Lost Days By Michael Jan Friedman - Aimed At Younger Audiences, But A Great Read For Any Age

Lost Days by Michael Jan Friedman (2015)

A few months ago, Mike Friedman announced a second Kickstarter project to raise funds to publish a new story that he explained was to be aimed at younger readers. Well, as a professional educator and science fiction fan, I immediately got on board with this. Mike explained that he is concerned that students (just to be clear, the author is also a junior high history teacher) aren’t reading enough and struggle learning history. Well, Mike thought that he would write a history lesson into an entertaining story and hopefully make learning history more palatable. After reading Lost Days, I must say that I think he has succeeded spectacularly.

The story centers around young Anthony Borelli, a pretty good student who, with the encouragement of one of his teachers, has become very interested in history, particularly that of the Italian Renaissance. He is not a large kid and is often bullied, but manages to weather the storm well. One day, after a series of small calamities, Anthony is exhausted and falls asleep on his bed. When he awakens, he finds himself in very unfamiliar surroundings. As a matter of fact, he has somehow time traveled from 2015 back to the year 1582!

For those of you that are not aware, one of the major events of that year was when the Julian calendar was adjusted by ten days to bring about the calendar that we use today, the Gregorian calendar. For many years, the calendar had the date for the Easter holiday drifting around when in the days of the early church, it was originally tied to the first day of spring. Owing to the research of Italian scientist, Aloysius Lilius (as well as others later on), Pope Gregory XIII adopted what became our modern calendar with twelve months in the year instead of ten, and made sure that Easter fell at the same time every year, in accordance with the early church. So, since there were ten days taken out of the calendar, Mike saw the opportunity for an imaginary paradox in which he would tells the story of what might have happened during those ten lost days.

Anthony has been thrust into carrying out a most daunting mission, and that is to be sure that the change in the calendar does indeed take place, because if it doesn’t, it may very well have grave consequences that reach far into the future, or perhaps the destruction of the entire human race.

Along with the story that Mike has woven, he has included a very vivid picture of what life must have been like for the common people of a small town in Italy. While conditions there might not have been ideal by our modern standards, things were much as they are today with people having to maintain their standard of living through perseverance and hard work. When disaster strikes, people pull together to help one another, kids run and play games, and community leaders work to keep everyone pulling in the same direction. The characters that Mike has created are people we might recognize as our neighbors and friends. Make no mistake though, while times are rough in the late 16th century, they only get tougher as one turns the pages. It is pretty plain that the author has done his own homework on this one as he uses words to complete what it must have been like to live in the past.

While this book is categorized as being for younger readers, say from sixth graders on up, I found that I was enjoying it and appreciating it for what it is; a great story. I think people of any age could pick this up and be entertained, or even absorbed, as I myself was. I was hooked from the start and seriously regretted having to set this book aside to take care of my own responsibilities.

If you are a teacher with students who are reluctant to read a book, or likewise a parent who struggles with children that believe reading to be boring, then I would suggest that this might be a good book to introduce those young people to, because this is one story that has characters that kids can relate to in situations that are not only interesting, but a little harrowing at times, and who knows, perhaps they will learn something along the way.

Well, there it is…

Q’aplah!

Pangaea: Edited By Michael Jan Friedman - 13 Amazing Stories By 14 Superior Authors - A Must Read

Pangaea Edited By Michael Jan Friedman (2015)

Many scientists subscribe to a theory that 300 million years ago, there was only one super-continent as opposed to the seven that now exist. That super-continent was called Pangaea by the scientist that put forth this theory in his treatise called The Origin of the Continents by Alfred Wegener, published in 1912. Wegener further claimed that the continents began to break up and drift about 175 million years ago and slowly came to their present positions.

Much more recently, author Michael Jan Friedman began speculating on what the world might be like if continental drift stopped with the formation of the super-continent Pangaea all those millennia ago and stayed in that form into present day. Earlier this year, Mike announced a Kickstarter project that, if funded, promised to be an impressive project that would involve not only himself, but numerous other authors with impressive credentials coming together to produce a short story anthology the likes of which would be unique.

Well, the project was funded beyond what was needed to start work on the book and it is now available to the general public in all the usual formats from all of the usual sources.

Mike brought fourteen authors together to write thirteen great short stories that will sometimes make you laugh, sometimes feel saddened, and always make you think about how this alternate world that was created seems far too much like our own, but at the same time it is very different. The list of contributors to this volume, along with Friedman himself, include: Michael Burstein, Adam-Troy Castro, Russ Colchamiro, Peter David, Robert Greenberger, Glenn Hauman, Paul Kupperberg, Kelly Meding, Aaron Rosenberg, Lawrence M. Schoen, Geoffrey Thorne, Dayton Ward, and Kevin Dilmore. All are accomplished writers and highly respected in their chosen genres. It you want to learn more about this distinguished bullpen of word-slingers, follow the link to the Kickstarter page where there are brief bios on each one.

