Books Like Dust...

Tau Zero by Poul Anderson

2011-09-19T10:19:00.000-04:00

Tau Zero is one of those books that I had always meant to read, but never really got around to it. It recently came up (somewhere) and I remembered how I had wanted to add it to my collection, but this time decided to do something about it. Book acquired, I set down to read it.

This book, like a lot of Poul Anderson’s work, comes from a different era of SF: to borrow a term from the Comics industry, it is best described as the Silver Age (around 1950 to the mid-to-late 70s). This is the era that most of the big names in SF did their most productive work. Characterization takes a back seat to the Idea of the book (indeed, the Idea could be considered to be one of the characters) as the author uses the cast of characters as a vehicle for exploring whatever Idea they are presenting.

Tau Zero refers to the ratio of time dilation a traveler experiences as they approach the speed of light. Tau Zero is the speed of light (and thus is unachievable), but theoretically one can come very close to it.

The premise of the book is that a Bussard Ramjet spaceship, traveling to a star only 32 light years away (a there-and-back journey of 64 years, though the crew only experiences around 10 years of travel). During this trip, the ship encounters a hazard and is no longer able to decelerate. Furthermore, at the speeds they are traveling at, they cannot deactivate the magnetic scoop, as the hard radiation generated by even the sparse matter in interstellar space will kill them in a matter of hours, nor can the EVA while under acceleration due to the hard radiation emanating from the engines. So in short they are stuck in constant acceleration, going faster and faster, while Tau gets smaller and smaller. While they hatch a plan to shoot for intergalactic space (where hopefully the vacuum is more rarefied than the space between stars), in order to present the crew with a reasonable time-frame, they have to build their acceleration even higher. Soon, minutes inside the ship equal years in the background time-frame, and 10,000 years pass in the universe.

Finding Intergalactic space is not rarefied enough, they shoot instead for the space between galactic clusters, before they can affect repairs. Worse however, is that their journey – expected to be less than 100 years in their original mission, is now taking hundreds of millions of years. Further problems arise…how to decelerate in time to NOT miss a galactic cluster (or galaxy for that matter). The only thing to do is to keep accelerating. Soon billions upon billions of years pass, while it has only been months aboard ship. The crew witness the death of the universe: new stars fail to form, and old stars gutter and die out. They encounter galaxies – now passing through them a few minutes at a time – populated by red dwarfs. Soon even their light fades away.

Worse still the universe undergoes a retrograde, contracting under the influence of gravity, to form a new singularity from which a new universe can be born. The crew survives this (I guess they’re just going too fast), and use the expansion of this new universe as a brake upon their speed. Tau drops, they find a suitable planet – timed to be old enough in its evolution to support an industrial civilization, but still very young in the stellar neighborhood that reborn Humanity could be the first on the scene of intelligent, starfaring civilizations.

Overall, the book is very effective in exploring the phenomenon of time dilation. The story is interspersed with descriptive text exploring time dilation. But it is definitely a product of an earlier generation of Science Fiction: I found the characters in some places forced; the dialogue awkward. Still, the central character in this story is the science, and its affect upon the crew, so perhaps that can be forgiven.

This book was first published in 1970, so the march of science has continued since then. Anderson proposes a contractionary period leading up to a new Big Bang, but current thinking on the problem suggests this is not correct: evidence suggests that the universe is expanding at an increasing rate – galaxies and clusters are moving away from each other at an increasing rate – so the eventual death of the universe will not be in a new Big Bang, but rather in a degenerate era of star-corpses, radiating the last of their heat into space, where the focus of energy is not through stellar fusion, but rather the activity of black holes as they rip apart the dark, brown dwarfs left in the universe.

Still, if one reads this book in the context of when it was written, it can be forgiven that the science is not up-to-date, and the story can still be enjoyed. While I personally would be utterly fascinated with a story set in this degenerate era, as the human crew struggles to survive in an era without light, that might be a story for another time.

Starbound by Joe Haldeman

2010-08-22T00:07:00.000-04:00

Following on the heels of Marsbound by Haldeman, I read Starbound as soon as I was done with the previous book. As this is a sequel, it was a logical course of action...

In Marsbound, we discover intelligent life on Mars, life that was bio-engineered to be the mouthpieces of an advanced alien civilization based on silicon-oxides and existing in a sort of cryo-state: nearly immortal because at those temperatures, nothing moves fast and chemical reactions occur at a snail's pace. The cost of immortality? Living an existence where 1 minute is actually 8.

Carmen and Paul, along with 3 military types, 2 scientists, and 2 Martians, crew an interstellar ship with the purpose of contacting the ET civilization. Their message? Please don't kill us!

So the ship makes the journey of 24 LY to Wolf 25, contact the "Others," and open a dialouge, of sorts. The message is that the Others can't be bothered with treating humanity as anything other than a child civilization, and you'd better not get on our wrong side, or you'll be punished...

The book ends with the "free energy" system that Earth had reversed-engineered from Martian artifacts being "turned off" by the Others, and in fact, all energy sources above biological being robbed of their capabilities. This because the Others had found out that the Earth had built a defensive warfleet, to defend the Earth against Other aggression, while the crew offered their message of peace. Thus the Other's response is to blow up the moon, and deny Earth any sort of spacetravel -- even low Earth Orbit -- for the next 13,000 or so. And rob humanity of technology in general.

I really enjoyed these 2 Haldeman books, but found the ending to be really unsatisfying, so much so that I'm hoping there will be a third book to tie it all up.

What is really dissatisfying about the series is the attitudes of the Others. Haldeman I think goes to great lengths to differentiate their "mentality" (to quote the great, late Marc Bloch) from that of humanity (or even the Martians). What would we have in common with, say, tool-using octopi?

I'm not sure he was entirely successful though. In the end the Others come across as being less interested in exploration, and more interested in "The Game" (there was a throw-away line -- perhaps more important than I would have guessed at the time -- that the Others enjoy games, played by bio-constructs -- in which the objective is not to win, but to learn the rules of the game). Not only does this make it look like they were just playing with humanity ("testing us," as Spy, one of those bio-constructs, mentions), but it also makes them look like a civilization inhabited entirely by immortal children. Arbitrary and capricious.

In the end, I don't regret reading the books, and I think it is one interpretation on how a first-contact scenario might play out. But I'm hoping for a 3rd book that will propel this series from being merely interesting to "great!"

Marsbound by Joe Haldeman

2010-08-17T09:02:00.000-04:00

The name Haldeman should be a familiar one to Sci-Fi literature fans: he wrote the widely regarded The Forever War. Winning the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards (source), this book was as much about Vietnam as it was about SF, cleverly using the plot device of time dilation to illustrate the alienation of soldiers returning home from war.

Marsbound is a somewhat different book, and explores both early colonization of Mars, as well as "first contact." There is nothing original about the storyline, but Haldeman tells it well. It is from the first-person perspective of Carmen, daughter of two scientists that go with them to the Mars colony, along with her younger brother Card. And of course along the way she meets Martians.

When I first started reading this book, I almost thought it was a juvenile SF. The fact it was from the perspective of a teen-aged girl reinforced it. But as the character grew, so did the plotline. By the end it wasn't quite a juvenile I had thought it was. Furthermore, Haldeman's direct, basic, and uncluttered writing style kept it simple and at a good pace. I was easily able to read over 100pgs a night (I usually read for 2 hours) and the book came in at 304pgs, so it only took me a few days to plow through it.

There's some very interesting science-fictional concepts in it, such as the nature of the "Others" (only hinted at in this book) and of course the purpose of the Martians. Overall a good book, and I'm already reading the sequel Spacebound.

The Old Argument: Or, the Disconnect in Historical Movie Audiences

2010-07-25T17:00:00.000-04:00

I think the argument is as old as the internet, perhaps even older than that. The scenario should be familiar: a new historical movie comes out, which triggers an argument between two sides -- those that are dissappointed by how historically inaccurate the movie is, and those that claim "it's just a movie."

While both sides of the argument have just as valid viewpoints, I in almost every instance side with those that argue against historical inaccuracy. The point of this blog post then is not to necessarily argue that the opposite viewpoint is wrong or bad, but to explain to that audience why it is important to some people.

One of the points argued is that it's just a movie, and the way I interpret that statement is that it's all just a fantasy, and one should not be too concerned by it. I think this highlights a fundamental disconnect between the two groups in terms of the appreciation of history. I think for the vast majority of movie-goers, the purpose of a movie is to indulge in some fantasy, to escape the drudgery of their every day life and to be entertained for 2 hours. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this desire, but it is important to differentiate how and why people are entertained. One person's epic storytelling can be another person's ponderous snooze-fest.

For someone that has an appreciation of the historical period of any particular movie, the same sort of motivation is also in play, I think. Both audiences want the fantasy, want the experience of going someplace they could otherwise never visit. The real difference, however, is that for someone that is actually knowledgeable of the period in question, the fantasy is broken -- the immersion and the suspension of disbelief are shattered. Simply put, the goal of the fantasy is no longer met by a history fan, and the movie suffers badly for it.

This brings me to a central and important point for the movie producing audience: the cost and effort to make a reasonably historically accurate movie is the same as making an inaccurate one (usually: there are exceptions, such as 300 where an accurate movie could not be made within the context and goal of the movie). Furthermore, those that go to a movie expressedly for the purpose of escapism will not notice or care if the movie is accurate or not: they just want an exciting and well paced movie.

Ultimately, the real reason historically accurate movies are ignored is not because such a movie will be bad (despite the arguments of the detractors; "If I wanted to see a documentary..."), but that the audience that really appreciates an accurate movie is very small, not worth the effort to cater to, and the vast majority of the viewing public, as well as the movie producers just don't care.

Turning the Bat'leth: or how I came to terms with Star Fleet Battles

2010-05-26T22:08:00.000-04:00

Star Trek as a sci-fi property has -- despite numerous ups and downs --endured for decades, and may yet endure. The quality or need for a reboot and re-imagining of the universe aside, the new movie at least keeps the franchise in the public consciousness, and allows elements that I prefer to endure.

Like Star Wars, as a tabletop gaming subject Star Trek has been alternatively well served and poorly supported. Today, if you want a true Star Trek game -- whether it is in the new JJ Verse or in the Classic ("Prime") Universe, you are unfortunately going to have to convert another game to suit your needs.

Unless of course you consider the Alternate Universe of Star Fleet Battles.

SFB has been around for a very long time; since possibly the mid-'70s as a "pocket" game. Expansions built upon the core rules, and SFB has a reputation of being a massively unwieldy game requiring dozens of supplements to play (whether or not that is actually true). Despite this, within the gaming hobby as a whole, SFB can be best described as one of those "venerable" games that most dedicated gaming hobbyists have heard, if not played once or twice.

The Star Fleet Universe is perpetually stuck in the "classic" series look (though the owners of the property have exended the timeline far into the future), and has the benefit of being the only currently licensed tabletop gaming property from Paramount. To do this the SFU setting has to omit certain protected names and images, but it's nonetheless a comfortable situation that allows gamers to play in this setting.

My disconnect comes from the history of the gaming product in general.

Once upon a time, while SFB was being published by Task Force Games, another younger company had it's own license, FASA. Publishers of the also venerable games of Battletech and Shadowrun, FASA had it's own extensive and well supported line, which included its own Starship Combat game. The big advantage, however, was that FASA had the license to play in the "movie" era of Trek, and borrowed from the imagery of what for many people is the best loved era of the franchise. I was heavily influenced by FASA's games, and the diverse artwork presented in their ship recognition manuals.

Come the late '80s and Paramount (possibly influenced by Gene Roddenberry himself) yanked the license. FASATrek had become much more militarized than what the current owners of the property were comfortable with. This was neccessary (the SFU also had gone in this direction, but their special licensing agreement somehow protected them) in order to create a sense of conflict to justify why there would be a ship combat game, and to help create dramatic settings for the RPG. Additionally, Paramount didn't like what direction FASA was going with its Next Generation products.

As I had always preferred the movie look (which of course brought us fan-favorites like the Refit Enterprise, as well as the Reliant), I never really considered SFB as a viable game, and even after FASA lost the license, I looked at ways I could continue to use the FASA products.

As I grew older, I came to realize that a lot of the FASA ships were downright weird, and didn't fit very well with the rest of the universe. The Klingon ships worked very well, adhering to the imagery presented in the movies very well, and without much to base on, the Romulans were also very unique and interesting. The Federation ships, however, never really fit well (with the exception of a few stand-outs, like the Larson class, Loknar class, and Anton class ships) and often "violated" the unspoken rules of starship design within the setting.

As I explored other options for Trek gaming, I re-examined the SFB universe, and came to realize that while the ships were still "stuck" in the classic series look, the designs were more logical and fitting in the setting. Sure the Klingon and Romulan designs were far more conservative than their FASA counterparts, but they also fit to a certain aesthetic that matched the universe well.

The big tipping point for me was the release of Klingon Armada and Romulan Armada. Conversions of the Starmada game rules, they fit the universe well enough, allow use of larger fleet actions (one of my gripes with both SFB and the FASA game) but most importantly has a construction system so I could design and incorporate the better ships from the FASA line.

Although I have yet to play a game (apparently in my gaming group Star Trek is not a hot item to game), I hope to remedy that soon. It's calling out to me...

SAGA Fantasy: 0-Level Arcane Spells

2010-05-02T15:55:00.001-04:00

Message

Transmutation [Language-Dependent]
Level: Brd 0, Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets: One creature/level
Duration: 10 min./level
Spell Resistance: No

You can whisper messages and receive whispered replies with little chance of being overheard. You point your finger at each creature you want to receive the message. When you whisper, the whispered message is audible to all targeted creatures within range. Magical silence, 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal (or a thin sheet of lead), or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks the spell. The message does not have to travel in a straight line. It can circumvent a barrier if there is an open path between you and the subject, and the path’s entire length lies within the spell’s range. The creatures that receive the message can whisper a reply that you hear. The spell transmits sound, not meaning. It doesn’t transcend language barriers.

Note: To speak a message, you must mouth the words and whisper, possibly allowing observers the opportunity to read your lips.

Focus: A short piece of copper wire.

0.5 (5/2/10): 0-level Arcane Spells goes live.

SAGA Fantasy: 1st level Arcane Spells

2010-04-24T16:02:00.045-04:00

Conversion Notes: I based this conversion on a hybrid of 1e AD&D and 3e D&D. The purpose of this is to "return" to the classic spell lists, but use much of the effects from 3e as they are a more direct conversion. Some spells have been altered as I see fit as well, for the purpose of integrating Action Points in a logical manner.

Burning Hands

Evocation [Fire]
Level: Fire 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 15 ft.
Area: Cone-shaped burst
Duration: Instantaneous
Spell Resistance: Yes

A cone of searing flame shoots from your fingertips. Make a ranged touch attack against the target's Reflex Defense. Any creature in the area of the flames takes 1d4 to 5d4 points of fire damage, (depending on the caster's Spellcraft check)if hit, otherwise they take only half damage. Flammable materials burn if the flames touch them. A character can extinguish burning items as a full-round action.

DC 15: 1d6 points of damage.
DC 20: 2d6 points of damage.
DC 25: 3d6 points of damage.
DC 30: 4d6 points of damage.
DC 35: 5d6 points of damage.

Special: the caster may spend an Action point to add another die of damage. Additionally, the caster may spend a Destiny point to increase the damage dice from d4 to d6.

Charm Person

Enchantment (Charm) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One humanoid creature
Duration: 1 hour/level
Spell Resistance: Yes

This charm makes a humanoid creature regard you as its trusted friend and ally (treat the target’s attitude as friendly). Make a Spellcraft check against the humanoid's Will Defense. If the creature is currently being threatened or attacked by you or your allies, however, it receives a +5 bonus on its Will Defense. If successful the creature's attitude changes to friendly. If not, the spell has no effect.

The spell does not enable you to control the charmed person as if it were an automaton, but it perceives your words and actions in the most favorable way. You can try to give the subject orders, but you must win an opposed Charisma check to convince it to do anything it wouldn’t ordinarily do. (Retries are not allowed.) An affected creature never obeys suicidal or obviously harmful orders, but it might be convinced that something very dangerous is worth doing. Any act by you or your apparent allies that threatens the charmed person breaks the spell. You must speak the person’s language to communicate your commands, or else be good at pantomiming.

Comprehend Languages

Divination
Level: Brd 1, Clr 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level

You can understand the spoken words of creatures or read otherwise incomprehensible written messages. In either case, you must touch the creature or the writing. The ability to read does not necessarily impart insight into the material, merely its literal meaning. The spell enables you to understand or read an unknown language, not speak or write it.

Written material can be read at the rate of one page (250 words) per minute. Magical writing cannot be read, though the spell reveals that it is magical. This spell can be foiled by certain warding magic (such as the secret page and illusory script spells). It does not decipher codes or reveal messages concealed in otherwise normal text.

Comprehend languages can be made permanent with a permanency spell.

Arcane Material Component: A pinch of soot and a few grains of salt.

Enlarge

Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 1, Strength 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One humanoid creature
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell causes instant growth of a humanoid creature, doubling its height and multiplying its weight by 8. This increase changes the creature’s size category to the next larger one. The target gains a +2 size bonus to Strength, a -2 size penalty to Dexterity (to a minimum of 1), and a -1 penalty on attack rolls and AC due to its increased size.

A humanoid creature whose size increases to Large has a space of 10 feet and a natural reach of 10 feet. This spell does not change the target’s speed.

If insufficient room is available for the desired growth, the creature attains the maximum possible size and may make a Strength check (using its increased Strength) to burst any enclosures in the process. If it fails, it is constrained without harm by the materials enclosing it— the spell cannot be used to crush a creature by increasing its size.

All equipment worn or carried by a creature is similarly enlarged by the spell. Melee and projectile weapons affected by this spell deal more damage. Other magical properties are not affected by this spell. Any enlarged item that leaves an enlarged creature’s possession (including a projectile or thrown weapon) instantly returns to its normal size. This means that thrown weapons deal their normal damage, and projectiles deal damage based on the size of the weapon that fired them. Magical properties of enlarged items are not increased by this spell.

Multiple magical effects that increase size do not stack.

Enlarge person counters and dispels reduce person.

Enlarge person can be made permanent with a permanency spell.

A creature that is unwilling to be Enlarged forces the caster to make a Spellcraft check versus the target's Fortitude Defense.

Material Component: A pinch of powdered iron.

Erase

Transmutation
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One scroll or two pages
Duration: Instantaneous
Spell Resistance: No

Erase removes writings of either magical or mundane nature from a scroll or from one or two pages of paper, parchment, or similar surfaces. With this spell, you can remove explosive runes, a glyph of warding, a sepia snake sigil, or an arcane mark, but not illusory script or a symbol spell. Non-magical writing is automatically erased if you touch it and no one else is holding it. Otherwise, the chance of erasing non-magical writing is 90%.

Magic writing must be touched to be erased, and you also must succeed on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against DC 15. (A natural 1 or 2 is always a failure on this check.) If you fail to erase explosive runes, a glyph of warding, or a sepia snake sigil, you accidentally activate that writing instead.

Feather Fall

Transmutation
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 immediate action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets: One Medium or smaller freefalling object or creature/level, no two of which may be more than 20 ft. apart
Duration: Until landing or 1 round/level
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)

The affected creatures or objects fall slowly. Feather fall instantly changes the rate at which the targets fall to a mere 60 feet per round (equivalent to the end of a fall from a few feet), and the subjects take no damage upon landing while the spell is in effect. However, when the spell duration expires, a normal rate of falling resumes.

The spell affects one or more Medium or smaller creatures (including gear and carried objects up to each creature’s maximum load) or objects, or the equivalent in larger creatures: A Large creature or object counts as two Medium creatures or objects, a Huge creature or object counts as two Large creatures or objects, and so forth.

You can cast this spell with an instant utterance, quickly enough to save yourself if you unexpectedly fall. Casting the spell is a immediate action, allowing you to cast this spell even when it isn’t your turn.

This spell has no special effect on ranged weapons unless they are falling quite a distance. If the spell is cast on a falling item the object does half normal damage based on its weight, with no bonus for the height of the drop.

If the target is unwilling (i.e. a creature), the caster must make a Spellcraft check versus the target's Will Defense. A failure means the spell does not work.

Feather fall works only upon free-falling objects. It does not affect a sword blow or a charging or flying creature.

Hold Portal

Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Component: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One portal, up to 20 sq. ft./level
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Spell Resistance: No

This spell magically holds shut a door, gate, window, or shutter of wood, metal, or stone. The magic affects the portal just as if it were securely closed and normally locked. A knock spell or a successful dispel magic spell can negate a hold portal spell.

For a portal affected by this spell, add 5 to the normal DC for forcing open the portal.

Identify

Divination
Level: Brd 1, Magic 2, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Targets: One touched object
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

The spell determines all magic properties of a single magic item, including how to activate those functions (if appropriate), and how many charges are left (if any).

Identify does not normally function when used on an artifact.

Arcane Material Component: A pearl of at least 100 gp value, crushed and stirred into wine with an owl feather; the infusion must be drunk prior to spellcasting.

Special: Spend an Action Point and know exactly the properties of a single magic item. Spend a Destiny Point to determine the abilities of an artifact as if it was a normal magic item.

Jump

Transmutation
Level: Drd 1, Rgr 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Spell Resistance: Yes

The subject gets an enhancement bonus on Jump checks, depending on the caster's Spellcraft check.

DC 15: +5 bonus to Jump checks.
DC 20: +10 bonus to Jump checks.
DC 25: +15 bonus to Jump checks.
DC 30: +20 bonus to Jump checks.
DC 35: +25 bonus to Jump checks.
DC 40: +30 bonus to Jump checks.

Material Component: A grasshopper’s hind leg, which you break when the spell is cast.

Magic Missile

Evocation [Force]
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets: Up to five creatures, no two of which can be more than 15 ft. apart
Duration: Instantaneous
Spell Resistance: Yes

A missile of magical energy darts forth from your fingertip and strikes its target, dealing 1d4+1 points of force damage.

The missile strikes unerringly, even if the target is in melee combat or has less than total cover or total concealment. Specific parts of a creature can’t be singled out. Inanimate objects are not damaged by the spell.

