STAR FIST - STEEL GAUNTLET

A Del Rey Book

Written by David Sherman and Dan Cragg

Copyright 1999 by David Sherman and Dan Cragg

In Steel Gauntlet, Book III of the Starfist series, the planet Diamunde has been taken over from the corporations by industrialist Martin St. Cyr with an army of tanks in a form of civil war. The Confederation Marines must take back the planet with weapons 300 years out of date.

St. Cyr is a sadistic tyrant who graphically deals with the people in his way - even the alien Woos, which is almost like child abuse against the Woos. As tanks with their artillery have not been used in 300 years, the Confederate Marines must learn old/new tactics to defeat the tanks - along with learning how to use the 300 year old rocket weapons that made tanks obsolete in the first place. The lack of these shoulder-launched rockets puts a damper on the Marines ability to deal with a planet full of tanks.

With the Army waiting in space for the Marines to secure a planetary beachhead for the Army to land, the Marines are getting their butts kicked in what was supposed to be an easy beachhead, according to the military planners, for the Marines to take.

The ambassador sent to broker a peace treaty with St. Cyr has a disdain for Marines in general. Arrogant Ambassador Wellington-Humphreys was so sure of her being able to broker a peace treaty - until St. Cyr has her and her Marine guard kidnapped. The Marines desperately want to get the ambassador and the Marines back, and get St. Cyr - especially after the way he killed his Marine prisoners.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - DEEP SPACE NINE - THE SOUL KEY

POCKET BOOKS

Written by Olivia Woods

Copyright 2009 by CBS Studios Inc.

The Soul Key, has insane Cardassian agent Iliana Ghemor from an alternate universe - who was trained to be the double for Kira Nerys - dreaming to be the one true Emissary of the alternate universe.

When reading about the Mirror/alternate Universe, it is often difficult to remember which universe you are in. What makes it even more difficult to keep track of which universe you are in, is that Iliana wants to conquer and eliminate all the other Kira Nerys/Iliana Ghemor in the other universes as well. With this messiah complex, Iliana also wants to gain access to the Celestial Temple so the Prophets can make her the one true emissary. Insane, power-hungry Iliana has Intendant Kira from the Mirror Universe killed and takes her place. While you recognize the other characters, it can be disorienting to see them performing in other roles. These roles are often roles that would have been appropriate for the characters if the series were revamped. We have good guys being bad guys and bad guys being good guys in the alternate universes. The crew of Deep Space Nine are now resistance fighters, with Deep Space Nine/Terok Nor targeting Cardassian cities on Bajor.

After a method of communication with the Mirror Universe is developed, Commander Vaughn is sent from our home universe to the Mirror universe to go after the insane Iliana. It is painful to see his relationship with his Mirror Universe's daughter - especially after meeting his infirmed self in the Mirror Universe. A sane Iliana Ghemor from the Mirror Universe tries to help our universe's Captain Kira Nerys in stopping her insane counterpart, despite Kira's mistrust of Iliana.

Pancho 
All people smile in the same language.

STAR WARS - THE JEDI ACADEMY TRILOGY - DARK APPRENTICE

BANTAM SPECTRA

Written by Kevin J. Anderson

Copyright 1994 by Lucasfilm Ltd.

Cover art by John Alvin.

In Dark Apprentice, Volume 2 of the Jedi Academy Trilogy, the New Republic wonders what to do with the captured super-weapon the Sun Crusher - while rogue Imperial Admiral Daala, in retaliation for the New Republic stealing the Sun Crusher from her, attacks Admiral Ackbar's watery homeworld from space. Meanwhile, at the Jedi Academy, a brilliant Jedi student is influenced by an ancient Sith Master.

Admiral Ackbar, after coming out of voluntary exile when he accidentally destroyed the holy Cathedral of Winds and killing numerous Vors with his starfighter on the planet Vortex, defends his homeworld from Imperial Admiral Daala' Star Destroyers. Since both Ackbar and Daala were under the influence of the late Gran Moff Tarkin, Ackbar was able to defeat Daala's tactics of using her Imperial Star Destroyers against his Mon Calamari homeworld.

