Book Review: The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

 I have a bit of a habit about putting books that are popular or widely praised. I don't consciously avoid them, it just kind of happens that way. Still, I get around to them eventually. Occasionally they're underwhelming, but more often than not, I do genuinely enjoy them. Such is the case with the book we'll be reviewing today. We're taking a look at The Plot Against America by Philip Roth.

The Plot Against America begins in an alternate 1940. Celebrity aviator Charles Lindbergh has been elected President of the United States in a landslide victory over incumbent president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Lindbergh has pledged to keep America out of the war in Europe and the Pacific. In fact, he's signed a non-aggression treaty with Germany and Japan. Still, many Americans, particularly Jewish American, worry that Lindbergh is getting a little too chummy with the Axis Powers. The story follows the turbulent years of the Lindbergh Administration through the eyes of young Philip Roth and his family.

This was one of those books that wasn't too high on my reading list until it was. I can't say what exactly prompted me to give this one a try. Maybe it was the miniseries adaption that HBO put out. I have watched the miniseries, did so not only after I wrote this review. I might get around to give a review of it at some point.

Maybe it was the various alternate history Facebook groups I take part in. Maybe it was something else entirely. Honestly, I can't really say. I will say that this book being part of the Audible Plus Catalogue was a nice bonus. Audible Plus is a new thing that Audible is doing. It's like Netflix, but with audiobooks.

Whatever the reason, I finally gave The Plot Against America a try, and I loved it. You will occasionally see literary fiction authors dip their toes into speculative fiction. However, this is the first time I've seen a literary fiction author try their hand at alternate history. Philip Roth ruffled some feathers when he made some comments that seemed to imply that he believed that he had invented the concept of alternate history. I haven't seen exactly where that went down, so I won't really comment on that.

I will say that Roth does an excellent job of combining his signature style with the alternate history setting. I took a look at some of Roth's other books in order to compare the writing style, and The Plot Against America defiantly fits the mold. There are segments of the book that almost feel weirdly nostalgic at times. Roth describes daily life in 1940s New Jersey in such loving detail, it can be easy to forget that you're reading an alternate history novel. And yes, this is a Philip Roth book, so it is pretty much required to take place in New Jersey.

One aspect I liked is that Jewish Americans are not a united front against Lindbergh. Sure, there are plenty, like the Roth family, who are weary of his policies, and actively push back against him. However, there are also Jews who are supportive of Lindbergh, or at least, believe he isn't that bad and can be reasoned with. A rabbi named Lionel Bengelsdorf becomes, essentially, Lindbergh's spokesman from within the Jewish community. Bengelsdorf is from Charleston, but that isn't as crazy as it might sound. Prior to the American Civil War, Charleston had the highest Jewish population in America. Indeed, many Southern Jews owned slaves, and fought for the Confederacy to preserve slavery. In fact, Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin was the first Jew elects to public office in North America.

Philip’s socialite aunt Evelyn also tries her best to worm her way into Lindbergh's good graces. At one point, she event attends a gala where Nazi officials are on the guest list. Other characters become unwitting pawns of Lindbergh and his schemes. One of Lindbergh's new social programs is called Just Folks. It involves Jewish boys spending the summer with gentile families, often in rural areas. Phillip's brother Sandy always wanted to spend time on a farm, and leaps at the opportunity to sign up. To everyone's collective dismay, Sandy had a wonderful time working on a tobacco farm in Kentucky. Worse, he'd gladly go again, and even becomes a spokesman for the program. In doing so, he becomes a useful idiot for the Lindbergh Administration.

Another of Lindbergh's policies is called Homestead 42. It encourages Jews to move to more rural areas. That way, Jews would be spread thin, and politicians won't have to pander to Jewish voters. Being in rural areas also means Jews would be more likely to bump into white supremacist groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan. Part of me wonders if that was a deliberate aspect of the plan. Lindbergh probably wouldn't object to Klansmen murdering Jews. Homestead 42, as it is public ally presented, would give him plausible deniability in that regard.

Of course, other Jews push back again Lindbergh's policies. Philip’s cousin Alvin volunteers in the Canadian army to directly fight the forces of fascism in Europe. Lindbergh canceled the Lend-Lease programs. As such, things could be better for Britain’s war effort. In our world, several Americans volunteered in the British and Canadian armies before America officially entered the war. They were known as Eagle Squadron. In fact, many of the planes from when America first joined the war were actually RAF planes that had been repainted. Obviously, this changed after the American war effort really kicked into gear, and America began rolling out its own planes.

Interestingly, Alvin isn't shown to be honorable or flawless as you might expect. In fact, he's shown to be a bit of a shiftless ne'er-do-well who takes advantage of the Roths after he arrives back home. Volunteering for service was certain admirable, but there's a strong sense that Alvin was in way over his head. His decision was spur of the moment, and he didn't think enough about the long-term consequences of his choice.

Meanwhile, the journalist/commentator Walter Winchell uses his program to critique Lindbergh. Winchell was a real historical figure, and was one of the first America journalist to speak out against Hitler and the Nazis. He also criticized America's isolationist stance, and criticized those who pushed for it, such as Charles Lindbergh. At one point in the book he even attempts to run for president. Unfortunately, the campaign hits a minor snag after Winchell is stuck by an incurable state of writers block known as death.

I know I might get flack for saying this, but maybe that was for the best. Let me elaborate a bit. In our world, following World War II, Walter Winchell gave his full-throated support to Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist witch hunts. In doing so, Winchell firmly placed himself on the wrong side of history, and seriously tarnished his legacy. So, at least the book's version of Winchell got to die a hero, rather than living to see himself become a villain.

Now, let's talk about Charles Lindbergh himself. Lindbergh's policy of isolationism, and the support it receives, is fairly realistic. Both the Democrats and the Republicans were pro-isolationism at the start of World War II. The general American public also favored isolationism. It wasn't until Pearl Harbor that public opinion about the war began to shift. America getting pulled into the orbit of Nazi Germany also isn't as unbelievable as it might seem. There were a surprisingly high number of Americans who sympathized with the Nazis. Jack Kirby received quite a bit of hate mail when he drew Captain America punching Hitler in the very first issue of Captain America. There were also several Pro-Nazi organizations, such as the German American Bund. In fact, the Bund appears several times in The Plot Against America.

Lindbergh was indeed an antisemite, and his antisemitism was fairly well-known. The Plot Against America portrays Lindbergh as having complicated views about Jewish people. He does not seem to like them, but he knows he can't say that out loud. He's actually worse in this regard than the Lindbergh of our world. For example, at one point Lindbergh receives a medal from the Germany government, and refuses to return it even after the events of Kristallnacht, aka the Night of Broken Glass.

By contrast, and quite surprising given his antisemitism, Lindbergh spoke out against the Nazis' persecution of Jews. He also specifically spoke out against the events of Kristallnacht. He was also horrified when he learn the extent of the concentration camps. Lindbergh was staunchly isolationist, but he served in the Pacific after America committed to World War II. Now, I'm not criticizing Roth's portrayal of Lindbergh. Given the right circumstances, Lindbergh could very well have gone down a darker path. I'm just saying that people are complicated. Honestly, the depiction of Lindbergh's vice president, Burton K. Wheeler, was far more questionable. However, we'll get into that in the spoilers section.

For what it's worth, the characters speculate on Lindbergh's true motives. There are rumors that the Nazis have kidnapped his child, and he implemented the antisemitic programs to appease them. His heart not being in it would explain why he didn't go too crazy. Well, that and the American government has safeguards against the president having too much power. However, we don't get any definitive answers, and this all remains pure speculation. Personally, I think Lindbergh was acting of his own volition, and wasn't being coerced by anyone.

Before we get into the spoilers, I'll take a minute to mention the audiobook. It is narrated by Ron Silver. I felt that he was absolutely perfect as a narrator, and I have no complaints there. However, I do have to ding points for the cover. It looks the same as the physical book save one key feature. The stamp on the physical book has a swastika on it, but the stamp on the audiobook has an X on it. This is a reference to a dream that Philip has. He dreams that his collection of national parks stamps become covered in swastikas. This represents the fearing the creeping fascism with the coming of the Lindbergh Administration. Why did the audiobook censor it? What was the point of that? It really undermines the impact that the non-censored cover has. But I suppose it is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things.

Okay, now it is time for the spoilers. So, if you don't want any of that, turn back now.

Last chance. You sure you want to continue?

Okay, if everyone who wants out is gone, let's get into it.

So, a plane that Lindbergh is flying disappears under mysterious circumstances. As such, Vice President Burton K. Wheeler takes over as Acting President. America proceeds to go to hell in a hand-basket. Antisemitic riots break out in several major cities, Martial Law is declared, and Wheeler drops all pretense that Lindbergh had. This is quite at odds with how Wheeler was in our world. In our world, Wheeler was actually quite progressive. He supported labor unions and workers' rights, he supported the New Deal, and he helped expose the Teapot Dome scandal. He supported isolationism, but he enthusiastically supported the war effort following Pearl Harbor. Sure, he did hang around Lindbergh, but there is nothing which suggest that he was a bigot or pro-fascist.

But wait, just as everything as at its grimmest, and emergency election is called by Congress. FDR wins in a landslide, and undoes all of Lindbergh's policies. Japan commits a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and America formally joins World War II. It's a little weird that Pearl Harbor happened pretty much exactly like it did in our world, albeit one year later, but it guess it isn't totally outside the realm of possibility. Hopefully, seeing what Lindbergh did to Jewish Americans will make FDR more sympathetic to the plight of Japanese-Americans, and he won't throw them in interment camps.

Things certainly could have been worse for Jewish Americans, but they won't be able to say "it can't happen here" anymore. Jewish Americans will always be a bit wary of the government, and for good reason. I think back to how the Jewish community of New Jersey. Most of them can't read of write Hebrew or Yiddish; they celebrate the Jewish holidays more for cultural, rather than religious, reasons; many don't even keep kosher very strictly. The kids all do typical American kid things like playing baseball and getting into mischief. These Jews are thoroughly assimilated, and are as American as it comes. And yet, in spite of all that, Lindbergh couldn't see them as fellow Americans. He only saw them as Jews, and nothing more. But this does tie into the major theme of the novel: every American, regardless of background, is a true American. It behooves us all to remember that.

