1397. The Cruel Stars

I have a confession to make. I love the work of writer John Birmingham. I have read, ALMOST everything he ever wrote, and those things I haven't read, I either own and will soon read, or I am in the process of buying (see further pics below).  Additionally, I follow his blog (along with the blogs of many other writers I like.) However, I do not personally know the author, nor have I been paid to write the following review.

Having said all of that.... Sometime in July 2019, NetGalley, gave me the opportunity to read an electronic copy before its publication and then review it. As a fan of Birmingham, since the "Axis of Time series" and then "The Disappearance series" I was thrilled to read his first foray into Space Opera, in this particular instance, Military, Hard Science Fiction.

Now, ever since "The Axis of Time" and "The Disappearance", I knew that John Birmingham could write on "military" matters and subjects. Military subjects involving battles fought, the language of warfighting and even tactics. Mind you, I do not know what his military background is, but the grasp of the subject matter is accurate. Similarly, in this new novel, his grasp of the themes of science is very very good. Therefore, making this book, both "military" and "hard" in the science-fiction department.

On to the story...

We begin as Lieutenant Lucinda Hardy boards hew new ship. She comes to it after receiving a field commission. But, and this is really important, she does not come from the type of background that would give her, not just her Space Navy rank, but status and position within society. She does not come from Royal or Corporate background, and should therefore be a non-person. Yes, she's an augmented human, but really, in this universe, who cares? Alas, even though she started as an Ensign and received a field commission, she also received a medal for gallantry during her last tour, putting her in this position, as the tactical officer of the Defiant.

Lucinda's Universe  is populated by humans who left the homeworld and established new colony worlds over which they became corporate rulers, and eventually promoted themselves to nobility and royalty. In this universe, humanity contains, robots, AI, and are themselves technically augmented. As Hard Science Fiction goes all the types of augmentation proposed within this story are feasible today OR have been discussed in various formats. Humanity WILL merge with technology. The when of it is the only unknown. This movement is called transhumanism.

But, not everyone, in this Universe, is on-board human-augmentation, infinite rebirths, and virtual immortality. There is an offshoot of humanity called "The Sturm"...(I am presuming, based on the German origin of the word, it means, "The Storm".) The Sturm  are opposed to these modern, augmented, humans,  and have already fought one war with Earth (almost completely destroying it in the process.)  They are now on the way back into the human sphere of influence, after rebuilding their strength. As the "big bad" (if you see them as such), they're not that bad of a people, meaning, some readers might actually agree with their viewpoint. And John Birmingham does a great job not painting them as a totally evil caricature. They are, the way they are, because of what they believe -- and isn't that true of all of us?

There are other major players in this Space Opera, including a Princess, an almost Ancient, General, from Earth's first forays into interplanetary space, and a bunch of criminals (from a certain point of view.) In many ways, you will, as I did, fall in love with these varied characters, but, my first love, throughout book one of this story was Lucinda Hardy. I would follow her, I would serve under her and obey her orders. Not because as a transhumanist she's perfect, but because of it. She is anything BUT -- she struggles with what she is, what she has accomplished. She is unsure of her footing and second guesses her decisions. In short, she is perfect in her human imperfection.

If you're a fan of a richly detailed future, immersed in high technology, AI and almost instantaneous space travel, then this book is for you. But beware, this future is populated with LGBTQ characters and faulty human beings. If you're looking for "perfect" and "completely ethical" human beings, look into the work of a different author. This author, lavishes every page with human failings and faults. Because today's "Humans" are faulty, and not perfect. This book then, puts up a mirror for us to look into what we have become and what we might become.

OH!, and it's a great action-adventure to boot.

When I first read the book (I have since re-read my paper copy -- yay "stay-at-home" orders), I posted a one word review for John Birmingham on facebook: WOW!

I would not presume to suggest that this book is "the greatest space opera" or "the greatest military science fiction" ever... However, I would presume to say that John Birmingham's first attempt at a space opera is magnificent. Be forewarned, it is the first book in a trilogy, and you will have to come back for more dips in the pool. From me it gets a 5 out of 5 or "five stars". Back when I first started reviewing books in my book-journal, I used to place a huge "star" next to my super-favorite books... those books that gave me such an amazing thrill, such a great feeling, and that transported me to a universe that I so completely wanted to live in. It is not a perfect place, then again, where in the world, past or present, is perfect?

