The Alt-Hist File: Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, and Cast of Wonders

We're gonna do something a little different in this edition of The Alt-Hist File. I'm bring you not one, not two, but three podcasts worth of great stories. We've reached the point where I'll be reviewing multiple podcast in each post much like I do with The Audio File. Let's meet the podcast featured in this edition, shall we?

The first podcast we've got is Clarkesworld Magazine. Founded in 2006 by Neil Clarke, this magazine has won or been nominated for pretty much ever speculative fiction award out there. Almost all of Clarkesworld's stories are narrated by Kate Baker. The second podcast we'll be see is Strange Horizons.  It was founded in 2000 by Mary Anne Mohanraj and has since been led by editors such as Susan Marie Gropp and Niall Harrison. It has also won many awards and its stories are narrated by Anaea Lay. Not the most exciting descriptions, but as you'll see they both definitely have their merits.

The final podcast we'll be looking at is Cast of Wonders. It was founded in 2011 by Graeme Dunlop and Barry J. North. Cast of Wonders is a young adult podcast featuring stories of the fantastic, by which I mean science fiction, fantasy and everything else in-between. In 2016, Cast of Wonders became an official member of the Escape Artists network of podcasts. Cast of Wonders features narrators from all walks of life. It has also received multiple Parsec Awards, one of the highest honors in speculative fiction podcasting. 

Well, I think that covers intros. So, without further delay, settle in and let's begin...

Clarkesworld Magazine

"Gold Mountain" by Chris Roberson
Narrated by Kate Baker
Originally Published in Postscripts

This story is part of Chris Roberson's Celestial Empire series. It's set in a world where China kept its treasure fleet and went on to conquer most of the world. The bits of the world not under Chinese control or influence are part of the Aztec Empire. The story follows Johnston Lien, a woman whose grandparents immigrated to China from Vinland. She's visiting the city of Guangdong to research the construction of Gold Mountain, the world's first space elevator. To that end she's interviewing McAllister James, one of the original workers on Gold Mountain.

Okay, that description seriously sells this story short, but I don't want to give too much away. First a word on names; the names are rendered in the East Asian style of family name first and given name second. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk plot. McAllister tell of the absolutely inhuman conditions he and his fellow Vinlanders were subjected to by their Chinese employers. Not only that, but he also speaks of the considerable prejudice and bigotry they faced while trying to make better lives for themselves. The really sad part is, barring a few science fiction related bits, all of that really happened, but in our world it was the other way around.

For that matter, it is best to think of this story as a mirror image of our own world. Chris has said that this was what he intended, and he hopes that the story gives readers new appreciation of the trials and tribulations of immigrants throughout history. He has more than succeeded in that regard. Even in the darkness there a glimmers of hope, such as Johnston, that show that the Vinlanders have been able to survive and even thrive despite the odds. This was my first exposure to the Celestial Empire series, which grew out of the Sidewise award winning short story "O One", and I can't wait to find more.

This story is mostly told from a male perspective, but Kate still manages to pack quite the emotional punch nonetheless. It's an alternate history take on the immigrant’s tale that will keep you thinking. Very much recommended.

"Fade to White" by Catherynne M. Valente
Narrated by Kate Baker
Nominee for the Nebula, Hugo and Sidewise Awards

This story takes place in either the 1950s or 1960s after a nuclear war occurred in the late 1940s or early 1950s. It's unclear who fired the first shot, or who exactly the United States was fighting, but frankly it's kind of unimportant. What is important is that the world has become severely irradiated and society has been forever changed. The story is told from the point of view of a girl named Sylvie and a boy named Martin who are about to come of age. As part of this process they, and everyone else their age, will be tested for fertility. Failing this test has potentially dire consequences.

Another summary that doesn't do nearly enough justice, so let me elaborate. You know that war I mentioned? Well it's going on, and men who flunk the fertility test get conscripted into it. The fertility test itself has some potentially eugenic undertones, as blacks and Asians are automatically disqualified. Polyandry has become necessary to keep society together due to all the men who've died in the war and the general fertility crisis. Throughout the story we get glimpses of the various advertising campaigns used by the government to distract people from how terrible the world is.

Wow, this was a powerful story. You really get the sense that this isn't just a world that's dying, but a world that is potentially on its way out. Some of the most poignant moments were the little bits of off-hand information. For example, it's mentioned that there are more Japanese in Utah than in Japan. This story is a nice example of atompunk. What is atompunk you ask? Atompunk is anything set in the future as envisioned by the 1950s, but with a more cynical twist. It's closely related to Raygun Gothic, but that tends to be more idealistic. To give one example, Fallout is atompunk, while Buck Rodgers and The Jetsons are Raygun Gothic.

The general feel of this story can best be described as an atompunk take on The Day After or Threads. Like I've mentioned before, the world building in this story is absolutely breathtaking. What's also breathtaking is how well Kate's narration captured the emotions of this story. Given how many award nominations it received, and more than earned, do I really need to tell you I recommend it?

"England Under the White Witch" by Theodora Goss
Narrated by Kate Baker
Featured in The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2013

In this story 1940s England is invaded and conquered by an ethereal empress who commands power over ice and snow. At first it seems that things will be just fine, but it soon becomes apparent that England may never see spring again. Resistance groups pop up, but they face considerable challenges from the empress' wolves, secret police and even certain trees.

There are probably some of you scratching your heads wondering how this story exists. As long as the words Aslan, Narnia and Pevensie never appear in the story then no copyrights or trademarks have been violated. Since they don't...well, there you go. Personally, I think it worked out better for not having a group of meddling kids and their lion god swoop in to save the day. It was much more effective to leave the fate of this frozen world undetermined.

The imagery and descriptions are absolutely stunning. This story can very much be viewed as an allegory for what it's like to live under a dictatorship. There's initially new opportunities for the disenfranchised, a cult of personality, rewriting of history and the arts, secret police and other totalitarian staples all with a magical twist to them. For the third time in a row we have a great Kate Baker narration with this story.

It's a powerful story about magical totalitarianism that you won't want to miss.

"A Sweet Calling" by Tony Pi
Narrated by Kate Baker

This story is set in Ancient China and follows a candyman named Tangren Ao. He has the power to project his consciousness into the candy animals he crafts by calling upon the legendary animals of the Chinese Zodiac. He soon finds himself having to play detective after his friend Lun gets framed for a fire monkey attack in the market place.

I was always fascinated by the Chinese Zodiac when I was a kid, which can probably be blamed by my obsession with the Jackie Chan Adventures series. As such this story had a certain appeal to me. It was a nice touch that the main character preformed magic through candy. I guess you could say he was a...candymancer. Huh, huh? Okay, back to the review. I liked how the system of magic was described as well as the way the spirits were written. Tony is definitely a writer I'll keep an eye out for in the future.

It's short, sweet and to the point. I recommend it.

"A Gift in Time" by Maggie Clark
Narrated by Kate Baker

This story follows a man named Mouse who has the ability to travel through time. He's been trying to win the affections of a rich fellow named Ezra Levitz, who has a fascination with the past. Mouse is determined to use his power to win Ezra's affection.

Yeah, not the best summary, but it is a great story. Clarkesworld typically doesn't accept very many time travel stories, so when they do it's almost guaranteed to be good. I liked how Mouse had to keep trying because everything he brings to Ezra looks so recently made it comes off as a forgery. It was also interesting how most of Mouse's time travel investments failed because the banks he used failed. At times it felt like the story was commenting on such get-rich-quick type stories.

The times Mouse visits were all great, though when he went to the Thirty Years War and encountered Count Tilly my initial thought was "it's the guy from the 1632 series!" Yeah, I gotta put more actual history into my reading rotation. It was also nice to see another homosexual romance represented among the stories.

A story about love and time travel. I happily recommend it.

"Manifest Destiny" by Joe Haldeman
Narrated by Kate Baker
Originally Published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

This story is set during the days of the Mexican-American War and follows three Americans from various walks of life who become spies for Mexico. They'll be granted land and Mexican citizenship if all goes well after the war. However things don't go quite as they planned.

This story is historical fantasy, but of a decidedly magical realism variety. There are a few blink-and-you'll-miss-it hints of fantastic goings on, but for the most part it reads more like a historical fiction short story. Perhaps the magical realism is fitting, given that the story does take place primarily in Latin America. You really don't see to many stories set during the Mexican-American War, so this story was a rather refreshing change of pace. Then again, most American History textbooks spend, at most, a paragraph or two on the entire war, but I digress.

Many of the characters have sympathetic motivations for their action, and I liked how the story touched on some of the injustices and inequalities going on in America at the time. If you're a fan of Westerns you should enjoy this story. A story about an often neglected historical era. Very much recommended.

"Rolling Steel: Pre-Apocalyptic Love Story" by Jay Lake and Shannon Page
Narrated by Shaun Farrell and Mur Lafferty

This story is set in a world where the United States and Canada fell apart in the 1930s and 1940s due to technocracy movements. By the present day the many fractured nations of North America are entangled in multiple wars. The story follows a man and a woman who are traveling and doing their part for the wars.

Yeah, this one didn't really do it for me. The first problem I had was that the alternate history elements were really more for backdrop than any particular relevance to the story. Actually, it didn't even fell like even that much. This story could easily have been set in the near future and it wouldn't have made any difference to the plot. The other main reason was that, well, I didn't feel the characters were very engaging. That's not to say I thought the story was particularly bad, just that it wasn't very engaging to me.

Shaun and Mur do a pretty good job with the narration, but not enough to make up for the lackluster story. This story was from the early day when Clarkesworld hadn't quite found its footing and before Kate took over the narration. I didn't care for this one, but maybe it'll be more appealing to you. It's at the very least worth checking out.

"The Long Haul" by Ken Liu
Narrated by Kate Baker
2014 Sidewise Award Winner

This story takes place in a world where the Hindenburg disaster never happened. As a result, airships never became discredited as a mode of transport, and continued to flourish. By the present day, airships are making a comeback as a more eco-friendly, and fuel efficient, alternative to airplanes. The story follows a reporter who is interviewing a couple who work on a long haul cargo airship.