It is nice to see the students at the Jedi Academy that Luke Skywalker created for learning about the ways of the Force. Mara Jade has decided to join them at the Academy for a short time, but you can see that Jedi student Kyp Durron becoming dissatisfied with Master Luke's limited teachings on Kyp's quest for power. Kyp then becomes a student of the spirit of an ancient Sith Lord Exar Kun. Determined in his quest for power, and vengeance for the loss of his parents, Kyp recovers the super-weapon The Sun Crusher with the Force from inside the gas giant planet Yavin for vengeance against the Empire. He soon declares himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith. After encountering Exar Kun, what happens to Luke is very ominous.

Watching Wedge fall in love was nice to see - until Kyp gets to Wedge's scientist charge, Doctor Qwi Xux. Kyp mentally rapes her as a form of capital punishment, which is understandable since Qwi was the weapons scientist whose research designed the Sun Crusher - as well as designing the Death Star. As a result of this loss of memory, Qwi can never construct a superweapon again.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR WARS - THE NEW JEDI ORDER - DARK TIDE II: RUIN

LUCAS BOOKS
A Del Rey Book
Publishing by The Ballantine Publishing Group

Written by Michael A. Stackpole

Copyright 2000 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

In Michael A. Stackpole's  STAR WARS - THE NEW JEDI ORDER - DARK TIDE II: RUIN, the sequel to Onslaught, has Jedi Knights Corran Horn and Jacen Solo going on a scouting mission to the planet Garqi, a world occupied by the Yuuzhan Vong, "The Choosen Race" - a race that has no Force presence that the Jedi can sense. The Caamasi Senator, Elegos, is a political prisoner of the Yuuzhan Vong as they invade the galaxy, and Luke and Anakin go after a vengeful Jedi.

With the discovery of bafforr tree pollen as a biological defense against the Yuuzhan Vong living armor found on Gargi, the Jedi destroy the biological defense on Gargi before the Vong realizes what and where the bafforr tree pollen came from. Having a biological defense against the Yuuzhan Vong is most apropos as the Vong only use organic weapons, creatures that were born and bred for their tasks, since they fanatically abhor machines. Imperial Remnant Admiral Pellaeon joins forces with Republic Admiral Kre'fey in New Republic space for the global defense of Ithor, the the lush jungle planet that would help grow and develop the new biological defense against the Yuuzhan Vong. The fact that Ithor was also in the direct path of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion was also a factor in the Vong attack against Ithor.

As a result of Corran Horn's possession of the ancestor's bones of Shedao Shai, the leader of the Yuuzhan Vong forces, Elegos is returned home. Angered at what has happened to Elegos, Jedi Knight Corran Horn duels Shedao Shai - with the planet Ithor at stake. One wonders how all of this will eventually effect Horn with the high cost of victory against Shedao Shai.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

9-11 SEPTEMBER 11TH 2001 THE WORLDS FINEST COMIC BOOK WRITERS & ARTISTS TELL STORIES TO REMEMBER VOLUME 2

DC Comics

Written and Illustrated by Various Writers and Artists

Except as noted, Copyright 2002. All rights reserved.

"The Real Thing" Copyright 2002 by
Will Eisner. All rights reserved.
STATIC SHOCK: "Wednesday Afternoon" Copyright 2002 by Milestone Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
ASTRO CITY: "Since the Fire" Copyright 2002 by Juke Box Productions. All rights reserved.
I PAPPARAZI: Copyright 2002 by Pat McGreal, Stephen John Phillips and Steven Parke. All rights reserved.
SCENE OF THE CRIME: "Still Life" Copyright 2002 by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. All rights reserved.


In the graphic novel 9-11 SEPTEMBER 11TH 2001 THE WORLDS FINEST COMIC BOOK WRITERS & ARTISTS TELL STORIES TO REMEMBER VOLUME 2 various comic book writers and artists tell stories about 9/11.

I purchased this book when the book first came out soon after 9/11, but it was too painful for me to read at the time. After all these years, I have just finished reading the book. These are wonderful stories, most of which are 2-4 pages long. Some of these stories are painful to read and they have powerful images. As a result they still make me tear up, but the stories have a positive attitude behind them. For a graphic novel, there are hardly any "super-heroes" in the book and those super-heroes that are depicted are usually in the story after the fact of the event. In one story depicted, Superman laments that he is not real and can not do anything.

