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Kevin Gabeci's Blog

Writing on software, fiction, and the places they meet.

Latest posts

Books Like Daemon By Daniel Suarez For Readers Who Want Real Cybersecurity In Their Thrillers
September 18, 2026

Books Like Daemon By Daniel Suarez For Readers Who Want Real Cybersecurity In Their Thrillers

Most cyber thriller fiction triggers eye rolls in actual security people. A small subset uses the real vocabulary, nmap, Burp Suite, Wireshark, Ghidra. Five novels that get the work right.
Books Like Daemon Daniel Suarez
Realistic Cybersecurity Thriller Books
Books For Hackers Fiction
Books Like Neuromancer Modern
0 Days
Cyber Thriller Novels
September 16, 2026Cross-Catalog Roundup

Speculative Fiction Books Explained, What The Label Actually Covers And Where To Start By Mood

What speculative fiction actually covers, and four reading paths sorted by the mood you are in. A tour of my own four novels in the genre, each paired with a book by somebody else.
Speculative Fiction Books
Literary Science Fiction
Near Future Fiction
Dystopian Novels
Books Like Black Mirror
Kevin Gabeci Books
September 12, 2026Comp Comparison

Monster Hunter Books For Readers Who Want Novels About People Who Kill Things For A Living

Six novels about professional monster hunters, for readers who searched this phrase and got video game guides instead. What each book does with the job, and which one to start with.
Monster Hunter Books
Monster Hunting Novels
Dark Fantasy Monster Hunter
Books Like The Witcher
Urban Fantasy Monster Hunter
Investigating the Wicked
The Games And Books I Built This Year
September 11, 2026Maker

The Games And Books I Built This Year

A personal roundup of what I made this year. Two free browser games, Orchard Deck and World 11, plus an ongoing dark fantasy series, Investigating the Wicked, with a comic adaptation. One place to find all of it.
Maker
Orchard Deck
World 11
Investigating the Wicked
Indie Games
The Island Town That Knows Everything, Setting As Suspect In Shadows Of Ravenshore
September 11, 2026

The Island Town That Knows Everything, Setting As Suspect In Shadows Of Ravenshore

The isolated island is one of the oldest mystery settings in the genre. Here is what Ravenshore does mechanically as a setting, plus three other island mysteries to read once you finish.
Small Island Murder Mystery Books
Isolated Setting Murder Mystery
Fog And Ravens Mystery Novels
Atmospheric Island Thrillers
Shadows of Ravenshore
Setting As Character
September 9, 2026Comp Comparison

Occult Detective Fiction Explained, A Genre Primer From The Victorian Ghost Finders To The Modern Case Books

What occult detective fiction is, where the form came from, and the modern entries that still hold up. A primer for readers who want the case structure and not just the haunting.
Occult Detective Fiction
Psychic Detective Books
Supernatural Mystery Novels
Urban Fantasy Books
Carnacki The Ghost Finder
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy Books To Read This Year
September 8, 2026Recommendations

Dark Fantasy Books To Read This Year

A dark fantasy reading list for readers who like their fantasy grim, morally gray, and a little frightening. It opens with my own series, Investigating the Wicked, then points at a handful of genuinely beloved dark fantasy classics worth your year.
Dark Fantasy
Investigating the Wicked
Book Recommendations
Reading List
Morally Gray
September 5, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like The Guest List For Readers Who Want An Isolated Location Where Everyone Has A Secret

Six mysteries for readers who finished The Guest List and want the same weekend back. A place the weather closes, a group with history, and a rotating cast of narrators who are all managing what they say.
Books Like The Guest List
Isolated Location Mysteries
Multiple POV Thrillers
Island Wedding Mystery Books
Lucy Foley Read Alikes
The Quiet Hand
The People Around Kavel: The Supporting Cast of Investigating the Wicked
September 4, 2026Character Study

The People Around Kavel: The Supporting Cast of Investigating the Wicked

A spoiler light look at the supporting cast of Investigating the Wicked, the elder Investigator Theron and the team that forms across the books, and why the relationships carry the series.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Character Study
A Multiverse Without Portals, Why Adjacent Treats Infinite Realities As Quiet Existential Pressure
September 4, 2026

