More Babylon 5 Essential Reading - Legions Of Fire Trilogy by Peter David - It Fills The Hole In Your Mind

At the end of the fifth season of Babylon 5, there were many questions that had been answered through the course of the series, but there were many questions left unanswered too.

When the series began, Londo was but a foppish buffoon that was put in a position of Ambassador on Babylon 5, a position that was, at first, not considered important by his own government.  When the Centauri sent Londo an aide, it turned out to be another seemingly buffoon named Vir Cotto. Londo debauched and drank through life on the station, not taking his job, or himself very seriously.  Then one day, a mysterious stranger named Morden approached Londo and asked what would normally be an innocent question.

Morden asked several of the ambassadors on the station the same question and got a variety of answers.  “What do you want?” seems such a small question, but when Morden asked Londo that question, and after trying to dismiss Morden out of hand, Londo actually gave an answer that started him down a path lined with the deaths of millions of beings.  Londo, in essence stated that he wanted to see his people restored to their former prominence in the galaxy.  Mr. Morden apparently had the resources to help Londo achieve that goal, but the cost was high.

Little did Londo know, but he had made a deal with the Devil, as sure as the legendary Faust did.

At any rate, at the end of the series, Londo had become Emperor of the devastated Centauri Republic faced with the task of rebuilding in the aftermath of what the Shadows had left behind.  Londo makes the supreme sacrifice to save what is left of his Republic by allowing agents of the Shadows, the Drakh, to place a Keeper on his shoulder that would monitor his every move and every thought.  When we last see Londo, he seems appears as a lonely and despondent ruler who is at the mercy of those that will rebuild the Centauri republic in their own image.

So what happened to Londo after that last scene in the television series?  What happened to Vir and how does he rise to become Emperor of the Centauri Republic?  And what of that vision that we saw during the series with Londo and G’Kar choking the life out of each other?  Those answers are explored in this three book series penned by Peter David.

The Long Night Of Centauri Prime: Book I Of The Legions Of Fire Series By Peter David (1998)

At the end of the series, Londo has become Emperor of Centauri Prime, but he also comes under the influence of the Drakh, agents of the Shadows who are determined to continue the agenda of their former masters.  The Drakh have planted nuclear explosives all over Centauri Prime and threaten to destroy the planet unless Londo submits to taking on a creature known as a Keeper.  This Keeper will watch every move that Londo makes as well as monitor every thought he has.  After Londo makes a speech to the Centauri people in the form of a giant hologram, telling his people that they will once again become the great society that they once were, he decides to take a walk around the city.

As Londo walks, he contemplates suicide, when he is suddenly struck in the head by a rock.  It is soon discovered that the person who threw the projectile was Senna, the daughter of Lord Refa, who has taken up residence with a family of refugees.  Londo offers her a place in his palace. When she refuses to accept his offer, Londo returns to his palace and learns that if he drinks enough, he can dull the senses of his Keeper and have time to himself.  He decides to take an opportunity to carry out his suicide plan.  Before he is able to complete his plan, his Captain of the Guard, Durla, escorts Senna into the room.  Circumstances have caused Senna to change her mind and take Londo up on his offer. This causes Londo to also have a change of heart; he believes that if he can save just one person on Centauri Prime, perhaps he will be able to make the difference that his people need.

The Drakh who is manipulating Londo, Shiv’kala, orders Londo to promote Durla to Minister of Internal Security.  At first Londo refuses, but Shiv’kala threatens to eliminate Senna if he doesn’t comply.  Durla is promoted and begins to advance his own agenda, transforming Centauri Prime into a police state that uses ruthless methods to keep order.

Meanwhile, on Babylon 5, the Drakh continue their plot to smash the Alliance with an attempt on the life of President Sheridan.  Thanks to Vir, this plot fails.  Vir then travels to Centauri Prime to investigate what is going on and is approached by Techno-Mages.

