The Price of Loyalty: Serving Adela of Blois by Malve Von Hassell; An Era in Anddemar by Maureen B. Roberts; The Orphans of Absolution The Hollow Dark Chronicles by Remi A. Rodriguez Brignoni

The Price of Safety: Serving Adela of Blois by Malve Von Hassell 

This review is a summary. The entire review is on LitPick 

 The Price of Loyalty: Serving Adela of Blois is a sublime look at the early Medieval Era during the time of the Norman Conquest and the First Crusades. It is rich in character particularly in its two protagonists Princess Adela of Normandy and Countess of Blois and Cerdic of Wessex, a knight sworn to serve her.

The book sees her through her brothers’ rebellion, the Crusades, her marriage to Count Stephen-Henry of Blois, motherhood, and her family's legacy. It is also told from the perspective of Cedric of Wessex, a knight and childhood friend of Adela’s but has complicated feelings for her despite their marriages to other people.

The two become friends by sharing outsider status. Cerdic is removed from his home in Wessex and Adela subverts her family's expectations. Adela and Cerdic develop a bond of friendship that lasts through constant changes particularly when Adela's brother rebels against her father and Cerdic is trained to fight him.

Adulthood transforms their friendship into a platonic romance. Their relationship never becomes physical but it's clear that they are among the most important people in one another's lives. Even though they marry two decent characters the kind Stephen-Henry and the strong willed Gisella, they still retain their closeness.

The book goes out of its way to not only make Adela and Cerdic decent characters, but also their spouses as well. Because Von Hassell portrays Adela, Cerdic, and their spouses in decent lights, the marriages and Adela and Cerdic’s bond does not resort to love triangle tropes. Adela and Cerdic stay faithful to their spouses and don't give into their passions. 

In the struggle between the political and the personal, Adela and Cerdic choose the political. That doesn't mean that they don't love each other. It just means that their bond includes their spouses, children, homes, lands, positions, values, and self-respect.

An Era in Anddemar by Maureen B. Roberts 

This is a summary. The full review is on Reader Views 

Maureen B. Roberts’ An Era in Andemarr is the best kind of science fiction novel. The extensive world building, rich characters, and involved plot provide a dream-like almost immersive experience inside a new literary universe. 

The Greying is entering the Andemarr Galaxy. This strange combination of natural disaster and viral pandemic leaves nothing but dull gray indifference, suffering, and despair from anyone that comes in contact with it and will turn a once vibrant galaxy into a hollow empty shell and quite possibly spread to other galaxies. It's up to the dark knight Sir Jaide, the shapemage Jessiah, and a group of scientists that find themselves in this strange galaxy far far away from their home, to combat and fight against it. 

An Era in Andemarr is a feast for the eyes to read and the brain to create mental pictures. The Andemarr Galaxy itself is a masterclass in Science Fiction world building. The setting combines space opera with fairy land. The descriptions of various planets with different sky colors,the presence of several moons in the sky, glimmering lakes, plants present only in their worlds, and figures like sprites, melusines, and hippogriffs zipping in and out of the landscapes capture the imagination.

The Greying is set up not as a physical antagonist or a villain but as something that is both natural and psychological. It is similar to The Nothing in The Neverending Story, an abstract concept that destroys the universe because of its mere presence and stands as a metaphor for the issues that exist in fictional and real life.

Many of the characters are able to counter the Greying by their individuality, emotional connections, determination, and love for the world around them. Sir Jaide is extremely protective of his loved ones, particularly his lover Vidar Quain (Queen of Vidar) Starwing. They are the very definition of soulmates who love and respect each other. Starwing navigates the wide monarchical and political landscape, while Jaide goes on missions and operates one on one with those who are personally affected by The Greying.

Jessiah is a more scholarly academic contrast to Sir Jaide’s physically active approach. He is able to reveal an inner strength and endurance as he faces this intergalactic crisis and his growing powers that are augmented in this strange new environment.

An Era in Andemarr is the type of science fiction novel that invites the reader inside and makes them feel like they want to spend longer than an era there.

