Tell me again why Darth Vader wore the mask and not the Emperor

Tell me again why Darth Vader wore the mask and not the Emperor (Darth Sidious). I understand the need for a breathing apparatus, but, in the end, Palpatine's face was just as, if not more, ugly. Yes, I know it was the only way to keep Vader alive – but Sidious could have given the Medusa a run for her money.

I have started Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross

I have started Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross.

Fell dreams can be scary enough, but when the ancient curse of a betrayed Duke brings them to life once a month...that is what one calls a true nightmare. Add magicians tasked with defending the realm of Azenor fighting over territory, at least one of whom has good looks and bad enough manners to challenge Clementine's father, and Clem's life is about become something truly undreamt of. Still, adversity tis the parent of progress and every curse can be broken. If revenge can be set aside, secrets overcome, and more artistic forms of magic used, of course, plus maybe a rather revealing mirror in a creepy mansion. All I know is that any Fantasy reader knows the power of dreams in the genre, so a book built upon them...

I have finished Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire by Don Martin

I have finished Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire by Don Martin.

"Everything wants," as is said, for that is the stuff of how contracts are made. Yet deals run two ways and Verity Vox, witch-in-training, found more than she bargained for in the Appalachian town of Foxfire next to a mountain that was old when the moon was young and holds a power within desired by the fell magician Earl who plays by no rulebook humanity wrote. But never had he faced an adversary such as Verity, whose courage and wit, songs and lore, awoke the mountain and freed the town once more.

An utter delight and delightfully whimsical book, Verity and the rules of witchcraft stole my heart within the first pages and never let go. A tale of community that overcomes years of hardship against a terrible inhuman force and finding love amidst such desolation. Is there a better ending than riding and flying off into the sunset? A bit of a cliché, but perfect in my mind. Not that it be a true ending, as I learned that this is Book 1 of the The Verity Vox Series, so no goodbyes this time. Verity Vox, Jack-Be-Nimble, Tacita Tarry, Gilly & Earnest, Mae and Del Miller, I will be seeing you all again in less than a year.

3rd grade alchemists

I wrote this on my personal facebook four years ago today and, looking at it, cannot think why I did not post it here. So I shall now correct that error:

"Never thought I would say this, but I think a few of the 3rd grader may be reading too much Fantasy. Yes, I actually just said that and only partly in jest 🤫 See, a girl had a nosebleed today and naturally a drop of blood hit the blacktop, so what do the other girls do when their friend is taken in to get cleaned up? They instantly used chalk to draw alchemical symbols around the drop of blood as if it were a blood magic altar!"

Seriously, who starts these rumors?

So a student comes up to me today and asks, "Mr. Adler, is it true you've read every book in the world?"

I burst out laughing, then answer, "Oh gosh no! A person could read every moment from the day they were born to the day they die even if they lived to over a hundred, and still not have read the barest fraction."

Student: "Really? They're that many?"

The scary part is that in no point during this conversation was the kid anything less than completely earnest, and was legitimately surprised when I replied "an incomprehensible amount, and that does not even include books that have been lost" after which I told them of the tragically lost Library of Alexandria.

Then, later, a different pair of students asked me if I had read every book in the library, or just most of them. Naturally I told them neither, though I could claim a decent amount of the Fantasy section.

 

For the record, I never did or said anything that could have planted the seeds for these (or past somewhat more fantastical) rumors. I tell riddles and like any good librarian make book recommendations.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave

Naturally we still do not know for sure if this is a prequel or sequel. (Unless I missed something). Regardless, exploring Shamir's homeland will be fascinating. Gosh though...hearing Sothis' voice and her theme... And this enemy... a new foe or the Dagdan branch of those who slither in the dark?

Authors are not in charge

Whoever said authors where in charge of their characters was not an author, because the best characters, the ones we all remember and cherish, become real people not only to us but to the author too. People with hopes and dreams, personality quirks and idiosyncrasies, tragic pasts and hopeful ones, hobbies and loves and hates...everything that makes us human (even if, in Fantasy, not all characters are human). Therefore whenever we authors create a character we cede some control over our world away, for a well-made character will act as they will according to their nature and a good lets them do just that. We build the world, set the stage, and certainly have some control, more the more we write, the deeper we delve into our worlds, the more we find that we are just following the characters. It becomes not unlike being a Dungeon Master in Dungeons & Dragons: the DM controls what happens in the world, but not the players characters.

As Patricia A. McKillip once so wisely said, "Like water, tales find their own paths; they go where they are needed." Goodness knows that was my experience writing The Dragonkin Legacy: as a general matter I knew what was going to happen, but I was often barely a half-step ahead of my characters and then watching their reactions. Still, one need not take my word for it. I yield, as ever, the floor to J.R.R. Tolkien. 

"I met a lot of things on the way that astonished me. Tom Bombadil I knew already; but I had never been to Bree. Strider sitting in the corner at the inn was a shock, and I had no more idea who he was than had Frodo. The Mines of Moria had been a mere name; and of Lothlorien no word had reached my mortal ears till I came there. Far away I knew there were the Horselords on the confines of an ancient Kingdom of Men, but Fanghorn Forest was an unforeseen adventure. I had never heard of the House of Eorl nor of the Stewards of Gondor. Most disquieting of all, Saruman had never been revealed to me, and I was as mystefied as Frodo at Gandalf's failure to appear on September 22." – J.R.R. Tolkien, in a letter to W.H. Auden, June 7, 1955

In a different letter, he also noted that Faramir's appearance toward the end of The Two Towers startled him no less than the readers, saying: "I am sure I did not invent him. I did not even want him, though I like him." Case in point that authors are not in charge, for if the measure of greatness is creating something with a life of its own then the stories/worlds given life end up calling the shots.

