New Year's Eve

As 2024 rolls away I think it is only fitting to look back on this year's accomplishments:

• The Fury, Book Two of David Doersch's Chronicles of the Raven
• The Rhapsody Trilogy by Elizabeth Haydon (the original trilogy of her Symphony of Ages)
• All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue
• Sorcery of Thorns and its sequel-novella Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson
• Wish by Victoria Harris
• The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
• Reread In the Forests of Serre by Patricia A. McKillip
• Murtagh by Christopher Paolini
• Reread The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Dragonriders of Pern (Original trilogy) by Anne McCaffrey
• Echoes of Ghostwood, the fourth and (so-called) final book of J.V. Hilliard's Warminster Series
  
• Books 1-3 of The Pages & Co. series by Anna James
• The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey
  

Also, on a writing note, I finished the very rough draft my latest book, a 1000+ page monstrosity titled The Sisters of the Desert that will probably be divided into a duology and has been my secret labor for literally years.

"When you find the one thing in your life you believe in above anything else, you owe it to yourself to stand by it—it will never come again, child. And if you believe in it unwaveringly, the world has no other choice but to see it as you do, eventually. For who knows it better than you? Don’t be afraid to take a difficult stand, darling. Find the one thing that matters—everything else will resolve itself." – Elizabeth Haydon

I have started The Lumen Caligo: Fallen by Lawrence C. Cobb

You know what they say, books about feathers are read together. Or at least they are in this case since, having just been up to my ears in Gryphon feathers, I have at the author's request started The Lumen Caligo: Fallen by Lawrence C. Cobb.

"There are three types of people in the world. Those with white wings. Those with black wings. And those with none. Every 350 years a 4th is born called the Lumen Caligo. One side of his wings there is white. On the other side, there is black." Then of course the last Lumen Caligo disappears mysteriously, and centuries – three and a half of them perhaps? – later a mysterious message and a somewhat charred baby is delivered to a man in California running away from goodness knows what. I LOVE unique fantasies, which is one reason I agreed to review this, and I certainly cannot remember ever reading anything like this before. I will, however, stake my soul that Cyrus' wheelchair will be obsolete when he sprouts feathers, and that surviving school, bullies, and adolesant hormones will soon be the least, or at least the least deadly, of his problems. His and Auli'i's both, I hope.

(Naturally the Official Book Review will come after I finish the book.)

Jólabókaflóð

 

I have finished The Silver Gryphon, the third and final book of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey

I have finished The Silver Gryphon, the third and final book of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey.

Frankly nameless terrors have always given me a rash, but thanks to recalling what Wintermoon and Skif encounter two millennia hence in the Pelagirs I had an idea about just what might be stalking Tadrith and Silverblade in those unexplored rain forests. And I was right, but Star-Eyed strike me the Cataclysm certainly whipped up trouble even so close the Western Coast and Haighlei lands! But "no disaster without some benefit" as the Shin'a'in say (or will say), and now at last Tad and Blade have found peace with being the children of Skandranon & Zhaneel, Amberdrake & Winterhart, and with it the peace and freedom to be themselves with their parents.

Alas that I will never hear more of their stories (except in history, perhaps)! For thus ends this lovely saga that answered many questions I had about the Mage Wars, Urtho, the Black Gryphon, Ma'ar, the Kaled'a'in in general and Clan k'Leshya specifically. For when I see Clan k'Leshya next it will be two millennia hence again, back in Valdemar with Elspeth, Darkwind, yet more k'Leshya Gryphons, and of course Kero and the rest of everyone. All dealing the same thing Skandranon and Amberdrake did: the impacts of Cataclysm, the Mage Storms.

My father and I just finished The Map of Stories, Book Three of Anna James' Pages & Co. series

My father and I just finished The Map of Stories, Book Three of Anna James' Pages & Co. series.

