how Joe puts all this together. I have to remember that today we see so many forms of media like this, but 20 years ago…. This was a rare sighting. Maybe the first.

I’m excited to see how this trilogy ends. Will it end grim, dark, or will Joe’s true sense of humor shine through and give us a happy ending? I’m guessing it’s just that. Joe’s’ humor will come through but the irony of it is, his humor is watching someone in misery.

“We should forgive our enemies,
but not before they are hanged”
~ Heinrich Heine

#thefirstlaw #thefirstlawtrilogy #curiousking #curiouskingbooks by @themlopez

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a month ago

Kaiju Battlefield Surgeon
By: Matt Dinniman
4 of 5 stars

What did I just read?!?!?!
25% scary, 25% disgusting, 25% RPG, and 25% disturbing.

Kaiju Battlefield Surgeon is not for the faint of heart. Written before Dungeon Crawler Carl and I’m thankful for it. This book is much darker, more disturbing and way more disgusting with a lot less humor. In fact there is almost no humor at all. Reading this has me wondering what else goes on in the mind of Matt, haha.

Kaiju is about an Artist who is kidnapped and implanted into an RPG. The plot is fantastic and would make a terrifying movie. The world building is well done. The characters have depth and are very interesting. There isn’t much not to enjoy about this book, as long as you are a bit demented and twisted.

I believe if this wasn’t written, we wouldn’t have the Dungeon Crawler series we’ve all grown to love. Maybe this was Matt’s therapy book.

If you are a fan of DCC and now waiting for book 9, give Kaiju Battlefield Surgeon a read. by @themlopez

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2 months ago

Exquisite Corpses
By: James Tynion IV
5 of 5 stars

I don’t typically read comic books. But recently I’ve begun to read a few based on recommendations. One of those is Exquisite Corpses. I can’t recall if I stumbled upon this on myself or if it was recommend, either way, it’s fantastic.

Every 5 years, families representing each of the 13 original States, pick a killer and weapon to fight to the death. The family with the last killer standing, rules for the next 5 years.

The story is 13 issues long and is told from the POV of the families and the citizens in the town that the event takes place.

It’s fast paced yet filled with so much emotion. The characters are all intriguing, making me look forward to every POV I read.

If you want to try something new, pick up Exquisite Corpses. This series will not let you down. by @themlopez

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2 months ago