Retro Book Review: Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace SPOILERS!

Sometime in 1999, the mass execution of the Star Wars Expanded Universe began in one movie by George Lucas. It's novelization was penned by Terry Brooks. Now, it's been a few years since I read it, but I now have my hands on a copy that recently came out. It just has an updated cover for the 3D rerelease of the film that gave kids and parents nightmares. Yes, it's that film that brought you the evil Jar Jar Binks, who, so far, has only been used in The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and a couple of Clone Wars episodes. Yeah, he's not a much loved character and neither are the Gungans.  

Synopsis: A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, an evil legacy long believed dead is stirring. Now the dark side of the Force threatens to overwhelm the light, and only an ancient Jedi Prophecy stands between hope and doom for the entire galaxy. On the green, unspoiled world of Naboo, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, arrive to protect the realm's young queen as she seeks a diplomatic solution to end the siege of her planet by Trade Federation warships. At the same time, on desert-swept Tatooine, a slave boy named Anakin Skywalker, who possesses a strange ability for understanding the "rightness" of things, toils by day and dreams by night--of becoming a Jedi Knight and finding a way to win freedom for himself and his beloved mother. It will be the unexpected meeting of Jedi, Queen, and a gifted boy that will mark the start of a drama that will become legend.

And that synopsis, on the back of the novel, has me laughing out loud. Especially the part about this being a legend. Give me a break. Most Star Wars fans hate this movie and wish it never happened. Why, you ask? Because of Jar Jar Binks, a horrible child Anakin, and the cheesiness of the film's plot. It was so godawful that I'm still amazed it exists. But enough about that. Onto the novel's review where I'll let you in on some retcons we--meaning the EU fans--came up with after this novel and book were published.

The novel opens with a podrace during which Anakin crashes Watto's beloved podracer. Anakin is no longer allowed to race. He skips off work with Kitster and Wald and talk to an old spacer drinking ruby bliels (which is alcohol). Yeah, smart idea there, give the kids alcohol. It then switches to what we all know, the opening of the movie, with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan boarding the Trade Federation ship to discuss the blockade of Naboo (the events of which are detailed in the computer game Star Wars: Galactic Battlefields; just click on Boss Rugor Nass' face to start the campaign) with Nute Gunray and Rune Haako. Naturally, things take a turn for the worse and both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan end up on Naboo with that despicable character, Jar Jar Binks. The novel and Brooks write out the  Gungan language, which is horribly racist against Jamaicans. They leave Naboo with Queen Padme Amidala and her retinue of handmaidens and a couple of security types. They're stranded on Tatooine where they meet Anakin. Qui-Gon arranges to have Anakin free, but Watto refuses.

On Coruscant, Darths Sidious and Maul talk about the revenge of the Sith. A good portion of the scene in the novel details the origins of the Sith, and how wrong it is. According to Brooks and Lucas, the Sith came into existence only 2,000 years ago and waged war on the Jedi. First off, the EU set the Sith's origins back around 25,000 years ago, near the start of the Jed'aii origins. Secondly, the 2,000 years mentioned was retconned into the start of the New Sith Wars led by former Jedi Master Phanius, now called Darth Ruin. He led the war that decimated the galaxy, leaving the Republic, Mandalorians, and citizens on the brink of collapse. Into this came the Brotherhood of Darkness led by Kaan. Kaan's rival, Darth Bane--infamous creator of the Sith Rule of Two--finished off the Brotherhood via the war with the Jedi Army of Light led by Hoth on the planet Ruusan, where Kaan's thought bomb trapped hundred of Sith and Jedi spirits into it; it is now known as the Valley of the Jedi and starred in the graphic novel Star Wars: Jedi vs Sith by Darko Macan and the popular computer game Star Wars: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight and William C. Deitz novellas: Soldier for the Empire, Rebel Agent, and Jedi Knight, starring beloved Star Wars character Kyle Katarn.

Anyway, now back to the novel. On Tatooine, Anakin wins a podrace, and is set free. Qui-Gon briefly duels Darth Maul before fleeing in abject terror at a character that doesn't talk.They arrive on Coruscant (first created by Timothy Zahn in Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy I: Heir to the Empire as the capital of the former Galactic Empire and Old Republic) where Anakin is denied training from the Jedi Council and the Galactic Senate refuses to take action over the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo. Instead, they depose Chancellor Finis Valorum and elect Palpatine as Chancellor--something that Darth Plagueis and Sidious (Palpatine) orchestrated; Sidious then kills Plagueis in his sleep (as detailed in Star Wars: Darth Plagueis by James Luceno). Meanwhile, the main cast has returned to Naboo to ask the false-Jamaicans to bring their army to free Naboo and Gungan alike. Anakin knocks out the Droid Control Ship during the space battle, the Gungans knock the droids over and win, Padme and company seize Nute Gunray and Rune Haako. Maul kills Qui-Gon, but Obi-Wan slices Maul in half. Qui-Gon, dying, has Obi-Wan promise to train Anakin, which Yoda reluctantly agrees to. Plus, there's that line about "Which was destroyed? The Master or the Apprentice?" Now that Darth Palgueis is out, the truth is revealed that both were destroyed.

Now, while both are hated, they do bring some good things and bad things to the universe. A couple of good things is how the Old Republic ran its bureaucracy, podracing, and images of Coruscant. Bad things: Jedi not allowed to marry, ever. Yeah, this was retconned by Lucas after Bantam-era novels had Luke Skywalker marry Mara Jade, as well as Luke's Jedi Order having characters marry. Oh, and Tales of the Jedi Jedi-characters marry. But the fans retconned these married Jedi back in by saying they were a part of Jedi Master Djinn Altis' sect of Jedi that allowed Jedi to marry, therefore allowing Luke to have knowledge of these two sects and combine the best aspects from both. Not a bad story (still better than Twilight saga or Napoleon Dynamite, but then, everything is), but still lacking the full experience that the Original Trilogy gave us.

Book Review: Honor Harrington: Ashes of Victory SPOILERS!

In March 2000, David Weber penned another Honor Harrington novel, this time putting Honor to the side to focus on the war and a coup that will have repercussions of the entire war. Synopsis: REPORTS OF MY DEATH HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED . . . The People's Republic of Haven made a tiny mistake when it announced the execution of Honor Harrington. It seemed safe enough. After all, they knew she was already dead. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Now Honor has escaped from the prison planet called Hell and returned to the Manticoran Alliance with a few friends. Almost half a million of them, to be precise . . . including some who know what really happened when the Committee of Public Safety seized power in the PRH. Honor's return from the dead comes at a critical time, providing a huge, much-needed lift for the Allies' morale, for the war is rapidly entering a decisive phase. Both sides believe that victory lie within their grasp at last, but dangers no one could foresee await them both. New weapons, new strategies, new tactics, spies, diplomacy, and assassination . . . All are coming into deadly focus, and Honor Harrington, the woman the newsies call "the Salamander," once more finds herself at the heart of them all. But this time, the furnace may be too furious for even a salamander to survive.

The novel opens with Honor Harrington in the galley of ENS Farnese's boat bay, musing on the escape from Hell. Hamis Alexander, on GNS Benjamin the Great's pinnace, boards Farnese and welcomes Honor home. He updates her on the situation in the Star Empire while taking her back to Grayson via Manticore in the GSN Honor Harrington. On Grayson, High Admrial Wesley Matthews and Protector Benjamin Mayhew IX greet Honor and Nimitz. Her father, mother and Samantha are there and Honor and Nimitz realize that his "transmitter" isn't working properly thanks to the State Security goons who clubbed him back on Enki (Honor Harrington: In Enemy Hands). On Haven, in the capital city Noveaux Paris, Secretary of War Ester McQueen, Chairman Robert S. Pierre, and Oscar Sanit-Just learn about Honor's survival from Hell and the war effort. Captain Michelle "Mike" Henke escorts Honor to Queen Elizabeth III. The Queen foists the title of duchess on Honor and a duchy in the Westmount Crown Reserve on Gryphon because she refused to take the Parliamentary Medal of Valor. The PMV is instead given to Horace Harkness.

Admiral Thomas Caparelli tells Honor that she'll be the commandant of Saganami and head the Advanced Tactical Course as well as help the new income of Grayson students mold with the Manticoran students; she's also been promoted to the full rank of Admiral. Saint-Just voices his concern about McQueen to Pierre. Honor asks disgraced Commander Andrea Jaruwalski to help her make changes to the outdated bits of Tactical Training just to poke Santino in the eye even though he's died because of his incompetence. Queen Elizabeth III learns that the Republic of San Martin of Trevor's Star want annexation with the Star Empire of Manticore because their Senate voted and approved it in a closed session in less than two weeks after Jesus Ramirez let slip a casual remark that he agreed with it. Allison Harrington tells Honor that she may have come up with a way for Nimitz to communicate with treecats again: sign language. It'll give them a way to talk with each other and with humans. Honor convinces Dr. Adelina Arif to help her, especially after Nimitz demonstrates that he does understand what Honor's saying by nodding his head. Honor hosts a diner with Rear Admiral of the Red Jackson Kriangsak, Andrea, Mike, and six other officers and nineteen midshipmen, including Abigail Hearns from Grayson, to help the midshipmen further learn more about tactics. The war goes on.