A Multiverse Without Portals, Why Adjacent Treats Infinite Realities As Quiet Existential Pressure

Pop culture made the multiverse a chase scene. Literary fiction is reclaiming it as something quieter. Four novels that treat infinite realities as the existential weight of knowing, with Adjacent as the worked example.
Literary Multiverse Novels
Multiverse Novels Not Superhero
Quiet Sci-Fi Novels About Parallel Worlds
Books About Parallel Realities
Adjacent
Literary Sci-Fi
September 2, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like Agatha Christie, Where To Start With Christie And Which Authors To Read After Her

A starting order for Christie herself, then five authors who write the fair play puzzle rather than borrowing the wallpaper. Sorted by what each one gives a reader who wants a solvable case and a countable cast.
Books Like Agatha Christie
Fair Play Mystery Books
Golden Age Detective Fiction
Classic Whodunit Novels
Where To Start With Agatha Christie
Shadows of Ravenshore
How Investigating the Wicked Is Built: Standalone Cases That Feed One Larger Mystery
September 1, 2026Series Primer

How Investigating the Wicked Is Built: Standalone Cases That Feed One Larger Mystery

A reader facing look at how Investigating the Wicked is structured, episodic cases that read standalone but feed one larger mystery, and why that structure makes it bingeable.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Series Structure
August 31, 2026Cross-Catalog Roundup

A Near Future Tech Thrillers Reading List, Seven Novels And Where To Start

A reading list of near future tech thrillers, seven of mine and the other-author novels I'd pair with each one. Sorted by what you actually want from the shelf rather than by publication order.
Near Future Tech Thrillers
Techno Thriller Reading List
Speculative Fiction
Kevin Gabeci Books
Near Future Science Fiction
Tech Thriller Books
August 29, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like The Silent Patient For Readers Who Want An Unreliable Narrator And A Real Twist

Six psychological thrillers for readers who finished The Silent Patient and want the same trick played well. Sorted by which part of the machine you are actually chasing, with the trade each book asks for spelled out.
Books Like The Silent Patient
Psychological Thriller Books
Unreliable Narrator Novels
Twist Ending Thrillers
Shadows of Ravenshore
The Quiet Hand
Dead Internet Theory As Thriller, Why It Works As A Novel When Most Tech Fiction Doesn't
August 28, 2026

Dead Internet Theory As Thriller, Why It Works As A Novel When Most Tech Fiction Doesn't

Dead internet theory floats around as a meme. Most novelists bounce off it because it is too abstract to dramatize. Here is why the right shape, a creator whose career was algorithmically manufactured, turns it into a thriller.
Dead Internet Theory Novel
Tech Thriller About Social Media
Novels About AI Bots
Near Future Thriller About Authenticity
Dead Internet
Synthetic Engagement Fiction
Free Football Games You Can Play In Your Browser
August 28, 2026Games

Free Football Games You Can Play In Your Browser

A roundup of free football games you can play in the browser, led by World 11, my World Cup draft roguelike where you draft real legends across eras and chase an unbeaten cup. No install, no purchases, just open a tab and play.
World 11
Football Games
Free Browser Games
Draft Games
Roguelike
August 26, 2026Comp Comparison

Books About Surveillance That Show The Watching Rather Than Just Warning You About It

Six novels sorted by who is holding the other end of the camera. The state, yourself, an agency, your employer, the crowd, and finally nobody at all. Five by other writers plus one of mine.
Books About Surveillance
Surveillance Fiction
Novels About Privacy
Books About Data And Algorithms
Dead Internet
Dystopian Surveillance Novels
Investigating the Wicked: Comic or Novels, Which Should You Start With
August 25, 2026Series Primer

Investigating the Wicked: Comic or Novels, Which Should You Start With

A decision guide for new readers of Investigating the Wicked, the full color comic versus the novels, who should start with which and what each one gives you.
Investigating the Wicked
Comic
Reading Guide
August 22, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like Fahrenheit 451 About Media Control, Information Suppression, And Refusing The Screen

