Books Read in August, 2022
A new month. Thus, as is my standard usage of my blog space at or near the beginning of the month, I present the listing of my August, 2022 reads.
*****
Book Reads in August, 2022
Beyond the Empire by K.B. Wagers
Gods and Pawns by Kage Baker (r)
Mrs. Peel, We're Needed: The Technicolor World of Emma Peel edited by Rodney Marshall
Justice League Vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes #2-3 (Comics)
The Raven Braid by Jerry D. Grayson (RPG) (r)
June, 2022 Locus
The Charioteer of Delphi by Caroline Lawrence
Earth-Prime: Batwoman #1 (Comic)
Earth-Prime: Superman & Lois #2 (Comic)
Earth-Prime: DC's Legends of Tomorrow #3 (Comic)
Earth-Prime: Stargirl #4 (Comic)
Earth-Prime: The Flash #5 (Comic)
Dark Crisis #0 FCBD Special Edition (Comic)
Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke
Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1 (Comic)
Dark Crisis #1-2 (Comics)
Atlantis: City Guide to Atlantis by Matthew Bottiglieri and Jerry D. Grayson (RPG) (r?)
*****
And that was my reading for August, 2022. This was a pretty good month of reading for me, both in terms of the quality of the books read and the quantity of books read. While it doesn't seem like I read a lot of books in August, there were a good number of comics that I read this past month, and a couple of dense rpg supplements for the Atlantis: The Second Age RPG. Not to mention the severe allergies and the diabetes problems that continue to affect my eyes and vision. It was another good month of reading for the joy of it, rather than reading because I was bored and had nothing better to do. Regardless, my bookcases are still stacked with a pretty large To Read Queue (TRQ). The books I enjoyed the most were:
Beyond the Empire by K.B. Wagers
The third book in the Indranan War series. Gunrunner-turned-Empress Hail Bristol was dragged back to her home planet to take her rightful place in the palace. Her sisters and parents have been murdered, and the Indranan Empire is reeling from both treasonous plots and foreign invasion. Now, on the run from enemies on all fronts, Hail prepares to fight a full-scale war for her throne and her people, even as she struggles with the immense weight of the legacy thrust upon her. With the aid of a motley crew of allies old and new, she must return home to face off with the same powerful enemies who killed her family and aim to destroy everything and everyone she loves. Untangling a legacy of lies and restoring peace to Indrana will require an empress's wrath and a gunrunner's justice. This third and final book in the Indranan War series is one of those books that I was sad to read because the novel is the final book in the trilogy that explores a new, and interesting sf universe, introducing the reader to the fabulous and fascinating Hail Bristol, a gunrunner whose murdered family is royalty, and who goes from being a gunrunner to being an Empress who is sworn to save the Indranan Empire from its enemies. And to root out those responsible for her family's death and get her revenge. Part of the fascination with this third book is that though Hail Bristol remains front and centre in this book (and by extension the entire series), the novel is still quite the ensemble piece. While I adore Hail, I am also quite partial to Emmory, her Ekam (chief bodyguard and chief of staff) and his partner, Zin. However, the characters that I seem to enjoy reading about the most are Hail Bristol's less than reputable friends from her days as a gunrunner. Even though Hail is now an Empress, they all still treat her exactly the same way they always have, and are a wonderfully uncouth bunch. Hao is snarky in the extreme, mostly because he can be. Johar is also a favourite, being brutally honest about everything. She's just there for the fighting, anything else is secondary. Author Wager's writing is highly emotive, to be honest, in regards to Hail and her dysfunctional surrogate family of bodyguards and gunrunners. These characters genuinely care for one another, and regardless of the circumstances (such as bullets flying, buildings blowing up, space cruisers engaged in fiery, heated battle) they look out for one another. That said Hail's loyalty to her surrogate family is incredible; she won't let her subjects do anything that she isn't prepared to do herself. And this happens several times in the novel in sequences that to be honest shocked the hell out of me, but made sense from Hail's point of view. However, that said, the book also has some truly quiet, thoughtful moments. Hail still doubts her ability to rule the Indranan Empire, and this eats away at her almost constantly in the novel. However, the action sequences in Beyond the Empire are quite the counterpoint to the thoughtful, introspective times, as they have a break-neck, somewhat frantic pacing to them. This third novel finds the situation now one of all-out war with her enemies, and this is where Hail excels; this Empress functions better in the heart of a battlefield rather than undertaking her ceremonial duties. When the action is happening, Hail is confident, sure and determined, but when the action subsides, her self-assurance wavers completely. While the action is almost non-stop, other than the moments of Hail's introspection and decision making, it needs to be in this third novel - and definitely lives up to the hype that surrounds third books in a trilogy. The body count around Hail is high in this novel; that's what happens during wars such as this. It's also deliberate on the part of the main villain of the story - whose identity is finally revealed in this third book. The only question is whether Hail will get her revenge on those responsible for her family's deaths or will she place the responsibilities of being the Empress and what that means to the future of the Indranan Empire first. Beyond the Empire wraps up the war for the Indranan Empire quite nicely and firmly, but the groundwork is laid in this story for the next tale set in this universe. And I for one can't wait to read that next book! Highly recommend this book, and the series.