This was a well-written story, as per usual with Ken Liu. Though, I'm not sure how realistic it is. Airships were on the way out way before Hindenburg. They had a nasty tendency to crash and/or explode. Plus, since they were large and slow-moving, they made easy targets during war. Still, it is fun to imagine what it would be like if airships were still widely used. For what it's worth, some people have proposed reviving airships specifically to be more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly. I'd imagine that might come at the cost of speed, but I digress.

The husband and wife make for an interesting pair. She was just a peasant girl in China until he met her during a haul. They each take shifts running the ship for six hours with the other sleeps. At best, they'll only meet for a few minutes each day. Their conversations, and arguments, can last absurd amounts of time. Their relationship isn't the most romantic in the world, but they make it work. Hey, at least they get more personal time together when they arrive at their destination.

Another excellent story from Ken Liu that I'm more than happy to recommend.

"The Creature Recants" by Dale Bailey
Narrated by Kate Baker

This story takes place in a world where Creature From the Black Lagoon actually happened. The Creature has moved to Hollywood to become an actor. He's done reasonably well, with a movie deal depicting his life, but he can't shake his feels of emptiness and dissatisfaction.

One of Dale's talents as a writer is that he takes various B-Movie plots and ideas, and uses them to make emotional and meaningful stories. From the description, this story might sound humorous, or even a little crazy, but it works. It has depth and emotion to it. The Creature begins to wonder if he's truly happier with he new-found self-awareness. Was he, perhaps, happier when he was just hunting for fish and swimming in the Amazon? It's a great story. What else can I say?

I think you know that I recommend this one.

"Teenagers from Outer Space" by Dale Bailey
Narrated by Kate Baker

This story takes place in the 1950s in Milledgeville, Ohio. Aliens have arrived on Earth via a dimensional rift, and they've come to peruse the American Dream. They open-up business, join the work force, and their kids attend the local schools. The story follows a teenage girl named Nancy Miller as she navigates high school and observe society change and react to the aliens.

One of the recurring themes of Dale's stories set in the 1950s is about what a repressed and repressive time the 1950s were. This story very much taps into the desire for great freedom many women felt during the 1950s. The aliens were, well, truly, alien.  What I mean is, they were described looking like more than just people with funny costumes, like you'd see in most 1950s sci-fi B-Movies. It is a very emotional story that carries a whiff of nostalgia, but also acknowledges the underlying contradictions and hypocrisies of the 1950s. The only real issue I had was towards the end, where we suddenly get a rather heavy-handed pro-immigration. Overall, I'd say I'm fairly pro-immigrant, but I can't understand why people are opposed to mass immigration; especially working class people who might not be in favor of it. As such, it always annoys me when stories strawman those opposed to immigration as being bigots and racists. Still, over it is still a good story.

A story repression, longing for freedom, and the American Dream. I say give it a try.

"A Man Out of Fashion" by Chen Quifan
Narrated by Kate Baker
Originally Published in Science Fiction World
Translated by Ken Liu

This story follows a man named Du Ruofei. He participates in a program to be cryogenically frozen for 300 years. He awakens to find a world completely different to anything he's known. The story follows him as he becomes a celebrity and attempts to navigate the brave new world of the future. Along the way, he finds himself in the middle of a political revolution.

The summary isn't much, but I promise that this is a good story. It is always interesting to explore Chinese science fiction. Chinese writers have a lot to say, but they have to be weary government censorship boards, and of potential consequences of drawing the Chinese government's ire. Consequently, there's a lot of constraints Chinese writers have to deal with. For example, time travel to the past, especially to escape a repressive present, is forbidden. You can criticize past government regimes, to an extent, but criticizing the current one is a major no-no. Well, you can, you just have to be creative about how you do it.

It is mentioned that this story was heavily edited when translated into English. Perhaps to be more true to the author's original intent? Anyway, Du Ruofei finds himself in a world of advanced technology, but also one that is emotionally shallow and more than a tad hedonistic. Materials science is much more advanced, but space travel isn't much better than what we currently have. Sadly, that seems depressingly likely given how uninterested the world seems in manned spaceflight as of late. His assistant, of sorts, is named Jingjing. He chides her for having a name only given to pandas, but I've know a Jingjing or two. Also, apparently pandas, among other animals, are extinct in the future. Du Ruofei does discover that there are people who are dissatisfied with the state of the future, and he does become swayed by their ways. Ah, but I mustn't spoil the ending.

A story about a man making his way in the future. I recommend it.   

"Martian Blood" by Allen M. Steele.
Narrated by Kate Baker
Originally Published in Old Mars

This story takes place in a world where Mars is a habitable planet; just as it was believed to be before the Mariner probes proved otherwise. The story follows Jim Ramsey. He works as a tour guide in the Martian wilderness. He has been hired by a professor named Omar al-Baz. Dr. al-Baz wants to test the genetics of the Native Martian aborigines, and how they relate to the genetics of humans. When Dr. al-Baz makes a startling discovery, Jim must make a decision that could decide that fate of the Native Martians.

Overall, this was a very fun story. Worlds where Mars and Venus are habitable planets are one of my favorite alternate history scenarios. The imagery is very evocative. You get a real sense of the desolate beauty of the Martian landscape. You also get a sense of why Jim fells more at home there than in the more civilized parts of Mars. I should have mentioned before that the Naive Martians refer to themselves as Shetan, which means people in their language. I found their culture written and realized quite well.

While I did enjoy the story overall, I do have to object to the ending. So runaway now if you don't want it spoiled. If those who want put are gone, let's discuss the ending.

Turns out Shetan DNA is identical to human DNA. Jim fears that this will lead to an influx of settlers as more researchers arrive. This, in term, might lead to the Shetan getting colonized and forced off their lands. He deliberately loses Dr. al-Baz get separated in a dust storm, leaving him to die, and destroys all the tests and samples. He does mention that humans and Shetan have come into conflict in the past, but I don't buy is reasoning. True, there would be those who would try to manipulate the Shetan, but also many who would rally to their defense. Plus, what if another researcher get a hold of some Shetan blood? Better to get the research out, and use it as a please to recognize the rights and humanity of the Shetan. 

Still, despite the somewhat shaky ending, overall it is an excellent story. I happily recommend it.

"The Yorkshire Mammoth" by Harry Turtledove
Narrated by Kate Baker

This story takes places in a world where Ice Age megafauna survived into historic times. The story follows a vet in England as he helps to treats some wooly mammoths. 

I wanted to like this story, I really did, but it just didn't work for me. Despite having a great premise, it just fell flat and came off as rather dull. It was as though the story never built up enough steam to reach critical mass. Kate's rather monotone narration certainly didn't help matters. Regrettably, I must give this story a thumbs down.

Strange Horizons

"The Lucky Strike" by Kim Stanley Robinson
Narrated by Anaea Lay
Originally Published in Universe 14
Hugo and Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novella

This story takes place in 1945 just before the atomic bombings of Japan. The Enola Gay has exploded during a test flight and so a new crew has had to be selected for the critical mission. Frank January, the mission's pilot, isn't sure he's willing to unleash such a destructive force upon innocent civilians. What consequences will his actions have?

Sometimes time is not kind to a story. Such is the case here. The bombings of Dresden and Munich aren't controversial. We recognize they were necessary to defeat the evil of Nazi Germany. Despite Imperial Japan being just as bad, and in a lot of ways worse, than the Nazis, this story wants us to sympathize with them. It wants us to sympathize with the monsters who committed the Rape of Nanjing and the Bataan Death March, and who enslaved Koreans women as sex slaves, among other crimes against humanity. Apparently, this story would have us believe that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were worse than all that. If Japan has surrendered after the first bomb, maybe we could have that conversation. But they didn't. For that matter, many of them wanted to keep going even after the second bomb. The damage wasn't even that different to a convention fire bombing. Main difference was that it was accomplished with a single bomb. If nothing else, this story demonstrates why we need to teach more about the War in the Pacific. 

Such a shame, I usually like things written by Kim Stanley Robinson. Regrettably, I must give a thumbs down. Don't waste your time.

"The Suitcase Aria" by Marissa Lingen
Narrated by Anaea Lay

This story is set in 1780 Berlin and follows a young opera singer named Udo. He is a castrato with the ability to perform magic through his songs. He's going to need all the song he can manage to handle the nix that's been harassing the opera house.

So a few terms we ought to cover before moving forwards. A nix is a type of Germanic water spirit. A castrato is a type of high pitched opera singer, and in the past they typically consisted of boys who were castrated before reaching puberty. A suitcase aria is a song that would be sung by a traveling opera singer. Now that we've got that out of the way let's talk about the story.

It's often said that music is a kind of magic, and this story just took that one step further. It was a nicely constructed system of magic. I personally would have liked to have heard a bit of singing with this story, but at the same time I can understand that this would be hard to translate into text. Also, hats off for using an obscure mythological creature rather than something more obvious like a siren.

A story about the magic of music and those who make it. Well worth your time.

"Rib" by Yukimi Ogawa
Narrated by Anaea Lay

This story takes place in Japan during the Tokugawa Shogunate and follows a skeleton woman who feeds on men's souls. She's recently found herself caring for a young boy named Kiichi. Together they're teaming up to steal back a hair stick that belonged to Kiichi's mother from a heavily guarded temple.

There's a bit more to this story, you'll have to read/listen to find out more. I really loved how snarky and sarcastic the skeleton woman's dialogue was. As you should know by now, I am always eager to learn about new mythological beings, and so it was with this story. It was also nice to see a story set in Tokugawa Japan that was about something other than samurai. Without giving much away I can tell you that the ending is really heartwarming. As for why this story is titled Rib, well, you'll just have to find that out for yourself.

A fun little story with a touching ending. I happily recommend it.

Cast of Wonders

"Kulturkampf" by Anatoly Belilovsky
Narrated by Hans Fenstermacher
A Cast of Wonders Original

This story takes place during a steampunk version of the Franco-Prussian War where musical symphonies are used a weapons of war. The story told as a series of letters sent by Richard Wagner as he creates symphonies as his contribution to the Prussian war effort.