1394. A Matter For Men

 I became a science fiction reader because of my friends - in particular my best friends. I was raised in a very religious, very conservative household. However, the truth was that my father allowed us to read. He never locked the home library away, and we were allowed to pick any book from it to read. Most of it of course was christian themed. The highlight of that library was some literature and a set of Encyclopedias, bought when I was around eight years old from a traveling encyclopedia salesman. Yes, we still had those where I grew up. Before I turned ten I had read through the complete encyclopedia and all the literature in that library. Still, I wanted my horizons expanded further. 

To further my reading horizons, along came comic books and my best friend Yiannis T. (Ioannis in Greek parlance). His family was not as heavily into the religious book reading and so, they read pulp novels. The idea of pulps, originated in the U.S. of course, but in the late sixties and early seventies, really took off in Greece. A lot of these were "adventure", "mysteries" (like Agatha Christie), and "Science Fiction" stories, translated and reprinted in the greek language. The other thing that was very popular of course were the Greek Language versions of romance stories. So, my best friend Yiannis, introduced me to science fiction. And by the way, not all of the science fiction that I read was from US authors. One of the first science fiction books I ever liked was "Τhe Black Blot" (La Tache Noire) by French Author Robert Clauzel. Suffice it to say, I read all the adventures of Claude Eridan. At age thirteen I got my first "library card" and borrowed the translation of  "The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury. I have not looked back since then.

Why do I share the story above? Well, when I finally got my first job on my own, in this little corner of Alabama, my new best friend, Mike H., was an avid science fiction reader. By the time we became best friends, we had read many of the same books, and had very similar interests in authors, as well as type of stories. But while I had read a David Gerrold book back in the 80s, I had not read this particular series, The War Against the Chtorr. Mike had the first 4 books. Mike also refused to lend me his copies of the series to read, even though we had lend each other books from our respective libraries. To this day of course, Mike has not returned to me my hard cover copies of The Foundation series by Asimov.

So many years later, in part because I see a lot of the books that come in to our bookstore, as a member of the Friends of the Library group at our local library branch, I got my hands on the first two books in the series. And let me tell you something, the wait was worth it. "A matter for men" is the first book in the series.

Was the wait worth it, you might ask?

Yes. This is one of the best books I have ever read. And in many ways very frustrating. I am not saying that it's frustrating to read because of the way it's written, or because of "language", or because of any other literary virtue. No. It's frustrating because of the lessons Jim McCarthy, the hero of this tale, has to learn.

Jim McCarthy is your average young Biologist with a bright future. It's just that when he was a young kid, various plagues hit the world, decimating (or worse) the population. He lost much of his family. Eventually, the plagues were discovered to be aspects of an invasion by alien organisms which are eventually called "The Chtorr." Are the Chtorr intelligent? Are they trying to conquer the planet? Whoa, slow down there cowboy. It appears so, but so far I've only read book one. I'm not sure that's the conclusion the author wants you to reach. What is fascinating is the way humanity as a whole deals with the problem of the Chtorr. There are parallels to many crises we face today, especially "Climate Change" (what we used to call the Greenhouse Effect.) There is a certain inattentiveness, inaction through words, a certain "shrug your shoulders, what can we do" type of reaction. This is very evident in  "A matter for men."

The reason I got frustrated was not only this human indifference to events (and this might be a spoiler for some - so, don't read the rest of this paragraph, ok?), but....

[ Attention: SPOILERS BELOW]

...the way Jim McCarthy was manipulated by some of those in power and some of his superiors. Used? Don't get me wrong, REALLY GOOD WRITERS will do that to you (er, I mean their characters.) But pulling the curtain back and dispelling the reader's misconceptions is very dramatic in this book. Because, although this book starts as a standard "us" against "them" adventure sci-fi story, it becomes something else, something better by the end. Without giving anything away, I can say clearly that your expectations will be subverted.

Did I get OR did I understand everything the author was going for in this book? Probably not. But, just as Jim McCarthy learned more about himself and about the enemy, so did I learn something about myself. And, I also learned that the simple act of writing good characters is a lot more complicated than what I, as I attempt to write my own fiction, can even envision, let alone master. (No, I won't quit writing.)

