Brian Schaab

@brianschaab

Writer, Nerd, TTRPG content, Draw Steel!

242 Siguiendo235 Seguidores791 Publicaciones

Bluesky

¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y brianschaab.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· 23d

Book 32 of 2026: A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Emma Southon. A dive into murder and killings throughout the Roman Republic and Empire. 7/10. I don't really feel like this book was for me, but it was still fairly entertaining and educational. The book takes a look at the 1/4

Cover for A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. It features a bust of Julius Caesar with the head sliced in half at a 45 degree angle. Three daggers stick into the bust from the top, and bright red blood drips down from them.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· 23d

Book 32 of 2026: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford 8/10. This book provides a more story-driven version of the history of the Mongols with a focus on the major innovations they brought to the world. If I read this before Empires of the Steppes, I probably 1/4

Cover for Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. It features a line of gers of orange cloth up the left hide side of the cover. The gers are covered with different symbols in black. In the center, is a Mongolian warrior. In his right hand, he holds a spear. On his back is a quiver of arrows and a bow. He wears bright clothes and a white headdress.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· 23d

Forgot to post this the other day. Got a great lesson in thumb draw and Asiatic Archery from Texas Asiatic Archery. www.texasasiaticarchery.com

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Jul 14

Draw Steel Supplement Review: Kelestren's Couriers by Brandon Crilly. Kelestren's Couriers is a Draw Steel Adventure for four level one heroes. It contains 3-4 victories, a unique magic item, two beautiful maps for play, and a supplement for the science fantasy world it is set in. The gist 1/10

The cover for the Kelestren's Couriers Draw Steel adventure. It features a time raider woman wearing thick steel boots, black armor with blue cloth over it. Their hair is a long white braid. In one of their four warms, they hold a staff-like weapon with four spiked blades at the end.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Jul 13

Book 31 of 2026: Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb. The 1st book in the Soldier Son trilogy. 8.5/10. This book is a really hard one for me to rate. At times, it is absolutely amazing (more details in the spoiler section), and at others it feels very strange and doesn't stand out much to me. 1/5

The cover to Shaman's Crossing. It features a white background with a black horse in the center. The horse has white patches just above his hooves and is saddled and in full tack.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Jul 13

Book 30 of 2026: Empires of the Steppes by Kenneth W. Harl. A history of the nomadic tribes who shaped civilization. 9/10. This book was exactly what I was looking for to give me a good historical context for the Huns, Mongols, and other steppe peoples. It covers an extremely broad period of 1/4

Cover to Empires of the Steppes. It features a horse archer riding on a black horse with white feet. The rider wears red pants and a blue shirt, and is turned backward firing an arrow from a bow.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Jul 5

Book 29 of 2026: Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell A non-fiction book about Lafayette and the American Revolution. 5/10. I don't often listen to audiobooks, but my wife and I have been driving to Dallas a lot recently (World Cup!!), so we picked this as a book to listen 1/6

The cover to Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell. It features a miniaturized scene of Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War with soldiers and flags flying.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Jul 5

Book 28 of 2026: The Traitor by Anthony Ryan The final book in the Covenant of Steel series. 8.5/10. I thought this book was a good way to wrap an enjoyable series. The ending does feel a bit rushed, as there's ton of build up, leading to a climatic battle that feels a bit rushed in execution 1/5

The cover to The Traitor by Anthony Ryan. It features Alwyn in full plate armor holding a longsword. He is charging forward into three enemy soldiers in plate armor. Behind him, a gothic cities is wreathed in flames.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Jun 24

Book 27 of 2026: Speaking Bones by Ken Liu. The 4th and final book in the Dandelion Dynasty series. 8/10. A good conclusion to a good series. This book is full of twists and turns, and every moment I thought I knew how the series would end, I was wrong. This provides a good, satisfying 1/4

The cover to Speaking Bones. It features a three headed dragon made of bones in the center. Above it, fly the garinafins. In the background are mountains.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Jun 24

Book 26 of 2026: The Martyr by Anthony Ryan. The 2nd book in the Covenant of Steel series. 8.5/10. This book picks up right where The Pariah left off, but this time we have a bit more of clarity of purpose for Alwyn. I like how the storyline in Alundia is handled, especially when they end up 1/2