Pangaea is a collection of thirteen stories that begin with Michael Jan Friedman's story of an energy producing facility that is sabotaged just as it is about to come online. There is an interesting twist at the end of this one, as well as the last story in the book, written by Peter David who follows on from where Mike leaves off and adds yet another twist and a wide open ending that absolutely howls for a sequel. In between Friedeman's and David's brackets are eleven more stories that range from cop stories to tales of revenge; land grabbing schemes to the freeing of slaves; sibling rivalries and love gone wrong.

I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite story among the choices offered. Each one is an imaginative self contained tale that are in all different styles and voice. All are easily read with some terminology that is easily understood in context. The longest story is about an hour of reading time with the shortest coming in at about 20 minutes, most can be read in the span of an average lunch break of a half an hour. I found myself reading two or three stories at a time not wanting to put the book down because each was like unwrapping a gift that was not like any of the others.

The world of Pangaea takes place in many different settings including heavily populated city-states near the inland ocean to vast open plains and mountains. A great variety of settings are offered that well describes the world created in this volume. There is also a variety of people, but two of the main groups are the humans and a race called Brows, which seemed to me to be evolved Neanderthal-like people that have wide noses and heavy brow ridges as well as possessing superhuman strength. The Brows are often oppressed, but are also valued for abilities their human counterparts lack. The people of Pangaea are much the same as those that exist in our world, but unlike our reality, everyone has to exist and cohabitate on a single landmass which often causes tensions, but also promotes cooperation among peoples.  Much of what happens in Pangaea will be familiar to readers while much will also be very thought provoking. As I see it, we may not live on a super-continent, but in our modern world with the technology we possess, the planet would appear to be shrinking. As it is in today's society, it is in Pangaea; there is much prejudice, paranoia, and many other very recognizable characteristics that are prevalent. By reading the stories of this imagined world, there will be much to think about as one proceeds through the stories. But the biggest value in Pangaea, along with the variety of stories, is the entertainment value. Many of the tropes contained therein are not all that new, but their treatment in the book is unique owing to the environment in which they are set.

At any rate, I give Pangaea my highest recommendations as great reading material with an interesting variety of stories every bit as tasty as a box of good chocolates.

Well, there it is...

Qaplah!

Pangaea - An Anthology To Watch For - Huge Book, Great Authors, Now Funding On Kickstarter

Pangaea - A Kickstarter Project By Mike Friedman And A Pantheon Of Excellent Authors

Mike Friedman is at it again, another Kickstarter project, but this time he is not alone.

It wasn’t too long ago that well known author Michael Jan Friedman was dropping little cryptic hints on Facebook of something that he had in the works. I asked him what was up and he just told me to keep my eyes open for something big. Well he wasn’t kidding. This new project is an anthology of stories that will explore how the world might appear if, instead of the seven continents we know, that if all of the land masses were to have remained joined as one giant supercontinent called Pangaea. Here is the video that explains the project...

Students of natural history probably already know that this was once the case in the past, but according to Mike, his research tells that the land masses of the Earth have been all joined together on at least four occasions, but this has never happened during the course of known human history.

On the Visionary Trek podcast known as The Captain’s Table, Mike was interviewed and talked about how he loves to speculate on the “unexplored corners” of history in his books. Fans of Mike Friedman are probably aware of two novels that imagine what it might be like if Cortez had never conquered the Aztec civilization (see my blog post on Aztlan HERE).

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, Mike is not alone on this project.  Pangaea will be an anthology of stories by Mike, as well as his fellow Crazy 8 authors, and Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore just to mention a few.  To see a complete list of writers involved, follow this LINK to the Kickstarter page where you will find a better description of the projects, the investment levels and the perks that go with them.

As always, I do not promote projects such as this unless I have contributed.

Well, there it is…

Q’aplaH!

Aztlan: Michael Jan Friedman's View Of A Modern Aztec Society

Imagine for a minute what it might be like if a long dead civilization had actually survived to modern times.  Say, for instance, the Aztecs.  What would it be like if the Conquistadors under Cortez had never arrived in ancient Mexico, or if they had what would it be like if the Aztecs had successfully defended themselves against the Spanish conquerors?

Michael Jan Friedman of Star Trek novel fame as well as numerous other projects put his imagination to work and came up with two independently published novellas that take a look at criminal activity in the Aztec city of Atzlan.

The first of the two works, Aztlan: The Last Sun (and Mike recommends that you read them in order because there are spoilers in the second book that point events in the first), introduces us to Maxtla Colhua, an investigator for the Aztec Empire that stretches across a large part of the Americas.  Maxtla is a former athlete that played an often brutal game that seemed to be a mix between American football and basketball.  

