Redemption The Last Order by Anirudh Vaishya; A Broken Reflection by Shelly M. Patel

 

Redemption: The Last Order by Anirudh Vaishya 

Redemption: The Last Order is a screenplay that is both cerebral and thrilling. It is equally a mental challenge and adrenaline rush. It would be interesting to see how it resonates as a film for moviegoers who like action military movies and those who like psychological and political thrillers. 

On his first mission PFC John Brandt is the only survivor in a strategic fiasco that ended with the deaths of his crew, a base destroyed in a nuclear standoff, and injuries that put him in a coma for five years. When he awakens, he is informed that he was in a simulation and the memory was one of his lieutenant’s. He’s awake but the rest of his team are still in their comas and his CO has died. His superiors are very interested in how he broke from the simulation and woke up as though his brain is somehow immune to the computer interface that his teammates are still in. Meanwhile, his journalist girlfriend, Amanda, is missing while covering a high profile story in China and war between the US and North Korea seems inevitable because of interference from Su Hyang, a former US ally/informer turned traitor. Weapons threaten to rain down on both sides and one location hits a bit too close to home for Brandt, literally. 

This is a very effective Thriller. The opening is tense as Brandt is faced in a worst case scenario that is meant to have no positive resolution. Every decision is calculated for him to lose which puts him out of his element. It’s an overwhelming and traumatizing experience that plays on many of the fears and anxieties of being in a warzone and knowing that every decision that one makes could be their last. 

That this is a simulation offers no comfort. In a way, it is very similar to The Manchurian Candidate or other films that play on the plan of brainwashing military personnel. They study the fears and anxieties and don’t have any considerations about what it might do to the participants. It is a microcosm of the concept of war itself in which people in the higher echelons send those in the lower to fight and die, testing their resolve, physical endurance, intellect, adaptability, strategy, and survival instincts. They send them to die and consider the results either unfortunate mistakes, acceptable losses, or satisfactory when more on the other side are killed.

Brandt’s relationship with other characters flesh out his personality. While there are many characters such as his mother, friends, and colleagues who awaken Brandt’s protective nature, there are two in particular that serve as counterpoints to Brandt’s journey. The first is Amanda. Sometimes romances are a distraction or an unnecessary subplot in the genre but in this specific case and context it works. 

Amanda is just as dedicated to her journalism career as Brandt is to his military career. Their encounters are not a passionate romance between lovers but a partnership of equals who use their different talents to report the truth and protect the people doing so. Their relationship is a realistic coupling of people in high risk stressful situations. They gravitate towards each other as an emotional release so when things are settled, they have a hard time functioning with the day to day dilemmas and conflicts like where are they going to live or what their future plans are. 

The other emotional counterpoint is Brandt’s father, Charles. He seems like a quiet unassuming guy but we later learn that he is more involved than he lets on. In an extended flashback, one of the highlights of the script, we learn Charles’ backstory and his close connection to the current events. We see him as a young inexperienced brilliant student and his allyship with another character. We also see how these past decisions shaped his son’s future and those of other key players. The tragedy is human error caused this situation. Things were done and said at the wrong time,place, and circumstances. Decisions were made that only peripherally involved the lead characters but led to distrust, suspicion, and a lifetime of rage, despair, revenge, and compliance. 

Redemption: The Last Order is the kind of screenplay that keeps you at the edge of your seat but makes you think about what you just observed. It says a lot about patriotism, free will, mind control, domination, propaganda, and what it really means to fight, die, and live for your country.

A Broken Reflection by Shelly M. Patel 

This is a shorter adaptation of this review, the full review can be seen on LitPick. 

A Broken Reflection presents an absorbing investigation with multiple viewpoints and leads but ends with a resolution that is disappointing, overdone, and does very little to make this variation unique or stand out from others.

Claire and Stephen seem to have an idyllic affluent married suburban life but it's all surface. There are cracks in their home life that are becoming more evident. Stephen has had many extramarital affairs and Claire is being seen by many colleagues and acquaintances as unstable and temperamental. Stephen’s infidelities and Claire's characteristics become more evident when a woman known to the couple has been found murdered. Claire is seen as a primary suspect especially when it turns out that the deceased woman was Stephen’s mistress. As bodies pile up, evidence gathers, and Claire and Stephen become more suspicious towards each other, Claire conducts her own investigation to clear her name. Meanwhile a very devious pair observe the events with their own agendas. Jessica has a dangerous fixation for Stephen and Cole is stalking the object of his affection: Claire.

There are some engaging bits, particularly as the characters are introduced and the investigation consumes them. Since the book is told from multiple viewpoints starting with Claire's, we already see the imperfections but not outright. Our sympathies move back and forth between Claire and Stephen depicting one another as abuser and victim, innocent and guilty. This causes the Reader discomfort and suspicion as we search for the real answers.

We peer into the points of view from various characters and we experience quite a few obsessions and potential motives. No one in this book comes off particularly well or likable. When the murders occur, it's not necessarily a question of whodunnit and is more who wouldn't do it?

By far the two most intriguing characters are Jessica and Cole. It says something in a cast of unstable dangerous people, that these two are the worst. Jessica is conniving and manipulative in her approach while Cole is more immature, having an almost adolescent crush on Claire. They take different pursuits towards the objects of their affections. These two are not a mentally well duo.

Unfortunately as interesting as the investigation is, the resolution is every bit as disappointing. Because of spoilers, it won't be revealed but let's just say that it's a cliche that is often found in soap operas and Psychological Thriller.There is a final twist that salvages the reveal somewhat, but it undermines what had been revealed so far and could have done with it. 

The ending of A Broken Reflection shatters what would have been a clear image of a good suspense novel into pieces.

Innocents, Immortals, and Amoral Gods (The Emergent Designs Book 1) by Harry Dehrian; Wide Reaching Immersive Science Fiction Novel Excels in Character and World Building

 

Innocents, Immortals, and Amoral Gods (The Emergent Designs Book 1) by Harry Dehrian; Wide Reaching Immersive Science Fiction Novel Excels in Character and World Building 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Among my favorite Science Fiction and Fantasy novels are the ones that don't involve Earth or characters from our world. I enjoy them because the authors have to work twice as hard to create them. They have to be aware of this new world, the names, the topography, the political landscape, the society, and the species and people that inhabit it. That imagination increases tenfold when writing Science Fiction, because often the author doesn't settle on creating one world, they have to create several as characters hop from planet to planet introducing Readers to these brave new worlds. That's where Innocents, Immortals, and Amoral Gods, the first book in Harry Dehrian’s Emergent Designs comes in.

Innocents, Immortals, and Amoral Gods is an epic Science Fiction novel that created a wide-ranging immersive world. 

Trouble is afoot in the Amestra Nuvo planetary system in the Styx Galaxy. The mutilated body of a member of the Elite has been found, possibly eaten by a leviathan. The opportunistic megalomaniacal Governor Jaas has designs on expanding his control beyond his planet of Mosaar. Meanwhile visions of an entity plague the various mortal inhabitants of the Amestra Nuvo System. It becomes clear that a great cycle is about to end and a new one is waiting to reset.

This is a Science Fiction novel that carries many plots and characters to draw the Reader into this world. The subplots are numerous as various characters are affected by the changes in their system. 