I have heard of binding books before, but this is ridiculous. Still, sometimes you have to follow intuition, a leap of faith, a series of clues, and a literal breadcrumb road through a paper forest to find what you are looking for...even if what you seek is regarded as a myth by the smartest and most decent of people. But Tilly and Oskar have not been wrong yet, so to save the British Underlibrary, bookwandering, and imagination and books period, that means traveling deep into Story itself to find the fabled Archivists. Along the way asking to right questions about the true Source of the problem and ultimately the real meaning, power, and purpose of Story magic. To quote Will Shakespeare, "we are such stuff as dreams are made of." Which closed the book, also literally, on two rather detestable siblings and brought their tired old quest for power and immortality to its inevitable ending.

Yet the journey is not over yet, for a favor is still owed to the owner of a certain and very unique clean-energy train.

Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

How...HOW did I not know about this before?!

Apparently every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R.Tolkien’s children. Inside would be letters from Father Christmas to the Tolkien household, all written in spidery handwriting with beautifully colored drawings.

Of course, Tolkien himself wrote the letters... because leave it to him to think of Santa writing to children instead of the reverse. Thus we have the book Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R.Tolkien, filled with "wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how all the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place; how the accident-prone Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas’s house into the dining-room; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with the troublesome horde of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house!"

How this book's existence eluded me all these year and why I have never seen it in book stores I have not a clue, but in my mind the Lord and Founder of Modern Fantasy just got even more amazing.

Quote of the month

"Each of you is a separate, individual you. You are a unique person, with wild ideas about what's truly important. Each of you has a gift that only you can bring to the world. A way you can help that others couldn't. And the way you express that gift is to hear this: trust yourself. Trust your gift." - Chandra Nalaar

Fire Emblem Heroes: Book IX

Remember when Askr's Order of Heroes defended itself from mortal armies? Me neither. Jokes asides, after dealing with the Vanaheimr gods and Gullveig, followed up by the Yggdrasill family, looks like the Ásgarðr gods have dropped in again and are not playing anymore.

My father and I just finished The Lost Fairy Tales, Book Two of Anna James' Pages & Co. series

My father and I just finished The Lost Fairy Tales, Book Two of Anna James' Pages & Co. series.

We all know and love fairy tales... but Little Red Riding Hood wielding a giant axe (a woftcutter instead of woodcutter, as it were)? Prince Charming being anything but and Rapunzel not needing or wanting rescue? Obviously something is wrong with fairy tales, and things are not much better at the British Underlibrary. Leaving Tilly, Oskar, and the rest of the Pages & Co. crew to sort out plots both literary and otherwise. But tis the two blended that is the real threat to book magic and British bookwandering, and when things take a turn for the worse it is time to find help. Fortunately, that is what maps are for, and Britain's is hardly the only Underlibrary out there.

I have started The Silver Gryphon, book #3 of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey

I have started The Silver Gryphon, book #3 of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey.

Time passes and those heroes who do not die in a blaze of glory retire basking in it, leaving and training the next generation to take up the reigns. So, two millennia hence, it will be with Kethry and Tarma training Keth's granddaughter Kerowyn; so did Talia raise Elspeth from royal Brat to Herald-Mage. Mercedes Lackey has always been excellent at these time shifts, and now, twelves years after the Eclipse Ceremony that brought Haighlei and k'Leshya together, Tadrith Skandrakae and Silverblade – children of Skandranon & Zhaneel, Amberdrake & Winterhart – seek to escape their parent's very long shadows. After all, what can possibly go wrong in an isolated outpost weeks away from home? Certainly no magical disasters or nameless terrors possibly unleashed or formed by the Cataclysm in the unexplored jungles of the south. Oh no.

 

I have finished The White Gryphon, book #2 of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey

Winterhart, Lady and trondi'irn

I have finished The White Gryphon, book #2 of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey.

If it is not sadist-mages it is sadists working with mages, and in a time of change both magical and cultural for the Haighlei Empire that is a dangerous combination. Particularly if you are Skandranon Rashkae and Amberdrake and families in a foreign, alien court where you have to learn the rules before you break them and your enemies are quite, quite insane. But against the Black Gryphon few can stand, and justice tends to find those who deserve it. Of course, it is the time of change and that goes far beyond custom for Haighlei and k'Leshya alike, for the impact of the Mage Wars is far from over.