Saint-Just reminds Pierre that McQueen can't be trusted. McQueen, meanwhile, makes preparations to launch Operation Bagration. Saint-Just has Thomas Theisman recalled from the front to lead the Havenite home fleet. At a party, Honor and Nimitz and Samantha (but mostly the treecats) sign to Elizabeth and her treecat Ariel, wanting to teach them to communicate. Arriving at Haven, Theisman and Denis LePic learn that Pierre is dead and McQueen's coup failed; Saint-Just is now the chairman and lets Theisman have control of the home fleet with LePic remaining his commissioner. Theisman informs Saint-Just that it would be unwise to execute Lester Tourville and Javier Giscard now as he's rebuilding the navy's trust in the chairman. Benjamin Mayhew invites Elizabeth to a formal head-of-state meeting on Grayson. During that, the Havenites attack and kill Allen Sumervale, Duke of Cromarty, and his people because Honor can only stop one missile and saved Elizabeth and Benjamin. Baron High Ridge and the senior leaders of the Opposition Party refuse to back Elizabeth because they finally see a way to undermine her authority and government and wrest power away from the Crown and Loyalists. Saint-Just moves to have Tourville and Giscard executed while faking to want peace with the Star Empire of Manticore. Theisman launches his coup and kills Saint-Just.

All in all, a great novel that details heroes on both sides of the war and adds much needed depth into the political parties and structures of the Star Empire of Manticore. This is also the first time that Nimitz and Samantha communicate to the main cast (on the Manticoran/Grayson side, anyway). This book is the last appearance of Oscar Saint-Just, Rob Pierre, Ester McQueen and the Cromarty government, State Security, and the Committee of Public Safety. Great characterization, fantastic descriptions and details. This is a book that's hard to put down.

Apology About No Recent Book Reviews

Sorry, readers. Since I live in America, I took last Thursday off and have to take today off from book reviewing. I'm swamped with four books and none of them are close to being finished, review-wise, that is. Plus, I've got a project that I can only work on at college that's due by the end of the week, so there might not be a book review up on Thursday, either.

I'll just leave you all with the titles of the books I'm working on:

• Stranded by Anne Bishop, James Alan Gardner, and Anthony Francis.
• The Sharing Knife 1: Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold
• Honor Harrington: Ashes of Victory by David Weber
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

I hope to be able to finish them by the weekend and post them up for next week and the week after to give myself some time to write other reviews. Sorry. 

Book Review: Halo: The Thursday War SPOILERS!

Released on 2 October 2012, Halo: The Thursday War is the third entry into the Halo Universe for Karen Traviss, the first being a short story called Human Weakness and the novel Glasslands. It picks up where Glasslands left off. Synopsis: Welcome to humanity’s new war: silent, high stakes, and unseen. This is a life-or-death mission for ONI’s black-ops team, Kilo Five, which is tasked with preventing the ruthless Elites, once the military leaders of the Covenant, from regrouping and threatening humankind again. What began as a routine dirty-tricks operation―keeping the Elites busy with their own insurrection―turns into a desperate bid to extract one member of Kilo Five from the seething heart of an alien civil war. But troubles never come singly for Kilo Five. Colonial terrorism is once again surfacing on one of the worlds that survived the war against the Covenant, and the man behind it is much more than just a name to Spartan-010. Meanwhile, the treasure trove of Forerunner technology recovered from the shield world of Onyx is being put to work while a kidnapped Elite plots vengeance on the humans he fears will bring his people to the brink of destruction.

The novel opens with a first person POV from ONI head, Admiral Margaret Orlenda Parangosky as she receives news about Professor Evan Phillips going dark and Captain Serin Osman going to extract him. On Sanghelios, Evan Phillips is with Avu Med 'Telcam. He's wounded and stranded in the Forerunner complex. 'Telcam's going to perform his coup that minute. On Venezia, ODSTs Vasily "Vaz" Beloi and Malcolm Geffen get recalled by Sgt. Lian Devereaux because Osman's pulling out to get Phillips. On the way to Sanghelios, Mal tells Naomi Sentzke, Spartan-010, and the rest of Kilo Five that the terrorist leader on Venezia is Staffan Sentzke, Naomi's father. On the UNSC Infinity, Parangosky notes that the crew isn't die-hard loyal to Captain Andrew Del Rio--and from what I've seen in Halo 4, I can hardly blame them--but his first officer, Commander Thomas Lasky, might get a reward for his quiet patience later (as seen in Halo 4 when he becomes the Captain of the Infinity because of Del Rio's stupidity). On/In Onyx, Jul 'Mdama ruminates about his fate while ONI scientist Irena Magnusson tries to use reverse psychology on him to get him to tell them what he knows. On Sanghelios, Raia 'Mdama grows worried as Jul's absence continues. Phillips finds out that he's a hostage from 'Telcam. Kilo Five's in orbit around Sanghelios. BB's running a scan on the planet, starting with Ontom, but BB's having trouble penetrating the Forerunner complex. Raia becomes restless and threatens 'Telcam. Phillips learns that there's more than one Shield World. He touches one of the walls and it tells him to find someone or seek something beyond, or higher, or better. Phillips thinks he might've primed a Halo. Vaz, Mal, Naomi and BB, via Devereaux, land on Sanghelios. They learn that Phillips is in the Forerunner complex and they enter. Phillips is lost in the temple and holocaptures a ton of Forerunner hieroglyphs.

Phillips, running out of time, tries to use his trick with arums to open some doors and touches the first symbol on the list. 'Telcam, Raia, and the majority of the Servants of Abiding Truth attempt to flee Sanghelios. Their forces bear down on the Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and his keep, especially when other keeps seemingly rise up against 'Vadam for allowing human soldiers to set foot in a sacred temple. Vaz, Mal, Naomi and BB can't find Phillips. Turns out that Phillips is 80 kilometers away from Ontom, near Nes'alun Keep, in the state of Acroli. He comes across slave Unggoy who take him to the nearby keep. Prone to Drift escorts Jul for a walk on Onyx. Phillips is found and everyone rushes to get him. BB updates Parangosky on Infinity and both she and Admiral  Lord Terrence Hood head out to lend the Arbiter a hand, though Parangosky has more devious means for their trip. Del Rio and Lasky get Infinity to Sanghelios; Osman and company have retrieved Phillips. The civil war on Sanghelios continues to rage. On Onyx, Jul learns more about the Forerunners. Kilo Five boards Infinity. Hood opens fire on the rebels while Kilo Five attempts to extract 'Telcam. Raia and Forze are shot down and die. Prone warns Jul about the Didact. Scanning the recordings, Kilo Five learns that the word "not" is placed next to the symbol for Didact. Jul finds out that the Didact is on Requiem and tells Phillips about the Didact being locked away. Jul manages to escape Magnusson's hold and uses the failing transport system to flee the Shield World. Parangosky's pissed about that and removes Magnusson from command of Onyx and learns about Requiem. Jul makes it to another Sangheili world and updates people on the war and about the Didact. Vaz and Naomi insert on Venezia. Jul learns that Forze and Raia are dead. The elders and Jul find the coordinates for Requiem and plan to go there, which give the impression that Karen's third Halo novel will lead directly in to Halo 4.

All in all, a well-paced novel that builds into the lead up to Halo 4, alongside Greg Bear's Forerunner Saga trilogy. Great character development, superb pacing and prose, great action, Halo: The Thursday War is the best addition to the Halo franchise and Karen Traviss deserves all the praise.

Book Review: Honor Harrington: Echoes of Honor SPOILERS!

In 1998, David Weber returned once more to the Honorverse, this time to get Honor Harrington off Hell while the war takes an interesting turn of events. Synopsis: Back from Hell. For eight bloody years, the Star Kingdom of Manticore and its allies have taken the war to the vastly more powerful People's Republic of Haven, and Commodore Honor Harrington has been in the forefront of that war. But now Honor has fallen, captured by the Peep Navy, turned over to the forces of State Security . . . and executed on the interstellar network's nightly news. The Manticoran Alliance is stunned and infuriated by Honor's death and grimly resolved to avenge it. Yet their military is over-extended and the People's Republic is poised to take the offensive once more, this time with a new strategy, new weapons, a new command team, and a whole new determination to win. The war is about to enter a phase of unprecedented ferocity . . . and the Alliance is on the short end of the stick. But even as powerful Peep fleets hurtle towards their objectives, neither they nor the Alliance are aware of events occurring on a distant, isolated, inescapable prison planet called Hell. For what no one knows, not even State Security, is that Honor Harrington is not dead. She and a handful of her people are trapped on Hell, and determined to disprove the Peep boast that no one can ever escape it. Honor Harrington is going home, and taking her people with her . . . even if she has to conquer Hell to do it.

Prologue: The novel opens with the Harrington family, on Grayson, watching an HD of Honor being hanged for crimes committed in On Basilisk Station.