Vir knows that there is something going on that threatens to destroy his home world, The Techno-Mages have their own plan to set things right that involves Vir.  But thanks to Durla, Vir is being watched by Mariel, Londo’s former wife and it seems hopeless that things will be set right.

Armies Of Light And Dark: Book II Of The Legions Of Fire Series by Peter David (2000)

Picking up in from where the last book leaves off, Vir and the Techno-Mages head to a planet where there has been an excavation taking place for some time.  It not commonly known that many Centauri workers have been sent there and have been disappearing.

Vir and the Mages find a gate there that builds the cloud vessels that were responsible for the destruction of the Narn Homeworld. It is also learned that this planet killer is intended to be used against Earth.  Vir manages to destroy the planet and after returning through the gate, it falls to ruin and stops the plans the Drakh have of a swift victory for them.

Vir has become quite enamoured with Mariel, who is spying for Durla.  When Vir learns that he is being badly used by Mariel, he becomes angry and asks a mage to cast a spell on her to make her hopelessly in love with him.  But this is all part of a greater plan to turn Durla’s spy against him as Vir sends Mariel to Durla.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the attempted assassination attempt, Sheridan sends Garibaldi to Centauri Prime to find out what is happening there.  G’kar will accompany him as well as Lou Welch, who is charged with watching Garibaldi’s back.  After arriving, Garibaldi tells Londo that they are there to investigate a plant that is suspected of making munitions that can be used to start a war with the Alliance, Lou feigns and illness and stays behind as Garibaldi is  off to inspect the suspected munitions plant.

Lou, under the cover of a cloak that hides him from sight, follows a member of the Prime Candidates, an organization of youth that has been put together by Durla to support his activities and infiltrate high levels of government and spy for him. Lou follows Throk into their headquarters and is seen by Shiv’Kala, who is able to see through the cloak, and uncovers Lou.  Throk kills Lou.  Garibaldi is incensed at this and vows to get to the bottom of the situation, but Vir tells him that it is an internal affair of the Centauri Republic and that it will be handled internally.

Vir begins to gather and inform followers that will effect real change on Centauri Prime while Durla becomes Prime Minister and begins a purge of those that would oppose him. Londo makes a decree that off-worlders are no longer welcome on Centauri Prime.  This is generally taken as an attempt of Londo to show his power, but he writes in his journal that it is actually to keep others from suffering the same fate as Lou Welch.

Out Of The Darkness: Book III Of The Legions Of Fire Series By Peter David (2000)

In this third and final book of the series, Durla has assembled a huge fleet of warships and sends them out to destroy some of the smaller alliance worlds.  While Sheridan tells the Alliance that they should use the White Star fleet to stop the Centauri, they are unwilling to do so. At about the same time, G’kar is disguised as a Centauri and saves Durla from an assassination attempt, but is caught and is to be killed until Londo intervenes and makes him a guest, but will not allow him to leave Centauri Prime.

In the television episode, Objects at Rest, Londo had delivered a gift to be given to Sheridan and Delenn’s child on his sixteenth birthday.  The gift was an urn, but the Drakh put a Keeper in the base of the urn.  On the night of his sixteenth birthday, the Keeper in the urn frees itself and attaches itself to David Sheridan, who immediately steals a ship and heads for Centauri Prime where he is delivered into the hands of Durla.  When Londo learns of this, he confronts Durla and they struggle, but Londo’s keeper stops the struggle.  When Sheridan and Delenn arrive, they are arrested and are to be put to death.

Garibaldi informs Vir about all of this,  Vir heads to Centauri Prime to help with David’s rescue, but he also learns about the Drakh influence that has been there for a number of years.

Durla readies his fleet to begin attacking the major worlds of the Alliance and publicly announces the attack, but his plans are thwarted by Vir and his Legions of Fire when they detonate a bomb underneath the Tower of Power, the headquarters of the Drakh.  With the Drakh exposed, the people begin to realize what has  been happening.  Durla refuses to believe the evidence of the Drakh influence and attempts to launch the fleets, but is again stopped, but this time by Mariel.

