The Moon is
Waxing Gibbous

The Foundation Series - The Foundation Series is Isaac Asimov’s penultimate work. The original Foundation Trilogy was written from 1951-53 and in 1966 won the one-time Hugo Award for "Best All-Time Series". Though written over 70 years ago, the original trilogy has withstood the test of the years.

The Galactic Empire, encompassing the entire Milky Way Galaxy, has stood for 12,000 years. Hari Seldon, developer of a branch of mathematics known as Psycohistory, is able to predict the future and has forecast the fall of the empire and a dark age to last 30,000 years. To diminish the effects of the dark age, he creates a refuge of scientists and scholars and a vast library of knowledge. He calls this sanctuary the Foundation. Unfortunately, his prediction ability is only on a large scale and cannot account for the effect of a one-time human mutation. Thus the Foundation is pitted against a revival of the Empire in the person of the Mule, the mutation. Should the Mule win, the collapse of the Foundation will plunge the galaxy into a deeper dark age. However, Hari Seldon has created a Second Foundation for just such an eventuality.

In 1982, Asimov released the first of two sequels to the Foundation Trilogy. The first posits another threat to the Seldon Plan unless two sworn enemies can unite to save it. And the second involves the search for Earth, the legendary home of mankind.

Again in 1988, Asimov sought to further extend his series with a pair of prequels. Here he presents the early works of Hari Seldon and his relationship with Emperor Cleon I.

Prequels Foundation Trilogy Sequels

The Chronicles of Amber - In 1970, Roger Zelazny published Nine Princes in Amber, the first of his Amber Chronicles. We were introduced to the knowledge that our world was but a shadow of Amber, one of the two true worlds, the other being the Courts of Chaos. By shifting between shadows, one could traverse an infinite number of shadow worlds with an infinite number of possibilities. The book begins with Corwin, one of the nine sons of Oberon, true King of Amber, awakening in a hospital with amnesia. The first five volumes, narrated by Corwin, relate the conflict between the sons for the throne of Amber. The struggle is complicated by the interventions of the five daughters of Oberon who scheme on their own.

The second five books in the Chronicles, the first published in 1985, is narrated by Corwin’s son, Merlin, and relates his search for Corwin, who vanished at the end of the first series. The series culminates with the return of Corwin and the crowning of Merlin on the throne of Chaos.

The Corwin cycle The Merlin Cycle

Tolkien’s Middle -Earth - Contrary to many people’s understanding, Middle-Earth is not another world but is our Earth as he imagined it approximately 6,000 years ago. Tolkien was known to say that he had created this fabulous world to provide a mythology for his English heritage in much the same vein as the Norse, the Greeks and even the Irish.

If you are reading this, you are probably familiar with his master work - the Lord of the Rings trilogy and its prequel, The Hobbit. After all, millions throughout the world have flocked to theaters to see the movie version. These stories tell of the end of the Third Age of Middle-Earth through the eyes of two Hobbits - Bilbo Baggins and his adopted heir, Frodo. The Hobbit relates the tale of Bilbo, recruited by the wizard Gandalf the Grey to assist a band of twelve Dwarves who are seeking to regain their ancestral home, Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, from the dragon, Smaug, who had taken it from their ancestors. Along the way, Bilbo acquires a magical ring that gives the wearer the power of invisibility. With it, he is able to become the Master Thief that the Dwarves were told they were hiring. The style of this book is somewhat juvenile and was obviously meant for a younger audience.

(The movies, however, were definitely not juvenile. In fact, Peter Jackson took quite a bit of liberties with Tolkien's book to stretch it to three movies totaling over 8 hours. However, he made nearly $3 billion which, sadly, was his real goal. In fact, Tolkien's son, Christopher, detested the movies made of both The Hobbit and LOTR. I have to agree that, while the movies are cinematic masterpieces, their true recreation of Tolkien's work is sorely lacking. If you've seen the movies but not read the books, then you have not truly experienced the majesty of Tolkien's world.)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy begins with Bilbo giving the ring to Frodo and leaving to visit the Elves. In the years since The Hobbit, Tolkien’s original cover designGandalf has been researching Bilbo’s ring and has determined that it is, in fact, the One Ring forged by the Dark Lord, Sauron. Sauron lost the Ring at the Battle of Gladden Fields which ushered in the Third Age of Middle-Earth. The ring was then lost for thousands of years until recovered by Bilbo. This time Gandalf recruits Frodo to take the ring to Rivendale, there, Frodo thinks, to be turned over to the Wise and Great. However, at the Council of Elrond, it is determined that the Ring itself has chosen Frodo to return it to Mt. Doom, where the Ring was forged and only where it can be unmade. The trilogy culminates in the Ring’s destruction, the return of a King to the throne of Gondor and ushering in of the Fourth Age which will be the Age of Men.