Orphans of Absolution (The Hollow Dark Chronicles) by Remi A. Rodriguez Brignoni 

Orphans of Absolution by Remi A. Rodriguez Brignoni deftly combines Westerns and Paranormal Horror to create a chilling graphic novel of the creatures that can be found in the Old West. 

Twins Francis and Randall O’Dowell are the sole survivors when Father Mercer, a violent minister, murdered their entire family. Now they wander the Southwest, particularly the Arizona Territory hunting demons and other supernatural creatures for a bounty. However, they are on the lookout for their real target, Father Mercer.

The book is a veritable tour into Southwestern myths, legends, and ghost stories. The twins encounter a town in which children have been captured by La Llorona, the notorious ghost that lures children to drowning deaths. The results of a town filled with missing children in a time where early death was all too frequent is heart wrenching and motivates Francis and Randall on their search. 

They also encounter shapeshifters that sometimes fool the twins by looking or sounding like people that they knew. There are various moments when the twins are out in the isolated desert where suddenly they might hear their deceased mother’s voice or catch the form of a former lover out of the corner of their eye. It is terrifying to imagine a creature that not only knows their entire history but is willing to use it as a weapon against them.

Even when characters are potentially benevolent, there is a dark sinister aura that hints that they might not be trustworthy. A mysterious man known only as Crow appears and disappears to give them solid hints and advice about their missions but also maliciously puts them in dangerous situations.

What also makes this book more ominous is the setting. This is set primarily in the desert regions where the landscape is the same for miles. Where the nearest help could be in the next town or county for all anyone knows. Where the mind often plays tricks on the unwary who are lulled into a false sense of sameness and security.Where a mysterious moving shadow could be an animal, a violent person, or something else entirely. Brignoni takes full advantage of the haunted Old West.

The creatures and settings aren’t the only things that are haunted. Randall and Francis are too. They only live for the hunt and have foregone any hopes of romance, family, or settling down while there are dark supernatural spirits out there. They both have histories of relationships that ended prematurely, something that their antagonists take full advantage of. They are also haunted by their family’s graphic death and wake up with memories of blood, bodies, and the minister's sinister presence.

Because of their status as nomadic orphans, all Randall and Francis have in the world are each other. If anything challenges that union, whether it's human or supernatural, that challenge is outright rejected. They have no lives beyond the hunt and each other. It’s an unhealthy codependent relationship that is at times possessive and controlling (though the jury is out over who is controlling whom). But Randall and Francis have a shared understanding, language, and destiny that only they can understand. They have seen death as children and now have to face it every day as adults.

Orphans of Absolution is a graphic chilling Horror Western that combines the barren landscape and the lone gunslingers of one genre with the nightmares and twists of another. This combination presents strange but effective absolute results.

The Promise of Love (The Promise of a Dragonblood Book 1) by Emmeline Lovel; Fantasy Romance Features Promising Female Lead and Questionable Plot Points

 

The Promise of Love (The Promise of a Dragonblood Book 1) by Emmeline Lovel; Fantasy Romance Features Promising Female Lead and Questionable Plot Points 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Emmeline Lovel’s Fantasy Romance, The Promise of Love, the first book in the Promise of a Dragonblood series reveals a character that has a lot of promise but has extremely questionable plot points.

In a world where people are judged by their magical abilities, Princess Mira is an outlier. One of three sisters, she is magically resistant. She can telepathically communicate with dragons but she keeps that a secret from everyone around her. She is the victim of bullying, threats, and condescending attitudes. She has a chance meeting with a stranger who is revealed to be Walderon, prince of a neighboring kingdom and the two develop an attraction which is hampered by Walderon’s arrangement with Mira’s sister. There is also a conspiracy unfolding within the kingdoms and Mira finds that she, her friends, family, and way of life are in danger.

Mira is a heroine surrounded by people who can do fantastic things. That makes her feel out of place and bland compared to others. She often uses attributes like observation, intelligence, courage, and resilience that most take for granted. It could be a story about someone discovering her actual talents and strengths could be her power and that she doesn't need magic to be a hero. 