The number of missiles the caster can cast is determined by a Spellcraft check as follows:

DC 15: 1 missile doing 1d4+1 damage.
DC 20: 1 missile doing 2d4+2 damage.
DC 25: 1 missile doing 3d4+3 damage.
DC 30: 1 missile doing 4d4+4 damage.
DC 35: 1 missile doing 5d4+5 damage.

Special: Spend an action point and increase the damage dice to d6.

Message

Transmutation [Language-Dependent]
Level: Brd 0, Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets: One creature/level
Duration: 10 min./level
Spell Resistance: No

You can whisper messages and receive whispered replies with little chance of being overheard. You point your finger at each creature you want to receive the message. When you whisper, the whispered message is audible to all targeted creatures within range. Magical silence, 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal (or a thin sheet of lead), or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks the spell. The message does not have to travel in a straight line. It can circumvent a barrier if there is an open path between you and the subject, and the path’s entire length lies within the spell’s range. The creatures that receive the message can whisper a reply that you hear. The spell transmits sound, not meaning. It doesn’t transcend language barriers.

Note: To speak a message, you must mouth the words and whisper, possibly allowing observers the opportunity to read your lips.

Focus: A short piece of copper wire.

Magic Aura

Illusion (Glamer)
Level: Brd 1, Magic 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One touched object weighing up to 5 lb./level
Duration: One day/level (D)
Spell Resistance: No

You alter an item’s aura so that it registers to detect spells (and spells with similar capabilities) as though it were nonmagical, or a magic item of a kind you specify, or the subject of a spell you specify.

If the object bearing magic aura has identify cast on it or is similarly examined, the examiner recognizes that the aura is false and detects the object’s actual qualities if he succeeds on a Will save. Otherwise, he believes the aura and no amount of testing reveals what the true magic is.

If the targeted item’s own aura is exceptionally powerful (if it is an artifact, for instance), magic aura doesn’t work.

Note: A magic weapon, shield, or suit of armor must be a masterwork item, so a sword of average make, for example, looks suspicious if it has a magical aura.
Focus

A small square of silk that must be passed over the object that receives the aura.

Shield

Abjuration [Force]
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level (D)

Shield creates an invisible, tower shield-sized mobile disk of force that hovers in front of you. It negates magic missile attacks directed at you. The disk also provides a +4 shield bonus to Reflex Defense. This bonus applies against incorporeal touch attacks, since it is a force effect. The shield has no armor check penalty or arcane spell failure chance. Unlike with a normal tower shield, you can’t use the shield spell for cover.

Shocking Grasp

Evocation [Electricity]
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature or object touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Spell Resistance: Yes

Your successful melee touch attack deals 1d6 points of electricity damage per the caster's Spellcraft check. When delivering the jolt, you gain a +3 bonus on attack rolls if the opponent is wearing metal armor (or made out of metal, carrying a lot of metal, or the like).

DC 15: 1d6 points of damage.
DC 15: 2d6 points of damage.
DC 15: 3d6 points of damage.
DC 15: 4d6 points of damage.
DC 15: 5d6 points of damage.

Special: spend an Action Point to add an extra die of damage. Spend a Destiny point to increase the damage dice to d8.

Sleep

Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area: One or more living creatures within a 10-ft.-radius burst
Duration: 1 min./level
Spell Resistance: Yes

A sleep spell causes a magical slumber to come upon 4 Hit Dice of creatures. Creatures with the fewest HD are affected first. Make a Spellcraft roll versus the creature(s) Will Defense. If successful the creatures fall asleep.

Among creatures with equal HD, those who are closest to the spell’s point of origin are affected first. Hit Dice that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted.

Sleeping creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Awakening a creature is a standard action (an application of the aid another action).

Sleep does not target unconscious creatures, constructs, or undead creatures.

Material Component: A pinch of fine sand, rose petals, or a live cricket.

Spider Climb

Transmutation
Level: Drd 2, Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

The subject can climb and travel on vertical surfaces or even traverse ceilings as well as a spider does. The affected creature must have its hands free to climb in this manner. The subject gains a climb speed of 20 feet; furthermore, it need not make Climb checks to traverse a vertical or horizontal surface (even upside down). A spider climbing creature retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it. It cannot, however, use the run action while climbing.

If the target of the spell is unwilling, make a Spellcraft check versus the target's Will Defense. If a failure, the spell has no effect.

Material Component: `A drop of bitumen and a live spider, both of which must be eaten by the subject.

Floating Disk

Evocation [Force]
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: 3-ft.-diameter disk of force
Duration: 1 hour/level
Spell Resistance: No

You create a slightly concave, circular plane of force that follows you about and carries loads for you. The disk is 3 feet in diameter and 1 inch deep at its center. It can hold 100 pounds of weight per caster level. (If used to transport a liquid, its capacity is 2 gallons.) The disk floats approximately 3 feet above the ground at all times and remains level. It floats along horizontally within spell range and will accompany you at a rate of no more than your normal speed each round. If not otherwise directed, it maintains a constant interval of 5 feet between itself and you. The disk winks out of existence when the spell duration expires. The disk also winks out if you move beyond range or try to take the disk more than 3 feet away from the surface beneath it. When the disk winks out, whatever it was supporting falls to the surface beneath it.

Material Component: A drop of mercury.

Unseen Servant

Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One invisible, mindless, shapeless servant
Duration: 1 hour/level
Spell Resistance: No

An unseen servant is an invisible, mindless, shapeless force that performs simple tasks at your command. It can run and fetch things, open unstuck doors, and hold chairs, as well as clean and mend. The servant can perform only one activity at a time, but it repeats the same activity over and over again if told to do so as long as you remain within range. It can open only normal doors, drawers, lids, and the like. It has an effective Strength score of 2 (so it can lift 20 pounds or drag 100 pounds). It can trigger traps and such, but it can exert only 20 pounds of force, which is not enough to activate certain pressure plates and other devices. It can’t perform any task that requires a skill check with a DC higher than 10 or that requires a check using a skill that can’t be used untrained. Its speed is 15 feet.

The servant cannot attack in any way; it is never allowed an attack roll. It cannot be killed, but it dissipates if it takes 6 points of damage from area attacks. (It gets no saves against attacks.) If you attempt to send it beyond the spell’s range (measured from your current position), the servant ceases to exist.

Material Component: A piece of string and a bit of wood.

Ventriloquism

Illusion (Figment)
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: Intelligible sound, usually speech
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Spell Resistance: No

You can make your voice (or any sound that you can normally make vocally) seem to issue from someplace else. You can speak in any language you know. With respect to such voices and sounds, for anyone who hears the sound, the caster must make a Spellcraft check versus the target's Will Defense. If the roll fails, the target recognizes it as illusory (but still hears it).

Focus: A parchment rolled up into a small cone.

Revision History
1.0 5/2/10: 1st Level Arcane Spells goes live (again).

SAGA Fantasy: The Fighter

2010-04-24T12:58:00.037-04:00

Fighter

A fighter relies on his skill with weapons and his armor, fighting battles with nothing more than his courage, prowess, and physical presence. While Wizards may cast their spells from afar, or Rogues by subterfuge, or Clerics through divine power, Fighters prefer to fight up close and personal.

Game Information

Fighters have the following game statistics

Abilities

A Fighter benefits most from strength, but constitution and dexterity are also useful.

Hit Points
Fighters begin play at 1st level with a number of hit points equal to 30 + their Constitution modifier. At each level after 1st, the Fighter gains 1d10 hit points + their Constitution modifier.

Action Points
Fighters gain a number of Action Points equal to 5 + one-half their character level (rounded down) at 1st level and every time they gain a new level in this class. Any Action Points left over from the previous levels are lost.

Class Skills
At 1st level, the Fighter gains skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier) ×4. At each level thereafter, they gain 2 + Int modifier. The Fighter’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Ride (Dex), and Swim (Str).

Class Features

Defense Bonuses
At 1st level, you gain +1 class bonus to your Reflex Defense, and a +2 class bonus to your Fortitude Defense.

Starting Feats
At 1st level, you gain the following bonus feats:

Armor Proficiency (light)
Armor Proficiency (medium)
Armor Proficiency (shields)
Fighter's Edge
Weapons Proficiency (simple)
Weapons Proficiency (martial)

Base Level	Attack Bonus	Class Features	Damage Bonus
1st	+1	Defense Bonuses, Starting Feats, Talents	+2
2nd	+2	Bonus Feat	+4
3rd	+3	Talent	+6
4th	+4	Bonus Feat	+8
5th	+5	Talent	+10
6th	+6	Bonus Feat	+12
7th	+7	Talent	+14
8th	+8	Bonus Feat	+16
9th	+9	Talent	+18
10th	+10	Bonus Feat	+20

New Feat: Fighter's Edge
Fighters are trained to be as effective with melee weapons, and thus compared to all of the other classes they are the most efficient in this regard. When in melee combat, they can add in a damage bonus equal to twice their level. Thus a 1st level fighter only adds +2 damage bonus to their melee attack (this is above and beyond any other bonuses, such as strength, magic, and special feats), while a 12th level fighter may add +24 to their melee attack. This damage bonus doubles when scoring a critical, like other damage bonuses.

Talents
At 1st level and every odd-numbered level thereafter (3rd, 5th, 7th, etc), you select a talent from any one of the following Talent Trees. You may choose a Talent from any tree you wish, but you must meet the prerequisites (if any) of the chosen Talent. No Talent may be selected more than once unless expressly indicated.

Armor Specialist Talent Tree
See Star Wars SAGA Edition pp.52-52

Brawler Talent Tree
See Star Wars SAGA Edition p.52

Weapon Specalist Talent Tree
See Star Wars SAGA Edition p.53

Revision History:
1.0 (5/2/10): Fighter goes live (again).

SAGA Fantasy: The Wizard

2010-04-24T02:06:00.002-04:00

After our recent game, one of the players in my group stated that he "wished there was a fantasy version of SAGA." This got me thinking, and I don't think a conversion would be that hard to do. The big differences would be the Talent system (which is -- in my mind -- indistinguishable from Feats other than they are class specific, and tend to be more powerful), and integrating the fantasy elements like magic.

Creating talent trees was relatively easy. Just looking at the class-specific feats and converting the more powerful ones into talents. The magic system I suspect may take more work, since many of the spells would need to be integrated into the SAGA style framework, though I don't find this impossible.

This conversion also gives me the opportunity to "fix" some issues I have with SAGA (depending on how you look at it), like the skill system. This specifically is a return to the older 3e skill system, lifted whole cloth. I know there are those that prefer SAGA's (and by extension 4e's) method for selecting skills: I personally feel it gives me less control over my character. So that is one thing that gets "fixed."

So I present here the first such conversion: the Wizard.

Wizard

Wizards gain their power not through martial arms or physical combat, but through the manipulation and lore of magical energy. Thus, they tend to be intelligent and introspective, rather than physical and brash. Years of studying musty tomes or bent over their texts mean that they are not physically strong or robust, but their knowledge more than makes up for this.

Game Information

Wizards have the following game statistics

Abilities
A Wizard benefits most from intelligence, but wisdom and dexterity are also useful

Hit Points
Wizards begin play at 1st level with a number of hit points equal to 18 + their Constitution modifier. At each level after 1st, the Wizard gains 1d4 hit points + their Constitution modifier.

Action Points
Wizards gain a number of Action Points equal to 5 + one-half their character level (rounded down) at 1st level and every time they gain a new level in this class. Any Action Points left over from the previous levels are lost.

Class Skills
At 1st level, the Wizard gains skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier) ×4. At each level thereafter, they gain 2 + Int modifier.The wizard’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Class Features

Defense Bonuses
At 1st level, you gain +1 class bonus to your Reflex Defense, and a +2 class bonus to your Will Defense.

Starting Feats
At 1st level, you gain the following bonus feats:

Arcane Spellcasting
Find Familiar
Weapon Proficiency (simple weapons)

Base Level	Attack Bonus	Class Features	Spells: O lvl	1st lvl	2nd lvl	3rd lvl	4th lvl	5th lvl
1st	+0	Defense Bonus, Starting Feats, Talent	3	1
2nd	+1	Bonus Feat	4	2
3rd	+1	Talent	4	2	1
4th	+2	Bonus Feat	4	3	2
5th	+2	Talent	4	3	2	1
6th	+3	Bonus Feat	4	3	3	2
7th	+3	Talent	4	4	3	2	1
8th	+4	Bonus Feat	4	4	3	3	2
9th	+4	Talent	4	4	4	3	2	1
10th	+5	Bonus Feat	4	4	4	3	3	2

Talents
At 1st level and every odd-numbered level thereafter (3rd, 5th, 7th, etc), you select a talent from any one of the following Talent Trees. You may choose a Talent from any tree you wish, but you must meet the prerequisites (if any) of the chosen Talent. No Talent may be selected more than once unless expressly indicated.

Artificer Talent Tree
Wizards that follow this talent tree are adept at creating magical items. You bend your will to infusing items with useful or powerful magical energies.

Scribe Scroll: You can create a scroll of any spell that you know. Scribing a scroll takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a scroll is its spell level × its caster level × 25 gp. To scribe a scroll, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price.

Any scroll that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the costs derived from the base price, you must expend the material component or pay the XP when scribing the scroll.

Prerequisite: Caster level 1st.

Brew Potion: You can create a potion of any 3rd-level or lower spell that you know and that targets one or more creatures. Brewing a potion takes one day. When you create a potion, you set the caster level, which must be sufficient to cast the spell in question and no higher than your own level. The base price of a potion is its spell level × its caster level × 50 gp. To brew a potion, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one half this base price.

When you create a potion, you make any choices that you would normally make when casting the spell. Whoever drinks the potion is the target of the spell.

Any potion that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the costs derived from the base price, you must expend the material component or pay the XP when creating the potion.

Prerequisite: Caster level 3rd.

Craft Wondrous Item: You can create any wondrous item whose prerequisites you meet. Enchanting a wondrous item takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its price. To enchant a wondrous item, you must spend 1/25 of the item’s price in XP and use up raw materials costing half of this price.

You can also mend a broken wondrous item if it is one that you could make. Doing so costs half the XP, half the raw materials, and half the time it would take to craft that item in the first place.

Some wondrous items incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the item’s base price. You must pay such a cost to create an item or to mend a broken one.

Prerequisite: Caster level 3rd.

Craft Magic Arms and Armor: You can create any magic weapon, armor, or shield whose prerequisites you meet. Enhancing a weapon, suit of armor, or shield takes one day for each 1,000 gp in the price of its magical features. To enhance a weapon, suit of armor, or shield, you must spend 1/25 of its features’ total price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this total price.

The weapon, armor, or shield to be enhanced must be a masterwork item that you provide. Its cost is not included in the above cost.

You can also mend a broken magic weapon, suit of armor, or shield if it is one that you could make. Doing so costs half the XP, half the raw materials, and half the time it would take to craft that item in the first place.

Prerequisite: Caster level 5th.

Craft Wand: You can create a wand of any 4th-level or lower spell that you know. Crafting a wand takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a wand is its caster level × the spell level × 750 gp. To craft a wand, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price. A newly created wand has 50 charges.

Any wand that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the cost derived from the base price, you must expend fifty copies of the material component or pay fifty times the XP cost.

Prerequisite: Caster level 5th.

Craft Rod: You can create any rod whose prerequisites you meet. Crafting a rod takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To craft a rod, you must spend 1/25 of its base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of its base price.

Some rods incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the rod’s base price.

Prerequisite: Caster level 9th.

Craft Staff: You can create any staff whose prerequisites you meet.

Crafting a staff takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To craft a staff, you must spend 1/25 of its base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of its base price. A newly created staff has 50 charges.

Some staffs incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the staff’s base price.

Prerequisite: Caster level 12th.

Forge Ring: You can create any ring whose prerequisites you meet. Crafting a ring takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To craft a ring, you must spend 1/25 of its base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of its base price.

You can also mend a broken ring if it is one that you could make. Doing so costs half the XP, half the raw materials, and half the time it would take to forge that ring in the first place.

Some magic rings incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. You must pay such a cost to forge such a ring or to mend a broken one.

Prerequisite: Caster level 12th.

Metamagic Talent Tree
You are adept at manipulating the fabric of magic, and using this knowledge to enhance spell effects and tailor them to your needs.

Enlarge Spell: You can alter a spell with a range of close, medium, or long to increase its range by 100%. An enlarged spell with a range of close now has a range of 50 ft. + 5 ft./level, while medium-range spells have a range of 200 ft. + 20 ft./level and long-range spells have a range of 800 ft. + 80 ft./level. An enlarged spell requires a Spellcraft DC20 + spell level to create the effect.

Spells whose ranges are not defined by distance, as well as spells whose ranges are not close, medium, or long, do not have increased ranges.

Extend Spell: An extended spell lasts twice as long as normal. A spell with a duration of concentration, instantaneous, or permanent is not affected by this feat. An extended spell requires a Spellcraft DC20 + spell level to create the effect.

Heighten Spell: A heightened spell has a higher spell level than normal (up to a maximum of 9th level). Unlike other metamagic feats, Heighten Spell actually increases the effective level of the spell that it modifies. All effects dependent on spell level (such as saving throw DCs and ability to penetrate a lesser globe of invulnerability) are calculated according to the heightened level. The heightened spell is as difficult to prepare and cast as a spell of its effective level.

Quicken Spell: Casting a quickened spell is an swift action. You can perform another action, even casting another spell, in the same round as you cast a quickened spell. You may cast only one quickened spell per round. A spell whose casting time is more than 1 full round action cannot be quickened. A quickened spell requires a Spellcraft DC25 + spell level to create the effect.. Casting a quickened spell doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity.

Silent Spell: A silent spell can be cast with no verbal components. Spells without verbal components are not affected. A silent spell requires a Spellcraft DC20 + spell level to create the effect.

Still Spell: A stilled spell can be cast with no somatic components.

Spells without somatic components are not affected. A stilled spell requires a Spellcraft DC20 + spell level to create the effect.

Widen Spell: You can alter a burst, emanation, line, or spread shaped spell to increase its area. Any numeric measurements of the spell’s area increase by 100%.A widened spell requires a Spellcraft DC20 + spell level to create the effect.

Spells that do not have an area of one of these four sorts are not affected by this feat.

Revision History:
1.0 (4/24/10): Wizard class first post.
1.1 (5/2/10): Corrected some HTML code. Also changed meta-magic talents to make them more "skillful"

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

2010-04-23T17:21:00.000-04:00

The theme of magic actually being real is not an original or new one. It has been done several times before, most prominently by JK Rowling's Harry Potter series.

What Grossman brings in his book is perhaps a more realistic, less idealized presentation. His book is filled with characters that perhaps reminds one of people we knew in school, or have heard of. While he doesn't go into extensive detail about how magic works, the book emulates a basis of knowledge that suggests that, while magic itself is mysterious, the ability to manipulate it is known and formulaic.

The story is divided into to main elements: the tutelage of the main character, Quentin, at a sort of "University of Magic" called Brakebills, and the second part details their discovery that the "magical world of Fillory" (a sort of CS Lewis analogue) is in fact real, and they are able to travel to it.

It's always fun finding the theme or intent of the author in writing his story. For some writers, there really isn't one -- the story is for pure entertainment. Given Grossman's status as a literary critic (so sayeth the jacket sleeve), I can't imagine the book would not have that level of depth.

One of the elements we discover about Grossman's magical society is that it is essentially one that takes care of itself. Once the students graduate from Brakebills, all of their expenses are paid (secret magical manipulation of the world economy), and it is ultimately up to them to discover their own way in the world -- there is no "job placement program."

Once Quentin graduates from Brakebills, he rapidly descends into a decadent existence, seeking pleasure for the sheer purpose of experiencing pleasure. Daily him and his companions drink, or engage in drug use, throwing parties just for the sake of having one, or otherwise engaging in activities for the sole purpose of filling in the time in their purpose-less lives.

We see a precursor of this when Quentin visits his girlfriend Alice's parents. They engage in seemingly pointless activities, such as remodeling the house based on Roman era architecture, or studying the musical themes of pixies. Both of Alice's parents seem to be disengaged from the world, wrapped up in their own make-busy work. Alice makes Quentin swear that they will not end up like that. But perhaps that is unavoidable...

When the gang discovers the ability to travel to Fillory, they find that it is a much darker and more dangerous place then they had imagined. It kills one of the party, and crippled Quentin. What should have been Quentin's greatest dream is ultimately poisoned by the issues the humans bring with them.

I think ultimately Grossman's theme in this book is that we must create a purpose for our lives by ourselves. Despite the magic, despite Fillory, and despite the Eloi like existence, Quentin is ultimately unfulfilled because all of these elements are tools for him to use and create a fulfilling life. This is contrasted by his girlfriend Alice -- stronger in magic than any of the other characters -- who uses magic as a tool and not an end, and gives her life purpose at the very end.

I can't disagree with this viewpoint at all. Having all but rejected religion, and the idea that the purpose of my life must be defined by some external power, the idea that we as individuals give our own lives meaning -- create it based on our own interests, ideals, and experiences -- is far more appealing than having it dictated on-high. I am sure there will be those that disagree with this viewpoint, but of course it is my viewpoint.

A Thousand Sons By Graham McNeil

2010-03-30T13:06:00.000-04:00

One of the great tragities of the Horus Heresy was the treatment the Thousand Sons Legion and its primarch, Magnus the Red. Magnus who was one of the most loyal of the Emperor's sons, and one of the few that had a direct and personal link to the Emperor (through their shared psychic powers -- Magnus had been in communication with the Emperor before he was found), but Magnus' delving into the ways of the Warp set him up for his downfall.

McNeil does a very good job in presenting both Magnus as well as his Thousand Sons Legion in a very sympathetic light. Where most of the Primarchs we have seen so far have a personality flaw that in one way or another makes them unlikable, Magnus' flaw is his faith in his knowledge and his hubris that he can master this knowledge and power. This makes Magnus seem very confident (a likable trait usually), but he is also compassionate, reasonable, and committed to preserving knowledge and culture. Similarly the Legion and many of its personalities (such as Ahriman, which long time players of the Warhammer 40K wargame should be very familiar with) share this desire, and for me I found myself often agreeing with their actions.