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

An inveterate Magic: the Gathering player, I pay close 
attention to the lore and THIS STORY,  Not for a Stranger, 
is the one for this month. A toast to Huatli and Saheeli.

"Hail royal June, sun-bright with poppies crowned" said John Cowper Powys, the English philosopher, lecturer, novelist, critic and poet. But I echo that hail today for another reason in addition to joyous Summer. It is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, and with it let me continue to offer my undying support for the LGBTQIA+ community and reiterate the role Fantasy literature plays in supporting them by, to start, inviting people to read my LGBTQIA+ in Fantasy page. As I state on the just mentioned page, I personally am not LGBTQIA+. However, I have students who are and one year I told them – quite truthfully, by the way – that I was writing a Fantasy book in which one of the key characters is lesbian. Their eyes lit and they were on their feet in less time than it takes to say it. But it is the moment when I told them that the character is a Queen that I shall forever remember, for the glow on their faces out-shown the lights on the ceiling by a leap and a bound. They began questioning me about the character, wanting to know her name, what she looked like, all about the land she ruled and, most importantly, when the book was coming out. To this last I gave them a disappointing answer, for an unfinished rough draft of a 500+ page book is naturally years away from publication, and they asked me how they were supposed to wait that long for a book with a gay Queen. They want to see the rough draft as it stands and one who has some artistic skill began drawing this Queen based on my description. The moral of the story? Representation matters, people. Seeing yourself in literature matters in a huge way. Indeed, when I found these students they were eagerly pursuing the school library's LGBTQIA+ Pride Month book display.

Moving on, permit me to quote in full this article from The Hill titled In an era of book bans, sci-fi and fantasy offer an LGBTQ refuge for young readers:

Science fiction and fantasy are providing an oasis for young readers craving LGBTQ characters they can relate to as activists and wary parents increasingly clamp down on material they find offensive. Books featuring LGBTQ content are disproportionately targeted for bans in U.S. schools and libraries, with the most challenged titles regularly including “Gender Queer,” “All Boys Aren’t Blue” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” But while those memoirs and realistic coming-of-age stories take the hits, superheroes, space travel and dragons often escape mainstream notice — and the heat that comes with it. Author TJ Klune told The Hill he knows some schools have at least a few of his magical, queer-themed works, including “The House in the Cerulean Sea,” “Under the Whispering Door” and the young adult “Extraordinaries” trilogy. Klune said the “Extraordinaries” series, which centers on a gay high schooler in a world where superheroes are real, has been mentioned in book-banning conversations before, but he hasn’t seen the full onslaught faced by other writers.

“It’s strange: Those young adult books are very sex-positive, in that it has discussions on consent and boundaries and protection and best practices for younger queer people. Why those have slipped under the radar, I have no idea,” he said. “I believe, at least in part, that it has to do with privilege. I am a cis, white, queer man. Many of the book challenges are from queer/trans authors of color. If you don’t think the color of my skin is playing a role in this, you’d be mistaken.”

The American Library Association says last year saw the highest number of books banned since it started keeping track of the issue 20 years ago. There were 2,571 unique titles censored in 2022, compared to 1,858 the year before. There is no clear formula for certain books getting banned over others, but reasons behind challenges can include genre, prior media attention and even the directness of a title, said Kathy M. Newman, a professor of English literary and cultural studies at Carnegie Mellon University who pointed to Maia Kobabe’s memoir “Gender Queer.” 

“It’s very explicitly about nonbinary identity in a way that some of these fantasy young adult novels are about a lot of different issues,” Newman said. Fantasy works can require significantly more effort to sift for LGBTQ content. “The House in the Cerulean Sea” could be about nearly anything based on its title; it just so happens to be about a found family of magical creatures with a gay romance at its center. Newman said activists go through public records and news articles to get ideas for what books they should target, regularly hitting ones they’ve seen censored elsewhere. She also pointed out that sci-fi and fantasy books for younger readers are often not “taught explicitly in the classroom.” “It might be under the radar,” she said. Lisa Jenn Bigelow, an award-winning author who writes children’s books with queer themes, hasn’t heard of her works — which include “Hazel’s Theory of Evolution” and “This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us” — specifically getting banned but said it is important to note the concept of “soft censorship” in the library world.

“That’s when gatekeepers might decline to purchase or include a book in classrooms and libraries because, sometimes, they disagree with the content themselves, but more often, even they’re worried that the content could provoke a book challenge from the community. And so rather than take that risk, they just say, ‘Well, we’re not even gonna bother. We’re not gonna go there,’” said Bigelow, who also works as a librarian. David Geiger, a gay middle school English teacher in Virginia, said too many people treat anything queer-themed as inherently sexual in nature.

“Some parents think that because a book has LGBTQ characters or is by an LGBTQ author, they’re automatically inappropriate. I disagree with that,” he said. Geiger said his school has LGBTQ offerings in its book club, and he offers some in his classroom reading, specifically praising, among others, Bigelow’s “Drum Roll, Please.” He said he gives parents a list of books students are allowed to read in his class, and if they object to any, he gives the student an alternate reading assignment.

“I know not to pick books that get into sexually explicit content,” he said. Geiger said he hasn’t had any problems with angry parents, emphasizing that LGBTQ representation is particularly important for young readers. “I try and make sure that as many students can see themselves in the literature as possible,” he said.