Shiv’kala tells Londo to tell the Centauri people that the Drakh are friends that have been with them to help them rebuild and insists that Londo continue with Durla’s plans. When londo refuses, Shiv’kala detonates a third of the bombs that were planted on Centauri Prime, Londo finally agrees to what he is being ordered to do.  In the meantime, With the help of the Techno-Mages, Vir is able to locate all of the bombs and have them neutralized.

Londo calls G’kar to the throne room and asks G’kar to kill him to stop the Drakh influence. G’kar refuses at first , but is finally convinced that it is the right thing to do, but while he had Londo by the throat, the Keeper awakens and Londo begins to also choke G’kar.  Both die in the struggle.  When Vir arrives to help Londo, he finds what has happened and is immediately approached by Shiv’kala who attempts to kill him, but Vir manages to escape to centauri Prime.

Meanwhile, leaving Shiv’kala alone on Centauri Prime, the other Drakh abandon the planet, Vir makes a claim for the throne and returns to Centauri Prime, and with the help of Garibaldi, kills Shiv’kala.

According to what I have learned about this book series, it was written by Peter David from outlines that were given to him by J. Michael Straczynski.  That would make these books, without a question Babylon 5 canon.  And in my opinion, JMS could not have chosen a better writer for the job.

Peter David shows that he did do his homework as far as the characters are concerned.  As one reads the series, it is not hard to hear the voices of the characters, especially in Londo’s little quips.  The other characters that are familiar to B5 fans are also equally accurately recreated.  But one of my favorite parts of these stories was to see the growth that took place on the series carried on through these stories.

One of the most developed characters on the series was that of Vir Cotto.  When Vir first arrived on Babylon 5, he was such a buffoon.  He stuttered and more or less tripped over himself with almost every step.  This character grew to be very popular with me, as well as the fans.  As time went on, while still seeming to provide comic relief on the television series, he began to show backbone, standing up to Londo on occasion and asserting himself when needed.  But in this series of books, we see that Vir has become a force to be reckoned with and not anywhere the buffoon that he was first presented to be.

A major scene from the trilogy that stands out in my mind is when Garibaldi intended to go to Centauri Prime and handle things his way.  Vir backed him down and stood his ground with an attitude that even took Garibaldi by surprise.  In that one scene, Vir became a viable candidate to be a leader, and the emperor of the Centauri Prime.

As an avid fan of Peter David’s work, especially in the Star Trek, I really enjoyed these three stories and the way that they were written.  It is obvious that the author has a great deal of respect for the B5 universe and it clearly comes through in this instance.  As was the last B5 book I reviewed (To Dream In The City Of Sorrows), I consider this must reading for B5 fans who what to know what happens to Londo and the Centauri Republic after the close of the television series.

If there is anything that I didn't care for in these books was the term "Tower of Power" for the place where the Drakh were holed up.  Every time I saw this term I thought about that R&B group that appeared in the late 1960's that also went by that name.

As I read this, it got me thinking that perhaps the entire series was actually intended to actually be the rise and fall of Londo Mollari.  So much of the series centers on Londo, his triumphs and his failures, his mistakes, and the few things he did get right.  I have also heard this before from others, thought I might have heard it from JMS, and was told the same by my partner on the Babylon Project Podcast, Raul Ybarra.

One thing that is worth noting here is that the first two books in the Legions of Fire series are pretty easy to find, but the third book seems to be rare.  All three are out of print, so you might consider checking out your local library, inter-library loan, or if you have a friend who has the books or knows where to get them.