Six novels for readers who finished Bradbury and want the argument continued. Burned books, forgotten knowledge, and audiences that quit before any fireman showed up. Five by other writers plus one of mine.
Books Like Fahrenheit 451
Books About Censorship
Information Suppression Fiction
Books About Media Control
Offline Novel
Dystopian Novels About Technology
The Investigators of the Wicked: A Dying Order of Hunters in a World That Forgot It Needed Them
August 21, 2026Lore

The Investigators of the Wicked: A Dying Order of Hunters in a World That Forgot It Needed Them

A spoiler light look at the Investigators of the Wicked, the dying bloodline order of monster hunters at the center of the series, and why almost none of them remain.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Monster Hunter
The Velden Campaign, How A Mercenary War Crime Sets The Tone For An Entire Dark Fantasy Saga
August 21, 2026

The Velden Campaign, How A Mercenary War Crime Sets The Tone For An Entire Dark Fantasy Saga

A worked example of how a single offstage historical event can color a whole dark fantasy series. The Velden Campaign, a mercenary war crime eight years before the saga begins, hangs over every case Kavel works.
Dark Fantasy Worldbuilding Examples
Fantasy Mercenary Company Books
Fantasy Backstory Worldbuilding
War Crimes In Fantasy Novels
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy History
August 19, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like 1984 For Readers Who Want Modern Surveillance Fiction And Not Just The Classics

Six novels for readers who finished 1984 and want the watching, the edited record, and the narrowed language back. Five by other writers plus one of mine, with the disclosure up front.
Books Like 1984
Modern Surveillance Fiction
Dystopian Novels
Books Like Orwell
Dead Internet
Surveillance State Books
Cozy Browser Games To Decompress After A Long Day
August 18, 2026Games

Cozy Browser Games To Decompress After A Long Day

A short roundup of cozy games for winding down, led by Orchard Deck, my free browser card collector you can sink an evening into. Plus a few genuinely beloved cozy classics worth knowing, kept brief. The goal is calm, not a to-do list.
Cozy Games
Orchard Deck
Free Browser Games
Relaxing Games
Decompress
August 17, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like And Then There Were None For Readers Who Want The Closed Circle Again

Six isolated setting mysteries for readers who want the exact Christie shape back. Finite suspects, closed exits, and a writer who will not smuggle in an eleventh person at the end. Sorted by which part of the promise each book keeps hardest.
Books Like And Then There Were None
Books Like Agatha Christie
Closed Circle Mystery Books
Isolated Setting Murder Mystery
Shadows of Ravenshore
Locked Room Mysteries
August 17, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like The Dresden Files For Readers Who Want Another Wizard Detective Working Cases

Six urban fantasy and occult detective series for readers who finished the Dresden Files and want the same shape back. A first person magic user, a case per book, and a city with rules that bite.
Books Like The Dresden Files
Urban Fantasy Books
Occult Detective Fiction
Wizard Detective Books
Books Like Harry Dresden
Investigating the Wicked
August 17, 2026Themes/Genre Primer

Political Thriller Books Sorted Into The Five Shapes The Genre Actually Takes

Every political thriller list online is a flat pile of titles. The genre actually runs in five distinct shapes, and the one you want decides whether a famous book lands or bores you. Five shapes, one entry point each.
Political Thriller Books
Political Thriller Novels
Best Political Thriller Books
For The Country
Robert Harris
John le Carre
If You Like The Witcher, Read Investigating the Wicked
August 14, 2026Recommendations

If You Like The Witcher, Read Investigating the Wicked

An honest comp guide for fans of The Witcher, the Dresden Files, and dark detective fantasy, and why Investigating the Wicked scratches the same itch.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
The Witcher
The Magic System In Investigating The Wicked, Light, Shadow, And The Forbidden Mind Walking
August 14, 2026Worldbuilding Deep-Dive

The Magic System In Investigating The Wicked, Light, Shadow, And The Forbidden Mind Walking

