#published 2023

Dungeon Crawler Carl: The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman

Book 6. The card game and scenario of this floor was confusing so I just wrote it off as YuGiOh and called it good. This book feels more like a setup for the next book, but it did have a lot of really great moments. We finally get a bit of an answer about Agatha. The AI finally gets a moment alone with Carl. I knew Carl’s dad would show up eventually, but nice to finally get some closure on what happened there. Poor Carl. Also, we still hate Bea in this house.

The AI was a standout character this book. I miss Prepopente.

I might take a break before starting book 7. These books have such good characters, but I do wish there was more down time in the narrative to enjoy them. It occurred to me near the end of this book that, while I enjoy the character work, I’m not actually very attached to anyone but Carl and Donut. And I think the issue there is the pacing. Book 4 was such a stand out because it felt like things slowed down enough to take a breath and start developing relationships with these side characters. I don’t know. Maybe just feeling a bit burnt out by the pacing. But I also want to find out what happens to this lucky idiot and his cat.

I really liked this book, but it also left me feeling unsatisfied. Going to be spoiler-free with this review because I think a lot of people on tumblr are the target audience for this kind of book.

I loved the main character, but wish we got to sit a little more with the rest. I never feel like I really got to know anyone but Silas. That's maybe just the hazard of having a POV character who doesn’t enjoy or understand socializing, but even considering that I think Daphne should have had more dimension given the connection I'm supposed to believe Silas has with her. I found myself not really believing their love story, and I think part of that was Daphne feeling as vague as everyone else in Silas' life (except maybe his brother).

I also found the pacing a little odd. I've come to the conclusion that I think this book should have been a trilogy. There's enough world and plot here for three books. Because we just get one the pacing feels weird, a lot of the characters don't have enough dimension or impact, and we don't get as immersed in the world as we could be. There are several points in this book where Silas does something that we're told is unprecedented or a big deal, but because we haven't had time to get used to the status quo, Silas upending it doesn't have as much impact as it should. We should experience what this world is like, not be told what it's like.

submitted by: anonymous

Christmas in Clement (9378 words) by @birdofdawning Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Warehouse 13 Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Myka Bering/Helena "H. G." Wells Characters: Myka Bering, Helena "H. G." Wells Additional Tags: Pete if you squint, AU, Christmas Romcom, My Dinner With Myka Summary: Workaholic Myka Bering and superior Helena Wells are the jilted other people in a Christmas romcom who meet trying to catch the first flight out of the quaint little town of Clement. However, escaping other people's Christmas romances will not be that easy.

Please tell us why you like this fic so much!

Lovely rom-com tropiness that feels more realistic than most. Sympathy for the "jilted lovers," especially since Myka and Helena are such, and it feels entirely in-character for them. And quiet, artful chemistry between Bering and Wells, of course.

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Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Secret Project Book 1. This is the fairytale meets pirates book of the Cosmere, with a sort of Terry Pratchett-vibe. I honestly adored the entire book. Sanderson has really improved with writing female characters since he started off. If I have one complaint about Tress of the Emerald Sea, it’s that, like Warbreaker, the ending felt a bit rushed.

Absolutely fascinating world concept. Sailing oceans of spores rather than water. Has everything a fairytale needs: a sorceress, a curse or two, a dragon, monsters, new friends, and a journey to rescue a princess (duke’s son) locked in a tower. Also, Hoid is there.

Lots of tangential Cosmere lore in this one. There’s definitely some that went over my head - likely because I haven’t read the books referenced yet.

(Took ages to narrow down a quote, but eventually got it down to two and decided it was good enough):

“It’s beautiful in a way only something so terrifying can inspire, and terrifying in a way that only something so beautiful can demand.”

Chapters: 13/13 Fandom: Warehouse 13 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Myka Bering/Helena "H. G." Wells Characters: Myka Bering, Helena "H. G." Wells, Jack Harkness, Christina Wells, and the rest of the Warehouse family Additional Tags: Unconventional Families, Pregnancy, Kid Fic, Fix-It, Bering and Wells Big Bang 2023, BWBB23, beringandwells13 Summary:

When Myka Bering goes looking for Helena Wells, she isn’t expecting to find Emily Lake, and she definitely isn’t expecting to find Emily Lake pregnant – but this is a story about the unexpected. This is a story about letting yourself say yes to the situation you find yourself in, even if it’s where you never expected to be, and how the rest falls into place when you allow yourself to do that.

It’s also a story about time travel and friendship, old flames and new love, and magic cottages and pb&p (pear) sandwiches. And of not just one unexpected baby, but two of them - for a given value of "baby", anyway.

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On every first weekend of the month I’m gonna link to the fics of  this year’s (and very first ever!) Bering and Wells Big Bang! I know it  can be daunting to have so many long fics posted all in a row, so I’m  gonna put them up over here as a reminder.

submitted by: @tulipsandsake

AO3 link and details: Picklock (67794 words) by @anandabrat

Chapters: 10/10 Fandom: Warehouse 13 Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Myka Bering/Helena "H. G." Wells Characters: Myka Bering, Helena "H. G." Wells, Pete Lattimer, Original Characters, Nate (Warehouse 13) Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Fix-It, don't be afraid this isn't Pyka Summary: It's 2021. Warehouse 13 changed locations in 2015, leaving its agents to move on with their lives to the best of their abilities. I've left out the Paracelsus plot line but kept the rest. It was a truly dreadful ending - but looking at it as the middle of the story, I found I could be a lot more sympathetic about the choices our heroines made. Though there are mentions of other relationships, some more significant than others, this is always and forever, like everything I write, a Bering and Wells fic. Thanks to Ten for so much help with writing and talking things through. And for so many other moments. Thanks to Ash for giving it a look and pushing me to put it out in the world, already! And thanks my love, starshipblueberry, who said this wasn't a silly idea and that I should write and then told me that same thing every day.

Please tell us why you like this fic so much!

Chapters: 22/22 Fandom: Warehouse 13 Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Myka Bering/Helena "H. G." Wells Characters: Myka Bering, Helena "H. G." Wells, Claudia Donovan, pamela colman smith Additional Tags: orb helena, Season 3 rewrite, canon only takes us so far, Tarot Summary:

“I cannot–” Helena sighs. “I cannot easily read the case file unless I loom over your shoulder and you consent to turn the pages for me.” She tries, and fails, to touch Myka’s shoulder. Withdrawing, she sets her fingers against her own shoulder in a protective gesture.

“I could do that, or I could read them to you.” Myka watches the movement of Helena’s hand. Having spectral Helena loom over her is a bit like feeling static electricity dancing against her back and shoulder.

OR...Season three and Myka and Claudia set off for Cornwall to investigate some mysterious disappearances, Helena's orb in tow. When Helena finds a wicked pack of cards, she and Myka don't expect to get sucked into the deck...

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On every first weekend of the month I’m gonna link to the fics of this year’s (and very first ever!) Bering and Wells Big Bang! I know it can be daunting to have so many long fics posted all in a row, so I’m gonna put them up over here as a reminder.