Book Review: Star Wars: X-Wing: The Bacta War SPOILERS!

In 1997, Michael A. Stackpole polished off his X-Wing saga with The Bacta War. This time, Rogue Squadron's deprived of New Republic resources as they take back control of Thyferra--the biggest manufacturer of bacta galaxy-wide--from the hands of Ysanne Isard. Synopsis: While the Alliance fleet mounts a major campaign against a deadly warlord, Ysanne Isard has seized control of Thyferra, intending to use its precious supply of bacta to destabilize and destroy the New Republic. It falls to Rogue Squadron--undermanned, deprived of Alliance support and even weapons--to oppose Isard's dangerous designs, defeat her powerful complement of Star Destroyers, and free Thyferra from her iron rule. But when Isard discovers the Squadron's secret base, its ragtag group of pilots must scramble for survival in a winner-take-all battle against Isard's overwhelming and seemingly superior force.

The novel opens with Corran Horn and Mirax Terrik talking about their new found freedom. Meanwhile, Wedge Antilles and Tycho Celchu check out an abandoned station in the Yag'Dhul system and begin to set up operations. During that, M-3PO (Emtrey) arrives as surplus along with the squads X-Wings and Iella Wessiri. On Thyferra, Ysanne Isard demands to know how Erisi Dlarit's fighter wing in the Thyferran Home Defense Corps is doing; the two get into arguments throughout the story with Flirry Vorru defending Erisi to Isard. Corran and Mirax, now on Tatooine to try and buy supplies from Huff Darklighter--Gavin Darklighter's uncle--but the man proves resistant. Corran meets Booster Terrik--Mirax's father--and he begins to threaten Corran, but Mirax steps in. Booster berates Corran, for saying that his coupling with Mirax would kill his father and nearly kills him (Booster) because his daughter is in love with CorSec.

Mirax puts her father in his place and, with Huff still refusing, starts to give up. Booster, giving up, demands that Huff hand over the supplies to Wedge, which Huff does despite being angry about it. On a trip to Elshandruu Pica, Wedge manages to convince Captain Sair Yonka to defect from Isard's service by promising him credits and a chance to strike back. He agrees and goes into hiding with his ship Avarice (now called Freedom), his crew, and the local Moff's wife. Wedge convinces former ally Tal'dira to join Rogue Squadron. He also gets word from old comrades Elscol Loro and Sixtus Quin and that they plan to join him. Talon Karrde appears briefly to help out, but one of his people, Melina Carniss, sold them out when the convoy was ambushed by Captain Ait Convarion's Star Destroyer Corrupter. Wedge and his Rogues repulse the attack. Karrde discovers her betrayal and wants to kill her, but Booster manages to convince Karrde to use her to live long enough to feed misinformation to Isard in exchange for a gravity well projector.

Bror Jace also shows up, reveals that he didn't die, but secretly snuck back onto Thyferra and helped set up the local resistance. Isard threatens to kill Thyferran Vratix civilians if resistance to her regime hadn't ceased in one month. No longer keeping their base at Yag'Dhul secret, the Rogues bring in the next supply convoy--including Carniss. Carniss leaves a beacon in the system and the Star Destroyers Virulence and Lusankya and begin to destroy the station; Rogue Squadron and its fleet of freighters appear to be fleeing the system. Booster powers up the gravity well projector and locks Lusankya in place with dozens of tractor beams. Captain Joak Drysso attempts to complete the destruction of the space station, but three hundred proton torpedoes launch into the path of Lusankya, however, Captain Lakwii Varrscha of Virulence selflessly moves her ship in front of Lusankya; Drysso thanks Varrscha for her sacrifice and flees back to Thyferra. Booster, aided by the arrival of a Cracken's Flight Group, led by Captain Pash Cracken, was able to convince Captain Varrscha to surrender Virulence without a fight. Booster proceeds to load it up with his people and Cracken's fighters.

With aid from both Iella and Winter, Elscol and Quin, and the entire campaign stratagized, the Battle of Thyferra kicks off. Vorru flees the battle, with Erisi promising to find him and start a life. Corran tracks Isard's fleeing Lambda-class shuttle and, after sufficient warning to Isard, blows it up; the pilot is revealed to be Erisi; Isard has disappeared. Booster and Cracken's Flight Group arrives and convinces Drysso to surrender. Upon inspecting Lusankya, Corran discovers that General Jan Dodonna, Urlor Sette, and the rest of the prisoners were stored elsewhere; Corran vows to never give up looking for them. General Airen Cracken tries to convince Booster to surrender Virulence, but Booster refuses. Corran and Talon suggest that Booster be allowed to keep the Star Destroyer, just minus a few turbolasers to which Cracken eventually agrees. Corran and Mirax marry, then, with Wedge, they tell Booster who gets angry, but calms down eventually. The novel ends with Wedge leading Rogue Squadron back to Coruscant to reintegrate with the New Republic and continue in the hunt for Warlord Zsinj.