While authors and schools have been forced to the frontlines of the book ban issue, some are not concerned about the pushback they could receive. Bigelow said she expects her titles will come under the microscope sooner or later, “especially since the book-banning movement is getting more aggressive and is targeting more

On that note, let me also reiterate that I utterly condemn such people as seek to ban books, and they feel the full force of my contempt so hard it ought to frost their windows. So if you are anti-LGBTQIA+ and are reading this, do not even THINK of commenting on this or any other Stars Uncounted page or post spouting your intolerant drivel, because I will take one look and delete it. It will never appear, and I will lose no sleep over it. Rather, I will be laughing at how you are so insecure that you feel the need to rant on a Fantasy blog while reflecting on the truth of a Mercedes Lackey quote: "Make someone a devout, fanatical anything, and his brain turns to mulch." Then I will stop laughing and forget all about you, because I categorically deem anti-LGBTQIA+ people as a class of idiot so utterly unworthy of respect that I will not waste any more minutes thinking about you. You are a mosquito whose comment was a bite on this blog, and I will flick your comment away with as little thought or care as I would an actual mosquito misguided enough to try to get at my blood. Less care, actually, since, unlike true mosquito bites, deleted comments do not itch after the fact. Speaking of, I mentioned once that I like using AI to see if it can make good library posters and the results have been amazing, the above image being, I think, proof of that (and, since it is AI and thus not subject to any copyright protections, feel free to use it to your hearts content.) 

My father and I just finished The Season of Flames, the first of Anna James' Chronicles of Whetherwhy

My father and I just finished The Season of Flames, the second of Anna James' Chronicles of Whetherwhy.

Thirteen years have passed since Juniper and Rafferty foiled a dark cult in Stormgrove, yet the magical balance of the island of Whetherwhy is still off. How to fix it? One has heard of running to the circus before, but away is the direction Elio and his friends must go to evade the scheming Queen's inspectors and discover the secrets of his pendant, missing mother, and the curious town of Firehollow. Friends new to Elio but old to us as they found the answers they sought but... Well, I have never been fond of deceptive tyrants willing to kill to gain the power of Dragons. Fortunate that Summer arrived the nick of time, but dark times lie ahead, and not only for the Thistledown Academy of Enchantment. I only hope Elio gets to Dragonsrest before the knot of trouble becomes to large, to violent, to untangle.

I have started Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire by Don Martin

I have started Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire by Don Martin.

"The rules here are simple: Don’t look in the trees. Don’t whistle in the woods at night. Don’t answer if you hear your name called. And remember... everything wants." Including a magician who, decades prior, arrived at the old mining town of Foxfire in the Appalachians, taking things other than coin for his services. People always talk about witches' curses, but now it is up to Verity Vox, witch-in-training, to break the one binding the land around an ancient mountain in hunger, isolation, and desolation. Preferably before this fell magician adds her to the list of those who have vanished seeking him.

This has been on my reading list for months and my original intention was to hold off until October for obviously seasonal reasons, but the glamour of the book already had me quite bewitched and, now that I have begun, I am quite content to stay that way. Foxfire calls.

10th Anniversary of Stars Uncounted!

Did I hear myself correctly? Because it sounded like it has been ten years since I wrote these words:

"Greetings Fantasy book lovers and/or guests!! Welcome to my Hall. Come, sit back and relax – maybe have a mug of ale (though I prefer water and apple cider) – while I tell you about myself.

My name is Ian, called the Riddle Maker due to my love of inventing riddles, and I have begun this blog because so many of my friends have said that I should (or would be good at such) that I can ignore them no longer; their statements derived from my Facebook posts regarding my reading and general obsession with Fantasy books and the genre at large. I cannot promise that this blog will be any more edifying that my Facebook posts, and it certainly will not be a bunch of standard Fantasy book reviews. Think of this thus as a public diary of sorts – a record of my subsequent and continued journey through the Realm of the Fantastic."

 

Honestly I can scarcely believe I am writing this. As stated in the quoted Welcome Post, I first started Stars Uncounted - Ian's Fantasy Bookshelf at the ceaseless urging of my friends to do so back in college and, despite my bold tone, I never believed the blog would last this long – much less gain any kind of audience. Now I am a school librarian, an author of Epic Fantasy, and someone whom other authors very occasionally ask to review their books. Had anyone told me this was my mostly humble blog's fate (because it began as entirely if not below humble) I would have thanked them for their faith in me while laughing on the inside. Even now, at the beginning of every year, I am amazed I find enough to write about each month! I guess, as usual, J.R.R. Tolkien spoke true: "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

So here we are and, much as I would like to wax poetic about this monumental 10th Anniversary moment, I actually wrote this post back in January and set it to automatically publish itself today because I was afraid I would forget when the time came. Point of order, one of the reasons Stars Uncounted has seen a decade when most blogs never do is because it is not a standard review site. Because it is a public diary of sorts, it relies only on me. As Sarkhan Vol said: "Do you understand that you must always fail, as long as your goal is not truth, but guidance? That as long as you seek dragons around you, you will never become the dragon within you?" Wise words, even if the man in question took the whole "dragon within you" part a bit too literally. So I will simply say: a toast to another ten years! Goodness knows I am not going anywhere.