The Styx Galaxy is rich in character and detail. We are shown technology like Qu-ducts which allow faster than light travel. There are skinsuits, body suits that hold to the skin and appear as a full body. The technology is worked on by mekanoots, automatic mechanics. There is a lot of specfific terminology and even a glossary to describe these terms. 

The planets have unusual characteristics like one where the sun rises and sets in the same direction. Then there is a planet of mostly water which is inhabited by blood thirsty leviathans who would probably hang out with Cthulhu. 

By far the strangest beings are the Daune Reesh. They are the Most Elite of the Elites, wealthy, powerful and are often at the ear of politicians and royalty. They are able to manipulate and move situations into their favor. They are also immortal and are rumored to have certain powers. They bring overwhelming awe and hostile suspicion towards others because of their immense power but dubious motives.

Because of this vastness in setting and character, more than one character is given a point of view. The narrative is divided by six main characters. They are:

Vierdaat AKA X Dev-He is a cynical recently promoted Giest, law enforcement officer with questionable ethics but dogged perseverance. Dev’s assignment is to investigate a series of graphic murders which he hopes will lead him to a dangerous psychopathic criminal. 

Razia-She is an idealistic adventurous member of the Liberation Crusade, a military organization that protects various planets and species from captivity. As she becomes involved in violent struggles and corrupt politics, she finds her previously firmly held values threatened. 

Lord Baelin-He is an elite and trusted advisor to Queen Meiral. He is on a diplomatic mission between sympathetic worlds as well as looking after the Queen’s children. His endurance and confidence in his place in the universe end up in jeopardy as he challenges the motives of those around him.

Princess Disa Ecrit M’Rota-She is Queen Meirel’s bookish and studious daughter. The young princess is assigned to do a series of taxing physical and academic challenges that test her skills and abilities. She discovers an inner strength and wisdom she never previously knew.

Princess Nora Ecrit M’Rota-She is Disa’s arrogant feisty sister and Meirel's older daughter. She is aware of her future as queen. Like Disa, she too participates in the series of tests and has to learn some things about real leadership and personal responsibility.

Prince Vikaron Ecrit M'Rota-He is Queen Meirel's brilliant ambitious son and Nora and Disa's brother. He longs to prove himself as a future king to his mother. He investigates a mass genocide that puts him directly in the path of Governor Jaas and places targets on his and his family's backs.

The main characters provide a rich tapestry of the Amestra Nuvo System and Styx Galaxy with their interactions with the various settings and other characters.The Reader becomes invested in each character’s personal journey and their involvement within the larger picture around them.

Dev has a strange symbiotic relationship with his false-bod, a mechanical vehicle which he dubs the “little beast.” It grows from owner and machine to surrogate parent and child. He also has to weigh his own actions, interactions with others, and violent tendencies with his new role as an officer upholding laws as he hunts his prey.

Dev also develops a surprisingly touching bromance with Vikaron as their paths to investigation overlap. They compare notes about their goals and their places in the universe. Vikaron himself has been catapulted out of his comfort zone and has to rely on his wits, strength, and the assistance of others to survive this universe.

Nora and Disa spend a lot of time together and have to rely on one another's strengths and weaknesses. They encounter a fighting group, whose leader challenges their status and leadership and could be a potential love interest for one or both girls.

Meanwhile, Baelin acts as a father figure towards the royal youngsters becoming more personally involved in their lives than their mother. His affection for the children is present as he questions his allegiance to the Queen and the system that he represents.

By far one of the darkest chapters involves Razia and a situation that is all too common on Earth as it is in Styx Galaxy. She and her crew help a charismatic politician seek power that plays on their commitment towards justice and loyalty. Once he is elected, he gives a speech that conveys the exact opposite of what he previously claimed to represent. Razia’s stunned revelation that she and her team willingly allowed an authoritarian dictator through the front door is heart wrenching as it retains a lot of relevance these days in real life.

 On the surface this book seems to be a pure Space Opera with clearly drawn heroes and villains where good triumphs over evil. However, there is a dark undercurrent that hints that something Apocalyptic is on the horizon. There is the constant talk about cycles ending and beginning. It seems that all of these random violent corrupt events with natural disasters, military coups, and manipulative power groups might not be so random. It suggests that this cycle might be coming to an end in the most violent way possible and everyone is out for themselves to take all that they can with them.

There are also various statements that describe Styx Galaxy in negative terms. It's cold, lonely, and filled with a vast nothingness. This suggests a Nihilistic or Cosmic Pessimism where the characters are alone in the universe and have to rely solely on themselves and the trusted few that will ride the storms alongside them.

Another clue to the book's theme is in the title. The Innocents are clearly the main characters that are being maneuvered and placed into situations beyond their control. The Immortals has a double meaning. It refers to the literal immortals like the Daune Reesh who use their long life span to bend others to their will. It also refers to politicians and royals, Elites who want their names to be immortal. They can go down in history and they don't care who they step on to achieve it.

The last part of the title Amoral Gods is initially confusing. There are no shown deities in the book. None of the characters pray to them or speak about them and that's the point. The only being that they refer to in any reverence is The Styx Galaxy and as previously mentioned not in the most glowing terms. This suggests that they are alone in the universe. If there are deities or a higher power, they are at best apathetic to the concerns of mortals and at worst play with them for their own amusement. 

That the book ends in cliffhangers where the characters are in various forms of danger suggests that the cold universe isn't through playing with them. Things are about to get darker and a whole lot worse before they ever get better. If they ever do get better.

Buckingham Mockup by Asif I. Shaikh; Humorous, Satiric, Warm, and Spiritual Journey of Hiding From The Law and Finding Oneself

Buckingham Mockup by Asif I. Shaikh; Humorous, Satiric, Warm, and Spiritual Journey of Hiding From The Law and Finding Oneself 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Asif I. Shaikh's Buckingham Mockup walks a thin line between humor and joy, satire and spirit, something to laugh at and something to think about.

Alan Haworth went on the run via plane with embezzled drug money. He makes an emergency landing on the island of McCoypuri. He befriends the various locals including Andrew and Marta, a couple that look after Alan during his arrival, Sikander and Hannah, who own Lala’s, the restaurant and hangout, and Laladip, a politician with designs on expansion. Alan becomes involved with his new surroundings while plotting an escape and getting more money.  But he begins to really like the place and people.

Buckingham Mockup takes a tone that might seem uneven but is also meaningful within the distinct divisions that separates them. It starts out as a satirical and even silly crime and political caper. It then takes a strange turn and becomes a meditative and spiritual journey towards finding oneself in a greater place than they were before.

While he is in McCoypuri, Alan plots to get enough money and plans his escape. He can't help but see the criminal possibilities for such an isolated island with plenty of resources, locals, and tourists to take advantage of. He acts appalled by that thought, but often goes back to it as though he may not mind the financial advantages that such a venture could bring. 

He is someone whose criminal history is somewhat laughable as he was a low level grunt who knew that he was in over his head but wanted to make a fast buck. When things got too dangerous, Alan fled for his life and crashed a plane into McCoypuri. If not for his new friends, his escape would have been a short one. It's a good thing that he becomes involved with various legit businesses because he was an incompetent criminal.

Alan is practically rescued and tended by the locals and is torn between his growing loyalty towards them and his own ambitions. He becomes involved with Sikander’s social media presence and local activism. He works with Laladip’s campaign and PR ops. He encourages Hannah's volunteer work and embraces her social consciousness. He also makes Laladip’s a home away from home. The longer that Alan stays in McCoypuri, the more that he feels accepted and involved.