"A matter for men" is an exceptional novel that deserves a read, even 30 plus years since its publication. I plan to review individually subsequent parts of this story.

Easily, a five star read.

Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi

People of a certain age grew up with Star Wars in their lives. Up until 1977 there had been Science Fiction movies and shows, but nothing like Star Wars. There had also been fantasy movies, but again, nothing in the style of Star Wars. The reason Star Wars was different, was because it introduced a theme, society had long been aware of, in a new package. Some say that the introduction of this theme was what made the movie so successful. Of course the theme I am talking about is the "Hero's Quest" or "Hero's Journey". This then is what inspired many imitations (some good, some bad), many sequels as well as many words written, both for and against the basic story, the Luke Skywalker story. There is one more thing; A lot of people do not consider Star Wars (and its many sequels) true science fiction, inventing instead a new genre called "Space Fantasy."

So buckle your belt as I endeavor to "review" and "critic" the latest movie in the Star Wars pantheon, "Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi". Let me also be upfront with you as I describe what I liked and what I disliked about Star Wars 8: there are going to be a lot of spoilers in this discussion; So if you need a spoiler-free review, go elsewhere.

It's not that I hated this movie. Indeed, there were many things that the movie offered that I liked. Some people have suggested that the movie followed a similar story telling path as a previous Star Wars movie, Episode V, "The Empire Strikes Back". The desperate fleeing rebels, the ice planet, at the end of the movie, rather than at the beginning, the training of a Jedi, the confrontation in the throne room, the cloud city and the casino city, and many more comparisons. You can find more about these comparisons elsewhere on the Internet. On a fundamental level, what the Director/Story-teller was trying to do here, is make a Star Wars fan-film. Obviously, he embellished his story and crafted elements into it that go beyond the mere tropes of fan-films. Yet, his appreciation of Classic Star Wars are written all over this movie. And there-in lies my whole problem with Star Wars, the Star Wars Universe as it stands now under the direction of Disney and Lucasfilm.

Star Wars itself is the creation of a single individual, George Lucas. Like any creator, Lucas had the audacity to create a "Universe" populated by characters he devised and who behaved in ways that he directed them to behave. As the "God" of this Universe he set certain rules, tropes, manners, behaviors and events into motion. Specifically of course, we can only attribute 6 movies to the mind of George Lucas (and some TV content). There were of course points throughout his life that Lucas said certain things about his creation. Was it originally thought-up as a 9 movie series? Or did he only have "Star Wars: A New Hope" in mind when he sat down and took pen to paper and produced the original 1977 Star Wars. Was everything else an afterthought? Did he think he left something unfinished with "Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi"? Is that why he returned and created volumes 1 through 3? Is this the story of Luke Skywalker or the redemption story of Anakin Skywalker? How about the "virgin birth"? How about "restoring balance to the Force"?

At this point, let me step away from the questions and point out a couple of things. I am, by definition a huge Star Wars fan. No, I am not as big a fan of Star Wars as Steve Sansweet, who wrote the Star Wars Encyclopedia, but I have a large collection of Star Wars toys, memorabilia and primarily books. See, I went ALL IN to the Star Wars Universe as it became an escape, a place where I can go travel virtually and where I can be a silent participant, yes, I even played a few of the computer games. I even used to have "a high score" in the Star Wars Arcade Game. I breathed Star Wars, I lived Star Wars. When the Star Wars craze reignited in the 1990s, I was even interviewed for a newspaper article. I stood in-line to get tickets to the remastered movies (IV - VI). I won tickets in a contest to see the premiere of Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace. I bought EVERY BOOK in hardcover when they were published and every comic book when they were launched. I embraced the Expanded Universe.

Does the Star Wars Universe as it stood before Disney bought Lucasfilm, exist as a commercial entity or as a separate creation? Does that universe and my (and other's) involvement with it matter at all? Of course Star Wars was not a perfect creation. I leave it to others (such as, famously, David Brin did in "Star Wars on Trial") to critic it at a such a fundamental level. My issue is not with Star Wars as an effective myth, or as an effective tale. There are many things that are problematic in Star Wars, and there are many criticisms that can be leveled, on even fundamental concepts within the story. But at what point does one say, this is a story. It is circumscribed by the ideas of its original creator. It belongs in its own Universe which is sort of a framework, and there are those who have written other stories to fit within the constraints of that framework.