Book One (Part One): Turns out the entire Star Kingdom of Manticore is reeling from the loss of Honor Harrington. The people of Grayson aren't taking this lightly and Hamish Alexander expects them to no longer take prisoners. He also believes that he's the one who led Honor to get herself killed. In the People's Republic of Haven, Ester McQueen continues her plot to bring Oscar Saint-Just and Robert S. Pierre down. Everyone on the Manticoran front is gearing up to resume hostilities. Protector Benjamin Mayhew IX, Henry Prestwick, and Howard Clinkscales (reluctantly) ask Allison and Alfred Harrington to produce a child to claim the Harrington Steading Key. Allison points out to Jeremiah Sullivan that the Graysonite genome was altered 1000 years ago and that given some time, she will be able to reverse it, allowing for more male children births. She invites Benjamin and one of his three wives, Katherine, to the Harrington Steading and talks about her discovery, and breaks protocol that hasn't been done in 250 years.

Book Two (Part Two): On Hell, Honor Harrington and the survivors find ways to hack into the StateSec base, Camp Charon, and glean information. Turns out that other prisoners are there, around a half-million. They also discover, thanks to Scotty Tremaine, that Camp Inferno isn't on the map for "security reasons." Honor and company meet with two prisoners named Harriet Benson and Henri Dessouix who take them to Camp Inferno where they meet Commodore Jesus Ramirez--who's supposed to be dead after the Peeps took Trevor's Star. Together, they decide to take Camp Charon.

Book Three (Part Three): McQueen and others talk about Operation Icarus. The war is brewing up to another round of fighting. The Graysonites name their newest ship the GSN Honor Harrington.

Book Four (Part Four): Honor and Ramirez begin the assault by taking one supply ship and them storming Camp Charon. They take Charon and try their superiors under the People's Uniform Code of Conduct, which scares a few Peeps. Rear Admiral Harold Styles opposes this and constantly berates Honor. Turns out former Citizen Admiral Amos Parnell is still alive and agrees to sit in on the hearing so long as he can go to the Solarian League and tell all that Pierre, Ransom, and Saint-Just performed the coup.

Book Five (Part Five): Saint-Just and Pierre talk about squashing McQueen. The war rages on. Several worlds are hit: Basilisk, Zanzibar, Yeltsin's Star, and others. Rear Admiral Elvis Santino, paranoid of losing command, relieves Commander Andrea Jaruwalski from the Battle of Seaford 9, citing cowardice, when it's really Santino that's too stupid to follow the original plan. He gets himself killed, leaving Andrea in hot water. At Basilisk, Admirals Hamish Alexander and Judah Yanakov stave off the battle; Yanakov tells everyone in the Manticoran fleet "Honor Harrington and no mercy." Despite winning, Hamish is pissed about Yanakov's order.

Book Six (Part Six): One of many trials comes to a close. Honor is woken up because of an incoming Peep ship. Honor's company takes the ship. Commander Victor Ainspan updates Honor with the news of Honor's execution and the war. Honor tells her company how she intends to get her people off Hell and Styles erupts in anger. Honor charges Styles with insubordination and has armsman Andrew LaFollet place him under arrest. Honor and company claim two more ships for their plan. Because Citizen General Prestwick Thornegrave took too long to answer, Honor demands that all his ships surrender over an all ships comms channel. One of his ships is destroyed and Thornegrave and his task force surrender. Most of the ships, loaded with prisoners that wanted to leave, head for Trevor's Star. Citizen General Seth Chernok arrives with another task force. Honor ambushes him and destroys the task force. Honor and the remaining ships, using the name "Elysian Space Navy," leave for Trevor's Star.

Epilogue: At Trevor's Star, Hamish Alexander, depressed, ponders over the events of the last couple of months when Lieutenant Nathan Robards tells him that several unidentified hyper-footprints were detected and that they belong to Peep ships. Upon listening to the automated message--which Hamish thought was impossible since he'd seen the execution two years ago--of Honor Harrington requesting aid and that she and her task force, plus several unarrived ships were finally home.

All in all, a well-paced, easy read with great prose and wonderful character arcs that detail just how the Manticorans are doing without Honor and what the Peeps do when they believe themselves invincible. David Weber outdid himself in this 569 (hardcover) page novel. It's also the only novel of the series where both the Prologue and Epilogue are written in italics. This is a must-read for fans of sci-fi military and fans of the series in general.

Book Review: Halo: Cryptum SPOILERS!

In 2010, sci-fi legend Greg Bear was asked to pen a trilogy of Halo novels that became the Forerunner saga, set 100,000 years in the past, before the Flood were eradicated, before the Master Chief and Cortana, before the world as we know it. Synopsis: One Hundred Thousand Years Ago, the galaxy was populated by a great variety of beings. But one species--eons beyond all others in both technology and knowledge--achieved dominance. They ruled in peace but met opposition with quick and brutal effectiveness. They were the Forerunners--the keepers of the Mantle, the next stage of life in the Universe's Living Time. And then they vanished. This is their story.

The novel opens on Erde-Tyrene (Earth), on a human steamboat as a Forerunner called Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting a chamanune called Chakas and a hamanune called Day-Chaser Makes Paths Long-stretch Morning Riser, who's following the orders of his armor's ancilla. After exploring an island near a large crater, Born stumbles across a Forerunner Cryptum: a vault where Forerunners are interred in a state of never-ending sleep and contemplation. Born encounters the AI monitoring the Cryptum and assumes that its occupant is to be revived. He hesitantly complies and reawakens the Forerunner inside. This Forerunner turns out to be the Didact. The Didact thinks that the Librarian woke because he's needed in the Forerunner-Flood war and he wants to know if "it" fired. They leave on some newly arrived ships and travel to a series of worlds that served as battlegrounds in the Forerunner's war against the humans, all of which show no signs of sentient or complex life, much to The Didact's dismay. He asks Born to accept a brevit mutation to gain some of the Warrior-Servant caste's traits and to allow access to his memories and those of his class, anticipating the urgency that his knowledge must not end with him. Born accepts, and gains access to the Didact's memories and learns that he holds deep regrets about his war with the humans. Turns out that the humans are fighting not only against the Forerunners, but the Flood as well.

Ironically, the humans and San'Shyuum were once allies and they used the Flood to domesticate animals that later (surprise surprise) mutated into the first Flood form and turned against them. The humans, fleeing their ravaged worlds, encroached upon Forerunner territory, who went to war as well. Although they lost to the Forerunners, the humans were able to defeat The Flood by injecting themselves with a formula that made their genetic material toxic to The Flood. The humans refused to tell the Forerunners how to beat The Flood when they returned. The Didact then takes Born and the humans to the San'Shyuum's homeworld where they have been in isolation since the end of the Human-Forerunner War. The cities are in turmoil as the Librarian's latest visit to procure "specimens" was seen as a sign for the San'Shyuum to rebel against the Forerunners. Some distance from the San'Shyuum's homeworld a portal appears and through it a large ring-shaped construct appears. The four are apprehended by the Master Builder, who is in the system to witness a test-firing of a new creation against the unruly San'Shyuum. Born is handed over to his swap-family and escorted home. During his trip home the Didact's memory tells him that the creation of the ring-shaped construct, called Halo, was the reason he was placed in the Cryptum. He opposed their creation in favor of save-haven "Shield Worlds." Shortly after coming home, Born hears his father arguing with a member of the Forerunner council and decides to confront his father about the true nature of the Halos. He confirms that 300 years ago, The Flood re-emerged in their part of the galaxy and the Forerunners were at a loss to combat them. He and the Master Builder decided to move forward with the construction of Halos.

To his horror, Born learns that Halo was test-fired on the human worlds he visited (at low power) and the Master Builder recently test-fired another Halo on the San'Shyuum's homeworld. The Forerunner Council learn of the Master Builder's actions and summon Born to a criminal trial against him. High above the Forerunner homeworld, 11 Halo rings sit, with the 12th missing for many years. The trial is interrupted by 032 Mendicant Bias, a rampant AI, who causes havoc with the Forerunner's computer and defense systems. Born and a group of others are rescued during the chaos in a small ship. Above them some of the Halo rings separate from the others and prepare to fire. The Forerunner fleet quickly assembles and begins attacking the renegade Halos, quickly destroying three of them, but a gigantic slipspace portal opens and seven other rings begin escaping through them. Born's ship manages to escape through the portal before the rings detonate, wiping out all Forerunner life in that part of the galaxy. Born is knocked unconscious during the slipspace jump and recalls Didact's memories: Mendicant Bias was an AI tasked with safeguarding the Halo constructs and overseeing their firing systems. After a test-firing over a human world, Mendicant Bias and the Halo disappeared with a long-feared creature held deep in a Precursor facility the humans had built over. Soon after, their ship arrives at The Ark. There he meets the Librarian, who sees him as her husband now. According to her, the Master Builder had the Didact executed shortly after triggering the Halo above the San'Shyuum homeworld. They hypothesize that the creature that escaped from the Precursor prison somehow corrupted Mendicant Bias, who attempted to gain control of all the Halos but only succeeded with five. The rest, as well as The Ark, were co-opted by the Librarian as vessels on which numerous life-forms across the galaxy could live. The novel ends with Born recalling the Didact's contact with the captured lifeform: it revealed itself to be the last of the Precursors and was planning revenge on the Forerunners who wiped them out in ages past.

