My father and I just finished The Kingdom Over the Sea by Zohra Nabi

My father and I just finished The Kingdom Over the Sea by Zohra Nabi.

"Beneath these stars and on this sea,
An ancient spell once carried me.
Borne by wood and left on stone,
I bid your ship come take me home.
Unravel now these threads of time
Spent in foreign land and clime.
My time beneath this sky has passed.
I bid you, take me home at last!"

Thus with this spell left by her tragically passed mother did twelve-year-old Yara leave New York behind in favor of the Sultanate of Zehaira, once a land of sorcerers and alchemists but now – courtesy of a brutal Inquisition – only the later. Far from a welcome with open arms, Yara had the unenviable task of getting her bearings in this strange new realm while also trying to stay one step ahead of the alchemists. No Nicolas Flamels are these, for rather than eternal life they bend their sciences to hate and wealth, greed and death. Yet while Yara's stubborn insistent determination, some new friends, and her revealed past may have pulled the pull on this alchemical plot, the game is far from over. The realm, freedom, and a certain woman, have yet to be won back. Fortunately I love rescue missions.

I just finished playing Unicorn Overlord

I just finished playing Unicorn Overlord.

One the longest and most addictive RPG games I have ever played, the website says it best: "Unicorn Overlord combines the timeless tactical RPG genre with overworld exploration and innovative battle system for a unique epic fantasy experience in the iconic Vanillaware style." Let me make something clear though, this is an understatement. I have played the best tactical RPG's handheld console gaming has to over – from Golden Sun to Radiant Historia to Octopath Traveler to basically all of Fire Emblem to The DioField Chronicle and more – so when I read the above I took the words "innovative" and "unique" with a grain of salt.

How wrong can a person get? Very. I have never seen a battle system like this in my life before, much less one so seamlessly and elegantly merged with overworld exploration! I played other games where I led a a Liberation Army to retake a world nearly conquered by darkness. Yet this time I had to travel every meter of the world, never knowing when I might come across a town in need of liberation or other resistance forces in desperate need of aid. Much less in such a vibrant and diverse world as Fevrith. Drakenhold, kindgom of mountains, deserts, and dragons; Elheim, forested lands of elves and faeries; Bastorias, nation of snow and beat-like bestrals; Albion, holy island island home to Angels and the Palevian Orthodoxy; and the Kingdom of Cornia, largest and richest, land of forests, plains, and nobles orders such as the Knights of the Rose and the Ashen Blue.

As to the storyline, fully voiced acted with a cast of rich characters from all the five nation of Fevrith. Okay, so the whole blue-haired prince who was forced to flee to a distant island for years before, now grown, he sets out to save the world and reclaim his throne has been done. As has the red-haired Wyvern-rider with a healer little sister who starts as our enemy until we rescue the sister. Both from the same game, no less. Yet despite these general similarities, Unicorn Overlord's story is rich with lore and fully developed characters, plot twists and powerful emotions from love, shame, greed, determination, bigotry, hope, and morally grey areas. A truly epic tale as you ride with Prince Alain of Cornia to free all the lands from the clutches of the reborn Zenoira and its Emperor Galerius.

Farewell Alain & Scarlett, Chloe, Lex, Josef, Hodrick, Clive, Travis, Yahna, Mordon, Aubin, Kitra, Fran, Miriam, Sharon & Ochlys, Auch, Tatiana, Adel, Melisandre, Colm, Berenice, Monica, Nina, Rolf, Virginia, Selvie, Renault, Bruno, Leah, Primm, Aramis, Berengaria, Magellan, Liza, Gloucester, Hilda, Gilbert, Jeremy, Amalia, Ter Rosalinde, Lhinalagos, Celeste, Ridiel, Turenós Eltolinde, Ithilion, Galadmir, Railanor, Yunifi, Morard, Ramona, Dinah, Govil, Bertrand, Raenys, Jerome, Umerus, Fodoquia, Sanatio, Nigel, and of course Queen Ilenia. You earned lasting peace, stability, and a place in the pages of legend.

I have finished Ava Richardson's Deadweed Dragons.

I have finished Dragon Song, the third and final book of Ava Richardson's Deadweed Dragons.

Dayie. Once foundling, slave, thief – whose theft of a dragon egg let her become so much more. Dragon Rider to the mighty Crimson Red Zarr, Savior of the South, friend of Torvald, plus a couple other titles. All due to her relentless optimism and commitment to do better against an equally relentless enemy and divisional politics of the Southern Kingdom.

A splendidly original Fantasy! Eminently readable, fast-paced and with characters who personalities leap off the pages. Thus tis with equal parts sorrow and pride that I say farewell to Dayie, Akeem, Nas, Chief Talal, Heydar, Prince J'ahalid, all the rest of Binshee and people of Dagfan, and Dragons Zarr, Aida, Nandor, Gren, and all the rest of the Wild Company and Training Hall. You fought for an won a lasting peace with words as much as magic and swords, making it the very best kind. Fly well and high, my friends!

Is this the last Ava Richardson book I will read? Not on your life.

Quote of the month

“Pleasure to me is wonder—the unexplored, the unexpected, the thing that is hidden and the changeless thing that lurks behind superficial mutability.” – H. P. Lovecraft

Avatar: Seven Havens - Behold Avatar Pavi

"Only the Avatar can master all four elements, and bring balance to the world." Behold not Avatar Korra but her successor and reincarnation Avatar Pavi in the much-changed world of Avatar: Seven Havens.

I have started Dragon Song, the third and final book of Ava Richardson's Deadweed Dragons

I have started Dragon Song, the third and final book of Ava Richardson's Deadweed Dragons.

There is none like Dayie in all the Southern Kingdom, for only she can save it with her blended song and magic. Dragons alone are not enough, not even with Torvald's aid, for the Sea Witch's malice runs deep as the roots of her Deadweed. So tis time for some detective work, for only by learning all the truths of her past can this castaway turned slave turned great Dragon Rider of mighty Zarr save her home and friends.

I have finished Dragon Magic, Book Two of Ava Richardson's Deadweed Dragons

I have finished Dragon Magic, Book Two of Ava Richardson's Deadweed Dragons.

There is an intelligence behind this evil: this Deadweed that hunts the living like tentacles and the Water Wraiths that are a bubbling, drowning, malice. A power, a will, a person far from the South yet seeks to consume them all and has nearly succeeded. Akeem, his Wild Company, and even the Dagfan Training Hall Riders did well, yet it was Dayie and Zarr who turned to the trick. One has heard the phrase "fighting fire with fire", but fighting water with water is a new one on me. Yet the victory is a pyrrhic one, and it will take a witch to fight a witch. A Dragon Witch, to coin a phrase, for Akeem is right: there is none like Dayie in all the Southern Kingdom.