When I recently started to finally read this book, I did not realize the 10th anniversary was coming up. I think it took that long for me to heal enough for me to read the book without it becoming too painful. To finish the book just in time for the 10th anniversary is a poignant coincidence. I only got Volume 2 of the series at the time because the cover appealed to me more than Volume 1 did. The cover is reminiscent of an old Justice League of America cover with a boy and his dog looking up at a billboard of super-heroes. Superman and his superdog Krypto looking up at a billboard of real-life heroes is a much more poignant cover than the cover for Volume 1. God Bless Them All.

Originally all proceeds for this book went to various 9-11 charity organizations, which are listed at the back of the book. I do not know if this is still true that proceeds still go to the charities if one buys the book today, or how well the response was, but it was a very generous gesture by a united comic book industry after a terrorist attack on our home shores. With contributions from the comic industry's writers and artists, which includes such people as Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, Stan Lee, Sergio Aragones, and Will Eisner - the father of the graphic novel, this is a great book to have in your collection.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

THE LOST FLEET - DAUNTLESS

An ACE Book/published by arrangement with the author

Written by John G. Hemry writing as Jack Campbell

Copyright 2006 by John G. Hemry writing as Jack Campbell

Cover art by Pat Turner
Cover design by Annette Fiore
Interior text design by Kristin del Rosario

In Jack Campbell's Dauntless, the first book of The Lost Fleet series - John "Black Jack" Geary is a space navy hero who, after being rescued from suspended animation in an escape pod for a hundred years after being in an historical battle in which he was made into a hero, is reluctantly given command of an Alliance space fleet after a peace accord betrayal with the Syndicate Worlds - and goes on the run from the Syndics in the middle of enemy Syndic territory.

After a supposedly "last stand" against a Syndic fleet in the early days of the war and his disappearance, Captain John "Black Jack" Geary feels very uncomfortable with the reverence that the Alliance fleet has for him since he was revived after being discovered in suspended animation in his escape pod. With the Alliance being at war for so long, Geary discovers the officers do not have the experience or honor that the Alliance had at the beginning of the hundred years war with the Syndics at the time of Geary's disappearance. Geary conducts naval maneuvers and codes of conduct against the Syndics that alienates some of the officers of the fleet - which goes against all that they believed from "Black Jack's" exploits. As the fleet try to make their roundabout way back home to the Alliance with a Syndic "hypernet key" - which will allow them to attack the Syndic homeworld - the Syndics send all their military might to search for them.

What is sad is that Geary's grandnephew is very upset with him and his reputation as Geary's grandnephew had to grow up in the shadow of Geary's reputation, and had to live up to those high standards while his grandfather - Geary's brother - lived in the glow of "Black Jack" Geary. Geary, of course, is just a man and does not feel that his grand flawless reputation is deserved.

The scientific realities of space battles are very believable as they deal with the the various intricacies of how far light travels and tracking the positions of various ships from their light signatures. As the fleet raids Syndic worlds for supplies.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

DOCTOR WHO - VENGEANCE ON VAROS

A Target Book

Written by Philip Martin

Novelization copyright Philip Martin 1988
Original script copyright Philip Martin 1985
'Doctor Who' series copyright British Broadcasting Corporation 1985,1988

The role of the Doctor was played by Colin Baker

In Vengeance on Varos, when the TARDIS engine gets stalled in time and space, the Doctor and Peri land on the planet Varos which is the only source for the ore he needs to fix the TARDIS.

When the Doctor saves a rebel leader,the Doctor earns the wrath of the representative of the Galatron Mining Corporation. Concerned that his Corporation's business operations will be compromised - Sil, the representative, orders the Doctor's death. Soon, the breaking news of the Doctor and Peri's escape attempts are broadcast across the planet as the guards search for them as part of the population's entertainment. As a by-product of the broadcasts - the life of the leader of Varos depends on the popularity of his decisions, with the population voting like or dislike from the comfort of their own homes. This was demonstrated by an old married couple constantly bickering to each other about the consequences of each decision. So you wonder in which direction the leadcr of Varos will decide the Doctor's fate - despite the pressure of Sil's threats of withdrawing his Corporation's operations from the planet, thus threatening the planet's economy.

Media popularity has been a major factor in modern-day politics. You wonder how our President would fair under similar media popularity polls the Varos leader underwent.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.