6th-grade Riddle Masters

My students are eating my riddles for breakfast this year. Seriously, I have NEVER seen such skill; what has in the past taken people weeks if not months they solve in less than a day. (If this sounds like bragging, so be it. Teachers are permitted to feel vain about their students.)

Duty Song and Lessa's Ride (Dragonriders of Pern) - Anne McCaffrey

I am the first person the acknowledge the dangers of AI (Artificial Intelligence) but, that being said, one can also have a lot of fun with it. Such as applying music to the lyrics of the Masterharpers of Pern. Tolkien was not the only one to write music for his work, after all, and Anne McCaffrey's for her Dragonriders of Pern deserves far more love than it gets.

My father and I just finished The Bookwanderers, Book One of Anna James' Pages & Co. series

My father and I just finished The Bookwanderers, Book One of Anna James' Pages & Co. series.

Ever love a book so much you feel like you're really there and with just a tiny step you could jump inside? Ever wish you could talk to book characters in real-life? If you are half the reader Matilda "Tilly" Pages is, the answer is an unequivocal yes. The difference is that Tilly, her family, and many others can actually DO both. People called bookwanderers for whom the magic of reading becomes actually magical. And with magic comes danger, whether you are a character in a book talking with characters in another book or in the real-world talking with those or other characters or are a real, non-fictional person dealing with them in other books. If this makes your head spin, I know the feeling; both Dad and I felt a bit disoriented at times as Anna James' takes meta humor to strange levels and breaks the third wall in ways I have never seen.

Regardless and as Pablo Picasso says "everything you can imagine is real," meaning Tilly, Oskar, and all bookwanderers have a very real enemy lurking both within and without literature's pages.

 

I have started The White Gryphon, book #2 of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey.

I have started The White Gryphon, book #2 of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey.

Rebuilding after Cataclysm is hard, much less in uncharted and untamed wilderness, but the Kaled'a'in Clan k'Leshya has never faced it a task it was not up to; "We can do this" and "Soonest begun is soonest done" as the Hertasi and Gryphons says respectively. But the (initial) death of Ma'ar did not end every sadist-mage in Velgarth. Even in the new city there is a lurking – hopefully soon culled – evil, and goodness knows what dwells in the mysterious southern Haighlei Empire, realm of the Black Kings. An Empire whose resident and hopefully anomalous blood-mages will soon test the skills and threaten the lives of Skandranon Rashkae and Amberdrake as they fight for k'Leshya's future.

I have finished The Black Gryphon, book #1 of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey

Urtho, Mage of Silence.
Creator of the Gryphons.

I have finished The Black Gryphon, book #1 of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey.

Who heals the Healer? What is the toll emotional toll behind the lines and beyond loss of life in war? These are questions Lackey answers in the camp of Urtho, the Mage of Silence – by Amberdrake, Kaled'ai'in kestra'chern, Skandranon Rashkae, Zhaneel Winterhart, Gesten, and others. Battling prejudice, guilt, and grief until the Mage Wars reaches its Cataclysmic end – ending Urtho, Ma'ar (mostly), magic-dependent civilizations and the laws of magic itself. (As said Urtho, "Knowledge will always be the best weapon against tyrants." And the best bait.) Bringing the first set of Mage Storms and leaving the magic-twisted, scarred, and strange Pelagirs behind.

History shows that from these ashes will spring the Sundering of the Clans into the Tayledras and Shin'a'in, and eventually, two millennia hence, the meeting of Elspeth, Darkwind, the returned Clan k'Leshya, and Kerowyn. But the story of Skandranon Rashkae and Amberdrake is not over yet, and I for one cannot wait to learn more about Clan k'Leshya in this strange new world.

