What Words May come - A.S. HARDIN

Favorite Fiction: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

11/16/2024

“I have ever been prone to seek adventure and to investigate and experiment where wiser men would have left well enough alone.”

Though A Princess of Mars isn’t ERB’s most successful work, it is still one of the many great pulp sci-fi stories in history. Burroughs has influenced many prolific writers over the years, spanning various styles and genres, and the reason why is clear. He spins intriguing and masterful yarns that are rich in adventure, romance, fun, and strong, unique characters.

Some may view the main protagonist, John Carter, as a bit of a Gary Stu, but I doubt that was Burroughs intention. A Princess of Mars and other similar stories of the time were written to be fantasy-filled journeys in which the reader could escape and find adventure alongside heroic protagonists like John Carter.

While fantastical in invention, Burroughs gives plausible reasons for John Carter’s success. The lower gravity on Mars, or Barsoom as the Martians call it, combined with John Carter’s seasoned soldier physique, makes him significantly stronger and more agile. This, and his ability to quickly adapt physically and mentally to the Martian environment, puts him at a great advantage. Just as with any of ERB’s other stories, A Princess of Mars is well-written, well-paced, and does not fail to wholly entertain.

Friday Fiction: Master of Sorrows by Justin T. Call

1/12/2024

You’ve heard the story before: an orphaned boy, raised by a wise old man, comes to a fuller knowledge of his magic and uses it to fight the great evil threatening his world.

But what if that hero were destined to become the new dark lord?

Master of Sorrows is the first in The Silent Gods series by Justin T. Call. This grim, coming of age fantasy will keep you absolutely intrigued with all its twists and turns, deaths, and betrayals. The story begins with Annev de Breth, a reluctant, anti-hero destined for greatness, though it isn’t certain whether that greatness will be achieved through good or through evil.

“It is wise to fear what we do not understand.”

In the beginning, Annev doesn’t realize he is being sought out by wicked gods who only want to use him for his unbelievable magic abilities. As a baby, Annev was orphaned by the academy’s hands and eventually taken in by his pseudo father and mentor Sodar, where he attends that very same academy, Chaenbalu. Here, he is brought up to believe that all magic and its users are inherently evil. Chaenbalu trains its students to detect and retrieve very dangerous magic artifacts and at whatever cost necessary. In his training to become an Avatar of Judgement, Annev is pitted against the other students along with his friends in hopes of being able to leave the academy. If he fails, he will never leave Chaenbalu again and never be able to marry the one he loves, Myjun.

Favorite Fiction: Honored Enemy by Raymond E. Feist and William R. Forstchen

12/22/2023

Honored Enemy was my first Raymond E. Feist novel and of his roughly 40 published works, I’m glad it was. Though this novel is the first in the Legends of Riftwar, the story itself falls near the end of a decade-long battle between two worlds, Kelewan and Midkemia. It opens with a group called the Marauders led by Captain Dennis Hartraft who are caught behind enemy lines. After losing many of his men and caring for several wounded, they set out for a border garrison called Brendan’s Stockade to settle down before winter arrives. It is unknown to Hartraft and his men that the Kingdom’s sworn enemy, the Tsuarni led by Force Leader Asayagsa are also attempting to occupy the same garrison.

When both groups arrive at the outpost, they find that it is already taken by a faction of dark elves called the Moredhel. Through a tentative agreement both forces work together to avoid thier own annihilation and temporarily band together to defeat thier common enemy.

“A shrieking battle cry echoed on the wind, a spine-tingling scream that sounded like the baying of the wolves closing in on their prey.”

Honored Enemy is a fantastic military fantasy with Feist and Forstchen setting you right into battle and right behind enemy lines in a world rich with danger, culturally unique races, and underlying family and political conflicts. The world is vast and expansive, even if this particular novel focuses less on the overarching riftwar and more on character relationships and the struggle of friendship through adversity. Can one truly trust their enemy when both need each other to survive?

Favorite Fiction: The Magic Circle by Dona Jo Napoli

4/21/2023

“Nibble nibble like a mouse. Who is nibbling at my house?”

Fairy tale retellings are nothing new and can be highly intriguing, especially when told from the point of view of the villain. There is something undeniably fascinating about humanizing the bad guy. I suspect it’s because we may see a bit of the villain in ourselves. But how can we possibly relate to the cannibalistic witch from Grimm’s “Hansel and Gretel”? This is the premise of Dona Jo Napoli’s The Magic Circle.

Napoli introduces the reader to the witch, only referred to as the Ugly One, long before the candy cottage. We get to see her as a loving mother, a skilled midwife, and a gifted healer. One of my favorite lines of the book is when the Ugly One is told,

“These hands read a pregnant belly and fly to the task.”

Favorite Fiction: Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

3/10/2023

An entirely different world, where dragons not only exist but are ridden and utilized to protect the planet from destruction by the deadly silver Threads. My now husband introduced me to these dragons and their riders back in high school. However, I didn’t start reading them until I recently began collecting the series for our home library. I can’t believe it took me over fifteen years to finally give them a go.

Favorite Fiction: The Witcher Series by Andrzej Sapkowski

1/13/2023

“The sword of destiny has two edges. You are one of them.” ― Andrzej Sapkowski, The Sword of Destiny

To date, the best series I’ve read has to be The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski. In total, the fandom consists of two short story collections, followed by six novels, three wildly popular video games, and a highly acclaimed TV series. Not to mention two spin offs. To say that Sapkowski created a complex world with an enormous cult following, would be an understatement.

The world itself is vast and incredible combining fairy tales with Slavic, Celtic, and Germanic mythology, all retold in an extraordinarily dark fashion. The mixing of which gives the series color, depth, and intrigue. There are race wars, battling noble families, ambiguous family secrets, richly developed towns, magnificent monstrosities, enchanting sorceresses, and of course mutated witchers such as Geralt of Rivia.

Favorite Ficton: The Witcher: Blood Origin

12/30/2022

My thoughts on the new miniseries prequel as a lover of the books, the games, and even the original Witcher TV adaptation. There is a lot of controversy over this recent addition to the Witcher world and for good and not so good reasons. But I can only speak for myself.

Unfortunately, it took me two episodes to really get into it. Nothing felt as though it should have existed in the Witcher world, even the one created by the Netflix showrunners themselves. The set design, costumes, and even makeup gave me the impression of generic YA high fantasy. These are not necessarily bad but certainly didn’t fit the overall feel of the dark, gritty tone fans enjoyed from the books, games, or original Netflix series. My point of interest came in episode three and the beginning of four. I personally loved seeing another witcher at work who wasn’t Geralt and that’s because I love the fascinating and complex world that Sapkowski created.

Favorite Fiction: A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

9/9/2022

With House of the Dragon now airing on HBO, I suppose it’s past time for me to talk about A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin. I consider this series to be one of those that a reader either loves or hates and there is very little in between. I personally loved it. As a whole, it’s well-written and Martin delivers what is certainly some very bloodstained and vicious entertainment. The world in which the story takes place is rich in detail and thousands of years of history, with each region of the world having their own lore, quirks, and unique little sayings. Even each house within Westeros has distinct details that set them apart from others of the same standing. Martin created an entire universe that doesn’t fit the formulaic fantasy norm. Instead of a high fantasy composed of complex magic and a multitude of humanoid races, Martin did the opposite and A Game of Thrones very much mimics historical fiction but with dragons.