And so that was The Plot Against America by Philip Roth. It goes to show that you can still do interesting things with World War II alternate history besides the usual Nazi Victory scenarios. It provided at look at America under the presidency of Charles Lindbergh as only Phillip Roth could tell it. I can't believe I waited as long as it did to check this one out. You should not wait like I did. Check it out today, and you'll be glad that you did.

Well, that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Alt-Hist File: Out of Place: Season 1

More often than not I find audio dramas by pure luck more than anything. But that just makes it all the more special when I find a true hidden gem. Such was the case with the show that we are reviewing today. We're taking a look at season one of Out of Place.

Out of Place follows a man named Andrew Moss. He had been studying history in university, but wound up dropping out. Still, he's making the best of things. He's gotten hired as an archivist for a mysterious organization called The Carruthers Institute. He's cataloging historical artifacts, but there's something off about them. The artifacts seem to contradict recorded history. It soon becomes clear that the artifacts are from parallel worlds where history went differently. Andrew must examine the artifacts to determine how the history of their worlds differs from our own. All the while, Andrew ponders who his mysterious benefactor is.

I first became aware of Out of Place when I chanced upon a post on the r/audiodrama subreddit. I click on the post, which spoke quite highly of the show, and I saw the two magic words: alternate history. Specifically, the show was recommended for lovers of alternate history. In that moment I knew I had to give this show a listen. I proceeded to binge the entire show, and here we are now.

Out of Place is part of the Midnight Disease network of audio dramas. It includes several other fine show, like Theatre of Tomorrow. Out of Place is created by Ben Counter, who also voices Andrew. It is produced by Pacific S. Obadiah, who is the founder of Midnight Disease. The episodes are presented in the form of audio logs that Andrew has recorded. This means that Ben has to carry the entire show all by himself. Well, with the exception of the final episode of the season, but we'll get to that in due time. Anyway, there's no music or sound effects; it's just purely him narrating. In situations like this the narrator is going to make or break the show. Thankfully, Ben's narration is all that Out of Place needed to succeed.

Out of Place managed to do something I would have previously said was impossible. It combined alternate history and horror, and did so to great effect. It also did so without resorting to the typical Nazi victory or Confederate victory scenarios. Some episodes hint at supernatural elements, but for the most part, the horror is derived from down-to-earth alternate history. Much of the horror comes simply from the cruelty of humans to their fellow humans. The premise of a man cataloging strange artifacts for a mysterious organization reminded me of the SCP Foundation. In fact, I'd argue that Out of Place is almost a better SCP podcast than most of the actual SCP podcasts.

All right then, so just what are these artifacts? Let's have a look, shall we?

Before we got further, a brief warning. Due to the short run time of each episode, usually in the neighborhood of fifteen minutes or so, it is impossible to talk about the episodes without spoilers. So, consider this your one and only warning. If everyone who wants out is gone, let's get into it.

Well, actually, just one more little thing I'd like to add. The episodes often include bits at the beginning and end where Andrew talks about his life. He will often talk about how things are with his boyfriend, and his boyfriend's niece, who has moved in with them temporarily. Now, this might seem innocuous, but don't be fooled. It becomes very important by the end of the season. As such, it really pays to listen to the episodes in sequential order. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let’s properly get into it.

Our first item is a skull that has received trepanning. It was a practice some ancient cultures did to release evil spirits from a skull, or relieve pressure from a head injury. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Well, other than that this skull clearly comes from modern times. Only a few decades in the past, in fact.

This episodes is actually numbered as episode zero. Out of Place uses episode zero to set the tone and style for each season, or in this case, for the series. So, in that regard, it isn't bad. That said, I get the sense that we can do better here. Let's see what the first official episode has to offer.

The first official artifact is a pamphlet advertising the Italian town of Rosaria. It's one of those picturesque Italian countryside town tourists love to flock to. It wasn't always called Rosaria. That was the name it changed to in the 19th Century. Prior to that it had a name you might be more familiar with: Pompeii.

This was the episode where I felt I could properly gage what Out of Place would be like. Would it be totally crazy and off the rails, or would hew closer to realism? It seems that Out of Place is hewing closer to realism, but adding a few twists along the way. In all likelihood, something along these lines probably would have happened if Pompeii hadn't been destroyed by Mount Vesuvius. Pompeii was a resort town, and can best be thought of as an Ancient Roman version of Las Vegas. In the grand scheme of things, Pompeii just wasn't that important. It probably would have developed into a sleepy little Italian town. There probably wouldn't be as many ruins in our world, but I'd imagine it would have at least a few.

But wait, what is this? One of the major tourist attractions in Rosaria is a temple built into the side of Mount Vesuvius. The temple is dedicated to Jupiter, and it is recommended that visitors not bring children younger than sixteen due to disturbing imagery within the temple. Just what did the people of Pompeii do, or believe that had to do, to keep Vesuvius from erupting?

One of the recurring themes of Out of Place is that there is only so much that Andrew can learns from studying the artifacts. We just don't know the full context behind the artifacts. Of course, given what Andrew can surmise, the worlds they come from seem like they aren't very nice places. This is all to the advantage of Out of Place. Horror thrives in the margins. That is, horror often does best when you don't explain everything, and leave some ambiguities. It doesn't matter if the knock at the door is because of a serial killer or a monster. What matter is that there is something behind the door, and it wants in. That was one of the principals that Alfred Hitchcock operated under in his films.

Alright, the first official episode is pretty good, let's see if we can keep up the momentum.

Our next item is a Faberge egg, and a large one at that. Interior includes a map of the Russian Empire. Ah, but not the one form our world. The map includes Korea, Japan, and assorted islands of the Pacific as part of Russia. So, we're dealing with an alternate Russo-Japanese War, where Russia emerged victorious. Okay, points for creativity. The Russo-Japanese War doesn't appear too often in alternate history. But this is Out of Place, so surly it isn't that simple?

Examining the egg further we find a jeweled flea. Why a flea of all things? Well, fleas do help spread the bubonic plague. Germ Theory was only developed in relatively recent times, but disease warfare has been used for centuries. The Mongols often threw dead bodies at the enemies in hopes of spreading disease. Cortez and his troops did something similar during the Siege of Tenochtitlan. So, perhaps this alternate Russia utilized disease warfare against Japan. For reference, the Russo-Japanese War happened about a decade before World War I. What would the Great War have been like if it had unrestricted biological warfare on top of everything else? Or here's a thought, what if it really was the war to end all wars? As in, what if humanity got totally whipped out by the unrestricted germ warfare? There's a lot of very dark possibilities now that Russia has let the genie out the bottle.

Okay, so Out of Place can keep the momentum up. Let's see if episode three will bowl a turkey.

Out third item is an ornately carved Louis XVII desk. In our world, Louis XVII never actually ruled as King of France. In fact, he died in prison while he was still a child. He was called Louis XVII by the various Pro-Bourbon factions. However, it would seem that the events of the French Revolution went a bit differently in the world of this desk. The carvings depict scenes from Classical Mythology, but with Louis XVII in the starring roles. It's all rather reminiscent of the artwork produced under Louis XIV, the great Sun King himself.

But that's not the most noteworthy thing about that desk. That would be a group of hidden carvings. They depict the royals eating the revolutionaries and violently tearing them asunder. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette watch the proceeding accompanied by a mysterious bearded man. I kind of get the feeling that the carvings aren't meant to be symbolic.

In our world, Louis XVI wasn't a bad king per se. Well, he was certainly incompetent, and didn't really have a good grasp on statecraft. I've always gotten the impression that he'd rather have spent all day attending to his beloved clocks. He was incompetent, but certainly not a tyrant. You could argue he had the deck stacked against him. Louis XIV crafted a court where the affair of state revolved around him, and him alone. Making things tailored specifically to him created issues for his successors.

In the world of this desk, however, it appears that Louis XVI went a bit insane. It also appears that the Royalists successfully crushed the Revolutionaries. Perhaps, Louis became paranoid, and felt the need to take harsher measures? Or here's another thought. Many of the great empires of Europe hoped to become a new Roman Empire. Perhaps, Louis wished this for France, and closely emulated Rome, including the bits of Rome best left to the dustbin of history. Perhaps, the Kings of France went mad with power after crushing opposition to their rule?

And what about the mysterious bearded man with the thunderbolts? Who is he? Is he a mad monk a la Rasputin? Did the Royalist create their own religion, a reverse Cult of the Supreme Being, and he is their high priest? Or maybe, just maybe, Louis XVI managed to get the gods of old to intercede on his behalf? Or perhaps the man is some sort of Lovecraftian abomination? Hey, there are at least a couple episodes that do hint at supernatural happenings. It's a big, big multiverse, after all. Then again, sometimes a pipe is just a pipe, and maybe I'm overthinking it. After all, the darkness within the hearts of mankind can bring forth plenty of terrors all on its own.

Right, I think we need to move it along. Suffice it to say, we have bowled a turkey with this one. And it is at the start, so that makes it a sizzling turkey.

Our fourth item is a copy of Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer. It was that book that claimed to have all sorts of secret information about the ways of witches, how to identify witches, and how to combat them. However, this version doesn't speak of witch trials in the past tense. It has entries on executing witches using steam-looms, and the use of electro shock and chemical injections to induce confessions. It would seem that this edition of Malleus Maleficarum comes from a world where Witch Hunts and Witch Trials never ended.

We all like to think that the arrow of morality inevitably arcs towards justice and equality, but this isn't always the case. True, Western Civilization did, in large part, reject superstition and religious fundamentalism in favor of the values of the Enlightenment. But, had circumstances been slightly different, this might not have been the case. Even today we are still haunted by the specters of the past. Look at how many people take horoscopes and astrology seriously. For that matter, look at how many people don't believe in climate change, or who think vaccines are a conspiracy to spread autism.

I grew up in what could be considered part of the Bible Belt, and can well remember what things were like during the George W. Bush years. It certainly felt like America was speeding towards religious extremism, jingoism, and a new unenlightened Dark Ages. I often worried about what would happen to America if things kept going that way. Sometimes, it certainly felt like we'd go back to burning people for witchcraft before long. Thankfully, that's mostly not how things turned out. Though there are times I'm reminded the threat hasn't totally vanished.