Like a Greek tragety, however, Hubris deserves a fall, and Magnus indeed falls. Contacting the Emperor to warn him of Horus' trechery via the forbidden art of Sorcery (the Council of Nikaea, presented in the book as a virtual trial of Magnus), the Emperor sends the Space Wolves, supported by the Sisters of Silence (null-psykers) and a detachment of Custodes, to destroy the Thousand Sons (which makes one wonder about the two "lost" legions, if perhaps they had a similar fate...).

One element that I had to question was the subplot involving the psychicly aware Remembrancers. Their story was interoven with that of the main plot, but in the end we do not discover what their fate was. I understand Dan Abnett, author of the upcoming Prospero Burns had fallen ill, and was unable to complete the book by the deadline. Originally this book was to be released in April, but has been pushed back till much later in the year. It is possible that Abnett would pick up on this plot point, but due to unforeseen circumstances we are left hanging.

Overall this was a solid book in my opinion, and can't feel a little disappointed that the second part is so delayed.

Olympos by Dan Simmons

2010-03-15T11:07:00.000-04:00

One of the things about sequels is that they must live up to the legacy of their predecessor. This is true in movies, but just as true in books as well.

One thing that can be said about the universe Simmons creates is that it is interesting, but incomplete. In this setting, we have technologically advanced post humans posing as Greek gods ("Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" or item three of Clarke's Three Laws), but we really never learn why they are posing as Gods, or even why Greek gods and not some other pantheon. And while Sebetos, Ariel, Prospero, and Caliban get sufficient fleshing out, the fate of Sebetos is never really developed (it just seems to leave ...was it sated on human misery? Scared away by the moravecs? Got bored?).

Nonetheless, Olympos still maintains a good pace and an engaging book. The ending is suitably happy, though one of the elements involving an early '60s (apparently) role-play of sex in the back seat of a teen-ager's car, interrupted by the apparent nuclear annihilation of a city seemed to serve little purpose (other than to say these far future post-humans have a poor grasp of history, unless it was some veiled suggestion of reality hopping of some sort...), and could have been more straight forward.

In the end, if you're looking for some unusual SF, Illium-Olympos might be something to look at.

On the Short Shelf I

2010-03-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

I don't know if you are the same, but buying books gives me a little bit of an endorphin shot -- it just feels good. While invariably this means I have more books unread, it does mean that I never lack for reading material.

I picked up some books today, and ordered a few from Amazon. So what's on the "short shelf" for reading in the near future?

A Thousand Sons by Graham McNeil. Another installment in the Horus Heresy series, I've been looking forward to this book (as well as the Abnett penned Prospero Burns companion novel, not yet released) since it was announced, and it promises to be a thrilling installment in the history of the Warhammer 40K universe. Detailing the razing of Prospero (homeworld of the Thousand Sons Space Marine Legion) by the Space Wolves Legion, it was pivotal as it was a landmark turning point, and a tragic betrayal as well. The book is quite thick, coming in at 558pgs. This will be likely to be read in the very near future.

Devil's Brood by Sharon Kay Penman. I tried reading Penman's books in the past (primarily When Christ and his Saints Slept about the reign of King Stephen, and his struggles against the daughter of King Henry I, the Empress Mathilda), but could never really get into them. This book, however, is set in one of my favorite periods of history, and about one of my favorite dysfunctional medieval families, that of King Henry II of England. Set during the Great Revolt of 1173, it promises to detail the betrayal of Henry not just by his sons (primarily Henry "The Young King" and Richard), but also by his formidable -- and much celebrated -- wife Eleanor of Aquitaine.

The Magician by Lev Grossman. I had first heard of this book when a friend of mine discussed how much he was enjoying it. I filed it in the back of my mind to look for it later, but a recent conversation on one of my favorite forums about Jewish fantasy writers brought it to the fore. Described as being a more realistic depiction of the "Harry Potter" idea, what if magic were real and people from our society were trained in its use? And what would you do if you had magic powers?

Sledgehammers: Strengths and Flaws of Tiger Tank Battalions in World War II by Christopher Wilbeck. The Tiger tank was a much feared piece of equipment in the German army of WWII, but how effective was it really? Depsite the thick armor, good gun, and (for it's size) adequate mobility, it had a number of technical issues it never really resolved. It was underpowered for it's weight, and had frequent breakdowns. However, even with half it's strength reduced by mechanical issues, a Tiger battalion was a force to be reckoned with. Sledgehammers looks at this from a balanced view, to assess the value of the tank on the battlefield. This book is rather short as well, only 219 including pictures.

X-men, Vol. 8 by Marvel Comics. I've been reading these collections for several years. Consisting of black & white reprints of the original X-men comics series, it offers a cheap and accessable way for newcomers to read the series, or even older collectors that might not want to delve into their collection. X-men has always been a pretty solid storyline for the era, and with this volume we're starting to catch up to a more modern era. I admit I bought it to fill out my Amazon order, but it's certainly not unwelcome...

Illium by Dan Simmons

2010-02-22T13:15:00.000-05:00

Hector. Paris. Achilles the Man-slayer. Helen. Menelaus. Agamemnon. These are the names from the epic The Illiad by the blind-poet Homer. Some would say it is a complete flight of fancy, while others feel there is a kernel of truth wrapped in centuries of elaboration and divine motivations to explain inexplicable events. What if, however, it is an exact retelling of the Trojan Wars, and the Gods indeed walked among mortals?

This is one of the themes of Simmon's book Illium. But rather what if the Gods were not divine beings sprung from Zeus and his inveterate coupling with anything that moves, but rather powerful and technologically advanced "post-humans?" With the ability to displace both time and space, the Gods have been observing, intervening, and guiding the war in a way that Homer relates. Observing on behalf of the Gods are the Scholics, men plucked from their own time, experts each on the Illiad. Of these, Hockenberry -- a contemporary of ours -- observes the action with growing disinterest...that is until he is given the Helmet of Hades and a QT medallion by Aphrodite with the purpose of killing Athena.

The advanced technology of quantum teleportation used by the Gods does not go unnoticed. The Moravecs, advanced bio-electro-mechanical entities seeded in the far reaches of the Jovian moon-system, have observed the massive use of quantum technology, which threatens the long-term existence of the solar system. An expidition involving the deep-sea moravec Mahnmut and the Hardvac moravec Ophu is dispatched to investigate and perhaps put an end to this "quantum polluton"

Finally, on Earth, now inhabited by perhaps a few hundred-thousand "old-style" humans, Harman, Daemon, and a few others meet Savi, the "last" Jew, as they attempt to unravel the mystery of the "Post-humans."

Overall, Simmons creates a well-crafted story that rolls along, and tempts the reader with ever increasing layers to the puzzle. The nature of the Trojan Wars unravels slowly, while the "old-style" humans are propelled into a world far more complex than their previous "eloi-like" existence suggests.

It's very hard to find any faults with the story, well crafted as it is, and indeed has inspired me to want a Achaian Greek wargames army.

Fading Suns Game Material: The Megasewers of Midian

2010-02-08T12:46:00.002-05:00

Introduction: I have been, for a long time, a fan of the Fading Suns game setting. I ran a short campaign a few years ago, and generated some material for it. Recent posts on the Fading Suns Yahoo group reminded me of this material.

Sadly, the original source of this documentation no longer exists -- Holistic Design's Fading Suns web forum. While Holistic has faded away as a supporter for the game (I don't think the website has been updated in some time), Redbrick is continuing to support the game in their own way.

So here I present some of the ideas I used in my campaign. Enjoy!

* * * * *

During the 2nd Republic, mankind’s ability to innovate and invent was not matched by any time before or after. One of these results is the vast waste disposal system beneath the crust of the planet Midian. The original settlers, mindful of the environmental effects civilization had, took every practical measure they had to mitigate this impact. However, by the time of the 2nd Republic, the technology and finances finally existed that allowed them to create one of the most impressive feats in waste management anywhere in the Known Worlds. This involved a massive network of tunnels, sluiceways, canals, and other water management systems, that disposed of their waste directly into the hot magma beneath the planetary crust. Organized in nodes, the most important – and extensive – node is under the capital city of Saiwhun.

The network is simple in concept, though the execution is titanic in scale. Beneath each major city a network of underground canals empty into large, domed galleries that serve to hold the water for a time. This water then collects and concentrates wastes from the cities and industries above. An automated process then vents the water into massive, hundred meter wide disposal pits that are, in some cases, more than a kilometer deep. Further channels at its base redirect the water deep into the interior of the planet, and disposes of it into the planetary mantle. The results: any toxins, poisons, or rubbish are instantly incinerated (though some planetologists would call this the ultimate form of recycling) and the water is super-heated and percolates through the crust, removing any final poisons or toxins and locking them deep beneath the earth. Finally venting beneath lakes, oceans, and other areas, the water is again reintroduced into the bio-cycle.

Originally, this system was carefully monitored and maintained by a powerful computer network, but also could be controlled locally by a number of sub-stations located within the system. Maintenance was carried out by a vast army of automated, or remotely-operated, machines or supervised by a small but experienced team of human operators.

Since the Fall, the system has been neglected and fell into disrepair. No longer possessing the knowledge to maintain – let alone navigate – the vast tunnel network, the local governments and ultimately House Li Halan, have allowed their efforts to lapse. While the system is so well engineered it requires little actual intervention, after a thousand years of neglect, it has begun to malfunction in places. Pumps have failed, galleries have become super-concentrated with toxins and rubbish. And some of the local and subterranean life has begun to infiltrate the system and use it for their own purposes.

Additionally, the network has become the favored hideout of miscreants, fringers, down-and-outs, escaped serfs, and others on the periphery of civilization. Often tales are told of strange rituals that supposedly take place there, criminal underworld deals gone bad, and even tales of secret bases, complexes, temples, lairs, vaults, and storehouses from everything from demonic or alien infiltrations, to local crimelords’ stashes.

The network has shown its fair share of attention from more well-to-do seekers. Drawn by tales of secret technosophy or heresy, the Temple Avesti periodically sends its members through seeking forbidden tech or rites. Tales of alien or seditious presences has frequently drawn the attention of the local Imperial Eye commander, while noble curiosity or simply responsibility has prompted Duke Alexander Zhu Li Halan to send patrols to clear out criminal dens or dangerous creatures that make their homes here. Finally, the Engineer’s Guild has conducted periodic expeditions here, though what they are doing here, studying, or looking for they have never revealed.

While the population using this system is more often than not human or (rarely) alien in nature, a number of local (and not so local) fauna has made this are their home. Sightless, anemonie like Midian Cavern worms have become a frequent and taxing problem, snaring unsuspecting travelers or prey with their sucker-covered tentacles, only to shrug off any weapons fire from their armored, segmented bodies. Other, more mundane creatures also make their home here, including a number of different species of fish – some growing to considerable size and easily swallowing a human victim whole. More troubling is the infiltration of the network by neo-raptors. The result of a 2nd Republic Big Game Hunting theme park, these are genetically reconstituted Velociraptor neo-dinosaurs that have survived the Fall and made Midian their personal hunting ground. Fulfilling a niche similar to the Terran wolf, for the most part they shy away from civilization, but any traveler in these depths should beware and never travel alone – or unarmed.

End of an Era: Retrospective

2010-01-28T17:53:00.000-05:00

It has recently come to my attention that Wizards of the Coast (WotC) will be ending its involvement with the Star Wars RPG, as well as the pre-painted miniatures line. While this is terrible news, I can't say I'm surprised or shocked about it. Long time readers may recall my review of the Star Wars Saga Edition (SWSE) way back in January 2009. At that time I had lamented about the fitful support Star Wars as an RPG property has gotten. While the SWSE I think is a solid ruleset, and deserves its own time in the sun, WotC's stewardship of the property has been inept, to say the least.

I bears to note that the SWSE is in fact the third edition of the game from WotC in 10 years: the first edition was released in 2000, with a revised edition coming out in 2002. Finally the Saga Edition came out in 2007. In between these editions, WotC released product in fits and starts, with a very long period between the Revised (D20) edition, and the Saga edition (around 3 years or so).

With the SWSE, WotC decided to take a different tack than the previous edition: releasing "era" books with all the information and resources a GM would need to run a game during that era. While I can definitely applaud WotC for this tack, it also has the unfortunate side-effect of leaving other eras undetailed (such as the immediate New Republic era, and the Yuushang-vong invasion). While there are still a few products to be released, and this may change, the simple fact of the matter is that the rules are "incomplete" without it. Still, there is enough there a GM can cobble together something, but I'm dissappointed we did not get a New Republic sourcebook, or a "Tales of the Jedi" era sourcebook.

I'll be sad to see the game go, and this also means that I no longer have any sort of involvement with WotC whatsoever. There are plenty of other good games out there, and I hope I'll be able to explore them. But it is strange that a company that I had so long supported -- felt enthusiastic about when WotC bought TSR -- no longer is a facet in my gaming life. All good things come to an end, and now I'm scrambling to complete my book collection.

Tyrrany of a Construct Pt. 7

2010-01-12T16:15:00.001-05:00

According to this website, there has been a falling out with Raimi and the Spider Man 4 movie. Raimi couldn't deliver a movie up to his standards in time for Sony. So Sony's solution is to...reboot the franchise. This becomes problematic, because otherwise what is the point of a franchise?

A movie franchise serves many purposes for both concerned groups: the movie producers and the movie viewers. For the producers, the franchise concept allows them to continue to profit from the original idea or concept of the original movie. Essentially, the audience is "built in," and fans will be likely to continue to see the next film.

For the viewers the idea of a franchise allows for creating a "setting" that can become more immersive over time. It allows for examination in further detail either the core concept, or other secondary concepts. It also -- more importantly -- allows for character development.

The problem here -- like any Hollywood reboot (which is a shorthand for a "reimagining") is that [i]any[/i] character development from the previous is lost, wasted. The essential connection we might have (as a viewing audience) is broken. While there is some merit in "refreshing" a character, for a franchise like Spider Man, which has had only 3 movies over 8 years (averaging a movie every 2.67 years -- a reasonable interval) is that the characterizations are still "fresh" and the movies still relevant.

It's hard not to be cynical about this development. It has become apparent to me that I am not relevant as a movie goer because I am an adult. With this reboot Sony will return Parker back to his high school roots, which already feels less relevant to me. But no doubt will feel more relevant for the legions of teens that have come of age in the meantime. Also undoubtedly (or at least there is a fair certainty) this will include a new origin story -- something we have already seen. Unless Sony is clever and does a move [i]in medias res[/i] with the backstory being alluded to (so that it can for example be rationalized as taking place between the first movie and the second), I don't have high hopes for this.

By Blood Betrayed by Blaine Lee Pardoe and Mel Odom

2010-01-03T18:07:00.000-05:00

I had this book in my collection for some time, but recently decided to pull it out for a read-through. It was from the initial Mechwarrior line, designed to allow someone with little knowledge of the universe a path into the novel line.

Pardoe has a few novels under his belt, but I wonder how much influence he really had in the writing of this book? There are a lot of inconsistencies in the prose, things that have been either long established, or is widely available in the literature. For example, the background has always been that autocannons were rapid fire weapons -- a sort of gigantic machine gun. Yet the book often mentions firing a single round from the weapon. Another inconsistency is the Union dropship featured in the book carrying a K-61 dropshuttle and fighters, impossible as they're not equipped to carry shuttles to begin with, and theoretically they would at least have to sacrifice a fighter bay to carry one. Also, it has been long established that there is no "artificial gravity" in the Battletech universe, and spacecraft must use either rotating sections or acceleration to generate gravity. A few times the prose talks about the "pseudo-gravity" generated via acceleration. In the real world (as well as how it is established in the BTU), unless the craft is maneuvering or there are windows, there is no other way to determine the source of gravity -- 1g is the same whether you're planet-bound or under acceleration. According to the background, Union dropships can easily sustain 1g accelerations for as long as the fuel holds out.

The plot of the book is entirely conventional. Out on the edges of civilized space (the Periphery), a company of Able's Aces, defending the Rim Collection from the pirate band Morrison's Extractors, is wiped out except for their CO. Harley Rassor's brother was killed in the action, and his father (apparently an ex-mechwarrior with his own Commando in the barn!) sends his son to join the Aces and find out what happens.

Of course he expects the company CO Livia Hawke, and spends his time hating her as a traitor, despite the evdence to the contrary (including a red herring added in that one of the communications techs has a cousin in the Extractors -- which Harley promptly ignores). Or course Hawke is no traitor, and it comes out in the end that it was the intel officer -- along with Harley's brother -- who were in collusion with the Extractors, and forcing a showdown with Harley and his brother.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't "great." Besides the inconsistencies, the plot is pretty predictable. And while the plotpoint of Harley's brother being the real traitor shouldn't have been a surprise, it was for me since the book was not very engaging. Pardoe has written other books -- better books -- and I cannot tell if the problem was because it was co-written with Odom.

It's always dissappointing when you read a book from your favorite genre and it turns out to be not-so-great. But that is also not surprising -- even the best writers will occasionally turn out turkeys.

The Lost Fleet: Dauntless by Jack Campbell

2009-12-14T14:05:00.003-05:00

One of the things about military-SF is that sometimes the books are more concerned about the toys than trying to create a setting that undeniably feels military in nature. That's why it is so gratifying when my friend handed me Jack Campbell's book, and it turned out to have that "feel" in spades.

Campbell (a pseudonym for SF writer John G Hemry) creates a universe that is "light" on the toys (he gives very basic descriptions of the ship's weapon systems), but heavy on the military aspect, dialogue and especially on the SF of what ship-to-ship combat might look like in a Newtonian/Einsteinian universe.

The story is clever -- although not necessarily original -- in its exploration of themes. And there are a few. The main character, John Geary, is the survivor of a battle nearly a hundred years ago that launched the war between the human populated Syndicate and Alliance worlds. Recovered from his escape pod -- in which he had been in hibernation -- Geary is suddenly thrown into a setting that is both familiar and very alien to him. But, in true Arthurian form, the fleet that recovers him are going into (what they hope) is a decisive battle against the Syndics, only to face defeat and Geary assuming responsibility as the most senior captain (after the commanding admiral is gunned down in cold blood). Through Geary we learn the pressures of military command, and the need for military discipline, no matter how silly it might look to a civilian.

On the other hand, we are introduced to Co-President Rione, whose role is not only to act as a foil against Geary, but also to explore the disconnect between military and civilian spheres that often happens. This is particularly notable when Geary decides to fight a battle against an inferior Syndic force, highlighting the necessity of discipline, but also the divide between rational decisions as they are seen by the military and civilian apparatus.

Along the way we are treated to a lot of battle descriptions, and the uniqueness of fighting a battle based on Newtonian physics, touched on by Einsteinian relativity effects.

One of the really gratifying elements is, as I mentioned, the military "feel" of the setting. For people that might never have served in the military, this aspect might not be as apparent, but for those that have, I thought it was an excellent detail. Of course, this is no mistake, since Hemry is retired US Navy. But the way he crafts dialogue is the most convincing aspect; he crafts it in such a way that it is soldiers talking to soldiers, rather than what a civilian might think it would be. Although this is a small detail, for me it goes a long way in reinforcing the immersiveness of the setting.

Overall this was a very good book, and rather enjoyable. I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Star Trek: New Frontier by Peter David

2009-12-08T10:55:00.003-05:00

This will be a brief one today.

I picked up Star Trek: New Frontier a little while ago, and read through it the last couple of nights. It's short -- very short! Coming in at only 168pgs for the main story (and a sample chapter at the back from Vulcan's Forge), it is as brief as can be.

Also, in a way, it encapsulates what I think was going wrong with Star Trek in the latter years.

The point of the story, however, is to setup characters for the launch of the "New Frontier" line, the concept of which holds a lot of promise for me. One of the biggest excuses for the reboot and reimagining (because that is what it really is) of Star Trek is that the canon became unwieldy and a hindrance to the franchise. I disagree with this assessment, mainly because there are two types of canon within a long-running franchise that sprawls across multiple series: global canon and local canon.

Global Canon is canon of the entire franchise. It encompasses the major dates, events, setting assumptions and the like any entry into the franchise should conform to. It is much less interested in what Commander Riker was doing on a specific date, or the career details of Dr McKoy. It is much more concerned with when warp drive was developed, or when the Earth-Romulan war occured, and so on.

Local canon, on the other hand, is canon as it pertains to the specific series. This sort of canon would be concerned with the personal details and chronology of the individual characters, and events within that particular series.

I think part of the problem with Trek, and the reason why it collapsed under its own weight (and thus creating the illusion that the setting needed to be wiped clean and "re-imagined" in order to go forward) was a problem of writing, and a lack of concern about the different types of canon.

This book suffers for some of the same reasons.

The story introduces us to M'k'n'zy of Calhoun, a rebel leader at a very young age, and his struggle to survive. It continues to introduce a handful of other characters, establishing their backgrounds, but really not doing anything with them. In that sense this feels like "episode 1" to a two parter. I think that was the intention of the writer and line developers, but in a book format I don't think it worked well. This book could have easily been 400pgs and have something actually happen in it.

As the book progresses we learn that M'k'n'zy has joined starfleet and was a protege of Jean-luc Picard's, linking it very closely to the Next Generation series. We discover that the main character now goes by Mackenzie Calhoun (wee!) who has been tapped to command a starship sent into the middle of a political crisis.

Despite the almost fanfic development of Mackenzie (this concept really needed some more editorial oversite, in my mind), the fact that the main driver of the story (at this point) is the collapse of yet another Star Empire, and a political mission (rather than "Boldly going where no man has gone before!" an element Star Trek lost over the years and the reboot showing absolutely no danger of recovering) falls into the old trope of the franchise's latter years. The book was published in 1997, two years after the launch of Star Trek: Voyager. At the time, this is what Star Trek had become, so perhaps we can forgive the idea of the book. But nonetheless, it doesn't inspire either.

I am nonetheless still interested in a series that has its own internal canon, but does not find it neccessary to completely reimagine the setting completely. On its own merits, David's book was fairly uninteresting, but then when considering it is (at best) and introduction to the series, I may go on to the next book to see how it develops.

Lord of Night by Simon Spurrier

2009-12-06T10:25:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while you get just a bit of validation for plowing through the genre section at the local bookstore. While reading genre fiction to me is a lot like watching TV, every once in a while you find a diamond in the rough.

Simon Spurrier's book is that for me.

