My Monthly Anticipation | August 2020

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Hi guys,

Who doesn’t love the anticipation of new releases and things that they plan on doing? Every month there seems to be something new and exciting ready to hit the market for our consumption.

Being ready to embrace them with open arms is all we can really do.

To showcase this, I’ll be sharing my top 3 for each category of things that I look forward to this month right here, right now!

TO BE READ.

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Exit Strategy by Martha Wells;
Release Date: October 2nd, 2018.

It’s time to pick up the fourth novella in this series before author Martha Wells explores a full-novel Murderbot story!

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The Black Song by Anthony Ryan;
Release Date: August 4th, 2020.

The second book in author Anthony Ryan’s Raven’s Blade trilogy comes out this month and it’s time to plunge right back in there! I haven’t yet had the chance to visit his Raven’s Shadow trilogy but if things go well here, I’ll be even more compelled to fix that! 🙂

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The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss;
Release Date: April 2007.

The next beloved epic fantasy novel that I’ll be tackling this month! Despite it being another one of those unfinished series, I hope that there’s hope for that final novel by the time I catch up with it all! 😛

BOOK RELEASES.

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Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer;
Release Date: August 4th, 2020.

I’m not here to hate on readers who are looking forward to the 5th Twilight novel but I am curiously excited to see how readers will react to this one. These authors coming back to their successful series is never a good sign to me. And boy… it doesn’t help that this cover is extra ugly.

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Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
Release Date: July 21st, 2020.

I haven’t read the first book but ever since this author showed up, everyone has been raving about her and I’m just very curious to know what’s it all about. Someday.

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Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan;
Release Date: August 18th, 2020.

I read her novel Anatomy of a Scandal and I’ve been seeing a lot of people reading this new one lately! It has definitely piqued my curiosity too now.

COMIC BOOK RELEASES.

Alien: The Original Screenplay #1 by Cristiano Seixas;
Release Date: August 5th, 2020.

Publisher Dark Horse’s next big “Original Screenplay” release is none other than Alien and will be based off of the original 1976 screenplay by Dan O’Bannon!

Batman: Three Jokers #1 by Geoff Johns;
Release Date: August 25th, 2020.

With artwork done but Jason Fabok himself, this is one of my all-time most anticipated stories ever since it was mentioned at the end of writer Geoff Johns’ Darkseid War Saga! You have no idea how excited I am to finally see it being released!!!!

Fantastic Four: Antithesis #1 by Mark Waid;
Release Date: August 26th, 2020.

Not only is Mark Waid writing this, legendary creator Neal Adams will be drawing this one. It’s been a while I haven’t seen him around and am curious to see how this will turn out in the end!

TV SHOW RELEASES.

Season 1 premieres on HBO on August 16th, 2020.

Based on the novel of the same name written by Matt Ruff comes one of the most exciting horror series yet with Jordan Peel and J.J. Abrams (among others) co-producing!

Season 5 premieres on Netflix on August 21st, 2020.

Fans were heard all around the world when Lucifer was originally cancelled but Netflix saved the day as it offers everyone the chance to see it get a 5th season!

Falcon and the Winter Soldier : Release Date, Cast, Plot and More

Season 1 is supposed to premiere on Disney+ in August 2020.

Besides promising fans an August 2020 release, there hasn’t been much information (or even a full trailer) for this highly-anticipated series that will begin Disney+’s Marvel Universe!

MOVIE RELEASES.

Similar to the last two months, most of the promising movies—at least to me—have been delayed due to COVID-19.

What does GIF stand for and how do you pronounce it? | Metro News

PERSONAL LIFE.

It feels very weird to say that we’re in August. I usually see it as the last month of Summer. The last month of vacation. The last month of humid and scorching weather. Sort of hurts to see it all blow by us without being able to truly appreciate the months before. That being said, I look forward to making the most of it now that I’m a 100% conscious of its existence. 😛 I need to crank up my productivity and try to make every second count. I want to use July as an example of a calm month that I don’t want to repeat out of fear of getting used to it too much hahah! 😛

This month also marks the return of my girlfriend from her trip to Europe where her family lives. You have no idea how much anticipation there is to that! Although she’ll have to quarantine herself for two weeks before we can see each other, the mere idea that she’s just on the same island as me is so much more reassuring! 😛

The good thing is that there’s still plenty of things to keep me occupied and a lot of them has me entertained in more ways than one. Here’s to an exciting month of August, guys! 🙂

Cheers! - GIF on Imgur

Thank you all for checking out my monthly anticipation post!