The point is, our enlightened modern world exists on a knife’s edge, and I'd argue came about via luck as much as anything else. I guess the moral of this episode is about how delicate our freedoms and liberties are, and how we shouldn't take them for granted. Never say "it could never happen here." What sort of world would still treat Malleus Maleficarum as a serious book? Certainly not one I want to visit any time soon. And yet, maybe it isn't as far off as we'd all like to think. This was a very thought-provoking episode, and I applaud the writers for that.

Our next item is a stone marker with writing on it in Hebrew. The text speaks of a massacre that happened to the Jewish residents of London's East End. Specifically, one that occurred during the Jack the Ripper murders.

This one is going to need some more context. Jack the Ripper is one of the most notorious serial killers, but nobody knows who he was. This has led to quite a bit of speculation about his identity. This was especially true during the murders. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the people of London searched for targets to lash-out at in their fear. There were rumors that the Ripper was Jewish, and this did lead to small scale antisemitic riots. The police considered several Jewish individuals as candidates for the Ripper's identity, but never made this information public. The fear was that this would lead to more antisemitic violence. In the world of this artifact, however, the police weren't so prudent. This resulted in several pogroms against the Jewish population of London.

You don't need much to create a dystopia. Sometimes, all you need is a localized tragedy. On the whole, this world probably isn't too different than ours. The London Pogroms would certainly be a black mark on British History, but honestly, I don't see them leading to any major changes in the grand scheme of things. Still, this world is worse off because of that tragedy. This kind of ties in with what I said about the previous episode. Jewish Britons won't be able to say "it can't happen here" because it did happen to them. I wonder what World War II would be like for them? They would surely think back to the horrors of the London Pogroms, and perhaps fear that Britain might throw them under the bus to appease Germany.

This was an unexpected, but quite powerful, episode to be sure.

Our next artifact is a poster from the Monterey Pop Music Fest of 1967. There's plenty of big-name bands, including one called The Family, with lead vocals by Charlie Manson. Yes, it would seem that Charles Manson's dreams of being a musician actually panned out in the world of this poster. They're listed as playing many songs, including one called "Helter Skelter." It could be a cover of The Beatles song...or possibly a reference to the race war that Manson believed was coming.

There is a tendency within alternate history towards the dystopian. Or at least, there is something of an unwritten assumption that our world is the best of all possible timelines. There are several reasons why this is. However, I think that one of the most likely reasons is that it is generally more fun when things go wrong. A lot of alternate history fiction are set in objectively horrible worlds, but they make for entertaining fiction. This episode kind of makes me feel that Andrew suffers from this thinking as well. Well, he strikes me as a pessimistic and cynical fellow, so maybe that contributes to it.

Is it possible that Charles Manson is still a depraved racist lunatic in the world of the poster? Potentially, and that certainly the interpretation that Ben Counter wants us to go with. However, Andrew seems to assume that Manson was preprogrammed to be evil. There is the whole debate over nature vs. nurture, but personally, I think it is a bit of both. I think we all have inclinations towards certain things, but we're also very much products of our environments. Nothing is set in stone when it comes to alternate history.

Also, I'm not sure race war is the term I'd use for the conflict between the United States and the Native Americans. That's not to say it wasn't terrible, and that there weren't deliberate efforts to destroy indigenous cultures and peoples, but I'm not sure comparing it to the Helter Skelter is fitting. Especially since ninety percent of all indigenous peoples in the Americas were killed by disease.

Now, none of this is to say I thought this was a bad episode. I did very much enjoy it. However, I feel that Andrew is a bit too unimaginative in his thinking at times. Perhaps the leaders of The Project should have scouted for someone who reads alternate history, or has an interest in alternate history.

Moving along, our next time is a series of aerial photographs of a Soviet gulag. Ah, but this isn't just any gulag. The photos come from the Moon in 1968. It would seem that the Space Race took a very different direction in the world of these photos.

Astute readers of this blog will recall that love alternate histories of the Space Race, or one that involve manned spaceflight. So, I enjoyed this one. It would seem that the Space Race kicked into gear earlier in the timeline of the photos. I often wondered about the possibility of lunar gulags. I've come to the conclusion that mostly likely they wouldn't be worth the effort. Why bother with the logistic of space colonization when Siberia is much more cost-effective? However, I'm willing to overlook implausibility if it results in a good story. To me, it is important that alternate history fiction be entertaining first and foremost. Plausibility, while it can make for good fiction, is an attribute, not a virtue. And this episode certainly grabbed my attention.

I guess maybe a lunar gulag might not be too implausible if the Soviets were serious about lunar colonization. They could use the prisoners as a free labor force to construct the colonies. And if they get sick and die, well, they were only prisoners. Plus, being able to control the very air they breathe is a great deterrent against riots and revolts. An objectively terrible stimulation for the unlucky prisoners, but it makes for entertaining fiction.

Next up we have a statue from the Republic of Arizona. It is a statue of Timothy McVeigh, the man behind the Oklahoma City bombings in our world. He was in the army prior to that, but got kicked out for insubordination. In the world of this statue, however, McVeigh stays in the military, and had quite the career.

Well, this episode went in a very different direction than I expected. When I heard Arizona Republic, I assumed this was going to be a world where the Constitution never got adopted. It is a semi-popular scenario in alternate history fiction to have the Articles of Confederation remain the governing document of America. This inevitably leads the United States to Balkanize early on, with each state, more or less, becoming its own nation. The Articles of Confederation had a lot of issue that the Constitution fixed. Under the Articles, all decisions by Congress had to be unanimous, Congress couldn't raise funds for an army, and there was a distinct lack of centralized federal authority. 

Could an alternate Timothy McVeigh have staged a coup against the American government? I mean, I guess it isn't totally impossible, given the right circumstance. Not totally impossible, but I think extremely unlikely. Andrew monologs at the end about how America is fragile and teetering on the edge of collapse. However, I find that to be more than a tad hyperbolic. True, there are many instances where America might have turned into a dictatorship had circumstances been different, and yet here we still stand. We had a Civil War, but the rebels, and their slavery loving ways, were soundly defeated. We've had peaceful transfer of power for over 200 years. We did have bit of a hiccup in 2021, but you'll notice that those conspiratorial lunatics were soundly defeated, and failed to achieve their goals.

Not a bad episode, and I will certainly give points for originality. Still, I certainly don't agree with the conclusions that the episode draws.

Next up, in our catalog of the strange, is a newspaper article. It tells of a viral outbreak that occurred in Central Africa. The virus started from chimps, but apparently it could spread to humans as well. It worked by attacking the immune system itself. Thankfully, the virus was successfully contained and eradicated before it could get too far. In our world, we know this virus as AIDS.

This was a nice change of pace. I have mentioned that alternate history has a tendency towards the pessimistic. So, it was nice to see an episode that attempted to imagine a better world. It was also nice to see an episode the shook up the formula a bit. I didn't have to wait for the other shoe to fall, or try to figure out what the twist would be. On the surface, this is a world where the AIDS Epidemic never happened, and this is a very good thing. Beneath the surface, that's exactly what this world is.

Perhaps, there would be less prejudice against homosexuals. Oh, there would still be plenty of prejudice against homosexuals. Religious groups would no doubt still be trying to pray the gay away. Still, gays wouldn't be associated with the stigma of AIDS. Maybe, just maybe, this would means acceptance of LGBT individuals would happen sooner. Perhaps, just perhaps, the victories of the Gay Rights Movement would be achieved quicker. I'd certainly like to think that it would be possible. So, I applaud Ben Counter for going against the grain, and daring to envision a better world.

The next addition of the collection is a record dating from World War I. One side plays a song called "Eat Your Mushroom, Kaiser Bill." It's a jaunty marching song about giving the kraut's what they deserve. On the flip side is a sad, mournful song drawing attention to the suffering people of Belgium. You see, the mushroom in the first song refers to a mushroom cloud. This record comes from a world where Britain developed the atomic bomb in the middle of World War I.

This is one of those alternate history scenarios you don't see too often, but has a lot of potential. Now, in terms of plausibility, this is perhaps not the most realistic timeline. You need more than just scientific know-how to build an atomic bomb. You also need an industrial base capable of supporting your production. I'm not sure that World War I-era Britain had that sort of industrial capacity. They could possibly have compensated for that by pooling their resources with other members of the Entente. However, I get the feeling that the British Empire would not share such a big advantage with other nations. So, maybe not plausible, but it has a lot of potential for storytelling.

World War I was a war fought with 19th Century battle tactics, but 20th Century weaponry. The nations of Europe barely comprehended the deadly potential of the new weapons of war they had created. So, what if you were to add atomic bombs to the mix? This was an era when generals still believed they had to achieve total surrender from enemy forces. World War I also marked the first step in the decline of the British Empire, and European imperialism as a whole. The British Empire of this alternate timeline now has quite the Sword of Damocles to ensure its dominance over the world. Imagine if the British were to use atomic bombs to quell uprisings within their colonial empire.

This certainly sounds like a world heading for some very dark places. But I do see much storytelling potential here. I also really liked that we actually get to hear what the songs sound like. It really helped add to the immersion of the experience.

Our penultimate item is a series of lead sheets covered in Latin writing. Ah, Ancient Roman curse tablets. It curses Septimius Severin for a failed expedition beyond Hadrian's Wall. The tablets speak of the absolute massacre of the legion Severin lead, but it also curses the Son of Neptune. It was someone, or something, that fought on the side of the Caledonian tribes.

This was an interesting episode, and in a way, a fitting bookend for the first season. Our first official episode involved Ancient Rome, and here we are with the Romans once again. It would seem that Septimius Severin lived a couple years longer than he did in our world, but this doesn't seem to have made too big of a splash on history. But oh, what is this? The backs of the tablets contain an image of a monster straight out of the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Is this the Son of Neptune? More importantly, is the image symbolic, or might it be representative? Well, in another fitting bookend, it starts off mundane, and then goes totally off the rails. As I've said before, it's a big, big multiverse. Who knows what might be lurking out there?

An excellent bookend to our collection of the strange and extra-contextual. Now, onto the finale.

Our final item is a warning sign from Los Alamos, New Mexico. Specifically, near where the Manhattan Project was conducted. It warns about encountering unusual humanoids and entities from other dimensions. Andrew is about figure out who his mysterious benefactors are.