Every year the staff of Cast of Wonders each select a story they feel was particularly worthy of praise. This story was Barry J. North's pick for 2013, and I can easily see why. It was a great touch to play bits of Wagner's symphonies as the story was read. They really do sound like they could be used as weapons of war. I haven't seen too many stories about the Franco-Prussian war, and this was a nice change of pace from the typical Victorian Britain setting of many steampunk stories.

As for the narration, I thought Han's did an excellent job. It's a great musical steampunk story you won't want to miss.

"The Haunted Jalopy Races" by M. Bennardo
Narrated by Alasdair Stuart
A Cast of Wonders Original

This story is set in a small American town during World War II and follows the yearly race of the spirits of two teenage boys who died in a racing accident. Each year they grow into increasingly caricatured versions of who they were in life; the hero is practically a knight in shining armor and the villain has a flaming skull. But is the story really all that it seems?

What I liked most about this story is the way it deals with how we collectively handle death. All too often we remember idealized versions of who the deceased were rather than who they actually were in life. That's why I personally oppose the notion of never speaking ill of the dead. This story really did a great job of commenting on that sort of mentality by introducing a supernatural spin.

In terms of narration I thought that Alasdair did a great job. A story about how we remember the dead. Very much recommended.

"Above Decks" by Terry Ibele
Narrated by Phil Lunt
A Cast of Wonders Original

This story takes place in a steampunk version of Canada and follows a boy from Rupert's Land who works on an airship. He joined thinking it would be a life of adventure and sightseeing, but he spends most of his days shoveling coal below deck. One day, however, he decides to break free.

Okay, so this is a steampunk story with an airship, but I promise it's a good one. I liked how this story focused on the potentially less than glamorous aspects of steampunk and the Victorian era. It was also a nice touch the upper classes considered mechanical augmentation to be fashionable. Towards the end of the story, even despite all of the horrors, you get a sense of awe and wonder for how amazing airships must have been. On the other hand, you get a long look at 19th century labor conditions as well.

Overall Phil did a good job with the narration, though at time he made the captain sound a bit like Yosemite Sam. All in all a pretty good story that's worth your time.

"The Authorized Biography" (Part 1 and Part 2) by Michael G. Ryan
Narrated by Brian Rollins
A Cast of Wonders Original   

This story follows a man named Tim Toonby. He has just written what he hopes will be the Great American Novel. One day he discovers a book claiming to be his biography. It tells of how Tim become a best selling author, but his son gets shot at one of his book signings. Tim must decide he must change the future, but at what cost?

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this story. The writing is very well done, the characters are compelling, and the story is great. That having been said, I can't help but feel that this story is misplaced. Perhaps this story would be more at home at Escape Pod. Our protagonist is a middle-aged man contemplating the death of his child. Not saying young adults can't relate to that, but I am saying an adult would probably get this story better. This does tie in to something I've been feeling for a while: Cast of Wonders is suffering from an identity crisis. It runs YA stories, but never seems to know if it wants to appeal to adults or teens/tweens. In fact, at times it almost seems to be ashamed of the fact that it is a young adult podcast. Certainly leans a bit too much into the "YA can be more than just love-triangles and dystopia!" mentality at times. The current way Cast of Wonders seems to define YA and middle age is: "If you feel embarrassed for reading it, it's middle grade; if it's just respective enough to be read in public, it's YA."

Still, credit where it is due, at least weren't any trigger warnings,mor other patronizing tags. I'd complain about how annoying politically correct and woke Cast of Wonders has gotten, but that's a can of worms for another day. Still shaking my head over that time they include trigger warning because a story had spiders in it. Anyway, back to the review.

Tim certainly does his best to change his son's fate, but money and fame are certainly tempting. Also, at one point he takes his dog to be put down, even though it breaks his heart, because otherwise his wife will have an affair with the he vet. Uh, he should have taken the dog anyway. Pets are often incredibly scared during their final moments, and frantically search for their owners of the owners aren't there. Also, while his books sound interesting, they are about a man going on a journey of spiritual and religious enlightenment and discovery. I'm not so sure how well that would sell in these increasingly secular days. I will say that Brain did an excellent job with the narration.

Categorization aside, this is still an excellent story that I happily recommend.

"The Isle of the Dancing Dead" by Rick Kennett
Narrated by Barry Haworth
Originally Published in The Fifth Book of After Midnight Stories

This story appears to take place in the 19th century in a British colony. I'm not quite sure where specifically? Africa possibly? Or perhaps North America? At any rate, two paranormal investigators named George and Monty are on the case. The coffins within a crypt have been moving about, despite the tomb being sealed tight. The locals claim it is the spirits of the dead moving the coffins, but might there be a more rational explanation?

This story reminded me of the tales of Thomas Carnacki the Ghost-Finder by William Hope Hodgson. He was like a supernatural Sherlock Holmes. What made Carnacki so effective was, though he was prepared to deal with ghosts, he was also open to the possibility that there was a mundane explanation for the goings on. At least half the time, this turned out to be the case. I liked that this story takes the same approach. Apparently, this story has been translated into multiple languages, and is often used in classes teaching English as a second language. Barry did an excellent job with the narration.

A story of skepticism and the supernatural, and one that is very much recommended.

"Below the Serapeum" by Kelsey Dean
Narrated by Alethea Kontis
A Cast of Wonders Original
Featured in Cast of Wonder's Banned Books Week

This story takes place in a fantasy world not too different from Ptolemaic Egypt and the Roman Empire. Halena is an apprentice working at the Great Library. The library was recently destroyed by a fire started by the soldiers of Epiria. As such, her work mostly consists of preserving books and helping raise funds for a new library. Unfortunately, Epiria is preparing for another invasion of Masser. She must stand strong against the coming dark times.

Overall, I did enjoy this story. It is nice to see a fantasy story taking inspiration from the classical world for a change. The Great Library of Alexandria was one of the great losses of history. What wonders might there haven been on those shelves. We know that Homer wrote a sequel to The Odyssey titled The Telegony, and possibly even more epic poems. We also know that Sophocles wrote a fourth Theban play, and possibly more. Sadly, these and many other works have been lost to the sands of time. It is both fun and frustrating to speculate on what we might have had if the Library hadn't burned.

I did like that Halena's aunt and mother encouraged her to see the humanity in the children of Epiria. Further more, they even encourage her to see the humanity of Epirian soldiers. They speak of how the soldiers are merely following orders, and the blame should be placed on the Epirian emperor. This isn't a rout most stories would take, so I applaud Kelsey for doing so.

Now, I must criticize this story for having a bit too much parallelism at points. For example, the temple the character work at is called a Serapeum. In real life, there were temples consecrated to the Ptolemaic god Serapis, and often included libraries and places of learning. However, in the story the temples are consecrated to the fictional goddess Minosega. As such, calling them Minosegeum would have been more appropriate. Calling them Serapeum would be like having a Roman centurion speaking in a Texan accent and dropping lines about BBQ. Perhaps it would have worked better as a piece of historical fiction. I'm just saying, Escape Artists really should add historical fiction to the genres they cover. Also, Epiria sounds a bit like empire, as in Roman Empire. A bit on the nose there.

Still, overall not too bad of a story. Alethea's narration is certainly great.

A low fantasy retelling of the Library of Alexandria. I say give it a try.

There Are No Marshmallows in Camelot by Christian McKay Heidicker
Narrated by Marguerite Kenner
A Cast of Wonders Original

This story follows a little girl named Leticia Andrews who discovers the great wizard Merlin is trapped in her play house. Merlin has been thrust forward in time following a battle with the evil sorceress Morgan La Fay. At first Leticia thinks that it'll be great and that she'll get to learn magic, but what will happen if Merlin doesn't get back to Camelot in time?

The historical accuracy of the King Arthur legends is highly debatable, to put it succinctly. At the very least it's agreed that Merlin probably was real; especially since he and Guinevere were from previously unrelated Welsh legends. Similarly, Lancelot was from an unrelated French ballad, so that cast doubt on him. Still, there might be just the tiniest grain of truth buried in there, and this story had time travel so I decided to roll with it.

It was a cute little story. I liked the notion that you can find magic in your every day life if you know the right places to look. The conversations between Merlin and Leticia were fun and I liked the way magic was described. I also enjoyed the bits that follows Leticia later in her life as she searches for sources of magic. It was a nice little touch that tied everything together.

As I've mentioned in the past, every year the crew of Cast of Wonders select stories that they thought were particularly outstanding for a special honor. This story was Alexis Goble's pick for 2015. It is always a joy to hear Marguerite Kenner narrate a story, and this was no exception.

A fun little story about time travel and marshmallows. I recommend it.

The Great Game series by James Vachowski
Narrated by Barry J. North and Graeme Dunlop
A Cast of Wonders Original

This story follows...well, we never really learn his name. We do learn that he used to serve in the British army during the early 20th century and went on many fantastical adventures for king and country. From finding flying carpets in Persia to discovering the lost city of Iram in Arabia. The stories are framed as him recounting his adventures to students doing research at a library.

This one's going to be a group review since there are seven stories in the series. Overall I'd say these stories were a bit hit and miss. A couple were reasonably good pastiches of Victorian adventure stories, a couple started off good before running out of steam, and a few were just kind of meh. I guess that's kind of my biggest issue with these stories. They had interesting concepts, but for the most part they failed to realize their potential. Don't get me wrong, there we a few gems here and there, but overall I didn't find this collection of stories particularly memorable.

The stories are almost all narrated by Barry, though Graeme did narrate one of them. They both made valiant efforts, but it wasn't enough to salvage the stories which didn't work. I didn't quite care for these stories, but I'll say they're at least worth checking out. Who know, maybe you'll like them.