All in all, a very great finale to Stackpole's main arc in the popular X-Wing saga. It's too bad that it was followed by the dreck that was Aaron Allston's childish contributions to the series. Great characterization and wonderful battle descriptions make this the perfect book to fully grasp how rich the Expanded Universe truly is. Plus, this book further solidifies the Timothy Zahn-Michael A. Stackpole saga which the fans love. 

Special Book Review: Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void SPOILERS!

On 7th May 2013, Del Rey made a bold move. They chose Tim Lebbon to publish the first tie-in to the awesome Dark Horse comic series Dawn of the Jedi. It's a novel about a woman searching not only for herself, but for her insane brother--who was long-thought dead. It contains past and present tense scenes--past for the things currently happening to Lanoree and present for her past. Synopsis: On the planet Tython, the ancient Je'daii Order was founded. And at the feet of its wise Masters, Lanoree Brock learned the mysteries and methods of the Force—and found her calling as one of its most powerful disciples. But as strongly as the Force flowed within Lanoree and her parents, it remained absent in her brother, who grew to despise and shun the Je’daii, and whose training in its ancient ways ended in tragedy. Now, from her solitary life as a Ranger keeping order across the galaxy, Lanoree has been summoned by the Je’daii Council on a matter of utmost urgency. The leader of a fanatical cult, obsessed with traveling beyond the reaches of known space, is bent on opening a cosmic gateway using dreaded dark matter as the key—risking a cataclysmic reaction that will consume the entire star system. But more shocking to Lanoree than even the prospect of total galactic annihilation, is the decision of her Je’daii Masters to task her with the mission of preventing it. Until a staggering revelation makes clear why she was chosen: The brilliant, dangerous madman she must track down and stop at any cost is the brother whose death she has long grieved—and whose life she must now fear.

The novel opens with Lanoree recalling how her brother, even as a child, rejects the Force, when she's summoned to Tython by Cathar Je'daii Master Dam-Powl to meet with the Je'daii Council. They tell her that her brother, Dalien, isn't dead; he's the head of the Stargazers, a sect of people that want to leave the Tython system via the Gree hypergate. Lanoree departs Tython; Dam-Powl left her a message stating that she should use the Twi'lek rogue Tre Sana and that he's on Kalimahr, in the city-state Rhol Yan in Susco's Tavern. Lanoree recalls her and her brother's great journey to begin their Je'daii trials--despite the fact that Dalien hates the Force. Lanoree is attacked by a Noghri preacher and meets Lorus, a Sith police captain in the Kalimahr Police Force. He lets her go if she promises not to kill any more Stargazer killers. Despite heavily disliking each other, Tre and Lanoree work together, and question Kara, a dreamer and former member of the Je'daii, about the Stargazers. Kara tells them that she gave them the old Dai Bendu Temple on the Khar Peninsula, but refuses to cooperate any further. Tre stuns her, which alerts her war droids--from the Despot War--while Lanoree combs her place for any more intel. She finds a book by Osamael Or--an explorer--and escapes with Tre. On her Peacemaker-class cruiser ship, Lanoree updates Dam-Powl about Osamael Or's diary, that Or found Gree tech, and Kara. Dam-Powl tells Lanoree that Kara is one of the Shunned--those people for whom the Force can never find balance in and are exiled to Bogan. Tre and Lanoree arrive at the Khar Peninsula and find the temple abandoned and rigged to explode; Lanoree sees some rocks forming an almost complete circle that her brother used to make. They escape and race toward Nox to find Dal.

Meanwhile, Lanoree continues to recall her brother and her on their journey and recalls how much he tried to never use the Force despite everyone telling him to. On Nox, Lanoree and Tre meet with gangster Maxhagan and learn where Dal went. Lanoree and Tre go into the depths of the city of Greenwood Station. Dal and three of his Stargazers flee. The station becomes bombed and Tre rescues Lanoree; together, and without protective suits or masks, they leave the station and board her ship. They chase Dal to his hideout on Sunspot. Tre stays with Ironholgs on the ship while Lanoree confronts her brother. Dal wounds Lanoree, leaving her with a hole in her chest, and leaves her behind. Lanoree recalls how he faked his death after killing a Je'daii named Skott Yun. Tre and Ironholgs rescue her and, while on her ship, she uses her alchemical creation to heal herself. They approach Tython and Lanoree notes her brother's crashed ship and another one kilometer away (Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm). Tre and Lanoree chase Tre and his Stargazers through the Gree hypergate. All of the Stargazers die and Tre is heavily wounded. Lanoree confronts Dal, and after a vicious duel, kills him, preventing him from activating the Gree hypergate. Lanoree gets Tre and the device to Anil Kesh; Lanoree learns that the crashed ship had Master Quan-Jang and several others racing to find out what it was (Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm). Master Dam-Powl tells Lanoree that she (Lanoree) will always be great with alchemy. Lanoree, disturbed that Dal wasn't alone in this Stargazer plot, heads back to Kalimahr and learns from Lorus that the true Stargazer masters--Kara and several others--have disappeared, leaving no trace of themselves or their whereabouts.