Gods and Pawns by Kage Baker (r)
The ninth book and second collection of stories set in The Company series. In the Company, you're either a God or a Pawn, but sometimes you have to be both. The eight stories, reprinted for the first time in this collection, delve further into the history and exploits of the Company and its operatives, including Mendoza, Lewis, and Alec. The book opens with the novella "To the Land Beyond the Sunset" starring Lewis and Mendoza, and involving a strange tribe in Bolivia whose members claim to be gods. Their ability to grow a small tropical paradise in the middle of the desert certainly seems god-like, and it's Mendoza's job to figure what their secret is. "Standing in His Light" features Van Drouten, and her role in the career of the artist Jan Vermeer. The story illustrates how, with a little help from the Company, lost masterpieces can be found (or created) easily. Other stories include "Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst," which opens up intriguing questions about The Company, and the original novelette, "Hellfire at Twilight," which concludes the volume and tells of Lewis infiltrating the famous Hellfire Club in the England of the 18th century. This book is the ninth book and second collection of stories set in The Company series, and is one of those volumes that has flashes of author Kage Baker's wonderful, sometimes sly, humour and wit, but for the most part these are rather sad stories. Like the previous collection, Black Projects, White Knights, Gods and Pawns fleshes out some of the characters and plot lines in this ever-growing, complex fabric of a book series. The author gives us scenes and vignettes across time with some of this reader's favourite side characters from previous tales, such as Lewis and Porfirio, and explores their flaws and virtues in a manner that shows how much author Baker cares about these characters and has given them solid back stories. Author Baker explores the cyborgs who deal with their condition as both pawns and gods (hence the collection's title) by drawing on the stories of their humanity as they strive to find meaning in their lives through love, family, art and grief. While this may not make the characters' actions ulimately complicit in the Company's actions redeemable, the author certainly makes the argument that these are things well worth living for in our very short (comparable) lives as mortals. My favourite stories in this collection are:
"Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst" - Joseph and Lewis visit William Randolph Hearst at his famous ranch in California in 1933. Greta Garbo and Clark Gable are in the background of this one, a story that shows Kage Baker's fondness for Old Hollywood yet again.
"A Night on the Barbary Coast" - Mendoza and Joseph make a trip to 1850 San Francisco to find the source of a valuable lichen.
"Hellfire at Twilight" - Lewis attempts to retrieve an ancient document from the aging Sir Francis Dashwood of the infamous Hellfire Club.
"Standing in His Light" - Facilitator Van Drouten encourages Johannes Vermeer to create extra paintings for the Company to "discover" in the twenty-fourth century. (For those not familiar with Vermeer's work, it really does help to read this story while referencing an on-line source about the 34 paintings attributed to him. I did.)
The other three stories here, "To the Land Beyond the Sunset", "The Angel in the Darkness" and "The Catch" are very readable and quite enjoyable as well, but just didn't do as much for this reader as the four tales mentioned above. Be that as it may, Gods and Pawns is a fine collection of stories about the Company, and makes for a good, entertaining read about some of characters found in the stories about this organization and what it means to be a cyborg working for them. I recommend this book, but not as a starting point for getting into this series.
Mrs. Peel, We're Needed: The Technicolor World of Emma Peel edited by Rodney Marshall
The Avengers was a unique, genre-defying television series which blurred the traditional boundaries between "light entertainment" and disturbing drama. It was a product of the constantly evolving 1960s yet retains a timeless charm. The monochrome filmed Emma Peel season had established a cult following for a series which became an intrinsic part of the "Swinging Sixties". Backed by U.S. dollars, the show was now filmed in colour and Avengerland became stranger and more playful than ever. Steed is shrunk to the size of a desk pad, forced to evade a machine gun-toting nanny; Emma Peel is tortured in a mediaeval ducking stool and turned into a living cybernaut. Mrs. Peel, We're Needed draws on the expertise of a broad range of experts and fans of The Avengers as it explores the wonderfully mad Technicolour world of Emma Peel. This book is the second volume in The Avengers on Film series. Like the book that covered the monochrome season of the series with Emma Peel, this book is a collection of essays and critiques that cover the twenty-four (24) episodes of the colour fifth season of The Avengers tv series that marked the debut of Diana Rigg as Emma Peel teaming up with series' mainstay Patrick Macnee as John Steed. The volume also includes a write-up and critique on "The Forget-Me-Knot" episode, which was set during Tara King's run as the new female Avenger and marked Diana Rigg's last appearance in the series as Emma Peel. In many ways, this fifth series of the programme was one that had mixed reactions, given as it was largely funded from the U.S. that caused the series to cater to the American audience, well, it's financial backers mostly, and marked the change in feel and style of the series that would lead to the sixth season with Tara King (and likely what followed with The New Avengers in the 1970s). The John Steed/Emma Peel dynamic that had been introduced in the monochrome season continued in terms of this second, colour, season with Diana Rigg as Emma Peel, and truthfully, the colour palette that was on display during this first series of the show in colour was somewhat jarring, intriguing, and very much in keeping with the times in which it was made. Several of the essays in this book discuss the change to colour and its effect on the making of the various episodes in detail, so I'll leave it to new readers to experience that for themselves. As mentioned in the previous review of the first volume in this series, there are plenty of books out there that provide episode guides to the various seasons of the tv series, but this is a book that provides a series of insightful essays, some critiques some not so much, written by a team of very knowledgeable writers. Written in a variety of styles and with varying opinions, this book is one that informs the reader, but also inspires them to look at aspects of this fascinating tv series that they might not have contemplated before. Each