"Faerie is a perilous land, and in it are pitfalls for the unwary and dungeons for the overbold...The realm of fairy-story is wide and deep and high and filled with many things: all manner of beasts and birds are found there; shoreless seas and stars uncounted; beauty that is an enchantment, and an ever-present peril; both joy and sorrow as sharp as swords. In that realm a man may, perhaps, count himself fortunate to have wandered, but its very richness and strangeness tie the tongue of a traveler who would report them. And while he is there it is dangerous for him to ask too many questions, lest the gates should be shut and the keys be lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien

“When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” - C.S. Lewis

"Only thin, weak thinkers despise fairy stories. Each one has a true, strange fact hidden in it, you know, which you can find if you look." - Diana Wynne Jones 

I have finished The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan

I have finished The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan.

“And the Old Matchmaker of the Moon said to the lovers, 'This red thread I bestow upon you. It may stretch and it may tangle, but it will never break. Across cycles and worlds and lifetimes, your souls are now destined,” wrote Amélie Wen Zhao, referencing the ancient East Asian legend of the Red Thread of Fate – an invisible red cord tied by the gods linking Fated Ones, soulmates destined to be together. 

But destiny is never clean and, in this case, the threads are not limited to humans. Alas, there is truly almost nothing I can say that would not qualify as a major spoiler. So I will simply note that those who seek to quash the immortal love and power of Dragons, those whose give in to boundless greed and realize too late how soul-destroying it is, will always fail. It may take lifetimes and near mind-crushing heartbreaks, but those thread-bound will find and fly with each other again, finally free of a seriously mad Emperor. (Oh, and my Dragon-related instincts proved correct again.)

Fare ye well, Sai & Jyn. I would wish you a long and happy life but for the fact that it is already a forgone conclusion, so no wishing required.

Star Trek vs. Star Wars: An Analysis of Story and Ships

Star Trek vs. Star Wars. An endless debate, and one I have posted on in the past. Now, however, I put all my points in a single post. I will start with analyzing the differences in story then proceed to the spaceship technologies of the two.

Story

Ever do people make comparisons between the ships and technologies of Star Trek and Star Wars, yet I now make a different comparison – one which explains why I prefer the former over the latter. I can hear you saying: "What? But Star Trek is pure sci-fi, which you avoid almost as rule, while Star Wars is almost a Fantasy in space given the never ending battle between the Jedi and the dark side of the Force." 
A very good point, and I do like Star Wars very much as it is an exemplary tale, a true coming of age story and hero's journey complete with brilliantly complex characters both good and evil. Even mythologist Joseph Campbell acknowledged it as such; indeed, George Lucas credited Campbell's work as influencing his own. Who could forget the revelations and inner conflicts regarding and within Anakin and Luke Skywalker? The wisdom of their mutual mentors Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda (who are cultural icons on and above the level of most characters in literature, on par with Gandalf and Dumbledore)? Han Solo wrestling with self-identification, caught between his roguish past and his relationship with Luke and Princess Leia? As said, a stellar tale by all definitions and, better yet, the Force brings a spiritual element seldom seen in Sci-Fi and on a level rare even in many Fantasies. It is no secret that Masters Kenobi and Yoda (and the Jedi in general) are based off the ancient Samurai and their Zen spiritualism.
Which again begs the question, why do I prefer Trek to Wars. The answer is in their names, added by a famous quote from one Ben Kenobi: "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire." In short, and as of the pitiful Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars amounts to a near-pessimistic tale as the Jedi are always on the verge of being wiped out by the dark side. All the wisdom and power of people like Yoda and Luke amounting to just barely enough to keep hope for better future alive while the Sith terrorize the Galaxy. Not exactly a cheerful, nor hopeful, story.

Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, however, is a different kettle of fish. Purely Sci-Fi and set in our own future and Milky Way Galaxy rather than a long time ago in one far far away, it is not about war but rather exploration. About searching out the wonders of the universe even while trying to prevent interstellar wars and other similar catastrophes. About showing what humanity might develop into if it would learn from the lessons of the past, most specifically by ending violence; an ideal epitomized in the United Federation of Planets that, in the words of Captain James T. Kirk, is "a dream that became a reality and spread throughout the stars." A reality that, unlike the Jedi Order, is not constantly on the verge of total collapse. And when the Federation is threatened, namely by the Borg and the Dominion, while war does admittedly become the focus, the characters – namely Captain Sisko and the crew of Deep Space Nine – take great pains not to fall victim to the phrase "war makes monsters of us all." Also, critically, and unlike the Jedi Order, the Federation not only wins but remains more or less intact.

This may sound simple, and it is, yet this is the key as to why I prefer Trek over Wars. Not only does Trek offer greater variety, as is natural being a TV series as opposed to movies, it explores themes Wars never touches. Lieutenant Commander Data is not beloved for his superhuman abilities that come with being an android so much as because he is Pinocchio: totally benign and desiring nothing so much as understand humanity, to be human. As Captain Picard once said of him, "In his quest to be more like us, he helped us to see what it means to be Human... his wonder, his curiosity about every facet of Human nature, allowed all of us to see the best parts of ourselves. He evolved, he embraced change because he always wanted to be better than he was." Frankly I could keep going, not just about Data but about basically everyone, and not just Next Generation but Deep Space Nine and Voyager too. So I will be brief and just add that wise sages are not lacking even if Jedi-style spiritualism is, as wisdom is often just a solid and true moral compass built of deep compassion and practical experience. As to mysticism, characters like Guinan fill that need quite nicely.

In sum, while Star Wars may have more Tolkienesque elements, Star Trek truly follows the Spirit of Tolkien because it not only embraces, but empowers and delivers on hopes for betterment on an interpersonal as well as intergalactic scale. In Star Trek, the most powerful, most thought-provoking, most memorable moments often have nothing to do with war and, when it does, it is trying to prevent one from starting.