In the 40K universe, where everything is grim and dark, Zso Sahaal of the Night Lords Traitor Space Marine legion crashlands and has something very important and very dear stolen from him. And thus he goes on his quest to recover the object.

Equally, Mita Ashyn is a psyker in the employ of the ruthless Inquisition, there on the same planet to root out possible alien influences. Despite her competency, she is belittled for her skills by her inqusitor and marginalized by the group.

What follows is a story in which, by the end you won't be sure who the real bad guys are. And that's the best thing about it.

Along the way we learn revelations about the character and motives of the Night Haunter, Konrad Curze, why he selected Zso as his successor, and the fate of the Night Lords Legion in the 10,000 year interim between the assassination of the Night Haunter and the release of Zso from his imprisonment.

One brief comment about the story: I think there's a bit of an anti-religion philosophy in the background of the book. Mita for example, had dedicated her life to the Emperor, trusting in his love for her salvation, and thanking him for the psychic gifts she has. By the end of the book she rejects the Emperor and realizes her psychic powers were hers and hers alone all along. If this isn't a nice stab for humanism, I'm not sure what is...

Overall this ranks as one of the best 40K books I've read yet, and for anyone that is "40K curious" I strongly reccommend it.

Klingon Propoganda

2009-11-20T11:52:00.005-05:00

One of the fun things about the internet is the viral nature it can sometimes take. Like a virus, news or information is passed person to person in the same sort of way a virus propagates, but this time virtually.

Sometimes, this phenomenon is used by producers to market. Sometimes it's done by fans for fun. One such incident is a Klingon propoganda video. Looking like an old style Soviet propoganda movie, it is completely in Klingon (there are a few translations on the web; I won't post them because I think it's fun to see the clip in its original Klingon!). What is the purpose? Is there some sort of new Trek coming out? Only time will tell:

Video.

And there is even a website!

Clash of the Titans Trailer

2009-11-18T19:06:00.001-05:00

I found this trailer for Clash of the Titans on-line. Enjoy!

Star Trek

2009-11-18T15:41:00.003-05:00

Long time readers may recall my series "Tyranny of a Construct." Of course the event that triggered these ruminations was the new Star Trek movie. Well, I finally watched it last night after my father purchased it (on Blu-ray!), so here's my reaction.

The first thing that jumped out at me was the ship sets for the Kelvin. I'm not sure if maybe they just ran out of budget or something, but the ship scenes look like they were taken in an old industrial complex. Not only did it lack interest, but at no point did it really feel like I was in the "future" on a starship. Instead I felt like I was in an old industrial complex, complete with cement walls.

The second thing that jumped out at me was indeed Nero (Eric Bana). I'm not sure if he was just miscast in this role or what (looking at his page on the IMDB, the only similar movies he's played in appear to be the first Hulk movie and Troy) but he was probably the worst actor in the entire movie. Not only did he lack any sort of gravitas for the role, I was never convinced he was a Romulan, let alone an alien from a distant star system. It almost was like he was either embarrased to be in the movie, and felt like he had something better to do.

It really goes for most of the cast on general terms. While the actors playing Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) did from an adequate (Pine) to very good (Quinto) job with their role, most of the other cast members fell flat, with McKoy (Karl Urban) needing about half the movie before he could "get" the character. The real stand-out in the entire movie was the actor playing Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Not only did his portrayal have the neccessary gravitas for the character, Greenwood ably portrayed a character than knew he was in charge and how to act like he was in charge. In the end I wish the movie was really about Pike than Kirk.

On more general terms, the movie looked very pretty, and in general the special effects were very good, everything about this movie screamed Summer Blockbuster. From the product placement (the very first scene with a young Kirk in the movie we have both a classic corvette, as well as young Kirk manipulating his Nokia carphone, complete with corporate logo and Nokia ringtone...all to the Beastie Boys Sabotage, which despite the fact that it's one of my favorite Beastie Boys songs, falls into the SF trope assuming popular music of today will still be listened to centuries from now), to the slapstick sort of humor (specifically the scene where Kirk is smuggled aboard the Enterprise by McKoy, and has several unusual and presumably funny reactions to his medicines), and finally closing with the "kick ass" scene climaxing the movie.

While the Summer Blockbuster movie meme is not neccessarily a bad thing, I really am not sure the formula fits with the Star Trek style of movie. I think Abrams missed the elements that made the Original Series great, and especially the movies (Trek I through VI, excepting V). The chief among these is dialogue. What made the original actors work so well together was not just their familiarity and delivery, but the dialogue that was written for them. I'm not sure if it was simply that they were better actors (saving Shatner's sometimes over-the-top method acting, though I think this fault is over-emphasized by critics), or just simply good writing (Spock: "One damn minute Admiral."), but it's lack was very, very apparent in the movie, with the best dialogue coming from McKoy after the second half of the movie.

That being said, there were quite a few issues I had with the script, which I think detracted from the movie.

There were three scenes in the movie that I felt added nothing to the script. The first was the scene of Kirk as a kid, racing along a dirt road in a stolen classic 'vette. What was the purpose of this scene? To show that Kirk is a juvenile delinquent (we already get to see he's a jerk later on, when he is an adult)? Overall I think the scene just didn't work, and I felt it was a bit of pandering to the classic fans (Kirk must have a momentous introduction in the movie) but in a way that decisively says "this ain't your papa's Kirk." This scene should have been an extra on the DVD, or remained on the cutting room floor.

The second was the scene where Kirk and Scotty beam aboard the Enterprise while at Warp. Kirk of course beams in fine, but Scotty gets beamed into a water tank, and subsequently goes on a joyride through a series of water tubes. Again, I'm not sure if they were trying to be funny with this scene, and while it was a necessary bit of exposition to alert Spock to Kirk's presence, I felt it was just an unnecessary scene that could have been handled better, with less goofiness.

The last was of course when Kirk is marooned on an ice world, and just so happens to find Spock (Leonard Nimoy variant) in a cave he takes shelter in while fleeing a big creepy (to be eaten by an even bigger creepy in another SF trope). Smacks quite a bit of deus ex machina, and overall while I don't have an answer of how this could have been improved, it was distracting.

This last part leads me to my biggest criticism of the character Spock as portrayed in the movie. Spock an Uhura (Zoe Saldana) apparently have a relationship, and has had one for at least some time (as suggested in the movie). While this isn't necessarily a bad thing per se, and I think it was added to further emphasise "this ain't your papa's Spock," this is a serious character flaw. Spock was both instructor to Uhura at Star Fleet Academy, as well as her superior officer. And there are no problems or ramifications from this relationship (a McGuffin if you will for Kirk to find out Uhura's first name, closing a long running gag in the movie). It also makes you wonder what else is going on? Uhura is a cadet at Star Fleet...just how old is she? How long have they had their relationship for? Was Spock also engaging in statutory rape on top of violating the ethical conduct of a teacher-student relationship? To say nothing of basic military fraternization regulations? If nothing is done with this plot point in the next movie, then I would have some serious reservations about the abilities of the scriptwriters. Overall, it makes Spock more into a creep and doesn't add anything significant to the movie. Not in the way the Original Series did (Spock's conflict between his human half and his Vulcan principles of Logic). A real opportunity was missed here, and we can only hope it is developed to some sort of logical conclusion in the next movie.

Finally, the purpose of this blog is mainly concerned with the idea of Speculative Fiction, which of course Science Fiction is its biggest (or at least most visible, if not most accessable) component. Was Star Trek Science Fictional? There were three major plot points in the movie that directly tie into the concepts of Science Fiction (most of the other stuff -- aliens, the starships, etc -- were window dressing and background).

The first is the concept of time travel itself. Although traditional time travel (as portrayed in STIV) is improbably, M theory suggests there can be up to eleven dimensions beyond our normal three (four if you count time). The 5th dimension then can be described as everything within our current universe, plus all other branching timelines. Assuming the Multiverse conclusion of M theory is correct, whenever within a timeline there comes a branching event, in which there can be one result or another (or many different results for that matter), both (or all) possible results actually occur, each creating it's own universe. Thus, Nero travelling back in time and "altering" the timeline creates a new universe in which the conditions of the original timeline have been changed. For more information on this, see the thought experiment on Quantum Suicide.

The second is the actual mechanical effect of Time Travel. In the movie, Spock (or rather "Spock Prime," as he is named within the movie, though if the Multiverse theory of M theory is correct, such an appellation is meaningless) use a McGuffin called "Red Matter" to "absorb" the impact of a Supernova which threatened the galaxy. * "Red Matter" has a property that, when it apparently interacts with normal matter, it causes it to collapse upon itself and form a gravitational singularity (aka a Black Hole). The idea was that this black hole would absorb the supernova and thus mitigate the explosive impact of the supernova.** However, the black hole created actually sent Nero and Spock's ship back in time. While a black hole per se would not have this property, a Schwartzchild Wormhole in fact would theoretically. Not only that, but a wormhole could potentially create a transversable window into alternate universes.

The third element is the nature of Red Matter. Although it might be better left in the McGuffin status, especially since I have no possible solutions for the ability (perhaps Exotic Matter?) If any readers have any ideas, let me know and I'll update my review.

That being said, there are a few problems with the "science" aspect of the movie.

While supernovas can be very destructive, they tend to be very destructive to anything within a 100ly radius from the event. According to a Star Trek map I found on-line, it would only be a threat to the Romulans.

The creation of a Black Hole to absorb a supernova has a few problems with it. First: if a stellar mass large enough to cause a supernova collapses, there is a very good chance it is in the process of creating a black hole anyway. Most large stellar masses (several sol masses for example) will eventually collapse into either a Black Hole or a Neutron star. Second: a supernova is spherical in its effect; the best result of creating a second black hole in its path is to create a small window of no effect. Considering stellar distances, at a point several ly away, this window would likely be infinitesimally small. Nonetheless, black holes (and their influence) is easy to understand: they're simply gravity wells in space, just like planets, stars, and other stellar objects. At a distance, a cluster of stars at say 10 solar masses is no different that a black hole of the same size. It is only when you get close enough to be influenced by frame dragging and of course the Event Horizon that problems start to occur.

On the subject of Red Matter, in the movie we are presented with an elaborate enegery drill that must be lowered to bore out a hole to the planet's core. Through this hole a probe is dropped with a bit of red matter to create the singularity. This seems to be an overly complex method for planetary destruction (in a classic villain trope). If you can create singularities that will collapse a planet like Vulcan within "minutes" (according to Chekov), one would hardly need to place it at the planet's core; it would simply be sufficient to impact somewhere nearby or on the planet. A singularity of that size would rapidly destroy the planet through tidal forces. However, I suspect such a solution would be less "dramatic" (Nero's ship would merely need to pop into the system, launch a torpedo, then egress).

One last bit that I am unsure of: at the very end, after Spock crashes Spock Prime's ship into Nero's ship, the red matter escapes and creates a singularity. The Enterprise goes to warp, but is unable to escape the gravitational forces of the black hole, forcing Scotty to detonate some of the warp containment coils (or somesuch) to create an explosion of sufficient force to propel the Enterprise out of the gravitational influence. The issue here is that the Enterprise is clearly outside of the Event Horizon, and thus for a ship that can not only go instantaneously to lightspeed (or even better, selveral multiples of lightspeed), escaping such a predicament should be trivial. That being said, Star Trek warp technology infact creates a "bubble" of normal space, and the ship rides a "wavefront" of spacetime that can exceed the speed of light. My instinct is that this scene was a dramatic interpretation, but otherwise would be a trivial issue for the technology of the setting.

In the end, despite the plot holes, wonky science and the like, the movie was ok. Just ok. Sure, the visuals were stunning, the special effects fantastic; but these elements do not make for a good movie alone. A good movie must be built on solid scriptwrting, and all the special effects you can throw at a budget will never save a stinker from itself.

But more importantly, is it a worthy successor to the Star Trek franchise? Going into the movie, my gut reaction was no. And while I watched the movie with an open mind, I don't think the script or the actors were able to capture the genie back into the bottle the original movies had.

But it was better than Nemesis. Or just about all the Next Generation era movies (even First Contact, and it's raping of Star Trek continuity and poor plot point that normal human beings are incapable of achieving FTL travel).

Dark Disciple by Anthony Reynolds

2009-11-08T14:54:00.002-05:00

A sequel to Reynolds' previous book, Dark Apostle, this book continues to follow the career of Marduk, former disciple of the Dark Apostle Jarulek. Marduk continues his quest for power, with this book centering around unlocking the secrets of a Xenos artifact recovered in the previous book.

In my opinion, the previous book was middling, and really suffered when its only sympathetic character becomes a thrall to Chaos. This book turned out to be somewhat better, but still suffered from a lack of a really identifiable sympathetic character.

Marduk (a member of the Word Bearers traitor Space Marine legion, and a disciple of the dark powers of Chaos) has arrived at the world of Perdus Skyalla, to recover an Adeptus Mechanicum acolyte, with the assistance of a traitor acolyte Darioq. The world is currently under threat by a Tyrranid hive fleet, and the Imperial forces are busy trying to evacuate as many as they can before they declare Exterminatus (that is, killing every life-form on the planet with WMDs). Into the mix of chaos and confusion the Dark Eldar have arrived with the intent of capturing their quota of slaves from a populace that probably won't resist them.

On the note of a sympathetic character, we are introduced to Solon, a miner that adopts Dios, a boy who was the sole survivor of a Dark Eldar raid. We are lead through their struggles across an arctic wasteland as they try to reach the spaceport before the Tyrranids invade. While at the end they are successful, and the boy Dios survives (Solon sacrifices himself, so to speak, to ensure Dios survives), we learn with the very last scene that Dios is himself infected with the Genestealer taint, and that his survival essentially means that the infection will spread throughout the refugees, creating a beacon for the Hive Fleets to follow.

While the theme of the Warhammer 40,000 setting has always been hopelessness infront of insurmountable struggles and terror, there does come a point when this begins to fall flat. In some ways it is the opposite of the "Hollywood" character syndrome: in a Hollywood movie, you always know the main character will probably survive (and when he/she doesn't, its a big surprise), Warhammer 40,000 is the opposite. While reading about the stuggles of Solon/Dios, I could almost predict they would have a bad ending. And it did. Particularly when the primary character is a Chaos Space Marine, the book needs a sympathetic character that survives and has something of a happy ending. It is already difficult to identify with Marduk, so why couldn't we identify with the boy? The genestealer taint cheapens the sacrifices of Solon, with the only victory being that he can die with a clear conscious. While I understand this is the theme of the setting, constantly beating upon it makes the writing hollow and to an extent pointless.

That being said, it was a better book than the previous volume, and was more entertaining. It also sets up the next book (should there be one), with some crazy Necron action!

Tyrrany of a Construct, Pt.6

2009-11-04T00:28:00.002-05:00

First, Morena Baccarin is hawt.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I just finished watching the new "re-imagined" V. Like a lot of what is going on in Hollywood, it takes an older property and remakes it. Of course this creates a conundrum when the remake ends up being better than the original.

The original V miniseries graced the airwaves in the early '80s, and featured a story about intergalactic alien lizards (disguised as humans) who come claiming they need water, but are really here to eat us for lunch.

So far we're into the first episode, which does a good job setting up the initial conflicts and establishes the characters. Baccarin plays Anna, leader of the Visitors, who have come to earth with a message of peace and friendship. Of course all is not well as we learn there have been Visitors here all along, and indeed a few have gone AWOL and are involved helping humanity (this time with genuine concern).

But is it Science Fiction? One of the interesting ideas the first episode has already touched upon (ironically -- and deliberately, I think) using a Catholic priest as a foil, is the idea of what happens when a technologically advanced and sophisticated culture encounters ours? From history, we know that often this results in annihilation, and there are plenty of examples from both the Americas, as well as Africa, the Pacific islands, etc. While this annihilation may not neccessarily be genocidal in nature, what often happens is the uniqueness of the native culture is subsumed by the superior culture, and often requires a concious rebirth or revival in order to survive. I definitely hope the writers and producers of V continue to develop this element, and take it to a logical conclusion.

While my reaction to any sort of "reboot" is typically negative, looking back at the original miniseries of V, I can recognize how dated it is by current standards, how unsophisticated the story was, and in this context perhaps a re-imagining isn't so bad. I liked the first episode, and will definitely tune in next week. Hopefully the series can stay strong, in an environment that is typically unfriendly to SF programming.

Master of Dragons by Margaret Weis

2009-10-25T16:30:00.002-04:00

The last book in the Dragonvarld trilogy, Master of Dragons is, like the others, a fairly fast read that probably could have been better if it were incorporated into a single book like its predecessors. Again, we had the fairly large font, the wider than expected margins, and again the feeling that the story was released in 3 books in order to increase the profit margin from the publishers (perhaps capitalizing on Weis' name amongst fantasy readers?).

I think the biggest word I can use to sum up this book is predictable. The major surprise at the end of the second book (The Dragon's Son) was undone in this book; Draconis survives the attack and continues to interact with the protagonists. While I have to say I genuinely like Draconis as a character (probably the best fleshed out of any of the characters), I think it would have been better had he stayed dead, with his cause perhaps being picked up by another dragon.

There were also elements in this book that really didn't go anywhere, and characters that were developed and not capitalized on. For example, we learn that another dragon (a female called Lysira) has a thing for Draconis. But nothing comes of this, besides some pithy words and descriptions of throbbing hearts. The end result is that Draconis comes off as being manipulative to his own kind, despite being characterized as being empathetic to the humans. Another character is Evelina, introduced in the previous book, who is built up as being a teen-age manipulator (she attempts to get pregnant by Marcus, one of the protagonists and the bastard son of royalty, with the idea it will "force" him to love her, and give her an easy life of plenty), in such a way I briefly thought I was back in high school, but the only real purpose she serves is to poison a dragon disguised as a human (over jealousy).

Despite the epicness of the concept (a world ruled by dragons, some of whom broke their own laws to manipulate humans into servitude), the ending was a bit less than epic. One of the core concepts of the books was that the development of human technology could herald a day when they are powerful enough to hunt down the dragons and kill them off. A major point was made that the development by King Edward of turntable mounted artillery could bring parity and possibly allow humans to slay dragons. Despite this, at the climatic conclusion, the cannons are never fired, humans never get a chance to slay dragons, and in fact it took the intervention of other dragons sympathetic to the human cause to intervene and chase off the antagonists.

One last gripe. The epilogue is about Evelina and her fate. Despite poisoning a disguised dragon, she is brought up on charges of murder (which is, in my opinion, correct, since intent is just as important as actions). She manages to avoid the death penalty (she did reveal the impostor dragon!) and is exiled to a remote nunnery. The final thoughts we have from the book is how she will manipulate herself into a position of power and influence within the nunnery.

My question is why end the book talking about the fate of what is really a minor and unimportant character that does little of value in the book? Why not instead discuss Draconis' relationship with his fellow dragons? Perhaps the reforging of the Dragon Parliament? Or even Marcus' burgeoning relationship with the Mistress of Dragons from Seth (which, having no real development didn't seem to be an important addition).

It almost feels like the ending of the book was rushed, and that Weis had intended more material in the series, but got edited.

Don't get me wrong now, the series was OK. But in the end, I think it started well but ended a bit flat.

The Dragon's Son by Margaret Weis

2009-10-15T19:13:00.002-04:00

The second book in the Dragonvarld trilogy (first being Mistress of Dragons, which I had previously blogged about) picks up where the previous book left off. The twin boys, one part dragon, one the bastard of royalty, have grown up and now must deal with the powers their heritage has given them. Ven (short for "Vengeance") grows up unloved by Bellona, his life focused on the eventual revenge she intends upon his father. Meanwhile, Marcus grows up in the King's household, trapped in his own thoughts as he experiences a Dragon's mind. Again, Draconas is there to guide them through, though not always successful. He does manage to guide Marcus back to sanity, but for Ven he is unable to do anything for him.

Being the middle book of the trilogy often makes for a less exciting or interesting book. Where the first book sets up the universe, characters, and the conflict, the middle book often is tasked with developing the story, without the benefit of the final book's climax (which for fantasy is also often the most action packed). This book is no different, and I didn't find it quite as exciting as the first.

One interesting development in this series is that Weis is not afraid to pull punches. The bodycount continues to pile up. Whereas in the previous book we had only Melisande die, in this book we have both Belonna die...as well as Draconas! The latter is probably the biggest surprise in the book, since I was positive that he would develop as the primary character of the trilogy. I also found it point of view important in telling both sides of the story.

I started reading volume 3 (Master of Dragons, to be blogged about in the future), and there hasn't been any great revelations or surprises. Hopefully the payoff of the story meets up with my expectations...

Star Wars: Abyss by Troy Denning

2009-10-11T14:29:00.002-04:00

The thing about genre fiction is that for the most part, when you buy a book there is the expectation of more of the same, and not great literature. In a sense it's like catching another episode of your favorite TV show. Watching Star Trek, for example, is not like watching Citizen Kane or or similarly reading 1984; that doesn't mean its not worthwhile or entertaining on its own.

Occasionally, your expectations are surprised, and the bar is raised. A little.

Troy Denning's latest addition to the Fate of the Jedi series starts out like most Star Wars books. However, the pacing is good, the mystery suitable, and the payoff in the end well rewarding. For a change, Troy describes a lightsaber battle that is vivid, interesting, and surprising.

The plot unfolds as the still-exiled Luke and Ben travel to The Maw (a cluster of black holes) to continue to research why Jacen -- Darth Caedus -- fell of the deep end and turned to the dark side. There they discover a space station -- a smaller twin of Centerpoint Station -- where force sensitives and users float in a Force trance in an effort to dissassociate themselves from the physical world and transcend into the Force. Of course not all is as it seems...

Oh yeah, and the Sith are active in the galaxy again. This time, they are exiles stranded on a planet for 5000 years. Old school Sith.

And, the Jedi are still dealing with some of their order going crazy.

While Luke and Ben are investigating the "Mind Walkers" the Sith find out where they are and attempt to capture and/or kill the Jedi.

I think Denning did a good job describing the final showdown between the Jedi and the Sith exiles, being very vivid and well described. Unlike other Star Wars novels, where the action can be a little turgid, Denning's pacing is very good and gives an excellent sense of the action.

