Fuvg, zna, V'z abg cercnerq sbe Cbapu, naq V xabj jung'f pbzvat. (V'z nyfb abg cercnerq sbe Znex abg orvat cercnerq sbe Cbapu. Vg'f yvxr frpbaqunaq rzoneenffzrag bayl yrff zbegvslvat naq zber cnvashy naq V pnaabg JNVG.)

NYY UNVY GUR TYBJ PYBH--bu jnvg bbcf jebat snaqbz

abg fher ubj NALOBQL jbhyqa'g nccerpvngr n uhzconpx junyr ba gur zbba gou

*returns high five* Karst topography is so nifty! :D That was probably my favorite part of the geology class I took a couple years ago. That, and my prof kept making LotR jokes during the unit on volcanoes.

V jvyy nqzvg gb fbzr pnpxyvat. Engure n ybg bs pnpxyvat, npghnyyl.

I know people have probably said this about other things, but I really really mean it: Genevieve Cogman's The Invisible Library series is pretty much written specifically for you. The main character, Irene, is a kickass agent for a giant interdimensional library. And I can't* say anything else, other than that this series features a lot of things that are also things that you like more than most things.

Beyond that, though, they've got a diverse cast, great worldbuilding, lively characters, and excellent, excellent writing. Cogman is very efficient, no wasted scenes or words, and her prose is witty, engaging, and vividly descriptive. It's incredibly genre-savvy--when she's not inverting or twisting tropes, she's poking fun at them--and the result is a series that combines familiar elements into something completely original and ridiculously fun to read.

There are three books so far:
The Invisible Library
The Masked City
The Burning Page

*"Can't" isn't technically correct. I could, but if you do read these books I want to savor the look on your face when you find out what they're about. HOWEVER. If this pitch isn't convincing enough without it, here is the non-plot-spoilery (but fun-surprise-spoilery) hopefully-clincher: gur Yvoenel'f fgngrq tbny vf gb npdhver, ol zbfg nal zrnaf arprffnel, ng yrnfg bar pbcl bs rirel cbffvoyr irefvba bs rirel obbx rire jevggra guebhtubhg gur zhygvirefr. Zrnavat (qehzebyy, cyrnfr): obbx urvfgf.

Caverns as complex spaces makes so much sense to me. I mean this






already looks alien, so dimensional shenanigans? Absolutely believable.

Incidentally! If any of y'all have any interest in geology and you wind up in Missouri, definitely check out Onondaga Cave State Park--that's where all those pictures were taken. Meramac Caverns State Park* is more widely advertised, but it's a bit of a tourist trap, whereas Onondaga's a little harder to find but absolutely spectacular.

Actually, Missouri in general is a great place for geological shit. We have some awesome state parks. Almost makes up for the number of Republicans, and then science-ing lowers your chances of encountering them by, like, 96%, so that "almost" gets promoted to a "very very nearly". [/potshot]

*Full disclosure, I actually hate Meramac Caverns, a lot, but I think that has more to do with sensory issues than the caves themselves. I get really freaked out by huge enclosed spaces (I think it's acoustic, I couldn't deal with the National Air and Space Museum either, which was a total bummer because that shit is fascinating) and the cheesy multicolored lights they use at Meramac hurt my eyes and make it look all fake so I'd hate it even if it weren't a migraine trigger, PLUS it's always super crowded there, all of which adds up to a Very Unhappy Octopus. But I mean if you don't have weird sensory shit going on, Meramac is cool, I guess. Onondaga's just cooler.

Gotta disagree with you there--the sun bear is DEFINITELY the most obnoxious. Also the most hilarious, but I guess that's beside the point.

Oh and SPEAKING OF GARTH NIX: (old kingdom, WAW) Nz V gur bayl bar jub guvaxf gung Cbapu naq gur Qvferchgnoyr Qbt jbhyq or, yvxr, pbfzvp orfg sevraqf? Gurl unir fb zhpu va pbzzba! Haqlvat yblnygl gb gurve crbcyr, novyvgl gb jnyx va nal jbeyq, frpergyl xvaqn fbegn znlor tbqf, xrrc cbccvat hc jura gurl'er ernyyl grpuavpnyyl fhccbfrq gb or qrnq... p'zba, vg'f cresrpg!

(rest of the series) vf fbzrobql fgnegvat n pbairag orpnhfr YBBX NG NYY GUR AHAF

V'q urneq vg orsber gbb fb V xarj jung jnf pbzvat, ohg gur jnl Qhnar unaqyrf vg vf whfg terng orpnhfr vg qvqa'g znggre gung V pbhyq frr rknpgyl jung jnf tbaan unccra. Vg gnxrf n ybg bs fxvyy gb or noyr gb chyy gung bss, gb znxr vg jbex fb gung vs lbh pna'g frr vg pbzvat gur grafvba pbzrf sebz abg xabjvat jung'f tbvat gb unccra naq vs lbh pna frr vg pbzvat gur grafvba pbzrf sebz jngpuvat vg cynl bhg, naq vg'f whfg fb cyrnfnag. Naq gung'f rfcrpvnyyl vzcerffvir pbafvqrevat gung gurl'er onfvpnyyl whfg fvggvat nebhaq sbe, yvxr, gur ragver fgbel. Vg'f fb uneq gb znxr gung vagrerfgvat!

Naq V nyfb ernyyl, ernyyl ybir gur jnl gur fgehpgher bs gur fgbel zvzvpf gur fgehpgher bs gur wbxr? Be znlor gur fgbel vf ohvyg nebhaq gur wbxr, vqx, ohg vg'f nofbyhgryl frnzyrff naq V'z n yvggyr ovg va njr bs ubj tbbq fur vf ng cnpxvat fb zhpu vagb fhpu n fznyy fcnpr (juvpu, ntnva, gung'f jung'f unccravat va gur fgbel nf jryy, yvxr vg vf yvgrenyyl pbaqrafrq nhtu) jvgu fb znal terng yvggyr punenpgre zbzragf naq uvynevbhf fprarf naq unccvarff jvgubhg qbjacynlvat gur frevbhfarff bs jung'f tbvat ba. V guvax gung'f jung'f zbfg vaperqvoyr gb zr, yvxr, lrnu Xvg fnirf gur qnl jvgu n irel funec-rqtrq wbxr (juvpu V'ir nyjnlf ybirq rknpgyl orpnhfr bs ubj funec vg vf) ohg gur jnl Qhnar hfrf vg vf ernyyl, vqx, erfcrpgshy? Fbzrubj? Fb vg qbrfa'g gnxr gur rqtr bss, rknpgyl, ohg vg fbeg bs qverpgf vg naq hfrf vg gb trg fbzrguvat qbar, juvpu V ybir orpnhfr vg'f fhpu n tbbq rknzcyr bs jung n cbjreshy gbby fngver pna or vs lbh qb vg evtug.

...jbj, fbeel, gung jbhaq hc orvat jnl ybatre guna V vagraqrq ohg vg'f whfg fb fngvfslvat gb ernq! Vg'f fb ornhgvshyyl pensgrq naq vg znxrf zl areql yvggyr Ratyvfu znwbe urneg unccl.