Ships

Ever do people make comparisons between the ships and technologies of Star Trek and Star Wars, namely a hypothetical battle between the Millennium Falcon vs. the USS Enterprise, so now I shall. And I will begin by saying that I deem the comparison silly beyond belief. Why? Well, let us delve into broader technological differences between the 24th century Milky Way and those in a galaxy far far away.

Millennium Falcon

It begins with speed. In Star Wars the Galactic Republic/Empire is just that, galactic, spanning basically the entire galaxy. On a routine basis across all the films ships – be they Star Destroyers, Queen Amidala's royal starship, to one-man ships like Luke's X-Wing – traverse half the galaxy and back again in a matter of days or less. Which makes sense, as how else can a galaxy-spanning political entity keep together? 

USS Voyager

In Star Trek, however, it is completely different. The entire series Star Trek: Voyager was the USS Voyager getting thrown over 70,000 light years away from the Federation, across the Milky Way, and having to seek out new technologies to shorten what would at Maximum Warp be a 75 year journey home. And the same can be seen in Next Generation, each episode often referencing in the Captain's Log and through dialogue how many days it would take to reach Point A to Point B. For example, it would take a Starship traveling at Warp 9.975  one month to traverse 132 light years. A month. Now Star Wars does not get into the intricacies of tech as much as Star Trek, but, again, I point to the fact that Star Wars ships travel across galaxy and back in a matter of days. Luke's X-Wing, much less the Millennium Falcon, would have seen the USS Voyager's 70,000 light years journey as nothing to sneeze at; an average flight. In short, Star Wars hyperdrive engines are worlds superior to Star Trek Warp Drives.

Death Star

Now onto weapons. In Episode IV: A New Hope when Obi-Wan Kenobi says that Alderaan was destroyed by the Empire Han Solo replies "the entire star fleet couldn't destroy a whole planet, it'd take a thousand ships and more fire power than I've seen in a..." though a Tie Fighter interrupted him, the Captain of the Millennium Falcon told us all we need to know. Namely how many imperial ships – all armed with the best weapons, mind – it would take to destroy a planet. In short, in Star Wars it takes nothing less than a fully operational Death Star to do the job.

USS Defiant

Now on to Star Trek, which is where the irony comes in since the Federation loathes war and Starfleet is not strictly a military organization. Ironic because Federation weapons leave Galactic Republic/Imperial ones in the dust, the proof lying in the fact that there are several episodes where the USS Enterprise uses its phasers to drill into planets, and the Deep Space Nine episode the Broken Link Worf catches Garak attempting to gain control the USS Defiant's phasers and quantum torpedoes to destroy the Founders' homeworld; as Garak puts it, "we have enough fire power on this ship to turn that planet into a smoking cinder." Granted that the USS Defiant is one of the most heavily armed ships in the Federation, but it is also one of the physically smallest. Bottom line: basically a single Federation Starship can do what, in Star Wars, only the moon-sized Death Star can.

So, to recap, Star Wars hyperdrive engines wipe the floor with Star Trek Warp Drives in the speed contest, yet Federation phasers make Galactic Republic/Imperial laser cannons looks like outdated pistols. Again, let us appreciate the irony that something called Star WARS actually has the weaker weapons.

USS Enterprise-D

Which brings us back to the age-old Sci-Fi question of: Who would win, the Millennium Falcon or the USS Enterprise? Like I said before, it is a silly question – and the reason why should by now be clear. In an even battle the Enterprise would blow the Falcon to pieces without breathing hard, yet the Falcon would not give it the opportunity since it could outrun it as easily as a regular falcon would a robin. Indeed, even in Star Wars how often does the Millennium Falcon truly fight? Usually only when trying to escape; since speed is the ship's claim to fame, the whole purpose behind it is that the Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca can outrun the Imperials; indeed, it is made very plain that Millennium Falcon cannot best even a single Imperial Star Destroyer. The USS Enterprise, however, is an utterly different animal: the flagship of a vast interstellar power and home to over a thousand people, it was designed to hold its own in a fight against the best the enemies of the Federation had to offer. Whereas the the Millennium Falcon is a freighter; the faster freighter in the galaxy and capable of taking out several one-person attack ships, but a freighter still.

Imperial Star Destroyer

Hence my belief that the whole Millennium Falcon vs. the USS Enterprise debate is silly because, to employ an aphorism, it is comparing apples and oranges. The two ships are so utterly different, both in technology, size, and purpose, and if the two ever did cross swords it would end  as I described above: with the Falcon either in pieces or leaving the Enterprise literally half a galaxy behind. Indeed, it would be the same between the Enterprise and its nearest Star Wars analogue, a Star Destroyer. Given the overwhelming superiority of Federation weapons, a Starship could fry a Star Destroyer easily, leaving the Imperial ship no option but to employ its overwhelming superior hyperdrive engine to escape.

Ravens Don't Tell

"Among other things, the raven is an ancient symbol of prophecy and insight, creation and transformation, knowledge and prestige, associated with ancient wisdom and intelligence." - Me (What? Am I not aloud to quote myself?)

Like comfort books, we all have comfort music and it should come as no surprise that mine tells a tale. What is surprising is that it is a relatively new song, the debut single of Finnish indie folk band Aeldfire. A song that tells, like the old Bards, a dark fairy tale of forbidden love and mysterious magic. It – story, lyrics, and the very sound the singer's voice – continues to draw me back to this glade of ravens.