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To Dream In The City Of Sorrows By Kathryn Drennan - Essential Reading For Babylon 5 Fans

To Dream In The City Of Sorrows by Kathryn Drennan (1997)

Babylon 5 is one of my favorite television shows, so it would seem that I would have gotten into the books much sooner than now, but it just never happened.  I guess I had too much else to do.  I learned about this book when I became involved with The Babylon Project Podcast.  As my co-host and I discussed several of the first season episodes, Raul would mention To Dream In The City Of Sorrows and he kept telling me that it was an essential story that I should read to answer some of the questions that were raised in the first season. Some of the questions I had were…

• How did Sinclair become Ambassador to Minbar and how did he become Eltil’zha?

• How did Sinclair appear as his older self on Babylon 4 at the same time he was commander of Babylon 5?

• Sinclair proposed Marriage to Catherine Sakai, did they ever get married?

All of these questions and more are answered in this story.

[With the beginning of the second season of Babylon 5, command of the station is taken over by John Sheridan. Ivanova tells explains that Commander Sinclair has been permanently reassigned to another post, there is no more to that story until later in the series.  So, City of Sorrows picks up where the first season leaves off.

Not only has Sinclair been reassigned to earth, he is made Ambassador to Minbar.  As he goes about his duties there, he finds that he is being sequestered for some unknown reason.  He is unable to contact anyone to get advice and orders. Mainly his duties are to meet and greet visitors to Minbar from Earth.  When he decides that he is not able to function effectively as ambassador, he decides to resign and leave, but before he can get away, he is informed by a member of the Grey Council that he is to become the head of a highly trained group of people known as the Rangers.

Meanwhile, Catherine Sakai is busy running her business doing planetary surveys looking for the mineral known as Q-40 that is essential in the construction of jump gates.  She has no idea what is happening to SInclair.

This book also covers the back story of Marcus Cole, who isn’t introduced as a character in the television series until the third season as an important Ranger.  Marcus runs the family business of processing the Q-40 for use.  When his facilities are attacked and destroyed by the Shadows, who at this point are only making attacks on smaller targets, Marcus not only sees his family fortune go up in flames, but he sees his brother killed.  With nothing to lose, and as his dying brother directs with his last words, Marcus proceeds to Minbar to enter Ranger training.

With difficulty, Catherine manages to avoid being killed by the shadows who pursue her through hyperspace, and is eventually, with the help of Garibaldi, reunited with Sinclair on Minbar, where she enters Ranger training.

When a rift in Sector 14 is discovered that might allow Shadow ships to get through, the action of the story escalates to an even higher level as the trio set about finding a solution to the problem.

As far as I am concerned, This is essential reading for fans of Babylon 5.  It is a great story and one of the strongest points is that it is completely accurate as far as the portrayal of the characters and in their voice.  As one reads, one can hear the voices of every character that appears in the series. That action is fast paced and I would love to think that it would have made an awesome television film.

This should come as no surprise when one considers that the author, Kathryn Drennan was married to the creator of Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski (JMS). According to JMS, Drennan is the only person who knows as much about the B5 universe as he does, and this story came out of the authors affection for the Sinclair character as well as her affection for Michael O’Hare, the actor who portrayed him.

If there is any question about whether this book is canon or not, it can be put to rest.  In the introduction to the book, JMS writes that the book is indeed canon and should be read with that in mind.  This is confirmed in an interview in which JMS states, “this one is 100% canon...it's also the most exhaustive attempt to tie in all the storylines done to date. Anybody wants to know what happened to Sinclair, it's in the book. That's a genuine chapter of the story arc.”

Along with penning the B5 first season episode, By Any Means Necessary, Drennan has a few other impressive credits including working with Carl Sagan on Cosmos, and for working with Michael Piller on Star Trek: TNG.  I find it very unfortunate that she has not written more extensively on other projects, whether they are B5 related or not.  This lady has some great writing chops.

Raul (Babylon Project Podcast co-host) and I discussed this book briefly and we are at odds (however friendly) as to when this book should be read.  I think that one should read right after the end of the first season, but Raul thinks that one should read just prior to the third season because of the introduction of the Marcus character.  Either way, even the casual B5 fan will really enjoy this story and it comes with my highest recommendations.