The Dawn Will Come

"Shadows fall
And hope has fled
Steel your heart
The dawn will come

 

The night is long
And the path is dark
Look to the sky
For one day soon

The dawn will come

 

The Shepherd's lost
And his home is far
Keep to the stars

The dawn will come

 

The night is long
And the path is dark
Look to the sky
For one day soon
The dawn will come

 

Bare your blade
And raise it high
Stand your ground
The dawn will come

 

The night is long
And the path is dark
Look to the sky
For one day soon
The dawn will come"

What would I look like if I were Vulcan/Human hybrid (like Spock) and a Starfleet Officer?

I am the first person the acknowledge the dangers of AI (Artificial Intelligence) but, that being said, one can also have a lot of fun with it. Such as answering the following question: What would I look like if I were Vulcan/Human hybrid (like Spock) and a Starfleet Officer?

Official Guest Post: What if Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Other Genres Collided? by J.V. Hilliard

An Official Guest Post by J.V. Hilliard, author of the most excellent Warminster Series:

What if Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Other Genres Collided?

Fantasy is one of the more expansive, all-encompassing genres, offering tell-tale signs in the media it shows up in. It can blend with horror to create movies like Pan’s Labyrinth, or it can mix with romance for the ever popular “romantasy” genre as seen in A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas. Even more, fantasy can contribute to steampunk and appear in Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld or Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve.

Throughout it all, there are certain staples of the fantasy genre. These include: magic, an epic quest, and cryptids to name a few. Magic goes hand-in-hand with fantasy books and movies, appearing in fairytales and mythology, with spells, sorcery, grimoires, and totems featured prominently. Where sci-fi has technology, fantasy has magic, and sometimes, they combine to create your favorite media. We see sci-fi and fantasy blend together in Buffy the Vampire Slayer with the season six villains known as “the trio.” They utilize a freeze ray, jet packs, invisible ray, time loop tech, and more to terrorize Buffy and her friends. We also see sci-fi fantasy in Star Wars and Star Trek where technology is hyper-advanced and stands in for magic

One other sign of a fantasy story is an epic journey or quest, which is also called a “hero’s journey.” There’s a theme of a “chosen one” with an overall goal of conquering evil or fulfilling a prophecy. We see the chosen one trope with Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien as Frodo sets out to carry the One Ring to Mordor. In the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the trope shows up with Harry himself being the only one who can defeat Lord Voldemort.

The final indicator of a fantasy tale is the presence of cryptids. Where sci-fi has aliens or robots, fantasy has all kinds of species, like dragons, hobbits, elves, wizards, vampires, demons, etc. If a story has something other than humans or your occasional cat or dog, it may be a safe bet that what you’re reading is fantasy.

Dystopias are a fantastical blend of “what ifs” that feature exciting technology & oftentimes a futuristic world. Think The Maze Runner with its chosen one trope, cryptids in the form of grievers, technology like the maze, and a grim future. Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games series is another example, with Katniss Everdeen as the chosen one and mockingjays, the Hunger Games, and a future of twelve districts in a country called Panem.

Throughout the fantasy genre, though it may blend with others and take on new forms, what remains true is its elements of escapism. Most of the time, fantasy media is created to satisfy a need to escape to other worlds, whether more technologically advanced or more fantastical and magical. Characters thrive in places like Abacus in my Warminster Saga, which is a scientific/scholarly city named after Abacus Athobasca, who was “a renowned inventor, using his wizardry to enhance his peculiar devices and inventions.” In similar form, there is the Citadel in Game of Thrones with the Order of Maesters: an order of intellectuals (scholars, healers, and other learned men).

As with most media, the sense of escapism and worldbuilding is rich and ever present in the realm of fantasy. The genre is highly adaptable, able to work with sci-fi, dystopian, romance, horror, and more in order to create the works we all know and love. It is a genre that is here to stay and just may be the most popular for decades to come.

_____________________________________________________________________

Want to see your own writing published online? I am listening. In short, I have gotten some emails addressed to "the Stars Uncounted team" asking about Content Writing and I respond by saying that the team consists of me, myself, and I, and that all one of us is willing to post your content. The only rule is that such a Guest Post would have to be within the context of the blog – meaning that it must relate to the Fantasy genre or be about self-publishing Fantasy. If you are interested, feel free to send me one for approval.