There is a deeper spiritual connection that is understated but still captivating. Alan gets into deeper discussions with characters about altruism, faith, acceptance, and feeling a part of something greater than himself. 

The title Buckingham Mockup describes a model or rendering of a design or product that shows how it might look and function in real life. In the book, it is built for a hotel that Alan envisions for the island. It also serves as a double meaning for Alan himself.

The Alan that we meet at the beginning of the book is the design and model. He gives the impression of being shallow, materialistic, and longing for excitement and easy money. As Alan’s journey continues, we see the real Alan: the one who is empathetic, connected, involved, active, generous, centered, and calmer. In making plans for his new home, Alan realizes that he actually is home.

 

Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers by James Aylott; Politics, Love, Crime, and Weirdness Come Together in St. Louis Apartment Building

 Tales From Whiskey Tango of Misery Towers by James Aylott; Politics, Love, Crime, and Weirdness Come Together in St. Louis Apartment Building 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: I am quite giddy over the fact that one of the frequent settings this year is my home state of Missouri. It is even better when books are set in St. Louis, the closest city to where I live and consider my home. James Aylott’s anthologized novel, Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers is the fourth book this year to be set in Missouri, following Somewhere East of Me by Samuel Vincent O’Keefe, The Girl in the Corn, and The Boy From Two Worlds by Jason Offutt. In fact the only books that I reviewed previously that had a Missouri setting were Shaare Emeth (The Gates of Truth) by T.A. McLaughlin, Toward That Which is Beautiful by Marian O’Shea Warnicke, Chasing Dragons: The True History of the Piasa by Mark and Laurie Bonner-Nickless, the short story, “Jewel Box” in Sympathetic People by Donna Baier Stein, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn from 2019-2023. So this year definitely made up for the minimal Missouri representation in previous years.

Missouri, particularly St. Louis, makes a heck of an appearance in Tales of Whiskey Tango. It is practically a character itself in a book that is filled to the brim with fascinating characters. It boasts of a group of fascinating weird characters that inhabit a St. Louis Apartment and deal with issues with love, politics, economics, and crime in the Gateway to the West.

In Missouri Towers, nicknamed Misery Towers, a downtown St. Louis Apartment that overlooks the Arch and the Mississippi River, a group of residents are contemplating their life choices: Nick Pipeman is standing on a bridge thinking of the crises that led to his despair; Colton Chesterfield III was the victim of a very strange crime and is currently inside a coffin alive; Mike Love is thinking about some serious love affairs and is racing towards the one who might be the love of his life; Daris Ballic is drunk and prepared to defend his property Missouri Towers with violence if necessary; Sam Robinson is in despair about an affair that ended; Butterfly wants to dance at her job and forget about her troubles; Gloria McKendrick is at the City Museum and anxious about an important decision regarding her love life; Tyrone Booker is covering his police beat preparing for what could be a rough night; Madison Stone is sitting on the rooftop of Missouri Towers observing the chaos underneath and the approaching storm on the horizon. 

The most important character is certainly the city itself. Readers are treated to the various tourist spots like The City Museum, Busch Stadium, The Arch, Forest Park, The Enterprise Center, and the teams like The Blues and the Cardinals. But we are given more than that. Aylott knows the city and its people.

We are immersed into the local culture like the food (toasted ravioli, gooey butter cakes, thin crusted pizza, and pork steaks), areas (the wealthy Central West End, suburban South side, working class North side, and impoverished East side, along with neighborhoods like the Loop, The Hill, Dogstown, Ferguson, Soulard, Clayton, Bellefontaine, and enough St. name schools and towns to fill an entire Catholic yearly calendar), colloquialisms (“Where did you go to high school” instead of college and the endless debates whether the state is pronounced “Missouri,” “Missoura,” or “Misery.”), music (many blues, alternative, and hip hop artists got their start here), sports (The Blues winning the Stanley Cup in 2019, The Cardinals winning 11 World Series), celebrities (Jon Hamm, Chuck Berry, Veruca Salt, and Nelly are shouted out), controversies (the tempestuous school board meetings and local elections, the Michael Brown shooting and Ferguson police protests, income inequality, the political division between Conservative Republicans and Liberal Democrats with most of Missouri on one side and St. Louis on the other). 

Aylott gives a total sensory journey for Readers to experience a city that, unless they are local, many may not think about very often. Once read about it, few Readers will forget this fly over city. They may even want to stop by and visit once in awhile.

Tales From Whiskey Tango is a brilliant ensemble of a novel that explores the characters through their interests, personality traits, obsessions, and occupations. They stand out in different ways. Their personal journeys connect with one another by various means. Mike Love is a real estate agent who compares his life to his favorite Bruce Springsteen songs like “Born to Run,” “Born in the USA,” and “Thunder Road.” 

Gloria is a trapeze artist, newly arrived from Kansas and is fascinated by rom coms, specifically those starring Molly Ringwald. Mike and Gloria are weighing a potential romance but workplace conflicts, old flames, and different expectations throw challenges their way.

Mikes’ boss Daris is a Bosnian immigrant turned naturalized citizen and is hyper aware whether he seems American enough to his employees and clients. He treats his properties and sales leads like they are battlefields and his agents like Mike and Nick are soldiers in a war. 

Daris’ top agent, Nick is considered charming but has some very odd fetishes that affect his relationship with Zoe, a former circus clown and Gloria's roommate and is involved in criminal activity that could jeopardize his career.

 Nick and Zoe and Mike and Gloria's romances are observed and gossipped about by Madison whose favorite activities are sunbathing topless and spying on her neighbors.

Sam has an obsession with prostitutes and when he has an assignation with Alice, his latest, he has a notion to make her over Pretty Woman-style to be an ideal companion. But Alice is no Julia Roberts. She gets very tired of being controlled.

 Colton is a billionaire and ex-con whose darker side and hidden disreputability come back to haunt him when he is caught in a bizarre crime involving Reginald, a desperate gunman and Butterfly, an aging exotic dancer. 

As Tyrone tries to keep the peace in a city that is simmering with hatred and racism, he has to get to the roots of various crimes that involve many of the other characters.

Tales of Whiskey Tango isn't afraid to explore the beauty and ugliness of its setting and characters. Everyone is left to their own devices to make choices towards their own conclusion. They and the city lie in wait. 

The book explores each character and what led them and the city into this precarious position where they are waiting for romantic closure, crushing despair, escalating violence, delayed justice, waiting for a decision, to move forward, to live, to fight, or to die. Just like those storm clouds in the horizon, the characters will come and decide fates that they had been moving towards.

I Was a Teenage Communist by JC Hopkins: Seriocomic Novel About Teen Communism Growing Up in Reagan Era America

 I Was a Teenage Communist by JC Hopkins: Seriocomic Novel About Teen Communism Growing Up in Reagan Era America 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: The teen years are a time to explore connections to the world around us. To find ideologies that speak to us, friends that accept us, and breaking familiar patterns while discovering new ones. JC Hopkins YA novel, I Was a Teenage Communist, is about that.

In 1981 Orange County, California, a group of high school misfits are fed up with the Capitalist Materialistic Reaganomics world around them. They are interested in the philosophies expressed by Karl Marx and become fascinated by Socialism, Marxism, and Communism. Despite personal turmoil in their lives, the teens surreptitiously distribute through their school a newsletter that expresses their newfound beliefs and challenges the system that they see around them.