A somewhat good novel, despite the slow and often repetitious scenes of the first-person point of view style that Greg Bear adopts for this book. I, personally, can't stand first person POV novels and I really had to force myself to finish this book in three days because the Honor Harrington review I did took way to long to read and write. Still, it's a good addition to the Halo universe and helps to build up the Forerunners before they "ascended." Fans of the Halo novel, graphic novel, and game series will love this one.

Book Review: The Wess'har saga: City of Pearl SPOILERS!

In March 2004, EOS published Karen Traviss's first novel, The City of Pearl. It's a story of a cop on an alien world, playing politics to keep probing scientists, the human colony, marines, and three aliens at peace, but time is running out. Synopsis: Three separate alien societies have claims on Cavanagh's Star. But the new arrivals—the gethes from Earth—now threaten the tenuous balance of a coveted world. Environmental Hazard Enforcement officer Shan Frankland agreed to lead a mission to Cavanagh's Star, knowing that 150 years would elapse before she could finally return home. But her landing, with a small group of scientists and Marines, has not gone unnoticed by Aras, the planet's designated guardian. An eternally evolving world himself, this sad, powerful being has already obliterated millions of alien interlopers and their great cities to protect the fragile native population. Now Shan and her party—plus the small colony of fundamentalist humans who preceded them—could face a similar annihilation . . . or a fate far worse. Because Aras possesses a secret of the blood that would be disastrous if it fell into human hands—if the gethes survive the impending war their coming has inadvertently hastened.

Environmental Hazard Enforcement officer Shan Franklin, on what's supposed to be her last job, is asked by Foreign Minister Eugenie Perault to lead a joint government and commercial reconnaissance team--comprised of marines and scientists--to Cavanagh's Star to find out something from Constantine colony. She doesn't remember because of Suppressed Briefing. Her mission was crammed into her head and only specific thoughts will unlock the hidden data. Upon arrival in Cavanagh's Star, the spaceship breaks down du to a (as we later learn) wess'har energy barrier. Everything except life support is shut down. Josh Garrod, the leader of the Christian colony of Constantine, allows only Shan to land. They talk and let the scientists and marines land, so long as the scientists don't harm or kill the plants/natives, meaning some non-obtrusive scans and photos and journals. The camp is set up and Shan breaks the news to the scientists. They aren't happy, especially when they learn about the aquatic race, the bezeri, and the wess'har and an invading race, the isenj, are out there. A couple of the scientists see why when out on an excursion. 

The camp accidentally shoots Aras Sar Iussan--a wess'har with c'naatat (a virus that keeps reorganizing its host and keeps them alive--out of the sky. Shan and Josh go to rescue him and Shan helps Aras get out of the downed ship. The camps defenses are taken down. The next day, Shan meets with Josh and Aras. They talk, during which Shan offers Aras food, an intimate gesture in wess'har society and culture. Aras shows Shan the bezeri council, in pods that are underwater. After a couple of days getting to know each other, Aras tells Shan that the bezeri want to meet with her and to have her people build her an underwater suit. Surendra Parekh--one of the scientists--brings a juvenile bezeri back to camp and, after Shan and the reporter Eddie tel her to put it back, experiments on it. The juvenile bezeri dies painfully. Shan restriscts Parekh to quarters. She tells Aras, who tells Shan to give him Parekh because she has to die for her crime. Shan gives Aras her pistol and Parekh. Aras kills Parekh; this causes a rift in the scientists. A second ship, Actaeon, arrives from Earth. They're allied with the isenj. Aras tells Shan. She tells him she needs the farmers food gene bank. She finds out about the c'naatat and what it can do. 

Shan's horrified and tells Aras to stay away from the scientists. Actaeon arrives and Shan confines the scientists and marines to base. Dr. Rayat and Dr. Galvin flee the base, going to the isenj. Shan, Aras, Bennett, and Qureshi leave base and track Rayat and Galvin. Meanwhile, Lindsey confirms that Shan had Parekh executed for killing a kid to Actaeon's skipper. Shan, Aras and the marines find the isenj base. The isenj go to kill Aras and a fight breaks out. Galvin dies from her wounds and SHan dies after a projectile blows half her head off. The isenj die and Aras puts some of the c'naatat into Shan (depsite her hatred of it). Bennett takes a wounded Qureshi and Rayat back to base. Aras takes Shan to Constantine. Shan wakes up and soon realizes that she has c'naatat in her and rages at Aras for breaking his promise to kill her should it infect her. Shan meets with the wess'har matriarchs and they tell her to remove her charges, but Shan may stay as one of the wess'har. Lindsey rages at Shan for refusing to use the c'naatat to save her still-born son. Actaeon's CO demands Shan be brought to justice, but the wess'har relocate her to their moon. The marines, apart from Lindsey, just want to leave; Lindsey wants Shan dead. The marines, scientists, and Actaeon leave with the food gene bank. Shan and Aras look after Constantine colony.

All in all, a decent, well thought out science fiction novel that captures just how alien alien species are. Karen Traviss really proves just how good an author she is and how much attention to detail she dishes out with the world-building. Great character arc and richly detailed story for any sci-fi fan.

Book Review: Bridge of Dreams SPOILERS!

In March earlier this year, acclaimed fantasy author Anne Bishop returned to her world of Ephemera to tell a story about Lee, three women who are one, a Shaman named Danyal, and a city called Vision. Synopsis: When wizards threaten Glorianna Belladona and her work to keep Ephemera balanced, her brother Lee sacrifices himself in order to save her and ends up an asylum inmate in the city of Vision. But a darkness is spreading throughout Vision, perplexing the Shamans who protect it. And Lee is the only one who can shed any light on its mysteries...

The novel opens with a two-page epigraph from the Book of Dark Secrets as a Dark Guide plots revenge. Lee is still angry about what Michael did in Belladonna, and how he (Michael) asked Sebastian to help instead of Lee. This causes a heart rift and Lee has to leave because his heart no longer resonates with his sisters landscapes. In Vision, A Shaman named Danyal is assigned as Keeper of the Souther Asylum. Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar, a Tryad, meets Danyal and finds uot from Helper Kobrah that she (Kobrah) is meeting a strange man (Teaser) in her dreams who takes her for walks. A corrupt Bridge lures Lee to a group of wizards who kidnap Lee and abuse him, trying to get Glorianna so they can kill her. They leave Lee in the Southern Asylum in Vision where the Zhahar aspect of Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar fall for him and Danyal dismisses the man looking over Lee. Lee recovers and learns that several of the Asylum residents resonate with Glorianna's landscapes. Michael, in an attempt to rescue Lee, tells Ephemera to send Lee messages. Ephemera does so in the form of broken watches and clocks. Lee teaches the Sholeh aspect about the different demon races seen in the Den of Iniquity.

The Zeela aspect is badly wounded and it's showing on the Zhahar aspect. Lee and Danyal get help and Meddik Benham heals her, though there's not much he can do with the limited facilities at the Asylum. When Danyal and Lee discuss Ephemera, Danyal doesn't believe the landscape can do everything and foolishly wishes for gems--gems pop out of the ground. After Danyal is attacked by a Dark Guide, he ends up in the Den. An Apothecary helps Lee, Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar, Kobrah and a Knife flee to Tryadnea. Danyal tells lee's family about the situation in Vision and they agree to help, as soon as Lee is safe. Lee tells Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar's mother, Morragen Medusah a Zephyra, to say "Heart's Hope lies with Belladonna." She does and Glorianna, and Sebastian, appear and anchor Tryadnea to the Den. Morragen Medusah a Zephyra is disturbed by the knowledge that Glorianna was one aspect split in to two ways and will try and help heal her. Glorianna and Ephemera create a border that the Tryad can cross over. It leads to the Den. They all cross over. After a day in the Den, they go to Aurora. It turns out that the Zeela aspect doesn't resonate with Aurora and Zhahar doesn't resonate with the Den. Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar suspect taht Allone--a Tryad who sacrificed her sisters to love a one aspect being--crossed over and is planning on causing trouble in Tryadnea. Lee and Zhahar argue and the border to Tryadnea slowly fades away.

Glorianna Belladonna suspects Zhahar is connected to it in some way. They confront Zhahar about the change and Zeela says it was her (meaning Zeela) that wanted to sever ties to protect Sholeh and Zhahar. Leaving that aside, Glorianna and Danyal and Yoshani go back to Vision to help the Shamans, but Lee, Kobrah, Apothecary, Knife, Michael and Sebastian follow using Lee's island. Ephemera placed makers sand in the Shaman Place of Light and Glorianna tells Danyal that he's the caretaker of a couple acres of playground. The others appear and being to settle in. Danyal goes back to his asylum and kills the wizards and Dark Guide using plants found in the Eater's former place. Glorianna and Lee help Danyal heal then return to Aurora. Glorianna performs Heart's Justice on Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar. Danyal and Lee set up a school called Seeing Heart in Vision. Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar ends up in a different part of Vision and, after training with the Knives, leave that part of Vision and travel to Seeing Heart. Danyal gives them jobs and Zhahar hopes she and Lee can find love.