One day, I hope in the not too distant future, Raul and I will cover this book on our podcast.  Please stay tuned.

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Extraterrestrial First Contact by Stan Schatt - Concise, Thought Provoking, And Potentially Distrubing

Extraterrestrial First Contact: Past, Present, and Future (2015) by Dr. Stan Schatt

How do we, as science fiction fans see aliens?  How close to reality might our vision be?

Ever since I started watching and reading science fiction, I have thought of aliens as being much the same as we are; roughly humanoid in appearance with variations.  Their behavior varies from benevolent to hostile with belief systems that are the much same as ours.  All of that is to be expected in fiction because, after all, if we cannot relate to the characters we see in popular culture in a way that is familiar to us, it is hard to understand a story.

Take for instance, one my favorite sci-fi series, Star Trek. The aliens are mostly much like us in appearance.  The Klingons are a hostile warrior race; the Romulans are sneaky and secretive; the Andorians are allies to humanity, but cannot always be trusted because they have their own agendas that aren’t always in line with the Federation’s ideals.  Thanks to the Universal Translator, we all speak earth standard English and manage to more or less coexist.

The first episode of Star Trek I remember seeing a non-humanoid alien in was TOS’s Devil in the Dark.  In that episode, the crew of a planet being mined for some rare material makes first contact with an alien called a Horta.  The miners are unknowingly destroying the Horta’s offspring and the creature fights back in the only way it can.  Along comes Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to investigate how and why the miners are dying.  Kirk and Spock discover the Horta and Spock is able to communicate with the creature and all is set right.

So, have we been visited by aliens in the past? Are there aliens among us now? What must we consider if aliens make first contact with us in the future?  These are the questions that Dr. Schatt addresses in his essay, Extraterrestrial First Contact.

As I read it, this essay was more to raise questions, or at least to make the reader more aware of what the realities of first contact might be as opposed to answering any questions.

The author first looks at evidence that perhaps we have been and are being visited by aliens.  He cites evidence that perhaps this is the case, or perhaps many of what has been called evidence from the past is actually myth.  The discussion then turns to activities that we are engaged in such as SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and METI ( Messaging to  Extraterrestrial Intelligence).  The author suggests, as many scientists do, that it is one thing to listen for possible signals from extraterrestrial intelligences as SETI does, but it is quite another idea that we send signals as METI is.  We just have no idea who may be listening.

Schatt then takes a look at our own (human) first contact experiences and cites several examples in which that was often not a good experience, especially for the weaker or less advanced of the two parties.  So what might we expect from visitors then?  Will they want to exchange ideas, or is conquest on their minds?

Other areas explored include speculation on who would represent our planet to an alien race, how it might be if an alien race presented themselves through artificial intelligence, and our tendencies toward anthropomorphizing so as to better relate.  In other words, what if the aliens that first contact us are not friendly Vulcans that step off the ship and say “live long and prosper,” as in Star Trek; First Contact, but rather a race that looked very different from us, say more like cockroaches as opposed to being humanoid.

Schatt also raises questions on the impacts upon our basic institutions such as religion, politics, science, and economics. His essay concludes with a look at how it might be if we were visited by a hostile race of beings.  The work concludes with an extensive list of books, articles and websites that relate to the subject.

While this is not a long overly detailed work, only about 92 pages in the print version, it is packed with ideas that made me think a little differently on the subject of first contact.  I have often thought about this subject but found that there were many aspects that I had never considered.  Schatt’s work pulls together just about everything one can think about and leaves it up to the reader to make their own conclusions. As one would expect, it is well written and in clear concise language that anyone can understand and absorb.  If you decide to give this work of speculative non-fiction a look, be prepared to have your eyes opened to new possibilities, and not all of them are comforting while others may be downright disturbing to think about.  I recommend this book for anyone who may be wondering about who is “out there” and whether we are prepared for that first close encounter.