All in all, a stellar addition to the Star Wars Expanded Universe and a wonderful novel to help flesh out the Dawn of the Jedi era currently being used by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema. Great characters--Dal comes across as the ancestor to KOTOR2's Kreia/Darth Traya--wonderful plot, and containing the first short story and work of prose by John Ostrander: Dawn of the Jedi: Eruption.

Book Review: Written In Red SPOILERS!

In March 2013, Anne Bishop published a novel about the Others called Written In Red. A young woman runs away from a terrible past to take up a new future in a town run by the terra indigene—the Others—while hiding a dark secret about herself. Synopsis: No one creates realms like New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop. Now in a thrilling new fantasy series, enter a world inhabited by the Others, unearthly entities—vampires and shape-shifters among them—who rule the Earth and whose prey are humans. As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others. Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

The novel opens with a young woman running for her life. Simon Wolfgard, in human form, prepares to close his shop for the night when Asia, a woman he hates, tries once more to get the job of Liaison; Simon again turns her down. The young woman enters; Simon hears her out, learns her name is Meg Corbyn—though he can tell she's not used to the name—and offers her the job. The next morning, Simon, impatient because Meg appears to not fully understand how things work, shows her the Liaison's office, which is where the post and deliveries are deposited; he storms off. Meanwhile, a police Lieutenant named Crisping James "Monty" Montgomery starts his new job at Lakeside—he's been transferred for wounding a human pedophile who had a Wolf-girl in his house and was threatening to kill her. He starts to learn his beat with his partner, officer Karl Kowalski and introduces himself to Simon and leaves his number in case Simon needs them. Meg, despite a backlog of mail, gets some sent out with the ponies Thunder, Lightning, Tornado, Earthshaker, and Fog; with a map she sends out the mail and packages correctly. Monty introduces himself to Meg; Asia, frustrated that she can't meet the new Liaison, notices that someone in a white, nondescript van is also watching Meg. Over the next few days, Meg settles in and Monty gets used to his beat. Simon tries to get his nephew Sam to leave his cage to go outside—Sam's mom was murdered in front of him and he won't talk or change form; Elliot complains to Simon about Meg backing up traffic, but Simon tells his sire that Meg was making deliveries in the Courtyard so Elliot drops the subject. Meg notices a strange man attempting to break into the apartments, assuming he's from her old controller  and alerts Henry; Henry asks the Owls to keep an eye on things and tells Simon in the morning and lets him know that Meg slept in the Liaison's office, which Simon says is unacceptable. Monty is informed that there's an alert out for a woman that looks like Meg; Monty shows it to Simon, who suggests that since the wanted sign doesn't have a name, it looks more like a driver's license photo. Simon tells Monty that he'll ask the Business Association before giving him an answer. Simon tells Vlad to get the BA together; he confronts Meg and wants answers—she tells him that her name was cs-759 and that she stole herself and shows him her cuts. Simon, overwhelmed, knows that she's a blood prophet and learns from her that she was living in a cage, being used by her Controller to give prophecies to certain paying customers.

Meg gives the ponies a special Moonsday treat: sugar cubes. The BA members—Simon, Vlad, Nyx Sanguinati, Jester, Jenni, Tess, Julia Hawkgard, Henry Beargard—meet and Simon tells them about Meg, that she'd wanted for theft and is a cassandra sangue; Tess tells them that a blood prophet only has a thousand cuts before they die. Vlad alerts the BA to the fact that Grandfather Erebus likes her while Julia mentions that Meg met and talked to Winter; Simon says that Meg will stay and that the terra indigene consider her one of theirs. They move Meg into the Courtyard and Simon tells Monty that it's a case of mistaken identity and that there's a look-a-like out there, something Monty is keen to use as it keeps both sides happy. Monty alerts Captain Burke and they decide to ignore the warrant. Burke, being given no choice by the Governor and Mayor, tells the police to search for the woman, but he emphasizes that the woman looks like the Liaison. Monty asks Simon and Vlad to be alerted when Meg leaves the Courtyard so he can be there to avoid any misunderstandings; Vlad and Simon agree. Simon becomes aware of something in the meat that makes humans savagely aggressive toward everyone; Simon is asked to meet with several other Leaders and leaves Sam with Meg. Monty is informed of the same thing that Simon was and knows it has a name called "gone over wolf" but he doesn't have the faintest idea of what it does or who sells it. Meg takes Sam to work for the next couple of days on a leash--which angers the Wolfgard, but since Sam's playing and having fun, most let it go--and things go fine, except when she cuts herself and sees a vision of Sam howling in terror and men in black. Meg tells Henry what she saw; Henry tells Vlad, Blair Wolfgard, and Tess—Blair assigns some Wolves to watch over Meg and Sam. The rest of the week passes relatively fast, though the Wolfgard notice Meg using a leash on Sam and become extremely angry, but Blair lets his anger go when he notices that Sam is more active than he previously was; Asia notices as well, and spots a mysterious white van and its driver scoping out the Liaison's office. Elliot takes Sam away and then slaps Meg--since he's a terra indigene, this leaves a bruise on Meg's face. He threatens to have her killed. Vlad finds out and threatens Elliot. Blair tells Simon--who's just returned from his trip--about what Meg did to Sam to help him and how Sam's more active in his wolf form and how Elliot attacked her. Simon confronts Elliot and while they argue, Sam breaks out of his wolf-form and says that he wasn't put on a leash, but on a safety line for adventure buddies and that he's not sorry he bit Elliot.

