I have finished An Echo of Things to Come, Book Two of The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington

I have finished An Echo of Things to Come, Book Two of The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington.

Tal'kamar's plans have worked thus far, though at terrible cost. The identity of Davian's teacher out of time is revealed, as is birth of the Unseen War, the Shadows and their leaders, and how the ilshara – the Boundary – has kept Shammaeloth, the fooled Venerate, and the rest of Talan Gol at bay. Terrible truths all, few more so than the nature of the sword Licanius and who fatally set Tal'kamar upon this path so long ago. Some prophesies remain unfulfilled and the breach to the Darklands along with so many questions linger, which is why the title of this book worries me so. For if this was but an echo of things to come, then that means... well, that I hope that what the fooled Venerate believe they fight for is possible.

Chant of elves and dragons

Tis been far too long since I posted music, which is, after all, one of the great joys in life that High Fantasy espouses! A source of magic and power in itself! So enjoy, my fair friends, this chant of elves and dragons.

The Last War FREE on Kindle for FIVE DAYS

My book The Last War: Book One of The Dragonkin Legacy is FREE on Kindle for FIVE DAYS on Amazon, starting today and ending on October 12th.

“An enthralling epic teeming with valor, camaraderie, and searing battles.” – Kirkus Reviews

“À la Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea saga.” – BlueInk Reviews

The Dragonkin were slain long ago. Yet they are humanity’s only hope.

The Dragonkin are gone – slaughtered to extinction in an ancient genocidal war, leaving humanity to rule the shattered Archipelago of Cynnahu. Now, millennia later, a prophecy unfolds, declaring that five – Traveler, Orphan, Survivor, Student, and Lord – shall save, or fail to save, the Archipelago in humanity’s Last War against the mireborn of Nag Isle.

Sakura’s life is shattered when her family is slaughtered and her home isle destroyed; now orphaned and homeless, she seeks vengeance. Myrriden is a weary mage and devoted single father drawn into a war he never wanted. Emrys, his nervous son, fears he will never live up to his father’s name. Volcan is the enigmatic Fire Mage whose past and powers remain a mystery. And Archmage Hoth, their unflappable leader, carries the weight of countless lives upon his shoulders.

Guided by a riddle unearthed from a mage’s tomb, the five race through a world of swords, spells, and forgotten scrolls to rediscover the Elder Song – the lost magic of the Dragonkin and humanity’s only hope. But time is their greatest foe. As war spreads across land and sea, they must uncover secrets deliberately erased from humanity’s past and reunite the scattered Song before the forces that predate human rule in Cynnahu rise again. Only three things are certain: the past is not dead, where swords fail scrolls may prevail, and humanity stands on the edge of extinction.

Guided by a riddle unearthed from a mage’s tomb, the five race through a world of swords, spells, and forgotten scrolls to rediscover the Elder Song – the lost magic of the Dragonkin and humanity’s only hope. But time is their greatest foe. As war spreads across land and sea, they must uncover secrets deliberately erased from humanity’s past and reunite the scattered Song before the forces that predate human rule in Cynnahu rise again. Only three things are certain: the past is not dead, where swords fail scrolls may prevail, and humanity stands on the edge of extinction.

“A story filled with twists and turns...full of history that feels ancient.” – Pacific Book Review 

My father and I just finished rereading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

My father and I just finished rereading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.

Ironic that such a timeless classic begins with the old opener "it was a dark and stormy night", but seldom has it been better used than to spit Mrs. Whatsit into the Murrys' kitchen. The perfect way to begin, and "speaking of ways, pet, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract." Bottom line, Dad and I realized one dark and clear night that it had been an appalling number of years since we even thought of rereading this one of Fantasy's oldest and most beloved masterworks. So naturally we corrected that oversight and found its glory equal if not superior to our memories. The real shock was realizing again how short it is! Even by the standards of Diana Wynne Jones and Patricia A. McKillip, Madeleine L'Engle squeezes a stunning amount into so marvelous and heartfelt a book. Not a line wasted, not a character unimportant even if in only a small way. Indeed, the only thing we felt was missing was a line acknowledging Mr. Murry's almost preternatural strength of will in managing to resist IT for years.

