New Book Alert: Zodiac States by William Stalker; Brilliant Satire Pokes Fun at Politics, Socioeconomic Interdependence, and the Zodiac

New Book Alert: Zodiac States by William Stalker; Brilliant Satire Pokes Fun at Politics, Socioeconomic Interdependence, and the Zodiac

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




Before I begin this review, I wish to express my condolences to the victims of the shootings in Gilroy, El Paso, and Dayton. No matter the affiliation, violence is never an answer. Neither is hatred, racism, and prejudice. May we find a way to see beyond hatred and look upon each other with respect, love, understanding, equality, and acceptance.

Spoilers: People who follow astrology and the signs of the Zodiac often study the characters of the various signs and the people born under them. Many can't help but notice that people born under certain signs share many personality traits and interests. They often attract certain kinds of people, work in certain jobs, and act in certain ways towards their parents and children. There are many books and memorabilia made about this concept.

Of course not everyone fits neatly in a category and there are always exceptions. So matching a Zodiac sign to a personality is not always accurate, but it is a fun past time as long as it Isn't taken too seriously.

The theme of matching something as complex as the human personality with something as arbitrary as a sign of the Zodiac is found in William Stalker's clever satire Zodiac States. Zodiac States satirizes several things like personality tests, human classification, segregation, gun use, corporate greed, feminism, toxic masculinity, religion, and just about everything else in between. No concept is safe from Stalker's biting wit.

Zodiac States begins the way many satires in the past such as Gulliver's Travels, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, or Brave New World, begins with an outsider looking inside a bizarre world. College student, Jack Rivers and his friend, Budd “Fort” Knox, a former Navy Seal, are on a mission to find Jack's girlfriend, Sylvia Darling and Sylvia's mother, Jean. Along the way, they meet Reverend Adam Gaines who is concerned that his parishioner, Jean, has fallen in a bad way.

The trio find themselves at the foot of the strange Universe Island where the Darlings were last seen. The Universe Island is separated into twelve states, the Zodiac States. Travelers can move from state to state along the Zodiac Road, but only people who were born under that specific astrological sign can live in their corresponding state and yes visitors have to bring records to show when they were born.

Like Jonathan Swift did with his Lilliputians, Brobingdangians, Laputans, Yahoos, and Houyinems, the Zodiac States stand in for different microcosms of modern society and are set up to satirize specific aspects. The Zodiac States are as follows (in order of their appearance in the book):

Leo-The bankers of the Zodiac States. All of its residents are wealthy money managers, and are in charge of the financial welfare of the other states. Many of the residents are arrogant Yuppies who try to outdo one another in cutthroat schemes to obtain more wealth. Their currency, solars, are used throughout the states and stored in Leo's banking system.

Cancer-The armory of the Zodiac States. It's like the Wild West because all of the resident sell, buy, and carry guns. Many of the residents are bad tempered and prone to violence. A gunfight is nearly always guaranteed to break out. The Cancerians also provide arms and weapons for the other states.

Virgo-The health care center of the Zodiac States. It is a matriarchal society in which women are the main leaders and decision makers. It has the best equipped hospital and the latest medical research, staffed and maintained entirely by women. Men born in Virgo have three choices: leave Virgo, remain in the Stadium where they can practice sports and play video games to their heart's content (a giant man cave), or remain with the women but be castrated.

Libra-The Intellectuals of the Zodiac States. The Librans live in a quasi-socialist city-state which is ruled by 15 representatives called Philosopher Kings. Money is dispersed evenly and education and health care are free. Libra trades alcoholic beverages (which are grown there in wineries and breweries) to the other states for services.

Scorpio-The astronomers of the States and among the strangest of the twelve. The Scorpions believe that they are descendants of aliens that arrived from a spaceship that crashed. The architecture is designed in a futuristic style. The residents study the stars awaiting the day when their alien forebears will return to take them to their home planet.

Sagittarius- The soldiers and celebrities of the Zodiac States. This one is a feudalistic style society. The Sagittarians are arranged by Nobles-Kings, queens, Lords, and ladies, townspeople-merchants and tradespeople, and serfs. Because of the rigorous training and chivalric nature, many of the Zodiac State's best soldiers are from there and are used in the other states for battles. Also, the elite nobles of Sagittarius set the trends in fame, fashion, and style for the others.

Capricorn-These residents live as hunters and gatherers. The Capricorns live in Native American-style tribes and remain close to nature, living close to the animals and plants. They also give unprocessed ore like gold and silver to the other states in exchange for solars.

Gemini -The communicators of the States. Everything runs in twos in this state and twins have special privileges. The residents are made up of two distinct societies, the Pubs and Crates who can’t agree on anything, so both sides rely on a supercomputer to feed them information. The supercomputer offers ludicrous suggestions like “kill all lawyers.” The Gemini provide information to the other states.

