An unpleasant post

 All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

This is an unpleasant post to have to write. For many years I posted on an RPG forum called the Piazza. (I am not linking to it). The forum is predominantly for discussion of Dungeons & Dragons and related games, and most especially to the various campaign settings that TSR, then WOTC, and finally Hasbro produced for the game. 

I posted most often in the Spelljammer subforum, but also in various other forums there, including Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Mystara, and Ravenloft. I was far from the most prolific poster, but my posts did have some influence, especially in Spelljammer. I sparked conversations and answered questions. I think it is safe to say the forum was significantly benefitted by my presence. 

I try to be a good guest in such online spaces. I am well aware that it is not MY space. I tried to follow the rules, most especially by avoiding off topic postings or personal attacks. I'm sure I wasn't perfect, but over all, I think my behavior there would be considered benign. 

Over the last few years, however, I have become increasingly unhappy with the Piazza's moderation policies, and I have had some issues with Piazza adjacent projects, like Wildspace Magazine. I shrugged these issues off as my own curmudgeonly irritation. I gave the Piazza the benefit of the doubt. 

Very recently, however, the question of generative AI art and text in RPG products came up and I could no longer extend that benefit of the doubt. 

In short, the Piazza takes a pro-generative AI stance on art (or writing) used in RPG products or fan works. I consider generative AI use to be unethical, it is created through the use of plagiarism. I am not saying it is illegal, that is a legal question for the courts. I am saying using it is unethical.  

The Piazza allows the use of AI, but more damning, Piazza moderators silence any criticism of AI on the forums. AI critics are labeled as rude trouble makers and their posts are isolated and hidden from easy view. 

I struggled with the question of whether or not to leave. And I struggled with what to do with my many posts which continue to draw people to the Piazza in google searches, ect. I tried contacting the moderators via email and PMs and I have been ignored. Instead I was banned from the group for "Repeated antagonism and open hostility against the moderators" And I was accused of "derailing threads" which I absolutely did NOT do. Conveniently, this prevents me from removing my many posts. 

I asked them to remove my posts, or allow me to remove them, and I have continued to be ignored. 

So, I am posting this to make it clear publicly that I consider the Piazza an unsafe space for discussing gaming. I know that my posts are all over that forum, but please do not consider my posts there an endorsement of that site or its associated products. I am explicitly NOT calling for a boycott or for others to abandon the Piazza. Individuals should make their own decisions. 

I also want to state that Wildspace Magazine, Wildspace: the Spelljammer Fanzine, and the Spelljammer Wiki no longer have my permission to post or share any of my various Spelljammer fan-works. I request that those sites remove any content that I produced. 

My various Spelljammer fan works will be available at Beyond the Moons, on this blog, or most of them will be migrating to Lúmequentalë Númenostan, a blog I started a few years ago to share various fantasy roleplaying articles and works connected to my long time Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. You can find those pdfs I have shared to date here.

I don't have any illusions that any of this truly matters. I take the stand nonetheless. 

 All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

A Halloween Review: The Historian By Elizabeth Kostova

 A version of this article appeared in Knights of the Dinner Table #132 (October, 2007)

In October ghosts and ghoulies usually troop about demanding candy in the voices of children, or haunt the airwaves in cartoon form.  But despite the commercial glitter and traditional fun, at heart Halloween connects to our deepest fears about the dark, about the sacred, and the profane.  Vampires have stood near the center of the holiday’s stranglehold on the modern imagination throughout the twentieth century, that bloodiest, most savage period in human history.  Indeed, history has revealed the deepest, ugliest wells of the human spirit and we have, in essence, personified that lust for blood and power in the mythical vampire.

One novelist has taken this juxtaposition of cause and effect to its logical point, placing the vampire within the history of religious and ethnic atrocity which so bloodily stains the century.  Elizabeth Kostova’s debut novel was a remarkable effort in the highest traditions of fantasy, employing the struggle against a fantastical monster of mythology and legend in its quest to understand issues of history and family.  But the fantasy is very low key; the magic is off-screen, obscure, and unexplained. 

Kostova’s novel follows three strands of events through history, as three generations of a family of historians struggle to unravel the mysteries surrounding Vlad Tepes, Dracula, and his remarkable ‘Dragon Books’.  One strand wends its way through the turbulent 1930s, the most detailed account plows through the 1950s, and the third account ties the threads together diffidently as it meanders through the 1970s.  The story is further connected in time to the first decade of the twenty-first century as the narrator recounts the tale.  The novel is full of mysteries, and the reader must explore them alongside the narrator as she uncovers evidence piece by piece, much as a rose unfurls slowly over time.

The cast of characters is remarkable for containing three historians who act like historians, Bartholomew Rossi, the narrator’s father, Paul, and the narrator herself each pursue the mystery of the Dragon Books with scholarly precision, there are no archaeological bullwhips here! Each displays, moreover, considerable unwillingness to acknowledge the supernatural nature of the mystery, the supernatural aspect is virtually unspoken for most of the novel.