While enjoying a meal with his aunt, Maxtla is called to the scene of a murder that is much like those from ancient times.  It is up to him to determine who is responsible for that murder and a series of murders that all follow the same pattern.  His investigation reveals numerous distractions and misdirection to stop him from finding the truth.  But his keen senses keep him on track as he discovers corruption in his own department, as well as problems at the highest levels.

In the second of the two novellas currently available, Aztlan: The Courts of Heaven, We once again follow the adventures of Maxtla as he learns more about his department’s corruption, and investigates the murder of the greatest athlete to play the game.  Maxtla has to find the answers again as he is lead through a confusing trail of leads that go nowhere, and with the most popular player of the game turning up dead, he has to get it done before the devoted fans rip the city to shreds.

I have always had a fascination with ancient civilizations, which is why I decided to read these two stories.  I thought I would give the first one a try and found myself hooked within the first few pages and couldn’t stop reading until I had finished both stories, finding myself wanting more.  Maxtla is a very interesting character that cares a great deal about the traditions of his department.  He is a patient, plodding detective that can use his wits to get to the bottom of a case, no matter what deceptions are thrown in his way.  He takes a lot of punishment in these two stories, but is like a devoted bloodhound, able to glean the truth and make sense of nonsense.  He is not a larger than life hero, just a man doing his job for the Empire.  He has a great sense of humor that manifests itself in the form of a dry wit.  If I had to compare these stories with another idea, I would have to say that it is much like NYPD Blue set in a world with a very different culture than what we know today.

I was able to contact Mike before writing this post to ask him a few questions about Aztlan.  He graciously responded to my questions, for which I extend my sincere thanks…

Q: Would you consider the Aztlan stories Science Fiction, Alternate Reality, or perhaps Speculative Fiction?  None of the above?

Mike: “Great question. I once described the Aztlan series to an editor at Random House. She said she loved the idea but she could never buy it because no chain book store buyer would know where to put it in his stores. It's certainly an alternate reality, but not what you might call an alternate history in that the point of divergence--the failure of Cortes to conquer the Aztecs--is hundreds of years in the past as compared to when the stories take place.”

Q.:What possessed you to resurrect a long dead civilization?

Mike: “I've always been fascinated by the Aztecs, I guess. As the end of the Mesoamerican calendar caught the public's imagination with its end-of-days flavor, I started thinking more and more about what that end would look like if the Aztecs were still a thriving civilization today--an isolationist empire that stretched from what we call Baffin Bay to what we call Tierra Del Fuego. The concept just grew from that point on.”

Q: Obviously, you were well researched in the culture of the Aztecs, what was involved with that?

Mike: “As I say, I'd been interested in the Aztecs for some time so I wasn't starting my research from scratch. Still, I took out books from the library, surfed the net, and so on until I felt comfortable in the world I was creating. Believe me, there's a lot of research that will never make it into the stories but you always have to know more than you'll tell the reader if you want to create a believable setting.”

Q: Can we Expect future installments of Aztlan?

Mike: “I've got more stories in mind, sure, but a couple of other projects are a somewhat higher priority right now--one of them being my new young-adult superhero novel I Am The Salamander, which was the subject of a successful Kickstarter and will be out in June.”

Q:   If every character is a part of you, which part is Imperial Investigator Maxtla Colhua, the protagonist in the Aztlan stories?

 Mike: “Maxtla is like me in a lot of ways. He's devoted to his work, he has a sense of humor, and he's a romantic. Of course, he's also a political conservative, as I was when I was very young, but he's learning more about the world around him and is becoming more open-minded as a result. He's growing in a way that I think is very plausible and very exciting, sort of like the Jack Nicholson character in Chinatown.”

Mike is part of an independent publishing company called Crazy 8 Press; a group of authors that that, along with Mike, includes such names as Robert Greenberger, and Peter David and many others.  While many of the authors are part of mainstream publishing, especially many of the Star Trek novels, they needed an outlet for their other works that the mainstream may not wish to take chances on, or as Mike explains it:

“The publisher of the Aztlan tales, Crazy 8 Press, which I co-founded, is dedicated to getting quirky stuff like the Aztlan stories out to readers. These are tales traditional publishers can't afford to take a chance on because they're suited more to the discerning reader than to the masses. However, we at Crazy 8 Press don't have to sell tens of thousands of copies to make the effort worth our while. All we need to reach is that consumer who has seen the same story a dozen times and wants something different for a change.”

Those of you that read this blog on a regular basis know that it is by and for fans of science fiction, but every now and again, I find that I have a need to read something that is outside of the strict scifi realm; I just need a break once in a while.  I came upon the Aztlan books through posts on Facebook from Mike promoting these stories, and found them to fit the bill of a diversion perfectly.  Both books are under 150 pages each and can easily be read in one sitting giving a complete story in each.  If you, like me, need a break from your usual fare, I highly recommend Aztlan to broaden your horizons a little.

Well, there it is…

 QaplaH’!