The protagonists are an eclectic group of outcasts. They consist of: Sunshine, a trans female trying to live her life truthfully. Davy, AKA Savior is a smooth talking philosopher fascinated with religious and spiritual questions. Geraldo is a firebrand ready to embrace the paths of his friends and older brother as his world crumbles around him. Tommy is a musician obsessed with conspiracies. Tommy's brother, Barry is the quiet leader and is described as a “legitimate red.” Finally, there's Charles, Geraldo’s older brother who is a political activist and the teens’ mentor. Through an eventful school year of bullies, romances, break ups, neglect, abuse, coming out, parental separation, activism, punishment, and politics, the kids make their voices and views heard.

I Was a Teenage Communist uses political ideologies as a framework to capture the conflicted and complex personal lives of the young protagonists. That's not to say that politics isn't important. It absolutely is in this book. These kids are motivated by the society that surrounds them. They see income inequality, American Imperialism, Reagan’s reactionary policies, jingoistic patriotic propaganda, the superficial “Greed is Good'' Yuppie culture, Christian Nationalism making its first links to the Republican party, rejection towards the LGBT+ community, and a sharp decline in women's and minorities’ rights. These are problems and issues that shaped that time period and honestly haven't gotten any better in 2024. If anything they have gotten worse. It's easy to see why someone would want to embrace a political structure that is contrary to what they are faced with every day.

Even if the Reader doesn't agree with their political ideology, what they may understand and relate to are the reasons that the protagonists embrace Communism. Everyone is looking for some reason and need that isn't being filled by their known world. Geraldo is looking to make his voice heard and a surrogate family when his actual family falls apart, caught up in their own problems. Davy is looking creative freedom and for spiritual answers that aren't being fulfilled by the religion around him. Sunshine and Tommy are looking for acceptance towards their sexuality and gender identity. Barry is looking to make some noise. Charles is looking for a way to hold onto his ideals as maturity and stability hover near him. This is a lost group looking for a way to be found.

Politics is important to the characters in this book but what also emerges are their personal problems. Teenagers by and large are emotional, reckless, thoughtless, immature, rebellious for the sake of being rebellious, argumentative for the sake of arguing, snarky, obnoxious, inquisitive, loyal to their friends, sensitive, curious, and idealistic. The protagonists are all of these traits and more. Sometimes, they are written so broadly that they almost reach parodic or satiric proportions. However, there are also layers of humanity that make them whole figures that are meant to be understood and not laughed at.

The characters follow their Communist path as they are faced with various conflicts. Geraldo and Charles's father walked out on them and their mother responded by having an affair with a colleague. Geraldo begins to date Maria, an undocumented immigrant and the troubles that she endures make him even more determined to fight the system. Charles’ relationship with his girlfriend, April, becomes more complicated when his mother gets involved with her father.

Davy is torn between his spiritual philosophical pursuits and his basest sexual longings. He hops from girl to girl as much as he moves from one religious path to another. Tommy weighs a new romance with Sunshine and his acceptance of her identity. The cause means everything to Barry so he doesn't have much in the way of a private life. He tries to keep his friends as focused and driven as he is as they make their plans.

By far the darkest and most heartbreaking subplot is that of Sunshine's. She is comfortable with her gender identity in front of her friends and new boyfriend despite parental objections. Those objections graduate from words to actions as Sunshine's parents put her into a conversion therapy center. Hopkins does not skimp on the details about how the experience is physical and psychological torture that traumatizes her. Her ties to her friends are strengthened as they try everything that they can do to get her out. However the bonds with her parents are forever weakened as they allow such a cruel and dangerous ordeal to happen to the child that they should have loved and accepted.

I Was a Teenage Communist is a great mixture of how the political and personal affect young people. It is a book that is better read than dead.

New Book Alert: To End Every War (Book One) by Raymond W. Wilkinson; Complex Occult Academia Feminist Fantasy of Female Friendship is the Best New Book of 2023

 

New Book Alert: To End Every War (Book One) by Raymond W. Wilkinson; Complex Occult Academia Feminist Fantasy of Female Friendship is the Best New Book of 2023

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Well the year is over. Time to close it and open the next one with a bang and a review of the best new book of 2023. That honor goes to Raymond W. Wilkinson’s To End Every War. It's a complex superb Occult Academia Feminist Fantasy novel about a group of women who represent different species in their world and are united for the common cause of building peace and stopping war between the various people and nations.

In 1901, Vespa Academy is the most prestigious and well respected university. Students all over their world attend alongside classmates and faculty of different species. There are Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Fairies, Selkies, Giants, Abraxas, Kitsunes, and Centaurs, to name a few. Many of the countries in which they come from are at war with each other and they all have a shared history of domination and oppression.

 During her first year at the Academy, Esmeralda, the Human Duchessa of Vespa is determined to do something about it. She arranges for four women from different species to be roommates to open up potential friendships and communication and to put an end to the various wars that surround them. After all, if people fear what they don't understand, then understanding is what needs to happen.

Besides Esmeralda, the potential roommates are: Viatrix Corna, a scholarly and devout Dwarf whose parents are professors at the Academy, Zabel Lusine, a quiet and mysterious Elf who is hiding various secrets from her past, Kirsi Takala, a wild Selkie (a water creature like a siren) who is struggling with her addictions, and Alya Panosyan, a serious minded and stern Abraxas (half person half-bull) who has spent much of her life fighting and isn't quite ready to lay down her weapons. Other characters also become important to this newly made quintet like Kamilla “Kam” Ruszo, a saucy Human/Fairy hybrid sophomore who is on academic probation, Bernie, Esmeralda’s loyal assistant, Violeta AKA Doppel, a look alike and spy for Esmeralda, Dina, Alya’s more reserved sister, Erna, a bullying Giant and Warden, and Snow, a naive Centaur. Through their tumultuous first academic year, these women study, attend classes, fall in love, learn things about their families and their world, suffer great loss, achieve mighty victories, and cultivate a deep friendship that changes all of them.

To End Every War is a strange combination of Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and Mary McCarthy’s The Group. It is an Epic Fantasy with amazing world building and wide sweeping plots. It is also a first rate Women's Fiction novel in which each character experiences personal struggles, challenges, and conflicts that changes their outlook and strengthens their bond with each other. 

Each character is masterfully explored as individuals and as a group. Not in some time have I read a novel about such a memorable team of friends and thought, “I wish that I could be one of them.” The lead seven characters: Esmeralda, Viatrix, Zabel, Kirsi, Alya, Kam, and Bernie are rich and vibrant in a way that transcends genres and makes these women relatable and identifiable to their modern day Readers. There is not a weak link in the chain. 

To illustrate the interconnectivity of the characters, Wilkinson inserts some clever narrative approaches. Incidents are repeated across chapters so each of the main female characters have different interactions and responses to the same events. 

One incident involves Esmeralda, the four future roommates, and Bernie meeting each other on the gondola that takes them to the Academy. They have some serious disagreements and a burst of magic caused by an unwilling Zabel stops their infighting. 

Another incident occurs during a school gathering when the protagonists are faced with various personal, familial, and political complications. It culminates in an assassination attempt and the discovery of a betrayal and a potential conspiracy.