All in all, a great read and addition to Bishop's Ephemera series. Wonderful prose, magic, romance, and fantasy. Any fan of real fantasy and romance will find this an enjoyable read.

Book Review: Star Wars: X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble SPOILERS!

In 1996, author Michael A. Stackpole returned to pen a second Star Wars X-Wing novel. This time, the Battle for Coruscant is the deciding blow against Imperial Forces as Rogue Squadron takes center stage ont eh metropolis world. Synopsis: Sleek, swift, and deadly, they are the X-wing fighters. And as the battle against the Empire rages across the vastness of space, the pilots risk both their lives and their machines for the cause of the Rebel Alliance. Now they must embark on a dangerous espionage mission, braving betrayal and death on the Imperial homeworld to smash the power of a ruthless foe! It is the evil heart of a battered and reeling Empire: Coruscant, the giant city-world from whose massive towers the Imperial High Command directs the war. The Rebels will invade this mighty citadel in a daring move to bring the Empire to its knees. But first Wedge Antilles and his X-wing pilots must infiltrate Coruscant to gain vital intelligence information. Capture means death, or worse--enslavement by the vicious leader known as "Iceheart," Ysanne Isard, now Emperor in all but name. And one of Rogue Squadron's own is already her slave, a traitor hidden behind a mask of innocence, working to betray both colleagues and the Rebellion itself.

The novel opens with Corran Horn and two Y-Wing bombers of Champion Squadron as they battle Imperial TIE-Fighters and the freighter Vengeance Derra IV above Borleias. The Imperials are a scouting team from Warlord Zsinj as he assesses the New Republic's forward base in the push for Coruscant. The Imperials lose and Vengeance flees. Cmdr. Wedge Antilles welcomes Capt. Aril Nunb and Lt. Pash Cracken to Rogue Squadron. Corran's suspicious of Tycho Celchu, believing him to be a spy for Ysanne "Iceheart" Isard when he was captured and imprisoned on Lusankya. The Rogues and the Katarn Commandos, led by Lt. Judder Page, break some high risk prisoners out of Kessel to aid in the taking of Coruscant: mainly Black Sun members such as Zekka Thyne, Fliry Vorru, and others, including Inyri Forge, sister of recently deceased Lujayne Forge. The Rogues are told, in groups of two, about the Coruscant campaign. Corran's paired up with Erisi Dlarit. On Coruscant, Kirtan Loor and General Evir Derricote concoct the Krytos virus and figure out how best to distribute it so that when the New Republic takes Coruscant, the aliens all die. Kirtan wants to do so without harming every species to encourage the dissident aliens to join the fledgling Galactic Empire. Gavin Darklighter, Nawara Ven, Rhysati Ynr, and Aril Nunb learn from the Bothan Asyr Sei'lar and her friends that Imperials are capturing aliens for unknown reasons. The Imps raid the place where Asyr and her friends are about to kill Gavin for being a bigot. Gavin saves Asyr from death but Aril Nunb is captured. Everyone regroups and Thyne's wounded. Corran voices his suspicion about Tycho, but Wedge tells him to leave it. Loor threatens Derricote over the fate of all Sullustans. The Imps storm Rogue Squadron's hide-hole and Thyne dies, but not before revealing to Corran that he and a Rogue Squadron member betrayed them to the Imperials. Corran suspects Tycho even further. Tycho arrives and tells Wedge that they have 48 hours to take out Coruscant's shields. The shields fall and the Battle for Coruscant begins. During the battle, Corran is shot down. The battle ends and Tycho is arrested for Corran's murder. In Lusankya, Isard taunts Corran about breaking him like she did Tycho.

One of the best X-Wing novels by Stackpole. It vividly details that entire operation to take Coruscant away from Imperial forces. A great read for anyone interested in the X-Wing series and ship fighting and stealth operations in general.

Book Review: Honor Harrington: In Enemy Hands SPOILERS!

In 1997, David Weber returned with another thrilling novel set in his Honorverse. This time, Honor's captured by the enemy and her only hope of rescue lies in a dicey bit of betrayal from a friend and that not all Peeps are evil. Synopsis: Honor Harrington's career has its ups and downs. She's survived ship-to-ship battles, assassins, political vendettas, and duels. She's been shot at, shot down, and just plain shot, had starships blown out from under her, and made personal enemies who will stop at nothing to ruin her, and somehow she's survived it all. But this time she's really in trouble. The People's Republic of Haven has finally found an admiral who can win battles, and Honor's orders take her straight into an ambush. Outnumbered, outgunned, and unable to run, she has just two options: see the people under her command die in a hopeless, futile battle... or surrender them-and herself-to the People's Republic of Haven. There can only be one choice, and at least the People's Navy promises to treat their prisoners honorably. But the Navy is overruled by the political authorities, and Honor finds herself bound for a prison planet aptly named "Hell" ... and her scheduled execution. Put into solitary confinement, separated from her officers and her treecat Nimitz, and subjected to systematic humiliation by her jailers, Honor's future has become both bleak and short. Yet bad as things look, they're about to get worse ... for the People's Republic of Haven.

The novel opens with Cordelia Ransom arguing with Oscar Saint-Just and Rob Pierre about letting Esther McQueen have a seat on the Committee. Honor Harrington, accompanied by her armsmen and part of Nimitz's clan, land on Grayson and later talk shop with Hamish Alexander. Citizen Admiral Thomas Theisman, Citizen Commander Warner Caslet, and Commissioner Denis LePic also talk shop on the borders of the Haven Republic. Honor, on board HMS Prince Adrien--with Alistair McKeon--head out to protect cargo ships going to the Adler system. Ester McQueen begins  to settle into her role and use it as a way to pull a coup. Meanwhile, Citizen Rear Admiral Lester Tourville plans to take the fight to the Adler system. Cordellia Ransom arrives at Barnett system to oversee Theisman and tells him she plans to dispense with the Deneb Accords--something Theisman happens to value. At Clairmont, Vice Admiral of the Red Dame Madeleine Sorbanne received word that Tourville's taken Adler and nothing can save Honor's two ships. At Adler, and after a short fight, Honor orders McKeon to surrender.

Tourville dispatches a message to Theisman, unaware that Ransom is there. Theisman, Caslet, LePic, and Ransom arrive to take Honor prisoner and have her killed to some trumped up charges for the incident at Basilisk (HH1:OBS). Ransom orders Nimitz killed but Citizen Lieutenant Shannon Foraker lies  by saying that if Nimitz dies, then so does honor which Dr. Fritz Montoya corroborates. It's a lie that everyone but Ransom and her goons knows is a lie. Ransom takes the senior officers and Honor, with Caslet to the Cerberus system to execute Honor. Faking to switch sides, Senior Chief Petty Officer Horace Harkness sabotages Ransom's ship and rescues the officers and Caslet and Honor. During the fight to escape, armsman Jamie Candless sacrifices himself to ensure Honor gerts away. Harkness, as they flee in a damaged pinnace, has a second pinnace bring up its impeller wedge in the hangar, which destroys Ransom's ship and Ransom. Tourville, on his own ship, erases the records of what happened, stating that Honor deserved better than to be disintegrated in Ransom's ship. In the epilogue, Honor, with destroyed implants and missing an arm, wakes up on Hades with Harkness, Tremaine, McKeon, Caslet, Fritz, Nimitz, LaFollet and a few dozen others, saying that the Peeps are outnumbered here.

All in all, a very decent novel with enough action and world-building to satisfy any number of sci-fi lovers. Weber continues to show his masterful characterizations with any character no matter how great of small. A wonderful addition to the Honorverse. 

Upcoming book reviews

Okay, sorry, but that last list I made was way too long with too many books. From here on out, I'm just sticking with the series I've started.

Confirmed:
Honor Harrington (from In Enemy Hands on up, including the Saganami duology and Torch Slaves duology) by David Weber with Eric Flint [This will take a while to do, so bear with me]
The Old Republic: Annihilation by Drew Karpyshyn [It comes out soon, that's all I know]
Halo: The Thursday War by Karen Traviss [haven't visited Barnes and Noble yet this month]
Halo: Cryptum by Greg Bear [I will get around to it in about three weeks or so]
Halo: Primordium by Greg Bear [when my library gets it]

Star Wars X-Wing series (from Wedge's Gamble on up) by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston [can do from home, but they're all in different boxes, so please be patient. I'm also loaning them to a friend, so it will take a while]

Possibilities:
The Vorkosigan Saga (from Brothers In Arms upward) by Lois McMaster Bujold. Was going to do this, but the local library no longer has Brothers or Mirror Dance or Memory.
The Wess'har series by Karen Traviss
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (broken into two parts) by JRR Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (broken into two parts) by JRR Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (broken into two parts) by JRR Tolkien

I will try and post regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the future, but if Life takes a different turn, then I may be forced to change the posting schedule. I'll let you all know in advance if I can.

Book Review: Honor Harrington: Honor Among Enemies SPOILERS!