Simon tells Meg that she can stay. At a BA meeting, Simon tells everyone that something is causing humans and terra indigene to go rampant; he then demands to know what's been happening at Lakeside and both Erebus Sanguinati and Winter show up and it's revealed to Elliot that Meg is a cassandra sangue and that Erebus looked them up and was surprised to find that the Sanguinati once knew of them and what they were. Tess, Vlad, Jester, and Blair tell Simon and Elliot about Meg's vision of men in black kidnapping Sam. Simon visits Meg in his wolf-form and she immediately identifies him; a strange delivery man accosts Meg and Simon jumps out from behind the counter; Henry chases and kills the intruder. Meg believes the package the man brought in was a bomb; Monty shows up and, after examining it, discovers that it was only stuffed with torn bits of paper and rags. Asia breaks into the man's apartment and finds the number of Meg's Controller and alerts him that his agent failed and that she will succeed. It's revealed that someone was helping the man but he didn't know who. A couple of days later, after delivery runs are finished and with Sam waiting outside her bathroom door, Meg takes another cut and sees herself and Sam driving past the Chambers in a blizzard, Sam howling in terror. Simon is angry, but Henry talks him down, saying that if Simon pushed, he'd be no better than Meg's Controller. Asia screws Darrell--a human working for Elliot--and poisons him with "gone over wolf" then steals his clothes and puts poisoned sugar cubes with the ones Meg gives the ponies and takes a photo of the courtyard map in Elliot's office. She delivers this to one of the Controller's men and he develops the photos, then Asia asks him to beat her so she can frame Darrell. Vlad tells Simon that Darrell broke into the courtyard and he (Simon) alerts Elliot who fires Darrell. Meg, uneasy in the Liaison's Office, asks Tess to come over and take notes on what she (Meg) says; Meg cuts herself and reveals the death of ponies via poison, a man beating a woman, a familiar blue color. Tess, after calming down herself and the others, tells them what Meg saw. Simon escorts Meg home and Jester tells the ponies that they'll deliver their rounds without a treat. Simon gives the poisoned cubes to Monty for lab testing, but is blocked by the mayor. Tess, infuriated, tests the cubes on Darrell; Darrell dies. Winter demands answers from Simon but Simon points out that the only way to know who tried to kill the Elemental's ponies would be to ask Meg to cut herself again, but Winter doesn't want that.

Winter asks her sister Spring to rise for a couple of days so that Meg can get around easier on her injured leg; Meg meets Spring who points out to Meg that the ice on the lake will be unstable for the next few weeks. More of the Controller's men show up and tell Asia that they'll be causing mayhem around the city and plan to make their move in a couple of days. A couple days later, the worst storm in a while covers Thaisia and Monty's trying to make his way into town. Meg closes shop and Simon lets Merri Lee, Heather, and Ruth Kolwalski--Karl's wife--stay in the efficiency apartments with Marie Hawkgard, Julia Hawkgard, and John Wolfgard keeping watch. At home, and without cutting herself, Meg pieces the puzzles together and realizes this is the night she dies saving Sam. The messenger and Asia start their plans; Asia steals a blue BOW. Simon notices one's missing and alerts Tess. The intruders enter the Other's Courtyard and torch the pony barn; Hurricane--the oldest pony, is killed by them and the other ponies use their elemental powers to kill those near them; Jester prepares a sled for Winter and Air. Simon leaves Sam with Meg; he goes off to help Blair and the other Others. Meg tells Sam that if anyone tries to take him or put a leash on him to bite and run; Asia shows up and warns Meg that the Controller's men are after her. Meg sees the BOW and accuses Asia of trying to kill the ponies; Asia states that she wants Sam. Meg tells Sam to run; they get in the BOW and Meg drives off, leaving Asia behind. The messenger is pissed and tells her to go back to her car; he continues pursuit of Meg with some of his men. Meg stops at Erebus Sanguinati's house and leaves Sam with him, telling him to protect Sam; Meg flees to keep the men away from Sam. Monty and Louis, another police officer, respond to the violence and head out to try and stop the intruders. Two of the intruders break into Erebus' home and demand the pup; Erebus orders Vlad and the rest of the Sanguinati to "take the them away and punish them", something that takes days and breaks the mind before it destroys the body and is only for the most hated enemies. Vlad leaves to find Meg and make sure she's safe; he alerts Simon as to what happened and that the intruders are still chasing Meg and he (Vlad) is right behind them. The BOW dies and Meg calls for Winter; both Air and Winter show up and kill the intruders, but one escapes. Meg slips and crashes through the ice and begins to drown. Simon pulls Meg from the icy water--there's a piece of ice jabbed in her chin, leaking blood.