Although not specifically evident here, one issue I have with the Star Wars Expanded Universe is the recycled plots an use of "one-upsmanship." For example, in the Original trilogy, the Death Star could destroy whole planets. In the EU, that wasn't enough, so now we get star destroyers that can do the same, or even worse, a small fighter-type craft that is both indestructable and can destroy whole stars! Not to mention the Yuushan Vong, a threat to destroy the entire Galaxy! But just as worse, the plot of the Original Trilogy (and to an extend the prequels) is recycled both in the Legacy of the Force series, as well as Dark Horse's Legacy series. I'm hoping this series avoids both traps and defines itself as something original within the setting. Apropriate drama and gravitas can be created without recycling themes or devistating threats to the Galaxy...

Mistress of Dragons by Margaret Weis

2009-10-09T10:46:00.003-04:00

I picked up this book by Margaret Weis a little less than a year ago at a discount store, in hardback. I can hardly pass up a discounted hardback in a genre I enjoy, so compulsively bought this book as well as the other two in the series.

One would wonder what more Weis has to say on dragons, given that she is the other half of the classic Dragonlance trilogies. However, in the end Weis delivers, and this book turned out to be an enjoyable read.

The gist of the book is thus: there is a small kingdom called Seth, that has the unfortunate luck of being attacked by dragons with alarming frequency. Defending this kingdom is an order of female monks, some trained in defensive magic, with the rest trained as warriors, and through both efforts they manage to keep the peace.

Of course, not everything is as it seems. Dragons are not the savage beasts humanity believes them to be; rather they are intelligent, with their own form of government and very strict hands off laws regarding humans. One of these dragons has broken that law, conquered a human kingdom, and rules it as her own.

The Kingdom of Seth.

Reading this book, the first few chapters were pretty rough; it almost seemed to me to be on the level of someone's fanfic. However, after the first few chapters, the story really rolled along and became intriguing. Unfortunately the book is rather short: although nominally coming in at 381 pages, I was easily reading more than 100pgs every night. The font size is rather large with lots of white space along the margins, suggesting to me that this book should have been more like 200pgs, but had been padded out to make it a thicker (and perhaps more appealing?) hardback. With that in mind (physical characteristics appear the same in the next 2 volumes) it seems to me that the publisher wanted to milk 3 volumes out of the series, when it probably should have been one book instead. While I'm not especially upset about this, as I got all volumes either at a discounter or via Ebay, I think if I paid full price for these books, I'd be a bit disappointed.

One note: at the end of the book two babies are born from one of the protagonists. While one baby is the result of a natural union, the second resulted from a rape by a dragon (if you thought dragons can't rape a human woman...), possessing a dragon's body from waist down. From my limited (Intro to Biology college class) knowledge on the subject of genetics, I don't think such a physical characteristic could happen, but given that this is fantasy (and there is a tradition of such things) one can easily give it the pass.

Finally, in compliance with our benevolent overlords, the FCC, I'd like to thank my wallet for supplying this review copy.

Neo Ranga and Anime Theme Music

2009-09-29T21:46:00.002-04:00

I just got done watching the anime Neo Ranga. Have to say it is indeed very intruging, from the aesthetic of Neo Ranga himself, to the pace the story unfolds at. With only 2 hours into the series so far, it's starting to throw philosophcal questions at you, and making you think. This is indeed a good thing, and one of the reasons I continue to explore and watch anime and forget about domestic TV. Although for every Neo Ranga there is a Dragonball Z, the gems are well worth plucking.

The purpose of this blog, however, is to discuss the use of music within anime. Over the years there's been a few theme songs originating from anime that I've considered top-notch, and indeed has encouraged me to watch the particular show not just because the show itself is good, but because the accompanying music is fantastic. The first anime that in my opinion had stand-out music was Record of the Lodoss War (opening theme "Sea of Miracles" can be seen here). Structurally interesting, it evokes an epic sense without being bombastic at the same time.

Another example is the short anime series Serial Experiment Lain. A bit of a reverse, it uses as its theme song a piece by the band Boa called Duvet. While this style of music is a huge departure for me (given that I am traditionally a hard-core metal fan), Boa has loads of talent, and really know how to both play their instruments, as well as compose musically interesting themes and songs. Such as it was, just by watching this anime prompted me to buy the album.

What has me excited now is the music from Neo Ranga (theme can be heard here). I think the thing I like most about it is that it is very different, in a way you do not often hear in the domestic music industry (or, at least, not that I've ever encountered). Digging up a bit of information, I found out that this style of music is based off of traditional Balinese styles of Kecak and Gong Kebyar. While reading the information on these styles, I've realized it has been incorporated into other forms of music, but the great thing about the Neo Ranga theme is that, again, it incorporates a sense of epic without at the same time being bombastic.

The fact that anime is a niche form of entertainment (even in Japan, where it is far, far larger than here in the US) allows for more interesting experimentation, not just in the themes and plots of the shows themselves, but in the music. I wish that domestically we could have a bit of this, but then that might mean anime loses its uniqueness...

Warhammer 40K movie

2009-09-28T11:57:00.003-04:00

I recently found out that a Warhammer 40K movie might be in the offing!

See here for more information.

This bit is from the movie producers' website, Codex Movies:

Ultramarines is a 70-minute sci-fi thriller that will use CGI and state-of-the-art animation production techniques. Games Workshop is delighted to be working with UK-based production company Codex Pictures, who have the momentous task of bringing the Warhammer 40,000 universe to the screen.

Commenting on the news, Erik Mogensen, Licensing and Acquired Rights Manager for Games Workshop, said, “Over the years, we have been approached again and again by all sorts of producers and film companies wanting to take our intellectual property to the screen. We have always believed that, in the right hands, the stories, themes and characters from the Warhammer 40,000 universe would lend themselves perfectly to the movie genre. We’re working closely with the talented team at Codex Pictures, who have an excellent understanding of the Warhammer 40,000 intellectual property and an inspired vision for the movie. We can’t wait to see our universe come to life on-screen.”

“We’re hugely honoured to be making Ultramarines,” said a spokesman for Codex Pictures. “It’s taken a lot of research and development to get to this stage – and it’s such an exciting challenge to be able to bring the depth and power of the Warhammer 40,000 universe to a brand new medium.”

News of the production of a movie was unveiled at UK Games Day, the biggest event in the Games Workshop calendar, on Sunday, September 27 2009."

I have to say this is pretty exciting. Even though it is about the Ultramarines (for those not familiar, the Ultramarines are a Space Marine Chapter, which in my opinion is grossly overused, even if they're supposed to be representative).

Tyrrany of a Construct, Pt. 5

2009-09-25T15:36:00.002-04:00

A short one for now. According to this site, the cult classic movie Highlander is not only going to be "rebooted" but completely re-imagined.

I can't say it enough: it really seems like there are few original ideas out there anymore. The number of "reboots" or "re-imaginings" that have been either announced or have been released is legion. Furthermore, the intent of this reboot seems to be for establishing a franchise.

I'll stick with books.

Salamander

2009-09-22T13:07:00.003-04:00

One of the latest books in the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, I had been looking forward to this book from Nick Kyme (also see his blog) for some time. Ostensibly about the Salamanders chapter of Space Marines, I have always been a fan of the Salamanders since I read about them first in the late '90s. So much so that when I decided to start a Space Marine army under Warhammer 40K 3e, they were without a doubt Salamanders.

This is the first novel featuring this chapter exclusively. Nick does a good job of describing the customs and beliefs of this chapter, based on self-sacrifice and the belief that people need to be protected, not just the enemies of the Emperor prosecuted. This differentiates the the Salamanders from other chapters, in which other chapters often willingly sacrifice civilians in order to destroy the enemy.

While Nick tries to integrate the beliefs of the Salamanders, I think he could have gone further to develop the Promethean cult, and actually define the beliefs more clearly. A novel centered around this would have really brought to the forefront the character of this chapter.

The book starts out with a bit of politics within the chapter, and more specifically within the 3rd Company. The two main characters, Da'kir and Tsu'gan, are at loggerheads. Both revered their previous company captain Kadai, and both feel guilt about his death. More, Tsu'gan dislikes Da'kir because of his rustic origins. When the new captain N'keln is appointed by Chapter Master Tu'shan, Da'kir supports the new captain while Tsu'gan feels he is inadequate.

Events come to a head when the Salamanders 3rd Company, in search of their nemesis the Dragon Warriors Renegade Space marines. There they discover an abandoned Mechanicum ship filled with Space Marine armor and equipment. Also exploring the ship is a group of Marines Malevolent. There to plunder the ship of equipment, the Salamanders immediately oppose this action and prevent the Marines Malevolent from plundering.

Meanwhile a box is discovered that may hold clues to the Salamanders' primarch Vulkan's disappearance, and the 3rd Company (reinforced with elite elements from the Firedrakes 1st Company) is sent to the world Scoria to track it down.

They discover the world is in fact inhabited, by a lost ship of belonging to the Expeditionary Fleet supported by Salamanders from the pre-heresy era. In addition, there is an outpost of Iron Warriors, and soon an invasion of Orks.

At this point the book descends into typical 40K novel format: lots of blood, guts, fighting, and not much else.

One of the big problems with military oriented SF literature is that it can very easily descend into "war porn" with little purpose. Equally dangerous in an escapist fantasy novel series is a lack of action. I think the fact that the book is light in the combat until perhaps the last 3rd of the book is a testament to Kyme's attempts to avoid the dreaded "war porn" syndrome. Still, if you have read any number of Warhammer 40K books, the combat scenes tend to get old in my opinion: there are only so many ways you can describe the "whirring of chainblades" or the explosive force a bolter can do to various parts of the anatomy.

One thing missing from these books that would be welcome would be a more "tactical" description of the battles, rather than a personal one. With the current format (reminiscent of the "swordplay" action of fantasy novels) tend to make battles last too long; a more tactical description of battles, with short, sharp and extremely violent action I think would go a long way to making these sorts of novels more interesting.

The cover of this book threatens to be the first in a trilogy. While there is certainly room for improvement in Kyme's effort, he certainly gets the job done as well. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

You can read more about the novel and see an extract here.

I, Jedi

2009-09-09T10:29:00.002-04:00

I never followed the Star Wars franchise very closely in terms of the novels. Like a lot, I read the Thrawn trilogy when the novel series was officially "launched" as a full-scale media tie-in (before this, although there were a few novels, as well as the movie novelizations, the franchise was far less organized, deliberate, or directed). Disappointed, I really didn't continue the series.

That is until Episode 3 came out. Disappointed in the "prequels," I went and picked up the Ep. 3 novelization, and liked that much more. This followed with some of the Old Republic/Clone Wars novels, and sort of spiraled from there.

Thus, I'll sometimes go back and "fill in" the collection. Just as I did with this book.

I, Jedi primarily focuses on the development of Corran Horn into a Jedi. Brought to us by Michael Stackpole (a writer I definitely enjoyed for his long years writing Battletech -- specifically the Warrior Trilogy, and the Return of Kerensky trilogy), the book sets off with the abduction of Corran's wife Mirax, and the Jedi training Corran receives in order to give him the tools to recover his wife.

I think the biggest problem with this book is one of pacing. Reading it, I also get the feeling the book was written from the periphery of larger events, and that I should have read those books instead first. Nonetheless, the first half of the book is about Corran and the new Jedi academy (established on Yavin 4, which we know as the Rebel base in "A New Hope") and their attempts to overcome the Force-ghost of Exar Kun.

This half of the book turned out to be a bit of a letdown. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't read the other books in this time period, but the defeat of Exar Kun seemed to be a bit anti-climatic. One would think more attention would be focused on Exar and his defeat, but as far as Darkside ghosts are concerned, Exar only really killed one person, seduced one other, and possessed one last. The Exar threat in other words seemed to be less prevalent than I think such a character should have.

The second half of the book deals then with Corran's attempt to recover his wife, primarily through infiltrating the pirate bands that have been threatening the New Republic's stability. Along the way, Corran discovers his Jedi heritage and of course rescues his wife.

Again, part 2 was a bit of a letdown, with lots of development of the infiltration, but with a little Deus Ex thrown in to get the plot to move, where it just so happens that Corran runs into the people he needs to reveal the location of Mirax, and just so happens that Luke shows up at the nick of time to save him, and assist on the rescue. Oh, and the random alien Corran runs into? Happens to be the nephew of the Jedi Knight that ran with Corran's actual grandfather. The actual rescue itself, as well as the confrontation with the Jenisaarai was anti-climatic as well.

It really feels like this book should have been 2 novels with two different focuses. Instead we get one novel that was a tad too long (only 450 or so pages, but too long in terms of pacing) and not as well developed as it should have been. Throw in a lot of Deus Ex Machina and I have to say this was not one of Stackpole's better efforts.

But I was entertained.

One comment sometimes see with regard to Stackpole and his character Corran Horn is that Corran is a bit of a Mary Sue. I think after reading this book, I can see the point of this. Throughout this book Corran doesn't really make any mistakes: he successfully determines the Force ghost plaguing the Academy is Exar Kun, successfully entraps him, and even after getting a bit of a throttling at the hands of Kun (and gets rescued at the last minute by a little Deus Ex), also infiltrates a pirate gang and successfully locates the Star Destroyer the pirates have been using, defeats the Jennisaaarai and rescues his wife. Along the way he learns the true meaning of being a Jedi.

Maybe I should go back and read Grave Covenant.

Tyrrany of a Construct, Pt. 4

2009-08-14T10:24:00.002-04:00

So Hollywood moves ever on with movie ideas. The latest one I heard is a theatrical version of Battlestar Galactica. Cool, you say? I would too, until I heard it's going to be another re-imagining of the franchise.

Really.

Read it here.

As I had said in previous entries on this blog, the BSG series presents a conundrum, because it was good. OK, sure the payoff in the end was not the one I would have done, but it was a solid series anyway. Much, much better than the original.

But now we're getting another re-imagining of the franchise, with the corpse of the "old" re-imagining not even a year cold!

The re-imagining meme of Hollywood is a tyrranical construct that plays upon the nostalgic memories of loved shows (or at least remembered) and other franchises. I'm not sure what the point or purpose of this latest development. Hubris? More money? In the end I'm again left with a sour taste in my mouth and declare that Hollywood creativity is dead.

Star Wars, Fate of the Jedi: Omen

2009-07-06T20:23:00.002-04:00

Acting as a bridge, the new Fate of the Jedi series (along with its predecessor, Legacy of the Force) closes the gap between the epic Yuuzhan Vong War and the later Legacy graphic novels from Dark Horse.

The second volume in the series, and penned by the prolific (in the genre fiction range at least) Christie Golden, Luke who is banished from the Jedi order by the edict of Chief of State Daala, must search for clues behind Jacen Solo's descent to the Dark Side.

The first volume saw Luke and his (slightly older now, at 16) son Ben travel to remote Dorin to find out the techniques Jacen Solo learned from the Baran Do sages (made up exclusively of Kel Dor). They get their clues and manage to poke holes in the unusual practices of the sages,

Here, in the second book, Luke and Ben travel to the isolated and little understood Aing-tii, a race of mysterious Force users. Chief of the abilities they try to discern is the way of flow-walking. Conlict develops between Ben and Luke due to Ben's insistence to learn the technique. Meanwhile, we learn about an isolated tradition of the Sith, cut off from the galaxy for some 5000 years, and more Jedi succumb to madness.

Golden's narrative is readable enough, and there were no glaring issues I could find for the characters. That being said, I think Golden's dialogue for Amelia (Allana, daghter of Tenel Ka and Jacen Solo) succumbs to the downfall of many writers when handling children: the dialouge is unconvincing. I think the problem is one of word choice: children have specific ways and word choices when talking, and I don't think Golden nails it. In the book when Amelia has any meaningful dialogue, she sounds like a naive adult, rather than a child.

One really jarring element to the book is the character Bazel Warv. In the previous book's preview excerpt, Bazel was described as a Gammorean. At the time I felt this was a very unusual choice, but went with it with the assumption that there would be a lot of meat to character, such as would be expected when the character is so unconventional as being a Gammorean. When Omen finally hit the shelves, the race had been changed to a Ramoan. While the Wiki suggests that Ramoans are distantly related to Gammoreans, this change did not sit well with my expectations of Golden's handle on the universe. Luckily the character was mosty disposable, and quickly shuffled to the sidelines.

In the end, I didn't dislike the book, but in my opinion it was not quite as good as the previous installment. That might just be that I'm a Kel Dor fanboy (ever since playing a Kel Dor Jedi in our KotOR Star Wars RPG campaign), but nonetheless...

Tyrrany of a Construct, Pt. 3

2009-06-20T21:50:00.004-04:00

So in my last posts I discussed the entire remake meme in Hollywood, and the creeping lack of originality in the industry. Add in another bit of speculative fiction that was in many ways an icon of my generation (that is, the X'ers): there will apparently be a remake of the old classic Red Dawn.

Really.

So my question here is why? Why does this movie need to be remade? What sort of relevance does it have today? When Red Dawn came out in the heady days of 1984, it was still the heady days of Reagan, Star Wars Defense, the "Evil Empire," and Yakov Smirnoff ("In communist Russia, movies remake you!"). In this zeitgeist Red Dawn was the perfect movie: freedom, resistance, and dogged courage against tyrrany. So what if they were Cubans? There were Russkis in it too! It was the sort of movie you watch as a young teen-ager to stoke the fires of anti-Communism.

So what are they going to do now? Communism is dead, chapter in history that has been closed and forgotten. Should it be about that, it would totally lack the relevance that the original movie marinated in. Perhaps the US will be invaded by Al Qaeda? Iran? North Korea? Maybe space aliens...

Tyrrany of a Construct: Hollywood Remakes Pt. 2

2009-06-01T16:45:00.002-04:00

On a different discussion group I saw the following item posted. The key items I'd like to draw attention to are the "reboots/remakes" of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Alien." Yes, that's right: Alien.

The corpse is hardly cold on Buffy before this one came out. I admit I'm not a Buffy fan, but Buffy fandom is in many ways like Trek or Star Wars fandom: very dedicated to the franchise. I think the real kick in the pants with this is that Josh Whedon will apparently not be on board for this.

The apparent "Aliens" remake is more of a head scratcher. This one is going to be produced by Ridley Scott, who was of course involved with the original. So there is a link to the original, but is this to be some sort of Lucas-ian "director's cut?"

The real problem here is not that Hollywood can't make a good movie, but the meme that Hollywood is bereft of original ideas anymore. The success of franchises such as Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica merely has created an environment where Hollywood will capitalize on this success, and possibly churn out remake after remake.

Here's the thing: a remake is usually just not neccessary. Lots of people will argue that Star Trek needed a reboot. I totally disagree. All the reboot does is recycle old characters and concepts into a new digitally exciting movie. With a franchise as rich as Star Trek, there was plenty of room to do something different and yet original, but still maintaining the familiarity of the Trek Universe.

Attack of the Clones: Retro-gaming.

2009-05-13T12:11:00.003-04:00

A recent phenomenon that has arisen in the late-to-post 3e D&D era has been the growth of retro-gaming. This is a pehnomenon in which gamers try to recapture the feel of the early days of RPGs by playing either retro-clones of D&D or outright D&D in and of itself. Now, I'm not talking about any current version of D&D, but rather the old version of D&D, as it appeared in the mid-70's (or its relaunch in the early '80s with the Red Box Basic D&D set).

This recently came to the fore-front of my mind by a game I found called Mutant Future. This game essentially tries to capture the mood and feel of the early days of Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World. Of course this is not the only one. On the fantasy side there is Swords & Wizardry, OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, Castles & Crusades, and finally Basic Fantasy RPG.

The trend with these games is to make a very basic, rules light RPG, eliminating many of the game mechanics and details that have been added over the years, primarily to the D&D ruleset. A few are modifications of 3e (such as Castles and Crusades) and others very inspirational of 1e AD&D (OSRIC). Looking at the character sheets for games like Mutant Future or Labyrinth Lord, I can almost be looking at Basic D&D character sheets, lifted from a product produced more than 25 years ago. Eliminated are elements like skills, feats, and other factors that differentiate characters, so that what your character is, is essentially based on the character class.

Another important element of retro-gaming is that it appears to be almost a grass roots movement, not being pushed (much) by the big publishers. Although games like Castles and Crusades has "official" support, contrast that with games like Labyrinth Lord which is available as a free PDF (with a print option available via Lulu). In a way, it almost seems like this movement is also moving away from the big corporate model WotC/Hasbro uses, and more to a small publisher/cottage industry model. And I can't really complain about this, since I think most hobbies are served best by a cottage industry, where competition between products is stronger, and the market more responsive to the tastes of gamers. Furthermore, on a more personal level, I think the cottage industry model is also more passionate about the games, since the developers not only have a vested interest in the success of the game (since they are often a sole proprietor, or an alliance of several individuals) but because the passion of a game made not for money but for the love of the game. This is not to say a corporate model can't succeed in putting out good product (I think 3e is still the best version of D&D ever developed), and I don't think the two are neccessarily (or always) mutually exclusive.

Far be it for me to discourage anyone from playing more RPGs, but my question with regards to this movement is: why? What is the appeal of playing a retro game (as opposed to more modern rules light games)? Is it a nostalgia thing, trying to re-capture the feel and mood of early gaming? I'm not a nostalgic person myself (nostalgia often evokes the idea of a "golden age," a meme I oppose since golden ages are often -- not) so the idea of trying to recapture the genie is not only impossible to do, but that genie is wheezing and gray now. Is it a reaction against rules-heavy D&D (such as 3e and -- yes -- 4e)?

More information about available rulesets can be found at Retro-clones.

This is definitely something that bears watching. In the meantime, though, there are a few free games I listed here, so check them out!

Popcorn Entertainment

2009-05-09T15:07:00.002-04:00

Over on youtube I happened over this review of the ST: Voyager episode "Threshold." Ignoring the ranting about how bad the episode is in the second half, the first part really needs to be payed attention to. It is essentially this: if your enjoyment of a piece of film/fiction/entertainment requires you to turn off your brain to enjoy, then it really was not good to begin with. Sure, it might be entertaining but so was the nerd fight I witnessed in High School (now that was funny!), but that doesn't make it good either.

