Quote of the month

“The enemy wasn't men, or women, or the old, or even the dead. It was just bleedin' stupid people, who came in all varieties. And no one had the right to be stupid.” – Terry Pratchett

Elëa (the World of Eragon) revealed!

Okay, so we all knew that Christopher Paolini was expanding his world in new and unexpected directions. "What deathless lies may in eons rise" said a mad old man among the Dreamers at Nal Gorgoth, and that was after the mysteries of Alagaësia increased exponentially in The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm, from Angela to Urgal legends. To say nothing of previously known mysteries such as the Grey Folk who first bound magic to the Ancient Language and the age-old wondering about what lies beyond Alagaësia. Alalëa, the elves’ homeland, for one, wherever humans and Urgals came from. But that is the general limit.

Or was, for what I did not expect was a full World Map in which the region of Alagaësia is revealed to be very small indeed! Behold the world of Elëa! Paolini just expanded – and named – his world in literally all directions and I have a joyous feeling that The Inheritance Cycle, like Alagaësia, may be but the tip of a very large literary iceberg.

I have started Echoes of Ghostwood, Book Four of J.V. Hilliard's Warminster Series

“Crimson flags borne on horses of white, see them ride, ye children of light." – The Ballad of Eldwal

At the author's request – because I have totally not loved the first three books nor was this one already on my shelf waiting for me to finish Pern – I have started Echoes of Ghostwood, the fourth and final book of J.V. Hilliard's Warminster Series.

"From the hallowed horns of the Bridge, the warning sounds," once said Til Aarron, Longmarcher and Bard, and now the those ancient horns sound again as the Moor Bog and their cryptid allies bring battle to Castle Valkeneer. To Sir Ritter Valkeneer and Princess Addilyn Elspeth who, along with their families and allies, must hold out against impossible odds...all unknowing that Graytorris the Mad had unleashed a power that is truly, shall we say, Ancient. Yet hope remains, and the tide is turning, for Last Keeper Daemus Alaric and his companions now ride with the Erud's book and an Ancient heart that, if all goes as I think it might, could teach the Moor Bog a new and painful appreciation for the phrase "friendly fire." Either way, the most dangerous parts of the fell alliance from the Dragon’s Breath Mountains brings final inhuman war upon Warminster, and I do not need Erudian Sight to know that the realm will scream with agony before sighing with relieved salvation as this truly epic and unpredictable saga concludes.

“The blade of betrayal, the sharpest of weapons, is wielded not by your enemies, but by your friends." – Warminster the Mage

I have finished Anne McCaffrey's original The Dragonriders of Pern trilogy

I have finished The White Dragon, the third and final volume of Anne McCaffrey's original The Dragonriders of Pern trilogy.

I know what you are thinking: "Well, Ian, better late than never. About time you read one of Fantasy literature's most famous works, the one that put dragon riders on the map, no less!" I absolutely agree and enjoyed every word of it. A unique Fantasy and Sci-Fi blend even by today's standards, in the early days of the genre – post-Tolkien but pre-Rowling – it must have been staggering. Indeed, I saw truly how all Dragon Riders literary DNA descended from the Dragonriders of Pern and the resemblance, which some exceptions, of course, remains strong.

Beyond that, thus it is that Jaxom, rider of white Ruth, changes and protects the face of Pern from Thread and the bitter jealousies of diehard traditionalists, Oldtimers, raw ambition, and well-meaning friends who need to adapt as well. All while, under the baleful Red Star's eye, having fun on the way. Let's face it, exploration of terra incognita and the history of the original Pernese settlers, plus dragon training and finding love is about as good as it gets – even if it was touch-and-go a few times.

So it is that I depart Pern, 3rd planet of the Rukbat system in the Sagittarian sector. Perhaps not forever as Anne McCaffrey wrote many Pern books, the series as a whole covering over two and a half millennia (and I would like to learn more about the Dawn Sisters). But now, for right now, I take my leave of the world.

My duty to you and fly far Lessa of Ruatha and golden Ramoth, F'lar and bronze Mnementh, F'nor and brown Canth, Brekke, Jaxom and white Ruth, Masterharper Robinto, T'bor and bronze Orth, D'ramand bronze Tiroth, Harper Menolly, Mastersmith Fandarel, Sharra, and many others of Weyr and Hold.

Honor those the dragons heed,
In thought and favor, word and deed.
Worlds are lost or worlds are saved
From those dangers dragon-braved. 

Dragonman, avoid excess;
Greed will bring the Weyr distress;
To the ancient Laws adhere,
Prospers thus the Dragonweyr.

Weyrman, watch; Weyrman, learn,
Something new in every Turn.
Oldest may be coldest, too.
Sense the right; find the true!

Wheel and turn or bleed and burn.
Fly between, Blue and Green.
Soar, dive down, Bronze and Brown.
Dragonmen must fly when threads are in the sky.

Battle with Sea Dogs

A song about fighting pirates drawn from the lore of my Fantasy world, the Archipelago of Cynnahu.

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I have started The White Dragon, volume three of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern

I have started The White Dragon, volume three of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern.

Never before has Pern seen a White Dragon grace its skies, so Jaxom and Ruth will have their work cut out for them finding their way in the world where Holders and dragonriders have always been separate. Tradition and peace matter, but Thread cares naught for either... and if my long experience in Fantasy is any judge, white Ruth may just save Pern's skies despite everyone saying he and Jaxom cannot.

Honor those the dragons heed,
In thought and favor, word and deed.
Worlds are lost or worlds are saved
From those dangers dragon-braved.

Rise in glory,
Bronze and gold.
Dive entwined,
Enhance the Hold.