"All that I have seen and all that I've known
I, the Raven Queen, swear on the bloodstone
To honor and protect the righteous minds,
Ravens don't tell and ravens don't lie."

Quote of the month

"It's an odd and wonderful thing, to barely dare to hope you might be tolerated as you are, only to find out the real you is beloved the way the false you never was." - Sophie Gonzales

I started The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan

I have started The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan.

While Romantasy is not my typical cup of tea, I recently noted that the sub-genre is often wedded to Asian-inspired Fantasy and that I have a special fondness for those featuring the Red Thread of Fate. Hence how I could I resist a book where the Red Thread is a key element, features a bold quest for a lost Dragon amidst a terrible war, and was highly recommended to me by my sister? Spoilers, I did not. And while this single-standing book may be tiny compared to the series I am used to, the same could be said for Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea which introduced me to both Asian-inspired Fantasy and the Red Thread, so I am fully expecting a wild ride and beautifully unique fantasy.

Luck to you, Sai, for I have a feeling your greying, fraying thread may lead you better than any map to this Dragon. (And my Dragon-related instincts are usually good.)

I have finished Ava Richardson's The First Dragon Rider Trilogy

I have finished Dragon Mage, the third and final book of Ava Richardson's The First Dragon Rider Trilogy.

Thus ends the age of the Draconis Monks, their Dragon God, and the bloody evils their tyranny both open and subtle, physical and arcane, wrought upon all Three Kingdoms but most especially the Middle. Now begins the age of the Dragon Riders of what is effectively the Kingdom of Torvald, where only brigands and would-be tyrants need fear dragonfire. All because Neill Torvald & Char Nefrette, two bastard-born children sent unwillingly to the Monastery, dared to dream and do what nobody else had even considered in an age, and fight for a better future against the crazed, the corrupt, and even their own kin. To be the people they were meant to be or, and Paxala puts it, to fly free and not judge themselves through the eyes of others.

Fare and fly well to Neill & Char, Dorf, Jodreth, Lila, Sigrid, Terrence, and all the Dragons of the crater on Mount Hammal!

Is this the last Ava Richardson book I will read? Let us just say that I may one day want to find out what happened to, and see the final dispersion of, the Darkening.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE FRSL

One often hears about J.R.R. Tolkien's tour of duty in the First World War and how it impacted him, and of course all the countless ways The Lord of the Rings founded and continues to shape the Fantasy genre, and whose works continue to be published so many years after his death. Goodness knows I wax poetic about the man often enough and I mean to re-post some of my older ones simply because they are too good not to do otherwise.

Anyway, it occurred to me today that one thing people hear less of are the official honors Tolkien received for his colossal achievements. Let me correct that now. He was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE FRSL. CBE stands for Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, an English Order of chivalry rewarding prominent national/regional achievements across disciplines. The rank of Commander, which Tolkien held, being the highest rank short of knighthood within the Order. 

Point of order (no pun intended), I am of the unshakable opinion that had he been so honored today he would have received a full knighthood. A conclusion based on the fact that other British Fantasy authors have been so honored since, namely Sir Philip Pullman and Sir Terry Pratchett, within the Order of the British Empire. Indeed, J.K. Rowling was offered a damehood (a female knighthood) as well as a seat in the House of Lords, yet turned both down for "entirely personal reasons", stating "I’ve never wanted a title". Though she is an OBE, Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, which is the rank below Commander.

Meanwhile, FRSL stands for Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, which naturally recognizes an individual’s exceptional contribution to literature.

I do not pretend to understand all the intricacies regarding British titles, for Sir Terry Pratchett was never made a FRSL, yet they are interesting, for a certainty.

The Golden Oakleaf - RIP John Flanagan

RIP John Flanagan

Back in 2006, when I was in Middle School, my family was visiting one of my Uncles and Aunts and naturally we found ourselves in a bookstore. There I was, perusing the Fantasy section with my father, when we came across a book.

Neither of us had ever read it, though of course our first thought was of Aragorn son of Arathorn, the Ranger whom in the town of Bree is known as Strider. Yet this new series, called Ranger’s Apprentice, seemed to be only about Rangers and it caught our interest enough to buy it. Now back then I was new to the genre, and though I had Tolkien and a few other great works such as Christopher Paolini's The Inheritance Cycle and Garth Nix The Abhorsen Series under my belt, they had, to a book, been recommended to me either by my friends or my father. Ranger’s Apprentice had no such personal accolades and in consequence it sad unread yet often considered on my shelf for several months before I started it...

...Beginning an Age of my life. I was hooked. Riveted. Falling so utterly in love with the story that I suggested it to my father and sister, who took it up and were similarly enchanted. But that does not describe how much we would go for the books. Being an Australian author, back then (before the series achieved internationally bestselling stardom) new Ranger’s Apprentice books came out in Australia many months before being released in the United States. Yet we were not content to wait. When Book 4, titled The Battle for Skandia, first came out in America I had already read it months prior under its true title and original cover: Oakleaf Bearers. How? Buying books from overseas has never been an issue for my father, and Oakleaf Bearers was but one of many new Ranger’s Apprentice books I read and had on my shelves long before they first graced American bookstores. Original Australian editions I still have, sitting on the exact same shelf. And let me tell you, I watched the Book Trailer for Erak's Ransom at least two dozen times. Watching it still rekindles that feeling of excited anticipation of epic adventure, if naturally tinted by nostalgia.