After release of The Hobbit, Tolkien drafted The Silmarillion, which was rejected by his publisher. However, after his death in 1973, Tolkein’s son, Christopher, took the original draft along with his father’s earlier writings and completed the work. The book begins with the creation of Arda (Earth) by Ilúvatar, the "Father of All" and its preparation for the coming of Elves and Men.

Fëanor, master gem-smith of the Elves, created three gems, the Silmarils. In them he captured the light of the Two Trees Laurelin (the Gold Tree) and Telperion (the Silver Tree), which brought light into the land of the Valar. The Two Trees were destroyed and the Silmarils were stolen by Melkor, one of Vala, later named Morgoth by Fëanor, assisted by his henchman Sauron, a Maia who were assistants to the Valar. Thus began a quest that lasted thousands of years to regain the beloved Silmarils. Many battles were fought and many of Fëanor’s sons perished in the quest.

One of the gems was retrieved by a man, Beren who married the Elf, Lúthien. On his death, the Silmaril passed to their son, Eärendil, who married Elwing also Half-Elven and they fathered Elrond Half-Elven. Eärendil traveled to Valinor and returned his Silmaril to the Valar. Being a great sailor, the Valar tasked Eärendil with sailing the Silmaril though the heavens. Thus the Silmaril became the Star of Eärendil, the light of which Galadriel captured in her mirror and gave to Frodo. Elrond's daughter, Arwen, was named the Evenstar in memory the Silmaril that lights the evening sky. The last two Silmarils were recovered by Fëanor's surviving sons Maedhros and Maglor. However Maedhros killed himself by falling into a fiery chasm, taking the Silmaril with him, and Maglor threw his Silmaril into the sea to remain there for all time. So, in the end, the Silmarils reside in the sky, the earth and the sea.

Over the years, Christopher Tolkien published many of his father’s notes. Among the most notable are Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth which is a collection of Tolkien’s stories and essays that provides many details including the Battle of the Gladden Fields and the Palantiri (the stones of vision) and The Children of Hurin. The latter relates the tale of the sons of Húrin and their struggles to free their father, who was captured by Morgoth.



A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin (what’s with the double Rs) set out to write an epic trilogy with his first volume, A Game of Thrones, first publish in 1996. However, he soon realized that three books would not contain the story he had to write. The story unfolds on the continents of Westeros and Essos on a world not named. While many of the plant and animal species are common with our world, there are several that are not, the most evident being dragons. All of the intelligent races appear to be some versions of humans, though varied just as our race is. The pantheon of gods includes the Old Gods, the New Gods (the Seven), the Lord of Light and the Drowned God. More than LOTR but considerably fewer than in the Malazan series.

In the opening tome, A Game of Thrones, we are introduced the Starks of Winterfell, Robert Baratheon, the King, the Lannisters of Casterly Rock and Princess Daenerys Targaryen, last of the House of Targaryen, the creators of the Seven Kingdoms. By the end of the first book, we come to realize that any and all characters, regardless of their seeming importance to the story, are vulnerable. And we soon learn that we need a chart to keep up with all of the characters and the houses they belong to.

Lord Jon Arryn, Hand of the King, has just died under suspicious circumstances and Ned Stark is summoned by his friend, Robert Baratheon to assume the Office of Hand. Shortly thereafter, King Robert is killed in a boar hunting accident, though the circumstances are again suspect. With his death, his eldest son, Joffrey a malicious and probably sociopathic boy, is pushed to the throne by his mother, Queen Cersei along with her father, Tywin, of house Lannister. Though suspected by some, it has not been proven that Joffrey is the son of Robert but in fact the get of Cersei and her brother, Jaime. Joffrey’s claim to the throne is challenged by Stannis and Renley Baratheon, Robert’s brothers. Thus Westeros is thrown into war as the various factions vie for the power of the Iron Thrown.

In subsequent books, we find Ned Stark’s son, Rob, now Lord of Winterfell, declaring himself King in the North. He gathers the houses loyal to the Starks and forges his own rebellion against the Lannisters. Meanwhile, in Essos, Daenerys Targaryen, last of the Royal House of Targaryan, struggles in exile to gain an army to regain her throne. Her claim is increased when three dragon eggs given to her at her wedding hatch from the funeral pyre of her husband. However, throughout the series, the theme “Winter is Coming” (also the words of House Stark), has portended a conflict greater than the Game of Thrones.