As a historian myself, I appreciated these characters, I easily recognized their motivations. But I especially thrilled at their discoveries among the ancient sources and crumbling pages of manuscripts. Kostova has captured the thrill that historians get as the piece together these old riddles from obscure manuscripts, discovering lost secrets and uncovering sometimes intentionally hidden knowledge. The title of this novel is perfect. 

The style is very ‘European’ and thus quite appropriate to the subject, but it is also an homage to Stoker’s original Dracula.  As in Stoker’s work, much of the story is revealed through letters, journals, and other finds.  There is a cryptographic and riddling edge to the story, quite reminiscent of scholars struggling with ciphers and lost ‘Rosetta Stones’ but the hints and allusions tie together well so that the plot, when finally revealed, is quite seamless.  Moreover, like Stoker, Kostova uses Dracula himself quite sparingly, he appears in only a very few scenes, always mysteriously, and always to great effect.  His conversation with Rossi is a purposeful echo of the first meeting between the vampire and Jonathan Harker.  

More than Stoker, however, Kostova anchors the tale in the actual history of the Balkans, the fabled cockpit of Europe which has led to widespread bloodshed many times on the continent. I was especially impressed with how she handles the Iron curtain period, and the juxtaposition of Communist tyranny with more ancient evils. The result is chilling on multiple levels. 

For the game master, the story presents a text-book example of how to construct clues and hints that should lead the players from point A to point B while leaving them with an illusion of free will.  Moreover, it is an excellent example of the sort of shadowy, mystical warfare that might take place between an ancient lich or vampire, and the foes that might hunt him.  As a modern campaign example, it presents a pleasant alternative to the hormone drenched adolescent angst of the World of Darkness and most other modern gothic horror. 

I've read this work twice now, once the hard cover version, and once the Audible version narrated by Justine Eyre and Paul Michael. If you enjoy audiobooks, like i do, the audio version is very well done, and splitting the narrators according to who the POV character is makes for a very strong listening experience.

The novel is far from action-packed.  The excitement and drama come most often from the uncovered page or recently recovered folk-song, rather than machine gun bullets and flashing swords.  For some, this will be reason enough to leave it alone.  But if you find philosophical debate, and spiritual peril thrilling, and if you enjoy examining recent history through unusual prisms, then pick up the The Historian.  I’ll be very surprised if you can put it down again.

All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

Foundational Authors of the Fantasy Genre?

Thomas Cole, The Voyage of Life: Youth, 1842
U.S. National Gallery of Art

All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

Nine years ago this list started a pretty interesting conversation, so I thought I would see if it might do so again. 

The initial post was inspired when I discovered that a good friend of mine, an accomplished, published fantasy author who has also worked as an editor and a book reviewer, had at that point NEVER read anything by R.E. Howard. I found this disconcerting! 

So, I wrote up a quick list of the authors who I considered foundational to the genre, authors that I thought all serious fantasy fans should read at least once. The sorts of writers where you read one of their works and think "that's a cliché" then discover it wasn't a cliché until others copied them...

This isn't about gatekeeping, anyone should and can enjoy fantasy without this reading list, But if one wants to really know and understand the genre, then I think this list covers all the bases.

In no particular order:

J.R.R. Tolkien

C.S. Lewis

R.E. Howard

H.P. Lovecraft

Clark Ashton Smith

Fritz Leiber

Michael Moorcock

Poul Anderson

Lord Dunsany

T.H. White

Mary Stewart

Mary Renault

Lloyd Alexander

Susan Cooper

Ursula K. LeGuin

Leigh Brackett

E.R. Burroughs

J.K. Rowlings

On reflection, after the discussion from nine years ago, I would add these to the list:

Edgar Allen Poe

Terry Pratchett 

Stephen R. Donaldson

I may have missed one or two but those are the big ones, IMO. Influential writers whose work was ground breaking in some way and/or had a profound impact on the genre. There is a bias for older works, writers who came up towards the birth of the modern genre in the first half of the 20th century. I think that is natural and only to be expected. 

This is not a list of the "best" fantasy authors, or my favorite writers. I left many of my favorites off the list, as heart-breaking as it was to do so. 

That said, there are some names that I have a tougher time defending, whose influence may be more personal for me than widespread in the genre. Stewart, Renault, Cooper, and Alexander are perhaps not as widely influential as I believe they should be. 

So, this is a personal list. Others are likely to have a very different list. In fact, the purpose ofthis list is really to generate debate and discussion, not as some sort of litmus test or dogmatic declaration of "How Things Are or Must Be."

Comments encouraged!

Paul's Historical Pet Peeves

 All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

Clio, Muse of History (1797)
by Charles Meynier

My top historical pet peeves:

1. Claiming the Civil War wasn't about slavery. It was ONLY about slavery. Sit down and shut up, you are wrong. No slavery, no Civil War. Period. This is an ongoing sign of the power of Southern white supremacy's propaganda and lies.

2. Claiming the Wehrmacht was 'clean' during World War II, that the atrocities were committed by the SS. No, the German military was, for the most part, a willing participant in these crimes. They enthusiastically supported Hitler and all he stood for. They only turned on him in defeat. This is an ongoing sign of the power of post-war Wehrmacht officer propaganda and lies.