Conclusion

So we've reached the end of the list and I hope you've had a good time. You know I always want to say something deep and meaningful in these concluding segments, but I never do. Oh well, maybe someday I will. For now, just take a moment to reflect on all the good stories we got to discover, and look forward to the next time that we will get to do this. Let us look forward to all the stories we will discover in this new year together. Until then, I will see you guys next time.  

Riordan Retrospective: The Tyrant's Tomb

Welcome back to my Riordan Retrospective.  For those of you just joining the fun, this is my look back at the works of Rick Riordan.  That means Percy Jackson, its sequels, and spin-offs.  This is less of a formal review and more of a relaxed look back.  Late time, we finished our look back at The Kane Chronicles (again) with a Brooklyn House Magician's Manual.  This time, we're heading back to The Trials of Apollo.  We're taking a look back at The Tyrant's Tomb, The Trials of Apollo book 4.  As usual, we're starting off with a brief summary.

Apollo and Meg have made it to San Francisco with the corpse of Jason Grace.  They're soon on their way to Camp Jupiter, and not a moment too soon.  New Rome is under attack by an army of the undead.  Tarquin the Proud, the last king of Rome, has risen from the dead.  Worse still, Caligula and Commodus also have their sights set on New Rome.  Apollo and his friends are in a race against the clock to stop the invasions before New Rome is completely obliterated.

This is the most recent book in the series.  As such, there will be major spoilers.  Turn back now if you don't want any of that.

Overall, I did enjoy this book.  On the whole, The Trials of Apollo just keeps getting better.  Though, that having been said, there were some pretty significant issues towards the end.  For now, let's focus on the stuff that I did enjoy.  We have a new character joining the cast with this book.  Lavinia Asimov is the first time we've seen a child of the muses.  Specifically, she's a daughter of Terpsichore, the muse of dance.  Great to see the children of the minor gods getting some love.  Interesting that it was a Roman demigod who was our first child of the muses.  The muses are quintessentially Greek, and lack Roman counterparts.  She's also the first Jewish demigod we've encountered.  Well, unless you count Julia Feingold, but we only know that because Rick said so on Twitter.  Judaism is just as much a culture as a religion, and you can be a Jew without believing in God, so this works out pretty well.

I liked how Lavinia's Jewishness is depicted.  She wears a Star of David necklace, and mentions having a Bat Mitzvah, but that's about it.  She doesn't mention it every twelve seconds, and it isn't the defining characteristic of her personality, unlike a certain poorly written daughter of Loki.  She's also a lesbian, but again, it doesn't define her personality, and she doesn't constantly bring it up.  It was nice that she went through a learning-curve, and wasn't instantly amazing at everything.  It made her earning everyone's praise feel more genuine.  All in all, Lavinia is a welcome addition to the Camp Jupiter family.  I do wonder if she's related to Isaac Asimov, the famous science fiction writer.   Lavinia mentions having a friend who is a daughter of Euterpe, the muse of music.  Wish we could have met that camper.  You'd think that, both being children of the muses, she and Lavinia would have a closer relationship.

I must admit, I wasn't expect Tarquin to be one of the villains.  Wasn't expecting, but he was certainly effective.  I thought it was cool that he came back as an undead lich king.  Apparently, just as Camp Jupiter moves from country to country, so too does the Tomb of Tarquin.  I also wasn't expecting that we'd see Caligula and Commodus defeated in this book.  Unexpected, but it was still awesome, especially with what happened with Frank.  More on that in just a minute.

I was great getting to see Frank and Hazel again.  My only issue would be that it felt like they, especially Hazel, kind of got shortchanged.  Hazel, Frank, Reyna, and Lavinia all have to share the same book.  By contrast, Leo and Calypso got a book all to themselves, and Jason and Piper got a book all to themselves.  Percy wasn't really in The Hidden Oracle, and that meant the Camp Half-Blood gang got more time to shine.  It just seems unfair, as I've long felt the Roman demigods got outshines by their Greek counterparts.  This is especially bad given that Roman emperors are the villains.  You'd think that would mean the Romans would get more love, but not, sidelined by the Greeks once again.

Well, at least Frank got a chance to shine.  Remember that piece of firewood that controls his life?  He burned it in order to destroy Caligula and Commodus.  However, because he willingly sacrificed himself, he broke free of his destiny and didn't die.  Even Apollo admits he isn't sure how that works. I think it was Riordan going "I know it's contrived, just roll with it."  Hey, I'll take it without complaint.  I love Frank.  I'm just saying, after Riordan killed Jason, all bets are off.

So, why have all communications been down.  Turns out, the Triumvirate took a trip to Alexandria, Egypt and literally dug up a Greco-Egyptian god.  Specifically, Harpocrates, the Greco-Egyptian god of silence.  This was because, once the Greeks conquered Egypt, they found statues of the god Horus, in the form of a human child, holding a finger to his lips.  This is the Egyptian symbol for child, but the Greek thought it meant silence.  Thus, a god who never should have been was born.  This marks the first time an Egyptian god has appeared outside of The Kane Chronicles.  Well, not counting the crossover stories.  Also, Harpocrates is only half-Egyptian, but close enough.

Apparently, Apollo bullied Harpocrates back in the day.  There's no mythological evidence of this, it was made-up for Trails of Apollo.  Interestingly, Harpocrates was said to be a child of fellow Greco-Egyptian god Serapis, who appeared in the crossover stories.  Harpocrates is fully aware that he shouldn't exist, and he longs for the release of fading.  Some gods, like Pan and Helios, fight against fading for as long as they can.  Harpocrates, by contrast, embraces it with arms outstretched.  Same goes for the Oracle of Cumae, who has struck-up something of a romance with Harpocrates.  A god who can't speak, and an oracle who is only a voice.  Quite a pair they are.

Speaking of romance, Tyson and Ella are back, and just as adorable as ever.  Ella has been busily tattooing the Sibylline Books on Tyson's skin.  Cyclopes have very tough skin, so he doesn't mind.  Also they have a pet cat named Aristophanes, named after the Ancient Greek comedy playwright, and they're running a book shop.  I enjoyed getting to visit New Rome again, even if it had seen better days.  It's not just humans and demigods who call New Rome home.  Apparently, they got people with two heads, dog-headed Cynocephaly, and more.  Oh, and they do have fauns and nature spirits.  I felt really bad when Don the faun died.  I called him lazy, but he was a hero when it counted, and I enjoyed his friendship with Lavinia.  I was intrigued that one of the senators was a legacy of Luna, the Roman form of Selene.  I had been wondering if there were any legacies of Sol and Luna.

Terminus has adopted an orphan girl named Julia, which I thought was nice.  He's certainly one of the kinder gods.  Still, this does reinforce my theory about New Rome lacking an equivalent of Child Services.  Not that Old Rome was much better in that regard.  One of the reasons Christianity managed to gain a foothold was that it filled in the gaps the Roman welfare state left behind.  Julia is probably the closest to a child of Terminus that we'll get.  I'm just saying, from what we've seen, he doesn't appear to have any naughty bits.

Well, we covered what I liked, now let's talk about what didn't work for me.  Well, first of all, we had to endure the characters weeping and wailing about St. Jason of the Blessed Grace.  I knew this was coming, but it still annoyed me.  How can they be sad when worthless Jason is gone for good?  Although it was cool to see the Romans building all of those new temples in record time.  Why do I get the feeling this won't be the last time Jason Grace spites me from beyond the grave?

Now let's talk about Reyna.  At first, everything seemed to be alright.  She appeared much as she did in The Heroes of Olympus.  Then she joined Apollo on his quest.  She was incredibly snippy and prone to emotional outbursts.  This is in sharp contrast to The Heroes of Olympus, where Reyna was stoic and a consummate professional at all times.  Even her internal thoughts maintained that level of stoicism and professionalism.  She had doubts and deep sadness, but never had emotional outbursts like we see here.  As such, you can't blame it on stress or anything like that.  It feels incredibly out of character in the same way I felt about Annabeth in The Mark of Athena.

Also, Reyna and Meg are outraged that Apollo turned ravens black.  Apparently, they think this makes them ugly.  Meg is excusable, because she wears glasses, but Reyna might want to schedule and optometrist appointment.  Ravens are beautiful just the way they are with their dark plumage.  Also, why does Reyna drive a pickup truck?  If Camp Jupiter can afford SUVs for traveling across the country, then surely a praetor could afford a better ride than a pickup truck.  Unless she just really likes pickup trucks for some reason.  Puerto Rico would be one of the southern most states, if it ever gets statehood, but not that kind of southern.  I never really pinned Reyna as someone who'd like reggaton music.  She always struck me as more of the classical music type.

Reyna's characterization in this book really feels like a recycling of what Riordan did with Piper's characterization in The Burning Maze.  It worked for Piper, but it not only doesn't work here, but just feels lazy.  Oh, but we aren't done yet.  Towards the end of the book, Apollo must call upon Diana, Artemis' Roman counterpart, for help.  Admittedly, I had been wondering if there was a Hunters of Diana out there.  Turns out, they are exactly the same as the Hunters of Artemis.  They're all one big happy family.

Anyway, Reyna has been having issues because everyone keeps trying to find her a boyfriend, but she isn't sure if she wants one.  She talks about how even she considered pairing up with everyone from Frank, to Percy, to even Octavian.  Although, the way she phrases it, she makes it sound like ending up with Percy would have been worse than winding up with Octavian!  Either that's another out-of-character moment, or Rick needs to get a better proofreader and editor.  Reyna is also feeling the stress from how she's been subordinate to other people throughout her life.

So, how does she resolve this?  Why, by joining the Hunters of Artemis.  Um, what?!  So she's tired of being a cog in the machine of Camp Jupiter, so she becomes a cog in the Hunters of Artemis?  That makes no sense.  It's not like the Hunters encourage people to explore their sexuality.  In fact, they actively discourage it.  Moreover, she's still having to follow orders and have expectations.  Seriously, this is the best Rick could do to resolve Reyna's character arc?