Yes, Jar-Jar Binks bothered me. Yes, midi-chlorians bothered me. Yes, Anakin, his virgin birth and his rotten attitude were obnoxious. But, they all belonged within the Universe, within the framework made by their creator. All these things, even those things that were deemed, irredeemable, that were thought of as wrong by fandom, by other creators, by reviewers, were part of this singular creation and vision of George Lucas. And this vision was added to faithfully, almost reverently by other creators. George Lucas did not write or sketch out Episodes 7, 8 and 9. George Lucas did not write the stories that became the expanded universe. But he showed the way, he showed the path. And, on a fundamental level, this story, his story was the story of the Skywalker Family. From Shmi, Anakin and Padme, to Luke, Leia, Ben, Anakin, Jacen and Jeina and so on. The family continues. Their story is ongoing. A lot of old, traditional myths could do with a family tree that strong. Whether it was the story of Anakin Skywalker who became Darth Vader and was redeemed by Luke Skywalker, or the story of Luke Skywalker who brought the Force back into balance, this was a tragic story to rival Shakespeare and Dickens. This was an epic to rival Gilgamesh and Rama. It was told in such a way as to involve the reader and viewer in a tale as old as time. Hate, love, revenge, war, faith, belief, trust, vision, anger and strength were put on the cosmic scale and weighed. This is what a good story will do, should do.

Is  "Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi" a good story within that framework?

Well before I can fairly judge that question I must point out a couple of more facts. After the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney, the keeper of the Holocron (the keeper of continuity in other words) at Lucafilm, Leland Chee, decided to reboot the franchise. Rebooting a franchise is not an easy business by any stretch, but rebooting a franchise is a business decision NOT a creative decision. If you are tired of the stories within the framework of a given franchise, within a given universe, why not "create" something new? Why destroy the original franchise for the need of some extra cash? Of course, when "The Force Awakens" was imminent, there were those voices who suggested that "scrapping" the expanded Star Wars Universe was a good thing. This was something that many fans, myself included took very personally, but were willing to forgo criticism until the new movies came out. Many of the owners of other movie franchises have rebooted those franchises, such as "Planet of the Apes", "Fantastic Four" and many others. Each of these reboots needs to stand with its own two feet and judged as such. I am not criticizing the decision to reboot those franchises, or any franchises for that matter. I mean, Tom Clancy, author, died, yet his Jack Ryan novels continue to pour out. For the record, I have not read any of the new novels.

As for Star Wars, I have owned every iteration of George Lucas' seminal creation as released by Lucasfilm. From VHS to BluRay Discs. I do not own any of the new movies. And on the flip side of having watched "The Last Jedi", I do not plan to purchase that movie or for that matter watch any upcoming movies. The Star Wars Universe died, for me, when Disney bought Lucasfilm. That's not to say that other people are not liking the new stories, that those stories do not have something to say, that the characters in those stories do not have a unique voice of their own. But that voice is not the Star Wars voice I grew up with. They really should have rebooted the franchise by telling completely new stories.

There have been a lot of criticism leveled at those who are criticizing "The Last Jedi", Some are saying that uber-fans like me are ruining the movie for others by criticizing it. Let me make it clear. I have no vested interest in Lucasfilm, Disney or any other organization. I am as apolitical as they come, and have no interest in seeing racial overtones in anything. I just look at the vision of one creator as it was handed to us, and as we embraced it and occluded it into our lives. The new Star Wars was therefore NOT created for me, but for a younger generation. They can make of it what they wish, whether good or bad. But, for that generation who grew up watching the original, re-watching it, and reading every novel, late into the night, I have a few criticisms and questions.