One time I finished reading the series up the last currently out book... and I picked up Book 1 again and started over. Something I have, to this day, NEVER done before or since.

Then on on January 3, 2014 – two years before I started Stars Uncounted – I wrote the following post on Facebook:

John Flanagan...Thank you so much. Thank you for teaching me how to wield a bow, move silently, throw a knife, and track a foe. Never did drink coffee though, so, sorry about that. Thank you for writing the Ranger’s Apprentice series and giving me 8 years of joy and laughs. You proved that Fantasy need not have magic to be phenomenal

Farewell Will Treaty, Sir Horace, Halt, Evanlyn (Cassandra), Erak, Alyss, Gilan, Tug, Crowley, Gundar, Selethen, Baron Arald, King Duncan, and Maddie.

I have just finished The Royal Ranger, the last book of John Flanagan's Ranger’s Apprentice Series. An Age of my life has ended.

I was devastated to be done, yet understood why John Flanagan was finishing because one could hardly expect him to write a whole other series with with Maddie as the Apprentice and Will the Master, right?

Haha. Right. Famous last words. Because on Saturday December 1, 2018 – two years after I started this mostly humble blog – I go to the bookstore and find The Red Fox Clan, book #2 of the new Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger series which was nothing less that an entire sequel series follow-up to the now-old book #12 of the main Ranger's Apprentice series! Of course, my full reaction was rather more complicated, humorous and aggravating in equal measure, but the fact remained that it was not the end! Merely a new beginning, and Flanagan had already been, and continued to, write The Brotherband Chronicles (which I have never read yet now just might). Nor, in fact, have I finished The Royal Ranger series since shelf space is far more limited than Flanagan's pen. But now I think I will finish, for while the literary world has lost a titan with John Flanagan's passing, he left us with over two dozen Fantasy masterworks without magic that teach strategy over strength and that physical height is overrated and often a hindrance to heroics. But humor is where he really strikes gold, because there is something about Halt's scowling face that brings and special light to all ours days

"Sarcasm isn't the lowest form of wit. It's not even wit at all." – Halt

“Once you best a man, never gloat. Be generous and find something in his actions to praise. He won't enjoy being bested, but he'll make a good face of it. Show him you appreciate it. Praise can win you a friend. Gloating will only ever make enemies.” – Halt

“I forgot how much fun it is having an apprentice.” – Halt

“People will think what they want to...Never take too much notice of it.” – Halt

"Sometimes we tend to expect a little too much of Ranger horses. After all, they are only human."  – Halt

Last but not least, there is the matter of the long tradition of Rangers which Flanagan continued. For that, read my Rangers: From Merry Men to Dúnedain (and beyond) post.

I have started Dragon Mage, Book Three of Ava Richardson's The First Dragon Rider Trilogy

I have started Dragon Mage, Book Three of Ava Richardson's The First Dragon Rider Trilogy.

Dragon Monks give way to Dragon Riders as a cry for help gives the Draconis Order new purpose – to help those whom nobles and royals cannot or will not. Royals who will not sit idly by as Neill Torvald, Char Nefrette and their friends usher in a new and better future astride their dragon-sisters and brothers. Yet to save the lands from interminable bloodshed Neill will have to embrace leadership and the hard, sometimes bloody, choices that come with it. A task made harder still when a certain evil Dragon Mage and Bull Dragon have vengeance on their sick minds.

I finished Dragon Dreams, Book Two of Ava Richardson's First Dragon Rider Trilogy

I finished Dragon Dreams, Book Two of Ava Richardson's First Dragon Rider Trilogy.

Two tyrants fled, one human one dragon, with a wall shattered alongside a web of murderous lies. For once there were more Dragon-friends in the world. Once the Three Kingdoms were united, ruled by revered Queen Delia, wearer of her Great Crown. But that crown had a secret, red with the blood of Dragons and identical to the dark rot at the bottom of the Draconis Order. All broken thanks to Char Nefrette and Neill Torvald and mighty Paxala, and now the sky above the Draconis Monastery upon the slopes of Mount Hammal ring with the music of dragons. Yet tyrants fled are sadly not dead, and that does not even account for three human Princes. A new era is approaches...the time of the Dragon Riders.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Official Teaser | HBO Max

As I said before, this carries limited emotion resonance with me since I never watched the Harry Potter movies. But I LOVE the books and this proud Ravenclaw will not mince words: HBO – and the new cast – have some very large broomsticks to fly. Firebolts all, to say the least.

Tolkien Reading Day

Naturally here on Stars Uncounted we celebrate Tolkien Reading Day, an annual event launched by The Tolkien Society, the date of March 25 being chosen for the simple reason that that is when the One Ring was cast into the Cracks of Doom and Sauron fell. Traditionally one celebrates by posting a quote The Lord of the Rings:

“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.” - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of The King. 

Quote of the month

"A constant image [in myths] is that of the conflict of the eagle and the serpent. The serpent bound to the earth, the eagle in spiritual flight - isn't that conflict something we all experience? And then, when the two amalgamate, we get a wonderful dragon, a serpent with wings." – Joseph Campbell

The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender

HUZZAH! The only thing I want to know is who the buff guy with Airbender tattoos is behind Katara. Beyond that, no one should be surprised that the original Team Avatar has new voice actors. Tis called "growing up" folks, which mean voices change and deepen.

I started Dragon Dreams, Book Two of Ava Richardson's First Dragon Rider Trilogy

I started Dragon Dreams, Book Two of Ava Richardson's First Dragon Rider Trilogy.

