Can’t think of any specific characters, but probably any of the mentats from the Dune franchise, since I wish I could have my mind and thoughts superbly organized and mimic computer abilities like being able to commit new ideas to memory, recall that which is important, and block things that trigger me.
I can’t identify specific ones, but most would probably be from the Star Wars franchise.
Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Frank Herbert’s final Dune novel before his death follows the action of Heretics of Dune, chronicling the continued conflicts of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood against the Honored Matres, who are attempting to control the universe and destroy factions and worlds that oppose them. In his introduction, Herbert notes the novel’s setting, over ten millennia in the human future, when women rule the Known Universe. The story begins with Mother Superior Darwi Odrade celebrating the birth of a ghola-baby (in other words, a clone) from an axlotl tank of the recently deceased military genius Miles Teg. Meanwhile, Great Honored Matre Dama, nicknamed the “Spider Queen,” tortures Reverend Mother Sabanda.
Odrade enjoys seeing the cloned Miles at play, with the boy being trained in the military arts just like the original, as the Honored Matres plan to use a mysterious “weapon” to further their conquest of the universe. The Honored Matres destroy Lampadas, a center for Bene Gesserit education, with one of the survivors, Reverend Mother Lucilla, escaping with the shared minds of millions of Reverend Mothers from the past and finding sanctuary with an underground group of Jews. The Rabbi who leads them reveals a “wild” Reverend Mother named Rebecca, who has gained her Other Memory, a well of genetic memory, without formal Bene Gesserit training.
Duncan Idaho returns in ghola form like Teg, retaining memories from his previous incarnations due to being a Mentat. The time eventually comes for the assault upon the Honored Matres, with Teg becoming the Bashar of the military forces, and the tides constantly turn in each other’s favor. Throughout the story, the Bene Gesserit attempt to terraform the eponymous planet, Chapterhouse, to accommodate sandworms, given that the native homeworld of the creatures, Arrakis, had been decimated by the Matres. The story ends with a cliffhanger, which Herbert’s son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson would resolve with the final two chronological books in the Duniverse a score later.
In brief, Chapterhouse does have many positive aspects, such as Herbert’s trend (which his son would continue) of including various philosophical quotes at the beginning of each chapter, alongside the intricate outer space setting, discussion of ecology, and the presence of the Kindle X-Ray feature, which alleviates some confusion readers unversed in the franchise’s unique terminology and many characters may have. However, confusion frequently abounds regarding character ages (namely, the gholas), many lines and terminology are unclear, and it can be hard to keep track of who is talking in conversations given the infrequent mention of names and constant use of pronouns. Though not a bad book, this is one that readers will need to meticulously focus on while being incredibly familiar with the plots of its predecessors.
The latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe follows the events of Ms. Marvel, also being a sequel to Captain Marvel, with the titular characters banding to battle the alien Kree, afterward another nemesis named Dar-Benn. Every time they use their powers, the Marvels swap places, like Freaky Friday in a superheroine setting. I thought it was a typical MCU film that attempts to fuse action with lightheartedness. While the cast performances were solid, with Samuel L. Jackson, as always, doing an excellent job as Nick Fury, along with a surprise after the ending credits, I honestly think that the superhero movie market has somewhat become oversaturated, and ultimately hope that the Marvel Cinematic Universe finds a satisfactory grand finale as it continues the next few years.
Emancipation: A Military Archaeological Space Adventure by Craig Martelle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
The sixth and final entry of Craig Martelle and Brad R. Torgersen’s Zenophobia series opens with a pre-prologue excerpt where Sankar, the Tigroid protagonist of the entire saga, recovers an old computer archive. The following prologue sees a robotic Swarm moving through outer space, with the main chapters seeing Sankar conversing with Colonel Callahan, a member of the fabled Ur-Race, who knows humans will be surprised by the existence of the zenos. Callahan provides his fleet of Confederation vessels, which Sankar’s love interest, Ausha, fears will conquer the zenos, regardless of whether they win the war against the forthcoming machines.
An outpost in the middle of space has zenos from the primary races in living conditions divergent from those on their homeworld, which the Devourers target. The adversarial Direwolf damages the Bilkinmore while the machines attack the Golongals on their homeworld. Sankar ultimately finds himself in alien surroundings, with a mystical cute responding to one’s genetic makeup introduced as a MacGuffin. A brief focus goes on an elderly Golongan woman named Bela (alternatively spelled Bella), who became tired of the Oligarchy and the Families, consequentially coming out of retirement.