I'll admit, maybe not the strongest finale, if only because I guess most of the major twist, but not terrible. The Project is indeed from another universe, and they travel between universe conducting research. So, then we discover...actually, know what? I know I've had to spoil the episode for the sake of dissecting the alternate history, but I'll leave the finale for you to discover on your own. I will say I liked the choice Andrew made, and it was a fitting conclusion to his character arc. He goes from a loner who doesn't feel he has much to live for. But he realizes how much his boyfriend, and his boyfriend's niece, really mean to him. His life isn't perfect, but they make it just a little better, and that something to take comfort and joy in.

And so that was season one of Out of Place. It was absolutely fantastic, and you better believe I immediately dived into season two. So, expect a review of season two before too long. There are plans for a possible season three at the moment, but that's kind of up in the air. Personally, I'd love to see some of the worlds featured in season one fleshed out and expanded. There is a lot of storytelling potential here. Still, whatever comes, I have full faith that Ben and the gang will make it absolutely fantastic.

So, there you have it. Season one of Out of Place combines alternate history and horror to frighteningly successfully degree. Give it a listen if you're a fan of either genre, or if you're a fan of both. Believe me, you will be extremely glad that you did.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: 1865: Season 2

I'd had this blog for a few years, but it didn't truly take off in earnest until I started reviewing audio dramas. So, here we are, reviewing the second season of the audio drama that started it all for me. There's really no more preamble to be added, so let's get to it. We're taking a look at season two of 1865.

Season two of 1865 begins where season one ended. Ulysses S. Grant has been elected the eighteenth President of the United States. Grant proved himself on the battlefields of the American Civil War, and has become a national hero. However, Grant is about to face a whole new set of challenges. Challenges that he might not be totally prepared for. There are white supremacist insurgency groups spreading across the South. Of particular note is a new group calling themselves The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Grant must try his best to clean-up the mess that Andrew Johnson created, and preserve the legacy of Abraham Lincoln. Grant must guide America through the tumultuous Reconstruction era. However, Grant will be hounded by accusations of corruption within his administration. He will find that, sometimes, his greatest allies can be his worst enemies.

I had been eagerly awaiting this season ever since I finished season one of 1865. I was blown away with what Steve Walters and Erik Archilla, and their team of voice actors and producers, achieved in season one. As it turns out, 1865 was originally planned to only be a single season long. It does tell a complete story, and the last episode of season one does carry a strong note of finality. However, thanks to overwhelming fan support, the team decided to make a second season. It would pick up where season one ends, and follow the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. So, here we are.

Season two of 1865 differs from season one in a few key aspects. Season one start with the main show, and then released a three-episode prequel miniseries afterwards. Season two, however, begins with a trio of prequel episodes before diving into the main show. This trio of episodes serves to bridge the gap between season one and season two. They have a framing device where Edwin Stanton is having dinner with Charles Dickens. Stanton is telling Dickens about the things that occurred during the final days of the Johnson administration. Believe it or not this is absolutely historically accurate. Charles Dickens took a trip to America, and he did indeed have dinner with Edwin Stanton. Dickens was less than impressed by what he found in America. To be fair, it's not like he thought too highly of Britain. Dickens' novels included scathing critiques of the British upper class, and brought attention to the abysmal conditions of the poor and working class.

It is during these flashbacks that we meet Edmund Cooper. He was appointed as Secretary of the Treasury by Andrew Johnson. He served as one of Johnson's closest political advisors. However, he didn't appear during season one due to time constraints. So, Steve and Erik had to retroactively weave Cooper into the season one plotline for the sake of the prequel episodes. Personally, I'd say they did a good job. We'd briefly seen Johnson dining and wining with various Southern elites. You could argue that Cooper just happened to be away doing other things during the various scenes we see in season one.

The theme of framing device in the prequel episodes is that Stanton knows he isn't going to be the hero of this particular story. This can be seen as the writers symbolically passing the torch to Ulysses S. Grant. Another way that season two differs is that it covers a much larger span of time than season one did. Season one, true to the show's title, stayed in the year 1865, barring the last two episodes. Season two, by contrast, spans all eight years of Grant's presidency. I'd assumed things would be more along the lines of season one, and that Stanton would at least get halfway through the season before dying. Instead, however, the first episode of the season proper ends with Stanton dying. I mean, I knew that this was coming. Season one ends with a reading of Stanton's obituary in 1868. Still, all the same, it was kind of shocking. It was in that moment it really became clear that Grant would be figuring things out largely on his own. Though, Stanton does briefly appear in a flashback set during the American Civil War.

Some might argue that the series title no longer makes sense, as season two is set after the year 1865. However, I'd argue that it still fits. Everything that happens in the season, and the series as a whole, is because of that fateful day in 1865. So, from a thematic perspective, it fits.

Season two also differs in that we go outside the halls of power. There are several episodes that include scenes set in South Carolina. So, we get to see how the Freedmen are doing under Reconstruction, and the opposition they face. This also gives the podcast an opportunity to shine a light on lesser-known historical figures. It is a sad, but true, fact that we just don't have a lot of primary sources about many of these black characters. We get to meet Jim Williams. He was the leader of a black militia who helped protect and enforce voting rights for blacks. He's a true American hero, but not one who is particularly well-known. Hopefully, he will become better known thanks to 1865.

Jim's wife, Rose, is also a significant character. She provides eyewitness testimony that the Ku Klux Klan is real, and helps convince Grant that he needs to commit troops to combat the Klan. Rose is voiced by Kelly Jenrette. She has had role on shows such as Grandfathered, The Handmaid's Tale, and the live-action adaption of the audio drama Limetown.

People often complain about how partisan modern news media has gotten. 1865, however, shows that this is nothing new. If anything, things were even more partisan in the 19th Century. You had Republican newspapers and Democrat newspapers that would report things in wildly reinforce the ways. For example, the Democrat papers claim that the Ku Klux Klan wasn't real, and that it was just a boogeyman that the Republicans invented. In other words, they claimed that the Klan was Fake News.

In other characters, we get to meet Joseph Rainey, the first black man elected to the House of Representatives. Specifically, he served as a representative for South Carolina. For reference, South Carolina was the very first state to secede from the Union, and kickstarted the Civil War. That's one of the many reasons why it was so important that Reconstruction go well. White Southerners, if left to their own devices, were not going to let blacks vote or run for office. Rainey is played by Sydney Harcourt, who starred in the hit musical Hamilton as Phillip Schuyler.

I also enjoyed getting to meet Ely Parker. He served alongside Grant during the Civil War, and Grant later appointed him Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Parker was Native American, specifically, a member of the Seneca, one of the six tribes of the Haudenosaunee people. Parker was the first Native American to be appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs. His struggles to help the indigenous peoples is a reminder that blacks weren't the only minorities fighting for their rights during the 19th Century.

Let's talk a bit about Grant himself. Ulysses S. Grant is most famous for his time as general in the Union army during the American Civil War. He was an absolute genius on the battlefield, and lead the Union to numerous victories. In fact, Grant was the one who Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered to after the Battle of Appomattox in 1865. This earned Grant the nickname The Hero of Appomattox. He was also known as Unconditional Surrender Grant. Confederates, and Confederate sympathizers, called him Grant the Butcher. They claimed this was because of how many people died under his command, and tried to paint him as a heartless monster. However, far more people died under the command of Robert E. Lee. Despite this, Lee is hardly ever painted as a butcher.

While we're on the subject, I should note that Lee encouraged his men to hunt down escaped slaves. He also encouraged them to go on raids against Free Blacks, so that they could be sold into slavery. Grant was a far superior general to Lee. To give on example among many, during the Battle of Vicksburg, ever man under Lee's command was either killed or captured. By contrast, Grant made it through the entire battle without losing a single man. Grant also felt an immense amount of guilt over the soldiers who died under his command. He struggled with alcoholism throughout his presidency. Pro-Confederate historians often used this to paint him as a worthless drunk. However, modern historians generally agree that Grant suffered from untreated PTSD, and used alcohol as a coping mechanism.

Ulysses S. Grant is played by James Black. He portrays Grant as personable and friendly, but also capable of being firm when he needs to be. He also portrays Grant as a bit reserved and soft-spoken. You get the impression that Grant is still haunted by his experience during the war. He's far less bombastic than Jeremy Schwartz was with his depiction of Edwin Stanton. This does help underscore how Grant is going to be a very different protagonist than Stanton was.

Erik and Steve took a very warts and all approach when it came to writing Ulysses S. Grant. They do acknowledge that Grant did a lot of good things that he doesn't get nearly enough praise for. It was during Grant's presidency that the Ku Klux Klan was founded. Grant spearheaded congressional investigation into Klan activity throughout the South. He then mobilized federal troops to take direct and decisive action against the Klan. It is thanks to Grant that the first incantation of the Ku Klux Klan was almost completely obliterated. Grant also fought to keep Reconstruction going, and to ensure that the rights of the Freedmen were protected. He did spend a good chunk of his presidency trying to fix the mess Andrew Johnson created.

However, Erik and Steve don't gloss over Grant's flaws and shortcomings either. Grant is depicted as, at heart, a good man. He sees the best in people, and wants to do right by everyone. However, this good will dipped into flat-out naivety on several occasions. It severed Grant well as a general, but it made him terrible at playing the game of politics. Grant seemed almost incapable of even considering that his closest allies could be doing shady things in his name. Many of his closest allies got involved in crooked backroom deals. Grant refused to even consider that his friends had committed the crimes, even when a mountain of evidence was starring him in the face. 

Grant also chose not to run for a third term. That might not sound bad, but Grant was pretty much the only thing keeping Reconstruction going by the end of his presidency. Remember, the South had been granted amnesty by Johnson. So, former Confederates, including members of the Klan, were opposing Reconstruction from within Congress.

Many blacks feared that, if Grant didn't run, the next president would end Reconstruction. Rather unfortunately, this is exactly what happened. Rutherford B. Hayes was a milquetoast candidate who nominated mostly so that Republicans could appease the Democrats. Naturally, the number one item on the agenda was an end of Reconstruction. White Southerners gained full control of the South, and implemented Jim Crow laws. The Freedmen were stripped of the gains, such as they were, they'd been able to make under Reconstruction. Equality became a dream deferred.

Why didn't Grant run for a third term? Well, he could have, but most presidents followed the precedent set by George Washington of not running for more than two terms. There was no official rule making it so, but it was kind of an unspoken rule. FDR was the first president to serve for more than two terms, and Republicans made damn sure that the two-term limit became law after he died. So, Grants view was, essentially, "I'm sorry, but rules are rules. Who am I to challenge Washington's precedent?" This ties back into what I said about him being a bit too honorable for his own good.