Dr. Stan Schatt spent many years as a futurist, responsible for forecasting future technology products and markets for Fortune 500 companies. He served as a Fulbright Professor to Japan where he taught at Tokyo University. He also taught at the University of Southern California and served as Chair of the Telecommunications Management Department at DeVry Institute of Technology. Schatt is the author of over 30 books on a wide range of subjects. He holds a Ph.D from the University of Southern California and advanced degrees from Arizona State University and the American Graduate School of International Management. (Bio borrowed from Amazon.com - follow the link for how to get the book from them.)

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Nathan Lowell's Trader's Tales From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper - Part Two: Books Four - Six

This post is a continuation of an earlier post on the Trader’s Tales From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper series by Nathan Lowell.  In the last post, I summarized the first three books of the series, Quarter Share, Half Share, and Full Share.  In those first three books that span a period of about two years, we follow the early years of Ishmael Wang serving aboard the Lois McKendrick, a clipper that travels between systems delivering cargo and making a profit.  As Ishmael works and learns, gains the respect of the officers and crew of the Lois, and at the urging of almost everyone, decides to attend the Academy to train to become an officer himself.

Ishmael’s story picks up following his graduation from the Academy almost five years after the events of the third novel in the series, Full Share.

Double Share: Book Four of the Trader’s Tales From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper by Nathan Lowell

The events of this book take place between May 22, 2358 and November 26, 2358.

Almost immediately after graduating from the academy, and after a leisurely trip to the Diurnia Orbital space station, Ishmael prepares to begin his first appointment as an officer for the Diurnia Salvage and Transport company.  His first assignment as a third officer is aboard the William Tinker, commanded by Captain Rossett.

Ishmael soon learns that the ship he has been assigned to is nothing like the Lois.  What he actually finds aboard can only be described as appalling.  First, he notices that there is a strange odor on the ship, then he learns that the food and coffee is less than desirable.  As time goes on, he also finds that the ship has been poorly maintained and that there seems to be very low morale amongst the crew, which consists of all women with the exception of himself, the Captain and a very crude First Mate named Burnside, and a couple of other thuggish characters.

As Ishmael sets about doing his best to improve conditions on the ship, he finds that he is being fought every step of the way.  Morale improves, but Ishmael pays a cost for every improvement he makes on his one-man crusade to make the Tinker a better place to live and work.

During his time on the Tinker, Ishmael makes some friends, but he also makes enemies that threaten his very life. However, in the end, it is the crew of the ship that wins as the owner hired Ishmael specifically to clean up the ship and help him get rid of the undesirable captain and first mate.

Captain’s Share: Book Five of the Trader’s Tales From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper by Nathan Lowell

The events of this book take place between August 22, 2371 and September 13, 2372.

It is some thirteen years later and Ishmael is now the First Officer on the William Tinker.  He is also married.  

On their way back into port, the ship gets a report that there is a derelict ship that is causing a navigations hazard and the crew of the Tinker takes on the task of investigating the situation.  Ishmael goes on board and finds the entire crew dead and takes command of the derelict.  They guide the ship back to the orbital and Ishmael soon learns that he is to be a captain and will be getting his own ship.

While in port, Ishmael goes to his apartment and spends time with his wife, but when he informs her that he is to become captain and that he will be shipping out again soon, an argument breaks out.  This has become a regular pattern in his relationship.  Later, when he learns about the ship he will be commanding, his wife seems to have a change of heart and is happy that he will be captain of his own ship.

Ishmael takes command of the Agamemnon, which has the reputation for being the worst ship in the fleet for many reasons.  As he assumes command, he uses his usual charm and people skills to get his ship in shape for business.  As this happens, He also learns that the change in his wife’s attitude is because she is having an affair.  He promptly begins divorce proceedings.

So Ishmael gathers his crew and sets sail for the Deep Dark once again.

Owner’s Share: Book Six of the Trader’s Tales From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper by Nathan Lowell.

The events of this book take place between December 10, 2372 and January 1, 2374.