If Star Wars was the story of Luke Skywalker, or the Skywalker family, there are no members of that family left (unless of course, you count Kylo Ren -- aka, Ben Solo). Then, what is this new story about? Kylo Ren? Will he be redeemed as Darth Vader was? Will he renounce the dark side and "bring balance to the force"? Is Rey a Skywalker? Is she another "virgin birth" on a desert planet who is supposed to bring "balance to the force"? How about Snoke, Supreme Leader Snoke, or Darth Snoke? Who is he? If he's a Dark Jedi where did he originate? Was he a student of Darth Vader? Or Darth Sidious (aka, Emperor Palpatine)? He appeared like a comet out of nowhere, and he was extinguished like an afterthought, like someone who did not have mastery of the Force. What was the point then? How, or why was the Republic unable to reconstitute after the Empire was defeated? How or why were the Empire remnants able to regain strength and destroy Coruscant? And Leia Organa Solo maintained a small rebel army while the New Republic was flailing around because she knew that remnants of the Empire were going to return and fight for control of the Galaxy? When a new government takes over, whether through war or rebellion, typically the administrative wheels continue to spin, the world (or worlds of the Republic) continue to function, but under different administration. Yet, somehow, in order to satisfy the needs for a "New Rebellion" with ties to the "Old Rebellion", the Republic failed completely in administering the vast galactic bureaucracy. And the worlds and the peoples of the galaxy, with mostly an interest in the "business of war" brought about the resurrection of an Empire Fleet controlled by Supreme Leader Snoke. (Yes, yes, I know, there are parallels with our own world, today, but, I reach back into the Star War's framework, when hundreds and thousands of worlds rejoiced when the Empire fell. What happened all of a sudden? Where all those people "chumps" who were tricked by those with business interests?)

A myth has no power unless it connects on a fundamental level with the reader, with the audience. In this case, Luke Skywalker's hero's journey, or Anakin Skywalker's faulty hero's journey and redemption provide the basis for a tragic tale with a happy ending. Yet, in the latest movie we're to believe that Luke Skywalker's only significant accomplishment was to redeem his own father. He failed to restart the Jedi order and in his failure he create a new villain, Kylo Ren. What was the point of Luke Skywalker, the hero of my childhood myth then? He's dead now. What did he achieve? Sure, there are other force adepts, and I guess, with the books Rey has she will teach them to use the force. And there will be a new generation of rebels. But that is a NEW STORY just as I previously defined it. Why did Han Solo die? Why did Leia Organa Solo die? Why were they even included in these movies? To make an homage, a connection to the past? Τo draw in viewers invested in the Star Wars Universe? But with the simple actions and moves taken within these movies, you just lost these viewers. If these movies had been presented to me as "new stories" within the Star Wars cannon, in the same way that "Rogue One" was, then I would have seen them as such. But the rebellion never died after the return of Democracy in the galaxy. And now the rebellion is dead...; So that a new rebellion may arise. And all of it, all of the Jedi and all of the sacrifices and all the deaths and fights and pain, and finally all the redemption and triumph of Luke Skywalker WERE FOR NOTHING.

That is the only conclusion I can reach.

I want to like the new characters. I want to like Poe and Finn and Rose and Rey. I want to like their stories. But instead of reaching back and connecting their stories, they have been disconnected, send on an irredeemable quest to create from scratch that which already existed. Within the death of the Old Republic laid the seeds of the Rebellion in the snatching away of the two Skywalker children. Within the defeat of the Empire laid the seeds of the New Republic. Yet, again, all this history is wasted, thrown out and disposed of without the main participants. This is no longer George Lucas' Universe. This is some other "alternative" Star Wars. And in this universe, former stormtroopers can wield a light-saber and a band of a few people in hiding can take on the remnants of super-galactic military force led by an inadequate dark Jedi. As such, I give this universe to the next generation. It is not my Star Wars. It is not the universe I grew up with and loved and lived in, even vicariously. So to summarize, the franchise, for me at least, was ruined. Yes, new Star Wars stories are welcomed, but new stories that throw away the baby and the bathwater are not interesting to me. No, I am not going to go to JRR Tolkien's grandson and ask to reboot "The Lord of the Rings". The original story, the original framework is in effect still. Everything else is working within that framework to tell other stories. I would expect other writers to feel the same concerning their work. It is after all their work. So, in the interest of making a quick, extra buck, Disney and Lucasfilm sold the soul of Star Wars. And that soul has no room for me. So, I will take what you call "Legends" Expanded Universe and retreat into my corner of the Universe where the myth continues to live on.

Just one star out five for me....