Now, in fairness to Grant, and as previously noted, he was dealing with the mess Johnson created. However, even if everything had gone right, I'm not sure that Reconstruction would have been able to last much longer than it did. Most Northerners opposed slavery on philosophical grounds. However, that didn't mean they believed that blacks ought to be equal members of society. They also weren't keen on their tax dollars being used to fund Reconstruction. The point is, the will to do a proper Reconstruction just wasn't there. Even in the absolute best-case scenario, things might not have been too different from how it happened in our world.

In fact, the end of Reconstruction, and its aftermath, was pretty similar to the recent pulling out of American forces from Afghanistan. It's a little strange that the 1865 Twitter account didn't pounce on the and draw parallels like it usually does. Maybe it was considered in bad taste or too soon?

The season ends with a reading of Grant's obituary, just as last season ending with Stanton's obituary. Fittingly enough, Grant's obituary is read by Jeremy Schwartz. The obituary gives Grant is due for all that he accomplished, but also emphasizes his short comings. The general tone can be summarized as "You accomplished a lot, but you could have done so much more. Why didn't you fight harder?"

And that was season two of 1865. It was exactly what I was expecting. I expected it to be absolutely fantastic, and it did not disappoint. The team has tentative plans for a third season. It will focus on John Mercer Langston, and how he became the first black man elected to the Virginia State Legislature. You might remember Langston from season one and two, where he is the head of the Freedmen's Bureau. Now, we don't know for sure if season three will happen. Then again, that's what they said about season two, and yet here we are. The main hurdle with season three will be scheduling. John Mercer Langston is played by William Jackson Harper. He's most famous as Chidi from The Good Place. So, obviously, recording would have to take Mr. Harper's busy schedule into account.

Still, you never know. Big things have been happening for the 1865 crew. Erik Archilla testified at his old high school when it was debating changing its name. It used to be called Robert E. Lee High School, but now has changed its name to Tyler Legacy High School. Though, the deciding factor was when numerous student athletes, in particular, a member of the track team, threatened to boycott unless the name changed. Still, glad to see Erik helped out, even if in a small way. In other developments, 1865 executive producer Lindsay Graham was on The History Channel. He was one of the talking heads on a recent episode of The Engineering That Built the World. I really enjoy the That Built series; The Food That Built America, The Machines That Built America, The Toys That Built America, etc. Good to see that The History Channel is still making quality historical documentaries that don't involve aliens or conspiracy theories. And good that Lindsay is taking part in such things.

Well, there you have it. Season two of 1865 was just as amazing as we all imagined it would be. Give it a listen if you haven't already. I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: The Lavender Tavern

As I have said many times before, I'm always more than happy to review and audio drama that is asked of me. It is a great way to find audio dramas that might otherwise fly under my radar. That obviously includes the audio drama we're reviewing today. We're taking a look at The Lavender Tavern.

The Lavender Tavern is an anthology of original LGBT fairytales. Well, more specifically, they're fantasy short stories that feature LGBT characters, and sometimes themes, to varying degrees. I first became aware of The Lavender Tavern when series creator Jonathan Cohen contacted me to ask if I could give The Lavender Tavern a review. He had greatly enjoyed my review of We Fix Space Junk. I said yes, after I took care of a few other things, and now here we are.

Now, this won't be a review of ever story from season one. I'm only reviewing stories that proved memorable in some way. I need more to go on that just "meh, that was a story and it happened" to give a proper review. However, as you will see, the majority of stories from season one managed to be memorable in this way. That would be a pretty good score if I assigned such things. There really isn't much more to add, so let's jump right into the stories.

Our first story is called "The Unlucky Gambler." Our tale is set in a city where everything is literally determined by a roll of the dice. All the citizens choose a pair of dice shortly after they are born. There are many different kinds of dice, and all with different amounts of luck. The citizens roll their dice whenever making a major decision. The higher the number, the better your luck, and thus more favorable the outcome. Oh, and you only get one roll per decision. So, if you get a bad roll, well, though luck. The story follows the life of a man named Anders. His dice are smokey crimson, which means he has an unprecedentedly high amount of bad luck. The story follows Anders across several misadventures as he tries to make the best of his bad luck.

The Lavender Tavern certainly starts off strong with an excellent first story. This one is interesting because, unlike most of the other stories, it appears to be set in a world with technology and society on par with the present day. I kept thinking that maybe there was going to be some sort of twist. Like, perhaps the dice didn't have anything to do with luck, and it was all a scam by the soothsayers to stay in power. But no, it appears that the dice do indeed control one's luck in life. That has some rather dark implications about the world of this story. For example, the story mentions that the city assigns people job based on their luck levels. As a result, poor Anders is stuck with jobs like garbage truck driver and factory janitor. Not that he keeps these jobs for very long. Something always happens to make Anders lose his jobs.

On the one hand, I can understand not wanting people with bad luck have jobs where things could go seriously wrong. You wouldn't want someone like that to be a surgeon, a firefighter, or a bomb disposal technician. Still, in essence, the city seems to run on a caste system of sorts. What do you don't if you don't like any off the jobs available to you? Or what if you don't have any aptitude for those jobs? Of course, Anders is on the more extreme end of things. Perhaps people of more average luck have more options available to them?

People are also segregated into different parts of town based on their luck. Well, technically you can live with friends and family in other parts of town. However, you can only own property within designated areas based on your luck levels. Granted, there is somewhat justification for this. Anders is shown to cause misfortune to befall other people simply by being too close to them. Still, with everyone's luck literally decided by a role of the dice, wouldn't that mean the people of the city don't have true free will? I suppose you could see the dice as an allegory. There are a lot of factors affecting our own lives that are totally outside of our control. We don't choose what social class to be born into. We also don't choose our whether or not to have disabilities or illnesses, or what race we are, or a million other things that can impact our lives.

We also see that having better luck doesn't necessarily guarantee happiness. At one point, Anders works for a... legitimate businessman, shall we say. Anders' boss has solid gold dice with diamonds for dots; one of the highest possible amounts of good luck. The boss is pretty much guaranteed to succeed at everything he does. However, this also means he never has any real challenge, and thus, his victories don't bring him much satisfaction. He uses Anders to cause misfortune to befall other people are part of various schemes he's running. Also, having Anders around means potential for failure, and the boss has to actually work towards his goals.

I won't give away the ending, but I really liked it. It goes that show that even the losers get lucky sometimes. As you can see, this is a very thought-provoking story. All in all, an excellent first episode.

Our second story is called "The Demon's Tale." As the title suggests, this story is about a demon named Akuma. He has been bound to grant three wishes to whoever finds the bottle he is imprisoned in. Just don't try to wish for more wishes. Oh, and he'd prefer if you'd ask for something nobody has ever ask of him before. Do that, and he grant whatever you want, no questions asked. He's about to regale you with his life's story, and will give you clues along the way.

And we have an excellent second episode for The Lavender Tavern. I just loved how flamboyant and full of himself Akuma is. You can tell that Trevor Schechter was having a lot of fun when he narrated this story. Really, this is one of those stories that was going to rise or fall based on the narration. Thankfully, Trevor was more than up to the task. I did like that Akuma had some noble qualities. For example, at one point a cult is created in his honor. However, Akuma draws the line at sacrificing babies. He might be a demon, but even he isn't that evil. Of course, towards the end of the story the mask begins to slip. we see that Akuma's blustering and boasting is, at least in part, do disguise the shame and insecurities he feels about having been humbled and imprisoned. This story was a fun twist on the genie in a bottle story, and great second episode.

Our third episode is called "The Scrying Eye" and it is a two-part story. Bernard is a bright young boy and an aspiring chef. One day, he meets a man name Radolf, who appears with a bright flash of light. Radolf claims to be from the future. He says that one day he will create a device capable of gazing into the past, and Bernard is destined to sketch him doing so. Bernard is determined to fulfill his destiny at any cost, but is that really such a good idea?

This was another story with a lot of interesting ideas. Most of us would like to believe that we are destined for greatness and glory. We wanted to believe that we're going to do something amazing that will go down in the history books. And yet, it is highly likely, if not probably, that you weren't place on this Earth of any grand purpose or destiny. But that's okay. Sometimes, we get so focused on trying to find our purpose, and we fail to realize how good our lives are. We get so swept up in grand narratives and supposed destinies that we fail to appreciate what we have. The true value to our lives is not in great triumphs, but in the simple joys of daily living. Love today, and seize all tomorrows!

All of this easily applies to Bernard. He is a master chef, and an absolute genius in the kitchen. His mentor at the cooking academy even says that he has the potential to be the greatest chef of his generation, and that he has a true gift. However, as soon as Bernard meets Radolf, he drops all of that and goes in enroll in the art academy. Bernard's mentor bemoans how Bernard is throwing away his talent. Bernard's father is one of the greatest artists in the land. However, Bernard hasn't inherited his father's artistic talent. In fact, he only gets into the art academy due to his father's reputation. Barnard's art skills do somewhat improve, but he never gets beyond just passable. He remains a supremely talented chef, and it is clear that cooking is where his talents and passion truly lies. It never seems to occur to Bernard that Radolf might have lied to him, or possibly left out vital context. Context is everything when it comes to prophecies; just ask Oedipus of Thebes.

As you can see, this is another very thought-provoking story. It is also an excellent two-part episode.

Our fourth story is titled "A Plague of Reason." It is set at a land that was once filled with magic, but that was long ago. The universities that once taught sorcery and potions now teach physics and natural science. The age of magic is but a distant memory, if it even existed at all. The story follows a professor named Sorrel. He has received a visit from an old student of his named Edric. Edric claims to have witnessed magical things, and to have even performed magic himself. He doesn't know how, but he swears it is true. Sorrel, however, remains skeptical and offers rational explanations for how these seemingly impossible things could happen.

Well, this was certainly an interesting story. I kept waiting for Edric to pull out some irrefutable trump card, but Sorrel always had a perfectly rational counter. Well, that is...ah, but I should leave that for you to discover. I suppose something like the backstory of this world happened in our own world. In many ways, the forces of nature were considered mythical and almost magical in ancient times. Then we developed the scientific method, and began to unravel the secrets of the universe. Perhaps we did lose a bit of magic in the thrill of the unknown, but I'd argue that we gained so much more.