I will not say goodbye since the classics are forever reread. Merely a pleasure as always and until next (wrinkle in) time, Meg and Calvin, Charles Wallace, Mrs. and Mr. Murry, the Happy Medium, Aunt Beast, and of course Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which.

"Wit beyond measure, is man's greatest treasure"

Pottermore is allowing one to sort again! I got an email instead of a letter, and it was incredible to do the new and improved version! Strangely I found myself terrified at the end that I would not be sorted into where I knew I belonged. But I need not have worried. 

Always. Since I was a kid and no matter the sorting test - from parent-made ones at birthday parties to official Potter ones - I am always an forever a proud Ravenclaw!

Westminster Abbey to honor J.R.R. Tolkien, and a Tale of Two Graves

Westminster Abbey, a royal church in the centre of London that is no less a prime historical, literary, and scientific pilgrimage site than a religious on, possibly more. For interred within designated Corners are the tombs of the giants upon whose shoulders humanity stands. In Scientists' Corner, located in the nave and North Choir Aisle, just in front of the choir screen, rests Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, and other Pioneers in their fields.

But I speak this night of Poets' Corners where Geoffrey Chaucer was buried in 1400, originally due to his work as a royal clerk rather than his poetry, yet now over 100 poets and writers are rest and/or have memorials here. Here lie literary luminaries such as Charles Dickens, John Dryden, Rudyard Kipling, Samuel Johnson, and Thomas Hardy. Others such as William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and T.S. Eliot are buried elsewhere yet have designated memorials here. And now, in what I think is a perfect example of the phrases "better late than never" and "about time!", J.R.R. Tolkien, the Founder of Modern Fantasy, is being so honored.

The Dean of Westminster, The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle said: “I am delighted both that there will be a memorial to J.R.R. Tolkien in the Abbey and that the memorial will be a thing of beauty.  The Hobbit was read to me when I was a boy; when I was a little older, I read The Lord of the Rings, and then I read it again.  We will remember here a master storyteller, a scholar, a man with a Christian imagination and a writer who helped some of us understand that a commitment to life and virtue might be costly and courageous.”

Artist Stephen Broadbent said: “It has been a delight and honour to firstly imagine and then develop a memorial for Westminster Abbey that commemorates Tolkien’s literary enterprise and creative imagination. The artwork will present to the viewer the sense of peering into another world: a ‘Forest of Stories’, with Tolkien’s remarkable ‘Tree of Tales’ accepted into the heart of it. Then through this magical forest there is an evocative glimpse to a land beyond.”

Ent a coincidence of course that trees are the memorial's heart, or that Tolkien will be alongside his close friend and fellow Fantasy writer, C.S. Lewis, author of Narnia. Also of course that Tolkien is not buried here, though I did have the honor of visiting his and his wife's shared grave back in 2011 with my family. We visited Westminster Abbey too and now have more incentive to return.

Why is William Shakespeare not buried in the Abbey? Well, his grave is a different tale and shows his dramatic flare to the hilt. Like Tolkien he rests alongside his wife, Anne Hathaway. Unlike Tolkien, Shakespeare's grave bears no name: only a famous warning he reportedly wrote himself. For in 17th-century England graveyards and burial spaces filled up quickly, with older remains frequently dug up and relocated to charnel houses to make room for new burials, to say nothing of grave robbers. So he wrote a curse which translated into modern English reads:

Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.

It must have worked, because his bones remain undisturbed to this day. Nobody minds risking Mummy Curses and whatnot giving how many Pharaohs and other ancient Egyptian tombs have been excavated for museums around the world. But Shakespeare's Curse, reportedly written himself for placement upon his tomb? I would not risk it.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave — Overview Trailer

A trailer that covers everything is my kind of trailer, and this... well, it will be incredible working with Sothis again. As for the timeline, given how the text mentions the Ten Elites, I think this is a sequel taking place in the far distant future. Oh, if our white-clad savior looking like Byleth's near-twin is a coincidence then I will eat a Hero's Relic. As always though, what choice to make is the question. I am absolutely not going alone again the Goddess of Death, and as to our heroes... I am leaning towards Theodora. By the way, if you read the text for all of them (not just Cai) you will see Fire Emblem continuing its long tradition of hating fathers.