To date, Martin has completed five of the seven planned books. Meanwhile, on HBO, the series, Game of Thrones, has caught up with Martin’s story. The upcoming season will exceed the current story line with much speculation as to whether the TV series and the books will continue to the same finish.

The two remaining books, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, promise dire circumstances to come but with hope of a favorable outcome.



Malazan Book of the Fallen - The Malazan world was originally created by Steven Erikson, along with Ian Esslemont, in 1982 as a backdrop for a modified version of Advance Dungeons & Dragons. Erikson claims that he “sidestepped Tolkien entirely” in his literary development and, therefore, Tolkien had no influence on his works. The ten volumes of the Malazan Series is set on a world, though unnamed in the book, rich in geography and races of beings that inhabit it. It contains many species of plants and animals common to our world, but also many that exist only in Erikson’s mind. And you will need a program to keep up with the many gods that inhabit their pantheon.

In Gardens of the Moon, Erickson introduces us to the Malazan army and their wars to conquer the continent of Genebackis. We are introduced to a number of members of the army who become mainstays in subsequent books and with whom we easily come to associate. The many characters, both human and not, become individuals that we either want to hear more from or to eliminate. We both hear from and see eliminated many of the characters, but not necessarily the ones we want.

Through the next nine volumes, we follow many of these characters to their ultimate battle. We cheer for Fist Coltaine and his Chain of Dogs in Deadhouse Gates; we hiss and boo at Karsa Orlong in House of Chains; we pull for Fidler, Gesler and Maybe and their fellow Bonehunters as they battle across three continents; and in the end we want more of those that we have come to admire.



The Black Company - Glen Cook created nine books chronicling approximately forty years in the life of the mercenary army, The Black Company. The chronicles are broken into three sections - the Books of the North (the first three volumes), the Books of the South (the next two volumes) and the Books of the Glittering Stone (the final three volumes.) In the opening book, The Black Company is in the employ of a sort of demi-goddess known as The Lady. However, it is not certain whether she is good or evil. As the series progress through the next two books, her evil ways are finally revealed and the Black Company is now fighting along side the White Rose in opposition to the Lady. However, all must join forces to stop the Lady’s husband from returning from his imprisonment to spread his ultimate evil once again through the world. As the third book ends, the Black Company is decimated and the Lady’s true name is spoken, rendering her powerless.

As the Books of the South open, the remaining six members of the Black Company, along with the now powerless Lady travel south in search of Khatovar, the lost birthplace of the Company. They replenish their ranks when they stumble upon the offspring of previous Company members when they had passed through the area years before. Now back at strength they take on clients needing their services.

In the Books of the Glittering Stone, the Company continues to war with Soulcatcher who was introduced in the Books of the North.

The Books of the North The Books of the South The Books of the Glittering Stone

The Change - S. M. Stirling’s The Change is actually made up of a number of individual series as follow in the order they were introduced:

The Nantucket Series - On March 17, 1998, the island of Nantucket was transported by an unknown phenomenon, referred to as “The Event”, to the time of the Bronze Age, about 1250 B.C. Caught in the transition is the US Coast Guard training cutter, the Eagle, captained by Marian Alston. (Captain Alston is a black lesbian which is a strange character choice for a major protagonist, but it works.) The Eagle is a three masted barque armed with several naval cannon.

The Eagle soon sails to Britain where they make contact with the Bronze Age natives. Having established trade relations, the Eagle returns to Nantucket.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant William Walker steals a ship and decides to set up a kingdom of his own in Greece. This sets the stage for a major conflict between the two using the new technology that has been brought to the Bronze Age.

The Change Series - There have been many post-apocalyptic books written, many of them excellent works. However, S. M. Stirling’s Change Series is unique in its length and breath. As Dies the Fire opens, it is 1998 and Mike Havel, former US Marine and veteran of the 1991 Gulf War, is flying in the backwoods of Idaho when “The Change” ensues. With the change all forms technology, including electricity, combustion, high pressure steam power and all forms of gun powder cease to function. He is transporting engineer Kenneth Larsson, his wife Mary, and teenage children Eric, Signe and Astrid. After surviving a crash landing, they meet up with Will Hutton, who is a horse breeder and trainer and his wife. They make their way to Larsson’s family estate, Larsdalen, in the Willamette Valley of Oregon where they found what will be known as The Bearkillers. The Bearkillers are best known as horse archers and pikemen.