I've found that I tend to gravitate towards fiction that is set in the real world, or draws heavily from the real world. I spent much of my childhood immersed in books, websites, and documentaries about science, history, geography, and other such subjects. Some people explored the lore of their favor fictional worlds, but I explored the lore of the real world. I guess that's why, with a few exceptions, I tend to not prefer fantasy set in secondary worlds. Who needs a fantasy world when our world is full of wonder and a certain magic all its own? Knowing more about the world doesn't make it less wondrous and magical. Far from it. The world became even richer because we know more about it.

It wasn't all the long ago that flying in an airplane was considered but a distant fantasy. Now, airplane flight has become a mundane part of life. Also, consider the following: at this every moment you are on a rock that is hurdling around a ball of fire at millions of miles per hour. And who are you? You are what hydrogen becomes given billions and billions of years of cosmic evolution. The hydrogen in your body is the same element that Stars use to burn bright. In this way, you and I, and all other living things, are all distant relatives to the stars themselves.

I could go on, but we need to move along. Suffice it to say, that I greatly enjoyed this story, and I'm sure you will as well.

Our next story is "Tavern at the End of the World." A weary traveler seeks shelter from a cold winter storm. He finds a tavern at the end of the world, or what might as well be the end of the world. He is greeted by the man and woman who own the tavern, and they all tell stories to pass the time while the storm rages on.

I always assumed that The Lavender Tavern was just the name of the show. I didn't think that we'd actually get an episode about it; much less an origin story of sorts. My favorite of the three stories told was the one about the woman named Havila. She always loved sword-fighting, wrestling, roughhousing, and other traditionally masculine things. Her parents, however, wished that she'd become a proper lady and find a husband. Havila was also a lesbian, so this created issues. Eventually, Havila got fed up with all of this and sought out a wizard to make her a man. The wizard made her wait thirty days to make sure she really wanted it, but Havila remained steadfast. So, the wizard changed her from Havila to Havil. Everything seems well, but Havil had friend name Orlow, who pinned after him when he was a woman. I should also mention that Havil was a lesbian woman, but is now a gay man. Oh, but wouldn't you know it, Orlow also went to a wizard and is now Orla. Interestingly, Orla still likes girls, despite having gone through the gender-changing magic.

It's almost like "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, but with a more depressing ending. We must assume that the wizard Havil visited lives in a red kingdom, while the one Orla went to lives in a blue kingdom. Hey, Havil's wizard is from the south, while Orla's wizard is from the north.

The other stories in this episode are good too, but I'll leave them for you to discover. This was certainly an unexpected episode, but not an unwelcome one.

Next up we have "The Golden Door" another two-part story. The story follows a man named Finn who lives in a small village. Many years ago, the village was hit by a massive famine. As a result, most of the villagers prefer to eat simple light meals, even though they have plenty of food. Finn, however, loves to eat and cook, and has grown rather plump as a result. This means that Finn is the only person in town who can't pass through the golden door at the village temple. None of the other villagers will tell Finn what is behind the golden door. Finn is determined to get beyond the golden door at any cost. But what will he find on the other end?

Several religions preach against gluttony and eating to excess, but usually don't do very much to enforce these teachings. Historically, there usually weren't very many fat people, prior to the invention of processed food. Those who were fat tended to be members of the nobility, and nobility were the biggest donors to religious institutions. So, you know, don't bite the hand that feeds you, and all that. I suspected from the start that the villagers' prejudice against fat people might involve religion. As the story went on, my suspicions were confirmed.

Now, the villagers aren't overtly mean to Finn. They did all attend the opening of his restaurant. None of them ever go "Hey, fatty! Why don't you lose some weight alright, fatso?" However, they do passive aggressively fat shame him. For example, it's only when Finn begins to lose weight that people are willing to actually give him the time of day. Before that, Finn only has one real friend. Her name is Celine, and she goes on to become a traveling singer. She's a good friend, and at least makes an effort to truly enjoy the food Finn makes. However, she's not exactly romance material, because Finn is gay. It's just as well, because Celine is a lesbian. When I heard her name, and that she's a singer, I immediately thought of Celine Dion. 

Jonathan tells me that he intended the story to be an allegory for male eating disorders, and society’s impact of body imagine. I can certainly see that. Finn starves himself so that he fits what the village considers acceptable in terms of body size. However, he makes himself completely miserable, and is not true to himself and his convictions in life. Psychologists have increasingly suggested that eating disorders are far more common among men that previously estimated.  

So, we're going to have to talk about what is behind the golden door. So, skip down about five or six paragraphs if you'd rather not know.

What is behind door number one, you ask? Why...a glorious tavern. It is like a tavern from heaven itself. Oh, and the man running the tavern, and preparing the meals, is quite the Adonis himself. This divinely handsome man is named Valery. His food is...rather unconventional. It looks like geometric shapes in various primary colors. The taste, well, imagine if you poured sugar into a cup of tea, but you made a mistake and poured salt instead. I'm not entirely sure, but the way the food is described might possibly be a dig at molecular gastronomy.

Finn invites Valery back to his restaurant to see what real food is like. The two grow close, and we learn how the temple works. Before the famine, the temple priests performed rituals that involved eating foods which represented the gods. I'm reminded of how Catholics believe themselves to regularly consume their patron deity during communion. Naturally, villagers flocked to the temple when the famine hit. So, they created the golden door as a way to encourage people to eat less. That way, they'd have more food to go around if another famine happened. Of course, this also resulted in passive-aggressive bullying of fat people. This reinforces my theory that this story is an allegory for the prejudice LGBT individuals have received from religious institutions.

Valery works the temple tavern because the priests believe he was chosen by the gods to do so. Despite this, he's miserable, and is aware that his food is terrible. He's eager to learn proper cooking from Finn, and they grow close.

Finn and Valery throw a massive multi-day feast that the whole village attends. For once, Finn gets people to genuinely appreciate his cooking. However, three days of non-stop feasting later, the villagers are too fat to fit through the golden door. It doesn't take long for them to revert to their old ways. Sadly, this is probably fairly realistic. It's going to take more than just one feast to overturn an ingrained religious tradition. Finn decides that he'll never be accepted in his village, so he strikes out for other towns with Valery at his side. This is also realistic. Sometimes, especially in smaller towns, you just won't find acceptance if you fall outside the norm. Leaving home can be scary, but it can also be rewarding, once you find where you truly belong.

Well, as you can see, I greatly enjoyed this story. It certainly gives a lot to think about, and the descriptions of Finn's cooking were mouthwatering. Be warned, you might not want to listen to this one on an empty stomach.

Out next port of call is "The Merchant of Dreams." The story follows a traveling merchant named Dimitri who sells bottled dreams. However, he never dreams when he sleeps. Dimitri ponders about why this might be.

This story reminded me a bit of the Oscar Wilde short story "The Happy Prince." I wonder what sort of dream I would buy from Dimitri. I guess it would depend on what he had in stock. Ooh, maybe something like going on adventures with dragons. I liked that Dimitri had no ulterior motives. He genuinely wants to make other people happy. In a way, he's living the dream in the waking world. Not much more to add here, other than a firm recommendation.

Our next stop is "The Arbiter's Ruling." Two wizards have gotten into an intellectual property dispute over a spell. So, they're taking the matter to court for the arbiters to settle.

Well, that was unexpected. You don't see too many fantasy stories that are also courtroom dramas. To say nothing of fantasy stories about intellectual property law. And yet, despite the unusual premise, this story works and is quite engaging. I had a similar idea for a short story that I never got around to writing. I should probably do something about that. If you've ever wondered what a legal procedural with a fantasy twist would be like, look no further than this story.

Next up we have "The Gods Above the Table." This story follows two wizards who get together each week to play a board game. It's a bit like Dungeons & Dragons, but they use their magic to literally bring the game to life. The two wizards control the lives of the tiny people within the game. The wizards wonder if perhaps there is a higher power controlling their lives.

This story wasn't bad, but I felt like it was a bit too short for its own good. It comes up with a potentially interesting idea, but doesn't really do anything with it. It seems to have been trying to out for some sort of Inception style metafictional thing, but it missed the mark. Is there a higher power? What does it mean for the lives of the characters and their place in the universe? Beats me, and the story doesn't offer any answers either. I did enjoy the repertoire the characters had with each other. Still, I feel that this story got yanked out of the oven before it had a chance to bake properly.

We move on to "Auerbach's Destiny." There is a prophecy that speaks of a great hero who shall embrace his destiny and vanquish darkness from the land. The sages have searched throughout the land, and have identified a young man named Auerbach who they believe to be the chosen one. However, he's slightly different than what the prophecy said he'd be. Moreover, Auerbach claims that he isn't really the chosen one, and he has the evidence to back it up. Just what is going on here?

This story feels like a deconstruction of the chosen one trope. There are plenty examples of chosen ones who really wish they weren't; Harry Potter, Avatar Aang, Bobby Pendragon, and Percy Jackson, just to name a few. Many will sulk and complain, but will more often than not resign themselves to their fate. There's always something of an unspoken guarantee that everything will be alright, and the hero will save the day. That is, of course, assuming the prophecy got everything right. Or more accurately, that people wrote down the prophecy correctly. Hey, ambitious syntax can lead to some nasty surprises if you aren't careful.

This story asks what it would be like if the great prophecy got things wrong. For example, the prophecy claims that the chosen one will be gay, and even names his one true love, but Auerbach is straight. Moreover, he claims to have uncovered evidence that he was actually switched at birth, and the true prophecy hero died as an infant. He makes a pretty good case for all of this. But, how can this be.

Skip down a couple paragraphs if you'd rather not know.

So, it is possible...because Auerbach lied. He was not switched at birth. He fakes some evidence to make it appear so. He is indeed the hero of the prophecy. However, the prophecy says that darkness will not rise unless the chosen one embraces his destiny. This gives Auerbach a convent loophole to avoid his prophesied fate. I guess the lesson here is that, despite what the world might expect of us, we are the ones who truly shape our destiny. You are the one who writes your own story. So, make sure it has a happy ending. Chalk another one up for The Lavender Tavern.

Our final story is "Boulder in the Sky." This story is told to us by one of two wizards who are using their magic to hold up a massive boulder above a village. In years past, they fell in love and we're happy together. How, one wizard is a light magic user, while the other is a dark magic user. As you might imagine, this created some issues, which ultimately result in their current predicament. The boulder requires them both to keep it aloft, and they both refuse to let go.