These events are recalled by each character giving her own perspective based on her personality, experience, and biases. Their encounters reflect different emotions such as defensive, rational, anxious, irate, worried, curious, self-absorbed, preoccupied, confused or hopeful among others. It's rather like having several eyewitnesses giving their own accounts of the same event. You probably would have several different versions that describe the basic facts of the event but pepper it with their own assumptions and feelings about it. 

Say a two-car collision is seen by five people (including the two drivers). All will agree that two cars hit each other and the name of the street where the collision occurred but there will be five different versions of who hit who, the amount of damage, the trauma that occurred, and the emotional impact. 

The character’s different perspectives of the same events develops them as representatives of their separate homogeneous communities, students involved in a wider diverse community, and women who are questioning their societal roles, life goals, and separate identities.

The world building is detailed and sneakily subversive. Like many other fantasy works, To End Every War, has a map to provide visual information about the world. It's beautifully illustrated and looks very familiar. The outline depicts some recognizable features such as a large country in the east that covers almost that entire half, a chain of islands and a large peninsula to the north, and a boot shaped nation in the south. Yes, it's actually a refurbished map of Europe. That and the fact that the years are organized similar to how they are in the western world, during the school year of 1901-1902, suggest that To End Every War is not set on a completely new fantasy world, but an alternate version of Earth. Perhaps the time and place setting and the theme of countries in constant war is also a reflection of our history, specifically during the World Wars. Maybe the union of the female characters to work out their issues with communication and discussion rather than weapons and declarations echoes the real life formation of organizations like the League of Nations and United Nations.

It is also very important to note the academic setting of the book. It's no coincidence that the opening features several women leaving their individual countries to encounter each other on their way to college. Going to college is not just an educational experience as students use their studies and major to prepare for their chosen career and life trajectory. It is a social experience as they leave home, taste independence, meet other students and staff that are different from them sometimes for the first time, and become involved in important causes that they become passionate towards. 

In this new environment the characters have to spend a lot of time together, talking to each other, fighting, learning, and gaining a wider understanding. In meeting other people, the characters look at their old worlds and countries with less affection and unwavering loyalty. They recognize the flaws within their nations and how they contributed to the constant state of war that they have been in for generations. They also become aware of those who benefit and profit from the species’s division. They realize that in the various conflicts, their nations failed to unite against a real enemy that might be larger, hidden, and more powerful.

This is a wide sweeping Epic Fantasy with strong themes of developing connections across borders, obtaining knowledge and wisdom through learning and education, and achieving peace and strength through unity. To End Every War is also a strong Feminist novel about the importance of creating and developing a foundation of sisterhood. Vespa Academy is co-educational and there are plenty of male characters. In fact, many are paired off in the end (and the male characters are just as well written as the females). But this is definitely a woman's book. The female characters are the stars and are rich with nuances, development, and good writing. They embrace leadership opportunities within their species and cultures and are individualized by their personal journeys. 

The main characters have their previous world views shaken. In fact, what stands out is not the epicness of political infighting, magical quests, secret conspiracies, and sweeping battles. It's the individual journeys and internal changes that make the book. This is not an Epic Fantasy novel that happens to star female characters. It's a Woman's Fiction novel that happens to have an Epic Fantasy setting. Characters use magic and fight with weapons, but they also fall in love, attend class, fight with family members, and rely on each other for physical, mental, and emotional support.

As they go through these experiences, each character develops and changes. Esmeralda, an idealist, learns how to be an effective leader and future ruler for all people not just her own. Viatrix discovers some heartbreaking revelations about her family and the Dwarves in general that alters her once arrogant worldview. Alya learns that strength can be found in peace and to trust those she thought were her enemies. Kirsi makes an effort to get off of her self-destructive path and gains a more positive forward thinking outlook. Zabel reveals her troubled background and accepts assistance from her friends. Kam learns to reconcile and gain closure with the two halves of her heritage. Bernie steps out of Esmeralda's shadow and makes her own voice heard.

There are wonderful moments as the characters interact with each other strengthening their emotional ties. Viatrix is asked to be Kirsi’s minder, a task in which she is first unprepared but then results in a deeper understanding between the two. Alya and Zabel’s people are sworn enemies, but Alya helps Zabel through a mental breakdown. Kam uses her skills of sneaking around forbidden areas like the Academy’s Dark Library to find important information that will aid Esmeralda and the others. Esmeralda is very protective towards the other women. Bernie is the chronicler of this account and capture her friend's voices and actions out of love and friendship. The main characters in To End Every War are wonderfully written as striking individuals that form into a perfectly working team.

To End Every War combines the immense world building of an Epic Fantasy and the intimacy and emotional core of a Woman's Fiction novel to create a masterpiece that transcends both genres and inhabits one of its own.

New Book Alert: Pagan Worship by Patrick Beacham; Political and Religious Satire Has Great Start But Broad Cartoonish Ending

 

New Book Alert: Pagan Worship by Patrick Beacham; Political and Religious Satire Has Great Start But Broad Cartoonish Ending

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

This book is also reviewed on Reedsy Discovery 

Spoilers: Let's face it, Donald Trump is a man that is screaming to be made fun of. An oversize toddler who threw a temper tantrum because he lost the last election and even though it was investigated to the nth degree refused to accept it, (as far as I know still hasn't), promised his followers that he would pardon them for participating in a violent insurrection (one that I might add included a hangman's noose and chants to hang Mike Pence his Vice President), insults, bullies, threatens, and intimidates everyone on Truth Social, and believes that somehow he should be granted immunity and not seek any justice. All of that and he still has devotees that venerate and deify him instead of moving on to another candidate as though they were afraid to lose without him (or worse are afraid if he wins and their loyalties are questioned).

If he weren't so dangerous, the man would be a total joke and really he is both a joke and dangerous.

The best place to mock someone, especially a controversial contentious figure like Donald Trump, is through satire and parody and that's where Patrick Beacham’s Pagan Worship comes in.

Pagan Worship is a book that starts strong by satirizing Trump and many of the aspects that run adjacent to him like religious hypocrisy, herd mentality, and cult of personality. However its plot and characterization are askew and meanders to an out of place and jarring ending.

David is the son of Britt Hastings, the pastor of the Church of Divine Friendship in Orem, Utah which has made his family very wealthy and famous. Despite the pleasant seeming name, it's definitely a cult. Britt has a tight psychological hold on his congregation and his family including his wife, Maureen, David, and his daughter, Angel. However, his followers supported Donald Trump during the 2016 and 2020 elections. Britt hops on the Trump Train and before too long his family is enthralled by a much larger cult than their own and David questions his own allegiances.

This book is a savage call out to current Conservative politics and what happens when it intertwines with religion. It takes aim at religious leaders and followers who pay lip service to such traits as humility, charity, ethics, values and then back someone who exhibits none of these. When church services are used to disparage political enemies and vilify so-called “sinners” because they look or think differently than them instead of speaking anything about Christ’s love or compassion. When they live in billion dollar mansions yet insist that their flock give more than 10 percent and remain in squalor. When they call liberals snowflakes and scream about “identity politics” but expect separation of church and state to not apply to them because Christians are somehow “special.” When they complain about federal government overreach but want to restrict reading and learning materials in school, strip LGBT rights, and won't let women decide for themselves what to do with their own bodies. They claim to be pro-life when it comes to an unborn fetus but offer only self serving thoughts and prayers when it comes to preventing full grown children from being shot. When mental health is only addressed in deflecting from gun control or vilifying LGBT people but seeing actual mental illnesses as due to a “soft and permissive upbringing” and a need to “pray the illness away.” 