Parallel to the Bearkillers' story, Juniper Mackenzie, a busker and Wiccan priestess, is performing in a restaurant in Eugene, OR, when “The Change” occurs. As airliners are falling out of the sky, she, along with her deaf daughter Eilir and friend Dennis Martin head for the hills. The three of them collect horses that Juniper owns from a friend’s farm and make their way to her family lodge, renamed Dun Juniper, in central Oregon. Some of Juniper’s coven members also join them at the cabin. While hunting, she stumbles on Sam Aylward, former member of British Special Forces and master archer and bowyer. Coincidentally, there is a stash of ash staves on the farms. And to top it all, a hoard of plaid wool is discovered in a local warehouse which they promptly adapt to kilts. Known as Clan Mackenzie, they are renowned as long bowmen as well as hand-to-hand fighting using the gladius and buckler.

While spying out the lay of the land, Mike Havel’s and Juniper Mackenzie’s paths cross and, in a fit of passion, a child is conceived. Nine months later, Juniper give’s birth to a son she names Rudi. Later, during his wicanning (similar to Christian christening) Juniper gives him the craft name of Artos and prophesies him to be “the Sword of the Lady”.

In a strange twist, Astrid Larsson, along with Eilir Mackenzie, found a group of tree dwelling Rangers, based upon Aragorn’s Dúnedain from LOTR. Tolkien's Trilogy is referred to by the Rangers as “The Histories” and they accept that they are living in the Fifth Age (the Fourth Age being that preceding The Change). They even speak Sindarin, one of the Elvish languages from LOTR.

The third group of characters in this series is the Portland Protective Association founded by Norman Arminger. Arminger is a former professor of medieval history and avid member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. (The SCA is a real group that re-enacts medieval times that you see a many festivals.) Arminger founds a feudalistic society near Portland, OR, recruiting former gang members and SCA cronies and adopting the lidless eye of Sauron as his sigil (another tie to LOTR). He practices the basest form of feudalism with serfs and torture.

Thus is set up a major clash of cultures with the Bearkillers and Clan Mackenzie on one side and the PPA on the other. The forces contend with each other through the next two books culminating in the death of both Arminger and Mike Havel in a head to head combat to decide the outcome of the war. A truce is negotiated with all parties which includes that Rudi Mackenzie and Matilda Arminger, the daughter of Norman and Sandra Arminger will each spend a few months of the each year in PPA and Mackenzie territory until they reach adulthood.

The Sunrise Lands Series - As Rudi and Matilda grow, they (not surprisingly) eventually fall in love and are betrothed. However, before there can be any marriage, Rudi must go on a quest to the Island of Nantucket to seek the Sword of the Lady that awaits him there. Rudi plans to travel with five companions but Matilda insists that she, along with three others, join them. After all, nine is the number of that other quest found in “The Histories”.

As they travel eastward, they are beset first by PPA men attempting to waylay Matilda and then by more malevolent forces seeking to stop or eat them. They also make many friends and allies. And they make the acquaintance of the CUT - the Church Universal and Triumphant and its leader, Prophet Sethaz. The CUT and its Prophet are the puppets of a malevolent entity with the goal of dominating humankind. It is capable of creating not only raving zealots of its converts but also Seekers, individuals that posses super-human abilities.

Their journey to Nantucket is beset by CUT agents and eaters, people that turned to cannibalism after The Change. After many tribulations, they arrive and Rudi is transported to the presence of the Maiden, Mother and Crone, the triple goddess of Juniper Mackenzie’s religion. Here, Rudi receives an explanation for The Change and the Sword of the Lady and learns of his fate to be the High King of Montival.

The Montival Series - Rudi, along with the surviving seven members of the quest, now fight their way back across America to the northwest. They are aided by the folks that they met on the outgoing journey. Many of these prove to be important allies in the coming war with the CUT.

Upon returning to the PPA, Rudi and Mathilda are married. The Sword reveals to Rudi that he and Mathilda will have two children, Prince John and Princess Órlaith. Rudi is finally declared High King Artos and Mathilda his Queen.

In the war with the CUT, Rudi unites the Norrheimer from the New England area, Southsiders from the Chicago area, Moors that landed in the New England area, the Sioux Nation and others that he has gathered on his quest. The Army of Montival meets the CUT and their reluctant ally, the United States of Boise, at the final Battle of Horse Heaven Hills where the Church Triumphant is not.

The war concludes in the first half of the book The Given Sacrifice. It does not officially belong to either the Montival Series or the Children series. What I have presented in this series is the first half of the book. The second half will be included in Rudi’s Children Series.