New Movie: District 9

2009-05-09T13:41:00.003-04:00

Over on another forum I heard about a new movie produced by Peter Jackson called District 9. Here are a few reasons why I think this movie should be checked out, and why I am excited to see it:

Aliens that LOOk like aliens. No funny rubber suits
Produced by PJ. After LotR can he do no wrong? Even King Kong was at least entertaining (if not top-tier work for him).
It looks like it will be speculative.

In a movie industry of gasoline-fuelled explosions and the "pew, pew!*" factor, something that is both SFinal [i]and[/i] speculative is an excitement for me. I know I am looking forward to this...

*Pew, pew!: the sound a laser blaster makes when firing.

Re-imagining a Reboot: Tyrrany of a Construct

2009-05-07T13:30:00.006-04:00

This movie summer we are faced with the imminent release of several movies that are essentially a re-imagining of a previous franchise. Coming soon is GI Joe: The Movie. This is of course a re-imagining and a reboot of the previous GI Joe toy line and cartoon/comics franchise. Of greater trepidation is of course the new Star Trek movie coming out in a few short days.

Both of these movies are an attempt to reboot a franchise that has either had a different focus (GI Joe, mainly kid oriented) or languished due to running out of steam (the case of Star Trek). The thing about reboots is that how good it can be is entirely dependent on how much you liked the old series. The vast majority of people don't care about either Trek or Joe, and more than likely will find anything escapist to be of value. It's the fans I am talking to here.

One of the chief conceits of a reboot is to take a good idea and for a creator to put their own "spin" on it. Battlestar Galactica is a classic example of this. The original series, which came out in the late '70s had the issue of being very much a product of its time. In other words, watching it today some 30 years after it first aired, one cannot escape the kitch and corny-ness of it's '70s outlook. It has not aged well. With the "re-imagining" of the series much more recently (2000's, assuming this blog is read by people decades from now!) took the core concept (caravan to the stars, refugees looking for "paradise") and changed it to fit their vision. This is a conciet, and the new BSG series owes nothing (no legacy, no continuity, etc) to the original. There might be a few nods here and there, but that's about it.

The thing of it is though: old BSG was corny; new BSG was so much better.

We've seen it before: the old Batman movie series descended into its own camp death-spiral (unavoidable in my opinion, since the first Keaton Batman movie was campy in its own way). With the franchise reboot recently (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) the first movie tenatively shrugged off the campiness te franchise had been afflicted with, and the second movie is, in my opinion, probably the greatest, most intense, and otherwise best depiction of Batman on the big screen.

But then this does not always work. Lost in Space ended with one movie, which was mediocre despite the awfulness of the original TV series.

With GI Joe, it doesn't matter so much, and the reboot might breath new life into the series. I fully expect it to be nothing more than another Transfomers style movie -- popcorn for the brain. The original cartoon was pretty campy and aimed at kids, just like Transformers. So perhaps it might get better.

Star Trek, however, has a much greater legacy to live up to. I will go on record by saying Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the best Trek movie to date, and probably one of the best SF movies ever made. Looking past the terrible costumes, it has the elements to classic speculative fiction: the Mystery, the Exploration, the Conflict, and of course the Resoution. For those bored with the V'ger fly-bys, get the Director's cut. Similarly, movies like Wrath of Kahn rank up there in the minds of a lot fans (and not just Trek fans) as one of the greats.

Abram's Trek has to live up to this.

One of the most common arguments I've seen with regards to the critcisms of the new Trek movie (uses time travel to an alternate universe, so that the director can "reboot" the series and do whatever he wants with it) is that its just a movie, watch it and judge it on its own merits. Here's the thing, and why this is such a worrisome time for a Trek fan: any sort of fandom requires a large investment in time and money into the franchise. Star Trek had 10 movies, 5 TV series, one cartoon series, hundreds of novels and other supporting media. For someone to really be a fan, this is a huge investment into the franchise. While there is nothing wrong with a new "entry level" movie to get fans into the series, by effectively ignoring all that past material, it essentially says that the fan's efforts were wasted and all that material doesn't matter anymore. Sure, you can go back an re-watch TMP, or the original series, but that's it: if the new Trek movie is a success (and everything indicates it will be), that previous continuity, legacy, and materials is effectively "dead." There will be no more. Perhaps it gets revisited in novels or comics, but no more movies, TV series, and the like.

I'm intending to see the movie with as open a mind as possible. But the film already has 2 knocks against it (time travel, one of the most overused plot devices in Star Trek, and here we get it again, and the fact that there will be a cameo at least of every single original crew that it feels like its going to be Trek Babies; this sucked in the Star Wars prequels (C-3PO just happened to have been built by Anakin-future-Vader?). That being said, it better be good...not just for the general public, but for the fans as well.

Change of Focus

2009-05-07T13:22:00.003-04:00

One of the points of this blog was to chronicle the books I read. This would include both historical works (I just finished Henri Pirenne's Economic and Social History of Medieval Europe), but it occurs to me that reviewing historical works by a non-professional (or to be charitable, non-practicing professional historian) is sort of pointless since a layperson is probably not going to read much the heavyweight historical research I've been reading, and people who are already either historians, or history buffs probably already have access to professional grade book reviews.

With that said, I am going to change the focus of the blog (narrow it down, so to speak) to speculative fiction. And perhaps not just books. I'm also going to include gaming articles when I feel the need (I have already done this), and other content. I'm going to also continue with historical fiction too, since well I like that and I consider it a branch of speculative (that is, speculation on how people lived in the past).

Clone Wars by Karen Traviss

2009-04-19T15:33:00.002-04:00

Star Wars already has a long history of movie-to-book adaptions, starting with the very first trilogy. You can read more about them in an earlier blog post.

This trend continued with the Prequel trilogy, and now with a book adaption of The Clone Wars.

This is of course something that I call genre fiction. Although the definition more accurately describes a specific genre (see here for an explanation), however it can be more specifically applied, within a specific genre (like here, science fiction) of a shared setting or in this case a movie spin-off novel line. Genre fiction is rarely high fiction, but tends to be escapist and (for me) entertaining. And there is nothing wrong with this, since sometimes being entertained is more important than some new insight in the human condition.

Karen Travess is fast becoming my favorite Star Wars writer. Her books tend to be lucid and eventful, without wallowing in the action ("war porn" for lack of a better term). Furthermore, the detail she gives to the characters really allows one, in my opinion, to empathize or at least better understand the motivations.

I heard a few bad things about the Clone Wars movie, so I chose not to watch it. I have been enjoying, on the other hand, the Clone Wars TV series. The novel then is a happy medium. And it was pretty decent.

It's not terribly long (around 250pgs) which felt just about right to encapsule the events of the movie (which in the end read more like an extended Clone Wars episode...and perhaps that was the point). Furthermore, the characterization of Ahsoka (no, not the Indian Emperor Ahsoka the Great...) made her less of my fears of a teen-age girl and more along the lines of what a Padawan should be. Furthermore, some of the little details helping to define her based on her Togrutan ancestry were nice details.

If you haven't seen the movie, and like Star Wars, pick it up. If you saw the movie and disliked it, pick it up since you might like this more...

4e Paragon Playtest

2009-04-11T21:09:00.002-04:00

We playtested 4e last night with paragon level characters (i.e. 16th level) using paragon paths, or otherwise paragon multiclassing.

The biggest impression I got from the game is that it was a real grind. Combats lasted too long and besides never really having the feeling of being in danger, for the most part the game has too many hit points and not nearly enough damage. I also felt very straight-jacketed by the "roles" (I played a wizard/blood mage so therefore I was a "controller"), and IMHO really detracted from my enjoyment of the game (in previous editions, wizards/mages could in fact be either "controllers" or "strikers," a flexibility 4e lacks IMHO). While there were a few interesting abilities for the Blood Mage paragon path, it felt very watered down with not a whole lot to really make the paragon path stand out and be unique. Furthermore, all the abilities really started feeling the same, since it was more often than not a variation on a theme. There were a few really good ones (prismatic beams), but many were very decidedly "meh."

Also, while 4e really streamlined the core rules, it tossed any sort of idea of combat streamlining by piling on the special effects, ongoing effects, instant interrupt effects, etc. The amount of added in stuff was IMHO astounding, and I really can't see how combats in this game could be faster than 3e combat. Perhaps part of it was our character builds, but I couldn't really see any builds that made things simpler. I think the most telling aspect here was from the DM, who pushed for and organized this playtest. After the game he outright declared he is "done" DMing 4e.

And I think I'm done playing 4e too.

My Response to Star Wars: Saga Edition

2009-01-28T13:47:00.002-05:00

One of the big problems with modern franchise based RPGs is a lack of stability. This wasn't an issue in earlier eras; West End Games held the license for Star Wars for some 11 years, while FASA held the license for the popular rival franchise Star Trek for some 7 years.

While the Star Trek RPG license has been doomed over the years to languish without proper support (or in some cases no support, going from FASA from 1982 to 1989, then Last Unicorn from approx. 1998 to 2002, and then Decipher from around 2002 to 2005, with a few "non-cannon" versions from Amarillo), the gaming universe has been more generous to Star Wars, with the D6 version from approximately 1989 to 1998, and with Wizards taking over (in fits and starts) from 2000 to today (with a few periods of no releases and minimal support).

While the D20 was well regarded (particularly by me, since I like he D20 system), the newest incarnation (the "Saga Edition") attempts to streamline the rules and present them in a new, cohesive whole. The philosophy behind releases very strongly follows the "sourcebook" model, with new supplements covering a variety of subjects, rather than just one topic (with some notable exceptions, though even Starships of the Galaxy, and Threats of the Galaxy tend to have a bit more information than just what the title suggests). The result is a series of "era" books that do nicely in fleshing out the time period in Star Wars fictional history, but also provide enough of a mechanics draw to make them worthwhile if you do not play in that specific period.

In reading the books, especially with the launch of D&D 4e a year or so later, it becomes immediately obvious that Saga was a "testbed" for some of the concepts of D&D 4e. For example, when attacking, you no longer neccessarily roll to hit the AC (armor class) of the target, but rather the reflex defense of the character. This does create some "wonky" rules, such as armor adding a bonus to Reflex defense, but unless you are a pedant, in my opinion, this isn't such a big deal (at least for me).

Overal I am around 90% happy with the Saga rules. Force powers, though limited (you can use them only once per an encounter, unless you spend a Force Point to recover it, or roll a 20 on a force use check) feel like the setting, and despite the fact that Saga is very similar to D&D 4e, it doesn't hit you over the head with the Grail of "COMBAT BALANCE!!!!" that D&D 4e attempts to enforce. While both games have a sort of "talent tree" mechanic, Sagas is far, far more open ended, and isn't a forced combat mechanic (believe it or not, there are talents that are useful in GASP! role playing opportunities), and there is a lot more freedom in what you can choose just in the core rules!

Furthermore, the streamlining of the rules are sensible and add to the game; nor do the rules overtly punish players for their choices. For example, D&D 4e punishes players for mounted combat, and the rules for that are, at best, cursory (with the recommendation "don't do it!"). On the other side, since vehicles have always been a big part of the Star Wars universe, vehicle rules are supported in the core, and expanded in other books (such as Starships of the Galaxy).

In the end, though, are the rules perfect? Not in my book. While I'm mostly satisfied, and enjoy playing the rules, there are a few areas that make it less "chrome-plated" and more of a highly buffed, burnished steel.

One gripe I have is the skill system. The Saga skill system is very similar to D&D 4e's, and one I'm not thrilled about. In essense, characters get a skill bonus of half their level to all skills. Thus a 20th level character will usually have around a +10 bonus to ALL skills (assuming a build that doesn't have any ability penalties). While I can see the appeal to this (they're HEROES!), since I am a huge fan of skill based systems, this doesn't give me the satisfaction of enough "crunch" and optimization I enjoy. While the new skill mechanic is still an open ended roll (in that there is no "skill" ceiling, which is good in my opinion), in this aspect I think the previous D20 editions were superior.

Another area I dislike is the idea of armor providing a bonus to reflex saves, and not the Damage Reduction in the previous edition. The Rules As Written in Saga state that when wearing armor, you add the armor bonus to your Reflex save. Not so bad, if a little weird. However, when not wearing armor, you add half your level (just like skills), meaning armor quickly becomes irrelevant as you gain levels (unless you have special feats). Sure, you might wear armor to get the equipment bonuses or enhancements to abilities (if appliciable), but other than that Obi-wan wore clone armor just as a fashion statement I suppose...or Darth Vader so he could look evil. This doesn't sit well with me.

But then what do I like, and what do I see as improvements? One obvious improvement is the level of support. When the first D20 edition of Star Wars came out, support virtually died after a few years. With the Revised edition, it came back, but then died off to nothing again. With this edition support has been steady, with a release every 2 months or so. Even better, the releases are written by a core development team, so there is a lot of consistency across the releases. There has yet to be a release I have been completely dissatisfied with from a quality standpoint.

Another mechanic I really enjoy is the Condition track. Unlike the Vitality/Hit Point mechanic used in previous editions (where you occasionally got a spectacular result, but most of the time was still an HP hack), if you take enough damage from a specific hit that goes above your Damage Threshold, you take cumulative penalties, from -1 to -10, simulating the accumulation of serious wounds. In addition, there are certain abilities and/or weapons that might affect the Condition Track as well, and certain abilities (like the "Second Wind") to get you going again. While not exactly an original mechanic, its a good one and well executed.

Furthermore, this mechanic is repeated on ships and vehicles as well, giving the game a unified mechanic and prevents page flipping.

In the end, I'm really enjoying the Star Wars campaign we are playing in lieu of D&D (which came to a staggering halt after over 10 years of continuous play thanks in part to 4e, and a little bit of fantasy burn-out), and will happily play it as the "main" campaign for years. While the specter of yet another edition change hangs over the franchise (it will happen, you know it to be true), at least we might know how D&D 5e will play.

Saga is everything D&D 4e should have been.

World Without End

2008-12-27T14:12:00.002-05:00

A while ago I posted an anticipitory post about this book, written by Ken Follett. I just finished it up last night (after putting it aside for a few months). It took a while -- this book is definitely a "bug squasher" at 1014 pages -- and if you liked Pillars of the Earth then you'll probably like this book too.

The gist is that the descendants of the original families from Pillars of the Earth undergo their own struggles, this time spanning the 14th Century rather than the 12th. Again the cathedral at Kingsbridge is a central character...this time we see what became of the structure, and the efforts to expand/improve the structure.

This time the talented builder is Merthin, his uppity love interest is Caris, and Merthin's brother Ralph is the military type thug of the book. There are a number of other supporting characters, but these are the ones we primarily follow.

One of the reasons I was excited about this book is that it covers one of my favorite periods of history (ironically, Pillars of the Earth is also set during one of my favorite periods, the early-mid 12th century). While the book has the same sort of biases as the predecessor, it was still an enjoyable read.

Like the previous book, World Without End sets up a mystery to be solved at the very end. Here an injured knight named Thomas has a document in his posession that could rock the foundations of England's Monarchy. Only a few people know where this document is hidden. Otherwise, much of the book is about the life and times of the main characters.

One critical event in this book that I felt the author did not handle quite so well is the Black death of 1349-1351. Really, this should have been a central aspect of the book, but in the end I felt it tangenital to the characters. The problem I have is that, in the context of the era, the Plague was sort of the "Nuclear Apocalypse" of the Middle Ages. Entire villages were wiped out, and Europe lost a significant fraction of its population. The book really doesn't convey this well, and as we see the characters deal with it, the emotional impact was not as great as it could be. Really, one of the main characters should have died of it to really have the gravitas such an event would rightly evoke. Alas it was not to be.

One interesting aspect of this book is that Follett seems to have essentially recycled the characters from his previous book: Merthin is the brilliant and morally steady builder, Caris is the talented woman that flaunts societal norms and the church, and Ralph the military thug. It creates a certain sense of continuity, but really I would have liked characters more differentiated than this, and when I say the book feels like a retread, it really is. Especially bothersome is Follett's bias against military type characters: whe had thugs in the last book, we have thugs in this one. It would have been refreshing to follow a military character that had a positive impact on the book, rather than a negative one. While there were some redeeming characters (Gwenda's son Sam for example), there were plenty that were not.

Some historical issues I have this time around: Sam as mentioned above is revealed to be actually Ralph's son (yes, that's a spoiler, but of course I warned you...). When Ralph learns of this, he decides to make Sam a squire. Would something like this have happened historically? Perhaps. I think it would have been more interesting and a bit more plausable if Ralph granted Sam a Sergeantry (that is, a fief that is below the stature of a full manorial knight's fee). He could have displayed a bit of Ralphs malicious sense of irony then by making Sam's father and mother tenants on his fief. Not to be though...

And the mystery? It is revealed at the end that the document Thomas had been carrying was a letter...from none other than King Edward II. In it he reveals that Edward did not die, but instead fled the kingdom in secret and took up another life. Really? Hmmm...I'm really not sure about this one. Of course this does not contradict the historical record (especially since Edward doesn't pop up and cry "Here I am!"), but is it in his character?

In the end an enjoyable book. Like any historical fiction there were a few problems. But if you like Follett, or want to read some decent historical fiction,World Without End (and of course Pillars of the Earth wouldn't be bad places to start...

Eagle in the Snow

2008-12-24T13:06:00.003-05:00

The latest read is by Wallace Breem, titled Eagle in the Snow. An historical fiction, it takes place in the early years of the 5th century, during the reign of Emperor Honorius and his general, Stilicho.

This book is a bit older, first print in 1970. While a pretty decent read, the book is riddled with historical innaccuracies. While for some people this might not be important at all (the story has primacy), in my opinion if I'm going to read a book set during a historical period, I want at least a bit of historical accuracy. As it is, in this book, the errors were enough to break the suspension of disbelief and knocked the book back a few stars.

The gist of the book centers around Maximus, an officer in the Roman army, who is given a legion and made the military governor of Germania (which in our context really centers around the western border region of modern Germany; the area around Bingen, Trier, and other towns along the Rhine). The Emperor's Magister Stilicho gives Maximus and his men the job of securing this border against incursions of several Germanic tribes. Short on resources and men, he fights a desperate battle to stem the tide.

As I said above, there were a few errors, some more egregious than others. I felt the characterization of Stilicho a bit weak. Admittedly, he has only a little screen time, but at one point, while discussing the invasion of Germanic tribes such as the Vandals, Stilicho characterizes them as his people. Stilicho had been the son of a Vandal man and a Roman woman, but had lived most of his life in the Empire, educated in Roman schools, was a Nicene Christian (as opposed to an Arian of the Vandals), and thus about as Roman as anyone else. It would be akin to me saying (as an Italian-american) that the Italians are my people. Its a bit strange, and I don't think it is something he would say. Especially given his parentage I think he would be well motivated to be more Roman than the Romans.

A more important error, especially since the book is essentially a "military adventure" is the numerous errors and omissions in organization of the Roman Army. It definitely feels like Breem did not do his homework. Maximus assumes command of the 20th Legion, some 6000 strong troops. The problem with that is the old legionary commands had been broken up, new legions formed, and the units were much smaller, perhaps 1200 men per. Although some legions maintained their old designations, it is somewhat unlikely they would maintain the same strength as in the old days. Furthermore, a lot of mention is made about Auxilia. In the time of Emperor Augustus and the Early Empire, Auxilia were equipped and trained differently than the legions, but by this time were for the most part indistinguishable from the legions, unless they were specialists. Finally, there are quite a few inaccuracies about equipment, with the legionaries described as wearing "breastplates," using short swords and javelins in a manner very reminiscent of Early Imperial Romans. By this time, Roman legionaries would be wearing either mail (Lorica Hamata) or scale (Lorica Squamata) armor, if they had any armor to begin with. Furthermore, the short, thrusting sword Gladius had been replaced by the longer, slashing Spatha, and the primary offensive weapon of the Legion was the spear. This was in response to the greater importance Rome's enemies put on cavalry, where the spear functions much better as a defensive weapon. For a bit of military fiction, it was details like this that I was looking for. Their absence and errors lessens the book quite a bit for me.

The actual story of the book is divided into 3 main sections: the 1st third of the book (roughly) details the origins and early career of Maximus (thus establishing the character), the 2nd third about the problems he faced defending the frontier, and the last third -- the climax -- about the battle against the Vandals, Marcomanni, Burgundians, Quadi, and other Germanic tribes. They payoff of the book was good, the battle scenes vividly described. But it was all let down by incorrect depictions of the army.

One fun easter egg in the book is when Maximus precipitates the death of most of the Vandal Royal family...leaving the "whelp" Gaiseric alive. He will turn up later...

Overall a decent book. Just didn't have a decent historical foundation.

My response to 4e

2008-12-22T14:02:00.003-05:00

Rather than blogging about books I've read, I feel it is important to instead essay about what I consider to be a big shake-up in the D&D world: the release of 4th Edition D&D.

In this essay, I'm going to start by stating a few assumptions, as well as a brief history of my association with D&D.

First, I am going to assume that we are looking at only the Players Handbook, and Dungeon Master's Guide (where appropriate). All other support material is not going to be considered. This is the most fair and balanced way to approach any such comparison (and comparisons are natural: after all 4e must live up to the legacy of previous editions). Secondly, I will primarily be arguing, in terms of content, with this assumption in place.

As for my association with D&D, I've played (at least briefly) every edition, from the Red Boxed (Basic) Dungeons & Dragons of the early '80s (with the awesome Elmore cover art), up through 1e AD&D, 2e AD&D, 3e D&D, 3.5e D&D, and finally 4e D&D. Thus, there is a lot (and I mean a lot of legacy) for any edition to live up to.

When 4e was announced, I viewed it with trepidation, in the same way I viewed the change from 2e to 3e. What, exactly, would they do? How would it be handled? The transition from 1e to 2e AD&D was in my mind an improvement: the system assumptions were not changed, and the rules were cleaned up and added to with the better additions from 1e. Thus, transitioning from a 1e campaign to a 2e campaign was almost seamless. Adventures from 1e could almost be used unmodified (monster stat blocks would need to be tweaked, but that's about it), characters required only minor updating, and there were more options for character generation. Although there were a few omissions that would have been problematic (no assasins for example), some of these omissions were added back in at a later time. Additionally, frankly, some omissions (like the aformentioned assasin) were probably for the best. Despite this, the Forgotten Realms setting felt it neccessary to introduce a "fantasy disaster" in order to explain the changes, just as Greyhawk had a module dedicated to detailing the changes, but both were probably unneccessary, and in the case of FR caused more anguish than it smoothed. How would this transition be handled?