Coming from an Evangelist Baptist upbringing, this is not new to me. As an elementary school aged child, I was familiar with the Jimmy Swaggart and Jim and Tammy Faye Baker scandals of the late 80’s. I was raised a Baptist and had a front row seat in the 90’s when the Evangelical Movement began to taste political power and pastor's sermons became darker and more judgemental by preparing the faithful for the End of Days. This was also when cults like the Branch Davidians and Heaven’s Gate and militia members like Timothy McVeigh made the news. 

I left the church in the early 00’s as Christians used their religion as a tool of vengeance after 9/11 and justification for hate crimes against Muslims and immigrants. I have been very critical and outspoken against the Evangelical Movement ever since. If a religion has to scare you or guilt trip you into joining and forces you to look down and degrade everyone else as deserving of Hell, then in my opinion it's not a religion worth having. 

I have been there and this book is 100 percent dead on. If anything it understates the movement's main actors.

Britt is an example of such an Evangelist. He was raised in the Church of Latter Day Saints but found the Mormon religion “impure.” What he did see however was that starting one's own religion could be a great source of wealth and power. After comparing other religions, Britt created one, financed by Maureen’s family and based on his own interpretation of the Ten Commandments and the Gospels. He tells his flock that they need a friend to guide them to Jesus and who else would be that friend but surprise surprise none other than Britt Hastings himself.

Britt’s arc is one of gaining power and money through his religion. His limited understanding and perception of Christianity appears to strip down to the fundamentals and provide an easy path for others to follow. However, it puts him in a position of power over the followers. Acting as a buffer or an advocate between them and God gives him an advantage in interpreting religion for his benefit. As with many cult leaders, he at first acts like he was sent by God. Then he becomes the only communication with God. Afterwards the leader usually sets themselves up as a Messiah, one who is sent to save the people and was chosen or declared a child of God. Then they make their followers believe that they are God. By that time all bets are off and as Voltaire said “anyone who can make one believe absurdities can make them commit atrocities.”

That's what people like Britt Hastings and Donald Trump demand: complete and utter obedience, devotion, and worship. The monetary gain is the start but the real nucleus is the following, getting gullible desperate people to obey them without question. Setting them apart from others, feeding on their hate and prejudice, causing them to question everyone else around them including friends and family, and mobilizing that hatred and isolation into their devotees. Anyone can get rich by scamming people but not just anyone can create a cult with themselves as Supreme Leader and God. Britt and Trump are masters at that.

While Britt is suspicious of Trump and the church’s involvement at first he is still a large part of it. It is certain that he recognizes the same mentality in Trump that he does in himself. But there is also something else at play. While others see God in Trump, Britt sees the Antichrist. He doesn't want to save the world, he wants Trump to destroy it to fill Biblical prophecy. There is only room in Britt’s cult for one God but that doesn't mean that Trump can't play a crucial part. 

Britt's arc is one of gaining power but David's is one of gaining knowledge beyond what he is taught. His parents mold him and his sister into their good little Christians and while Angel morphs into a perfect little Neo-Nazi inheriting the worst of the Evangelical religious traits, David questions his upbringing. 

In school two teachers gave social experiments that opened his mind up to group mentality and a distinct unease for the people who implement it. This foreshadows his eventual hatred for people like his father and Trump, those who use and control people for gain and deification. 

During homework assignments, he willingly reads news from various sources that his parents had previously forbidden. These acts open up his mind to other perspectives and issues that his church minimizes or derides. However, David's search for knowledge becomes more personal when his friend dies and a schoolmate reveals secrets about his father. David brings forward things that he previously ignored or handwaved and recognizes the hypocrisy and evil that people like his father and Trump represent.

The book definitely has some great potshots at religious hypocrisy and the role that it plays into politics and the satire and commentary is top notch. However on a mechanical level, there are some huge flaws in the book’s presentation especially in the final chapter.

I won't reveal too much but events happen without any build up or foreshadowing. It comes out of nowhere and would have been accomplished much better with a distinct arc leading towards this confrontation. There are also some frustrating questions and logistics with these events that remain unanswered or undeveloped.

For example another far better book which satirized Trump was Paul Chasman’s Lakshmi and the River of Truth. It was not only a good satire but a good story because it followed a consistent path. Because it was set in a dream world, even the illogical became logical and moved the story forward. There was some inconsistency and one plot point left unanswered but for the most part, the book was able to provide a coherent and consistent narrative that flowed.

With Pagan Worship, however, the plot point had nowhere to begin and nowhere to end. It is almost too broad and cartoonish how it was written as well.  It's uncertain whether its meant to be darkly comic or serious. Either way, it is confusing and arbitrary. It probably is meant to shock and provoke but it is very hollow without any meaning behind it and there could have been. This could have been a moment where David recognizes the similar situation between what he witnessed and what he lived through. He could have had an important conversation that could have been filled with irony and double meaning in hindsight. It's almost maddening how much this affects the novel especially when it's the most important turning point and is simply revealed without any setup and minimal following.

The final moments however provide a dramatic irony in the form of an emotional gut punch. David finds himself in the very position that he was trying to get away from and plays the last role that he ever wanted. He becomes a tool in both his father's and Trump’s plans and gives them exactly what they want. In David's drive to be independent from his family and his former politics, he becomes more beholden to and identified with them. In destroying his link to his past, David ends up destroying himself. 

Lit List: Escape From Mariupol A Survivor's True Story by Adoriana Marik As Told To Anna K. Howard; Humans Without Borders by Madhava Kumar Turumella, and Anna and Reggie Rapasaurus by William F. Harris and Stacey Roberts, Illustrated by Poormina Madhushani

 Lit List: Escape From Mariupol A Survivor's True Story by Adoriana Marik As Told To Anna K. Howard; Humans Without Borders by Madhava Kumar Turumella, and Anna and Reggie Rapasaurus by William F. Harris and Stacey Roberts, Illustrated by Poormina Madhushani

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Escape From Mariupol: A Survivor's True Story by Adoriana Marik As Told To Anna K. Howard

A longer and more detailed version of this review is on LitPick Reviews.

Adoriana Marik is a tattoo artist and merchandiser who lived in Mariupol during the Russian-Ukrainian War. Escape From Mariupol recounts her personal experience living from the invasion, to her attempts at surviving in a violent world, and her eventual escape to the Czech Republic and the United States.

Marik’s book is a detailed, moving, suspenseful, and graphic account of the reality of living in a country torn apart by war. Her descriptions such as walking zombie-like and numb through a devastated almost apocalyptic city is a true moment of heartbreak.

These moments evocatively capture the angst of the average citizen when they are caught unaware in a situation that shatters the world around them.

There are also passages where Marik conveyed the desperation and sacrifice of surviving in a violent world and the resilience to help others in the same situation. For example,Marik took her dog, Yola, to every location and made sure wherever she went, her fur baby came with. Marik kept hold of her pet out of unconditional love and to care for someone during those dark days. Marik even cited Yola as a motivation for her to stay alive and keep going during the war.

Marik's survival instincts continued as she sought refuge in the Czech Republic and United States. She moved from place to place taking pleasure in the few little things that she could, a drink of fresh water, some biscuits, a friendly face, a warm bed, and of course Yola’s loyal presence.

Escape from Mariupol, reveals Marik as a complex woman of great strength, spirit, and courage to survive, leave a world torn apart by war, and then to recount her experience with her own words.