 
3. Giving the Soviet Union sole credit for defeating the Germans. I'm glad the scale of the Eastern Front flabbergasts you, but every single front in World War II contributed, the war was interconnected. This is an ongoing sign of the power of Soviet propaganda and lies. Yes, they claimed they fought alone, but they never did.

 
3b. Related: NOT recalling that the Soviet Union was virtually an Axis Power prior to Operation Barbarossa, which had invaded Poland and Finland both in virtual alliance with Germany. I have great pity for the Russian people in World War II, but the Soviet Government reaped what it sowed.

4. Claiming Ho Chi Minh was 'just' a nationalist. No, he was not. He was a member of the French Communist party before a Vietnamese Communist party was even created. He was a committed Communist and he was never going to bring democracy to Vietnam. This is an ongoing sign of the power of Vietnamese Communist propaganda and lies.

 
5. Treating Native American cultures as if they were 'noble savages' rather then living, breathing humans in societies that were just as complicated, selfish, aggressive, and even inhumane as any other human society of their time. Doing so steals their humanity and their individual agency.

 
6. Claiming 'the victor writes the history books'. No, they don't Maybe on occassion, but not always, and often the victor doesn't care as much as the loser, so they don't put the time into explaining the victory that the loser puts into justifying the defeat. 

 
I'm sure there are other pet peeves of mine, but these are definitely the six that pop up the most often.

Review: Goblin Quest series

 All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

 A version of this article appeared in Knights of the Dinner Table #131 (September, 2007).

Most of the works reviewed in this column over the past year have been influential in the early development of fantasy role-playing games. But the birth of role-playing spawned, nearly simultaneously, the birth of game related novels. Some of the earliest and most obvious examples include the first game novel, Andre Norton's Quag Keep,  the Dragonlance novels, but much game-inspired fiction was not tied so directly into a game setting.  Rather, a generation of fantasy writers grew up gaming and much of their fiction is at least partially influenced by those experiences.

Jim C. Hines ‘Goblin Quest’ series was clearly inspired in large part by gaming, and presents an alternative view of the traditional dungeon exploration motif that is so beloved by old time role-players.  The hero of Hines’ tale is Jig, a runty goblin who is drawn into adventures through circumstance and an unusual dose of common sense (unusual for a goblin, at any rate).

In Goblin Quest Jig is captured by adventurers while on patrol outside his tribe’s lair, and forced to guide them through the dungeon his tribe helps to populate.  The adventurers, (two princes, their dwarven tutor, and an elven thief) are searching the catacombs for a powerful artifact; they believe it lies at the very bottom of the dungeon.  Jig survives, aided by his pet fire spider and a long-forgotten god.   

In Goblin Hero Jig’s status in the world has moved up, not a comfortable position in goblin society as he is seen as a threat by tribal leaders.  Again his world is threatened and he finds himself trying to save not only goblins, but ogres as well, against dangerous magical foes. These foes, pixies from another dimension, are even more dangerous then the dragon and human adventurers he faced in the first book. 

In the final novel, Goblin War, Jig is caught up in the sort of war between humanoids and humanity that is the staple of so many fantasy novels or roleplaying campaigns. Jig discovers that both sides intend harm to the goblins. The recurring motif that the humans and others consider the goblins to be vermin is fully explored here. Jig's solutions are far from perfect, but he manages to save the day for the majority of the less malevolent folks involved.

Hines’ Goblin novels are marketed as fantasy comedy, similar to Robert Asprin’s Mythadventures, or Piers Anthony’s Xanth novels.  But the novels are not particularly comedic. There is comedy, generally found in the absurdities inherent in goblin culture, but the novels are thankfully a straight take on goblin society, from the goblin point of view, rather than a continuous flow of bad puns and short jokes. The goblin society in the books is not candy-coated; they are mean-spirited back-stabbers who fail most often because they cannot trust each other.  They eat whatever sort of meat they can acquire, whether sentient or not, including goblin when nothing else is available and they gladly pick on whatever is smaller or weaker than they are. 

Jig is not Drizzt Do’urden for Goblins.  He does not question his society but merely tries to survive within it, at least at first.  He is neither brave nor strong and while he recognizes goblins for what they are, he still champions his race over others.  Jig is peculiarly realistic hero, fully within his society and yet able to see it from the outside, as well. He's a remarkable literary creation, really.  

Jig is remarkably likeable as well; Hines achieves this end in part by the stereotypical trope in which the handsome noble prince is really an arrogant, cruel, evil fool.  This has been done to death in the Shrek movies and plays even less well in these novels.  However, the humans are so unlikable that Hines can allow Jigs to retain his less savory goblin habits (such as a taste for dwarf flesh) and retain the reader’s sympathies.  

A dwarven priest provides the closet thing to a voice of reason in the original book, and a royal princess in the final book shows that not all of the humans are arrogant, cruel, or foolish. Still, if the books have a weakness it is that Hines fails to treat non-goblin characters with the same sense of balance and individuality he provides the goblins. 