How the magic in Investigating the Wicked actually works. Bloodline silver light that responds to emotion, shadow magic that mirrors it, and a forbidden technique called Mind Walking that breaks the order's own rules.
Fantasy Magic Systems Explained
Hard Magic Vs Soft Magic Fantasy
Bloodline Magic Fantasy Books
Investigating The Wicked
Fantasy Magic With Rules
Dark Fantasy Magic System
Magic and Its Cost: The Power Investigators Wield in Investigating the Wicked
August 11, 2026Lore

Magic and Its Cost: The Power Investigators Wield in Investigating the Wicked

A spoiler light look at magic in Investigating the Wicked, the kind of power its hunters wield, and why power that always costs something makes a sharper mystery.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Magic System
Recall vs Dark Matter, Two Identity Thrillers That Feel Similar But Operate Differently
August 7, 2026Comp Comparison

Recall vs Dark Matter, Two Identity Thrillers That Feel Similar But Operate Differently

A direct comparison between Recall by Kevin Gabeci and Dark Matter by Blake Crouch across five axes. Velocity, identity question, antagonist shape, ending tone, and which one a Severance fan should read first.
Recall vs Dark Matter Blake Crouch
Thrillers About Stolen Identity
Books Like Dark Matter
Memory Deletion Thriller
Recall Novel Kevin Gabeci
Identity Crisis Thriller Books
World 11 Drafting Guide: How To Build A Cup Winning Eleven
August 7, 2026Games

World 11 Drafting Guide: How To Build A Cup Winning Eleven

A player strategy guide for World 11, my free World Cup draft roguelike. How to draft a strong cross-era eleven, build chemistry, choose a formation and captain, and know when a reroll is worth it. Plays in the browser, free, no install.
World 11
Football Games
Strategy Guide
Draft Games
Roguelike
Why Detective Fiction and Dark Fantasy Belong Together
August 4, 2026Genre

Why Detective Fiction and Dark Fantasy Belong Together

A genre essay on why the detective story and dark fantasy pair so naturally, using Investigating the Wicked as the worked example where the investigation matters as much as the swordwork.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Detective Fiction
0 Seconds Left Is My Free Reactor Panic Game You Can Play In The Browser
July 31, 2026Games

0 Seconds Left Is My Free Reactor Panic Game You Can Play In The Browser

0 Seconds Left is a free browser game about one operator, nine failing reactor systems, and two clocks that want opposite things. Seven nights of thirty two seconds each, no download. Here is what it plays like and how to survive your first attempt.
0 Seconds Left
Free Browser Games
Survival Games
Indie Games
Godot
The Conclave of the Dying Light: The Two Hundred Year Conspiracy at the Heart of Investigating the Wicked
July 31, 2026Lore

The Conclave of the Dying Light: The Two Hundred Year Conspiracy at the Heart of Investigating the Wicked

A spoiler light look at the patient, two hundred year conspiracy at the center of Investigating the Wicked, and why a slow enemy in the shadows is scarier than a single villain.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Conspiracy Thriller
A Reading Order Guide To The Investigating The Wicked Saga, Three Ways To Start
July 31, 2026Reading Order Guide

A Reading Order Guide To The Investigating The Wicked Saga, Three Ways To Start

How to read the Investigating the Wicked saga, three reading orders for three kinds of reader. Publication order, chronological order with the prequel, and the lowest-friction sample first.
Investigating The Wicked Reading Order
Investigating The Wicked Book Order
Kevin Gabeci Book Order
Kavel Investigator Series Order
Dark Fantasy Series
Reading Order Guide
How I Built 0 Seconds Left For The GMTK Jam In Godot
July 28, 2026Devlog

How I Built 0 Seconds Left For The GMTK Jam In Godot

The devlog behind 0 Seconds Left, my GMTK Game Jam 2026 entry. Two countdowns pulling opposite ways, one cursor against nine failing reactor systems, and the one and a half second fuse that stops the game from feeling cheap.
0 Seconds Left
Godot Game Devlog
GMTK Game Jam
Indie Game Development
Game Design
Orchard Deck Beginner Tips: How To Start Your First Orchard
July 28, 2026Games