Humans Without Borders by Madhava Kumar Turumella

Madhava Kumar Turumella’s Humans Without Borders is an idealistic and hopeful plea for everyone to reach beyond borders and personal identification and to help others on a global, selfless, altruistic scale. To help other people because they are human beings and part of a wide global community instead of thinking of someone as being from another country, race, religion, sexuality, or identity.

Turumella reveals many of the mindset traps that people fall into like exploitation and cognitive dissonance when they categorize, place, and then use others for their own gain. They think of people as “the Other” and create tighter restrictions against them, deny them refuge, and treat them horribly once they arrive. When those mindsets are displayed, dehumanization inevitably follows and it becomes easier to threaten, attack, commit violence, isolate, and eventually kill someone else. Turumella illustrates how easy it is to fall into those mindsets, especially ignorance and cognitive dissonance based on our own limited personal experiences and assumptions. No one is immune from thinking this way but it is important to recognize and make active efforts to change that mindset, think about others, and reach out to help them.

While borders can never truly be erased and it is important to recognize one's home country, Turumella instead offers a way for Readers to minimize the importance of those borders and for governments to be more open and accepting in offering aid, resources, security, and sanctuary to other countries. The European and African Union are examples that while flawed (Turumella cites Brexit and the problems preceding it as one example), still feature countries making consistent and meaningful efforts of working together to create positive change not for one country, but for all of them.

There is one formatting issue that I must address. The chapters are numbered differently than they are in the Table of Contents. It can make for difficult reading especially if the Reader reads the book in E-book format and uses the links to lead them to the chapter. However, this flaw does not deter the book from its central themes.

Turumella insists that this book is not a call for revolution. It is not an altogether new or novel idea either. Instead it is a call for unity, understanding, empathy, and kindness. It is a reminder that while we may have our differences, we are all human.

Anna and Reggie Rapasaurus by William F Harris and Stacey Roberts, Illustrated by Poormina Madhushani

William F. Harris, Stacey Roberts, and Poormina Madhushani worked together to create a bright, vibrant, entertaining children's picture book about friendship and the importance of reading and learning.

Anna, a human girl, loves hanging out with her best friend, a dinosaur named Reggie Rapasaurus. One of their favorite things to do is going to the library and read books together. The book explores all of the imaginative adventures the two take as they read.

This is an engaging story that encourages a love of reading in its young Readers. The two imagine themselves in faraway places like the desert and explore and learn new things about the stars through the power of books.

Reading encourages bonding and communication and the book skillfully explores that through its own words. There is a rhythmic quality to the words almost like a rap number. Some of the pages like “You are a good reader like Anna and Reggie. Reading opens your eyes, so clap your hands, make a wish! Clap your hands, make a wish!” encourages participation and interaction.

The illustrations are bright and vibrant. They reflect Anna and Reggie’s daily routine at the library and the more fanciful trips through their imagination. Reading is exciting when people can imagine the worlds envisioned through the words on the page.Madhushani shows that transition between reality and imagination beautifully.

Through the engaging words and bright illustrations, Harris, Roberts, and Madhushani (as well as Anna and Reggie) reveal the book’s theme, “United we read, together we grow.”

Weekly Reader: Root of All Evil: The Deluxe Edition by Ayura Ayira; Dictator’s Wife Fights For Love, Freedom, and Her Own Identity

 

Weekly Reader: Root of All Evil: The Deluxe Edition by Ayura Ayira; Dictator’s Wife Fights For Love, Freedom, and Her Own Identity 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Ayura Ayira’s previous book, The Protectress, was an erotic power play between two rival warriors who tried to dominate each other but ended up fighting on the same side. Though there were large stakes, the emphasis was on the personal, the two enemies turned lovers. Ayira’s latest novel, Root of All Evil: Deluxe Edition, combines the personal with the political, showing the internal struggles between characters and the external struggles in which they live. As a result she created a better story that is just as erotic but also widely encompassing and incredibly involving.

Zayani Ada is the wife of dictator Changa Ada and not by choice. A former child soldier, she was taken during an ethnic cleansing raid and forced into marriage for political reasons. Her husband's grip on his country and his wife is tight as she sees him for the monster that he really is.  Surrounding Zayani are plots of rebellion and assassination, including from some of her own people. A handsome aid worker, Stefan Du Mal, then appeals to her to become an active participant in the resistance.

Zayani is a memorable protagonist in a very tough situation. She is part of the Ijuns who are considered a lower class and looked unfavorably by the Kcohomi, of whom Changa is a part. His goal in marrying Zayani is to make it appear that the Ijun and Kcohomi are working together when nothing could be further from the truth. He is controlling towards his people and his wife. He is like most tyrants: suspicious, paranoid, and corrupt. He can only lead by fear and intimidation because that's all he has. No new ideas, no ways of helping the people, no aid or comfort. Just shouting, belittling, arresting, and executing. Changa is physically, verbally, and sometimes sexually abusive towards his wife and tries to dominate her the way that he does everyone else.

While Zayani hates and sometimes fears her husband, she does not allow that to interfere with her goals of helping people. She secretly funds and volunteers for humanitarian projects to help the Ijun advance in society. While she does not take an active part in rebelling against her husband, she knows many that do and keep them secret from him. She considers these rebels to be family and doesn't want to turn in any of them. In one heartbreaking moment, she is forced to name one of the rebels and it's clear that this action will haunt her forever. 

It takes Stefan to guide Zayani into becoming a more active participant though not just for himself. When he tells her that some school kids are missing, Zayani realizes that she has passed a point of no return. She is now actively involved in the fight against Changa and that if caught could mean arrest, exile, or more than likely death. All of the times when she silently planned for her husband's death and a regime change now has to come true and she has to lead it.

Erotica plays a part in this book but isn't as evident as it is in the Protectress. There are some sexual moments between her and Changa that are uncomfortable and unpleasant but they are meant to be. Zayani is in a submissive position practically owned and sold into marriage. There is no love in their moments of togetherness. There is just his power over her and her subversive nature in debating and arguing against him.

 When Zayani is with Stefan, it's not only truly sensual. It's a breath of fresh air that she is with someone who is an equal match. He shares her ideals and sees her as an individual, not just the First Lady of her country. Zayani meets someone who is on her level and this love allows her to become more open to joining the fight.

There are certain twists that happen halfway through the book that change Zayani’s perspective. She emerges more active and takes a leadership position. She does things that the Zayani of the earlier chapters would never do but demonstrates a strength of character and the tough decisions that she has to make so that her country and people don't fall to another dictator.

Weekly Reader: Empire's Heir (Empire's Legacy) by Marian L Thorpe; Boring Historic Fantasy Has Very Little Suspense, Plot, and Fantasy

 

Weekly Reader: Empire's Heir (Empire's Legacy) by Marian L Thorpe; Boring Historic Fantasy Has Very Little Suspense, Plot, and Fantasy

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: I absolutely hate reading a book in the middle of a series when I am unfamiliar with the previous volumes. It's not just a matter of getting confused by the plot or not understanding the characters or their motivation. It's also that doing so makes me feel like an intruder. I feel like I'm butting into the middle of a conversation. The characters are all looking at me as though I don't know what I'm talking about and saying things like "This is an AB conversation so C your way out."