From a gaming point of view, the books are a gold mine for gamemasters.  Hines presents a believable dungeon ecology and cultures, any gamemaster who takes the time to similarly imagine daily life in his dungeons will find determining the inhabitants’ reactions to invasion much easier.  The examination of goblin culture is particularly enlightening, as previously they have always stood in the shadows of orcs.  And Hackmaster fans may find Hines’ treatment of Pixies in Goblin Quest intriguing.  There are helpful portraits of wizards, priests, and witch doctors, as well.

I recently reread the series as audiobooks: Goblin Quest, Goblin Hero, and Goblin War. These are full cast performances, with a narrator for the text and the dialogue read by different actors for the various characters. Additionally, they have mood music and sound effects added. They were done by Graphic Audio and described as a "movie for your mind." I enjoyed them, though I wouldn't want all books to be read that this way. 

Hines novels are fun and interesting.  Though many works have run with the idea of transforming a traditional antagonist into protagonist, seldom has anyone done so with a race as universally despised as goblins.  Shrek and Drizzt may come from those who traditionally go bump in the night, but their respective races at least have reputations of fearsomeness to fall back on.  Adventurers fear ogres, and drow.  Goblins lack even that advantage, making Jigs' accomplishments and Hines’ audacity that much more compelling.

Review: Swords Against the Shadowland by Robin Wayne Bailey

 All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

 A version of this article appeared in Knights of the Dinner Table #149 (March, 2009).

America’s most influential fantasy author, Fritz Leiber, passed away in 1992.  His greatest creations, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, were comfortably retired following his last work concerning Nehwon, The Knight and Knave of Swords and it seemed their tales had all been told.  But Leiber had, apparently, designated a literary heir, Robin Wayne Bailey, to write further about the swashbuckling duo. 

There is a natural caution amongst fans when a new writer begins to tell tales of such legendary characters and the sorry history of Conan following his creator’s death is ample evidence of how poorly it can turn out.  Leiber’s creation had begun as a collaborative effort between himself and Otto Fischer and both were active in war gaming and the early days of Dungeons and Dragons.  Despite Leiber’s distinctive style, then, a fan could hope for the best. And Robin Wayne Bailey was an excellent choice for literary heir as a veteran fantasy author with tales in the Thieves’ World anthologies that were extremely reminiscent of Leiber’s own work.  Moreover, like Leiber, Bailey is very active in the fan community, approachable, and extremely likeable personally.

Bailey did not rush to put out a new story after Leiber passed away, the first new Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser tale; Swords against the Shadowland, was not published until 1998. Set in the period following “Ill Met in Lankhmar”, during which Fafhrd and the Mouser avoided that city and were plagued by memories of their lost loves, Vlana and Ivrian. The novel follows the vengeance of the wizard Malygris, and the unintended consequences of his vengeance. It falls to our two heroes, manipulated by Mouser’s wizardly patron Sheelba, to set things right.

Malygris might be named after the eponymous wizard from "The Death of Malygris" by Clark Ashton Smith, or perhaps it is intended to be the same wizard, I'm not certain. I rather hope there is an intended connection.

This is not a Fritz Leiber book, nor even a pastiche of Leiber’s style.  Bailey wisely avoids that trap and instead writes a book in his own style, utilizing the characters and locations of Lankhmar.  For Leiber fans there might be some disconnect here; like the heroes of all of the early 20th century fantasy greats (i.e. Howard, Lovecraft, & Tolkien) Lieber’s heroes are more than a little detached from themselves.  Fafhrd and Mouser love deeply, but discuss those loves with the same ironic abstraction that they discuss broad philosophies and metaphysics. Bailey’s heroes are heirs of our own, far more confessional age.  They admit and discuss their brotherly love for each other with far less reticence than Lieber would have allowed, and their understanding of, and connections to, their own psyches are deeper.

This is not a criticism, however.  The story is a swashbuckling tale of Lankhmar in the finest tradition, told by a man who has carefully studied Lankhmar. Bailey’s experience writing for the Thieves’ World shared universe concept clearly aided him here.  Lankhmar is not only one of the oldest fantasy worlds, it is one of the oldest role-playing settings, and there are many who feel they know the fabled city nearly as well as they know their own hometowns.  They will feel right at home in Bailey’s Lankhmar, perhaps even more than Lieber’s, as Bailey adds a level of detail that Lieber avoided in the pre-RPG age.    

For gamers, Bailey’s work has several interesting concepts and ideas that gamemaster’s can steal. Malygris’ method of vengeance and its unintended consequences make the entire plot perfect for lifting as an adventure premise, one easily adapted to most AD&D-style fantasy settings.  The novel explores Lankhmar thoroughly, and those running campaigns in any fantasy city will find many ideas and concepts in it that can be easily lifted for use in places like Waterdeep or the city of Greyhawk.  Fafhrd and the Mouser are always excellent examples for players to emulate, and in the current era of role-playing, they are perhaps even more relevant.

Though this was the first of a planned trilogy, subsequent works never materialized. I don't know why, I greatly enjoyed the novel but I can see purists rejecting even the idea of a successor to Leiber, perhaps sales were low. Or perhaps the format was an issue. The duo's tales were primarily sword & sorcery short stories, often first published in magazines and then later collected in the famous "Swords against..." series. Leiber himself only wrote one true novel of the pair (and several novellas). Bailey was a veteran of the short story format, but perhaps he had a hard time creating full novel stories for the pair that fit into their established timeline. 