However this theme is not as cut and dry as it should be. She has two attributes that set her apart from others. One is that she is magically resistant. She is unable to use magic but she is also unable to receive magic. Ironically, this makes her invincible from magical attacks, a gift that is eventually used to a benefit but takes some time for others to recognize it.

One can look at Mira’s magical resilience as a metaphor for disabilities but only up to a point. Her family tries to keep her in hiding so she doesn't get hurt. Her peers and sometimes relatives mock and disregard her. Some think that she can be cured. She even becomes swayed by a manipulator who uses her uniqueness to their advantage. These are all things that people with disabilities have to endure.

But this theme is muted by one simple glaring fact. Mira actually has a magical ability but is unwilling to share it with others. Her telepathic communications with dragons show strong mental and emotional connections and animal communications. She explains why she doesn't share her talent but it is not explained clearly enough and makes the rest of the book ring hollow.

Perhaps one of the issues that I have is that her telepathic abilities seem to be ongoing. She didn't just discover them. There is no sudden hearing of the voices, being shown her new abilities or learning the advantages and limitations. Her unwillingness to share them could be depicted as her just learning about them. She's new at this and isn't certain whether she is crazy or not. Her secret keeping could be reframed out of uncertainty and self-preservation.

Instead, Mira has had them for a long time, for years in fact. Hiding and never mentioning them especially when there are times that it could help her family make her seem like an idiot at best and selfish at worst. 

There are also other issues. She is in a love triangle with Walderon and her sister which gets over-explained and repetitive. The manipulative character is so obvious from the word go that their betrayal leads to sighs and eye rolls rather than opened agape mouths and wide eyed surprised expressions.

For a Fantasy novel, this needs more than just promise to make it dearly loved.

Diamond Mask (The Galactic Milieu Trilogy Book 3) by Julian May; Sequel Ramps Up Hydra Attacks and Female Characterization

Diamond Mask (The Galactic Milieu Trilogy Book 3) by Julian May; Sequel Ramps Up Hydra Attacks and Female Characterization 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: When we last left the Remillard Family, in Jack The Bodiless, the family was under attack by a sinister being called Fury and Fury’s aide Hydra. They were created during the death of patriarch Victor who tried to control the united metaconcert of the highly metapsychic family. Because of this, they know that Fury and Hydra are Remillard Family members who might not know the violent sadistic creatures exist within their psyche. After several murders and attempts, Hydra is identified but goes into hiding. Fury however remains an enigma. 

Meanwhile, Teresa Kendall-Remillard learns that she is pregnant with her fifth child despite strict laws from the Galactic Milieu to control the amount of authorized metapsychic births. Psychic impressions and mental communication occurs even within the womb suggesting that the little one will be highly powerful indeed. Jon, AKA Jack Remillard is born and is highly psychic and intelligent. As a toddler, he suffers a cancer that metastasizes and devours his entire body leaving only a disembodied brain. He is able to create a body image surrounding his brain so he can live a seemingly normal life.

Diamond Mask, the next volume in The Galactic Milieu Series, begins ten years after the ending of Jack The Bodiless. Jack is now a child prodigy and attends classes and experiments with his college age brother Marc. He is destined for a high position in the Milieu. Things seem to be quiet on the Fury-Hydra front for a while. Note I said for a while.

Fury reappears to his eager sadistic subordinate. Hydra is ordered to resume their attacks. This time they attack the mother, uncle, and aunt of Dorothea McDonald, a Scottish girl who is an adept metapsychic and healer. After the murders, Dorothea and the rest of her family go into hiding on another planet, Caledonia and she tries to suppress her abilities. But over the years, she can't ignore them nor can she ignore the mental communication with a certain bodiless lad from Earth.

Diamond Mask is a worthy continuation in the series. The biggest standouts are the terrifying presence of Hydra and the multilayered presence of Dorothea McDonald.

In the previous volume, The Family learned that Hydra was actually five of the Remillard cousins sharing a hive mind. They were sadistic, immature, and their mental communications with Fury were darkly comical. However there wasn't much distinction between them. 