Now tell me what you’re looking forward to this month! Any new releases? Anything exciting you plan on doing?

Yours truly,

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Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

59 thoughts on “My Monthly Anticipation | August 2020”

  1. I, for one, am looking forward to the end of summer. These hot days are just killer.

    I’m going to be the odd one out and say that I didn’t like Gideon the Ninth. I DNF’d it because I disliked the writing so much. It felt like Muir was out there trying to prove just how cool she was.

    And you’re right about that Midnight Sun cover. It’s one of the ugliest I’ve ever seen. “Let’s photograph a pomegranate that looks like some decaying piece of fruit and slap it on the cover. That’ll be good”. Ugh.

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    2. I have to admit that the weather has been killer this summer! It made me appreciate the cooler/wintery times MUCH more.

      Ohhh, that’s interesting. It does sound off-putting now hahaha

      You killed it. 😛 I do hope fans will have… an explanation for that cover… But I can’t imagine an explanation good enough to justify that atrocity hahah!

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  3. This year has obviously been so off, I’m kind of in a mood right now where I’m forcing myself to get excited about anything. I have to admit though, I’m eager for the return of Lucifer, and I can’t wait for Lovecraft Country. Disney Plus has Falcon and the Winter Soldier now slated for Fall 2020, so I’m thinking Sept-November? This will be good as I’ll most likely need a distraction from what is undoubtedly going to be a nightmarish election season. I’m just wrapping up watching Warrior Nun, which I think you’d really like Lashaan, and I’m about to start the second season of The Umbrella Academy.

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    1. I totally understand. That need to have something nice to look forward to is indeed something we crave for more and more these past months. I do hope both Lucifer and Lovecraft Country delivers (I’m sure they will)!

      Yeh, I imagine Falcon and Winter Soldier will probably pushed to those months. Hopefully we at least get a full trailer by the end of August? 😀 Oh boy… It’s going to a helluva year politically. Maybe a make-or-break type of deal to.

      Ouuuh Warrior Nun sounds interesting. The title alone reminds me of Mark Lawrence’s Book of Ancestor’s trilogy! 😀 And yay for Umbrella Academy! I’ve been curious to find out how they’ll adapt the crazy ideas that were in the comics myself.

      Have an excellent month of August, Kim! Stay safe and take care. 🙂

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  4. All three on your to-read list are really good! I just finished the Black Song and am not quite sure what to think of it yet (except that it was really good), and just started Network Effect (which is excellent thus far). And, no offense Lashaan, but I really, really hope that August isn’t exciting (at least compared to 2020 up to now).

    Have a good month, sir!

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    1. I’m really glad to hear about Black Song! The first book of the trilogy was a surprisingly awesome one too. Same for Network Effect. I now have heard more positive than mixed thoughts on it!

      Yikes hahahah if you put it like that, yep. 😉 Have an excellent month of August too, Will! Hope your playthrough of TLOU has been going well and that you got your hands on the second one too! 😉

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  6. Well….nice to see things are still going strong on your blog! This has certainly been one heck of a strange and honestly very sad year 😔
    Some nice things to look forward to luckily! I’m especially looking forward to the Alien original screenplay and Lovecraft County. As far Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I don’t think that will be released this year anymore as sad as that is but that only means we luckily have even more to look forward to!😊 Hope both you and your girlfriend will have a great August: stay safe! 😊

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    1. Hahah yes! I’ve kept this blog alive as much as I could and still have plenty to stuff that I look forward to share too. 😉

      It has indeed been the worse year that the world has known during my lifetime and thinking about the future seems a bit complicated too but at least being optimistic isn’t too impossible! 😉

      I’d be happy if we even get a little Falcon and Winter Soldier trailer with a release date too hahaha Then again, there’s plenty of other stuff to look forward to and a backlog of content that I still need to catch up too (which I imagine you know exactly what I mean hahah).