In February of 1996, David Weber published a massive 538 page novel about Honor Harrington coming back into the Manticoran Navy via Klaus Hauptman who wants to use this chance to rid himself of both piracy and Honor. Synopsis: For Captain Honor Harrington, it's sometimes hard to know who the enemy really is. Despite political foes, professional jealousies, and the scandal that drove her into exile, she's been offered a chance to reclaim her career as an officer of the Royal Manticoran Navy. But there's a catch. She must assume command of a "squadron" of jury-rigged armed merchantmen with crew drawn from the dregs of her service and somehow stop the pirates who have taken advantage of the Havenite War to plunder the Star Kingdom's commerce. That would be hard enough, but some of the "pirates" aren't exactly what they seem . . . and neither are some of her "friends." For Honor has been carefully chosen for her mission - by two implacable and powerful enemies. The way they see it, either she stops the raiders or the raiders kill her . . . and either way, they win.

The novel opens with Manticoran Captain Harold Sukowski, working for the Hauptman Catrel, making a cargo run in the Silesian Confederacy when a pirate group ambushes and captures him and his crew. In the Star Kingdom of Manticore, Klaus Hauptman demands that something be done. When nothing happens, Hauptman suggests to Reginald Houseman and Erika Dempsey that they petition to bring Honor back to patrol the Confederacy and discover the people behind the pirate attacks. Houseman is against it but is convinced when he realizes that Honor would die fighting the Silesian pirates. On Grayson, Adml. Hamish Alexander (Earl White Haven) brings news to Honor that she's being reactivated in the Royal Manticoran Navy, but still a captain. Honor agrees and during the few months she and hew four Q-ships are in the Silesian Confederacy, pirate activity is reduced. Havenite Citizen Commander Warner Caslet ambushes pirates and recovers Harold and his crew. During another pirate attack, Warner and his crew plus Harold are captured by Honor. From pooled information, Honor learns that the formerly deceased pirate leader, Andre Warnecke, is still alive and has taken over Marsh and she puts an end to his activities and Warnecke. In a vicious duel with a Havenite ship, Hauptman and his daughter, Stacey--both believing Honor's a loose cannon after Basilisk and that she's dead--travel to the Silesian Confederacy to do the task themselves and their ship is wounded. Honor rescues them and transfers her wounded crew to Hauptman's ship.

Hauptman orders Honor to escort his daughter back to Manticore, but Honor refuses as her ship has minimal life support left and that she's going to draw the Havenite ship away, allowing for Hauptman's ship to make repairs. Stacy, seeing what Honor is really like, tells her dad to shut up and be grateful that Honor's willing to die luring the Havenite ship away. Rafael Cardones, Prescott "Scotty" Tremaine, Horace Harkness, and several new characters--Ginger Lewis, Yoshiro Tatsumi, Dr. Angela Ryder, Harold Tschu, and Aubrey Wanderman and several others--stay with Honor and help her lure the Havenite ship away. In that fight, harold is kiled and his treecat Samantha, in a cage with Nimitz, goes into a near catatonic state, despite being pregnant with Nimitz's kittens. Both ships heavily damage one another and end up drifting too close the the Veil. Agreeing that Warfare can support more people and work out who's who's prisoner after a rescue, the Havenites join the Manticorans on their ship. With life support failing, Honor and the Havenite captain try and keep up good spirits. A Manticoran pinnace from Hauptman's ship arrives and they begin transfers back to Hauptman's ship with the Havenites becoming POWs. Hauptman invites Honor to dinner to prove to Stacy that he's apologized to Honor over his behavior here and at Basilisk and offers the use ot the Hauptman Cartel should Honor ever need help again as repayment for the sacrifices she endured on their behalf. In the end, Honor transfers Caslet and his fellow Havenite POWs to the Andermani Empire.

All in all, a well paced, lengthy novel with a big side plot featuring Ginger Lewis, Aubrey Wanderman, Horace Harkness and four technicians who want to desert. Aubrey suffers injuries and harassment by Randy Steilman--the leader of the rogue technicians and a brute--while learning how to defend himself with the aid of Horace Harkness. Ginger is wounded in the process and Aubrey bests Steilman in a fight. Honor puts Steilman and his friends in the stockade; they die during the fight with the Havenites at the end. That subplot is one-third of the novel itself. David Weber shows just why he's the best military sci-fi author out there, surpassing the best of the best with his attention to detail and world-building. A great read for any fan of military science fiction.

Book Review: The Ephemera Series: Belladonna SPOILERS!

In 2007, Anne Bishop returned to her Landscapes of Ephemera for another chapter in the story, this time focusing heavily on Glorianna Belladonna, her love life, and the events in another part of Ephemera. Plus, Glorianna becomes even more evil that the Eater and we see how well It takes that. Synopsis: The thrilling follow-up to Sebastian. The Eater of the World continues to spread its dark influence across the realm of Ephemera, corrupting people's souls with doubts and fears. Only Glorianna Belladonna possesses the ability to thwart the Eater's plans. But she has been branded a rogue, and must stand alone against the encroaching entity. But she is not alone. In dreams, a call has traveled throughout Ephemera-"Heart's hope lies within Belladonna"-and reached Michael, a man with mysterious powers of his own. It awakens a fierce hunger within him to find the dark-haired sorceress he's dreamt of-a beautiful woman named Belladonna. Together, they may be Ephemera's only hope.

The novel opens with Glorianna Belladona and Sebastian pondering if the Eater of the World is dead. Two weeks earlier, in the town of Dunberry, a woman died to It (Eater of the World). In the present, the Magician, Michael, attempts to use his magic gift for listening to people's souls to sooth the town and lighten Dunberry. On the White Isle, Sister Merrill and Sister Shaela travel to Raven's Hill to demand (Merrill demands) that their former Sister, Brighid, force her nieve, Caitlin Marie--Michael's sister--to give them heart's hope and belladonna plants for a prayer cicle. They git it to them and send them off, Merrill, Shaela, and the other Sisters manage to separate White Isle from that realm of Ephemera. It is angered and attacks a convoy of ships. Michael, scared and angry, attacked at Raven's Hill by the Eater and hate-filled villagers, crosses a boarder and ends up in one of Glorianna's dark landscapes. Caitlin wants to go somewhere safe and ends up in the Bonelover's landscape. Michael travels to the Den of Iniquity and Sebastian takes him to Gloriana via a dock and boat that Michael must use. He passes the River's Test, then Glorianna's. She's puzzled by the fat that Michael has some kind of connection to the "wild child" (as Michael calls Ephemera) and takes him to meet her family and see that Caitlin ended up in Aurora, Nadia's home. After getting to know Glorianna, Michael realizes that she's the Warrior of Light and according to a story, she must drink from the Dark Cup to trap Evil and become the thing that Evil fears. Even though both of them are falling for each other, they hesitate to take things further.

Glorianna, Lee, Michael, and Caitlin travel back to Raven's Hill. Michael and Lee learn from Captain Kenneday that, though the White Isle is visible, no one can reach it. Gloriana tells Caitlin that her secret, hidden, unseen garden is at Raven's Hill because Caitlin needs it to be and that's it's grounded elsewhere. The four of them decide to take Brighid back to the White Isle via Kenneday's ship. When they can't reach it, Lee creates a Bridge and they cross over to the White Isle. Merrill will let Brighid back into the Place of Light if she leaves and denounces the evil (Michael, Caitlin, Lee, and Glorianna). Merrill, loathing Caitlin because she's a "sorceress," says, at the same time Caitlin does, that "I don't want you."* In response, Ephemera shatters the White Isle, creating a sort of moat around the Place of Light. Lee creates Sentinel Stones in the lake to guide people coming and going. Glorianna and Brighid learn from Shaela that people from Darling's Harbor--on the White Isle--have been searching for the Heart Seer for twelve years, since Caitlin found Darling's Garden. Caitlin settles in and Brighid does the same in Sanctuary. Sebastian tells Michael that he (Michael) is both a threat and a promise. Learning that the Eater is striking in his territories, Michael tells Gloriana about the Warrior of Light. After spending one private day with Michael, Gloriana goes back to the remains of the Landscapers School and lures most of the Dark Guides and the Eater there. She then seals off that landscape and sheds all her light and becomes the thing that Evil fears. It realizes, after being harmed by Its former friends that It needs light to survive. Lee is angry at Michael. Michael asks Sebastian to help him get Glorianna out of that pure dark landscape. Ephemera pulls Gloriana out after months of her family and Michael sending her gifts. She comes back as two halves of a whole. Michael and Sebastian both are glad that Glorianna is back.

All in all, a great read and one of the best fantasy-romance novels I've read in a while. So much world building and magic and romance to fill a novel and keep you entertained for a couple of weeks. Definitely worth reading for any fan of Fantasy and Romance.

Book Review: Honor Harrington: Flag In Exile SPOILERS!