Orchard Deck Beginner Tips: How To Start Your First Orchard

A friendly beginner guide to Orchard Deck, my free cozy card game. What to do in your first session, how the slot machine, orchard, museum, and breeding fit together, and the early goals worth chasing. No spoilers, just a calm start.
Orchard Deck
Cozy Games
Beginner Guide
Free Browser Games
Card Games
Books Like Black Mirror In Story Collection Form, Five Anthologies For Readers Between Seasons
July 24, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like Black Mirror In Story Collection Form, Five Anthologies For Readers Between Seasons

Five short story collections for Black Mirror viewers who want the same anthology format on the page. Near-future tech, one premise per story, the human cost as the punch.
Books Like Black Mirror Short Stories
Near Future Tech Short Story Collections
Dystopian Short Stories
Terms of Service
Black Mirror Book Recommendations
Speculative Fiction Anthologies
Meet Kavel, the Lone Investigator at the Heart of the Wicked
July 24, 2026Character Study

Meet Kavel, the Lone Investigator at the Heart of the Wicked

A spoiler light character study of Kavel, the veteran monster hunter at the center of Investigating the Wicked, and the black and white worldview the cases slowly crack.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Character Study
The World of Strohr: A Primer on the Dark Fantasy Setting of Investigating the Wicked
July 21, 2026Series Primer

The World of Strohr: A Primer on the Dark Fantasy Setting of Investigating the Wicked

A spoiler light primer on Strohr, the dark fantasy world of Investigating the Wicked, where evil is real, wears human faces, and makes a perfect stage for a mystery.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Worldbuilding
The Body Horror Of The Gig Economy, How Sleep Mode Borrowed From Get Out And Severance
July 17, 2026Themes/Genre Primer

The Body Horror Of The Gig Economy, How Sleep Mode Borrowed From Get Out And Severance

Body horror is having a moment. The most unsettling version of it is not vampiric. It is economic. A primer on the lineage that runs from Get Out into Severance into Sleep Mode.
Body Horror Books Gig Economy
Social Horror Novels
Sleep Mode
Horror About Labor Exploitation
Books Like Get Out
Thriller About Sleep Technology
Investigating the Wicked Book Three: When the Hunt Turns Inward
July 17, 2026Book Spotlight

Investigating the Wicked Book Three: When the Hunt Turns Inward

A spoiler light spotlight on Investigating the Wicked Book Three, the darkest book yet, where Kavel leads the hunt west and starts to become the thing he was raised to destroy.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Morally Gray
Two Free Browser Games You Can Play In Minutes
July 14, 2026Games

Two Free Browser Games You Can Play In Minutes

A short, honest roundup of two free browser games I made. Orchard Deck is a cozy card collector you can sink an evening into, and World 11 is a competitive World Cup draft roguelike. Both are free, both run instantly in the browser, no install, no purchases.
Free Browser Games
Orchard Deck
World 11
Indie Games
Games You Can Play In Minutes
Investigating the Wicked Book Two: The Order Stops Hiding
July 10, 2026Book Spotlight

Investigating the Wicked Book Two: The Order Stops Hiding

A spoiler light spotlight on Investigating the Wicked Book Two, where the last hunters are pulled back into a team and the order finally goes public against the conspiracy erasing it.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Book Series
World 11 Lets You Draft Football Legends Across Eras In Your Browser
July 7, 2026Games

World 11 Lets You Draft Football Legends Across Eras In Your Browser

World 11 is my free World Cup draft roguelike. Spin a random nation and year, draft one real player per position from that squad, build chemistry, then send your cross-era team through a fourteen-match gauntlet and chase an unbeaten cup. Plays in the browser, no install.
World 11
Football Games
Free Browser Games
Draft Games
Roguelike
Books Like Arrival And Recursion For Readers Who Want Quiet Literary Sci-Fi About Ordinary People
July 3, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like Arrival And Recursion For Readers Who Want Quiet Literary Sci-Fi About Ordinary People