      Thanks man for the kind words and stay safe as well, my friend! 😀

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      1. Lol…a backlog of content? Nawww…no idea what you mean by that. I have hardly anything to watch/read 😂😂😂
        True enough about this year though..but like you I try to keep my optimism alive. Pretty much anything we can do these days😊
        You are welcome, and will do for sure 😊

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  7. Add me too the list of Lucifer fans. I started first season on Friday and finished it on Saturday. It’s so addictive and I like celestial family drama. I can’t wait to see 2nd and all other specially this NEW one as I’m curious how he got his wings back.

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  11. I have to admit, I am shaking my head at your choice of reading Rothfuss. We’ll see how knowing that book 3 is never coming out will affect what you think of the first book 🙂

    So Disney+ is starting their own marvel tv universe. makes me wonder if they’ll try to make the tv show necessary for any future movies.

    Is that the Official Return of the FF? Or have they been back with their own comics for some time? I just remember when it was announced that the monthly comic was being cancelled.

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    1. Hahahaha I knew you’d have that kind of reaction. I love how convinced you are that the third book will never come out too. Less likely to be disappointed, right? 😀 I’m going into it knowingly but also knowing that I’m probably not going to binge through all of his books fast enough to make the wait feel eternal.

      Well, most of the Marvel Disney+ series that have been announced so far are actors/heroes that were in the MCU movies. I think there’s going to be a lot of subplots that will loosely tie into the next movie phase but not to the point where it’s a pre-requisite.

      Nop. After they were cancelled around 5 years ago, they were brought back 2 years ago with writer Dan Slott who is currently still writing that comic book series (it’s at around 23 issues so far I think). This one is actually just a self-contained 4-issue series with all the team haha

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  13. I enjoyed The Name of the Wind, but now I barely remember what it was about, so perhaps it didn’t make that much of an impression? Murderbot still going strong! 😀 I really want to continue with this series, but besides from the first novella the audiobooks are priced quite expensively, almost like a full length novel. So not great value for money. Not sure, I will watch the 5th season of Lucifer, it was good fun, but to me it felt like it has run its course.

    Very well to talk about August and productivity 😉 – with 30 degrees, I find it impossible to get much done. Amazing that your girlfriend is coming back from her travel, it must be tough that she has to go into quarantine though!

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    1. Oh snap. Sorry to heard about The Name of the Wind. I’ve seen it around sooooo much that I almost feel like it’s a must-read novel for fantasy fans. To be seen what I’ll think of it now.

      Really happy to hear about Murderbot! I am 100000% with you for the pricing. It’s why I don’t buy them full-price and hunt down second-hand copies instead hahaha It makes nooooo sense that they’re priced so high…

      Ahhh sorry to hear about Lucifer too. I wonder if the fact that it’s on Netflix now will give it a narrative-refreshment or something. 😮

      Yep, the quarantine stuff really kills a lot of the “daily” motivation that we need. I guess it’s a price to pay for international traveling! 😮 The most important thing is to be safe, that’s for sure!

      Hope you have an excellent month of August! 😉

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  14. Murderbot, I love that series! Exit Strategy is my next read in the series, as well. Perhaps I’ll try to get to it this month, though I haven’t really planned anything out. I’m curious to read your thoughts on The Name of the Wind. It became one of my all-time favorite books, regardless of whether the series is ever finished (of course I do hope it is). That cover for Alien is killer! And I hope Batman: Three Jokers surpasses your expectations, high as they may be. Great to hear your girlfriend will be back in town, gives you something more to look forward to. I think I’m looking forward to September more than August, at least when it comes to weather in this area. But I am trying to get busier than I’ve been, learning new things, trying to put more focus back on photography. Being lazy’s ok for a while, but you can’t get too used to it. Have a great August, Lashaan!

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    1. Ohhh we’re at the same plafce then! I hope you enjoy Exit Strategy when you get around to it. Really curious to see how this Murderbot is going to go ahead and get the justice it seeks so badly.