Look, having the message that there's no need to rush into romance could have worked.  However, the message her seems to be that this is only possible if you join the Hunters of Artemis.  It's a complete cop-out.  Although I think I know why Rick did it.  For a while, many Riordanverse fans shipped Reyna and Apollo together.  I don't know why, but I don't pretend to understand shipping.  Well, that and shipping Reyna with basically everyone became popular.  Of course, who am I to judge?  I've been known to ship Reyna with Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Yes, it was kind of like how Nico got shipped with everyone before he came out as gay...huh, I wonder if that might have factored into Riordan making him gay.  Anyway, the whole thing feels like Riordan thumbing his nose at the Reyna shippers.  Unfortunately, it feels like he prioritized this over giving Reyna a satisfying conclusion.  Look, I get that shippers can be crazy and annoying at time, and you gotta be true to yourself, but it feels like Rick prioritized pissing them off over plot.  That accounts for why Reyna though her and Apollo getting together was side-splittingly hilarious.  Also, apparently Reyna and Thalia are pen pals.  I think they did briefly talk at the end of The Blood of Olympus, but it still seems a bit odd.

Speaking of Nico, Reyna joining the Hunters means we won't get to see her relationship with Nico get developed.  I loved there surrogate brother/sister dynamic, but I guess we won't get to see that expanded on.  This is the second time Nico has lost a sister to the Hunters.  At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the next book has him going on a rampage and slaughtering the Hunters.  

As I've mentioned before, Rick mentioned he originally considered making Reyna lesbian, but decided against it for fear it would play into harmful stereotypes.  Hmm, I wonder if Lavinia was born out of those original plans.  Part of me also wonders if he did it to score social justice point s for having an asexual character.  Strange, given he already had the Hunters of Artemis, and I'd say Reyna is confused and trying to sort things out more than anything.  Maybe we ought to stop trying to label every little thing.  My mom tells me that, back in her day, you'd her things like "that boy/girl is a bit confused, and a little funny, but he/she is a good person."  Maybe we ought to bring that sort of thing back.

Look, I don't want this to sound like I hated this book.  Overall, I loved it, and Trials of Apollo does, in most regards, feel like it keeps getting better.  Still, what Riordan did to Reyna is going to be major black mark against this series.  Let's move on to the cover analysis.

Oh, sweet Reyna, what has the cover artist done to you?  I mean everything else about the cover looks perfectly fine.  But as for Reyna...yikes.  Even Lester doesn't look as bad as she does.  Help me, Viria.  You're my only hope. 

Ah, that's better.  Thank you, Viria.  Once again, I'll give a shout-out to the audiobook.  Though a must say that Robbie Daymond certainly has an odd way of producing certain words, such as praetor.

So that was The Tyrant's Tomb.  It had some pretty serious flaws, but overall, still a solid and enjoyable book.  Well, at this point we're pretty much caught up.  Camp Jupiter Confidential and The Tower of Nero haven't been released yet.  Haven't had a chance to listen to the audio version of "Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo" yet.  If I do, I might make a mini-retrospective out it.  The point is, it might be a while before the next retrospective comes out.

It has been fun, and it has great to have all of you along for the ride.  I look forward to getting to do this once again.  Until that day, I will see you guys next time.

Book Review: The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson

2019 was a year where I got to experience a lot of alternate history books in audio form for the first time.  It was also, like 2018 before it, a year where I finally got around to listening to several alternate history I'd been meaning to get around to.  Case in point, the book we'll be reviewing today.  We're taking a look at the classic alternate history novel The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson.

The Years of Rice and Salt takes places in a world where the Black Death killed ninety-nine percent of Europe's population.  The story follows six or seven individuals, though three in particular, as they are reincarnated over the ages.  Robinson makes it easy by having their names start with the same letter.  The main characters we follow having names starting in K, B, and I.  Secondary characters have names with Z, P, and S.  The novel spans hundreds of years of history, and spans numerous nations, giving it a truly global feel to it.

The novel is divided into ten segments of varying lengths, and I will discuss each of them individually.  For now, I will give some overall thoughts.  I'd been putting off listening to this one, but I'm glad I finally got around to it.  I absolutely loved this book.  I loved its vast global scope, and how it features nations and cultures you don't often see in alternate history.  I also loved the use of reincarnation as a plot device.  It was certainly an interesting twist I haven't really seen in too many other alternate history novels.  The story uses the Islamic Hegira Calendar for dates.  The Islamic year 1 being when Mohammad felid Mecca for Medina in 622 AD.  However, I've rendered the dates in the Gregorian Calendar for convenience sake.  There's a ton of historical and cultural references throughout the novel.  You don't necessarily have to catch them to enjoy the novel, but it adds to the experience.  Thankfully, the Kim Stanley Robinson website has this handy reading guide that catalogs and explains them all.

Well, enough of all that, lets dive in.

Our first segment is titled "Awake into Emptiness."  It takes place from 1381-1424.  It follows a Mongol warrior named Bold who is serving in the army of Timur.  Timur has sent Bold to scout ahead into the Hungarian Basin.  Bold find a land almost totally devoid of humans.  Bold travels through the depopulated Balkans until he is captured and sold into slavery by Arab slavers.  During his time aboard a slave ship he meets an African slave named Kyu.  As the ship makes its way to China, Kyu and Bold discover that their lives are destined to be intertwined.

This segment sets things up for the rest of the novel.  The descriptions of the depopulated Europe were evocative and haunting.  There are multiple mentions of cathedrals being only partially built because everyone died in the middle of construction.  Medieval cathedrals took decades, if not centuries, to be fully constructed.  Often, those who began work on the cathedrals would do so knowing that they would not live to see them completed.

There's a particularly sad scene where Bold encounters the sole European in all of his travels.  The man can't speak any of the languages Bold know, but he gets his point across with gestures.  He was just a fisherman, and was out fishing when the plague hit.  He came back to find everyone, including his wife and children, dead.  Now he's all alone, and due to the language barrier, Bold isn't much company.  They share food and camp together, but the very next day the man is gone.  His footsteps lead to the riverbank, which strongly suggests he might have committed suicide out of despair.  What would it be like, I wonder, to be like the lone European?  What thoughts would go through one’s head as the sole survive of a once prosperous village?  To know that you might be alone forever?  Chilling stuff indeed.

Bold and Kyu eventually get sold to the admiral Zhang He.  He was the commander of the Ming Dynasty's fleet of treasure ships.  They were massive ships that traveled everywhere from the South China Sea, to India, and even East Africa.  The goal was to proclaim China's power and influence to the world, and to collect tribute.  Zhang He is a staple in alternate histories about China colonizing the New World.  Ironically, that doesn't happen in this book til after Zhang He.  We'll talk more about that in a bit.  We also get a frighteningly detailed explain of how eunuchs, of which Zhang He was one, are made.

Another significant aspect of "Awake into Emptiness" is how it sets up the character meeting in the Bardo at the end of each segment.  The Bardo is an afterlife of sorts in Tibetan Buddhism.  It is where souls go as they wait to be judged and then reborn.  I should probably go over the difference between reincarnation in Hinduism and Buddhism.  Hindu reincarnation is like water being passed from one cup to another; your outside changes, but the essence of who you are stays the same.  Buddhist reincarnation is more like one candle passing its flame to another; there is a deep connection between you and your reincarnations, but they are ultimately different people.  Tibetan Buddhism differs in that it is a bit more like the Hindu view of reincarnation.

The character we meet in The Years of Rice and Salt were part of a Jati in Tibet that got killed in an avalanche.  A Jati is type of village or community; sometimes it can also mean clan or group of that nature.  Throughout the book the Jati constantly find each other, often without meaning too, across their reincarnations.  East Asian cultures, and other Asian cultures to an extent, place emphasis on finding your place within the web of other's lives.  The part of this section that muse about the nature of reincarnation and Buddhism have an almost poetic quality to them.  There's also some parts that end with "but if you want to know what happens next, read the next part."  This is a nod to the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.  

The second segment is titled "The Haj in the Heart."  The bulk is set in the 1560.  It begins in India with two sisters named Kokila and Bihari.  Life is mostly good, and they get married.  Then Bihari dies in childbirth, and Kokila poisons their husbands, for which she is executed.  Kokila is then reincarnated as a tiger named Kya, who is also killed, but not before she saves a wandering Sufi mystic named Bistami.  While on a Hadj to Mecca, Bistami hears of a caravan in North Africa heading to the depopulated land of Al-Andalus.  The caravan is led by the charismatic sultan Mawji Darya, and his beautiful wife Katima.  Bistami finds himself drawn to Katima, almost as though he knows her from somewhere.

This is the only time, barring the last segment, our characters get reincarnated multiple times in one segment.  Bistami at one point finds himself in the court of Emperor Akbar.  He was a real ruler of the Mughal Empire.  It was an off-shoot of the Mongol Empire established by Central Asian Mongols who settled in Northern India.  Akbar was a Muslim, but promoted religious tolerance and understanding.  He often held meetings with representatives of the different religions within his empire.  Unfortunately, subsequent Mughal rulers didn't share his open-mindedness.

I previously mentioned the poetic nature of this book, and it's true in this segment as well.  There is a particularly great scene where Bistami visits the tomb of a great Sufi mystic.  He undergoes a religious experience and has visions, including of his past lives.  The poetic nature, combined with the musings on the nature of reality, reminds me of The Man in the High Castle, another of my favorite alternate history novels.  I should probably talk about Sufism.  Sufism is a type of Islamic mysticism.  They tend to be a bit more peaceful and less politically inclined than Sunni and Shia Islam.  Most Sunnis and Shias, the two main branches of Islam, do not like Sufis very much, and don't consider them real Muslims.  If you've ever heard of the Whirling Dervishes, those are Sufis.  The Medieval Iranian poet Rumi is another famous Sufi.

It does make sense that the Beber, or Amazigh, as they call themselves, were first to resettle Europe.  Towards the end of its history Al-Andalus was ruled by several Beber/Amazigh dynasties such as the Almoravids and Almohads.  I also liked that the alternate Black Death hit all of Europe, not just the Christian bits.  Al-Andalus, and the Muslim settlements in the Balkans, were just as depopulated as the rest of Europe.  It made it feel a bit more realistic.  Granted, having ninety-nine percent of Europe be whipped out wasn't that realistic, but it is a thing I'm willing to accept for the premise of the novel.  Amusingly, even the characters discuss how odd it is that Europe was totally whipped out.