Jester helps Simon keep Meg warm while Winter and Air drive to the human hospital; Simon licks Meg's wound to clean the blood. Henry tells Tess that Asia helped the intruders and to not let her escape. The messenger is found and Fire burns him alive and leaves him to the Others to feed. Tess corners Asia and turns Asia's bones into rain; it's revealed that Tess is a "harvester of life". Monty and Lois escort the sled to the hospital and clear the way; Dr. Lorenzo agrees to patch Meg up with bandages--he knows she's a cassandra sangue and won't use stitches. She lives and Simon starts to calm down. She awakens the next day and asks about Sam; she's told he's fine and that Asia's dead. Captain Corbyn tells Monty that both the governor and the mayor are dead and that the acting mayor regrets this unfortunate action and vows to maintain a more cordial relationship with the terra indigene. Simon asks to see Simon and wants to know what caused Simon's enhanced aggression at the hospital; Simon says he doesn't know, but suspects--and reveals only to himself--that it was because he licked cassandra sangue blood off Meg, and threatens to kill Jester if he reveals this to anyone. Simon, unable to get work done, decides to bug Meg.

All in all, a well crafted novel that cleverly blends world-building in with character dynamics that really make you feel for the characters and their situations. For instance, one of the characters has great ambitions but is constantly getting in her own way because of how she's going about things. Wonderful descriptions really hammer home just how different things would be if this were our world. Thankfully, it's not like most of today's brutalism-fantasy in which characters are beaten up and using only half their limbs for LOLs, like Troy Denning does in all his works for no reason. I'd recommend this novel to any fan of fantasy. Props to Anne Bishop for another stellar delivery. Can't wait for the next one in this series.

Halo: The Forerunner Saga: Book 3: Silentium SPOILERS!

In March of this year (2013), Greg Bear polished off the Forerunner Saga and combined their fate to what was revealed in the games Halo 3, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and Halo 4 in those hidden terminals. This time, extinction is the name of the game. Synopsis: In the last years of the Forerunner empire, chaos rules. The Flood--a horrifying shape-changing parasite--has arrived in force, aided by unexpected allies. Internal strife within the ecumene has desperately weakened Forerunner defenses. Too little, too late, the legal rate of Juridicals is only now investigating possible crimes by the Master Builder and others. Evidence-gathering agents known collectively as Catalog have been dispatched to collect testimony from the Librarian and both Didacts: the Ur-Didact, treacherously abandoned in a Flood-infested system, and the Bornstellar Didact, who accompanies the Librarian as she preserves specimens against the dire possibility of Halo extermination. Facing the imminent collapse of their civilization, the Librarian and the Ur-Didact reveal what they know about the relationship between the long-vanished Precursors and the Flood. the Precursors created many technological species, including humanity and the Forerunners. But the roots of the Flood may be found in an act of enormous barbarity, carried out beyond our galaxy ten million years before. Because of that barbarism, a greater evil looms. Only the Ur-Didact and the Librarian--husband and wife pushed into desperate conflict--hold the keys to a solution. Facing the consequences of a mythic tragedy, one of them must now commit the greatest atrocity of all time--to prevent an insane evil from dominating the entire universe.

The novel opens with a top secret investigation report from the ONIRF (Office of Naval Intelligence Research Facility) Trevelyan in which they plan to reconstruct the scattered fragments, some from 343 Guilty Spark and some from the Halos and the Ark. [Each chapter is in First Person POV (I voice) and presented as Strings and a name: String 1 Senior Juridical.] The Master Juridical demands that Haruspis grant him access to the Domain, which Haruspis does AFTER the Domain requests that Haruspis does so; the knowledge of the Domain burns into the Senior Juridical's mind. Above Erde-Tyrene, the first of three Catalog meets with the Librarian and IsoDidact (Bornstellar); the Flood attack and IsoDidact rushes off to battle, asking Catalog to guard his wife. During this, Librarian tells Catalog the tale of her early years with the Ur-Didact. From that, Catalog learns that just after the Forerunner-Human war, when their greatest enemy--Forthencho, Lord of Admirals--surrendered, Ur-Didact met the Primordial on Path Kethona and how the Old Council became corrupt under Faber's--the Master Builder--influence. The Old Council was unconcerned with the Flood and their Graveminds and thus wanted the Humans to suffer. The Builders on the Old Council demanded to build the Ark and the Halo array as a final resort against the Humans, but Ur-Didact demanded to build the Shield Worlds and Requiem--the greatest Shield World; Faber, by then, had nigh-complete control over the Warrior-Servants, and thus denied Ur-Didact his request. The Librarian asked her husband to place himself in exile in a Cryptum. Faber wanted to get rid of the Librarian and she, knowing of that, proposed to the Old Council to start an expedition to find out the origins of the Flood. They let her.