      Looking forward to exchange thoughts on The Name of the Wind as well. I remember seeing it and being mentioned in your post too.

      Tell me about it! Loving it as well. I love all of those “screenplay-turned-comics” Alien/Predator stuff even if the story doesn’t really take off. The art (interior and cover) are just so… collectible. 😀

      I hope my expectations for Three Jokers doesn’t kill it though. I’m praying that it really delivers that one story that will be remembered like The Killing Joke is.

      Absolutely with you there. We gotta break those bad habits as quickly as we can, even if breaks are welcomed and necessary here and then. Hope you have a fantastic month of August, Todd! Stay safe. 😀

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  15. I’m really curious about Lovecraft Country, although I don’t have HBO so I’m not sure when I’ll get to see it. And I’m glad your girlfriend is coming home! Hope you have a fantastic month😁

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    1. I don’t have HBO either but I know I want to see it, especially if the first episodes impresses fans around the world!

      Thank you so much, Tammy! I hope you’re doing well, with you daughter and family and all. Stay safe and have an excellent month of August! 😀

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    1. I know exactly what you mean. I hated the idea that she was going exactly where things are bit hot COVID-wise but, to this day, things have been quite fine and I look forward to not having to worry about that anymore too. Hope you won’t have to go through that too with Dawie!

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      1. We went to see his family in February (he went 2 weeks early so I did have to miss him for a little bit), and we got back home just in time. The day we flew the first 2 cases were found in The Netherlands. Having already had our big trip this year, neither of us is going anywhere anytime soon.
        Happy to read your gf is doing well.

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  17. I am oddly excited for Midnight Sun. I fully expect it to be terrible, but I remember wanting it so much years ago. My reading tastes have changed since I first read the series, but I do credit it with getting me back into reading. And congrats on your girlfriend returning home! I hope those 2 weeks she has to quarantine flies by!

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      1. Thanks! I actually still haven’t read Collins book, despite the fact I bought a hard copy and it’s sitting on my shelf. I just got a notification from the library that I can pick up Midnight Sun tomorrow so fingers crossed! Happy August to you 🙂

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  18. That’s so sweet how excited you are about your gf coming back 🙂
    I started the Name of the Wind either in May or June but got distracted. I might hop back to it in September.

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  19. Ah, your monthly anticipations always get me super excited for the month to come 😂 I was talking about The Name of the Wind series to my sister the other day, saying that I really wanted to start it, though I still need to read book 1 😅 Hopefully my month will also be filled with a lot of reading, let’s see! 😊

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    1. Hahahaha I remember telling her about it and trying to get her to buy the first book too but that plan failed! 😛 Hope you get the chance to try it out too. Even if the author has been doing like George RR Martin and has yet to release the 3rd book, I’m sort of convinced that the first book has at least plenty to offer and appreciate. 😮 Have a great month of August, Juliette! 😀

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  20. Yess I’ve been hearing people talking about the Name of the Wind a lot these past weeks, it sounds really good 😂 I’d love to read it too, but I’m too scared the ending will never be written 😟 I can’t believe we’re already in August but I can’t wait for it to end 🥰 Stay safe Lashaan, and enjoy your month as much as you can 🥰

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  21. Aww, yay, I’m so happy for you that you get to reunite with your girlfriend soon! ❤ That's wonderful! 😀
    My best friend and just started a Buddy Read of Gideon the Ninth and I'm really digging it so far. I love that cover for the sequel.

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  22. That’s great news your girlfriend is back, it must be such a relief to have her back in the country.

    I’ve only read the first Murderbot book but I’m really looking forward to reading the rest, I don’t think I have actually heard a bad thing about them.

    I love a graphic novel and Alien looks good, I’m staying away from Marvel and DC at the moment and working my through Image Comics, ONI Press and Boom Studios vast catalogues but one day I will get stuck in to Marvel.

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    1. Thanks! Just a couple of more days and it should be gooood! 😀

      Same here. I think they’re really fun stories with a character unlike anyone before. Hope you have a good time with the rest of the series soon! 😀

      Ahhh yes, they have such an awesome catalogue too. Loads of original content. Happy reading, Heather! 😀

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