Katima and her caravan are shown to be more open-minded and liberal than most Muslims.  This is partially because they follow Sufism, but also because they are Berber.  Traditionally, most Berber women have not worn the hijab, and woman have play major roles in Berber life.  The caravan eventually moves further north and founds a settlement at the former site of Bayonne, France.  They name their settlement Baraka.  Katima's husband dies, but there's no precedent for women ruling on their own in Islam.  In fact, the Hadith even forbids it.

Thus, Bistami and Katima declare that those Hadith's don't matter and forge their own.  Granted, there's some precedence to this.  Muslims believe that the Hadith is less authoritative than the Koran, but still important.  Several Muslim women, in places such as West Africa and America, choose to ignore the Hadith to justify not wearing the hijab.  The closest the Koran comes is saying that women must cover their breasts.  Throughout the book there is a theme of trying to reconcile Islam with women's rights, and secular liberalism in general.  The Sufis, and those like them, are trying to establish a light in the darkness, but these lights can easily be snuffed out.  Case in point, more conservative Muslims from Al-Andalus come to overthrow Katima, forcing everyone to flee further north to Nantes.  They name this new settlement Nsara.

Interestingly, when everyone arrives in the Bardo they perceive it as being similar to the Islamic afterlife.  Does the Bardo appear different to everyone?  They do seem to realize that it isn't the Islamic afterlife, and do start to remember their past lives before getting reincarnated.  We'll talk more about all that in just a minute.

The third segment is titled "Ocean Continents."  It takes place in the 1620s.  Japan has been a thorn in China's side for centuries.  The emperor orders a huge fleet of ships to conquer the island nation.  However, a few ships get blown across the Pacific and discover two previously unknown continents.  The section follows the crew as they explore this brave new world.

This is the part where China finally discovers the Americas.  Overall, I did enjoy this segment, but the novel does show its age in places.  When the Chinese first arrive, they meet the Miwok people of Northern California.  The Miwok are overall portrayed well, even if it occasionally dips into "paint with all the colors of the wind" territory.  The narration mentions how the natives barely use the land, and how everything is pristine.  We now know that Native Americans played a big role in cultivating land, and played a major role in shaping North America's ecosystem.  They just did so in a way that wasn't always recognizable to the Europeans.  In fairness a lot of this scholarship has only come on in the last decade or so.  Robinson wouldn't have had access to it.

The bigger issue is when the Chinese arrive in the Aztec Empire.  At first, it looked like we might get a nuanced look at the Aztecs.  They performed human sacrifice, but they did so because they believed it was necessary to thank the gods for giving them the world.  Those chosen as sacrifices lives like kings in the year leading up to the sacrifice.  They were also one of the few societies to give mandatory education for both men and women.  I was hoping we'd see all this, but Robinson fell onto the lazy stereotype of the Aztecs as bloodthirsty barbarians.  It got even worse when one of the Chinese fired a gun, and the Aztecs ran around like chickens with their heads chopped off.  There is a reference to something this is claimed to have happened when Pizarro conquered the Inca.  The problem being that there is no historical evidence that the Inca trampled each other to death when Pizarro fired his gun.  It is likely a fabrication by post-conquest chroniclers.

Anyway, when we get to the Bardo we see that it is falling under the sway of the Chinese celestial bureaucracy.  Does that mean Chinese Mythology is real too?  Overall, not a terrible segment, but could have been better.

The fourth segment is titled "The Alchemist."  It takes place in the Khanate of Samarkand in the 1640s.  It follows three alchemists named Bahram, Khalid, and Iwang.  The start off performing experiments to turn lead into gold.  However, they soon start making discoveries that will overturn all pervious knowledge.  The age of alchemy is over, and the age of science has begun.

I've always loved the history of science, so this segment was pretty fun for me.  The characters make discoveries in all sorts of fields, but the Khan is only interested in military applications.  There's a particularly amusing scene where Khalid complains about Sufis being a bunch of hippies with their heads in the clouds.  He's blissfully unaware that he was a Sufi in a past life.  Another scene mentions that Armenia is a Muslim nation.  That's particularly odd given that pervious segments mentioned them, along with Georgia and Ethiopia, as one of the few Christian nations that avoid the plague.  There's also mention of small communities of Christians in Egypt and the Maghreb.  The characters do speculate that the Armenians might be faking it to get better trade deals, but it is still odd.  Samarkand in our world had some very famous universities, with some very impressive mosaics.  All in all, another great segment.

The fifth segment is called "The Warp and the Weft."  It takes place in North America and follows a ronin named Busho, but his friends know him as Fromwest.  He is severing as a guest to the Haudenosaunee people, and tells of how his homeland was invaded by China.  Busho must convince the Haudenosaunee, and the scattered tribes to North America, to unite and modernize so they can resist colonization from the Chinese and Muslims.

Overall, I thought that Robinson did a much better with his depiction of the Native Americans here.  The Haudenosaunee people are more commonly known as the Iroquois.  They are nation originally made of the five tribes: the Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Oneida.  In 1722 they welcomed the Tuscarora tribe to the nation.  Interestingly, this segment mentions that the Haudenosaunee have expanded to nine tribes.  Just who are these additional tribes?  The Native Americans were exposed more gradually to Old World diseases than in our world.  They've had more time to recover their population.  This does give them more of fighting chance than the Native Americans did in our world.  Still, I can't help but feel that the fate is the Haudenosaunee is just a tad optimistic.  Granted, they've got Busho to help them.

Perhaps it is optimistic, but I'm willing to take it.  I've always wished alternate history featured the Native Americans more.  I've also been fascinated at the idea of Native Americans successfully resisting colonialism.  From what we hear, the Chinese invasion of Japan was incredibly harsh.  There was no divine wind to save the Japanese this time.  Busho wonders if the gods were mad because of the Muslim missionaries in Nagasaki.  It's a sly joke, because around the same time in our world, Christian missionaries were in Nagasaki.  In fact, Nagasaki and Hiroshima were the two biggest Christian settlements in Japan.  I wonder if the souls that would have been those missionaries got reincarnated as Muslims?

The Bardo segment is also interesting.  The Jati try to resist drinking the elixir of forgetfulness to try to retain the memories in their next lives, and find each other.

The sixth segment is titled "Widow Kang."  It takes place in South China in the 18th century.  The widow Kang Tongbi has been plagued by strange dreams and strange happenings.  She speaks in strange foreign languages, and finds herself draw to the Buddhist monk Bao Ssu and the Muslim scholar Ibrahim ibn Hasam al-Lanzhou.  It's almost as though she knows them from somewhere before.

The parallelism was very strong in this story.  At times it almost felt more like straight-up historical fiction rather than alternate history.  The Machu overthrew the Ming Dynasty, thus establishing the Qing Dynasty, just as in our world.  There's also a hysteria over supposed queue cutting, just as in our world.  Queues are long braided ponytails the Manchu pushed upon the Han Chinese.  The Han weren't required to adopt Manchu clothing and hairstyles, but the Manchu put indirect pressure on them to do so.  There were also numerous instances of anti-Muslim persecution carried out during the Qing Dynasty.  Yeah, if the goal of the novel was to speculate about a world without Europe, this was not one of its better moments.

Now, I must be fair here.  Robinson utilizes a more leftist view of history that emphasizes intangible forces of history over individual choice.  Additionally, there the wrinkle of people being reincarnated.  Reincarnation might account for why this world had a Renaissance so similar to our world.  Presumably, the Europeans got reincarnated too.  Perhaps the Manchu were destined to overthrow the Ming Dynasty.  It's interesting to speculate, but let's get back to the story.

Kang eventually marries Ibrahim after he helps her with some hypnosis exercises.  They work together on try to find a way to reconcile Islam with Buddhism, and Chinese culture in general.  There one scene where Kang disparages Islam for the way Muslim women are treated.  Ibrahim point that Chinese women don't have it much better.  Kang concedes that women have it pretty bad all the world over.  Kang also takes to collecting poems and mantras.  Her favorite?  It has to do with rice and salt.  There's also an amusing scene where, when discussing the possibility of past lives, Kang insists that she's always been Chinese.  By this point, we know she's also been African, Berber, Muslim, Indian, Iroquois, and even a tiger.  

It seems that Ibrahim, and a few other Muslims, believe in reincarnation.  In our world, there are some Muslims who believe this, but they are fringe groups, and don't represent mainstream Islamic thought.  Granted, with the changes to history, maybe their beliefs became mainstream.  I just loved Kang and Ibrahim's constant back-and-forth.  They argue, but they also clearly care about each other.  We also hear that many Sufi settlements have gotten crushed by Wahhabis.  They're a brand of ultra-conservative Islam; Saudi Arabia is run by them.  Sadly, this isn't too dissimilar to what happened in our world.  Attempts to reform Islam pretty much always ended badly.

Our seventh segment is titled "The Great Age of Progress."  It takes place from 1829-1864.  The Ottoman Empire has long thought of itself as invincible. That all changes when they get into a war with the League of Travancore; an alliance of states in India.  Travancore is a land of mechanical wonders and scientific advancement.  The segment follows an Ottoman doctor named Ismail as he is taken to Travancore to experience these wonders firsthand.

Well, this certainly made up for the parallelism of the last segment.  I love seeing industrial revolution alternate histories in non-Western nations.  I also like that Travancore is an alliance of Indian states rather than a single nation.  India is just as ethnically and culturally diverse as Europe, after all.  The scene where Travancore invades Konstantiniyye is an ironic echo of the Ottoman's sack of Constantinople in 1453 AD.  Of course, this time the Ottomans are in the role of the Byzantines.  Wouldn't it be ironic if they were the Byzantines reincarnated?  We also see that the Haudenosaunee League is an ally of Travancore, and are doing quite well for themselves.  Several Buddhist monasteries have also become centers of science and learning.  Buddhism originated in India, but faded away due to the actions of Brahmins, that is, Hindu priests.  They knew they had to try to discredit Buddhism, or they'd be standing in the unemployment line.  It is fitting that Buddhism has returned to the place of its birth here.