She arrives at Path Kethona in Audacity and begins to learn the truth. In a ship, Ur-Didact, aided by Sharp-by-Lightning, fight to survive behind enemy lines above Uthera Midgeerrd, with the second Catalog--who was damaged by Faber. Ur-Didact and the others discover Precursor artifacts in the Burn. With the Flood about to consume them, Ur-Didact and 2nd Catalog remain alive to destroy the ship. Continuing her story, the Librarian and crew discover Precursor structures in a village on Charum Hakkor and their knowledge of the Forerunner extermination of the Precursors. The Librarian suspects something on Path Kethona and knows she will find answers there. Amazed by the stuff on Path Kethona, the Librarian and crew discover the Digon, an old sect of Forerunners; the Librarian talks with Glow-of-Old-Suns and learns a bit about their history. Back with Ur-Didact, Catalog learns of both conversations Ur-Didact had with the Primordial, in which it's revealed that the Primordial is the Gravemind of all Gravemind's. Ur-Didact assumes that the Flood wanted to save the Humans for last and that his wife betrayed him to aide the Flood in preserving Humanity; he travels further into the derelict ship and is touched by a Flood. String 14 is contaminated and is sequestered for forensic examination and is thus not included in this record. The Librarian learns that since the Precursors didn't choose the Forerunners to inherit the Mantle, and so decided to purge the galaxy of Precursors; they turned into the Flood as revenge and the Librarian vows to continue that purge. Strings 16 through 20 contain descriptions of opposition--by this, I assume Bear means war--though in 17, 05-032 Mendicant Bias returns for a bit.

In String 21, Faber gives his testimony, which includes how he lies to the Master Juridical about sending Ur-Didact, Catalog, Sharp, and one other into the Burn just so he could rescue them and be a hero. Faber denies wanting to be a hero and doesn't see any problem with Ur-Didact coming back, even with IsoDidact. He's tricked into stating that he was aware that Flood had taken over ships but backtracks when Master Juridical claims that he refused to do anything about it. Mendicant Bias talks to Catalog about how he talked with Gravemind. String 25 contains five fragments of different events, the fifth being that Catalog is NOT immune to the Flood/Gravemind logic plague, as was 05-032 Mendicant Bias, and, as such, the Juridical Network has been suspended and Forerunners are advised to not access. Ur-Didact, on his homeworld Far Nomdagro, orders Catalog to send Bornstellar to him as soon as he lands with the Librarian. All three meet, and so do all three Catalog. Ur-Didact and IsoDidact don't fully match up anymore; Ur-Didact, angry, turns on the Librarian and IsoDidact, calling Librarian an enemy sympathizer because she loves her Humans. He tells Bornstellar that the Mantle isn't to be inherited by the noble, but to be taken by the strong. The Librarian attempts to calm him down, but he reacts and tells her that the Humans unleashed the Flood on countless civilizations and then to the Forerunners and tells Bornstellar and Librarian to look at what the Flood has done to him. Their gathering is broken as Bornstellar returns to orbit to ready Audacity while Ur-Didact takes as sphinx to the other side of Far Nomdagro. Ur-Didact yells at Bornstellar for wanted to use the Halo arrays and storms off, saying that the Librarian is his (Bornstellar's) because she chose his way, nor Ur-Didact's way.

The Librarian tells Bornstellar that Ur-Didact does this because of what the Flood and she did to him, though she remains uncertain as to what exactly pushed her husband over the edge. At the Ark, IsoDidact prepares the Halo arrays. On Installation 07, Ur-Didact uses the Composer to kill some humans and makes them the Promethean guards that the Master Chief fights in Halo 4. The Librarian, in conversation with Monitor Chakas, rants that her husband always kills the humans (her children). Monitor Chakas, upon return to the Ark, becomes slightly infected with the logic plague. IsoDidact learns of Ur-Didact's Composer and how he used it on the humans; they become the Promethean Knights. On Requiem, the Librarian confronts Endurance-of-Will and learns that Ur-Didact plans on using his new Prometheans to kill the Flood, then kill the Humans and every other suspect species until all bow to the new Forerunner Empire with Ur-Didact at its head and claim the Mantle. Revealing that she knew that Ur-Didact would've married her if they'd not met, the Librarian manages to convince Endurance-of-Will to help her stop Ur-Didact's insane plan.The Librarian confronts her husband; Ur-Didact tells her that the Humans deserve death for bringing the Flood to the Forerunner planets. The Librarian subdues him; she and Endurance place him in a combat Cryptum on Requiem. She tells Endurance that what she leaves will serve to protect Requiem and visitors and that the Ur-Didact mustn't control the Prometheans. She states that he will violate the Mantle in order to seize it, unless he's held back and allowed to find himself again. The Librarian gives Endurance the memory recording (the one John-117 encountered in Halo 4).