Ishmael has managed to turn the Agamemnon around and has made it a profitable ship.  After starting with a rough crew, he manages to get them trained and they work well together.  He also learns that he is very likely going to become a very wealthy person thanks to his part in the salvage of the found derelict, which brings him some unwanted attention and a very annoying celebrity status.   Pictures of him show up everywhere documenting almost his every move in every port he enters.

Meanwhile, the owner of the company that he works for passes away and he is urged by many to become an owner in his own right, but those urging him on have an ulterior motive; while the owner’s daughter stands to inherit the entire company, he has made a stipulation that before she is allowed to take over, she has to spend a year working on a ship from another company.  Several investors come together to help Ishmael get his company started and running.  While it is assumed that the daughter is somewhat of a selfish brat, it actually turns out that she becomes a valuable and excellent member of Ishmael’s new crew.

As often happens, celebrity status and high stakes also come with high risks, and soon Ishmael find himself, unwittingly in the middle of a power struggle that almost costs him his life.  All of this causes Ishmael to reassess his life and his future, which is quite uncertain at the end of this book.

When it was recommended to me that I read this series, I was not sure what to expect.  I guess I expected to find a typical sci-fi with all the usual elements of the space opera that I normally read.  I was pleasantly surprised, right from the start, that I was in for a different kind of sci-fi than what I normally read.

The Trader’s Tales is not about war, the ships aren’t armed, and there are no people in impossible situations finding solutions by impossible means, rather these are just good stories about ordinary people doing their jobs as best they are able and solving problems as they come along.  I would like to put an emphasis on ordinary, but also stress that the prose here is extraordinary.

The hero of these books is a man of Asian descent named Ishmael Wang.  He is a brilliant person who really knows how to handle people without compromising his own standards.  Once he makes up his mind to do something, he does a fine job, but he is not a flawless character; he does make plenty of mistakes, but he faces the consequences for all of his actions with honor and dignity. Ishmael tries to surround himself with people that are of high quality, but sometimes falls short of the mark.  But as a natural born leader, he almost always finds a way to bring oout the best on those around him just by being who and what he is, a good person.  In the series, he takes some of the most seemingly impossible characters and helps them rise above themselves and see their own self-worth.  This is exactly the kind of person I would love to work for, but all to rarely find.  No matter what problems come up, Ishmael handles them with a cool head and compassion, treating those around him as equals and rewarding them on their merits as opposed to what they have done for him.  One prime example of this, throughout his entire career as a Spacer is his policy that one doesn’t “screw with crew.”  Yes, that is exactly what it means, even though opportunities abound on every berth he is on, he refuses to get into personal relationships with members of the crew he is serving with.  That is not to say that he is made of tempered steel though, he is quite often tempted by the strong female characters and his convictions are quite often challenged.

The stories are told from Ishmael’s point of view.  The writing is in the form of a narrative prose that is easy to read.  This is truly the story of people doing jobs, so there is little time spent on the technical aspects of the ship’s operations.  There are a few brief explanations of how some of the systems work, but we don’t get bogged down in a lot of jargon, which keeps the stories flowing smoothly.  While one might think that such mundane material might get boring, these stories are anything but mundane thanks to the brilliant pacing of the narrative.  The way the story is told, one can easily visualize what a ship or an orbital station might look like.

Nathan Lowell holds a Ph.D. in Educational Technology and specializes in Distance Learning.  He learned about live aboard ships by working on fishing boats and while in the Coast Guard.  Nathan now lives in Colorado.  Recently, I friended him on Facebook and a few weeks ago assured me that the adventures of Ishmael Wang will continue, but he gave no details on when to watch for a new installment of the Trader’s Tales.  Links to the books and audiobooks can be found on the author's Solar Clipper Diary webpage.

In July of 2012, Dr.Lowell was interviewed by the SciFi Diner Podcast.  Just click the link to listen to that interview in which the author talks about his work.

I give these works my highest recommendations for some great reading.