Cover for The Martyr. It features a knight in plate armor with a longsword resting on his shoulder. He stands atop the battlements of a castle. In the background, a woman in a red dress and cloak can be seen.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Jun 12

Book 25 of 2026: The Pariah by Anthony Ryan. The 1st book in the The Covenant of Steel trilogy. 8/10. This book is pretty good, and I like the gritty, more grounded fantasy style of Ryan. Alwyn is a good main character, and I really enjoy his twisting life story. I have no clue what will end 1/3

Cover to The Pariah. It features a hooded and cloaked figure sitting cross-legged on a cobblestone floor. Laid across his knees, is an arming sword in a red scabbard.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Jun 1

Book 24 of 2026: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. Book 1 in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. 7/10. I feel like this is a bit of a hot take, because everyone loves these books, but this just didn't really land for me. It's the first LitRPG I've read, and I felt like that part of it was 1/4

The cover to Dungeon Crawler Carl. It features Carl and Princess Donut running from a goblin wearing a pot for a helmet atop of a bulldozer like vehicle with spikes at the front.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Jun 1

Book 23 of 2026: The Veiled Throne by Ken Liu. Book 3 in the Dandelion Dynasty series. 8/10. This book took me forever to read, not necessarily because it is bad, but the pacing is very slow. That and I had tons going on with life (wedding + honeymoon). Every time I sat down to read this 1/3

The cover to The Veiled Throne. It features a garinafin (dragon-like creature) in the center with a rider atop it. In the sky above, there are falcons made of white light fighting against other garinafins. On the ground, a Lyucu style tent-village.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· May 25

Book 22 of 2026: Empire of the Dawn by Jay Kristoff. The 3rd book in the Empire of the Vampire series. 9/10. This book is a great conclusion to a great series. I really enjoyed seeing the current events catch up to how Gabe ended up in a Chastain cell and why all of this matters. I was really 1/4

The cover for Empire of the Dawn. It features a coat of arms style, where the title is on a banner in the center. Above it, is the walls and skyline of a medieval city with two angels over it. On the right and left, are ships sailing. On the bottom, the Redeemer's wheel and a porcelain mask.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· May 25

Book 21 of 2026: Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff. The 2nd book in the Empire of the Vampire series. 8.5/10. I like how the frame expands, and the book begins with a moment from Jean-Francois's perspective. This book doesn't have as much of the mystery surrounding it like the first one, 1/4

Cover for Empire of the Damned. It features a blank mirror in the center with the title on it. Above it, is the skyline of a gothic cathedral with two skulls. Below it, is a pair of ravens.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· May 25

Book 20 of 2026: Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff. The 1st book in the Empire of the Vampire series. 9.5/10. This book is truly a masterpiece in storytelling. The way Kristoff uses the frame of Gabriel telling Jean-Francois the story works amazingly well. Kristoff breaks out of the frame 1/5

Cover for Empire of the Vampire. It features a coat of arms with the title in the center on a blank shield. Above the shield, is a symbol of the wheel and various angels. On the bottom right, is a wolf. A serpent, fangs bared sits at the bottom of the shield. To the left of the shield, is a lion roaring.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Apr 28

Book 19 of 2026: Of Empires and Dust by Ryan Cahill. Book 4 in the Bound and the Broken series. 8.5/10. This book continues to raise the bar for the series. I'm sad that I will have to wait for the next book, as I'm ready to see everything come to a head. I really have no clue how this series 1/3

The cover to Of Empires and Dust. It features the cracked black stone background typical of this series, with the pink lion on it.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Apr 24

So we got married on Saturday! Still doesn't feel real. Was a great day, and I'm so thankful to everyone who made it.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Apr 7

Book 17 of 2026: The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu. The 2nd book in the Dandelion Dynasty series. 7.5/10. This book took me a bit longer to get through than normal. Not necessarily due to anything wrong with it, but I have a lot going on (wedding in 11 days!😱). I do think this book leans more 1/6

Cover for The Wall of Storms. It features a giant sailing ship on the ocean, flanked by two of the mechanical "crubens" with their long horns. In the air, small airships can be seen flying around. A mountain looms white in the background.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Apr 2

Book 16 of 2026: The Ice by Ryan Cahill. The 3rd novella in The Bound and the Broken series. 7/10. This novella dives into Aeson's trip into Valacia and explores how he acquired the dragon egg which then shows up in the 1st book. It's nice to get a bit of backstory here, and I think several 1/4