Dekron becomes a notable enemy in the latter half of the novel as a female named Diio survives the wreck of the Direwolf when it crash-lands. Ausha, Sankar, and a random stranger named Zee find themselves in a collapsing building, having to deal with Dekron, who pleads for his life. One chapter features Maglor the Goroid surveying the decimated colony of Ommo and expressing his love for Olympus Alloy. On Golongal, Cho-Ma Continent’s Army contingent defects to the Golongan Peoples Revolution, while the stranded Diio tries to find help by taking another spaceship she happens to find.
Back to Dekron, he yearns to prevent his enemies from escaping, having his subservient robots chase them. Diio finds herself in the darkness, hearing a transmission implying that Ocklar could be going through torture. The fate of the Direwolf is settled, with Sankar and Zee rushing through the capital city of the planet Artemis IV, with Ausha’s life imperiled, but the cube is her possible salvation. A moment of limbo comes for Sankar, who eventually meets Pacjolal, after which the war against the machines concludes. The epilogue sees Sankar and Ausha on Earth, walking along a beach.
After finishing this series, I can honestly say that it fell short of my expectations since while I usually enjoy novels starring animal characters, all six stories suffer from most of the pitfalls that plague literature of its kind. That the collection doesn’t utilize the Kindle X-Ray feature greatly mars the experience, given the near-total absence of reminders of the species of the various characters or various terms and entities, along with the constant leap in perspectives within the same chapters. In the end, Emancipation is an appropriate title for the conclusion of the Zenophobia saga since I am glad to be free from reading it and will happily avoid anything the authors have written or will write in the future.
Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When author Frank Herbert wrote his famous Dune series, he had nothing in mind for its success or failure, with the initial installment of his franchise having been the product of six years of research and a novel of ecological and human concern. Publishers turned it down twelve times before its official publication, with the author noting that he wrote parts of its sequels before the first Dune story. As with its predecessors, the penultimate entry of his series before his death contains various philosophical quotes commencing each chapter that provide good insights into the society of the Known Universe.
Heretics introduces the twelfth Duncan Idaho, a twelve-year-old, with Reverend Mother Schwangyu observing his behavior on planet Gammu, once Caladan. The Mother Superior Taraza effected the creation of the twelfth clone, with the Sisterhood dreading another Kwisatz Haderach, vowing not to take the clone to Rakis, formerly Arrakis or Dune. In the meantime, a girl from the former desert world named Sheeana Brugh learns to control sandworms, with the late God Emperor Leto II, fifteen centuries dead before the book’s timeframe, predicting a sandrider.
Reverend Mother Taraza has a meeting with a woman who had borne nineteen children for the Bene Gesserit, Darwi Odrade, on the Chapter House planet. The latest Duncan clone gradually gains memories from prior incarnations, such as being a ghola, with backstory given on the Bene Tleilax, divided into Face Dancers that serve as mules submissive to Masters. Also introduced is the Weapons Master to Duncan, Miles Teg, who didn’t want to come on assignment to Gammu, but Taraza personally requested him, with background given on him as well like his wife’s death thirty-eight years past, and grandchildren through his daughter Dimela.
The eleven-year-old Sheeana has been with the priests on Rakis for three years and is interested in the planet’s desert environs. She befriends a worm and names it Shaitan, with her regular wormriding causing disdain among the clergy overseeing her growth. Miles Teg receives additional backstory, being a Mentat, with one of his earliest memories being a dinner with his brother Sabine, whom he adored. Time skips also occur sporadically, with Duncan turning fifteen. However, some inconsistencies appear, like a mention of him at a younger age than the twelve years he starts at.
Some familial revelations sporadically come throughout the story, with other characters introduced, like Tylwyth Waff, a Tleilaxu Master of Masters. Teg ultimately finds himself on the run from adversaries late in the novel. After I finished, I found this to be another enjoyable series entry; however, better definitions of unique terms like no-ships and no-globes, the former vessels that can turn invisible, would have been welcome. The novel further emphasizes human interest more than science fiction. Even so, it’s a good yarn, likely to be relished by series enthusiasts; however, newcomers to the Duniverse will likely want to start from the beginning.