contributor to this book provides something unique in their essays, from Bernard Ginez placing "From Venus With Love" in the context of space exploration and the interest in science fiction both among authors and film/television writers to Dan O'Shea's fascinating argument that "Return of the Cybernauts" should be viewed as an independent story from its series four predecessor as well as the sexual dynamics of Steed/Emma Peel in the episode to "The Hidden Tiger" in which Piers Johnson concentrates on the visual appeal and camera work of the episode and suggesting that the episode marks an important turning point in the show's evolutionary history. My favourite essays in this book include James Speirs's "Escape in Time," Piers Johnson's examinations of "The Bird Who Knew Too Much" and "The Hidden Tiger," the above-mentioned Bernard Ginez's explorations of "From Venus With Love," JZ Ferguson's pieces on "The Winged Avenger" and "Who's Who?", Margaret J. Gordon's analysis of the "Epic" episode and the interesting, opposed pieces by Rodney Marshall and Sunday Swift on Emma Peel's final episode, "The Forget-Me-Knot." The book also includes an interesting Preface and Introduction, as well as a detailed Contributors List and a Quotations Glossary from the various episodes, and a couple of Afterwards that put some perspective to the pieces found in the book. Overall, this is a wonderful book for fans of The Avengers. While reading this book will spoil the enjoyment of the season's episodes if one has not seen them, it is definitely a book that I highly recommend.
The Charioteer of Delphi by Caroline Lawrence
The twelfth book in the Roman Mysteries series. September, AD 80. A famous racehorse disappears just days before important chariot races at the Circus Maximus, so Flavia and her friends infiltrate the rival factions to find out who stole the horse. There's a large reward to be won! But who is friend and who is foe? And will the fiery nightmares from the past stand in the way of getting to the truth? The twelfth book in The Roman Mysteries series, this is by far the most action-packed, fast-moving books in the series to this point. insofar as the story goes, the book starts off with Nubia having nightmares involving fire and horses (well, a specific horse in particular), and a funny sequence that seems to be about chariot racing and one's favourite factions (Reds, Whites, Blues and Greens) that actually involves mice (!!). The first few chapters are memorable however for the introduction of Scopas, a strange youth who is distant prickly, who arrives with a message for Lupus from his mother. She asks his help in getting Scopas, who is very good with horses, a job amongst the factions in Rome, because of his (and his friends') contacts there. Through a strange set of circumstances, Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan and Lupus find themselves in Rome attending the chariot races at the famed Circus Maximus stadium - but the real mystery is the disappearance of one of the Greens' (where Scopas is now employed) prize-winning horses and the large reward being offered for returning him safely. Yes, author Caroline Lawrence turns her focus toward chariot racing as the subject matter of this twelfth book in the series, a sport whose popularity surpassed even that of gladiator fighting in the eyes of the Romans. And what a book it is! This volume in the Roman Mysteries series is full of action and death-defying feats, focusing largely on chariot racing at one of the biggest events in the Roman year, and it is not a sport or a read for the faint-hearted. Author Lawrence doesn't hold back in terms of how exciting and exhilarating chariot racing was and the action-packed racing (as seen through the eyes of the four protagonists) is stellar and left this reader heart pounding, but there is also the treatment of the charioteers and those who work behind the scenes as well as the horses themselves, not to mention the bloody and sometimes gore-filled events that happen both before, during, and after the races that the author doesn't shy away from. So, reader beware! However, as with the previous books in the series, The Charioteer of Delphi is about the four protagonists. While the various chapters alternate between the four characters (Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus), this time out focuses largely on Nubia. Haunted by terrible dreams of fire and discovering a new-found gift in her relationship with horses, the wonderfully wise and gentle Nubia fights her inner demons as she and her friends attempt to uncover the mystery of why horses are disappearing and who is behind it. Aided by a one-legged beggar who seems to know more than he's letting on, the search for the missing Greens' racehorse is just the beginning in many ways. There are plenty of suspects in the case, and author Lawrence does a terrific job bringing the various other characters to life in this novel. While Nubia is the focus character of the story, equally of interest in this one is the character of Scopas, who is based on a real person and was one of Rome's most successful charioteers. He is a fascinating character, made all the more interesting by the author making him autistic (though undiagnosed, obviously); his odd idiosyncrasies of referring to himself in the third person, disliking people touching him, and enjoying the feeling of being constrained all serve to not only make him a stand-out character, but demonstrates the challenges that anyone with behavioural difficulties faced in any time period. It's also interesting to note that this is Jonathan's first time back to Rome since he started the infamous fire several books ago, and in this tale he tries to atone for what he feels was his fault in that previous book. While I like that the author did this and how it was handled, I felt that in some ways it was too convenient for this to happen in this book, detracting somewhat from the main story, but Jonathan's actions in this novel start his process of healing from the events of the earlier story and do make partial amends for the guiltiness that he feels after the death of so many Romans in the previous book. This book is a fine novel, one that this reader truly enjoyed, but I still rank it behind The Sirens of Surrentum as my favourite book in the series. The author did her research on Roman charioteers and chariot racing, and it shows in this book (sometimes quite bloodily, which is my only caveat to younger readers picking this up), and makes for an engrossing story. However, The Charioteer of Delphi doesn't really add anything to the overall plot and character development of the series to this point, and may well be one of the books in the series that can be read as a stand-alone given how self-contained it is, though it does refer to the events of earlier books in the series at times. An excellent read, and I highly recommend it.
Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke
The first book in the Samantha Knox series. Samantha Knox put away her childish fantasies of archaeological adventure the day her father didn't return home from the Great War, retreating to the safety of the antique bookshop where she works. But when a mysterious package arrives with a damaged diary inside, Sam's peaceful life is obliterated. Ruthless men intent on reclaiming the diary are after Sam, setting her and her best friend, along with her childhood crush, on a high-stakes adventure that lands them in the green hills outside Dublin, Ireland. Here they discover an ancient order with a dark purpose - to perform an occult ritual that will raise the Specter Queen, the Celtic goddess of vengeance and death, and bring about a war unlike any the world has ever seen. To stop them, Sam must solve a deviously complex cipher - one that will lead her on a treasure hunt to discover the ancient relic at the heart of the ritual: a bowl carved from the Tree of Life. Will she find the bowl and stop the curse of the Specter Queen, or will the ancient order bring about the end of the world? What do you get when you take the 1920s, add a gender reversed, somewhat less confident version of Indiana Jones, and throw her into an adventure mystery that takes her to Dublin, Ireland where she has to stop an ancient order-cum-cult from bringing about the end of the world? The first book in the Samantha Knox series, that's what! Right off the bat, I'll say that what's refreshing about this novel is that Samantha ("Sam" to her friends) Knox is no Indiana Jones. Far from it. She's a young woman who lices in the small town of Clement, Illinois. She's abandoned her desire to become an archaeologist after the death of her father in World War I, having retreated to the safety of the antique book shoppe where she works, restoring and repairing and selling (old) books to a variety of customers. While Sam is fascinated by culture, archaeology, language and literature still, she is not a brash, haughty and aggressive character at all, instead having led a somewhat isolated, sheltered life, though she is a whiz when it comes to cipher games and the like. And Sam loves a good mystery. She gets that when the mysterious package with the badly damaged diary arrives at the bookstore, but that's only the beginning of the tale told in this book. However when it comes down to it, the novel is about the characters. Sam is the focal character of the story, and she is a young female who has suffered a terrible loss that has left her scarred, but ends up finding her courage and motivation by the end of the book, and who solves puzzles along the way to literally save the day towards the end with the help of her friends. Her friends are Bennett and Joana Steeling, brother and sister, who have an interesting history with Sam. Joana was Sam's best friend, but the two had a serious falling out (and yes, the reader does learn what it was about, but I'm not spoiling it here!) which is still somewhat raw even after all these years they've spent apart. Bennett, on the other hand, is a strong-willed, somewhat rigid fellow whom Sam's had a crush on for most of her young adult life, and while he has feelings for her as well, Bennett is a product of his time and his wealthy background and makes for an excellent foil for Joana's more emotional, wild side personality and the emotionally scarred Samantha. While Sam's evolution from an emotionally scarred bookstore archaeologist and cipher specialist into a strong, resilient hero is truly superb to watch in the novel, her relationships to both her allies and against her enemies that are so powerful in the story. And it is her friendship with Joana that really stood out to me. The contrasts between the personalities of Sam and Joana and the both emotional and physical evolution they undergo as the story progresses solidified the stakes in play; it was the hope that their renewed friendship brought Sam that gave her the strength to face the threat, and the enemy, head on. Just wonderful. One of my favourite parts of this book was the historical aspects of they story. The author captured the time period of the 1920s really well with her imagery in the book, from historical references, clothing, conveyances and language and culture. It was very obvious that author Moke wanted to make Sam and Joana (especially the former) strong and independent women, but she did a terrific job weaving in society's standards of the 1920s. However, the true strength of the historical aspects of this novel are the research that went into the primary settings of the book's story: old Chicago, New York, ocean-going steamships, and of course, period Dublin. However, there's also the work that went into researching the ruins of Montpelier and the Hellfire Club, and I suspect the nature of magical Orders, the Augustinians, and all that made the magical aspects of the story seem all the more real. If I had any problem with the book it is that while the plot of the book is quite good and develops at a solid pace, the early part of the book (until the attack at the bookstore) is a bit slow. Things pick up from that point on, and the time spent on the steamer to Ireland was the highlight of the book for this reader in some ways. The pacing of the book is break-neck speed for the last third of the book, with the story wrapping up in a way that leads one to feel there will be more Samantha Knox adventures to follow. While the book might be aimed at tweens, adults can read this book and derive lots of enjoyment from the story. All I will say is that if the potential reader is interested in ancient Celtic folklore, legends, archaeological artifacts/relics, ciphers, books featuring books and mysterious Orders, then this is a book for you. I loved this novel, and highly recommend it. And I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
Overall, I managed to read 5 novels, 2 RPGs and RPG products, 1 magazine, 11 comics, and 0 graphic novels in August. This brings the year total in 2022 to a set of numbers that look like this: 47 books, 7 RPGs and RPG product, 11 magazines, 31 comics, and 0 graphic novels.