Six novels for readers who loved Arrival or Story of Your Life and want literary sci-fi served through one quiet narrator. No space battles, no portals, just the human cost of an enormous truth.
Books Like Arrival
Quiet Literary Science Fiction
Books Like Ted Chiang
Adjacent Novel
Introspective Sci-Fi
Literary Sci-Fi
Investigating the Wicked Book One: The Dark Fantasy Mystery That Starts the Series
July 3, 2026Book Spotlight

Investigating the Wicked Book One: The Dark Fantasy Mystery That Starts the Series

A spoiler light spotlight on Investigating the Wicked Book One, the front door to a dark fantasy mystery series about the last hunters of evil in the world of Strohr.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Monster Hunter
Orchard Deck Is My Free Cozy Card Game You Can Play In The Browser
June 30, 2026Games

Orchard Deck Is My Free Cozy Card Game You Can Play In The Browser

Orchard Deck is a free cozy card-collection game about a line of apple folk. Spin a slot machine for chibi cards, plant them for idle coins, donate sets to a museum, breed new ones, and play through a three-act story. No purchases, no install, runs in your browser.
Orchard Deck
Cozy Games
Free Browser Games
Card Games
Idle Games
Books Like Tana French If You Want Atmospheric Detective Novels With Small Town Secrets
June 26, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like Tana French If You Want Atmospheric Detective Novels With Small Town Secrets

Five novels for Tana French fans between Dublin Murder Squad releases. The same heavy atmosphere, the same returning detective with personal history, the same slow-burn investigation that lets the place do half the work.
Books Like Tana French
Atmospheric Detective Novels
Small Town Murder Mystery Books
Shadows of Ravenshore
Books Like In The Woods
Island Murder Mystery
Investigating the Wicked: The Comic (Arc One, The Silent Village)
June 26, 2026Comic

Investigating the Wicked: The Comic (Arc One, The Silent Village)

Arc One of Investigating the Wicked, retold as a full color graphic novel. A spoiler light look at The Silent Village and why the comic is the gentlest door into the world of Strohr.
Investigating the Wicked
Comic
Graphic Novel
Dark Fantasy
Investigating the Wicked: Where to Start the Dark Fantasy Series
June 23, 2026Series Primer

Investigating the Wicked: Where to Start the Dark Fantasy Series

A spoiler free guide to the Investigating the Wicked dark fantasy mystery series, the reading order, and where a new reader should begin.
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy
Book Series
Reading Order
June 21, 2026Engineering

How I Migrated Production To Kubernetes With Zero Downtime

The real story of moving a production app from Docker Compose to K3s Kubernetes without a single minute of downtime, and why running both environments in parallel is the only sane way to do it.
Kubernetes
K3s
DevOps
Zero Downtime Deployment
Docker
June 20, 2026Engineering

How I Made An API Three Times Faster Without A Rewrite

A slow API almost never needs a rewrite. It needs you to find the handful of places where the time actually goes. Here is the order I work in, and how it added up to a 3x speedup across more than a hundred endpoints.
API Performance
Database Optimization
Redis Caching
PostgreSQL
Backend Engineering
Theron Of The Investigators, A Character Profile Of The Mentor Who Was Made Not Born
June 19, 2026Character Profile

Theron Of The Investigators, A Character Profile Of The Mentor Who Was Made Not Born

A character profile of Theron, the elder Investigator in the dark fantasy saga Investigating the Wicked. The mentor who broke the order's rules to exist, and the rules he keeps breaking to stay alive.
Fantasy Mentor Characters
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy Character Profiles
Mentor Archetype Fantasy
Made Not Born Magic
Forbidden Magic Fantasy
June 18, 2026Engineering

How I Built Tool Index, A Real SaaS, Solo In Under A Month

Tool Index is a working directory product with instant search, payments, and an admin queue, built by one person in under a month. Here is what made that pace possible, and what I would tell a founder who wants the same.
SaaS Development
Solo Founder
MVP Development
SvelteKit
Meilisearch
June 17, 2026Engineering