If that was the case, it is a shame that an anthology wasn't produced instead. I believe a Lankhmar festschrift celebrating Leiber would have been well received by fans. Not a collection of unconnected tales like After the King: Stories In Honor of J.R.R. Tolkien (1992) edited by Martin H. Greenberg, but rather a collection of tales set in Lankhmar or elsewhere on Nehwon by a variety of fantasy authors. Leiber himself established that Nehwon had connections to other worlds, so they could even bring characters from their own worlds. Bailey would be the perfect editor for such a volume. 

Fritz Leiber has passed and his copious output as a writer leaves us much to enjoy. And we have  this novel, showing that the world itself can still entertain. It has been over fifteen years since I first read this book, I think it is time to read it again. And certaunly, Bailey’s concluding words provide a fitting end to this review, encapsulating a fan’s longing for eldritch Lankhmar and her roguish heroes:

Our Knight and Knave of Swords—sleep

Your work is done, the tale is told,

And lives are saved a hundred-fold.

If only all man’s plagues could be

Such a neatly ended fantasy.

The Fallibility of memory, or why we are unreliable narrators of our own stories

All historians deal with memory. It is unavoidable, all historical evidence is filtered, one way or another, through memory. As a public historian working on modern military topics, memory in the form of witness statements, memoirs, personal accounts, or oral history interviews permeates my work. 

I understand how fallible it is, and I recently had an excellent, albeit personal, example of memory's fallibility impressed on me. It's about something with very low stakes, which makes it an excellent test case for memory. 

A D&D Basic Set advertisement
from 1981.

I try to maintain a chronology of my life, a year by year account of when important, pivotal, or formative events occurred. My wife thinks it is a sign of my ego, but I think it is interesting and useful for various reasons. In maintaining this chronology I have recently had to reevaluate the date of a formative event from my childhood. 

One Christmas, after I had already been reading a borrowed copy of the Player's Handbook for months, my parents gave me the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set and the Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set for Christmas. I created my first character and I Dungeon Mastered my first game that day, with my father and my sister playing. My father played the only D&D game of his life as a fighter named Sir Grumpsalot. 🤣

Those memories are still clear, and they are beloved. It is when I try to assign a year to them that things start to fall apart. I was in middle school that this happened, so either 7th (1980-81) or 8th grade (1981-82).

Long ago, before I sat down and systemically did my personal chronology, I got it in my head that I started playing D&D in 1979. I know now that is false, probably wishful thinking combined with the 1978 copyright date of the Player's Handbook. See, we all have a subconscious urge to edit our memories; in this case to give myself more credit as an 'old school' D&D player. 

Decades later, when I sat down to do the chronology, I realized what I had done. At the time, I was convinced that I had started playing D&D in the fall of my 7th grade year. Counting back from my 1986 high school graduation, that was fall 1980. So, I confidently put that in my chronology. I even felt good about "correcting" my record. 

Recently, however, I have had to check the publication dates of the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set and the Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set. I had the Moldvay version of the former, the Cook adaption of the latter. And in both cases they were first available not in 1980, but in 1981. 

I had retained a basic memory of my middle school years, I knew I broke my leg in 8th grade and was holme for a decent while. I knew I played D&D in the cafeteria in 8th grade, DMing my friends. But other aspects had rearranged themselves in my mind. Unimportant perhaps, but formative events for me.

So, the Christmas gift that I was certain was given to me on the Christmas of 1980 was actually given on the Christmas of 1981. I started playing Dungeons & Dragons, one of the formative moments in my life, in the fall of 1981. 

This isn't incredibly important, of course, but it provides me with an excellent example of the fallibility of memory. When I interview subjects about past events, I will always keep this in mind, how easy it is for the time and date of occurrences to get muddled in our minds, so that we become firmly convinced of falsehoods. Not lying, but neither is it factual. 

Anyway, I found this interesting. And as a historian, publicly recounting that I was mistaken about dates I have often given in the past feels like the right thing to do, even if no one else cares. 

If anyone else has examples of how they discovered their own past memories were inaccurate, I'd love to hear them. 

Thoughts on The Acolyte

I finally finished The Acolyte series last night. 

As always with Star Wars, there is a lot of criticism of the show (mostly about it being "woke" or the supposed lesbian themes) which is just utter and complete nonsense. 

The acting and the special effects were fine, good even. Some of the actors put in excellent performances. All of the characters deserved to be in Star Wars.

Still, the show is bad, a failure. It was the writing. The show lacked clarity in its message and its plot. There is space for a show about the period 100 years before the Clone Wars, highlighting the problems in the Old Republic that led to the separatists, and the problems in the Jedi Order that allowed the Sith to return. 

To do that, you need to have more clarity about what the Jedi believe, and why parts of that belief are wrong or dangerous. The inherent tension in Star Wars is that it is essentially clearly a bi-polar morality - the Light side of the Force versus the Dark side of the force. A Manichean universe. But that leaves little room for grey. 