This volume is where we really get a sense of their depravity and sadism. They come into their own as individuals with one as the brains and leader, another is charismatic and charming, another is lustful and active, another is innovative and tech oriented, and another is muscular and silent. 

Along with their individuality, their own personal desires come forward. They aren't just hurting people because Fury ordered them to. They have their own independent reasons, ambitious goals, and unsatisfied hunger compelling them to act. This suggests that they learned from the master, Fury, and soon Fury won't be able to control the monsters that they created.

The Remillards are still a presence and have their conflicts. Many question their allegiances like Anne’s loyalty to the Galactic Milieu and Unity and Adrien and Severin’s support for Rebellion. Marc weighs his own beliefs while preparing his own questionable potentially destructive project.

This volume introduces Dorothea McDonald, the future love interest of Jack Remillard. They don't meet face to face until towards the end and their union is tepid so this gives us a chance to get to know Dorothea on her own terms rather than created to just be a girlfriend and nothing more.

In the previous book, we were told that interstellar travel is a routine thing. We see a few short travels to other worlds including where Uncle Rogi Remillard visits a completely frozen planet and is given an important assignment. But Diamond Mask is the first one where intergalactic travel is a primary focus.

One of the interesting aspects of many of the planets is the cultural presence of Earthlings. Many of the Earth’s citizens took to the stars and brought their cultures with them. So there are references to planets with Japanese, Irish, Inuit, Nigerian and other diverse themes. 

Dorothea’s family lives on Caledonia, a planet colonized by Scottish Earthlings. The McDonalds live in a world of castles, rich farmland, tartans, and family clans. It makes sense that people exploring unfamiliar terrain would want to take something familiar with them and recreate their own history and traditions.

Dorothea's story compared to Jack’s shows that people faced with similar issues can react differently to them. Their metapsychic abilities manifest early, are highly intelligent prodigies, and come from influential academic powerful families. But their personal experiences are quite different.

Jack is unable to hide his abilities because of his family and his illness, so he doesn't. In fact he dramatizes it. He is amused when students wonder what a prepubescent kid is doing on a college campus and even adult academics seek his advice. 

Jack's abilities and intelligence makes him seem remote and far off from other students so he has very few friends his own age. He is great at forging alliances and allyship but is a cypher when it comes to close emotional connections. This explains why he persists on mentally communicating with Dorothea despite her objections. He found someone who is on his intellectual and metaphysical level.

While Jack uses his abilities, Dorothea does not. As a child she compares her various powers as boxes on a shelf. When she has no choice but to use them, she only opens one box i.e. uses one power and only in extreme circumstances. 

Dorothea resents her family’s studies on psychic abilities so she suppresses her powers.She tries as hard as she can to act like a normal kid and withdraws into herself. 

Dorothea puts on a metaphorical mask to hide her capabilities. The events of the book from her family's murders to a natural planetary disaster leaves her scarred but brings out much of her strength, resilience, and abilities. Once she puts on a literal mask decorated with diamond studs, she no longer hides.

She pushes herself forward and stands out accepting her power and leadership. Dorothea's presence ultimately shines like the diamonds that Jack compares her to, hidden, priceless, powerful, beautiful, and strong. Jack and Dorothea are a couple who ultimately shine brightly together and apart.

 

Jack The Bodiless (Galactic Milieu Series Book 2) by Julian May; The Return of an Old Friend

 Jack The Bodiless (Galactic Milieu Series Book 2) by Julian May; The Return of an Old Friend

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: It's an interesting experience to reread a book after many years. In 1997, I read Julian May’s The Galactic Milieu Series. I was new to reading Science Fiction, mostly limited to Ray Bradbury's works. I was curious about this series about The Remillards, a telepathic family, or metapsychic family to use the book's terminology. It left such a large impression on me that Science Fiction became one of my favorite genres to read.

Almost 30 years later, I wondered after almost three decades of reading speculative fiction if The Galactic Milieu Series still holds up. I am glad to report that as far as the second volume in the series and the first that I read, Jack The Bodiless is concerned, it not only held up, it actually improved with age.