I don't blame the authors when that happens or even those who send the books to me. When I am able to, I usually try to compromise with the authors or providers by reading the series in its proper order and reviewing each volume so I have some information about where this plot is going and what happened previously. When that doesn't happen, I try my best with what information that I am given.

To her credit Marian L Thorpe makes it easy for her Empire's Legacy novels. If you have to read a later one, as I did with her latest Empire's Heir, she offers a link that provides a synopsis of each previous volume to update the Reader on the story so far. 

Online synopses work to an extent. You learn about important events. You learn who is allied with who, who were lovers before, and who became enemies. In a series like Empire's Legacy which seems to rely on ever changing romantic relationships to carry on most of the plots, that is very important.

However online synopsis only goes so far. You read about what the characters did but don't fully know them or care about what they did. It's not the same as experiencing the journey with them. Without that vicarious thrill, you can't be an observer. You are an outsider locked out of the loop and the story.

I don't blame Thorpe for these problems with her book. It's not her fault. It's my own ignorance for not following the power plays between who becomes the heir to Esparias or the importance when Gwenna, the adult daughter of Senior Prince Cilia and Major Lena of the Esperian Army is chosen as heir over Faolyn the son of Talyn, the General of the Esperian Army.

  I understand the conflict between arranging Gwenna's potential marriage to Alekos, Prince of Casil over her personal feelings in her relationship with Lianthe, Lieutenant of the Esperian Army and Faolyn's sister. However, I don't get why this particular union is important over any other.

Speaking of relationships, It's my problem not Thorpe's that I practically need a flow chart to recognize the relationships in the series. That Cilia and Lena appear to be happily married but they just lost a daughter, Liane leaving them with Gwenna and a son, Colm. The parents also had or continue to have same sex relationships.

 Lena had a former lover, Maya and their relationship carried through the first few books of the series. Cilia had been involved with Sorley and even though he married Lena, Sorley still serves as a bard and advisor to Cilia. To add to this drama, after Cilia's marriage, Sorley obtained another lover, Druisius who also serves as Cilian's bodyguard and Captain of Esperian Army.

It's my fault that I didn't read the previous books in the series and got lost in the plot developments in this book.

I do however blame Thorpe for the problems that can be found in this volume. Even without the benefit of reading the previous books, I can tell that this is a lackluster volume in the series which mostly has a lot of talking about of events, a lot of summary of what happened before, and manufactured emotional tension to move the thin plot forward as Readers who had followed the series waits for the better stuff in the series. Not every volume in a series can be a winner and I found this to be the potential weak one in this series.

But here is also the thing. If I were to even judge this book as a stand alone book (which admittedly is hard to do), I still would have problems with it. It's just not that good. It's slow paced, plods on for too long, plot points get repeated, and after awhile it gets tedious and boring. 

I don't expect a Historical Fiction or Epic Fantasy to be filled with nonstop bloody action or magical characters around every corner, but I do expect something to happen. I expect some important stakes about why these power struggles are important, some suspense, maybe yes something Historic, Epic, and Fantastic. 

For example, say what you will about the quality of the series, especially the final season, of Game of Thrones but they got those large aspects right. They had personal conflicts and power struggles but there was always the realization that Westeros was the largest stake. There was tension that spilled out and affected everyone. There was also the threat of the White Walkers and the questionable motives of many of the higher ups who vied with each other. The overall emotions was no matter who "won" the Game of Thrones, no one from the highest lord to the lowest slaves's lives were ever going to be the same again. Many would die, many would grieve, many lands would be destroyed, borders would shift, and the world would be forever rocked and may continue to be so for a long time afterwards, no matter how much they try to heal.

That is what Historical Fiction and Epic Fantasy does. It often reminds the Reader that among the romantic and personal, something larger is going on. 

With this book, what I got was a Soap Opera with Swords.

There is some great characterization especially regarding Liane's death. It's moving to read Lena and Cillian grieving for her. Even though it's a fictional kingdom, it mirrors a time period when child death was all too common. In some countries, children weren't even named until their first birthdays because parents didn't want to get too emotionally attached if they died. It's actually heartbreaking and anguishing to read about Liane's parent's grief and while they clearly love and care for each other, her death fractures their close but strained marriage. 

There are some sweet moments between Cilia and Sorley and Gwenna and Lianthe. It's truly moving that Gwenna has to decide between choosing what the kingdom wants, to marry Alekos and produce heirs and what she wants to continue her relationship with Lianthe. It's also clear that Cilia chose the political over the personal and while he loves Lena, it's apparent that he misses what he had with Sorley and doesn't want his daughter to go through what he did. Still be makes some power grabs that Gwenna, Lena, and Sorley question and could be detrimental to his family anyway.

However the deep emotion felt by the characters is neutered by the tediousness of the plot. The plot points get repeated ad nauseam. Conversations were similar and characters kept talking about the same things over and over. It got to a point where I was uncertain whether I was rereading the same chapter or an entirely new one. I would have reread previous chapters to make sure but the slow pacing made doing that a chore so I didn't bother.

It's a sad state of affairs when the most exciting events that occur are when one character slips on the floor towards the beginning and an assassination attempt is easily thwarted towards the end. The middle is just endless talking and repeating the same things.

I don't expect an exciting battle or blood and guts to spill throughout the book. That would be just as tedious and plotless. But I do expect something interesting to happen to further the plot, something larger than the endless diatribes over the various love shapes.

Speaking of love shapes, there is another concern in this book. While the series' setting is based on European history, it is set in a fictional world. A fictional world that is free of Abrahamaic religious influences, influences that state that force LGBT rights and relationships in hiding. It's a fictional world that can make up it's own rules and morals and doesn't have centuries of brainwashing that tell the people that being gay or trans is wrong.

So why does the central government and standards in the Empire's Legacy series look so disdainfully on same sex relationships in the first place? Why do characters like Maya, Sorley, and Lianthe have to play the roles of side lovers while Lena, Cilian, and Gwenna have to settle into conventional heterosexual marriages? While the characters keep repeating that they don't "have" to be married, the fact that they are suggests that there is pressure for straight marriages, even continuing arranging them for political purposes.

In the introduction Thorpe stated that Esperian culture is based on ancient cultures like the Romans and Celts. But here's the thing: heterosexual marriages were not required across the board with them either. The Greeks were noteworthy for allowing same sex unions. Alexander the Great's advisor, Hephaestus, was also his life partner and for all intents and purposes, his husband. The Roman Empire was famous for its leaders carrying on various affairs. 

While yes I know a possibility is to allow for procreation,to keep family lines going, and the Imperial line to continue. But in the latter, that is definitely not true because in Esperias, ruling heirs are clearly selected and are not inherited titles. As for family lines, there are ways to get around that as many cultures have shown such as fostering. 

Celtic and Native American social structures for example often encouraged fostering. There are many stories where a foster child rose up and fought on the side of their adopted family over their birth one. In Native American families' cases that even included white children that were adopted or married into the tribe defending their adopted home against white authority figures who challenged them.

There is no real reason that Sorley and Cilian couldn't be a couple with Gwenna as their foster daughter or even in an arrangement between them and Lena and Maya. The only reason that doesn't happen in these books seems to create dramatic tension in a world where that tension isn't necessary.

I want to like Empire's Heir, I really do. It has all of the things that I would usually like: a historical setting, fantasy and high adventure, strong female leads, struggles in marginalization, and parallels between the real and fictional world. But the execution leaves a lot to be desired.