This was a shorter story, but still plenty of fun. The two wizards are a bit like the yin-yang symbol. They're two opposites, one light and one dark, locked together in an eternal dance. Well, eternal unless they work out their differences. Love might be able to conquer a lot of things, but I guess stubbornness triumphs over love. I guess the moral is that you should really get to know a person before you take further. This was another story where the narration really sells it. Not much more to add, other than that I enjoyed it.

And so that is all the episodes that caught my attention. It wasn't every story for, season one, but it was most of them, and would probably make for a respectable score if I assigned such things. I'm always on the hunt for more great anthology fiction, and The Lavender Tavern more than delivers on that. Taken as a whole, I found it to be an enjoyable and well-written podcast. why not give it a listen?

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

Book Review: On the Oceans of Eternity by S.M. Stirling

Well, here we are at last. The final book in the Island in the Sea of Time trilogy. I'm very pleased to see that these reviews having been doing very well. Okay then, I guess there really isn’t anything left for me to say. Let's get straight to it. We're taking a look at On the Oceans of Eternity by S.M. Stirling.

It is the moment everything has been building up towards. The time displaced Republic of Nantucket and its allies are about to face-off against the empire of the tyrannical madman William Walker. This is no small task, and it's going to take every trick in Nantucket's arsenal to pull-off. There are plenty of twists, turns, and surprises as past and present collide on the oceans of eternity.

Well, what can I say to start about On the Oceans of Eternity? It hits some of the highest notes in the series, but it also has some of my least favorite moments in the series. Let's start with some of the positives. So, Against the Tide of Years ended with Walker's Achaean army arriving at the Gates of Troy. My friend Jordan Harbour, founder of the Twilight Histories podcast, once spoke about the Island in the Time series and said "If you've ever wondered what The Iliad would be like if Odysseus had a bazooka, look no further." I should mention that Jordan is a big fan of the Island in the Sea of Time series. In fact, he listed it as one of the series that got him into alternate history. Jordan also cites the Worldwar series and Guns of the South, both by Harry Turtledove, as major influences on him.

Now, we do get at least some of that sort of stuff. However, the Siege of Troy didn't last as long as I was expecting. In fact, Walker's troops pretty much steamrolled the Trojans. Well, I guess if nothing else, at least the Greeks won like history and mythology said they were supposed to. Granted, they were being led by Walker; then again, most figures from Greek Mythology weren't exactly nice by modern standards. Of course, the Trojan War ending that quickly isn't going to make for a very long, or very engaging, epic poem.

Ian gets taken back to Walkeropolis as a hostage. Among other developments, Alice Wong has started a cult called the Claws of Hekate. It emphasizes the virtues of activities such as human sacrifice, torture, cannibalism, and other horrific acts. The Claws of Hekate has proved disturbingly popular among upper class Achaean women. Wong also has a trained team of teenage girls to serve as warriors and assassins for the Claws of Hekate. Walker jokingly refers to them as Wong's Sailor Moon Platoon. Wong says something to the effect of "Never doubt the power of manga scholarship, William."

There's also a part where Wong briefly mentions how she enjoys the taste of long pig, and how only long veal steak comes close to rivaling it. Wait a minute, does that mean...oh no, this is terrible! The only confirmed anime and manga fan in the entire Nantucket series is a deranged sadist who tortures people for the heck of it! Oh, and she's also a cannibal who literally eats babies, that's bad too, I guess.

Walker and Wong are in the process of formalizing and codifying the Achaean religion. Specifically, that Wong is the avatar of the Lady of Pain, and that Walker is King of Men. Hekate gets an undeserved bad reputation, as do many of the underworld deities from Greek Mythology. She was the goddess of witchcraft and guardian of the crossroads, and she had connections to the underworld, but she was not evil. However, thanks to Wong's cult, interpreting Hekate as an evil goddess might have some historical basis in the mixed-up world Nantucket has found itself in. Well, at least she did pick Hades as her patron deity. Hades is another god who gets unfairly pained as evil. He was firm but fair, and honestly one of the nicer gods. Be thankful for small mercies, I suppose.

Wong and Walker are also attempting to build temples and establish a formal priesthood. The Mycenaeans worshipped more or less the same gods that the Classical Greeks did. Many historians theorize that the Greek gods started out as local deities and cults before being incorporated into a single pantheon. The Mycenaeans worshipped their gods using hillside shrines, but didn't have much in the way of temples, as far as we know. It does make sense that Walker and Wong would be using religion to cement their position with Achaean society. I'm reminded of the words of the physicist Peter Weinberg. Good people will do go things, and evil people will do evil things, without any external influences. But to get good people to do evil things it takes religion, or something very much like religion. Religion has also historically been very good at enforcing conformity and the preexisting social order.

In other developments, we meet John Martins. He's a hippie, but was kidnapped by Walker and taken to Greece. Like most hippies, Martin is really into Lord of the Rings. In fact, he named his settlement Rivendell, and has commissioned several carvings and other works of art inspired by Lord of the Rings. Martins buys slaves...so that he can free them, and give them a new life in Rivendell, where they will be safe from Walker. In fact, he makes a point of always throwing a big party to welcome the newly freed slaves. Martins pretended to go along with Walker so that he could oppose and subvert him from within. He knows that Walker thinks he's just a dumb hippie, and as such, won't pay too close attention to him.

We also meet Helmut Mittler. He's a former Stasi officer, and is Walker's head of security, as well as head of the secret police. Mittler makes a point of contrast lay keeping the Achaeans in a constant state of fear and paranoia. He also makes a few choice remarks to Ian that suggest he might also be an antisemite. Well, I'm just saying, Mittler does rhyme with Hitler. And his name would probably be written on official forms as H. Mittler. Not much more to say here, but Mittler will become important in the spoilers section.

Let's circle back and talk about Ohotolarix. He is an Iraniina chief who followed Walker to Achaea. He's fiercely loyal to Walker, but he still longs for Alba. Ohotolarix finds the weather in Achaea a bit too warm for his liking, longs for the plants of his former homeland, and thinks that the Achaeans put too much garlic in their food. Naturally, Ohotolarix is elated when Walker assigns him to a fort the Achaeans have established in what is today the nation of Hungry. The climate is very similar to Alba, and he gets to laugh at Achaean troops dealing with the cold weather.

The fort has been established as part of Walker's plan to establish relations with the Ringapi people. They're a tribe from Central and Eastern Europe who, along with several other tribes, became the Sea Peoples. Who are the Sea Peoples? Short answer: nobody knows. Longer answer: we don't know, but there are several theories, usually involving the migration of different groups of peoples. Potential candidates include the Etruscans, the Philistines, and even the Mycenaeans and Minoans. I'm not familiar with any theories suggesting the Sea Peoples came from Central and Eastern Europe, but I suppose it makes as much sense as anything. Whoever they were, the Sea Peoples lead a series of coastal fading campaigns across the Eastern Mediterranean. Pharaoh Ramses II faced off against them, as did Ramses III.

The Sea Peoples are one of the factors that lead to the Bronze Age Collapse. The Bronze Age Collapse, as the name suggests, was a series of events resulting in the complete collapse of several Eastern Mediterranean and Near Eastern civilizations. Historians used to believe that the Sea Peoples were the primary cause of the Bronze Age Collapse. However, most modern historians consider the Sea Peoples to be one factor among many. Other factors include, but are not limited to, climate change, volcanic eruptions, social unrest and upheaval, and disruption of trade routes. Hmm, I suppose it is entirely conceivable that, thanks to Nantucket, the Bronze Age Collapse will never happen in this brave new world.

Also, something I just thought of, where are the Minoans? The Minoans were still around at the time the series takes place, but they're nowhere to be seen. Isketerol briefly mentions them we he sees flushing toilets on Nantucket back in Island in the Sea of Time. He says he's only ever known the Minoans to have such things. That actually does have basis in reality. Archeologists have discovered evidence suggesting that the Minoans did indeed have flushable toilets. However, we never get any other mention of the Minoans beyond this. Of course, knowing Walker, he probably conquered and enslaved them.

In other returning characters, George MacAndrews finally got his wish to go to Egypt. He discovered that the Ancient Egyptians are a lot of things, but Black isn't one of them. In fact, he frequently gets made fun of due to his dark skin. MacAndrews even remarks that Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, looks like an Italian guy he knew who owned a pizza joint in Nashville. Genetic analysis of mummies suggest that the Ancient Egyptians weren't too different from modern day Egyptians in terms of race and ethnicity. In fact, we know that Ramses himself had red hair. Egypt sits at the crossroads of three continents, and probably had a mix of peoples. Black people weren't unheard of, but certainly weren't the majority. Most Ancient Egyptians probably looked like the other peoples of the Middle East.

MacAndrews tried to implement the Latin Alphabet, but the scribes put up too much resistance. I suppose this does make since. Walker was able to implement the Latin Alphabet in Achaea because, prior to that, they'd been using the Minoan writing system, which wasn't suited to their language. Egypt, by contrast, was doing just fine with hieroglyphics, and the scribes were more entrenched into society. Hmm, I guess the Greek Alphabet will never be invented in this new timeline.

MacAndrews also discovered that Ramses the Great was really more like Ramses the So-So. Turns out, Ramses had a bit of a tendency to fudge the details on the official records of his battles and conquests. This is fairly true to real life. Egyptian rulers did indeed have a tendency to be less than honest about their achievements. To be fair, so did the rulers of most pre-modern societies. In particular, the record speaks of the glories of Ramses campaign against the Hittites. However, Ramses himself admits he was far less successful than the record says.

This is indeed true to life. For example, Egyptian accounts of the Battle of Kadesh claim that it was a victory for Egypt, despite Ramses failing to take the city. However, Hittite accounts claim that the Egyptians retreated in shameful defeat. Most historians agree that the battle was probably a draw, but a slight tactical victory for Egypt. Incidentally, the Battle of Kadesh lead to the Egyptians and Hittites signing to oldest known peace treaty in World History. In fact, a copy of the Treaty of Kadesh hangs in the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The Egyptians and Hittites frequently got into border skirmishes in the Levent, but they had begrudging respect for one another, and considered each other to be worthy opponents.