The world has changed, for Char and Neill have ridden Paxala the crimson red. It takes friendship, the Bond, to ride a mighty Dragon. Yet still the world is ruled by tyrants, humans by three Princes and dragons by he who is called the Dragon God. So what does he want with a human crown enough to let dragons chose riders? Nothing good and much magical most likely, and I never cared much for arranged marriages even to prevent war. So Char and Pax will have to bring down two tyrants if they are to fly free and not be relegated to the roles others would put upon them. Tis time, I think, to uncover the secret past of dragons before casting it aside to blaze (with literal dragon fire, of course) a brighter future. Fortunately Char has Neill Torvald to help.

I finished Dragon God, Book One of Ava Richardson's First Dragon Rider Trilogy

I finished Dragon God, Book One of Ava Richardson's First Dragon Rider Trilogy.

Treachery and deception, bigotry and death, magic and war rage within and without the Draconis Monastery upon the slopes of Mount Hammal, home of dragons. Yet there also blossoms unlikely friendships that become oaths, and a bond the likes of which has never been seen yet will change the world forever – for now, for the first time, humans have ridden a mighty dragon. Yet Neill Torvald, Char Nefrette, and Paxala the crimson red are a long way from out of fire yet, as war still looms alongside whatever a certain Abbot cooks up. To say nothing of he who is called the Dragon God...

I just finished playing Triangle Strategy (True Ending on the first run)

Morality, Liberty, Utility.

I just finished playing Triangle Strategy, a game that famously tests the one's convictions. For while multiple endings, including bad ones, have become common in tactical role-playing games, Triangle Strategy takes it a step further by not giving the player total control either. Like life, there is not one but many paths through the story based entirely upon one's choices, yet when the time has come to make a choice it is not Lord Serenoa Wolffort who makes it but rather democratically by all his closest friends casting votes upon the Scales of Conviction. Serenoa may speak with his friends, using the knowledge he has gained and the strength of his convictions to influence their vote, but in the end the path that receives the most votes is the one taken regardless of the player's preferences.

Which is one of the two key things that makes Triangle Strategy notably different from other RPG: it is not simply battlefield tactics but also personal ones, as you must know your friends well in order to convince them to vote to follow the path you desire. So be sure to save the game before trying convince, else otherwise you may find yourself walking an undesired path and dooming the land of Norzelia in the process. Truly dooming. In the game Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, Lippti says: "Countless possibilities fade into the darkness. Yet there exists a razor-thin path of light." Such is even more true here, for Triangle Strategy's three main endings are all bad ones. Yet there exists a Fourth Path, a Golden Route, a True Ending in gamer lingo: one that can only be reached by making a very specific certain set of choices.

Most say that the True Ending is too hard to achieve on the first play-through, but I did not accept that. I will never accept a bad ending nor have ever led characters, my friends, into one and was not about to start. Nor did I, for I am happy to say that on this my first play-through I successfully unlocked and completed the True Ending of Triangle Strategy! The key is proper unit deployment, and yes, spend a little time leveling up on training maps, but it was hardly intense grinding. You can unlock the hidden fourth ending during the Chapter 17: If Griefs Could Passions Move and you will have to split up your forces into three units which, moving forward, cannot be altered so save a backup file and choose wisely because a single mistake can doom you. I will not spoil much, but suffice to say that putting Anna and Hughette in Benedict's Unit to defend Castle Wolffort is critical, as is putting Ezana, Narve, Archibald, and Erador in Frederica's. You will have three hard-fought battles to win, plus a couple more afterwards, but the result is so very worth it. You save Norzelia from descending into varying levels of dystopia. 

What else makes this game different? Not the battle system but rather the plotline. While there is of course magic, the story is very political: House Wolffort navigating a treacherous landscape of conquest, deception, murder, political intrigue, shifting alliances, and of course the various priorities and convictions of its members. I personally was most drawn to the plight of the Roselle, Frederica's people, who are treated as sinners and enslaved by the Holy State of Hyzante, and had grim push come to dreadful shove would have chosen her bad ending to free them. Fortunately through the True Ending I freed them and the rest of Norzelia, but the fact remains that Triangle Strategy is a grittier game, forcing one to weigh difficult choices and sometimes choosing the seemingly less moral one for the sake of survival. I admit that the level of political intrigue (including very specific events) and fighting over resources at times put me in mind of the GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire. Still, thanks to the True Ending that is joy incarnate a cunning strategist can avoid the worst treachery and needless bloodshed, so never give into despair. All told, a most enjoyable game (though I doubt I enjoyed it as much as others due to how heavy the political intrigue was).

Farewell and eternal happiness to you Serenoa Wolffort & Frederica Aesfrost, Roland Glenbrook, Benedict Pascal, Hughette Bucklar, Geela Breisse, Anna Pascal, Erador Ballentine, Corentin Jenner, Symon Wolffort, Narve Oparyn, Hossabara Freyya, Julio Wrightman, Lionel Khapita, Piccoletta, Jens Macher, Ezana Qlinka, Medina Alliam, Archibald Genoe, Groma Jurgina, Flanagan Grutte, Jerrom Laesmi, Milo Yuelle, Avlora, Svarog Aesfrost, and Lyla Viscraft. Let the future of Norzelia be led by the brightness of your convictions.

Frederica: "I shall think of the new era before us as I walk beside you on the path we have chosen—together."
Serenoa: "So long as you are at my side, I can continue on, however far. Let us work together to ensure the path we have chosen is the right one."
Frederica: "But of course. That is the way of House Wolffort."