The Best Love, Death & Robots Episode So Far

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Love, Death & Robots is hit-or-miss in many ways, which isn’t surprising given the anthology format, with each episode telling a completely new story. Still, one episode truly blew me away—because the writing is exceptionally good.

That episode is “Bad Traveling” (Season 3, Episode 2).

The story follows a ship’s crew member who strikes a deal with a monster from the deep, and the way the narrative unfolds is nothing short of genius. Looking at the track record of writer Andrew Kevin Walker, you’ll find absolute bangers like 8mm, Se7en, and Sleepy Hollow. The other writer, Neal Asher, is mainly credited for his work on the show itself, at least according to IMDb.

The episode runs for just 23 minutes, yet it delivers multiple twists you won’t see coming. The protagonist is perfectly fleshed out in that short amount of time, and the ending is deeply satisfying.

I can only describe the writing as brilliant.

There is so much to learn from this twenty-minute short if you want to become a better writer. I highly recommend watching it if you haven’t already. And even if you’re not looking to study storytelling, watch it simply for pure entertainment.

To Andrew Kevin Walker and Neal Asher: congratulations, gentlemen. I’m genuinely in awe of the masterpiece you brought to life.

Reading a Book a Week Again

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This year, I must have read less than at any point in the last 20 years. I haven’t even counted properly, but it must have been only around ten books. Last year I read about 60, and the year before that it might have even been close to 80.

There’s a giant stash of unread books on my shelf. I also didn’t make enough use of Kindle Unlimited to justify paying €12 a month. Even when it comes to comics, I didn’t read as much as I wanted to.

So one of my main projects for 2026 will be to read and review one book per week again. I did this years ago on Medium, on X, and on a German site I used to own. It motivated me to read even on busy days. And since next year is going to be busy, I’ll need that motivation.

Fifty-two books in fifty-two weeks is a nice challenge. I’ve seen it on many websites, and it’s always enjoyable to read about. Ideally, this will be a project that improves both my life and my blog.

Books I need to finish

  • The James Bond novels (I must be about halfway through Fleming’s originals. Goldfinger is next on my list.)
  • Harry Potter (I haven’t started yet, but I already own the books.)
  • Reacher, Miss Marple, and Poirot (I used to read one book per year from each of these series.)
  • Chuck Palahniuk (There are still a few works left before I’ve completed his entire bibliography.)
  • Philip K. Dick (I have a massive short-story collection of his that I need to finish.)
  • Robert A. Heinlein (Along with Dick, he’s one of my favorite authors. Unfortunately, his earlier works are hard to find in German.)
  • Bible Reading (I’ve been working on that for years. I’m still not through as a lot of books in the bible are just painfully boring.)

New reads to try

  • I’m open to exploring indie authors. If you’re an indie writer and you’re reading this, leave a comment and tell me what you write. I might check it out.
  • I enjoyed The Walking Dead comics. The same author also wrote Invincible, which I want to try this year.
  • Mystery reads: One idea I have is to look for books on Kindle Unlimited with bad covers and no reviews, and give one a chance each month. Maybe I’ll find some hidden gems.

BookTuber books

Something that could also help my own book marketing is reading books by people with an existing reach—whether through a big blog, YouTube, or X—and then writing a review. Afterward, I’ll send them a tweet letting them know I wrote about their book. Maybe they’ll check out my work or at least retweet the link to my review.

Yes, that’s marketing—but I don’t want this project to be only about marketing. I won’t write glowing reviews for bad books just to get a retweet. Still, I need to find ways to get some attention for my work, and this feels like a fair approach.

Your recommendations

Finally, I didn’t create this website only to find readers—I also want to find great books. Let me know in the comments what you’re reading. Maybe I’ll discover an amazing author I’ve never heard of before.

Netflix Buys Warner Bros

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I actually received an email from Netflix announcing the takeover two days ago. It seems they’ve been flooded with messages from users asking about potential changes to the platform after the announcement that Warner Bros had been acquired.

The email didn’t offer any real details. It basically said: No changes are coming to Netflix for now, but we’re excited… — the usual corporate fluff.

Some people are saying lawsuits might block the deal on monopoly grounds. Others claim Paramount is trying to outbid Netflix again. And even Trump has been quoted as wanting to block the acquisition with an executive order or something along those lines.

I have no idea how this will ultimately play out. But for now, it really does look like Netflix has bought WB and all of its incredible IPs.

If the deal holds, it’s the right move for Netflix and the audience.

Netflix’s biggest problem is the quality of its original productions. For every Squid Game, Stranger Things, or The Last Samurai Standing, we get fifty mediocre shows nobody watches. Their strategy seems to be producing as much as possible and throwing it at the audience to see which handful deserve a second season.

HBO does it better.

How many valuable IPs has Netflix created on its own? Not many. HBO has created far more, with far fewer resources. Now, Netflix hasn’t only bought existing IPs (like Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc.) — they’ve acquired the company that created them.

Then there are the movies: most Netflix films are mediocre, some are decent, and only a few are genuinely good or great (like Knives Out). Meanwhile, Warner has delivered Harry Potter, The Matrix, the DC movies, The Lord of the Rings, and countless standalone classics that belong on any “1,000 movies to watch before you die” list. In short, WB has produced far better films than Netflix ever has.

Finally, Netflix might be gaining full access to the Warner back catalogue. The biggest issue with most streaming services is the lack of classic films. I enjoy watching older movies — I don’t even mind black and white. Warner has been producing films for over 100 years. If Netflix gets that entire catalogue on its platform, that alone would justify a subscription for me.

Sure, Hollywood isn’t thrilled, since it’s another blow to traditional theatrical releases. But honestly, going to the cinema just isn’t as fun as it used to be. Prices are too high, audiences can be annoying, and many movies simply aren’t worth the trip anymore. I’m perfectly fine waiting for theatrical releases to hit streaming — it’s more convenient, less stressful, and honestly safer as the streets are getting more dangerous.

Netflix might raise prices, but HBO Max might disappear, which could balance things out.

So far, I don’t see many downsides for users or audiences — while the potential advantages are pretty significant on paper.

Let’s see how things unfold over the next few months.

Jean-Claude Van Johnson (Movie/Show Review #9)

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It’s a bit older now, but what a great show it is. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after just one season. Still, the six episodes we did get are very entertaining and surprisingly funny.

Jean-Claude Van Damme was one of my favorite childhood action stars, but he went off track in the mid-90s due to cocaine — as he has openly admitted. After being pushed out of Hollywood, he spent quite a while making direct-to-DVD and B-movies in Europe. But every now and then, there’s a real gem hidden among the forgettable stuff he has made after 1999.

JCVD, the movie, was a fantastic surprise — and Jean-Claude Van Johnson is as well.

The show is very self-referential and pokes fun at Van Damme’s most famous movies while still honoring them. The humor is nostalgic and meta; half the jokes are hard to understand if you haven’t seen those films — Timecop, for example.

But if you grew up with ’80s and ’90s action movies, the show is pure entertainment. And if you’re a Jean-Claude fan, you’ll definitely laugh out loud many times.