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So Long Leonard Nimoy, And Thanks

Today saw the passing of one of my biggest heroes.  I am, of course speaking of Leonard Nimoy.  I am going to try to put into words what I am thinking and feeling this evening as I sit here in front of my computer and make an attempt to gather my thoughts.

I learned of Mr. Nimoy's passing this morning while at school.  My 8th Grade General Music class had just let out and I glanced at the computer where I saw my friend Scott Hertzog had posted a link to the New York Times announcing Leonard Nimoy dead at 83.  I asked If it had been confirmed and soon learned that it had been when my e-mail exploded with news bulletins and notifications from other friends.

Shortly after, I went to help with lunch duty.  Everyone that I have duty with kind of knew that something was up, but no one asked.  I just sat, numbly staring off in the distance.  Just before the high schoolers reported for lunch, my good friend and colleague, Chuck asked me about "that actor" that I told him had entered the hospital with severe chest pains.  Don't misunderstand, Chuck is a compassionate individual, but not a Sci-Fi fan and really knew nothing about Leonard Nimoy beyond what I told him.

News travels fast in a small school.  As the high school students passed by me, many of them offered condolences, some just looked and nodded, a few flashed the Vulcan salute to me. One avid fellow Trekkie asked if I had heard the news, and another, who loves to argue (jokingly) the merits of Star Wars over Star Trek put his hand on my shoulder and expressed his recognition of my sorrow.  Lest there be a doubt, the kids get it.  When I was done monitoring the lunch room, I returned to my classroom and broke down.

I managed to gather myself together in time for my next round of classes, and even managed to hide my feelings, and as usual, the kids helped me through the day.

So now I sit in front of the computer typing and listening to Star Trek soundtrack recordings.

I am old enough to have watched Star Trek in its original run on television, but not until the third season.  My mother didn't this it was good for me to stay up too late on school nights at the age of eight and nine, but when I was ten, she relented and allowed me to watch the show.  I cannot remember what was the first episode I saw, but it was one from the third season.  I immediately noticed the guy with the pointed ears and wondered about him.  As I watched, I learned that he had no emotions, and he was loyal to Kirk to a fault.  All too soon, that third season came to an end.  I hear many brutally maligning that season of Trek, but it was gold to me, and especially the logical Mr. Spock.

It wasn't long after that the episodes started airing in syndication.  Every evening at 5:00 I was in front of the television watching and catching up on what I had missed.  I so much loved this show that I began, much to the chagrin of my dad, emulating Spock.  I became emotionless, stoic, introspective and analytical.  Emulating Spock also got me in some trouble, because if anyone around me misstated something, I would correct them, just as Spock did.  Most people just laughed it off, ignored it, or simply shook their heads.  One day I corrected dad.  Baaaaad idea, but that's another story.

I got to the point that I had seen every episode so many times that I could tell you which one was on within about 20 seconds of the beginning of the teaser.

Now, I have never met Leonard Nimoy in person. Mostly, he was no more than a frequent visitor to my living room in the persona of Mr. Spock.  I also would occasionally see him at the theater, or on interviews, or a few times I encountered him in print form or more recently on an audiobook or social media.  But through all of that, I can truly say that I could feel the man's honor and integrity through all of his works that I have seen.  I see Mr. Nimoy as a person who was a professional who cared about ethics, not only holding himself to high standards, but also having high expectations from those around him.  Perhaps this is only how I imagine him based on what I know of him through various media, but he set a standard that I have tried to follow through the years.

So I will close this with a thank you to an almost lifelong hero, Leonard Nimoy.  Thanks for making me laugh and cry.  Thanks for setting an example of how to live logically and ethically.  Thanks for all the years of wonderful entertainment.  Thanks for your part in my making connections to others that have similarly been influenced by you.  Thanks for sharing your life with me, as well as millions of others all of these years.  They, and I

will miss you.

So, tonight I close this blog, not with the usual Q'aplaH, but rather...

Live Long and Prosper

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!