Just remember that any and all Guest Posts must adhere to the high moral spirit of my mostly humble blog. This does not mean that I have to agree with everything you say; it merely must be well-written and thought-out.

Just started The Black Gryphon, book #1 of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey

Just started The Black Gryphon, book #1 of The Mage Wars Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey.

In Prehistory, over a thousand years before the Founding of Valdemar in a time when magic obeyed different laws, different rules, the Tayledras and Shin'a'in were one people: the Kaled'a'in who in the time of the apocalyptic Mage Wars served Urtho, the Mage of Silence. This is the story of Skandranon Rashkae, legend of Clan k'Leshya, and his battle with Ma'ar, Mage of Dark Flames, who two millennia hence would under a different name trouble Elspeth and Darkwind.

Star-Eyed strike me but this will be fun! Fantasy books always are, but I have a special place in my heart for the works of Mercedes Lackey. My simple concern and hope (yes, they are one), which I am certain will come true, is that this book – indeed the whole series – will revolve around the Kaled'a'in proverb "Whatever is prepared for never occurs." Goodness knows I have barely begun and already another of their saying has basically come to pass: "Never look behind you, there may be an arrow gaining."

Official Book Review: Echoes of Ghostwood, Book Four of J.V. Hilliard's Warminster Series

“Crimson flags borne on horses of white, see them ride, ye children of light." – The Ballad of Eldwal

In my vast reading of Fantasy the climax of a book is always ones of the ways I measure the book itself, the series it is part of, and the author. My rule being that longer and more heart-stoppingly intense it is the better, and I always expect double from the final book in a series since it is when all must come to an end. But occasionally, very occasionally, I read final volumes that do not have a one because they are themselves from page one a heart-stopping climax. A Memory of Light, the 14th and finale of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time was one such book and, while I do not pretend to compare J.V. Hilliard with Robert Jordan, his mastery of book-length multi-pronged epic and highly detailed battle on a global scale is approximate.

“Victory, in spite of all terror, is the reward for the valorous." – King Godwin Thorhauer

Thus have I finished Echoes of Ghostwood, the fourth and final book of J.V. Hilliard's Warminster Series. Thus did fell alliance from the Dragon’s Breath Mountains fall in the second Battle of the Bridge, the breaking of the siege of Thronehelm, the restoration of the Cathedral of the Watchful Eye, and Foghaven Vale. The curse of Graytorris the Mad ending, his crazed laughter silenced, in a very poetic way, though at terrible cost. I said in my first Official Book Review that J.V. Hilliard's mastery of Fantasy lies in taking known if rarely used elements of the genre and merging them into a by extension brilliantly unique tale. From blind seers and Elven Princesses to cryptids and cryptid-worshiping cults not unlike those of Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, to necromancy seldom seem beyond Dungeons & Dragons to honorable, blunt, and warlike Norsemen.

Blending the high morals, epic magics, vistas, and battles (including the finest naval battles I have ever read), Hilliard invoke the sense of mystery and stakes of J.R.R. Tolkien couple with the treasonous and devious Court Intrigue popularized by GRRM. Making Warminster a realm where dark and seemingly separate plots – both political and arcane – are in fact linked even as heroes from across a realm of many distinct cultures and races, religious sects and cities, rise to face it. I do not pretend to compare Hilliard's skill with the above titans, yet never had I ever read such a seamless, unique, and skillful merging of each coupled with Jordan's  knack for long and epic battles.

And yet... somehow I feel that we have not seen the last of the realm of Warminster. Erudian Sight gave two options for a cursed Ancient, yet a third occurred; black roses were places where none should be and it occurs to me that the Shadow Elves were never dealt with. To say nothing of the Wanderer's words to Faux regarding a miscarriage of justice.

If and until then, farewell and may Erud's light guide you Keeper Daemus Alaric, Princess Addilyn Elspeth, Montgomery Thorhauer, Joferian Maeglen, Faux Dauldon, Arjun, Ember, Jins, and finally Sir Ritter and all those of Castle Valkeneer. May your arrows fly true.