Cover for The Ice. It features a black, cracked stone background with blue, almost bioluminescent balls of light on it. In the center, is a stylized white dragon.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Mar 27

Book 15 of 2026: Of War and Ruin by Ryan Cahill. Book 3 in The Bound and the Broken series. 8.5/10. Cahill fully hits his stride in this book. The conflict has expanded to encompass the entire continent, and each of the main characters (Calen, Dann, Rist, Ella, Dayne) are all starting to push 1/6

The cover to Of War and Ruin. It features two stylized red dragons facing off against each other.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Mar 10

Book 14 of 2026: The Exile by Ryan Cahill. The 2nd novella in The Bound and the Broken series. 7.5/10. This is a much needed novella to fill in the story of Dayne. He takes up a decent bit of the word count for the previous book, and I just never really connected with him there. This novella 1/3

Cover to The Exile. It features a dark stone background with blue specks of light throughout. On the center, is a stylized wyvern of orange and yellow.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Mar 10

Book 13 of 2026: Of Darkness and Light by Ryan Cahill. Book 2 in The Bound and the Broken series. 7/10. This book is generally good, but it has one major flaw, in my opinion. It seems as if almost every character given a name has a POV section at some point. While I like the growing scope of 1/4

The cover for Of Darkness and Light. It features a black stone background with a yellow, stylized dragon in the center.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Mar 2

Book 12 of 2026: The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu 1st book in the Dandelion Dynasty series. 8/10. This book is crazy ambitious in its scope, and I feel like it will get even crazier as the series progresses. I really loved the metaphor of the dandelion and how it always springs up and survives. 1/4

The cover to The Grace of Kings. It features a multi-tiered castle on a beach. To the east, boats are landing on the beach. In background, are towering mountains. A winged glider soars above the city.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Feb 27

Book 11 of 2026: The Fall by Ryan Cahill. A novella prequel for The Bound and the Broken series. 7/10. This is an action-packed novella that takes place before the events of Of Blood and Fire. It hops around a few different POVs and gives us more context on the Fall of the Order, which will 1/3

Cover to The Fall. It features yellow triangle which represents the Order.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Feb 27

Book 10 of 2026: Of Blood & Fire by Ryan Cahill. Book 1 in The Bound & Broken series. 8/10. I don't mean this in a condescending way, because I actually really like this book. It feels very much like Eragon but a more adult version and darker in tone. It works really well and the story is 1/2

The cover for Of Blood and Fire. It features a black background with a white egg in the center. The egg is made of swirling patterns evoking flowers and ferns.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Feb 19

Book 9 of 2026: Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb. The 3rd book in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy. 9/10. This is a good book, albeit not the ending I would've hoped for Fitz and the Fool. I do feel like this was clearly the last "Elderling" book, so Hobb tries to fit in things like Althea, Brashen 1/8

The cover for Assassin's Fate. It features an illuminated A, with a yellow candle burning. On the right hand side, there's the white towers and walls of Clerres. In the center is a bumblebee.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Feb 17

Book 8 of 2026: The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan. The 3rd book in the Empire of the Wolf series. 7.5/10. I kept waiting for this book to take the next step into being amazing, but instead it just continued to hover around good. There's so much setup leading into this last book, and I felt 1/4

The cover for The Trials of Empire. It features a person wearing elaborate red robes and holding a staff with a large, round ruby at the end. Behind them, is a statue of a humanoid figure with two snakes heads and a long curling snake body.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Feb 6

Book 7 of 2026: Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb. The 2nd book in the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy. 9/10. I really liked this book. So much of it feels like a culmination of all the previous Elderling books. This one also is a return to Fitz at his best and is why people end up caring so much about 1/4

Cover for Fool's Quest. It features an illuminated Q. Inside the Q, is a potion containing red dragon's blood, laced with the Silver. The background is blue, and the potion rests on a red wood table. On the right hand side, is a black crow with white pinions in its feathers. The crow carries a golden thread in its beak.

Brian Schaab@brianschaab· Feb 2

Book 6 of 2026: The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan. Book 2 in the Empire of the Wolf series. 7.5/10. I like that Helena finally starts to take a more active role in things going on in the story. The cast of Bressinger, Vonvalt, Sir Radomir, and Heinrich works pretty well throughout the 1/3