Most people misunderstand "grey" in morality, IMO. They see grey as eliminating black and white. But Grey cannot exist without black and white, it is a mixture of the two but black and white still exist, and grey exists in shades, but even those shades tend towards black, or white. The yin-yang symbol is itself misleading, the drop of the opposite color in each is still distinct and separate. In reality, there should be grey in there. 

For Star Wars, this becomes an issue as the story expands beyond the original trilogy. Those are excellent films, but they are set in a time of moral clarity - Light and Dark. The Jedi are the wise ones who understand and define the difference between Light and Dark. But when you start out to create prequels, to explain how the Light lost so badly that the Jedi were nearly extinct, that the Old Republic, a representational democracy transformed into an authoritarian empire, then you have an issue. Because Light and Dark so so easy to see in the original trilogy, how do you make them HARD to perceive, even for the "wise" Jedi, in the prequels?

The easy answer is you don't. You go the "Satan" route, with some outside force that transforms and overwhelms the "Light", corrupts it despite many of the Light understanding what is occurring. Individual failings are the culprit here. The Light and the Dark remain distinct from each other. It is to Lucas' credit that he didn't go this route. (though I don't want to denigrate that route, Tolkien follows it and it works brilliantly in his legendarium because he has exceptional moral clarty and message clarity throughout his work).  

Lucas, being a post-World War II American, believes inherently in complexity and "grey." He decided that the prequels are not merely the success of the Sith, but the failure of the Jedi. He decided the heroes of his mythos had to have feet of clay.

And yet... there remained the struggle between the Light and the Dark. And the Prequels biggest failure (after starting the story with Anakin as an 8 year old) was that they never quite found the way to show the grey. Thee Sith are clearly about domination, power, greed and the Jedi are the good guys defending against that. 

So The Acolyte has a problem. Now, some Star Wars has started to understand the issue. Dave Filoni in the Clone Wars cartoon, with Father, Daughter, Son, Force, Light, Dark balance storyline hinted at it. And Lucas' prophecy that Anakin would bring "balance" to the force hints at it. The problem is that the Jedi and the Sith both equate emotions with Evil. This is the Jedi failing, they see no good in emotions, merely unbalance, and so they strive to destroy attachment, taking children from parents early to avoid creating bonds. The Sith use emotion to gain power, but the use of that power is always for selfish reason. 

Star Wars has never made clear that the Jedi are benevolent not because they seek power from balance, but because they use that power for greatest good for the greatest number of people, they are unselfish. The Sith are malevolent not because they seek power from emotion, or imbalance, but because they use that power for selfish ends, to impose their will upon others.

The Acolyte has the right tools for the job, it shows a Force cult of witches who clearly have no trouble with attachment, with emotion. They use both sides of the Force, but they are not malevolent, they appear to merely wish to be left alone on the planet Brendok.

The wheels fall off because the show never properly shows us what the witches want, what the Jedi want, or what the Sith want. Much of this is to preserve mystery, they who is shaped as a murder-mystery. But because we never get a full understanding of motivations the whole thing remains muddled. There are hints that the writer understand what they need to do - for example, Mother Aniseyais says "This Isn't About Good Or Bad. This Is About Power, And Who Is Allowed To Use It." - but overall the motivations remain muddled. 

An equal failure of the writing is that so much of the conflict depends upon bad decisions and misunderstandings. And those poor decisions are out of character for Jedi, or even Sith. The initial conflict between the Witches and the Jedi could be solved by honest conversation, yet neither side engages in that despite clearly being led by individuals who would clearly chose such talk first. 

Later, the four Jedi hide the truth for weak reasons, and it was obvious such a lie would fester. And then at the end, the Stranger and Osha leave Mae behind for the Jedi, with the Stranger wiping her memory (huh?). Again, why? Why not take her with them? All they did was leave information for the jedi behind that way. Poor writing. 

The Acolyte was a good idea, but the writing never rose to the occasion. It is interesting to compare it to Andor. The writing on that show is superlative, it is probably the best Star Wars media product, period. It covers complexity well, but it does benefit from moral clarity - the Empire is clearly malevolent. What it shows is not why some rebel, but why some serve such a clearly evil organization. And, of course, Andor is just as "woke" as The Acolyte. More so, in fact, with a very clear same sex relationship whereas The Acolyte only hints at them, 

I don't regret watching The Acolyte, it wasn't a bad show at all. I would like to see more of the surviving characters, a new season would be good. But I do hope that with Dave Filoni in charge we see more clarity in Star Wars writing across the board. His record on that is mixed, however. 

What I would really like to see is a Clone Wars-style cartoon set during the Galactic Civil War, starting with the aftermath of the Battle of Yavin. With Han, Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca as main characters, just like we see Anakin and Obi-wan in Clone Wars. Drawing on all the old extended universe material for inspiration (Jaxxon! Zeltrons!) and showing new fan favorites like Ashoka (how does she escape that  Between Worlds place?) and Rex interacting with the OT characters. And Wedge. We need Rogue Squadron back. 😀

All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

What I read in 2025

On New Years, 2019 a friend of mine posted a list of the books they had read in 2018. I thought it was a great idea so I've been posting such a list myself ever since, first on Facebook, now on my blog. I find it a very useful exercise in self-reflection - though I am sure it is really just another example of my narcissism. 😏

This isn't everything I read. I don't include the articles and books I read for work. I only include such works when I read them cover to cover, rather then piecemeal while doing research.