As for Ramses II himself, he was certainly no slouch when it came to warfare, but his primary claim to fame is his talent as a statesman. He was also known for his religion devotion, and the many temples he built, such as the temples of Abu Simbel and the hypostyle hall at the Temple of Karnak. One minor complaint I had about On the Oceans of Eternity was that I wished we'd gotten more scenes set in Egypt.

Nantucket continues to do well for itself amidst the war effort. They've even begun to establish colonies and homesteads on mainland New England and even Long Island. However, these homesteads tend to have a fairly high failure rate. Farming isn't as easy as it looks, especially when you're a bit low on modern equipment. Still, at last they finally have coffee thanks to the coffee plants that were on Nantucket during the Event. Unfortunately, decorative coffee plants are bred for their looks, not their taste. As such, the coffee tastes horrible, but caffeine is caffeine, I guess. The Ethiopian Highlands were much the only place with coffee plants during the Bronze Age, and it might be a while before Nantucket can send an expedition to them.

Speaking of expeditions, Nantucket has sent an expedition to explore the interior of North America. I found these sections to be the weakest part of On the Oceans of Eternity. They weren't bad per se, the writing was certainly good enough to keep me reasonably entertained. However, they star a group of characters that we didn't meet until this book, so I feel less of a connection to them. Also, out of all the place they could have gone, why the wilderness of North America? There were still plenty of other Bronze Age civilizations left to explore. Shang Dynasty China, the various Andes cultures, Jomon era Japan, and the Indus Valley Civilizations, just to name a few. Archeological evidence suggest that Scandinavia had a very danced Bronze Age culture equal to that of Greece. Hey, there's another potential destination. It was even briefly mentioned that Nantucket had made contact with the Andes civilizations, and had established trade relations with Shang Dynasty China. Shang pirates even briefly appeared in Against the Tide of Years.

Well, there might have been a reason why those civilizations were left out, but we'll discuss that towards the end of the review. I will say that things finally picked up when the expedition reached California and discovered that Tartessos had secretly established a colony. So, I guess not a total bust on that regard. Also, random aside, whenever anyone mentioned Martha's Vineyard, I had to remember that it is a real place in Massachusetts. Having a character named Martha created a bit of a who's on first situation.

I’ll also take one final moment to plug the audiobook version. Todd McLaren is talented as hell, and really was the only person who could do this series justice. 

Okay, now we're getting into the really big spoilers. So, if you don't want any of that, turn back now.

Last chance, sure you want to continue?

Well, okay. If everyone who wants out is gone, let's get into it.

So, what does the Nantucket military discover when they arrive in Tartessos? They find...that Isketerol has genuinely improved things for the common people. He had implemented the Latin Alphabet, and is working to increase literacy rates. He's had trees planted along the roads and streets to provide natural shade. Isketerol has also implemented programs to educate and train the people of Tartessos in the new knowledge and technology Nantucket has. Isketerol said that he wanted to improve Tartessos, prevent it from being just a footnote in the history books, and he meant that. The conflict between Nantucket and Tartessos is resolved with surprisingly little bloodshed, but I guess that makes sense. Tartessos was humbled in Against the Tide of Years when it tried to invade Nantucket, and promptly got its ass kicked. Plus, the alliance with Walker was more of an alliance of convenience than anything.

Of course, for all its many advantages, Nantucket still has a serious manpower shortage. That's been a big theme across the series. For example, they manage to liberate Sicily, but it's up in the air as to whether Nantucket will be able to keep things peaceful and stable after the war is over. Walker's biggest advantage is the sheer number of troops he has at his disposal.

Odikweos has been using Ian to learn more about where Walker comes from. Ian, in turn, recognizes Odikweos as the historical figure who inspired the legend of Odysseus. He even reads to Odikweos from The Odyssey. Odikweos already really didn't like Walker, but now he's seriously pissed that Walker robbed him of his future glory. Unfortunately, he's still bound to Walker's service, and thus can't kill him. If he did, he'd be committing a major taboo of Achaean society.

The resolution was...well, I gotta admit, I did not see it coming. Walker, Wong, and most of their followers go on a boar hunt and then have a feast. Everyone is having a good time, and then they all drop dead. Turns out, Mittler poisoned the barbecue sauce used for the feast. Walker's favorite barbecue sauce contains lots of chilies, which disguised the poison Mittler used. Mittler has been planning on stabbing Walker in the back for quite some time. Now, all Odikweos has to do is kill Mittler, and he'll have avenged Walker. On doing so, Odikweos is freed from his service to Walker, and can claim the throne of Achaea for himself.

Like I said, I really didn't see that coming, but I liked it. It has been established that most of Walker's "allies" are constantly scheming and plotting to undermine him in various ways. MacAndrews and Martins both took advantage of the fact that Walker viewed them as little more than useful idiots. So, I suppose it is a fitting end for William Walker and Alice Wong.

Speaking of MacAndrews, Nantucket has defeat Egypt in a battle near the city of Megiddo, which is also known by its Greek name Armageddon. Fittingly enough, the battle is known as the Battle of Armageddon. MacAndrews decides that it is time to get out of dodge. He decides that, since there are no preexisting ancient black empires, he'll just have to make one of his own. He's heading south to Meroe, and plans to establish his kingdom in Sudan. 

In our world, there was an empire named Kush which arose in the Nubia region, near what is now Sudan. Kush even briefly conquered Egypt during the 25th Dynasty. And yes, Kush was indeed an ancient black empire, just like MacAndrews dreamed of. Of course, Nantucket arrived about 200 years before the founding of Kush. I guess MacAndrews is trying to speed-up history. Stirling has said that MacAndrews’ kingdom would have played a major role in the sequels that never materialized. He says the capital would be located near what is Khartoum in our world. A good place for capital city; lots of iron and plenty of land that can easily be irrigated.  

Meanwhile, Althea Walker happened to be away when everyone got poisoned. She decides to do some empire building of her own. She and Ohotolarix head to Central Asia. Althea hopes that being so far from the sea will allow her empire to grow without having to worry about Nantucket.

Also, on a more minor note, Nantucket doctor Justin Clemens married his Babylonian assistant Azzu-ena. He uses the caduceus as his symbol on the Babylonian marriage document. The caduceus frequently gets mistaken for the Rod of Asclepius, and is erroneously used as symbol for the medical profession, especially in America. The caduceus was the symbol of the Greek god Hermes; he was the god of many things, but medicine and healing were not among them. Asclepius was the Greek god of healing. For reference, the caduceus is a rod with two intertwined snakes and wings at the top. The Rod of Asclepius, by contrast, is a stick with a single servant coiled around it, and lacks wings. The caduceus has also been used as a symbol of commerce. A far more fitting use, given that Hermes was god of merchants.

Of course, because of Justin, there might be some historical basis for the caduceus as a symbol of medic in the new timeline. Nantucket is probably going to make future archeologists of this new timeline scratch their heads with all the anachronisms they cause. That'll be especially true is Nantucket's decedent a forget that their ancestors came from the future. Well, the future of another timeline, but details. Ian even remarks that future historians are probably going to come up with all sorts of crazy explanations for how Nantucket pulled-off everything it did.

So, the series ends with Nantucket having Christmas party, with the leaders of their allies in attendance. Kashtiliash himself pays Nantucket a visit, and he is joined by Odikweos and even Isketerol. So, I guess that means that Nantucket and Tartessos are putting the past behind them. There is a festive mood in the air as the characters toast to the future of their crazy mixed-up new world. Maybe it isn't quite the best of all possible worlds, but they're working on it.

Obviously, there are a lot of sequel hooks here. We've got Althea and MacAndrews attempting to build their own empires. We've also got a Nantucket airship crew who have crashed in Central Asia and are trying to make their way home. And there's just the general potential of what this world will look like in the future. Perhaps that's why Shang Dynasty China and the Indus Valley Civilizations were ignored. Althea building her empire in Central Asia would serve as a good springboard for incorporating China and India into the series. I still maintain that the Iraniina becoming zealous converts to Christianity would come back to bite Nantucket in the ass at some point.

All of that being said, I still feel that On the Oceans of Eternity does a good job wrapping up the trilogy. Most of the major plot threads are tied up, but it also leaves open the possibility for more adventures. Overall, I was very satisfied with how On the Oceans of Eternity ended. 

So, there was definitely potential for a sequel series, but it never materialized. Following the Island in the Sea of Time series, Stirling wrote the first trilogy of the Emberverse series. It covers the world that Nantucket left behind. More specifically, the laws of physics change so that electricity, gunpowder, explosives, internal combustion, and steam-power no longer work. It's a tad more complicated than that, but that's the non-spoiler version of what happened. The Emberverse gets its name from Dies the Fire, the first book of the series. Personally, given the choice, I'll take Nantucket. I can't live in a world without air conditioning. Not sure what the air conditioning situation is with Nantucket, but at least electricity still works, so they could have it. 

They make for an interesting contrast. Island in the Sea of Time is about the technological present entering the mythical past. Emberverse, by contrast, is about the mythical past entering the technological present. The two series are mirror images of each other. 

The Emberverse was a mass success in terms of sales, so that is where Stirling focused his writing energies. As Stirling himself says, his publisher is the one who decides which of his books get sequels. Stirling has written a couple of short stories set in the world of Island in the Sea of Time. One is a novella that covers the Battle of Armageddon in more detail. It is called “Ridding Shotgun to Armageddon” and is collected in an anthology of Stirling’s short stories called Ice, Iron, and Gold. The other takes place twenty years after the events of On the Oceans of Eternity. It is called “Blood Wolf” and was collected in the anthology The First Heroes: New Tales of the Bronze Age edited by Harry Turtledove and Noreen Doyle.

It is certainly a bit sad that we never got more books in the Island in the Sea of Time series. Still, it's better than what happened with The Peshawar Lancers, which sadly remains a standalone book. And hey, we got three amazing books out of the Island in the Sea of Time series. Each of them was even better than its predecessor. For that alone, we should be thankful for all of Stirling's creativity and hard work.

Perhaps one day I will be able to visit the Nantucket of our world. If I use my imagination, perhaps I will be able to imagine myself on an island in the sea of time, set against the tide of years, on the oceans of eternity. I also hope I'll get to visit the Eagle too. They have visitation days, I believe. I'll have to ask the crew if they've heard of Island in the Sea of Time.

Well, that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.