Anyway, thoughts and comments are always welcome. :)
*****
Book Reads in August, 2022
Beyond the Empire by K.B. Wagers
Gods and Pawns by Kage Baker (r)
Mrs. Peel, We're Needed: The Technicolor World of Emma Peel edited by Rodney Marshall
Justice League Vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes #2-3 (Comics)
The Raven Braid by Jerry D. Grayson (RPG) (r)
June, 2022 Locus
The Charioteer of Delphi by Caroline Lawrence
Earth-Prime: Batwoman #1 (Comic)
Earth-Prime: Superman & Lois #2 (Comic)
Earth-Prime: DC's Legends of Tomorrow #3 (Comic)
Earth-Prime: Stargirl #4 (Comic)
Earth-Prime: The Flash #5 (Comic)
Dark Crisis #0 FCBD Special Edition (Comic)
Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke
Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1 (Comic)
Dark Crisis #1-2 (Comics)
Atlantis: City Guide to Atlantis by Matthew Bottiglieri and Jerry D. Grayson (RPG) (r?)
*****
And that was my reading for August, 2022. This was a pretty good month of reading for me, both in terms of the quality of the books read and the quantity of books read. While it doesn't seem like I read a lot of books in August, there were a good number of comics that I read this past month, and a couple of dense rpg supplements for the Atlantis: The Second Age RPG. Not to mention the severe allergies and the diabetes problems that continue to affect my eyes and vision. It was another good month of reading for the joy of it, rather than reading because I was bored and had nothing better to do. Regardless, my bookcases are still stacked with a pretty large To Read Queue (TRQ). The books I enjoyed the most were:
Beyond the Empire by K.B. Wagers
The third book in the Indranan War series. Gunrunner-turned-Empress Hail Bristol was dragged back to her home planet to take her rightful place in the palace. Her sisters and parents have been murdered, and the Indranan Empire is reeling from both treasonous plots and foreign invasion. Now, on the run from enemies on all fronts, Hail prepares to fight a full-scale war for her throne and her people, even as she struggles with the immense weight of the legacy thrust upon her. With the aid of a motley crew of allies old and new, she must return home to face off with the same powerful enemies who killed her family and aim to destroy everything and everyone she loves. Untangling a legacy of lies and restoring peace to Indrana will require an empress's wrath and a gunrunner's justice. This third and final book in the Indranan War series is one of those books that I was sad to read because the novel is the final book in the trilogy that explores a new, and interesting sf universe, introducing the reader to the fabulous and fascinating Hail Bristol, a gunrunner whose murdered family is royalty, and who goes from being a gunrunner to being an Empress who is sworn to save the Indranan Empire from its enemies. And to root out those responsible for her family's death and get her revenge. Part of the fascination with this third book is that though Hail Bristol remains front and centre in this book (and by extension the entire series), the novel is still quite the ensemble piece. While I adore Hail, I am also quite partial to Emmory, her Ekam (chief bodyguard and chief of staff) and his partner, Zin. However, the characters that I seem to enjoy reading about the most are Hail Bristol's less than reputable friends from her days as a gunrunner. Even though Hail is now an Empress, they all still treat her exactly the same way they always have, and are a wonderfully uncouth bunch. Hao is snarky in the extreme, mostly because he can be. Johar is also a favourite, being brutally honest about everything. She's just there for the fighting, anything else is secondary. Author Wager's writing is highly emotive, to be honest, in regards to Hail and her dysfunctional surrogate family of bodyguards and gunrunners. These characters genuinely care for one another, and regardless of the circumstances (such as bullets flying, buildings blowing up, space cruisers engaged in fiery, heated battle) they look out for one another. That said Hail's loyalty to her surrogate family is incredible; she won't let her subjects do anything that she isn't prepared to do herself. And this happens several times in the novel in sequences that to be honest shocked the hell out of me, but made sense from Hail's point of view. However, that said, the book also has some truly quiet, thoughtful moments. Hail still doubts her ability to rule the Indranan Empire, and this eats away at her almost constantly in the novel. However, the action sequences in Beyond the Empire are quite the counterpoint to the thoughtful, introspective times, as they have a break-neck, somewhat frantic pacing to them. This third novel finds the situation now one of all-out war with her enemies, and this is where Hail excels; this Empress functions better in the heart of a battlefield rather than undertaking her ceremonial duties. When the action is happening, Hail is confident, sure and determined, but when the action subsides, her self-assurance wavers completely. While the action is almost non-stop, other than the moments of Hail's introspection and decision making, it needs to be in this third novel - and definitely lives up to the hype that surrounds third books in a trilogy. The body count around Hail is high in this novel; that's what happens during wars such as this. It's also deliberate on the part of the main villain of the story - whose identity is finally revealed in this third book. The only question is whether Hail will get her revenge on those responsible for her family's deaths or will she place the responsibilities of being the Empress and what that means to the future of the Indranan Empire first. Beyond the Empire wraps up the war for the Indranan Empire quite nicely and firmly, but the groundwork is laid in this story for the next tale set in this universe. And I for one can't wait to read that next book! Highly recommend this book, and the series.
