My Substack Good Reads
February 2024 Edition
Greetings,
As you may know from my profile page, I read a lot of things on Substack. At the risk of being sappy, I’ve enjoyed this platform and I do believe it to be a home to so many talented writers. I’ve seen other writers giving their own Substack recommendations1, so I want to get in on the fun at least once. I was thinking of putting this on Germanicus Publishing2, but a lot of what I’ve read is nonfiction3.
Without further ado, here it is…
In the interest of staying true to the name of this 'Stack (Indonesian and American), I’ll start with something related to Indonesia. Some of you may know that Indonesia just had its presidential election. My friend
had written articles that provide some insight to Indonesian populism.
To live up to the second part of this this blog’s name, I have something written by an American.
has a knack for cutting through BS, especially the ones from his own side of the political aisle. I hope I’m not committing some faux pas by linking a paywalled article4. But seriously check out his Substack, . He doesn’t post often, but his batting average is pretty darn high.
Now let’s move on from politics to culture. Author, theologian, and cultural commentator
is a Renaissance man of the 21st century. I was familiar with his stuff long before he started posting on Substack. Of all the “big names” Substack pays to bring into this platform5, it should have been this guy. But anyways, his latest article put to lie the idea that religion is dying6, a contention I see from both atheists and radical traditionalists alike.
There’s also another Renaissance man on this list. Recently,
wrote about art. More specifically, “AI Art”. His perspective on this controversy is the most reasonable one, in my humble opinion.
Yet another Renaissance man to complete the trifecta, we have
. Substack’s resident Greek Freak7 had struck a chord yet again, this time talking about the deleterious effect of the “Gender Wars” on society.One more for the culture side of things.
is the only guy I know who writes about the Internet phenomenons of the 2000s and 2010s; he certainly writes like a YouTube reviewer. Here, I want to zero in on his article on video games. And I’ll be honest, his comparison of video games to an “opium den in Morocco” hits me hard.
Speaking of gaming,
is someone who’s been on my radar as of late8. I enjoyed reading his character analysis of a Final Fantasy XIV villain. And I don’t even play MMOs9.
Now let’s move on to the fiction-side of things.
is easily one of my favorite authors on this platform. He has a slew of stories and more on the way; not only has he been able to keep ‘em coming, they are also pretty good. My reading rate of his posts is around Steve Nash’s free-throw percentage. His ongoing low fantasy serial, Forlorn Hope, is brutal and epic.
Moving on from war to romance, we have
. She is actually one of the latest writers I’ve discovered on Substack10. I’ve been enjoying her ongoing story Tolly and Glorina. What can I say, I’m a sucker for romance stories where the guy is a complete paragon while the girl has some dark side to her.
I’ve listed two serials so far. But would you believe there is someone who is currently writing two serials at the same time?
is one of my Substack Fiction GOATs and I really appreciate his work. He has written articles, short stories, and (as I have said) two serials11. I’ve been keeping a close eye on one of them. are a dynamic duo whose Substack has been a joy to read. Here, I want to focus on their poetry. I am convinced that in order to bring my writing to the next level, I need to get into poetry. but I found writing them consistently to be difficult. That’s why I also want to read them. And I enjoyed this narrative poem; it definitely blew my own attempts at poetry out of the water.And now, a shout-out to my boy
. Right now, we’re working on a collaborative project called , and I have been re-reading his notes on the setting. But in the interest of showing off his solo stuff, I decided to link his flash fiction story that I enjoyed. There’s just something about a train or an airplane coming into a big city that’s striking. It’s much, much cooler than when a car does it, that’s for sure.
And since I’ll be posting this on a Monday, I want to end on this interview of the aforementioned Scoot. Kudos to
for being a great host12. I don’t usually listen to Substack podcasts but I’m glad I did for this one.
That’s all folks! There might be some that I miss, but I’ve already put out a lot as it is.
Until next time,
Michael P. Marpaung
And I don’t mean the thing on the homepage sidebar.
My fiction Substack.
And besides, that ‘Stack is brimming with content as it is.
Though tbf to myself, there is a 7-day free trial last I check.
And likes to push.
With a focus on the Catholic Church.
Sorry, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Thanks to the “Warrior Wednesday” and “Sword & Saturday” events on Substack Notes.
Unless you count Rocket League.
Sort of. I’ve read one of her stories a while ago, but only recently subscribed to her stuff.
Both are still ongoing.
At least from what I can hear.
Thanks for the shout out, Michael. It's appreciated. I strive to recapture the feeling of yesteryear's YouTube commentators, back before the days of content farms and... well, everything else that makes the site borderline intolerable nowadays ;)
Thank you for the shoutout! I saw you "like" those posts yesterday, and hoped that meant that you actually liked my story and weren't just being polite. 🙂