Aquarius- This chapter is my favorite because Aquarius is my birth sign. The Aquarians are psychedelic hippies perpetually stuck in the ‘60’s. (What did you expect for the “Age of Aquarius”?) The residents exchange drugs, listen to rock music, and live independent artistic lives. They trade drugs and crafts to other states for goods and services.

Aries-The businesspeople of the States. Aries is run like a corporation and is ruled by a CEO. Everybody in Aries drills, pumps, and sells oil to the other states. The residents live in houses, learn in schools, and worship in cathedrals owned by the CEO.

Pisces-The most spiritual of the States. It is like a New Age religious commune. The Pisceans meditate to the universe and believe that they have psychic abilities that are bestowed upon them by their ancestors. While they are spiritually centered, they are ineffective in battle (relying on stronger states for defense). However, the Pisces’ land contains many rich minerals and resources, such as oil, they offer to the other states.

Taurus-The warriors of the States. The Taureans are trained fighters and avid athletes. They are raised with the strictest discipline and fight against adversaries. They are often called to defend other states in times of great trouble.

The Zodiac States’ residents believe that theirs is the most important state and are either active rivals with or insult the members of other states with jokes and stereotypes. (“If you ask a Sagittarius what's new, they won't tell you,” jokes a Capricorn.) They are unaware that they live in an interdependent society in which each state needs the goods and services that the others provide. Tensions outside and within some of the states (such as Gemini’s fighting factions and the Leo families vying against each other) are boiling at the surface just waiting to explode and explode they do.


The characterization is not particularly strong in Zodiac States. The visitors are mostly tourists to act either appalled or seduced by how the different states operate. Some even find love interests that dwell in the Zodiac States.

There's a sinister character called Killer Joe who creates dissension in Cancer which is then spread to the other states putting them at war for……reasons. Though tension is so high among the twelve states, they don't need an outside instigator to entice them to do what they would eventually do on their own.

Of course the residents of the Zodiac States are all stereotypes, but that's who they are supposed to be. They live and exist within their own sign only acting as the people born under that sign are supposed to act with those assigned personality traits.

It's interesting that I am reading this book the same time that I am reading Unbalanced by Courtney Shepard, in which four women harness the power of the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. They also behave according to the traits that are associated with that element. In both Unbalanced and Zodiac States, the characters are weakened by their acceptance of only that sign or that element. It is only when they work together and realize that they are connected to each other, that they become stronger.

In Zodiac States that moment follows much violence, destruction, and infighting. The residents of the States finally recognize that connection and interdependence and accept each other as beings that contain more than just traits associated with the sign of their birth.

Zodiac States is a winning commentary about modern society and how many countries and people look down on and yet depend on each other for survival. It also shows that prejudices are found when people set themselves higher to the point that they look upon others as subhuman.

Once they remove the humanity from a rival or an enemy, it becomes easier to fight them. This book is a must-read comparison to our modern society when racism and violence are so prominent and how violence is often created when certain types of groups are thought of as stereotypical enemies.
When the humanity is removed, it becomes easier to do horrible things. When we start accepting and understanding others and realize how connected we truly are, then real healing and change can begin.

New Author/Book Alert: World Shaken: Guardians of the Zodiac by J.J. Excelsior; First Book Looks To Be The Start of A Great Series

New Author/Book Alert: World Shaken: Guardians of the Zodiac by J.J. Excelsior; First Book Looks To Be The Start of A Great Series

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




One of the perks that I have in being a freelance Editor/Proofreader/Review is being there when a new book or author is discovered. It is amazing being at the forefront of the creation of something that hopefully will be read and loved by many. I had that feeling with Jordan Frost’s The Midori Chronicles. I have that again reading World Shaken: Guardians of the Zodiac by J.J. Excelsior. This has the potential to become a great graphic novel or animated series and it would be thrilling if it did. This book is a beautifully illustrated and intrinsically plotted story which seems partly a tribute to the old pulp novels of the Golden Age of Science Fiction and partly has the strong characterization of post-modern science fiction.




Something weird is happening to the various planets and bodies in our solar system of the Milky Way Galaxy. Each area seems to be in the grip of some disaster whether by natural, biological, or psychological means and no one knows what's going on. The seas of the water planet, Neptune have become polluted with oil and are deadly. Even though Pluto has an artificial sun for warmth, its temperatures are plummeting below freezing. Volcanoes are erupting and ash is raining down on Mercury. The Sun is diminishing. The residents of the Moon are in civil war. A plague is affecting Jupiter's citizens. The rings of Saturn are missing and the people are succumbing to insanity. There are floods on Mars, earthquakes on Venus, and twisters on Uranus. (There is no mention of how Earth is affected. It may not be a part of this book or Earth’s status may be saved for a later book.) It's not a pretty sight.