I count books just to get a sense of where my mind was that year. This past year I worked hard to read new books rather then rereading the books I loved. This was, probably a mistake. In a catastrophically bad year for our nation, I could have used more comfort reading. I had a hard time finding books I truly loved this year, chasing the feeling of new discovery kept me from enjoying the familiar. 

This meant I missed some books that I usually read each year, most notably Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Also, a lot less Tolkien or Tolkien related works then I usually read. Almost no Dungeons & Dragons related works as well. 

I focused on two classic writers this year, Mark Twain and HG Wells, or portions of their writing. Wells had no surprises really, but Twain was a bit disappointing. I also looked again at Swiss Family Robinson and remain frustrated because I have not been able to find the version I read as a kid (most people don't realize how varied versions are due to the chaos of 19th century international copyright chaos.)

I did discover three new authors whose work I admire: Garth Nix, KJ Parker, and Giles Kristian. I will read more of their works if I can find them. And one author I utterly despise: TJ Hoisington. His work is reprehensible. 

I'm not going to make predictions for next year's reads. Right now, I've been exploring the Matter of Britain, and some Christmas carryover. I would guess I am likely to reread some works however, just because I don't see myself  avoiding rereads since I need to embrace comfort reads again. 

Edit: I forgot to include that I did get a new publication this year, I was part of the team that published Semper Fidelis: 250 Years of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. 

If anyone else makes such lists, I'd love to see them. Feel free to share the lists, or links to your lists, in the comments.😀 

You can find my previous years here: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.# of Rereads: 19 (I've marked rereads below with an *)

# Military History reads: 4

# of fantasy/horror works: 41

# by or about Tolkien or Inklings: 3

# related to Lovecraft or the Mythos: 14 

# 19th century reads: 24
# Frigate Navy period reads: 5

# Wilderness survival reads: 3

# Thieves' World & related: 6
# Matter of Britain/France works: 3

# of holiday reads: 5

# science fiction reads: 12

#Alternative History reads: 13

# Mythology reads: 3

What I read in 2025:

#1. Cities and Strongholds of Middle-earth: Essays on the Habitations of Tolkien’s Legendarium

edited by Cami D. Agan

#2. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

#3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

#4. Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain

#5. Tom Sawyer Detective by Mark Twain

#6. The Swiss Family Robinson; or Adventures in a Desert Island by Johann David Wyss*

#7. Lost Souls: Get Lost Saga, Book 1 by Noah Chinn*

#8. Return to Robinson Island by TJ Hoisington

#9. Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz by Garth Nix

#10. Lost Continents: Atlantis Theme in History, Science and Literature by L. Sprague de Camp 

#11. Castaways of the Flag by Jules Verne

#12. The Great Martian War: Invasion by Scott Washburn

#13. The Barbary Pirates by C. S. Forester

#14. The Cambridge History of Warfare edited by Geoffrey Parker

#15. The Wonderful Adventures of Phra the Phoenician: A Time Travel Story by Edwin Lester Arnold

#16. Swords Against Darkness edited by Andrew J. Offutt 

#17. The Neverending Story (Die Unendliche Geschichte) by Michael Ende, trans. Ralph Manheim*

#18. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

#19. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien*

#20. Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

#21. Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

#22. The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on the Rappahannock by Francis Augustín O'Reilly

#23. Thieves' World #5: The Face of Chaos edited by Robert Lynn Asprin & Lynn Abbey*

#24. Thieves' World #6: Wings of Omen edited by Robert Lynn Asprin & Lynn Abbey*

#25. A Columbus of Space by Garrett Putman Serviss

#26. War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches edited by Kevin J. Anderson 

#27. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells*

#28. Cheshire Crossing by Andy Weir

#29. "The Crystal Egg" by H. G. Wells*

#30. The War in the Air by H.G. Wells

#31. The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling

#32. The Annotated Supernatural Horror in Literature: Revised and Enlarged by H. P. Lovecraft, edited by S. T. Joshi 

#33. Heroes & Monsters: The Unofficial Companion to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Jess Nevins 

#34. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1 by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill* 

#35. Nine Princes in Amber: The Chronicles of Amber, by Roger Zelazny

#36. Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence by A. J. Langguth

#37. Tarzan and the City of Gold by Edgar Rice Burroughs*

#38. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 2 by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill*

#39. A Blazing World: The Unofficial Companion to the Second League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Jess Nevins

#40. Fables Encyclopedia by Jess Nevins

#41. King Kong by Edgar Wallace, Merian C. Cooper, & Delos W. Lovelace

#42. Morlock Night by K. W. Jeter

#43. Realms of War edited by Philip Athans

#44. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill

#44. The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James by M.R. James*