We also find out that some European survived in the Orkney, Shetland, and Faroe Islands.  A few also managed to survive in England.  Unfortunately, the Ottomans prized these surviving English for their exotic beauty.  The Ottomans made a point of keeping the English members of their harams ethnically pure.  Eventually, this resulted in some pretty nasty inbreeding.  Yeah, those poor English would have been better off if the plague had taken their ancestors.

We skip ahead a bit where Ismail is serving as Tranvancore's ambassador to Yingzhou.  It's China's colony on the west coast of North America.  We discover that the Japanese people and culture have survived in spite of China's efforts to whip them out.  There's even a strong underground resistance movement brewing in Yingzhou.  There's mention of flood occurring in California, and interestingly enough, there was indeed a flood in California around the time this segment is set.

The eighth segment is titled "War of the Asuras."  It is set in the 1950s.  Tensions between China and Dar-Al-Islam have been brewing for years.  Now they've finally boiled over into an all-out war.  In time, this war will be known as the Long War.  The segment follows three Chinese solders named Bai, Kuo, and Iwa.

This segment was maybe not my favorite, but all the same, not terrible.  The Long War can best be described as World War I leading directly into World War II with no break in-between.  The Long War lasted sixty-seven years in total.  The war is so intense that our character beginning to lose their grasp on reality.  Also, apparently the Muslims blew-up the top of Mount Everest so that K2, a mountain in Afghanistan, would be the tallest mountain in the world.  There was no real point to this, and it probably didn't effect  Chinese moral very much.  It probably also wasted time and resources for the Muslims, and seemed more petty than anything.  On a brighter note, Japan has used the chaos of the war to regain their independence.

The ninth segment is titled "Nsara."  It takes place from 1999-2002.  Budur Radwan is a young woman living in the United Alpine Emirates.  She longs to be free and independent like her aunt Idelba, who works as a physicist in Nsara.  Budur decides to sneak on a train bound for the great Sufi city.  She finds Nsara to be a land of wonders, and is drawn to the study of history and archeology by one of the city's madrasahs.  Life is good, but the effects of the Long War still linger.  How long can this temporary peace truly last?

This segment gets fairly metafictional as Budur and her classmates discuss the nature of history.  They even speculate on how things might have gone had history turned out differently.  One of the class's first projects is considering women's role in history, particularly as it relates to Islam.  Their professor, Kirana Fawwaz, is convinced that it is possible to reconcile Islam with feminism if you throw out the Hadith.  She even claims Mohammad was a feminist.  Yeah...she must be using a different translation of the Koran, because everything I've read of the Koran paints a rather unflattering picture of the prophet.  Feminist is...not a word I'd use to describe him.  For example, he once ordered a village of Jews to be put to death for refusing to convert to Islam.  Then there's the whole marrying an underage girl and consummating the marriage with her thing.  There's a little old lady in the class who says that religion has brought nothing but suffering to people, especially women, and should be done away with.  Well, I guess I know what happened to the soul that would have become me.

As someone with a history degree, I can attest that many of the conversations Budur and her classmates have are quite accurate.  There would certainly be even more archeological sites in Europe than there already ate in our world.  We even get to briefly see some surviving Native Europeans in the Orkney, Shetland and Faroe Islands.  They're under the watchful eye of the Haudenosaunee.  So, we've got Native Americans overseeing what is, essentially, a European reservation.  Oh how the tables have turned.  One of Budur's friends is named Tristan, and he makes music based on that of Medieval Europe.  Strange that more isn't made of his status as one of the only ethnic Europeans we meet.  Unless his name isn't really Tristan, and he's The Years of Rice and Salt version of a weeaboo, but with European culture rather than Japanese.

I probably should have mentioned before that the Muslims renamed Europe as Firanja.  Well, the Middle Eastern and North African ones did.  The Central Asian one's call it Firanjistan.  Most of Western Firanja speaks a language that, while similar to Arabic and Berber, is unique to Firanja.  Though, Skandistan speaks a separate language related to the Turkic languages of Central Asia.  Firanja was placed under heavy reparations following the Long War.  The terms also forced them to allow Buddhist monasteries to be established in their cities.  I guess it makes a sort of sense that Muslim madrasahs and Buddhist monasteries became centers of learning.  In our world, many universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge, started off as places to train/educate Christian clergy.

Budur travels to a science conference in Iran to help deliver a message to her aunt's colleges.  Specifically, about the potential to split an atom, and create new bombs.  This is presented as something that the world must not know of, but I'm not sure about that.  Mutually Assured Destruction, and thus deterrence, could have saved quite a few lives during the Long War.  From what we hear, it got so bad that women and children got drafted.  On the other hand, Dar-Al-Islam does seem just crazy enough to push the button.  Don't forget what they did to Mount Everest.  On a happier note, we do see that the Buddhist monasteries are making bricks to rebuild the summit of Mount Everest.

Budur also attends an archeology conference.  One of the presentations is of a village in Tibet that got caught in an avalanche.  It is the very village the sent the Jati on their journey across the ages.  I also liked how the Middle East is called the Middle West, as a nod to how Sinocentric this world is.  There's mention of scientists wanting to create a new calendar, with the date of their meeting being year one.  Something similar happened in our world, but the Apollo 11 mission was used as the year one.

Post-war Firanja bares more than a passing resemblance to Germany during the Weimar Republic.  It is mentioned that the Sultanate of Rum has experienced particularly bad hyperinflation.  As the segment progresses, there's increasing political turmoil, and many radicals begin to blame minorities  such as Christians, Jews, and Armenians for Firanja losing the Long War.  There's mention here, and in several other segments of a people called Zotts.  Apparently, that's the Arabic word for Gypsies/Romani.  With all the political chaos brewing, it's a good thing the Haudenosaunee keep a military presence in Firanja.

It would seem the Sufis' efforts weren't in vain after all.  Nsara appears to be a liberal modern city.  And yet it is also mentioned that several parts of Firanja, such as the United Alpine Emirates and Skandistan, are rather conservative.  It goes back to the theme of trying to reconcile Islam with liberalism, pluralism, and multiculturalism.  Quite forward thinking for a book published in 2002.  Personally, I'm not sure it's really possible.  Of course, I'm not sure any religion can truly be reformed.  Better to discard them and find our truths and meanings in something more solid and rational.

Our final segment is titled "First Years."  It takes place from 2030-2088.  The segment follows a Chinese man named Bao Xinhua throughout his life.  He participates in a democratic-ish/socialist-ish movement lead by the Chinese-Japanese philosopher Zhu Isao.  We then follow him as he is assigned to a diplomatic post in Burma, gets married, and then moves to Yingzhou and becomes a history teacher.

I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but I promise this is a good segment.  It appears that, despite winning the Long War, China wasn't much better off than Firanja.  Of course, it was less than China won and more that Dar-Al-Islam lost.  It might seem a little odd that the book doesn't really give as much attention to the social revolution China experienced, but it makes a sort of sense.  The wheel symbol is very important in Buddhism and religions like it.  It symbolizes reincarnation, rebirth, and the cycle of ages.  As you get closer to the center, the arc of the wheel gets smaller.  So, there's that, or perhaps Kim Stanley Robinson felt that, much like this review, the book had gone on for long enough and it was time to wrap things up.  The revolution has aspects of socialist movements, but the philosophy behind it is very much a product of the world of The Years of Rice and Salt.

The real winners of the Long War seem to be the Travancore and Haudenosaunee leagues.  Though there were times where the characters referenced Yingzhou as though it comprised all of North America.  From what I've gathered, Yingzhou seems to refer to China's colonies in America, and North America as a whole.  Sort of like how America can mean either the Untied States, or the Americas as a whole.  Similarly, Inka seems to be South America as a whole, and the Inka Empire.  Anyway, there certainly does appear to be a growing sense of multiculturalism, pluralism, and international cooperation.  All things that are founding principles of Travancore and the Haudenosaunee.  In general, though not completely without flaws, the world does seem to have become a more peaceful place.  There's also reference to a United Nations analogue called the League of All Nations.

Based on what we've seen both here and in the previous segment, it seems that this world is less technologically advanced than ours.  Airships are the primary civilian aircraft, and there doesn't seem to be much mention of any nation having a space program.  There's also not really any mention of television, movies, or computers.  Granted, maybe the characters we follow don't watch much TV, or go to the movies very often.  Still, the lack of computers and the Internet is pretty notable.  It also a shame that, throughout the book, we never really get to see what sub-Saharan Africa is like.  How did they evolve in a world without European colonialism?

It's mentioned that places, such as much of Firanja and Inka, still suffer from widespread poverty, but on the flip side, much of the world has improved quality of life.  In the last segments we did see some Inka in Firanja, so it does seem that they and their culture have survived.  There's certainly a sense of cautious optimism for the future throughout the world.  Bao himself finds a sense of community and belonging in Yingzhou.  His housing complex is much like a modern-day village.  He and his fellow Jati members might not have achieved Nirvana, but they did pretty well for themselves.  It kind of reminds me of the ending of Candide.  Despite all of the hardships, the Jati made it out alive, and are happily tending to their garden, literally and metaphorically.  Well, everyone but the K character.  Of course, Bao does find himself with a new student named Kali towards the end of the book.  Perhaps she'll come around in time.

I'd say, overall, the world of The Years of Rice and Salt isn't necessarily better or worse than ours, but it is very different.  And so, at least for now, the journey of the Jati is at an end.  Well, I think at this point it is pretty obvious that I loved this book.  I also loved the audiobook adaption narrated by Bronson Pinchot.

This was truly epic alternate history.  It spanned, continents, cultures, centuries, and lifetimes.  It shinned a light on cultures and peoples you don't often see in alternate history.  It was an amazing journey, and I'm glad I was along for the ride.  I'm glad I finally got around to listening to this book.  I can't recommend this book enough.  Check it out today, you'll be glad that you did.