"The face of despair appears invincible, but in time, it always fades." – Warminster the Mage

Quote of the month

“The enemy wasn't men, or women, or the old, or even the dead. It was just bleedin' stupid people, who came in all varieties. And no one had the right to be stupid.” – Terry Pratchett

Elëa (the World of Eragon) revealed!

Okay, so we all knew that Christopher Paolini was expanding his world in new and unexpected directions. "What deathless lies may in eons rise" said a mad old man among the Dreamers at Nal Gorgoth, and that was after the mysteries of Alagaësia increased exponentially in The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm, from Angela to Urgal legends. To say nothing of previously known mysteries such as the Grey Folk who first bound magic to the Ancient Language and the age-old wondering about what lies beyond Alagaësia. Alalëa, the elves’ homeland, for one, wherever humans and Urgals came from. But that is the general limit.

Or was, for what I did not expect was a full World Map in which the region of Alagaësia is revealed to be very small indeed! Behold the world of Elëa! Paolini just expanded – and named – his world in literally all directions and I have a joyous feeling that The Inheritance Cycle, like Alagaësia, may be but the tip of a very large literary iceberg.

I have started Echoes of Ghostwood, Book Four of J.V. Hilliard's Warminster Series

“Crimson flags borne on horses of white, see them ride, ye children of light." – The Ballad of Eldwal

At the author's request – because I have totally not loved the first three books nor was this one already on my shelf waiting for me to finish Pern – I have started Echoes of Ghostwood, the fourth and final book of J.V. Hilliard's Warminster Series.

"From the hallowed horns of the Bridge, the warning sounds," once said Til Aarron, Longmarcher and Bard, and now the those ancient horns sound again as the Moor Bog and their cryptid allies bring battle to Castle Valkeneer. To Sir Ritter Valkeneer and Princess Addilyn Elspeth who, along with their families and allies, must hold out against impossible odds...all unknowing that Graytorris the Mad had unleashed a power that is truly, shall we say, Ancient. Yet hope remains, and the tide is turning, for Last Keeper Daemus Alaric and his companions now ride with the Erud's book and an Ancient heart that, if all goes as I think it might, could teach the Moor Bog a new and painful appreciation for the phrase "friendly fire." Either way, the most dangerous parts of the fell alliance from the Dragon’s Breath Mountains brings final inhuman war upon Warminster, and I do not need Erudian Sight to know that the realm will scream with agony before sighing with relieved salvation as this truly epic and unpredictable saga concludes.

“The blade of betrayal, the sharpest of weapons, is wielded not by your enemies, but by your friends." – Warminster the Mage

I have finished Anne McCaffrey's original The Dragonriders of Pern trilogy

I have finished The White Dragon, the third and final volume of Anne McCaffrey's original The Dragonriders of Pern trilogy.

I know what you are thinking: "Well, Ian, better late than never. About time you read one of Fantasy literature's most famous works, the one that put dragon riders on the map, no less!" I absolutely agree and enjoyed every word of it. A unique Fantasy and Sci-Fi blend even by today's standards, in the early days of the genre – post-Tolkien but pre-Rowling – it must have been staggering. Indeed, I saw truly how all Dragon Riders literary DNA descended from the Dragonriders of Pern and the resemblance, which some exceptions, of course, remains strong.

Beyond that, thus it is that Jaxom, rider of white Ruth, changes and protects the face of Pern from Thread and the bitter jealousies of diehard traditionalists, Oldtimers, raw ambition, and well-meaning friends who need to adapt as well. All while, under the baleful Red Star's eye, having fun on the way. Let's face it, exploration of terra incognita and the history of the original Pernese settlers, plus dragon training and finding love is about as good as it gets – even if it was touch-and-go a few times.

So it is that I depart Pern, 3rd planet of the Rukbat system in the Sagittarian sector. Perhaps not forever as Anne McCaffrey wrote many Pern books, the series as a whole covering over two and a half millennia (and I would like to learn more about the Dawn Sisters). But now, for right now, I take my leave of the world.