How I Train Realistic LoRA Models For Products And Brands

Generic AI does not know your product, your founder, or your mascot, so it guesses differently every time. A trained LoRA fixes that. Here is what actually decides whether the output looks right, and it is mostly the part people skip.
LoRA Training
AI Image Generation
Fine Tuning
Generative AI
Brand Assets
June 16, 2026Engineering

AI Agents That Work In Production Need Evaluators, Not Bigger Prompts

Every AI agent demo looks great and most fall apart on the second real input. The thing that separates a toy from a system you can leave running is not a cleverer prompt. It is evaluators and quality gates. Here is what that means in practice.
AI Agents
LLM
Production AI
Multi Agent Systems
Automation
How I Built Orchard Deck, A Cozy Card Collectathon, In Godot
June 15, 2026Devlog

How I Built Orchard Deck, A Cozy Card Collectathon, In Godot

A devlog on Orchard Deck, a free cozy collectathon about a line of apple folk. Spin a slot machine for chibi cards, plant them for idle income, donate sets to a museum, breed new ones, and fight a three-act campaign. One currency, earned entirely in game.
Orchard Deck
Godot Game Devlog
Indie Game Development
Cozy Games
Collectathon
How I Built World 11, A World Cup Draft Roguelike, In Godot
June 15, 2026Devlog

How I Built World 11, A World Cup Draft Roguelike, In Godot

The full devlog behind World 11, a free browser game where you draft real football legends from every era and run them through a World Cup gauntlet. The draft loop, the seeded match engine, free-licensed player faces, and how I tuned it so winning actually means something.
World 11
Godot Game Devlog
Indie Game Development
Football Game
Roguelike
June 15, 2026Engineering

How I Build Multi-Tenant SaaS On Postgres Schema Isolation

Every SaaS eventually has to answer one question. How do you keep one customer's data completely separate from another's. Here is the approach I use in production for 150+ organizations, and the tradeoffs behind it.
Multi-Tenant
SaaS Architecture
PostgreSQL
Database Design
Backend Engineering
June 14, 2026Engineering

How I Add Payments To A Product Without The Leaks

The checkout button is the easy 10% of payments. The other 90% is webhooks and edge cases, and it is where products quietly leak money or hand out access for free. Here is how I keep the money landing correctly.
Payments Integration
Stripe
Subscriptions
Webhooks
SaaS
June 13, 2026Engineering

How I Built An Affiliate Platform From Scratch

An affiliate program lets partners grow your product on channels you could never run ads on. But it only works if the attribution holds up. Here is how I built a full platform, and why tracking is the part that makes or breaks it.
Affiliate Marketing
Referral Systems
SaaS
Growth
Full Stack
Books Like Dark Matter By Blake Crouch For Readers Who Want The Identity Question Without The Multiverse
June 12, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like Dark Matter By Blake Crouch For Readers Who Want The Identity Question Without The Multiverse

Five thrillers for readers who finished Dark Matter and Recursion and want the same propulsive who-am-I question, without necessarily another multiverse.
Books Like Dark Matter
Books Like Blake Crouch
Identity Thriller Books
Recall
Thrillers Like Dark Matter
Memory Thriller Books
June 12, 2026Engineering

How I Build Web Scrapers That Survive Real Sites

The dangerous failure in scraping is not the scraper that breaks. It is the one that reports success while being silently rejected, so you trust data that was never collected. Here is how I build scrapers that tell the truth.
Web Scraping
Data Extraction
Playwright
Automation
Data Pipelines
June 11, 2026Engineering

What Should It Cost To Build An MVP In 2026

Most quotes start with it depends, which helps nobody. Here is an honest breakdown of what an MVP, a SaaS, or an AI feature actually costs to build with a solo developer in 2026, and what drives the number up or down.
MVP Cost
Software Development Cost
Startup
SaaS
Hiring a Developer
June 10, 2026Engineering

How I Add AI To An Existing Product Without A Rebuild

You do not need to rebuild your product to add AI to it. You need to find the one place AI earns its keep and wire it in cleanly. Here is how I add AI features to products that already exist.
AI Integration
LLM
Product
Generative AI
Backend Engineering
June 9, 2026Working Together