Rudi’s Children Series - As The Given Sacrifice concludes, Rudi and Órlaith are traveling in the southern reaches of Montival (one time central California) when they come upon a battle in progress. Rudi, with the help of the Sword, determines the side to support and they quickly engage. At the conclusion of the battle, which is won by The Sword of the Lady and Rudi’s host, they find that they have come to the support of the Emperor of Japan and his daughter, Reiko. Unfortunately, in the battle the Emperor is killed leaving Reiko as the Empress. The foe are from Korea (of course) and are soundly defeated. In a twist of fate, one of the defeated, who appears to be a Seeker of the CUT, attempts to assassinate Órlaith, but Rudi sacrifices himself to save her.

Órlaith, now heir apparent to Rudi when she comes of age, comes into stewardship of The Cross of the Laye. She soon discovers that the Empress is on a quest for her own sword, the Grass-Cutting Sword, that was brought to the US at the end of WWII. Dreams reveal that the sword lies somewhere in the Valley of Death. Órlaith feels that it is her destiny to form her own quest in support of Reiko. They design a plot to retrieve the Sword though, this time, with considerably more than nine questors.

Among those that they encounter along the quest are Jewish nomads that inhabit what was once Death Valley. As the second book of the series concludes, the Sword has been retrieved and Montival is considering how to deal with the dark kingdom of Korea.

The Nantucket Series The Change Series The Sunrise Lands Series The Montival Series Rudi’s Children

The Iron Druid Chronicles - Atticus O’Sullivan (Siodhachan O Suileabhain in Irish gaelic) is the last druid in the world. Born in Ireland around 100BC, he has managed to avoid the purging of the druids from the world by the Romans by laying quite low. He maintains his youthful appearance with a special “herbal tea”, the recipe for which he holds close to the vest.

His faithful sidekick, and I believe the best character in the series, is the Irish Wolfhound, Oberon. Oberon is the only other being with which Atticu shares is herbal tea and, more fantastically, is able to converse telepathically with Atticus. Through his conversations with Atticus, we learn of his passion for sausages and poodles. The only way Atticus can get him to bathe is to tell him a story and he often takes on the personality of the character in the story. One story involved real life founding hippie, Wavy Gravy, and his Magic Bus. Later, when presented with a dilemma, Oberon offers the advice “Let’s stick it to The Man”.

Atticus is closely tied to the gods of Celtic Ireland, the Tuatha Dé Danann. His main protagonist is Aenghus Óg, the Celtic God of Love who has been pursuing Atticus to retrieve his sword, the Fragarach. And his biggest supporter is The Morrigan, the Celtic Chooser of the Slain and Goddess of War. However, his world is also populated with the pantheon of all of the major religions - the Norse, Greek, Egyptian, Hindu and Native American. There are even a couple of cameos by Jesus Christ. And he finds both friends and foes in witches, vampires, werewolves, demons and elementals.

If you have an interest in the religions of many cultures and witty repartee with large hairy dogs, you will quickly find yourself endeared to characters in the Iron Druid.



The Dresden Files - Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a private investigator. You can find him in the yellow pages under “Wizard” (the only such listing in the book). As the first book opens, it has been a slow couple of months. At least until the phone rang and it was…her. The tone of much of the series of books is somewhat old school dime novel. But, as the story unfolds, this quickly becomes part of the fantasy.

In Harry’s world, magic is real, along with faeries, vampires, demons, spirits, were-wolves, outsiders and other monsters. He regularly cavorts with the Sidhe, Faeries that reside in the Nevernever. After all, his godmother is the Leanansidhe, a high member within the Winter Court.

While he battles with all manner of ugly supernatural beings, his major antagonists are vampires, particularly members of the Red and Black Courts. Harry’s major supporters are Karrin Murphy, member of the Chicago Police Dept Special Investigations; Thomas Raith, Harry’s half brother, hairstylist and member of the vampire White Court; Michael Carpenter, Knight of the Cross and wielder of Amoracchius, the Sword of Love; Molly Carpenter, Michael Carpenter’s daughter and, eventually, Harry’s apprentice; Susan Rodriguez, Harry’s girlfriend and eventual member of the Red Court; and “Bob”, spirit and air elemental, repository of magical knowledge that resides in a skull on Harry’s shelf and source of comic release. Bob is the equivalent of Oberon in the Iron Druid. While he is a wealth of knowledge, he must impart his “wisdom” when he is accessed and he continually looks for opportunities that could result in some female companionship.

If you enjoy dry wit and can abide gory descriptions of human death and supernatural discombobulation, you will be quite satisfied with this series.

Last Modified: 5/27/2023