The most prominent and influential family is The Remillard Family whose members are highly metapsychic.When patriarch Victor dies, The Remillards receive mental impressions of two monsters, Fury and Hydra who commit a series of murders over the years leaving the family vulnerable. Meanwhile, Paul and Teresa Kendall-Remillard are expecting their fifth child, Jon or Jack, who is genius, self-aware, and could potentially be the most powerful psychic in the family even as an infant.

The Earth that May envisioned has some interesting touches that are both imaginative and thought provoking. When I previously read it, the future was far away and remote. Now that it’s here, the parallels can’t be missed. 

The setting of this book is over 100 years after a time called The Great Intervention (detailed in the first book in the series, Intervention unread by me.). Various alien races made contact with Earth inviting them to join the Galactic Milieu, sort of an intergalactic United Nations. Earthlings received many perks because of this union including long life spans, rejuvenated youth, mental telepathy, other metapsychic abilities, and the ability to travel to the stars. It is an amazing world that May built in which the human mind is invited into a higher consciousness that explores unlimited potential beyond our little blue dot in the vast universe.

However as readers of Science Fiction all know, there is always a catch to what seems to be a great offer and in the case of the Milieu, that catch is Unity. The Milieu wants Earth’s residents to join their minds and consciousness with the other species as a hive mind. Many are on board with this concept, and those who are supportive are granted higher positions in society. 

However, there are plenty of humans who rebelled against the concept like Rogatien “Rogi” Remillard, the cynical and deadpan narrator of the book. Rebels are concerned about the death of individuality, privacy, and human frailties.

 It is a conflict that carries over throughout the series. It’s also open-ended and invites readers to weigh their own opinions about the cost of vast knowledge and power vs. a life of mental subservience and conformity.

While Earth hasn’t exactly made contact with alien species and psychic abilities are still more theoretical than real, many of the issues that are discussed in this series are still very relevant. In this era of vast technology, social media, surveillance, censorship, and instantaneous connections we humans are made painfully aware of what is at stake.

We are surrounded by conflicts about privacy, the pursuit of vast knowledge, the price of conformity, and the desire to be individuals. May recognized these concerns in the 90’s and inserted them into her imaginary world. Now we are weighing that for ourselves. 

As detailed as May’s futuristic world is, her characters are just as well written. None more so than the large Remillard Family. They are like a fictional futuristic psychic version of the Kennedys, a family that is rich in wealth, power, influence, charisma, and inner turmoil. 

They are enthralling as a family unit and as individuals. They have some great struggles and conflicts that are pulled out of soap opera just as they are out of science fiction. Conflicts like infidelity, divorce, differing viewpoints, child abuse, illness, mental disorders are just as important as the wider conflicts with the Galactic Milieu. The Remillards are a very realistic family that lives in a fanciful universe.

Brothers Marc and Jack Remillards are a pair of stand outs in this intriguing family. Marc is an adolescent who at times acts more mature than his lecherous father and emotional mother. He shares a special bond with Jack even before Jack is born where they communicate telepathically. He also receives visions and mental impressions suggesting that his fate is much larger than he thought.

Jack too is also a brilliant character. He thinks complex thoughts inside the womb. Even after he is born, and suffers tremendous physical pain, his brain is still highly active. His brain practically ascends to a higher plane of existence that doesn’t need to be contained by a corporeal body. The overall impression is a small child who is highly intelligent, otherworldly, and somewhat disconcerting in his otherworldliness.

Surrounding this family are Fury and Hydra terrifying creatures that destroy their victims from within. It is a strange union in which Fury is clearly the dominant leader and Hydra the excitable follower. They conspire to destroy the Remillards from within.

They are like things from nightmares and feed off Remillard Family’s pain, insecurities, fears, and anger. They are unleashed in violent confrontations that are chilling and disturbing.

Jack the Bodiless is highly recommended for readers of science fiction, particularly those who are interested in reading about psychic powers, intergalactic space travel, dysfunctional families, rebellions, utopias, and the potential of expanded human potential, knowledge, and consciousness.