#45. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill

#46. Carnival Row: Tangle in the Dark by Stephanie K. Smith

#47. Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms by Allan Peskin

#48. The October Country by Ray Bradbury

#49. The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen

#50. The White People by Arthur Machen

#51. The Shining Pyramid & The Three Impostors: Weird Tales by Arthur Machen

#52. Robert Asprin & Lynn Abbey's Thieves' World Graphics by Lynn Abbey

(Editor) & Tim Sale (Illustrator)*

#53. Robert Asprin & Lynn Abbey's Thieves' World Graphics 4 by Lynn Abbey

(Editor) & Tim Sale (Illustrator)*

#54. Robert Asprin & Lynn Abbey's Thieves' World Graphics 5 by Lynn Abbey

(Editor) & Tim Sale (Illustrator)*

#55. Robert Asprin & Lynn Abbey's Thieves' World Graphics 6 by Lynn Abbey

(Editor) & Tim Sale (Illustrator)*

#56. Call of Cthulhu: The Shadow on the Glass by Jonathan L. Howard

#57. The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle

#58. The Hill of Dreams by Arthur Machen

#59. Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by KJ Parker

#60. The Battle for Christmas: A Cultural History of America's Most Cherished Holiday by Stephen Nissenbaum*

#61. Elidor by Alan Garner

#62. Classic Christmas Stories* 

#63. Letters from Father Christmas by J. R. R. Tolkien*

#64. Lancelot by Giles Kristian

All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

Happy 250th Birthday, Marines!

  All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

10 November 2025 is the 250th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps. I served in the Corps, and today I work for the Corps as a historian. I am proud to be a Marine, proud of my Corps. We celebrate our birthday every year with balls and ceremonies, and for the past few years I've celebrated by sharing quotes about Marines on line. Not all positive - loving the Corps means taking the bad with the good - but they all illustrate, in my opinion, some aspect of the Corps and the Marines who make it what it is. So, through 10 November, I'll share several quotes a day, a long with a iconic painting or photograph about Marines. You can find the previous quote posts and all other Marine Corps related posts here. 

I was part of the team that wrote Semper Fidelis: 250 Years of U.S. Marine Corps Honor, Courage, and Commitment. You can get free pdf and epub copies of the work at the link provided.

Today, 10 November 2025, is the 250th birthday of the United States Marines. 

The Birthday celebrations, along with so many other traditions that enhance the Corps' esprit de corps were created by Major General John A. Lejeune. Lejeune is, in my opinion, the true father of the modern day Marine Corps. He decided the Marine Corps would be an elite fighting force, and he understood precisely how to make that happen. The Marine Corps was not created as an elite force, it made itself one intentionally. Its success in doing so has been stupendous. 

As the 13th Commandant, Lejeune issued the first Commandant's Birthday Message. Every year Marines still hear it read, along with a message from the current Commandant. I urge you to read it as well, here. 

Today's Marine Corps Quotes are three that I feel are the foundations of the Corps. First, the resolution that created the Corps:

"That two battalions of Marines be raised consisting of one colonel, two lieutenant colonels, two majors and officers as usual in other regiments, that they consist of an equal number of privates with other battalions; that particular care be taken that no person be appointed to office or enlisted into said battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve to advantage by sea." 

(Resolution of the Continental Congress, 10 November 1775.) 

Second, the oath that ALL U.S. military service members swear upon enlistment:

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." 

(Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

And finally, I the words to our Hymn:

From the Halls of Montezuma

To the shores of Tripoli;

We fight our country's battles

In the air, on land, and sea;

First to fight for right and freedom

And to keep our honor clean;

We are proud to claim the title

Of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze

From dawn to setting sun;

We have fought in every clime and place

Where we could take a gun;

In the snow of far-off Northern lands

And in sunny tropic scenes,

You will find us always on the job

The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps

Which we are proud to serve;

In many a strife we've fought for life

And never lost our nerve.

If the Army and the Navy

Ever look on Heaven's scenes,

They will find the streets are guarded

By United States Marines.

The west side of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington County, Virginia.

Marine Corps Birthday Quotes post, #9

 All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

10 November 2025 is the 250th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps. I served in the Corps, and today I work for the Corps as a historian. I am proud to be a Marine, proud of my Corps. We celebrate our birthday every year with balls and ceremonies, and for the past few years I've celebrated by sharing quotes about Marines on line. Not all positive - loving the Corps means taking the bad with the good - but they all illustrate, in my opinion, some aspect of the Corps and the Marines who make it what it is. So, through 10 November, I'll share several quotes a day, a long with a iconic painting or photograph about Marines.

Today's Marine Corps Quotes:

Son, when the Marine Corps wants you to have a wife, you will be issued one.

—LtGen Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller when asked by a PFC for permission to marry.

"Retreat Hell! We're just attacking in another direction." 

(Attributed to Major General Oliver P. Smith, USMC, Korea, December 1950.)

"Goddamn it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!" 

(Captain Henry P. "Jim" Crowe, USMC, Guadalcanal, 13 January 1943.) 

The raging battle of Edson's Ridge is depicted in all its fury in this oil painting by Col Donald L. Dickson, who, as a captain, was adjutant of the 5th Marines on Guadalcanal. Marine Corps Art Collection. ⁠