My duty to you and fly far Lessa of Ruatha and golden Ramoth, F'lar and bronze Mnementh, F'nor and brown Canth, Brekke, Jaxom and white Ruth, Masterharper Robinto, T'bor and bronze Orth, D'ramand bronze Tiroth, Harper Menolly, Mastersmith Fandarel, Sharra, and many others of Weyr and Hold.

Honor those the dragons heed,
In thought and favor, word and deed.
Worlds are lost or worlds are saved
From those dangers dragon-braved. 

Dragonman, avoid excess;
Greed will bring the Weyr distress;
To the ancient Laws adhere,
Prospers thus the Dragonweyr.

Weyrman, watch; Weyrman, learn,
Something new in every Turn.
Oldest may be coldest, too.
Sense the right; find the true!

Wheel and turn or bleed and burn.
Fly between, Blue and Green.
Soar, dive down, Bronze and Brown.
Dragonmen must fly when threads are in the sky.

Battle with Sea Dogs

A song about fighting pirates drawn from the lore of my Fantasy world, the Archipelago of Cynnahu.

Readers' Favorite Affiliate

I am proud to announce that, as of today, Stars Uncounted - Ian's Fantasy Bookshelf is an Affiliate of Readers' Favorite, a most exemplary organization which provides authors free (and paid for) book reviews and hosts a respected annual book award contest.

I have started The White Dragon, volume three of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern

I have started The White Dragon, volume three of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern.

Never before has Pern seen a White Dragon grace its skies, so Jaxom and Ruth will have their work cut out for them finding their way in the world where Holders and dragonriders have always been separate. Tradition and peace matter, but Thread cares naught for either... and if my long experience in Fantasy is any judge, white Ruth may just save Pern's skies despite everyone saying he and Jaxom cannot.

Honor those the dragons heed,
In thought and favor, word and deed.
Worlds are lost or worlds are saved
From those dangers dragon-braved.

Rise in glory,
Bronze and gold.
Dive entwined,
Enhance the Hold.

There is news on the wind, blowing in the red ship's sails.

I have finished Dragonquest, volume two of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern

I have finished Dragonquest, volume two of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern.

Leaders and dragonriders adapt (or not, in some cases) to changing times even as time grows short - for Thread follows no timetable but those set by the stars Red and otherwise. F'lar, Lessa, F'nor and their friends delve into the past while innovating to save the present and future, and while this does not prevent all tragedy, salvation may be found in the smallest and most unlikely of forms.

Holder, watch; Holder, learn,
Something new in every Turn.
Oldest may be coldest too.
Sense the right; find the true!

Wheel and turn or bleed and burn.
Fly between, Blue and Green.
Soar, dive down, Bronze and Brown.
Dragonmen must fly when threads are in the sky.

Truth is stranger than fiction

51 years ago today, on September 2, 1973, J.R.R. Tolkien died at age 81.

1973

3 for the Elven-kings under the sky,
7 for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
9 for Mortal Men doomed to die,
1 or the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

"In those days the smiths of Ost-in-Edhil surpassed all that they had contrived before; and they took thought, and they made Rings of Power. [...] Now the Elves made many rings; but secretly Sauron made One Ring to rule all the others, and their power was bound up with it, to be subject wholly to it and to last only so long as it too should last." – The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"

My father and I just finished rereading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

My father and I just finished rereading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Sometimes one needs to go back to their roots, walk familiar roads even they be filled with doubt and danger with a Dragon at the end laying upon stolen, hoarded gold. Such was our need, to travel again with Mr. Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, who went on a most extraordinary adventure with thirteen dwarves and the wizard Gandalf. 

"If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger. In following the path of this humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) – if you do not already know all about these things – much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves..." - J.R.R. Tolkien.

I have started Dragonquest, volume two of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern

I have started Dragonquest, volume two of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern.

The Threads fall and dragonriders fly against their ancient foe, yet all is not well as what could be called a generational gap - or chasm, better yet - stirs tension where there should be unity. It will take a different kind of jump to solve this; perhaps one to the Red Star itself.