The Librarian and Catalog leave Requiem for Erde-Tyrene because she's broadcast to all Forerunner ships that she'd found a cure for the Flood. Monitor Chakas watches over IsoDidact as they head to the lesser Ark. After a slight peaceful lull, IsoDidact sends Chakas on his way, giving it control of Installation 04; Monitor Chakas is renamed 343 Guilty Spark by IsoDidact. Before Guilty Spark leaves, IsoDidact asks it if the choice to detonate the Halo rings were his choice, would he do it? Guilty Spark doesn't answer and IsoDidact believes that with the compartmentalization that will happen to Guilty Spark, the monitor won't remember any of this (this, of course, it false: see Halo: Combat Evolved). Offensive Bias returns to tell IsoDidact that 05-032 Mendicant Bias asked him (Offensive Bias) to return to the Ark to help it. On Erde-Tyrene, the Humans are dispersed, and the Librarian appoints Chant-to-Green as the next Lifeshaper. In the morning, Forthencho and three human warriors appear before the Librarian and tells her that the Domain is the Organon. He tells her that the rings have fired. She asks Catalog to stand witness as they send this information over the Juridical network. IsoDidact fires the rings, saying "Forgive us." String 39 ends the novel with 343 Guilty Spark, alone on Installation 04, thinking about the question and decides that it's not his decision as it's been done but the effects are off. He beings to succumb to the logic plague.

For the first time, I actually like Greg's final (for now) Forerunner novel. He manages to capture the epic of Halo. Great characterizations, wonderful scenes/strings, and decent pot development. A sad yet wonderful ending to the Forerunners. I can't wait to see what Tor and the Halo publishing teams have planned next.

Book Review: The Source of Magic: A Xanth Novel SPOILERS!

In 1979, Piers Anthony published the second novel in his epic Xanth saga. This time, Bink's magic is working against him and only his journey with friends can solve it and discover the Source of Magic. Synopsis: As a ruler of a country steeped in enchantment, King Trent was naturally curious about the source of its magic. It made sense to order Bink, the only one of his subjects immune to supernatural harm, to undertake a quest to discover the wellspring of Xanth's uniqueness. From the beginning, Bink and his companions, Chester the centaur and Crombie, the soldier transformed into a griffin, were harried by an unseen enemy determined to thwart them. Even the power of the Good Magician Humphrey, together with Bink's protective talent, scarcely saved their lives. Then when Humphrey and Crombie turned against him, all seemed lost. but Bink's ingenuity and luck prevailed and he reached his goal. The King's orders had been carried out... But the King had not expected Bink's next act--to destroy utterly the magic of Xanth!

The novel opens with Bink, harrowed by an upset pregnant Chameleon (in her intelligent/ugly phase), attend the party that Queen Iris is hosting. Despite not wanting to attend, Bink was given no choice by Iris because Trent refuses to participate. Bink meets Chester and Crombie, as well as a sword that's trying to kill him, and they enter the party. The theme is illusionist masquerade and the person who guesses the most people wins; Millie the ghost wins the contest and she is granted one wish and she chooses to return to her body and life. Bink, like the rest of the partygoers, searches for her hidden body and stumbles upon Trent in the library. Trent's dilemma is that he hasn't touched another woman since his wife and child died; Bink suggests that Iris use her ability to make them both appear to be different people to get around his problem. Trent thanks Bink, then leaves him to his hunt; Bink finds a leathery book, but the binding is flesh (the body wasn't transformed but topologically shaped). Bink realizes this is Millie's body and brings it downstairs--Iris has made herself absent as has Trent--and the doctor helps restore Millie to life, naked.

When a zombie tries to clothe her and Crombie yells at it, it crashes into the cake and the picklepuss gets loose; Trent and Iris, appearing as different people, rush in. Iris uses her ability to put clothes on Millie, herself, and Trent. Trent demands that Bink attend him and that Iris should choose another date for Millie and have him look like Bink. Trent, realizing how disruptive Bink's powers just were, has him resume his mission to find the source of magic in Xanth and that Crombie--magicked into a griffin--and Chester shall attend him. On their way to Good Magician Humphrey's castle to enlist his help, they are set upon by nicklepedes and a dragon. Finally, they get through his defenses and talk to him; Humphrey agrees to accompany them on their quest. Chester wants to know his magic talent, but Humphrey doesn't want to supply it and asks Chester to, in case he discovers it for himself before their quest is up, to pick another question; they bring along a golem named Grundy to serve as translator. Beauregard is frightened by the end of Xanth. During their travels, they encounter a vegetarian ogre, a village full of women, and a sorrowful siren and her sister a lonely gorgon who think men leave awkward statues when they see her.