While, when 3e came out, the changes were far, far more radical, the watchword here was to create a ruleset that could integrate and convert a 2e campaign (with admittedly more work than a 1e to 2e campaign) and make it play. This was done by introducing far more options and "builds" for characters. Even 2e characters built under Skills and Powers could be for the most part converted (at least in my examination) thanks to the more options available for 3e. In my group, while I cannot speak of others, I found converting my mid-level thief from 2e to 3e painless, and essentially filling out the character sheet, picking appropriate feats (based on what he could do before) and appropriate ranks in skills.

Now comes along 4e and it was a much greater challenge, to the point were I found it impossible. You will always run into situations where magic items do not convert over (such as from the 2e to 3e campaign: my Short Sword of Backstabbing did not convert, so I converted it over to a normal +2 shortsword that added an extra die of damage in sneak attacks: simple). Do this in 4e and what sort of magic item is it? Does it give a daily power? Encounter? Similarly, a lot of other more mundane magic items did not convert over. Though relatively unimportant, the Spoon of Murlynd (which help define the character as being...mundane...) had no conversion support. Although I could use as-is, this isn't true of a number of other magical items. For example, 4e has a listing of 13 Wonderous (magical) items, whereas the 3.5e DMG has three hundred Wondrous Items in 3 categories (from minor to major). While some might say one does not need such a level of variety, I ask how often you enjoy eating pizza, burgers, and ham sandwiches? Just with what is in the core books, 3e has more choices than 4e.

4e radically changes the game mechanics of character advancement. No longer do each class advance in its own way: all classes advance the same, but through the aquisition of powers. These are further divided up into at-will (use as many times as you want: always limited to 2 different ones), Encounter (once per an encounter), and Daily (usable once per day). There are also utility powers as well, but these with a cursory review appear to be appliciable only in combat. Non-combat spells are handled by Rituals, which are open to anyone that can get the appropriate feats. Thus a 5th level character, no matter what the type is, has the exact same number/type of powers. Thus all the classes "feel" the same, differentiated minorly by hit points, and what cool description the power has. In other words, all the classes are mechanically the same...even fighters can aquire rituals (or non-combat spells). In many ways this feels like World of Warcraft's ability trees: you level and get a new ability. Even in there, though, for spellcasters you at least get to cast whatever spells you know within the context of the game in watever combination or frequency you desire: no artificial "this spell affects the monster once a combat."

Although really a subtext of the above, I think its appropriate now to discuss magic. Magic is either integrated into powers (for combat spells) or Rituals. For powers, the result of this (and to make them in-balance with all other classes) is to strip them of any depth and make them a simple, one paragraph effect lacking flavor. Of course some will say this simplification helps speed gameplay, and make it less unwieldy. I of course say that it takes away options, and strips away flavor.

In the end, in terms of magic, I can understand the complaints about the legacy magic system used up to 3.5e, called the "Vancian" magic system (based on the literature of Jack Vance). It too is an artificial constraint, done for game balance. However, a non-Vancian spellcaster had already been introduced to 3e in the form of a sorcerer, giving players and DMs an alternative. So what sort of magic system does 4e use? And what happens to sorcerers? I haven't read the FR campaign setting, so I cannot comment on how they handle it, but they re-introduce another "fantasy disaster" solution, which was lame in the 2e transition, just as it is lame in the 4e transistion. Now, the magic system of 4e becomes a "magic emulator," neither Vancian or "mana" based like the Sorcerer, and abstracted away from what I consider flavorful. Rituals partially make up for that, but since they are a seperate game mechanic and interruptable by combat, no longer can players use clever adaptation of non-combat spells to achieve unique in-combat effects. A level of finesse is lost.

The skill system (which in my opinion was one of the best features of 3e) has a superficial resemblance to the old 3e system (open ended, roll D20 and add your skill bonus). Gone however are customizable skill point allocation. Instead, everyone gets 1/2 level plus ability modifiers for all skills. To be especially good in a skill, you can be "trained" in a limited number of skills, which nets you a +5 bonus to that skill. Of course there are feats as well that can alter this mix, giving more bonuses or more "trained" skills. While this makes skill selection infinitely easier, again it elimiates a certain level of customizability to skills. You can differentiate some skills, but less so than under the previous edition. Furthermore, a number of skills have been eliminated, and others rolled together. I have less problem with skill consolidation than I have with eliminating skills. For example, craft skills have been eliminated. A character I had made to be a master smith is no longer, unless by DM fiat. Therefore, if I want to have my character make a master sword of exceeding beauty and value, I no longer have control over that aspect of my character; the DM does now, and it is up to DM fiat to decide whether my character can do that, rather than a pure numbers game. Additionally, this also means that any character of sufficient level will be better in most skills than a commoner who is a professional. I suppose that is alleviated by the lack of profession skills, but nonetheless if feels a little of Mary Sue-ism.

Furthermore, characters are now divided into "roles" they play in the game: controllers (control the flow of battle through firepower), leaders (support), strikers (offensive, mobile, high damage characters), and defenders (protect the rest of the party from close assault, i.e. "tanks"). While this merely codifies a phenomenon that has occured since D&D's inception (perhaps not with these exact words, but the concepts are the same), I still feel resentful that for example, as a fighter I am limited to "tanking" (to take the World of Warcraft parallel further, fighters can "mark" a target, imposing penalties to that target if they choose to attack something other than the fighter. When I was playing a 4e fighter, I called it "getting aggro," the parallel was so similar) and can't bust out of that. What if I want to make a ranged specialist fighter? 4e's answer is to just make a ranger. This doesn't sit well with me, since it forces my character concept to adhere to the rules, not the other way around. Net, less freedom when creating characters. For some this is fine; for me, I don't want to be limited to a specific character role, but want the tools to be able to break out of those roles if I so choose, 4e doesn't give me those tools in the core books.

There has also been a shake up in starting races. The standard races of the previous edition (Human, Dwarf, Elf, Half-elf, Halfling, Gnome, Half-orc) has been eliminated. We get some of the old "core" races (Human, elf, dwarf, halfling), but now have in addition Tieflings and Dragonborn. Although not a problem per se, however, the problem arises in that it is core. For many it might not matter at all; for long term campaigns it can cause some headaches for the DM. Now he has a choice to either "ban" the extra core races, allow them and alter the campaign (via the dreaded ret-conn), or just start a new campaign. For long term players in the campaign, there might not be any issue with "banning," but what about new players recruited to the game?

The last item I want to touch upon is multiclassing. In 3e muticlassing was a breeze. Just add a level of the appropriate class, add the appropriate abilites, and you're off. This flexibility further allowed one to make the characters they want. The fact that not all choices were optimal are not a detriment to the system, but a challenge in the character. For example, one of the hardest classes to play are Fighter/Wizards (or Fighter/magic-users for the old timers). Unable to wear armor efficiently nor cast spells as well as straight wizards, the charm came from exploiting the class abilites in such a way to make a unique character. It was definitely not the most optimized character, but definitely a challenging one. In 4e, multi-classing is boiled down to a feat that allows you to do something outside of your character class. By itself, this would be a cool feat to backport to 3e, for characters that want a specific ability (for flavor or to support a character concept), but for a full blown multiclassing ability, it pales compared to what you could do in 3e. Can you build Elric, for example, in 4e? I don't think you could even approach his abilities with the multiclassing abilities in 4e.

In the end you take away from the game what you put into it. Sure, it is possible to have a good time playing the game: I played in a several month long campaign (as a fighter) with the gaming group, and had a good time. But just because we had fun playing doesn't mean I have to like the rules. In the end, I played a fighter (besides the fact we had to fill a role so right off the bat I felt less freedom in playing what I want based on how the rules push roles) as a "make it or break it" test. I never have been a huge fan of fighters, so if 4e can make them fun, then maybe it might be a winner. No such luck, and in fact I was bored playing my character. To be fair 3e doesn't alleviate this that much, but at least there if I want to "break the mold" I could do that with the inherent flexibility of the rules. I don't think I'll be playing in any official D&D campaigns again until perhaps 5e comes out in a few years. Even then I might hesitate since, if I really like the rules, 6e may completely invalidate them because Hasbro/WotC isn't selling enough books. At this rate, I'd rather play Pathfinder or GURPS.

A New Hope

2008-10-30T17:35:00.002-04:00

No, this is not some review of the Star Wars movie franchise; rather it is a review of the novelization of the first Star Wars Episode IV movie: A New Hope.

While the book has its author line as George Lucas (who should need no introduction if you're a SF fan), it is in fact "ghost written" by Alan Dean Foster. Foster was also responsible for the sequel Splinter of the Mind's Eye, as well as the story for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (still one of my favorites; the director's cut really makes it a great film). While Foster of course has his own fiction, he has been prolific in the genre and adaption market, writing quite a few movie adaptions.

Reading the novelization is definitely a different experience. Coming out before the movie (but largely following the script) there are quite a few differences, from Luke's callsign (Blue 5 instead of Red 5), to more significant variations (Artoo was for example a tripedal droid, rather than using wheels for locomotion). That being said, the book certainly captured the feel and spirit of the movie, helped by Foster's wordsmithing.

That being said, its rather thin (not quite 200 pages), and felt quite a bit rushed. In many respects, it was a faithful scene by scene adaption, but it suffers compared to other movie-to-book adaptions in that it didn't expand much compared to the movie. A novel gives the reader the chance to get more detail than is presented in the movie. Part of this might be the limitations the author was put under (there were, for example, no really detailed descriptions of characters, ships, and the like), but it would have certainly helped a fan to be offered something the movies do not.

In the end its a very quick read, and works on a level in which a fan can almost hear the dialouge from the movie cheweing through the mind. But in no way was this either high literature, or one of the best Star Wars novels...

The Last Colony

2008-10-19T14:12:00.003-04:00

The last book in Scalzi's trilogy, this book returns the focus back to John Perry, though in fact is a sequel to The Ghost Brigades. In this one, Perry is now returned to a normal flesh and blood, human body (a sort of modification of the old Roman plot of land in reward of service...this time you get a second life) and has set himself up on some backwater as an administrator, and lives there with his wife and the (now) teenage daughter of the protagonist from the previous book. Suddenly, he's tapped to lead a new colony. But everything is not as it seems...

Again, as a sequel, this book does not live up to the first one. That's not to say its bad, but I felt wanting for a bit more.

Scalzi falls into the trap that other SF writers sometimes get into: too many plot threads. In this one, the new colony world just happens to have its own primitive intelligent life-form...but he doesn't go anywhere with it. In my previous review of Clarke's Songs of a Distant Earth, the author setup a similar situation, in which it was discovered that the colony world has its own emerging intelligent life. Here, though, Clarke had a subtext: that all the assumptions we make may not always be the correct one, and that a lack of evidence does not automatically suggest a lack of existence. In Scalzi's book, I could neither find the point of this addition, nor were we fed with more.

That being said, I find it interesting that the book was a kick at conservativism (perhaps not of the political type, but a kick nonetheless). The premise is that humanity is very, very good at playing the galactic game. But things have to change if there's going to be a galactic civilization for everyone to inherit. In a way, I found it refreshing that humanity is in the wrong on this, and Scalzi does a good job in his trilogy in depicting humanity in a sympathetic vein, but at the same time stating clearly that maybe we were wrong...

Rendesvous with Rama

2008-07-11T01:14:00.003-04:00

Arthur C Clarke passed away on 19 March 2008, and I found no better way than to commemorate his life and career than by reading one of his books.

I have to admit I was never a fan of Clarke. Growing up I had been attracted to the works of other authors, or in the full throws of genre fantasy fandom (Dragonlance, plenty of Forgotten Realms, and other such fantasy pulp). Thus it was not until I had picked up this book that I had read any of Clarke's material.

Have to say I didn't know what I was missing! Rama is a somewhat thin book, but well written and engaging nonetheless. It is done in the traditional style of hard SF: characters are a bit thin (the main character has some depth...brought about mostly by multiple wives), and are used mostly as a foil for exploring the great scientific mystery. As such mystery abounds, but perhaps not long enough. It was an enjoyable romp as the characters explored Rama, but in the end I don't think enough secrets were revealed for the pay-off. That being said, there is word it is being made into a movie (or at the least optioned), something I can certainly get excited about.

Clearly, though, the book was a setup for a sequel. I bought the sequel, though I'm told it is not as good. Well, I certainly intend to read it anyway (I got mine used -- in hardback -- though I'm disappointed that the previous owner was a smoker!)

Galaxy in Flames

2008-03-25T10:42:00.004-04:00

The Horus Heresy is a central event within the Warhammer 40,000 (or 40K) universe. It's taken a long time for Games Workshop to start a novel series about it, but so far the payoff has been pretty good.

As many of you may have surmised by now, I view genre fiction as a sort of guilty pleasure. Never high literature, nonetheless it is entertaining and sometimes that's just what you need. GW like a number of gaming companies has been very effective at plundering its background for fiction, and I think it was a matter of time before they came upon the centerpiece of the 40K background.

Having read Horus Rising and False Gods_ previously, the next book in the series _Galaxy in Flames_ ties up the previous two books and sets off the heresy. Horus has now fully betrayed the trust of the Emperor and has set Astartes against Astartes (Space Marines for non-fans) and crushed the Great Crusade for his own interest.

While Counter is in my opinion not in the same league as Abnett, I felt this book was quite competently written and effectively advances the storyline. I can honestly say I didn't quite know how the book would end from the first page (even though I know the story in an over-arching way). Furthermore the status of some of the characters is in limbo, motivating me to read the next in the series.

While overall the series is good, It is not without criticism. I felt Horus' fall a little to quick and convenient, something that should have been stretched out for another novel. I also was disappointed that so far most of the other Primarchs haven't had a lot of airtime. That being said, I look forward to the next book in the series...

The Ghost Brigades

2008-02-06T09:24:00.001-05:00

I just finished up Scalzi's The Ghost Brigades, sequel to Old Man's War. While I don't think the sequel quite lived up to its predecessor (a new book in a new universe, I find, is always more exciting than its sequel -- as long as that universe is compelling enough).

One thing I found, especially reading this book, how much being a parent changes one's perspective. One of the characters of this book, Zoe, is the daughter of the primary antagonist. I also found this character the most empathetic (or at least the one I related to the most) because, I think, I have a daughter of my own. There were other elements of the book, mainly describing the things that can happen to children in conflicts, that I felt was a bit wrenching. Five years ago I might not have had as much an issue with this, but now that I have a child of my own, I found these elements a bit more disturbing. But then good literature (in my opinion) should have the ability to disturb us a bit, to get us thinking, and to force us to re-examine our beliefs and the like. While I hardly think _The Ghost Brigades_ is some existential epiphany of the nature of life, I think the book was effective in challenging me and entertaining (the most important aspect!). I look forward to reading Scalzi's last book in this series.

While we're at it, I also recently purchased Ken Follett's A World Without End. I'm going to do something a bit different and blog about the anticipation of reading this book. It is the sequel to Follett's excellent Pillars of the Earth. Historical fiction, Pillars of the Earth is centered around the construction of a Gothic cathedral in the fictitious English abbey of Kingsbridge. Set during the reign of King Stephen (1135-1154). The sequel jumps ahead a bit, using the descendants of many of the characters in the first book, and takes place starting in 1327 (at the end of the reign of King Edward II), though the bulk of the book follows the beginning aspects of the 100 Years War, and appears to end in the Plague Years (1349-1351). I can't say how excited I am of this. King Edward III is one of my "historical" heroes; a powerful warrior-king of England and very successful at what he did (despite, perhaps, the ridiculous allegation presented in Braveheart that Edward III was actually sired by Mel Wallace!), and the 100 Years War is probably one of my favorite periods as well.

Historical fiction (that is good historical fiction that is not the Harlequin romances) is not as common as I'd like. There's been some good books, but I don't think the genre is as popular, and largely overshadowed by the romance novel industry. Whenever a good "serious" historical novel comes along, its a rare treat indeed. I already started the book last night, and look forward to reading it...

Death Traps

2007-12-23T22:58:00.001-05:00

I just finished up Belton Cooper's memoir Death Traps: The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II. Like any memoir it is largely a narrative account of one individuals experiences. And thus has all the benefits -- and drawbacks -- of the format.

Cooper was an ordinance officer with the 3rd Armored Division "Spearhead" in Europe in WWII. His primary responsibility was organizing, filing, and delivering loss reports as well as organizing equipment replacement. As such, while he was not a front line soldier, he saw much of the after effects of war -- specifically knocked out tanks. As one of the first soldiers on the scene after a battle, he would assess the likelihood that a specific wreck was repairable, or whether it should be written off and a replacement acquired from the depot.

This is where the title of the book comes in. The US Army primarily relied on the M4 Sherman series tanks as their primary medium tank. Cooper is less than charitable about this vehicle, which he feels is markedly inferior to German designs such as the Panther and Tiger. To an extent he is probably right. However, this is a one-way bias, as Cooper could not see things on the German end. Many German tanks, while they had excellent firepower, protection and (in some cases at least) mobility, they suffered in reliability. While tanks like the Panther could (when working properly) overwhelm the Sherman in a straight on gun duel, it had issues with a weak final drive, transmission, and other reliability problems. Not to mention very early marks spontaneously catching on fire when the fuel line failed and sprayed the engine compartment! As a famous Civil War general quoted, its all about who gets there "the fastest with the mostest," and this is what the Sherman did for the US Army.

While one can amiably disagree with Cooper's assessment of the Sherman, a more vexing problem is the number of factual errors in the book. Cooper goes out of his way pointing out the flaws of the M4 Sherman's R975 Radial engine (it had issues with spark plug fouling while idling for an extended period of time), and is more praiseworthy of the later Ford V-8 powered machines (I assume he's talking about the GAA engine), he refers to the R975 Shermans as the M4, and the Ford V-8 Shermans as the M4A1. This is problematic as both the M4 and the M4A1 has the R975 engine (the M4 was basically an M4A1 with a welded -- rather than cast -- armor hull). I presume he is referring here instead to the M4A3, which besides having a better engine, also had more horsepower to play with.

There are other errors, such as referring to most of the 75mm German cannons as PAK (or KwK) 41's, when these should either be 40's (for the PAK 40 L/46 or the KwK 40 L/48 in the Panzer IV), or the KwK 42 in the Panther. While the average reader would never notice (or perhaps care) about the difference, someone looking at the book with a more scholarly or professional eye will find it suspect.

That aside, there were a few areas I found very interesting. Apparently, Cooper was involved with the Super Pershing project. This tank was to be the answer to the German King Tiger tanks. It mounted a longer, 90mm L/70 cannon designed to kill Tigers. When the 3rd Armored took issue with its example, it was uparmored with scrap armor plate salvaged from knocked out German vehicles. As such it was a bit overweight and nose-heavy, causing it some reliability issues. It also totally failed to get an opportunity to fulfill its designed role (it encountered no Tiger IIs). Also interesting is Cooper's discussion of the immediate post war period. I would have liked to seen more information on the rebuilding and occupation of Germany, but unfortunately, there was not much devoted to this. The 3rd Armored was slated to depart for the Pacific and the War against Japan (though fortunately for them, the Atom Bombs cut short that assignment).

To diverge in a bit of irony, I found it interesting comparing Cooper's complaints about the Sherman in Europe, and its performance in the Pacific. The Japanese did not have a tank park that was anywhere near as effective as the Sherman. Nearly ever Japanese tank was obsolete, or of poor quality compared to the Sherman. I suspect if the 3rd Armored were to enter the War in the Pacific during the invasion of Kyushu, roles would have been quite reversed.

In the end a memoir is more like an anecdotal look at war. I found it entertaining, but then I also didn't think it revealed any new information about the war. This is not to say it is any less of value (the more veterans that die each year, the more of their stories are lost to posterity), but perhaps the book is best approached when one has already a general background on the subject, or at least used in conjunction with such a work.

Left Hand of Darkness

2007-12-12T21:37:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you're just not ready for a certain book. That was definitely the case for Ursula K. le Guin's classic _Left Hand of Darkness_. I has started reading it some time ago -- perhaps ten years ago or more -- and at that time I'm not sure I had the mental maturity to appreciate the book (I was still in High School when I started reading it). Now that I've had a bit of life experience as well as reading exposure, I came back to the book and thoroughly enjoyed it!

This book firmly belongs in the camp of "Soft Science Fiction." What technology and science existed in the novel were there merely for background. Instead, she explores the meaning (or our preconceptions) about gender. This is accomplished through a species of Man inhabiting a forgotten colony world that has no gender. Or rather, has both genders in one. It would be a mistake to call these people hermaphrodites, since their sexual role (as either male or female) only manifests itself in the short period of "heat (called "Kemmer)," with either individual capable of going in one direction or another.

Into this is thrust Genly Ai, an emmisary from the Ekumen, a cultural and trade alliance uniting the lost colonies of mankind after some sort of unspecified disaster (war?). And of course his struggles to deal with these people who could be both men or woman -- often at the same time.

I must admit wrapping my head around such a gender disparaty was a challenge. Perhaps it is my own ideas about gender roles that intruded itself on the narrative. I found it difficult at times to remember that the characters (other than the protagonist, which is male). It was easy to fall into assigning those gender roles, since most of the characters are either gender neutral (and thus because of my male oriented bias I naturally assigned the male gender to those characters), or show a slight male bias. It didn't really start falling together for me until Genly and Estraven began fleeing across the ice, and Ursula challenged the reader with the two characters closeness.

Nonetheless, I also felt the book was too short, and there were issues I would have liked to seen explored more. I'm not convinced of Ursula's handling of (for lack of a better term) mating customs. There is no marriage per se, and when individuals feel the "need" they seek out others in Kemmer and ... well... let nature take its course. Families, therefore, are clannish rather than nuclear, with participation in rearing by other clan members (except in Ogoreyn, where socialism seems to have taken root, and children are wards of the state or such). I'm not so sure such types of organization would necessarily work, especially since my biological need to protect and nurture my daughter (as a father) is a very powerful one, and I can't imagine a society in which all fathers would not feel a similar attachment (despite the fact that there are plenty of fathers today who apparently feel no special attachment to their own brood...). I think a bit more exploration of this aspect was necessary.