Weyrman, watch; Weyrman, learn,
Something new in every Turn.
Oldest may be coldest, too.
Sense the right; find the true!

The Finger points,
At an Eye blood-red.
Alert the Weyrs,
To sear the Thread.

I have finished Dragonflight, volume one of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern

I have finished Dragonflight, volume one of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern.

A book that lives up to its dragon-sized reputation as Lessa of Ruatha flies golden Ramoth and becomes Weyrwoman of Benden Weyr... and not a moment to soon as the Red Star that heralds death bloodies the skies of Pern. Of course, time and space are connected - which made the job of finding a way to save Pern from the Threads far more manageable. But the world is not won yet, nor will it ever be so long as the spores fall from their alien world.

Drummer, beat, Piper, blow,
Harper, strike, Soldier, go,
Free the flame and sear the grasses
Till the dawning Red Star passes.

From the Weyr and from the Bowl,
Bronze and brown and blue and green,
Rise the dragonmen of Pern,
Aloft, on wing; seen, then unseen.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim | Official Trailer

I will reserve judgement for now, but history has proven that anime adaptions of Tolkien tend not to end well. Still, that being said, I will admit that the story of Helm Hammerhand, ninth King of Rohan and the namesake of Helm's Deep, is likely among the safest tales to animate.

I just finished playing Octopath Traveler

I just finished playing Octopath Traveler, a game unlike any other I have every played for, rather than a single plotline, the tale is the eight journeys of eight very remarkable, very different people – all traveling for their own reasons. Olberic, a traveling swordsman seeking to regain the reason for swinging his blade; Primrose, a bewitching dancer out to avenge her father's murder; Alfyn, an apothecary chasing a man from his youth, traveling for the aid of others; Therion, a lone thief seeking to recover the Dragonstones and his pride; H'aanit, a brave and beautiful huntress searching for her lost master; Ophelia, a kind cleric inheriting her friend's journey, and duty of the Kindling; Cyrus, a sagacious scholar pursuing the mystery of a lost forbidden tome; and Tressa, an innocent merchant traveling a world replete with treasure.

Each of course getting caught up in affairs somewhat larger than anticipated, becoming friends and learning much about the world and themselves even as a dark threat, a Black Flame, a Fallen God, ties it all together. It was a joy getting to know and traveling with them across the vastness of Orsterra, bearing witness to their triumphsand tragedies alike, unto the journey's end.

"If believing in future makes one a fool, then call me a proud fool. Let this be a lesson to you.... the future of mankind is bright!" - Ophilia Clement

"There is no shame in not knowing an answer, so long as you're willing to learn." - Cyrus Albright

"Lives entwined, a tapestry woven anew each dawn, every thread a part of the whole." - H'aanit

"I need your stage no longer. I dance for myself." - Primrose Azelhart

"Easing people's suffering is what I do." - Alfyn Greengrass

"When you look to the future, who gazes with you over the bleak landscape that your might has seized?" - Olberic Eisenberg

"I'd prefer to work on my own, but if you really need me... I'll think about it." - Therion

"From the next chapter on, this will be my story." - Tressa Colzione

I have started Dragonflight, volume one of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern

I have started Dragonflight, volume one of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern.

I know what you are thinking: "Ian, how can you call yourself a veteran Fantasy reader, how have you been reading Fantasy for so long, without having read a titan like McCaffrey's Pern books?" The answer is that the series, for no particular reason, never fell strongly enough on my radar at first but, regardless, I intend to rectify it now.

Thus do I find myself on the planet of Pern, in a tale that both Fantasy and Sci-Fi combined, facing a foe more biological than baleful yet no less ancient or harmful, alongside Lessa and dragonman F'lar. I am quite experienced with Dragon Riders courtesy of Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, so I cannot wait to at long last see how the originals, the Dragonriders of Pern, fare.

Honor those the dragons heed,
In thought and favor, word and deed.
Worlds are lost or worlds are saved
From those dangers dragon-braved.

Dragonman, avoid excess;
Greed will bring the Weyr distress;
To the ancient Laws adhere,
Prospers thus the Dragonweyr.