Interesting prompt. With how you present the historical dramas in chronological order there's also the reading of pen and paper shrinking in the scope of their importance overtime as technology advances while still being needed to go beyond the current limits of technology, mainly with the space flight focused ones.
I think for me the last three would be What Manner of Man (substack serial), OlliOlli World, and Witch on the Holy Night. This is going to be tricky since OlliOlli World isn't that focused on story and What Manner of Man only has three chapters so far. And I haven't finished any of them, well technically I'm all caught up on What Manner of Man, but it's early on in the story.
All three have hidden magic. What Manner of Man is still in early chapters but places the protagonist on a remote island where we already know from the premise that the local lord is secretly a vampire. OlliOlli World has you striving to be the next Skate Wizard which average people don't know about. Witch on the Holy Night has a whole thing about magecraft and magic needing to be kept secret with a major conflict arising due to one of the protagonists observing it.
There's also some relation to divinity in each. In OlliOlli World the Skate Wizard is supposed to be the intermediary between the gods in Gnarvana and the people of Radlandia and to get the title you need to impress each god. What Manner of Man has a Catholic priest protagonist. Witch on the Holy Night isn't actually that religious despite the title, but there is a theme of miracles and there is tension with the local church.
I just finished The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, Hayley Aldridge is Still Here, and What Remains of Elsie Jane, and all three deal with how women’s mental health is warped and weaponized against them, in very different ways - one a classic way of diverting suspicion, one to control, and one to dismiss her grief. This is a common theme in my reading!
Interesting prompt. With how you present the historical dramas in chronological order there's also the reading of pen and paper shrinking in the scope of their importance overtime as technology advances while still being needed to go beyond the current limits of technology, mainly with the space flight focused ones.
I think for me the last three would be What Manner of Man (substack serial), OlliOlli World, and Witch on the Holy Night. This is going to be tricky since OlliOlli World isn't that focused on story and What Manner of Man only has three chapters so far. And I haven't finished any of them, well technically I'm all caught up on What Manner of Man, but it's early on in the story.
All three have hidden magic. What Manner of Man is still in early chapters but places the protagonist on a remote island where we already know from the premise that the local lord is secretly a vampire. OlliOlli World has you striving to be the next Skate Wizard which average people don't know about. Witch on the Holy Night has a whole thing about magecraft and magic needing to be kept secret with a major conflict arising due to one of the protagonists observing it.
There's also some relation to divinity in each. In OlliOlli World the Skate Wizard is supposed to be the intermediary between the gods in Gnarvana and the people of Radlandia and to get the title you need to impress each god. What Manner of Man has a Catholic priest protagonist. Witch on the Holy Night isn't actually that religious despite the title, but there is a theme of miracles and there is tension with the local church.
I just finished The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, Hayley Aldridge is Still Here, and What Remains of Elsie Jane, and all three deal with how women’s mental health is warped and weaponized against them, in very different ways - one a classic way of diverting suspicion, one to control, and one to dismiss her grief. This is a common theme in my reading!
Well I just watched the Oscar Nominated Short Animations and literally all five of them are, in some sense, about falling.