Another aspect is that Ursula introduced a sort of supernatural mental abilities into the book that didn't serve any purpose except to show that despite the mutual affection Genly and Estraven had, such a level of intimacy (I think here Le Guin may have been making a point about the "mentalities" that separate men and women) is still not possible or sometimes even desirable (but at times -- especially when under stress -- become natural). The Gethenites (as the natives referred to their world) developed independently their own traditions of super-ordinary mental abilities (mostly focused on prescience it seems). The questions I would have is why did they develop abilities in this area, but not in the area of mindtalk that Genly's traditions developed? How does this relate to their unique gender? Is fortune-telling a feminine trait (doubt it)?

In the end, I think it would be illuminating to talk to a woman that had also read this book independently, and see if her perspective is different than mine, and to explore the book more fully.

Big Eagles in a Big Book

2007-11-14T12:57:00.000-05:00

It's been a little while since I last posted. Next up is _Spirit Gate_ by Kate Elliot. A rather thick fantasy novel, per a burb I saw on Amazon, she intends to extend the series to 7 volumes in total, a "Jordan" run so to speak. However, unlike Robert Jordan (RIP), Kate's book has better characterization, even if it doesn't move along quite as fast.

In the setting, a land called The Hundred (for reasons not revealed in the book...yet...) has been patrolled by a group of peacekeepers called the Reeves. In the execution of their duties, they have as partners and transportation a race of slightly more intelligent giant eagles. In this way, they have kept peace in the Hundred for quite some time.

However, things have deteriorated over time. A hinted at race of beings that had previously administered justice has dissappeared sometime previously, with no hint at their return. It falls to the Reeves to step in and administer justice. As things often happen in fantasy novels, there is unrest in the land, and armies bent on conquest afflict society.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, a vaguely asian inspired Qin officer (very much a Mongol analouge in many ways) flees from certain death as a political pawn in his own nation with his new wife, her uncle (hardly older) and a number of followers, making their way to the Hundred to serve as mercenaries...

That's about it.

Like Jordan, Elliot appears to be long and heavy on the characterization. In fact, the entire 1st book appears to be a setup establishing the characters. Although we start to see the beginnings of what I think the main thrust of the story will be, its only a glimpse. As such, a pure setup book of this length (I don't have the book handy at the time of this writing, but approximately 500 pages) might turn off some people, but the writing is lucid and the characters interesting (in one form or another) . However, if you're not interested in a 7 book series, you might want to avoid this one for that reason...

Revenge of the Mongols

2007-09-03T20:18:00.000-04:00

Next up is Victor Milan's _A Rending of Falcons_. This book is another genre book, this time in the Mechwarrior (Battletech) setting. Genre fiction being what it is (soap opera for young men, though I like to think at a higher level of sophistication than pro-wrestling), this book was merely OK.

Victor continues with the Jade Falcon's storyline. Malvina, generator of the so-called "Mongol" doctrine (i.e. using utter brutality, far beyond the pale, to keep subject people in-line) returns to the Jade Falcon Occupation Zone. This time she has her sights set at usurping the Khanship of the Falcons.

The development of the character of Malvina is starting to get a bit unrealistic. In a genre where caricatures is pretty much expected, this character is going a bit beyond the pale. The utter brutality and lack of regard for other human life makes her worse than any of the Clans, and perhaps worse than the Smoke Jaguars (known for their brutality before their...comeuppance). She furthermore comes off as being totally self-centered, a despot and (worse) a demagogue. What's more, throughout the book I kept hoping someone would stick a bullet or some other sharp object in this turkey, but alas not to be.

Speaking of caricatures, the Hell's Horses makes an appearance in this novel, with plenty of stereotypes of their own. The Horses have appeared to have totally gone the way of the Mongol (historical peoples, not the above-mentioned doctrine), top knots, sabres, and all. Battletech/Mechwarrior has been going down this route for some time (just look at the Draconis Combine, a bunch of Samurai wanna-be's, including katana swords and dueling), but I find it dissappointing nonetheless. It would be nice to see a return to the setting as it was during the "Golden Age" (IMHO) of the House books (approx 1987-88). There was definitely a multi-cultural feel here, and despite attempts to bring it back (a memoral picture for me is in the Handbook: House Steiner, where a ethnic Pakistani or Sikh from Bolan is arguing with a merchant, turban and all), has been crushed under the iron-heeled boots of Stackpole and others...

Ysabel time...

2007-09-03T19:02:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I last posted (around a month or so!), but during that period I haven't been lax.

I started reading _Hammer's Slammers_ and got...bored. I may not be ready for it (yet). I sometimes find if I put a book on the shelf for a while, I can come back with a fresh perspective and enjoy it. For example, when I first started reading _God Emperor of Dune_ I couldn't get into it. Later when I came back to it I enjoyed it. I'm sure _Hammer's Slammers_ will be the same...

In the meantime I read instead Guy Gavriel Kay's _Ysabel_. I'll not try not to deny it: Kay is one of my favorite authors. After reading the superlative _Tigana_ I always look for his books eagerly.

_Ysabel_ is along the lines of his other fantasy books, in that it freely mixes history with fantasy. Unlike Kay's other books (a historical pastiche with fantasy elements...you can almost read the books and guess what historical personalities he's writing about), this book is very much set in the modern world with a barely-glimpsed at fantasy world behind the scenes.

The action starts out in Provence, France. A young boy...so on and so forth. What is interesting about this book is that the main character is a witness to the drama, rather than a true participant. It involves an age-old rivalry between a Celtic warrior and a Greek merchant -- and the clash of cultures that come with it. What is maddening though, is that he sets up a number of mysteries and doesn't follow through with a resolution. Does this mean there will be a sequel (maybe, probably not)? Only time will tell...

While this book was not one of Kay's best (there have been others), its interesting enough, and I think it is a book that might have a more popular appeal to those who generally don't read SF/Fantasy. In that sense, it was almost a fantasy version of a Chrighton book...

More Star Wars Action

2007-07-04T13:55:00.000-04:00

Amongst the many books I read during my hiatus from the blog include Book 4 of the Legacy of the Force series of Star Wars books. This entry, called _Exile_ is brought by the pen of Aaron Allston. I like genre fiction; I won't deny it. It's comforting, can be fun, and every once in a while you get a real corker. This one, however, is lots more of the same.

Jacen Solo, Jedi Knight, continues his slide to the Dark Side, assisted along by a half-Sith with motives of her own. And there's this krazy female Twi-lek in it..

Blah, blah, blah...

Reading this series, I get the feeling it could have been compressed into a trilogy. It's not. I felt like not a whole lot went on here: more politicking, more mistrust, more Luke concerned about his son Ben. I already have quite a bit invested in the series, so I HAVE to finish it now (I'm a little obsessive to boot...). Hopefully later books will pick up more on the action...

For my next entry, I'm going to write about Mike Stackpole's latest ( and rare) entry in the Mechwarrior franchise of genre fiction, _Masters of War_. There's been a bit of electrons spilled on this book --well written but plot holes you can drive an Atlas through. I like to make up my own mind on that. And while I've always liked Stackpole's writing (the Warrior trilogy is amongst my favorites), the words I've read in response to this book have me concerned. We'll see.

I'm also going on vacation, and plan to read while down on the beach. I have an omni of Drake's Hammer's Slammers, so I think that'll go into the queue. After that...?

Little Green Men

2007-07-04T13:26:00.000-04:00

In a departure from my normal routine, I picked up _Old Man's War_ by Scalzi, and started reading the first few pages. That was a mistake. Over the next couple of evenings (I has a little girl -- 18 months at the time of this writing -- so my time can be limited) I finished the book.

According to the blurb in the book, this is Scalzi's first work of fiction. It was a pretty good entry into the cut-throat competition of the bloated Scifi literature industry...(yes, I'm being a little sarcastic).

Here's the premise. In the future, competition for galactic real-estate is fierce. Sitting down and talking about it takes time, and it's just easier to send over a few divisions and secure the planet via "aggressive negotiations." Earth's answer is to recruit OLD people. People way past their prime. But before sending these geriatric 75 year old shock-troopers to the front line, everything that makes them who they are are transformed into the body of a green skinned, high tech super trooper. And away they go.

Scalzi sets up the premise well. I have no idea what I would do as a 75-year old geriatric transformed into the body of a virile early 20-something, but his idea of nonstop green-skinned nookie sounds about right to me... And while the main character shows a sufficient amount of pluck, he is in no way one of the übermensch of the book (in fact, besides his ideas an leadership ability, he's quite average...for a supersoldier). Oh, and why are they green? It's the chlorophyll...

There was only one point in the book that bothered me. A small aspect of the plot is an incident where human oil-rig jockeys go on strike. The green-skinned supertroopers escort scabs in to get the rigs working again. The strikers go berserk, assault the troops, and feed them to some shark-like creatures. The oil rigs are retaken, and in a fit of battlefield justice, the ring-leaders are fed -- alive -- to these creatures. While one can argue the crime done was rather inhumane, the fact that the troops perpetuated this action (and it seems had some sort of official license) smacks less of "justice" and more "revenge." But then a long murder trial wouldn't be as kewl and wouldn't show what kind of bad-asses we're dealing with, I suppose...

Next up, more Star Wars...

Roman Twilight, Part 1

2007-07-04T13:04:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since my last post, but I have hardly been standing still!

As I indicated in my last post, I would be reading the Heather book on the Fall of the Roman Empire. Let me say this is a weighty book, but a good one. With that in mind, I have decided to split up my treatment of the book into sections. This also helps with my occasional book ADD I sometimes suffer from...

Naturally, here is section one.

Heather divides his book into sections, with the first being a general broad overview on the political institutions, general picture, and state of the Empire in the 4th C. More importantly, he analysis the meaning -- what it meant to the 4th C inhabitants of the Empire -- of being Roman. It was no longer an aspect of being a citizen of the city of Rome, or a descendant thereof. During Rome's slow but inexorable advance across Southern Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa, it brought Roman culture with it. And with it, it brought its best means of integrating the disparate and diverse ethnic groups inhabiting the Mediterranean Basin into a cohesive whole. These subject people, Heather maintains, "bought into" the Roman culture, and while they may have still maintained aspects of local culture, over time they were transformed into Romans, and looked at the Empire as part of their birthright. This, in the end, would be part of the problem behind the collapse of the Empire: essentially the Empire was no longer able to contract its borders and defend areas important to its maintenance. It would be like the United States abandoning California, or New Jersey.

Furthermore, the popular image of the hairy, uncivilized barbarians may also be incorrect. Heather maintains that the Germanic peoples had begun to adapt their civilization thanks to close contact with Roman (and Mediterranean) civilization. Where previously Germanic tribes were an almost ad-hoc political organization centered around a strongman and his warband, the later Germanic tribes began to organize themselves more centrally, with aspects of Kingship and hereditary leadership developing. Furthermore, the material and political culture of the German people began to transform through trade and cultural contact, enriching them immensely.

Finally, and while the greatest threat of this time was the Sassanid Persian Empire to the East, the Romans had adapted their political and economic organization in order to deal with this upstart -- and increasingly powerful -- rival empire. The disasters of the 3rd century were painfully dealt with, and at the dawn of the 4th, Rome had regained a semblance of stability again.

How long would it last, and what was the stake in the Roman heart? More on that later...

Welcome to the Dark Side of the Force...

2007-06-19T13:15:00.000-04:00

I finally finished up _Tempest_ by Troy Denning, third in the Legacy of the Force novel series in the ever-popular Star Wars line. Here we have the story of a powerful young Jedi, strong in the force, slowly descending to the Dark Side because he is convinced he can use it to protect the Universe from those it would harm...

Wait, sound familiar? In a lot of ways this is a retelling of Eps. 1-3; the names have been changed to protect the innocent (or not so innocent, as the case may be).

With genre fiction, one needs to read these books with the same level of conviction one would when watching a popcorn movie at the movie theater. While finishing up this book, I went and saw the new Fantastic Four movie, and the parallels here are very appropriate. The movie was fun, entertaining, and a good way to blow 2 hours of my life (in a way that does NOT want me to get them back). If you go to see the new Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer with the idea of gaining some sort of existential insight into the meaning of humanity or the condition of life, you may be disappointed (but then, perhaps it is there and I'm just not being observant enough?). The same thing with this book: Tempest is a fun romp with a lot of the elements we look for in Star Wars: the struggle between Good and Evil, those that walk the line, and space battles. Oh, and some cool lightsaber action thrown into the mix.

Ultimately, this series needs to develop a bit more before any conclusions can be made. At this point, it is like watching the first half-hour of Empire Strikes Back, and the Big Secrets haven't been revealed yet. That being said, the fact that this series so far resembles the Prequel trilogy makes me wonder where this is going to go, and whether there will be enough differences to make it worth the journey.

Next up in the queue is a book I picked up at Barnes & Noble this weekend. I had intended to read and post about Pirenne's _Economic and Social History of Medieval Europe_. For those of you that do not know, Pirenne is a student of the Annales school of historical analysis, which combines a multi-disciplinary approach to analysis with an emphasis on social and economic roots. To say this school of thought has not had a profound influence on historical thought is an understatement. It also helps that I am a fan of this school and very much respect many of its adherents (even if much of the work is out of date compared to current research).

So we've set that aside, and instead I'm going with Peter Heather's _The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and Barbarians_. I've already started the book, and so far it's a winner, with some very nice analysis (to start off with) on what it means to be Roman in the 4th C. Here's what the back has to say:

"The death of the Roman Empire is one of the perennial mysteries of world history. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Peter Heather proposes a stunning new solution: Centuries of imperialism turned the neighbors Rome called barbarians into an enemy capable of dismantling an Empire that had dominated their lives for so long.
"A leading authority on the late Roman Empire and on the barbarians, Heather relates the extraordinary story of how Europe's barbarians, transformed by centuries of contact with Rome on every possible level, eventually pulled the empire apart. He shows first how the Huns overturned the existing strategic balance of power on Rome's European frontiers, to force the Goths and others to seek refuge inside the Empire. This prompted two generations of struggle, during which new barbarian coalitions, formed in response to Roman hostility, brought the Roman west to its knees. The Goths first destroyed a Roman army at the battle of Hadrianople in 378, and went on to sack Rome in 410. The Vandals spread devastation in Gaul and Spain, before conquering North Africa, the breadbasket of the Western Empire, in 439. We then meet Attila the Hun, whose reign of terror swept from Constantinople to Paris, but whose death in 453 ironically precipitated a final desperate phase of Roman collapse, culminating in the Vandals' defeat of the massive Byzantine Armada: the west's last chance for survival.
"Peter Heather convincingly argues that the Roman Empire was not on the brink of social or moral collapse. What brought it to an end were the barbarians. "

Guadalcanal heck...

2007-06-09T13:05:00.000-04:00

Just because you can't say h-e-l-l on the Internet...

I finished up _On the Canal: The Marines of L-3-5 on Guadalcanal, 1942_ this week. The best way to describe this book is as something between an oral history and a memoir. Mainly the book is a collection of memories of the author Ore Marion, a participant in the initial Marine landing on Guadalcanal, late Summer to Winter 1942. The Guadalcanal campaign marked one of the first offensive actions by the US in WWII and, despite hardship, privation, and the Japanese, was eventually successful. Guadalcanal, therefore, marked one of the first stepping stones to returning the war back to the Japanese.

As one can expect from an oral history and memoir, it is a collection of anecdotes from the campaign Marion participated in. Thus, by its nature, it is packed with plenty of action, amusing stories of military life on the 'Canal, as well as a very strong human element. Several times the author mentions how he disagrees with more professional or official histories. "This is how it really happened." Despite this, the author is free enough to admit when his recollections may not be fully accurate, and a few times he includes the same event, but from the perspective of one of his compatriots (who may remember the event differently).

While I enjoyed the author's writing, and generally I'd recommend the book to anyone that wants the "human" element to the conflict (I would probably not recommend it to someone that has no knowledge of the campaign in general, since context is important in this case), I was a bit annoyed at the forward. Written by Thomas Cuddihy, he quotes Henry Ford ("'History is mostly bunk'" p.2) as well as states Ford's "opinion about history is generally agreed to have some merit." Generally agreed by whom? And why is Henry Ford, auto mogul, considered some sort of authority on history? While this book is definitely geared to the non-specialist, I don't think that excuse is valid for playing loose with the writing. I think Cuddihy should have stopped with the quote by Austrian sociologist Ivan Illich (but even then, why should someone interested in history take the statement of a non-historian as authoritative?), and expanded on the quote ("Historians who rely on previously published material perpetuate falsehoods" p.2) to demonstrate the Historical Process, and how sources are analysed to create a synthesis of information. I'm not sure if this was even his intent, but nonetheless, in my mind, a missed opportunity.

Next up on the rack is a little genre fiction: _Star Wars: Legacy of the Force - Tempest_. Here's what the sleeve has to say:

"Forty years after the Battle of Yavin, a dangerous new era has begun as civil war threatens the unity of the Galactic Alliance. In the wake of Corellia's failed bid for independence, Han and Leia Solo cannot stand by and do nothing. They've decided to risk everything to help end the war as quickly as possible, thought their willingness to join Han's fellow Corellians has enraged their family and the Jedi, fighting on the side of the Alliance.
"The Solos draw the line when they discover the rebels' plot to make the Hapan Consortium which rests upon the Hapan nobles murdering the pro-Alliance queen and her daughter. Yet Han and Leia's selfless determination to save the queen cannot aver the inescapable consequences of their actions -- consequences that will pit mother against son and brother against sister in the battles ahead.
"For as Jacen Solo's dark powers grow stronger under the Dark Jedi Lumiya, and his influence over Ben Skywalker becomes more insidious, Luke's concern for his nephew forces him into a life-and-death struggle against his fiercest foe, and Han and Leia Solo find themselves at the mercy of their deadliest enemy...their son."

_Variable Star_ varies...

2007-06-01T13:34:00.000-04:00

I finally completed reading _Variable Star_, written by Spider Robinson based on an unfinished outline by Robert Heinlein. As usual, if you want to stay spoiler-free, do not read on.

Science fiction can often be divided into several different categories. Most readers will be familiar with the old stand-bys: Hard, Soft, and Space Opera SF. One of my favorite writers, David Brin, suggests a few more categories. While I am paraphrasing from content he presented on the "Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director's Edition," he further divides Science Fiction into "Progressive" (i.e. this is what we may be capable of and is optimistic), and "Cautionary" (i.e. warns us what can go wrong if we are not mindful, and is pessimistic). _Variable Star_ definitely falls into the latter category.

But what did I think of the book? Well, it certainly held my attention! The quality of writing was very good, what one would expect from Robinson. However, I'm not sure the book could decide whether it was Hard SF or something different. I think where the book "jumped the shark" was when it was detailed how interstellar communications is handled, and how the ship achieves its high sub-C performance.

Interstellar communications are handled by psychics that, when paired with a twin on Earth, are capable of instantaneous FTL communications. The ship of the story, furthermore, uses a "Quantum Ramjet" of some sort, collecting the quantum fluctuations and turning it into thrust (of approx .5G). I think this is where the story "jumped the shark" a bit for me. It mixes elements of Hard SF (i.e. relativistic travel through acceleration/deceleration), but throws in psychics in the mix. It may just be my bias showing here (I don't particularly care of psychics as an element in Hard SF), and while I don't think it ruined the story, it did drop the book down a few notches in my mind.

The ending also was not as satisfying for me either. The main point of the book is that a colonist ship is targeting a planet some 80+ LY from Earth. During the trip, the Sun explodes, wiping out the seat of humanity. Now, except for a few scattered colonies, this ship is the remnant of human civilization, and must face the impending doom of a Gamma Ray burst following them at C (so therefore they can never outrun it). The ending...didn't really end the book. It certainly provided closure for the main character, but what happens to human civilization now? Why did the Sun blow up? Etc. I would have liked a bit more here (or perhaps I need to only wait for the sequel).

As I mentioned above, the book is a cautionary one: don't put all your eggs in one basket. In order to survive, humanity must expand into space. I was also surprised by the rationalism of the book as well; in the last 3rd of the book, after knowledge of the Sun's demise is disseminated amongst the crew, one of the characters has a fairly long monologue that, in my opinion, very strongly hinted at the current War on Terror. I'll let the individual reader's make up their minds on this point, but I think it definitely indicates rather much where Robinson's politics lie (and, I think, Heinlein's libertarian leanings).

Overall not a bad book. Next up, a bit of history: _On the Canal: the Marines of L-3-5 on Guadalcanal, 1942_. Here's what the back has to say:

"Eight months to the day after Pearl Harbor, US Marines landed on the Pacific
island of Guadalcanal. Their mission: to seize the airfield the enemy
was building and stem the southward tide of the Imperial Japanese Army. Initially
unopposed and ultimately triumphant, for four months these young soldiers
engaged in ferocious combat and endured debilitating heat, hunger, and
disease. Sometimes with humor, always with brutal honesty, U.S. Marine Ore Marion takes readers into the jungle hell that was the Canal.
"Ore J. Marion served with marine company L-3-5 on Guadalcanal and later on Iwo Jima. Promoted to sergeant during the Guadalcanal campaign, he served in the US Marine Corps until 1970. Marion died in 2003."

The First in a New Series...

2007-05-28T15:39:00.000-04:00

My first post on my new Blog!

In keeping with the theme of this blog, the book currently at the top of my stack is some good ol' (well, not so old) SF. Right now I'm reading _Variable Star_, by Heinlein, or is that Robinson??? Well the truth is per the introduction, the book is based on a detailed outline Heinlein created, but never completed. The Heinlein estate hired Robinson to finish the text.

Robinson does a good job in creating the "feel" of a Heinlein. But there is enough of the author in it to make one feel that the book is an homage, not a rip-off (I shudder to think I should read Brian Herbert's _The Sandworms of Dune_). Robinson also "updates" it with elements current readers appreciate (such as on p.34 of my text, in which it is explained why Jinny refers to her butler as "Smithers." Simpsons reference in the first 50 pages? How could you go wrong!). Also google is used here as a verb, not a proper noun (people -- including myself -- already do that, so no surprises here...but it is nice to find that my abuse of the English language is considered standard slang a century from now).

So far so good, and I haven't set the book aside for other reading amusements. We'll just wait and see how it goes...