In September of 1995, David Weber published Honor Harrington: Flag In Exile, which features Honor and Nimitz on Grayson, exiled from Manticore, where they attempt to help build Harrington Steading while both the Havenites and religious zealots attempt to thwart her--the former doesn't even know she's there, and the latter are Graysonites who are too set in their ways and can't handle the idea of a woman in charge. Synopsis: Hounded into retirement and disgrace by political enemies, cut to the heart by the murder of the man she loved, and bereft of confidence in herself and her abilities, Captain Honor Harrington has retreated to the planet Grayson to take up her role as Steadholder while she tries to heal her bitter wounds. But the People's Republic of Haven is rising from defeat to threaten Grayson anew, and the newborn Grayson Navy needs her experience desperately. It's a call Honor cannot refuse, yet even as she once more accepts the duty whose challenges she fears she can no longer meet, powerful men who hate and fear the changes she's brought to their world are determined to reverse them. They have a plan ... and for it to succeed Honor Harrington must die. Two irresistible forces are rushing together to crush Grayson between them, and only one woman uncertain of her capabilities, weary unto death, and marked for murder-stands between her adopted planet and its devastation.Two irresistible forces are rushing together to crush Grayson between them. Only one woman--uncertain of her capabilities, weary unto death, and marked for murder--stands between her adopted planet and its devastation.

The novel opens with Adml White Haven, aboard HMS Queen Caitrin, under attack by Havenites. On Grayson, High Admiral Wesley Matthews tells Protector Benjamin IX that he wants Honor Harrington in the Grayson Space Navy for her battle experience by Mayhew doesn't believe that, even after nearly a year, that Honor's not recovered from losing Paul. In Harrington Steading, Honor attends a dedication of the city dome with her armsman Andrew LaFollet, treecat Nimitz, and her Regent Howard Clinkscales plus the Reverend Julius Hanks of the Church of Humanity Unchained. Brother Marchant, a member of William Fitzclarence--Lord Burdette's--Steading, disrupts the gathering and insults Honor because she's not a subservient woman or a member of the Church of Humanity Unchained; it goes too far and the Harrington Steaders descend on him. While her armsmen escort Marchant away, Hanks assures Honor that Marchant will be "dealt with." Marchant is expelled from the Church. HAdml Matthews visits Honor and asks her to accept the position of Admiral in the GSN on the Terrible with the entire First Battle Squadron. In Haven, Chairmen Robert S. Pierre of the Committee of Public Safety activates Operation Stalking Horse and Operation Dagger. Back on Grayson, Honor begins her duties as Admiral with Captain Alfredo Yu as her flag captain and Captain (Junior Grade) Mercedes Brigham. As Honor gets situated on GSN Terrible, Burdette plots with Marchant and Steadholders Mueller and Mackenzie to ruin Honor.

The Havenites are gearing up to attack the Yeltsin System. At a Grayson SkyDomes Ltd construction site, a dome collapses, killing dozens of workers and children. Honor is shocked by this especially when people begin to blame her for the incident and deaths. Adam Gerrick and a couple of his men find out the truth and inform Honor. As Honor, Adam, Reverend Hanks, LaFollet and Nimitz and Jared Sutton, in a pinnance, leave Terrible for Grayson for a special Keys meeting led by Mayhew IX, when it's attacked. Adam and a couple of armsmen die when the pinnance crashes. LaFollet searches the ship for survivors, assassins attack Honor, but kill Hanks when he throws himself in front of her to save her. One assassin is captured and confesses all. Mueller overhears about the affair and sends his armsmen to Burdette Steading to arrest Marchant while Second Elder Jeremiah Sullivan gets the truth from the assassin, Edward Julian Martin. Mayhew keeps the Keys in the Conclave and tells them what happened and demands to know how it came to this. When no one answers, Honor enters and names Burdette as the mastermind. He admits it and challenges Honor, Mayhew's champion, to a duel to preserve God's righteousness. Honor accepts, despite her woulds and slays Burdette in a sword duel. Immediately afterwards, she returns to the Terrible and Operation Dagger jumps in. After a brief battle, Honor destroys the first wave and chases off the second group of Havenites. She's honored again on Grayson; Mueller is scared of her and will bide his time, while putting on a cheerful and thankful face.

All in all, a decent novel that is the best in show-casing world building. The entire novel is focused on Grayson and the Grayson Space Navy as well as a male-dominated society with heavy  politics and religion intermixed together becoming exposed to someone like Honor Harrington.

Book Review: The Hobbit SPOILERS!

In 1935, J.R.R. Tolkien published a tale known as The Hobbit. It stars and features a story around Bilbo Baggins. It's also, according to a friend of mine, intended to be a child's book, but the omniscient prose and lengthy story seem to hint that it's more adult, as the prose shows. Synopsis: Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.

The novel opens with a lengthy description of a typical Hobbit hole/house and the Baggins family line. Eventually, we're introduced to Bilbo Baggins, who's a recluse and hates adventure. Gandalf shows up and asks for Bilbo's assistance as a thief for a dwarf treasure party led by Thorin Oakenshield, who wants to reclaim his family castle and treasure from the dragon, Smaug. Despite being reluctant and clumsy, trolls, goblins, large spiders, and the ever insane Gollum, Bilbo and company manage to make it to the Lonely Mountain. Despite his fears, Bilbo challenges Smaug. Smaug, angrily, attacks Bilbo and Thorin and the dwarves. They hole up in a hidden tunnel. Smaug then tries to kill the elves and humans in Esgaroth, but the Bard kills Smaug with a black arrow. The Bard attempts to talk to Thorin, but Thorin rejects all such things, even after Bilbo gives the Bard the Arkenstone of Thrain to use as a bargaining chip. A fight breaks out between the Bard and Thorin, drawing in the elves and dwarves over the stolen elven treasure and Arkenstone. The goblins attack, taking advantage of the fight to wreck vengeance on Dain, a relative of Thorin, and his band for the troubles that are never seen. Bilbo is knocked out during the fight and comes to just before Thorin dies of his wounds. Bilbo goes home and finds out that everyone, including his relatives, thought he was dead, and were in the process of auctioning off his stuff. Over the course of a few years, Bilbo is given back his possessions and is considered an oddity when he decides to continue to meet up with his dwarf and elven friends.

All in all, a decent novel if you can get past the pages of prose that do nothing except set up the landscape and family lines of certain characters. With certain content, it is not appropriate for children of any age. It also comes across as a Dungeons and Dragons RPG campaign without the looting from dead corpses.

Addendum: Also, during that fight between the elves and dwarves when the goblins start attacking, yeah. Apparently, there's something major that happens that the novel really brushes over because Bilbo is knocked unconscious. That major something happens to be that the elves and dwarves are fighting together for the first time EVARZZZZ! Yeah, I was being sarcastic when I wrote "evarzzzz." Tolkien really just brushes that fact aside with the goblins attacking both elves and dwarves that he turns around and knocks his main character unconscious so that we don't ever get to really see the whole damn event. That's a cheap and lazy way to speed up the end of a book, especially for a man who's got this weird love-affair/obsession with the English language. You'd think he'd try and describe the battle, but no, he just knocks Bilbo unconscious and then has him wake up after the battle. A very obsessed fan who's also a friend of mine pointed this out, ranting about it. Really, the entire affair was so small by comparison for someone to forget it. People forget most of Bujold's tiny details in her books and do just fine. It's only the major, hardcore, obsessive fans who nitpick at things like this. I mean, really, how many of you actually recognized that as a momentus event? Be honest.

Book Review: Close Contact: An Alien Affains novel SPOILERS!

In June 2010, Katherine Allred and EOS published a sequel to Close Encounters. It's called Close Contact and features a new main character, Echo Adams, who is also a GEP, a spaceship named Lillith, a dragon bird named Periwinkle or Peri for short, and a new planet. Yes, it is first person and from the perspective of Echo. Synopsis: GEPs just want to have fun . . . A Genetically Engineered Person and self-proclaimed "party girl," Echo Adams loves her diplomatic job entertaining alien bigwigs for the Galactic Federation. But the Bureau of Alien Affairs has discovered she's much more than she thinks—that a rogue scientist endowed her with skills and psi abilities dwarfing those of common GEPs. And suddenly Echo's luxury life is over, replaced with a far more dangerous one: a special agent expected to not only chase bad guys but eliminate them. Echo hates being stuck on Madrea—a planet of technophobes off limits to Federation visitors—hunting for a stolen quartz crystal with a powerful alien life form embedded inside. She despises the Bureau's restrictive rules—especially the one warning her away from the dangerously seductive commander of the king's army. And if she doesn't learn how to use her alleged super-psi powers soon, her partying days—in fact all of her days—will be over for good.

The novel opens with GEP Echo Adams--former party girl, current Alien Affairs agent who hates Kiera Smith for ruining her life because of the events of Close Encounters and the revelation that Gertz-made GEPs have psi abilities--being tested by Dr. Daniels in a room full of Orpheus crystals and is both delighted and bothered when Echo bonds with e Imadei--the little sister to the Sumantti, which is the daughter of the Limantii--and decides which assignment she's going on. Daniels and Kiera tell Echo that the Sumantti was kidnapped and no one, not even the Limantii, can tell where the Daughter Stone (Sumantti) is. The ship Lillith--who's obsessed with Kiera's ship Max--is assigned to Echo and Gem and Rayda's last offspring Periwinkle bonds with Echo, much to Echo's dislike. Using the Imadei, Echo locates the Sumantti on the planet Madrea in the Trinal System on the Sagittarius arm close to where it intercepts the main disc of the Milky Way Galaxy. Madrea is banned and its citizens want nothing to do with the Galactic Federation. Daniels give her permission to go and Echo arrives, dressed as a Madrean and, accidentally agianst orders, runs into the commander of the king's army, Reynard du'Marr. He's also a friend of King Politaus. 