Why A Solo Developer Often Ships Faster Than An Agency

Hiring an agency feels safer than hiring one person. Often it is slower and more expensive for the same result. Here is the honest case for a solo developer, and the honest case against, so you can tell which one your project needs.
Hiring a Developer
Freelance Development
Agency vs Freelancer
Startup
Working Together
June 8, 2026Engineering

How I Ship Fast With AI Tooling Without Shipping Garbage

AI tooling makes a developer faster, and it makes a careless developer faster at producing garbage. The speed is real, but only if the judgment and the checks are real too. Here is how I actually use it.
AI Tooling
Developer Productivity
Software Quality
AI Assisted Development
Engineering
June 7, 2026Engineering

How I Set Up CI/CD So Deploying Is Just A Push

When deploying is a manual ritual, you deploy less, which means bigger and scarier releases. When deploying is a push, you ship small and often. Here is how I set up CI/CD to get there, and why it changes how a team works.
CI/CD
DevOps
Deployment Automation
GitHub Actions
Engineering
June 6, 2026Working Together

How To Scope An MVP So It Actually Ships

Most MVPs do not fail in the building. They fail in the scoping, where every feature feels essential and the thing grows too big to finish. Here is how I cut an idea down to the version that actually ships and proves something.
MVP
Startup
Product Scope
Shipping
Working Together
A Reading Guide To Dark Fantasy Where The Hunter Is The Hunted
June 5, 2026Themes/Genre Primer

A Reading Guide To Dark Fantasy Where The Hunter Is The Hunted

A reading guide to dark fantasy where the hidden enemy has been hunting the heroes for generations. Four series that nail the conspiracy-against-the-hunters shape.
Dark Fantasy Books With Conspiracies
Fantasy Books About Secret Societies
Fantasy Conspiracy Thriller Books
Investigating the Wicked
Dark Fantasy Hidden Enemy
Fantasy Hunter Hunted
Books Like Severance Apple TV If You Want The Quiet Corporate Body Horror
May 29, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like Severance Apple TV If You Want The Quiet Corporate Body Horror

Five novels for Severance fans between seasons. The same consent-and-identity questions, the same banal corporate horror, the same body that does things its mind never agreed to.
Books Like Severance
Books Like Severance Apple TV
Corporate Body Horror Books
Sleep Mode
Novels Like Severance
Literary Horror
The Locked Room Mystery In A Fantasy Inn, A Five Suspect Breakdown
May 22, 2026Worldbuilding Deep-Dive

The Locked Room Mystery In A Fantasy Inn, A Five Suspect Breakdown

Why the locked room mystery rarely shows up in fantasy, what the genre has to solve to make it work, and how the Antler & Hearth arc in Investigating the Wicked builds a sealed-room puzzle in a magic-having world.
Locked Room Mystery Fantasy
Fantasy Detective Novel
Fantasy Murder Mystery Books
Investigating the Wicked
Fantasy Whodunit
Mystery Craft
Books Like The Witcher Series If You Want A Veteran Monster Hunter Working Cases One At A Time
May 15, 2026Comp Comparison

Books Like The Witcher Series If You Want A Veteran Monster Hunter Working Cases One At A Time

Five book series for Witcher fans who want a stoic monster hunter, episodic cases, and a morally grey medieval world that earns the dark in dark fantasy.
Books Like The Witcher
Dark Fantasy
Monster Hunter Fantasy
Investigating the Wicked
Witcher Alternative Books
Books Like Geralt
Investigating the Wicked: A Dark Fantasy Saga About the Last Monster Hunters of a Dying Order
April 22, 2026Series Spotlight

Investigating the Wicked: A Dark Fantasy Saga About the Last Monster Hunters of a Dying Order

Why I wrote Investigating the Wicked: the world of Strohr, the Investigators' dwindling order, the hidden conspiracy hunting them, and where to start reading for free.
Dark Fantasy
Investigating the Wicked
Monster Hunter Fantasy
Worldbuilding
Medieval Fantasy
Indie Fantasy
Dark Fantasy Series
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