Beauregard is released from his year of service to Humphrey because of Grundy who tries to have emotions. This succeeds when the group's life is in peril and he cares for them. They enter the Region of Madness and trek into the lake of the Cursed Fiends. Humphrey places himself, Crombie, and Grundy in a glass vial. They find a vortex and jump in. Bink and Chester become separated from the group; Bink and Chester encounter a nymph named Jewel who places jewels into the rocks so people can find them when the time is right. Jewel leads them to see Beauregard and the demons; Beauregard leads them to where the glass vial is. It's revealed that the person trying to kill Bink is some kind of demon. Grundy pulls them to shore and Humphrey reveals to Bink that he and Crombie work for the enemy--the brain coral--and that he should leave. After a fight that leaves Chester and Crombie wounded, Bink manages to subdue them. Humphrey leads Bink to the source via the brain coral's instructions.

The source of magic is the Demon Xanth--more specifically: X(A/N)^TH, who has been isolated according to the rules of a complex inter-Demon game. Bink wills the Demon free, satisfying the game's rules for his release and X(A/N)^TH (the Demon) quickly and violently leaves Xanth (the land), taking all his magic with him. In the confusion that follows, Humfrey is lost and Bink returns to the surface, with help from Jewel, to find a much more mundane Xanth. On his way back to the king, Bink meets Chester's mate Cherie. She convinces him to return with her to find Chester and Humfrey. They arrive to find that X(A/N)^TH has just returned (for "an eon or two") while he re-strategizes in light of changes to the Demon game that have occurred while he was in isolation, thus returning magic to the land of Xanth and ending what will later be called the time of no magic. X(A/N)^TH provides Grundy a real body, rescues Humfrey and Chester; and after testing his mettle, is persuaded to give Bink a reward for releasing him. The party returns home, where Bink learns that his newborn son has already manifested the magician-class talent of making inanimate objects speak.

A very well rounded novel, with several horrible puns and great descriptions. Piers Anthony continues to capture the magic of fantasy and the superb pacing needed to handle a series so indubitably embedded with puns and fun.

Book Review: Halo: Primordium SPOLIERS!

In January 2012, Greg Bear wrote another entry in the epic Halo: The Forerunner Saga, which detail the life of Chakas after Cryptum left off and sometimes during the era of the Master Chief. Set both before and after Halo 3, Primordium details how Chakas became one of the most memorable game characters. Synopsis: In the wake of the apparent self-destruction of the Forerunner empire, two humans--Chakas and Riser--are like flotsam washed up on very strange shores indeed. Captured by the Master Builder and then misplaced during the furious battle in space, Riser and Chakas now find themselves on an inverted world where horizons  rise into the sky and where humans of all kinds are trapped in a perilous cycle of horror and neglect. They have become both research animals and strategic pawns in a cosmic game whose madness knows no end--a game of ancient vengeance between powers who seeded the galaxy with life, and the Forerunners who expect to inherit their sacred Mantle of duty to all living things. In the company of a young girl and an old man, Chakas begins an epic journey across a lost and damaged Halo in search of a way home, an explanation for the warrior spirits rising up within, and for the Librarian's tampering with human destiny. This journey will take them into the domain of a powerful and monstrous intelligence who claims to be the last Precursor, and who now has control of both this Halo and the fate of the Forerunners and humans alike. Called the Captive by Forerunners, and the Primordial by ancient human warriors, this intelligence may control the fate of not only Chakas, Riser, and the rest of humanity, but of all sentient life.

The novel opens with a small passage from 343 Guilty Spark who tells the humans of how events came to be. The book is set primarily on the "rogue" Halo ring Installation 07, used by 05-032 Mendicant Bias during the events of Halo: Cryptum. It follows the journey of the humans Chakas and Morning Riser, former companions of Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting. After crash-landing on the Halo ring during Mendicant Bias' assault on the capital, they discover it has been used by the Master Builder's researchers to conduct research on humans. They are forced to make their way across the embattled Halo installation, with human companions Vinnevra and Gamelpar facing the Flood and rogue A.I. constructs on the way, while the Precursors' ancient plan of vengeance against the Forerunners is revealed. During their journey, they find their way into the Palace of Pain, the lair of the ancient entity known as the Timeless One, which has unleashed the Flood on the Master Builder's researchers on the installation. Despite the 300-some odd pages, this is the vast majority of the story. The novel comes to a climax with the Bornstellar-Didact (IsoDidact) killing the Primordia and Chakas, dying, gets his memories placed in a Monitor. 

The novel is decent, great fun to read, but awfully long when things could've been shortened. Really, this novel felt like a novella attachment to Cryptum rather than the lengthy page count it needed to be. Still, I'd recommend this to long-time Halo fans.