Gods and Pawns by Kage Baker (r)
The ninth book and second collection of stories set in The Company series. In the Company, you're either a God or a Pawn, but sometimes you have to be both. The eight stories, reprinted for the first time in this collection, delve further into the history and exploits of the Company and its operatives, including Mendoza, Lewis, and Alec. The book opens with the novella "To the Land Beyond the Sunset" starring Lewis and Mendoza, and involving a strange tribe in Bolivia whose members claim to be gods. Their ability to grow a small tropical paradise in the middle of the desert certainly seems god-like, and it's Mendoza's job to figure what their secret is. "Standing in His Light" features Van Drouten, and her role in the career of the artist Jan Vermeer. The story illustrates how, with a little help from the Company, lost masterpieces can be found (or created) easily. Other stories include "Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst," which opens up intriguing questions about The Company, and the original novelette, "Hellfire at Twilight," which concludes the volume and tells of Lewis infiltrating the famous Hellfire Club in the England of the 18th century. This book is the ninth book and second collection of stories set in The Company series, and is one of those volumes that has flashes of author Kage Baker's wonderful, sometimes sly, humour and wit, but for the most part these are rather sad stories. Like the previous collection, Black Projects, White Knights, Gods and Pawns fleshes out some of the characters and plot lines in this ever-growing, complex fabric of a book series. The author gives us scenes and vignettes across time with some of this reader's favourite side characters from previous tales, such as Lewis and Porfirio, and explores their flaws and virtues in a manner that shows how much author Baker cares about these characters and has given them solid back stories. Author Baker explores the cyborgs who deal with their condition as both pawns and gods (hence the collection's title) by drawing on the stories of their humanity as they strive to find meaning in their lives through love, family, art and grief. While this may not make the characters' actions ulimately complicit in the Company's actions redeemable, the author certainly makes the argument that these are things well worth living for in our very short (comparable) lives as mortals. My favourite stories in this collection are:
"Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst" - Joseph and Lewis visit William Randolph Hearst at his famous ranch in California in 1933. Greta Garbo and Clark Gable are in the background of this one, a story that shows Kage Baker's fondness for Old Hollywood yet again.
"A Night on the Barbary Coast" - Mendoza and Joseph make a trip to 1850 San Francisco to find the source of a valuable lichen.
"Hellfire at Twilight" - Lewis attempts to retrieve an ancient document from the aging Sir Francis Dashwood of the infamous Hellfire Club.
"Standing in His Light" - Facilitator Van Drouten encourages Johannes Vermeer to create extra paintings for the Company to "discover" in the twenty-fourth century. (For those not familiar with Vermeer's work, it really does help to read this story while referencing an on-line source about the 34 paintings attributed to him. I did.)
The other three stories here, "To the Land Beyond the Sunset", "The Angel in the Darkness" and "The Catch" are very readable and quite enjoyable as well, but just didn't do as much for this reader as the four tales mentioned above. Be that as it may, Gods and Pawns is a fine collection of stories about the Company, and makes for a good, entertaining read about some of characters found in the stories about this organization and what it means to be a cyborg working for them. I recommend this book, but not as a starting point for getting into this series.
Mrs. Peel, We're Needed: The Technicolor World of Emma Peel edited by Rodney Marshall
The Avengers was a unique, genre-defying television series which blurred the traditional boundaries between "light entertainment" and disturbing drama. It was a product of the constantly evolving 1960s yet retains a timeless charm. The monochrome filmed Emma Peel season had established a cult following for a series which became an intrinsic part of the "Swinging Sixties". Backed by U.S. dollars, the show was now filmed in colour and Avengerland became stranger and more playful than ever. Steed is shrunk to the size of a desk pad, forced to evade a machine gun-toting nanny; Emma Peel is tortured in a mediaeval ducking stool and turned into a living cybernaut. Mrs. Peel, We're Needed draws on the expertise of a broad range of experts and fans of The Avengers as it explores the wonderfully mad Technicolour world of Emma Peel. This book is the second volume in The Avengers on Film series. Like the book that covered the monochrome season of the series with Emma Peel, this book is a collection of essays and critiques that cover the twenty-four (24) episodes of the colour fifth season of The Avengers tv series that marked the debut of Diana Rigg as Emma Peel teaming up with series' mainstay Patrick Macnee as John Steed. The volume also includes a write-up and critique on "The Forget-Me-Knot" episode, which was set during Tara King's run as the new female Avenger and marked Diana Rigg's last appearance in the series as Emma Peel. In many ways, this fifth series of the programme was one that had mixed reactions, given as it was largely funded from the U.S. that caused the series to cater to the American audience, well, it's financial backers mostly, and marked the change in feel and style of the series that would lead to the sixth season with Tara King (and likely what followed with The New Avengers in the 1970s). The John Steed/Emma Peel dynamic that had been introduced in the monochrome season continued in terms of this second, colour, season with Diana Rigg as Emma Peel, and truthfully, the colour palette that was on display during this first series of the show in colour was somewhat jarring, intriguing, and very much in keeping with the times in which it was made. Several of the essays in this book discuss the change to colour and its effect on the making of the various episodes in detail, so I'll leave it to new readers to experience that for themselves. As mentioned in the previous review of the first volume in this series, there are plenty of books out there that provide episode guides to the various seasons of the tv series, but this is a book that provides a series of insightful essays, some critiques some not so much, written by a team of very knowledgeable writers. Written in a variety of styles and with varying opinions, this book is one that informs the reader, but also inspires them to look at aspects of this fascinating tv series that they might not have contemplated before. Each contributor to this book provides something unique in their essays, from Bernard Ginez placing "From Venus With Love" in the context of space exploration and the interest in science fiction both among authors and film/television writers to Dan O'Shea's fascinating argument that "Return of the Cybernauts" should be viewed as an independent story from its series four predecessor as well as the sexual dynamics of Steed/Emma Peel in the episode to "The Hidden Tiger" in which Piers Johnson concentrates on the visual appeal and camera work of the episode and suggesting that the episode marks an important turning point in the show's evolutionary history. My favourite essays in this book include James Speirs's "Escape in Time," Piers Johnson's examinations of "The Bird Who Knew Too Much" and "The Hidden Tiger," the above-mentioned Bernard Ginez's explorations of "From Venus With Love," JZ Ferguson's pieces on "The Winged Avenger" and "Who's Who?", Margaret J. Gordon's analysis of the "Epic" episode and the interesting, opposed pieces by Rodney Marshall and Sunday Swift on Emma Peel's final episode, "The Forget-Me-Knot." The book also includes an interesting Preface and Introduction, as well as a detailed Contributors List and a Quotations Glossary from the various episodes, and a couple of Afterwards that put some perspective to the pieces found in the book. Overall, this is a wonderful book for fans of The Avengers. While reading this book will spoil the enjoyment of the season's episodes if one has not seen them, it is definitely a book that I highly recommend.