Well, I think that's enough from me for now.  I will see you guys next time.  

Riordan Retrospective: Brooklyn House Magician's Manual

Welcome once again to my Riordan Retrospective.  For those of you just joining the fun, this is my look back at the works of Rick Riordann.  That means Percy Jackson, its sequels, and spin-offs.  This is less of a formal review and more of a casual look back.  Last time, we took a look back at the Percy Jackson/Kane Chronicles crossover extravaganza Demigods and Magicians.  This time, we're making one last stop at The Kane Chronicles.  We're taking a look back at Brooklyn House Magician's Manual.

Carter and Sadie Kane have decided that new initiates at Brooklyn House needs a beginner’s guide to Egyptian gods, magic, and life at Brooklyn House.  At the same time, we also get to see a series of vignettes about the lives of Brooklyn House's residents.  So, it's basically The Kane Chronicles version of Camp Half-Blood Confidential.

Well, not much more to add to the opening.  I'd been putting this one off for a while, but I'm glad I finally got around to it.  I realize I unfavorably compared this book to Camp Half-Blood Confidential.  Turns out I was wrong, but I still stand by what I said about Guide to Hotel Valhalla.  Not much more to add, so let's just jump into it.

Actually, first let's talk about the audiobook.  Kevin R. Free returns to voice Carter and is as excellent as ever.  He also voices Kevin in the podcast Welcome to Night Vale.  The fact that I knew hm first as Carter Kane makes it surreal in a way even the Night Vale creators couldn't have anticipated.  Sadly, Katherine Kellgren, who previously voiced Sadie, has passed away due to cancer.  As such, Fiona Hardingham has taken over the role.  She does an exceptional job.  I barely noticed any difference.  The other characters are a voiced by a full cast that was never named in the credits.  Though I'm fairly certain that Uncle Amos was voiced by Bronson Pinchot.  I just finished The Years of Rice and Salt, which he narrated; lovely alternate history book, I will be reviewing it soon.  However, if that is the case, it is a bit odd given that Bronson is white, and Amos is black.

The other narrators tend to be a bit hit or miss.  For example, the narrator who voiced Zia could be a bit flat and monotone at times.  There's a point where Zia discovers some old writings from Iskandar and mentions that she was moved to tears.  The narrator, however, sounds board out of her skull.  Also, she doesn't give Zia an Egyptian accent.  She also voices Cleo without a Brazilian accent.  I suppose it wasn't terrible, but it could have been better.  By contrast, the narrator who voiced Felix sounded way too old, but he absolutely nailed Felix's character.  He certainly made the most of what he had to work with.  The narrator who voices Setne does an outstanding job.  The narrator who voiced Jaz does pretty well.  However, if she's the one who voiced Zia and Cleo, as I suspect, I will be slightly mad.  At least Jaz's narrator remembered to give her emotions and a Southern accent.

In addition to the vignettes, we also get several quizzes about the gods of Egyptian Mythology, along with Carter and Sadie's commentary, throughout the book.  Most of these translate reasonably well into audio, though some of the matching and word bank ones were a tad clunky.

Now let's get into the main plot.  Carter and Sadie have received letters from Uncle Amos about a secret masaba located beneath Brooklyn House.  Mastabas were above-ground tombs, made from mud brick, that the Ancient Egyptians created before they started making pyramids.  If you've ever played the computer game Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile, you'll be quite familiar with mastabas.  However, while casting an opening spell, Sadie accidentally releases Setne from his snow globe prison.  Setne interweaves himself throughout the vignettes and provides commentary on them.

As I've previously mentioned, it is rather odd that Setne is a villain, given that he was a hero in Egyptian Mythology.  True, he did steal the Book of Thoth and tried to learn its secret magic, but he learned his lesson and repented.  Then again, according to The Heroes of Olympus, King Midas didn't actually learn his lesson, and the accounts of his story have apparently forgotten that over the years.  Perhaps something similar happened with Setne in the Riordanverse.

There a fun little vignette where Doughboy runs new recruits through a checklist of magical items they'll be needing for their stay at Brooklyn House.  We also get one where Bes extols the benefits of ugliness, but the narrator didn't really work.  He made Bes sound queer as a three-dollar bill.  Bes should sound rough and gruff.  Taweret is his girlfriend, and Bast an old fling, so he's clearly straight.  Well, that and homosexuality was forbidden in Ancient Egypt.  Speaking of Taweret, later on she teaches us a song to remember the major animal gods and goddesses.

We get a vignette where Zia discovers some pottery shards that recount her hosting the goddess Nephthys, but told from Iskandar's perspective.  As I've said, it actually isn't bad, but the narrator's flat delivery kind of ruined it.  On a lighter note, I loved Felix's vignette.  As we know, his specialty is snow and ice magic.  Unfortunately, there is no god of snow and ice in Egyptian Mythology.  However, Felix does mention that there are thousands of gods, and it is possible that a snow and ice god was lost over the years.  He does mention ancient accounts of the Nile freezing due to cold weather.  This is indeed something we do have a record of.  However, he decides to follow the Path of Ptah, and he does makes a very convincing case that Ptah might be the snow and ice god he's been searching for.

Interestingly, we learn that, while Leonid is following the Path of Shu, he has no intention to host him because Shu was born from Ra's spit.  I do wish his segment had been longer; I'd like to have seen how he's been doing.  As I understand it, Path of the Gods is where you tap into the power of the gods to perform magic.  Hosting a god gives you the full set of god powers all at once, but you risk burning up, or getting taken over by the god.

Carter gets a fun vignette where he is visited by the Bas of the basketball players Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.  This means that both of them are magicians and members of the House of Life in the Riordanverse.  I guess Magic's name is a subtle reference to his secret identity.  This is also the first time that currently living real world celebrities have made on-screen (well, on page) appearances in the Riordanverse.  We also get a vignette where Uncle Amos reviews protocols for what to do on the days of the year Set decides to be particularly mischievous.

Then we get a vignette where Carter begins having dreams and visions after spending too much time in the Hall of Ages.  Turns out Cleopatra was the last pharaoh to host Isis, but not the last person prior to the modern day.  Isis and Horus fled south after Cleopatra committed suicide and Egypt fell to Rome.  Eventually, they arrived in Kingdom of Kush, and the court of the warrior queen Amanirenas.  She and her son agreed to host them.  However, Amanirenas wanted to be the one to host Horus, while her son got to host Isis.  Amanirenas was indeed a real warrior queen of Kush, and she even managed to defeat a group of Roman soldiers who traveled to Kush.  I certainly love it when I get to learn about historical figures that I haven't previously heard of.

Next, Cleo from Rio gets a surprise gift from Thoth: his cloak of magic spells.  Ever the follower of the Path of Thoth, she puts it on, and promptly gets overwhelmed by all the magic power.  Thankfully, a helpful voice in her head allows her to snap out of it.  That voice was, of course, Setne trying to see if she had any info about where the Book of Thoth is.  Not bad, but Cleo's narrator left something to be desired.  On a lighter note, Brooklyn House is organizing an Ancient Egyptian games night, and it looks like Carter is finally loosening up and having fun for once.

From Jaz's vignette we learn that her last name is Anderson.  We also learn that she's been rather board following the battle with Apophis.  Not too many patients to treat with a major battle.  So, she's taken to inflicting ailments on herself and then treating them.  Then she literally gets tongue-tied.  This is a problem because Ancient Egyptian magic requires spells to be spoken aloud. The solution was...certainly interesting.  I'll leave you to discover just what it was.  Another great vignette from the minor characters.  One of my complaints with the main series is that the minor characters didn't get a chance to shine.  Jaz spent most of The Throne of Fire in a coma.  So good that they're finally getting love.  Though I do wish their segments had been just a bit longer.

Next, Sadie applies a translation spell to recordings of her cat Muffin, who was actually the goddess Bast in disguise.  Riordan really captured the mind of a cat well.  For example, one of the recordings is of Sadie opening a can of chicken flavored cat food, but Muffin refuses to eat it.  Sadie says, essentially, "Oh come now, it's chicken.  You like chicken," but Muffin refuses to eat until Sadie opens a can of seafood cat food.  I've had many moments like that with my cat Tiger.  And then there were the bits where Muffin talks about the ball of yarn going under the couch, the land from which nothing returns.  We also learn that Muffin slept on Sadie's head a lot to keep her Ba from traveling in her sleep.  It was a very fun vignette.

So, what has Setne been planning all this time?  Well, he mentions that he's got his eye on someone with unusual powers by Egyptian standards.  He says that this individual is connected to the sea.  At first, I thought he was planning on possessing Percy, but then he mentioned something about a pair.  Was he going to possess Annabeth too?  Nope, turns out he was planning on completing a ritual to become the god/goddess Wadj-Wer, the Egyptian God of the sea.  Well, scholars are a bit uncertain about that.  Something think he was actually god of lagoons and lakes.  Something he might actually have been a fertility goddess.  It's complicated, but makes for an interesting story.

Well, Setne plans to become Wadj-Wer, but the Kane siblings and their allies nip his plan in the bud.  Turns out they were expecting him to try to escape, so they let him, and played along until Walt was read to seal him in the mastaba beneath Brooklyn House.  Interestingly, Setne old snow globe prison sat atop a copy of The Complete History of Cement.  If you'll recall, this is what the Mist disguises Camp Half-Blood Confidential as.  Sadie even mentions that Carter got it from a friend on Long Island.  A friend named Percy Jackson, to be exact.

And that was Brooklyn House Magician's Manual.  A true Egyptian counterpart to Camp Half-Blood Confidential.  Some of the narration was occasionally clunky, but overall a great book.  A good time was had by all.  With that, we are officially at the end of our Kane Chronicles retrospective, barring the publication of an future books.

We'll be retuning to our regularly scheduled order now.  Join me next time when we return to The Trials of Apollo for a look back at The Tyrant's Tomb.  I will see you guys next time.