1301. My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Book One

What can I say about this book that would not sound corny or extreme to either side of the graphic book reading public?

This book is a Graphic Novel.
This book is a Regular Novel (at almost 300 pages)!

Does it succeed in being a Graphic Novel?

Apparently, Emil Ferris, first and foremost is an artist, mainly a graphic artist. Yet, she in not an graphic book industry veteran. She has not worked for Marvel or DC Comics for years. So, in other words she's not a Comic Book artist. Yet, as a Graphic Novel, this book succeeds beyond expectations. In reality, it reinvents the Graphic Novel. Ms. Ferris, not being associated with the comic book industry has done something here that has never been done before. She writes a novel, turns it into a graphic novel and in so doing rewrites the tropes and manners of writing a graphic novel. Her pencils are incredible. She has a style that I have seen before, but I have never seen them done so well, with such humility, and such perfection. There are pages that buzz with so much detail it forces you to dive into the page. Literally run your eyes up and down every single pencil mark.

And the drawn characters sparkle with an authenticity, with an individuality and with a humanity all their own. I was astonished at the crispness of the looks of the main characters. I could read emotions and thoughts in their faces. Those faces have so much to tell. And what a telling it is!

But does this book work as a story, as a traditional Novel?

Beyond any one's wildest imagination. This is a complex story, mainly centered around young Karen Reyes and her notebook drawings of monsters as she investigates the death of a neighbor. Her story covers many events that took place in the 1960s, but also flashes back to 1930s Berlin, following the life story of the dead neighbor. Between those two places, Ms. Ferris weaves a surprising griping drama, that is part family drama, commentary on society, historical retrospective and a monster story.

There are monsters in all of us the story seems to say...but we fight to keep them at bay. For some of us though, the monsters are what propel us every day, hiding our true faces, or maybe, after consideration, revealing that the monster is our only face.

If you have never read a Graphic Novel in your life, this is the one to pick-up.
If you want to read a really good book, get this one.
And, if you want to take a peek at your own monsters, read this book.

I can't more highly recommended it than giving it a 5 star rating:

Bravo, Ms. Ferris. Bravo!

1300. Rocket Girl, "Times Squared", Volume 1

Going into this Graphic Novel I knew nothing about the artist or the writer. There was just something about a girl using a rocket pack to fly. As I got into the story, I found it to be an interesting Science Fiction themed story from a future that took a slight turn. So, this is NOT a comic book about a Superhero, but rather, it's a story about a 15-year old NYPD officer from the future. And there is Time Travel. This girl, teenager, cop knows what has made her future so wrong, so she decides to go back to 1980s NYC to fix it. And while there, she still tries to be a cop. Of course, that simply won't work... A teenage cop? No one can accept that in 1980s America. So, what is Dayoung Johansson, the heroine of this comic to do?

Read this book -- It has a price of only $9.99. It collects volumes 1-5 of the ongoing comic book series. I recommend it.

1227. Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton (Volume 1)

Decent story. But I got distracted by the two page, full panel sets. And sometimes I could not tell where to go next (as in, which panel).

Ah well, I enjoyed it and it was a quick read.

Three-and-a-half stars.

1226. Superman: War of the Supermen

Not a bad little Graphic Novel.

Enjoyed it.

Three and a half stars.

1225. JSA: Darkness Falls

This second chapter of the "Justice Society of America" return is OK, with some new characters entering the fray, but not as good as the previous volume.

Enjoyed it.

Three-and-a-half stars.

1224. JSA: Justice Be Done

So, for the return of the JSA, an excellent first chapter. What is the JSA you ask? It is the "Justice Society of America" or in more simple terms, the "Justice League's" little brother. You might not like the characters or heroes that serve on the JSA, but in many respects they are more interesting than Superman, Batman, etc.

So anyway, this TPB (trade paperback) collects the issues that re-introduced the JSA. And the story itself is pretty good.

Four stars.

1181. [LIMIT]

LIMIT is a German Science Fiction novel that clocks in at 1227 pages. Of these pages, I probably read 150 or so before I gave up.

I suspect that  LIMIT is a real good "story", but I just could not get into it.

I apologize to the author and everyone else attached to this book.

What was this about anyway?

This is all I'm willing to give it.