The Charioteer of Delphi by Caroline Lawrence
The twelfth book in the Roman Mysteries series. September, AD 80. A famous racehorse disappears just days before important chariot races at the Circus Maximus, so Flavia and her friends infiltrate the rival factions to find out who stole the horse. There's a large reward to be won! But who is friend and who is foe? And will the fiery nightmares from the past stand in the way of getting to the truth? The twelfth book in The Roman Mysteries series, this is by far the most action-packed, fast-moving books in the series to this point. insofar as the story goes, the book starts off with Nubia having nightmares involving fire and horses (well, a specific horse in particular), and a funny sequence that seems to be about chariot racing and one's favourite factions (Reds, Whites, Blues and Greens) that actually involves mice (!!). The first few chapters are memorable however for the introduction of Scopas, a strange youth who is distant prickly, who arrives with a message for Lupus from his mother. She asks his help in getting Scopas, who is very good with horses, a job amongst the factions in Rome, because of his (and his friends') contacts there. Through a strange set of circumstances, Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan and Lupus find themselves in Rome attending the chariot races at the famed Circus Maximus stadium - but the real mystery is the disappearance of one of the Greens' (where Scopas is now employed) prize-winning horses and the large reward being offered for returning him safely. Yes, author Caroline Lawrence turns her focus toward chariot racing as the subject matter of this twelfth book in the series, a sport whose popularity surpassed even that of gladiator fighting in the eyes of the Romans. And what a book it is! This volume in the Roman Mysteries series is full of action and death-defying feats, focusing largely on chariot racing at one of the biggest events in the Roman year, and it is not a sport or a read for the faint-hearted. Author Lawrence doesn't hold back in terms of how exciting and exhilarating chariot racing was and the action-packed racing (as seen through the eyes of the four protagonists) is stellar and left this reader heart pounding, but there is also the treatment of the charioteers and those who work behind the scenes as well as the horses themselves, not to mention the bloody and sometimes gore-filled events that happen both before, during, and after the races that the author doesn't shy away from. So, reader beware! However, as with the previous books in the series, The Charioteer of Delphi is about the four protagonists. While the various chapters alternate between the four characters (Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus), this time out focuses largely on Nubia. Haunted by terrible dreams of fire and discovering a new-found gift in her relationship with horses, the wonderfully wise and gentle Nubia fights her inner demons as she and her friends attempt to uncover the mystery of why horses are disappearing and who is behind it. Aided by a one-legged beggar who seems to know more than he's letting on, the search for the missing Greens' racehorse is just the beginning in many ways. There are plenty of suspects in the case, and author Lawrence does a terrific job bringing the various other characters to life in this novel. While Nubia is the focus character of the story, equally of interest in this one is the character of Scopas, who is based on a real person and was one of Rome's most successful charioteers. He is a fascinating character, made all the more interesting by the author making him autistic (though undiagnosed, obviously); his odd idiosyncrasies of referring to himself in the third person, disliking people touching him, and enjoying the feeling of being constrained all serve to not only make him a stand-out character, but demonstrates the challenges that anyone with behavioural difficulties faced in any time period. It's also interesting to note that this is Jonathan's first time back to Rome since he started the infamous fire several books ago, and in this tale he tries to atone for what he feels was his fault in that previous book. While I like that the author did this and how it was handled, I felt that in some ways it was too convenient for this to happen in this book, detracting somewhat from the main story, but Jonathan's actions in this novel start his process of healing from the events of the earlier story and do make partial amends for the guiltiness that he feels after the death of so many Romans in the previous book. This book is a fine novel, one that this reader truly enjoyed, but I still rank it behind The Sirens of Surrentum as my favourite book in the series. The author did her research on Roman charioteers and chariot racing, and it shows in this book (sometimes quite bloodily, which is my only caveat to younger readers picking this up), and makes for an engrossing story. However, The Charioteer of Delphi doesn't really add anything to the overall plot and character development of the series to this point, and may well be one of the books in the series that can be read as a stand-alone given how self-contained it is, though it does refer to the events of earlier books in the series at times. An excellent read, and I highly recommend it.
Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke
The first book in the Samantha Knox series. Samantha Knox put away her childish fantasies of archaeological adventure the day her father didn't return home from the Great War, retreating to the safety of the antique bookshop where she works. But when a mysterious package arrives with a damaged diary inside, Sam's peaceful life is obliterated. Ruthless men intent on reclaiming the diary are after Sam, setting her and her best friend, along with her childhood crush, on a high-stakes adventure that lands them in the green hills outside Dublin, Ireland. Here they discover an ancient order with a dark purpose - to perform an occult ritual that will raise the Specter Queen, the Celtic goddess of vengeance and death, and bring about a war unlike any the world has ever seen. To stop them, Sam must solve a deviously complex cipher - one that will lead her on a treasure hunt to discover the ancient relic at the heart of the ritual: a bowl carved from the Tree of Life. Will she find the bowl and stop the curse of the Specter Queen, or will the ancient order bring about the end of the world? What do you get when you take the 1920s, add a gender reversed, somewhat less confident version of Indiana Jones, and throw her into an adventure mystery that takes her to Dublin, Ireland where she has to stop an ancient order-cum-cult from bringing about the end of the world? The first book in the Samantha Knox series, that's what! Right off the bat, I'll say that what's refreshing about this novel is that Samantha ("Sam" to her friends) Knox is no Indiana Jones. Far from it. She's a young woman who lices in the small town of Clement, Illinois. She's abandoned her desire to become an archaeologist after the death of her father in World War I, having retreated to the safety of the antique book shoppe where she works, restoring and repairing and selling (old) books to a variety of customers. While Sam is fascinated by culture, archaeology, language and literature still, she is not a brash, haughty and aggressive character at all, instead having led a somewhat isolated, sheltered life, though she is a whiz when it comes to cipher games and the like. And Sam loves a good mystery. She gets that when the mysterious package with the badly damaged diary arrives at the bookstore, but that's only the beginning of the tale told in this book. However when it comes down to it, the novel is about the characters. Sam is the focal character of the story, and she is a young female who has suffered a terrible loss that has left her scarred, but ends up finding her courage and motivation by the end of the book, and who solves puzzles along the way to literally save the day towards the end with the help of her friends. Her friends are Bennett and Joana Steeling, brother and sister, who have an interesting history with Sam. Joana was Sam's best friend, but the two had a serious falling out (and yes, the reader does learn what it was about, but I'm not spoiling it here!) which is still somewhat raw even after all these years they've spent apart. Bennett, on the other hand, is a strong-willed, somewhat rigid fellow whom Sam's had a crush on for most of her young adult life, and while he has feelings for her as well, Bennett is a product of his time and his wealthy background and makes for an excellent foil for Joana's more emotional, wild side personality and the emotionally scarred Samantha. While Sam's evolution from an emotionally scarred bookstore archaeologist and cipher specialist into a strong, resilient hero is truly superb to watch in the novel, her relationships to both her allies and against her enemies that are so powerful in the story. And it is her friendship with Joana that really stood out to me. The contrasts between the personalities of Sam and Joana and the both emotional and physical evolution they undergo as the story progresses solidified the stakes in play; it was the hope that their renewed friendship brought Sam that gave her the strength to face the threat, and the enemy, head on. Just wonderful. One of my favourite parts of this book was the historical aspects of they story. The author captured the time period of the 1920s really well with her imagery in the book, from historical references, clothing, conveyances and language and culture. It was very obvious that author Moke wanted to make Sam and Joana (especially the former) strong and independent women, but she did a terrific job weaving in society's standards of the 1920s. However, the true strength of the historical aspects of this novel are the research that went into the primary settings of the book's story: old Chicago, New York, ocean-going steamships, and of course, period Dublin. However, there's also the work that went into researching the ruins of Montpelier and the Hellfire Club, and I suspect the nature of magical Orders, the Augustinians, and all that made the magical aspects of the story seem all the more real. If I had any problem with the book it is that while the plot of the book is quite good and develops at a solid pace, the early part of the book (until the attack at the bookstore) is a bit slow. Things pick up from that point on, and the time spent on the steamer to Ireland was the highlight of the book for this reader in some ways. The pacing of the book is break-neck speed for the last third of the book, with the story wrapping up in a way that leads one to feel there will be more Samantha Knox adventures to follow. While the book might be aimed at tweens, adults can read this book and derive lots of enjoyment from the story. All I will say is that if the potential reader is interested in ancient Celtic folklore, legends, archaeological artifacts/relics, ciphers, books featuring books and mysterious Orders, then this is a book for you. I loved this novel, and highly recommend it. And I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
Overall, I managed to read 5 novels, 2 RPGs and RPG products, 1 magazine, 11 comics, and 0 graphic novels in August. This brings the year total in 2022 to a set of numbers that look like this: 47 books, 7 RPGs and RPG product, 11 magazines, 31 comics, and 0 graphic novels.
Anyway, thoughts and comments are always welcome. :)