Each celestial body is guarded by an immortal being who is not only that world’s guardian but represents their sign of the Zodiac. Excelsior clearly did her homework. In astrological lore, each sign corresponds with a different celestial body and she shows those connections that the characters have with their worlds. (Of course scientifically nobody could exist in these worlds but that's what science fiction is for: to imagine the impossible.) The guardians are: Mika, the Highest Leo who rules the Sun, Azare, the Highest Virgo and Tormod, the Highest Gemini who rule Mercury, Atalanta, the Highest Taurus and Nefsunsi the Highest Libra who rule the land and sky respectively on Venus, Serenity, the Highest Cancer who is in charge of the Moon, Santrista, the Highest Aries who heads Mars, Advilion, the Highest Sagittarius who is the leader of Jupiter, Saturn, the Highest Capricorn who heads (naturally) Saturn, Namur the Highest Aquarius who becomes the leader of Uranus in place of the former Highest Aquarius, Gia, Xenobia, the Highest Pisces who leads Neptune, and Magnocer, the Highest Scorpio who has control of Pluto.




While their worlds are afflicted with problems, the Guardians meet and try to find the solutions and to find out what is wrong with them. The biggest problems however are not outside their worlds. The biggest problems are within the Guardians themselves. Even though they are a strong-willed powerful bunch who are clearly worried about their individual worlds and their people (of course showing it in various degrees), they don't get along with each other. Most meetings usually end in a physical, verbal, or magical smack-down between two or more Guardians. No wonder Namur calls them out later by declaring that they can't talk to each other without arguing, let alone find solutions to save their worlds.




We, the Readers, learn the cause of the problems and it's the Guardians themselves or so it seems. Celeste, a Goddess-like being who rules over the Guardians created these disasters. In a Job-like fashion, she hopes that the troubles would bring the Milky Way Guardians together to put their egos aside and unite to protect their worlds. No such luck. Not only do the Guardians have to struggle with each other, but Celeste also has to deal with the Man of Fire, another God-like being who has his own posse of astrological guardians that he wants to put in the Milky Way Guardian's places.




Excelsior is a brilliant new voice in the world of science fiction. Both her words and her illustrations show this. The book’s illustrations are detailed in a black and white graphic style. She draws various action oriented beings in dramatic poses such as Xenobia struggling to protect her people in Neptune's pollution infested waters. Another gripping illustration shows an irate and suspicious Santrista attacking Namur after she discovers Gia, the former Highest Aquarius, is missing.

The heroes pictured are thankfully not all white males. Excelsior portrays the Guardians as various ethnicities, sexualities, and races. She also shows many strong female characters in active roles fighting enemies and defending their home worlds as do the male characters. If this series ever does take off, it will be a boon for fans of all genders, races, and sexualities to find characters to identify with.




Excelsior's illustrations show heroic figures doing brave things like characters from those old pulp novels who wake up thinking of nothing but their next adventure and how to save their worlds. However, the dichotomy between what the characters look like and who they are is very different. Instead of God and Goddess-like too- good-to-be-true Heroes and Heroines, Excelsior's writing shows that these are characters with hang-ups, insecurities, and egos of their own.




Excelsior shows that she knows a lot about the astrological signs by featuring characters that behave according to the personality traits that correspond with their sign. This makes for a fascinating multi-faceted bunch but a group that can easily turn on each other and one that will take a miracle to function as a team. When you have a quick-tempered and impulsive Aries like Santrista, a sociable but vain Libra like Nefsunsi, the logical but modest Virgo, Azare, and the fatalistic manipulative Capricorn, Saturn, among others, it's no wonder that these characters don't get along.




By far the two best Guardians are Xenobia and Namur. As the Highest Pisces, Xenobia is very intuitive and compassionate towards her people. She clearly longs to protect them and heal the waters to her beloved planet. However, she can also see the bigger picture of the suffering other worlds and begins the process of bringing the 12 Guardians together. She is willing to challenge the others’ isolationism to form a real team.




While Xenobia illustrates the best behavior in an experienced Guardian, Namur illustrates the struggles of a newly made Guardian. His former mistress, Gia died and he is left with the struggles of a planet ravaged by twisters and filled with terrified people (including his precocious younger sister), the grief of losing his mentor, lover, and childhood friend, and deciding to join a group whose members can't stand each other. While Gia showed her Aquarian streak by becoming so concerned on a humanitarian level for her people that she was driven to despair, Namur also reflects the character of Aquarius. He is an outsider from the Guardians because his newly named status and shows his independent and rebellious nature by refusing to join the team.




The book is very open-ended as the characters take virtual and psychic journeys to each other's worlds to get a close look at the disasters. It leaves the Reader excited for more as does the introductions of Man of Fire’s Guardians who are more interchangeable and not nearly defined as the Milky Way Guardians. It doesn't help that all their first names start with “Z”. (The only one we get to know somewhat is Zahina, an Aquarius who bonds with Namur's sister, Aurora and befriends Namur.)




These plot angles of the virtual psychic trips into the worlds and the arrival of the other Guardians provide the book’s climax and leaves the Reader waiting impatiently for the next interplanetary journey. If the first book is any indication, it should be a brilliant and exciting one indeed.