Over the next couple of weeks and while searching for the Sumantti via the Imadei, Echo performs at her contacts--Marcus's--bar. She and Reynard start falling in live. Echo psychically finds out that the Suamntii and two girls named Banca and Gaia are held captive in the palace by Politaus's brother, Braxus--who is deformed and also the eldest son--and Losif Strand, leader of Helios One in the Galactic Federation. Echo's psi ability is to travel in ghost for, but only with people who's scent/memory she has picked up. Strand wants the abundant Sunstar gems of the planet for himself to pay for a war against the Federation. Reynard and Echo have sex, somethings that normally done after a promise ring is given to the woman (this giving of the ring counts as marriage). After being trapped for a couple of hours and with the help of allies, and after learning that Strand and Braxus used Echo's knife to kill Politaus, Echo, Reynard, Peri and a soldier loyal to both Politaus and Reynard, fight to free the Sumantti. Gaia is being tortured by the Sumantti--who's scared and pissed off at being trapped in a stasis box--while Banca, the other girl, wants the power and kills braxus. Reynard kils Strand. 

Echo fights Banca and the Sumantti to free Gaia. With no other choice, Echo shifts all the power and symbionts into Gaia. This causes Banca to revert back to her quiet self and child-like.  Echo and Reynard--because he's now married to Echo and, with Politause dead, has no reason to stay behind--with Peri leave with the girls and crystal. Strand's backers break up and the Galactic Federations cracks their whip, so to speak. Reynard, it turns out, loves the technology of the GF. Dr. Daniels gives Echo the job of being his assistant as she was never happy being an agent in the first place. 

All in all, a well paced, decent novel and excellent sequel to Close Encounters: An Alien Affairs novel. Katherine Allred shows us that not all GEPs can measure up to Kiera Smith and that Echo's ambitions are far simpler than otherwise stated. I hope there's a third book in the works because this universe is just too great to end after two books.

Book Review: Close Encounters: An Alien Affairs novel SPOILERS!

Written by Katherine Allred, and published by EOS in April 2009, it depicts a GEP (Genetically Engineered Person) saving a planet's inhabitants from being exploited by a corrupt company who wants the rights to mine the planet for its crystals and they'll stop at nothing to achieve their goal, but neither does the heroine, Kiera Smith and her pet rockcat Crigo. Synopsis: Kiera Smith is not like ordinary Genetically Engineered Persons . . . The Bureau of Alien Affairs needed a special GEP agent with empathic abilities to handle their most extraordinary assignments—and a rogue geneticist saw to it that Kiera fit their specifications. But she turned out stronger, faster, smarter, and more impervious to harm than anyone anticipated. A reluctant "superhero," Kiera wishes she were normal, but it is not to be. On Orpheus Two, the indigenous Buri race faces extinction, a prospect the powerful Dynatec corporation welcomes and, in fact, may be actively hastening. It is Kiera's job to protect these beautiful, exotic aliens . . . and to discover what there is on Orpheus Two that Dynatec feels is worth killing for. But the magnetic allure of Thor, the breathtaking Buri leader, is proving a dangerous distraction. And now, to save Thor's people, Kiera will need a power she's never before possessed—something hidden in the unexplored recesses of her heart.

On her way to newly discovered Orpheus Two, GEP and Alien Affairs agent Kiera Smith and her rockcat Crigo, on her spaceship Max, are sent to investigate Dynatec's claim of Chapter Twenty--meaning that the sentient species is dying out and Dynatec wants the planet. Once there, the Dynatec crew, led by the sadistic mercenary Frisk and his GEP boss and lover, Quilla Dorn, try and suborn Kiera but it's no use as the Buri--the resident sentient species--leader, a man Kiera calls Thor, wants Kiera for a lover. Thor believes that Kiera is the Shushanna--the one meant to help his people (refugees from a centuries-dead planet) repopulate. After the majority of two months goes by, and offering asylum to GEP scientist Thomas Redfield and Dynatec crew member Claudia Karle, Kiera figures out that the Buri were once the Ashwani and left their home planet when it was dying. As such, Thor's people already colonized the planet so Dynatec loses its claim. Kiera and Thor marry during a ceremony and Kiera--much to her anger--becomes the Shushanna. Kiera tells her boss, Dr. Daniels--the head of Alien Affairs--and he takes it to a judge. Papers are signed but Dorn and Frisk hired pirates to wipe out the Buri and Kiera so they can have the planet. And they do this for the one thing Orpheus II has, the Limantii--a sentient crystal that only the Shushanna can use. Crigo kills Frisk while a dragon bird named Gem leads the other dragon birds to kill Dorn after she (Dorn) kills Thor. Accepting the power of the Limantii, Kiera alerts Dr. Daniels to the plot and then resurrects Thor. Dynatec pulls their crew off Orpheus II, but Claudia stays behind to get married to a Buri warrior named Ghost. Daniels takes Thomas back to Federation space to have him rehabilitated and retrain him for Alien Affairs. Keira is appointed to Orpheus II as a liaison between the Buri and the Federation. She remains behind with Thor with the promise of coming back to HQ for occasional updates in person.

Despite it being all first person, which--if you haven't guessed by now--I can't stand, it is really a superb novel and closely bridges the kilometers-wide hole that is true romance in the realm of science fiction. I highly recommend this one for any fan of romance and sic-fi.

Book Review: Honor Harrington: Field of Dishonor SPOILERS!

Published in October 1994 by Baen Books, author David Weber returns to his ever-popular military science fiction universe in the Honor Harrington series and weaves a tale of politics, honor, and intrigue in Field of Dishonor. Synopsis: Honor betrayed. The People's Republic of Haven's sneak attack on the Kingdom of Manticore has failed. The Peeps are in disarray, their leaders fighting for power in a bloody revolution, and the Royal Manticoran Navy stands victorious. But Manticore has domestic problems of their own, and success can be more treacherous than defeat for Honor Harrington. Now, trapped at the core of a political crisis she never sought, betrayed by an old and vicious enemy she'd thought vanquished forever, she stands alone. She must fight for justice on a battlefield she never trained for in a private war that offers just two choices: death...or a "victory" that can end only in dishonor and the loss of all she loves.

The novel opens with the Manticoran Judge Advocate General Board reviewing the final moments of the Battle of Hancock Station and arrives at the decision that Pavel Young needs to be tried in a court-martial. Baron High Ridge demands answers for this from Admiral of the Green Hamish Alexander (a.k.a. White Haven) and Duke Cromarty, who refuses to change their positions, so High Ridge threatens to have the Conservative Association oppose the war with Haven. On HMS Nike, Honor delivers Young to Manticore for his trial. It's overseen by Adml. White Haven, Capt Thor Simengaard, Commodore Lemaitre, Adml. Thedosia Kuzak, Adml. Sonja Hemphill, and RAdml. Rexford Jurgens. Pavel's father, Lord Dimitri Young--the current Earl of North Hollow--works hard to try and free his son of "injustice." Young is declared guilty of violating Articles 23 and 26 of the Articles of War, exposing units of the task force to severe damage, and casualties, but is dismissed of the two things that would've had him in front of a firing squad: the 4th and 5th charges as Hamish and company are unable to reach a verdict. In short, Pavel Young is stripped of all "rank, rights, privileges, and prerogatives as a Captain in the Royal Manticoran Navy and dishonorably dismissed from the Service as unfit to wear the Queen's uniform, judgement to be executed in three days."*

At this announcement, Dimitri dies of a heart attack and High Ridge petitions to get Pavel Young instated as the current Earl North Hollow, giving him a seat on the Lords, something Honor is uneasy with. Repairs on the Nike are ongoing and Honor is assigned to Task Force Four under command of Adml. Hamish Alexander and he has her go to oversee her Steading on Grayson. After a few weeks, Honor learns that her lover, Paul Tankersley, was killed by the assassin and former member of the Manticoran Marines Denver Summervale. Summervale killed Paul on Young's command as revenge against Harrington. Honor returns to Manticore and challenges Summervale to a duel--something that Summervale always wins in--and kills him. She badgers the Lords into giving her her seat--something long overdue since The Honor of the Queen--and challenges Young to a duel. White Haven orders Honor not to follow through--which is an illegal order and they both know it--but Honor does go through with it. She kills Young after he cowardly disobeys the dueling rules and wounds Honor. In response, Honor is exiled from Manticore, at least until the current political anger is gone. In the end, Honor leaves for Grayson, intending to stay there during her exile.

All in all, a great read and, though somewhat heavy in politics, is a rather satisfying conclusion to the Honor-Pavel tension. It seemed as though Weber knew that if he kept Pavel alive for any more books, the readers would've left the series because the tension would've gotten old.

*page 119 of the mass market paperback version