Conflagration: A Military Archaeological Space Adventure by Craig Martelle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
The fifth installment of Craig Martelle and Brad R. Torgersen’s Zenophobia series opens with machines completing the construction of an artificial disc world. When the main chapters begin, Sankar the Tigroid seeks to rescue his love interest, Ausha, who seeks to destroy the Overseer. His fellow Tigroid Junak intends to destroy the adversarial vessel Direwolf as Akoni the Ursoid wants to discover the origins of the zenos. The enemy Tigroid Arbai yearns to provide nuclear power for the Golongans, yearning to enslave them also. Meanwhile, Sankar wants to show Qlovys evidence of the machine world, reaffirming his wish to rescue Ausha.
The crew of the Direwolf continues to provide the Combine with improved reactors while fearing that the Bilkinmore could match their unified forces. Arbai assists Commissioner Sachim’s Golongan forces, yearning to eradicate the Golongan People’s Revolution. Given a forthcoming revelation of the origins of life in the universe, the Oteran religious and institutional paradigms face endangerment. Arbai and her companion Yangis pilot the Blood Moon and prepare for battle with the Four-Claw while Akoni assists the Golongans in routing their communications. Sankar altercates with his former Goroid employer, Maglor, who urges him to resolve the situation on Golongal.
The Golongans continue to fight among themselves, while Sankar encounters Combine ships headed to the war-torn planet. Commissioner Sachim fears the enslavement of the Golongans, with the brush war upon the Cho-Ma risking eruption into a planetary crisis if the Golongan People’s Revolution receives zeno armaments. The Bilkinmore arrives, battling the Direwolf and Blood Moon, with each side alternating between getting the upper hand. Meanwhile, Ausha continues to explore the reaches of the universe, discovering from an Earthling that justice exists among Earth’s colonies. The fourth book ends with Sankar negotiating an alliance with the Earthmen.
Ultimately, while I have previously enjoyed fantasy and science-fiction literature featuring anthropomorphic characters, the fifth entry of the Zenophobia series, like its predecessors, didn’t completely click with me, given the absence of eBook quality-of-life features such as the Kindle X-Ray feature and no synopses of previous books or a clarifying list of dramatis personae. Other issues include little reminders of character races, the constant shift of perspectives within chapters, unexplained acronyms, and vague settings. I will read the sixth and final book in the omnibus collection I borrowed through Kindle Unlimited, but I won’t set my hopes high.
God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Contemporary editions of this, the fourth main installment of Frank Herbert’s original Dune Chronicles, commence with a foreword from his son Brian, who found a draft at his parent’s home, which the author intended to be a bridging work into a new trilogy of the science-fiction series. The elder Herbert never finished the trilogy following God Emperor of Dune, with his son writing two novels, Hunters and Sandworms of Dune, from his father’s notes. The fourth entry supposedly marked a change in writing style for Frank Herbert, but it will still be familiar to series fans.
Leto Atreides II has reigned as the titular God Emperor of Dune for three and a half millennia, with his Golden Path supposedly necessary for humans to survive. Following Brian Herbert’s introduction is a speech excerpt from Hadi Benotto, who finds a storehouse of manuscripts composing the journals of God Emperor Leto II, with Benotto joining poet Rebeth Breev in reading a translation of said diaries. The actual action of the story begins with three hundred individuals on the run through the Forbidden Forest, with D-wolves pursuing and Siona Ibn Fuad al-Seyefa Atreides vowing to destroy Leto.
Leto’s lineage is reflected upon, with Arrakis during his lengthy reign terraformed, the desert of Sareer being the only arid portion of the planet. There are no melange-producing sandworms or any successful recreations of the geriatric spice, and without it, Navigators can’t fold space to expedite space travel, members of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood can’t ordain Reverend Mothers and Truthsayers, and life expectancy is down. The God Emperor controls the melange and has maintained three millennia of his namesake Leto’s Peace, transforming from his human form into a giant pre-worm.
Leto needs an Ixian Royal Cart to move about, with a woman named Siona being crical, and Leto’s D-wolves being an extension of his purpose. Her father, Moneo, serves as an advisor to Leto, who meets with the latest incarnation of Duncan Idaho. Most chapters begin with excerpts from the God Emperor’s private journals, with plenty of politicking and a marriage proposal throughout the novel, which is ultimately surprisingly good for a transitory novel and contains a little more science-fiction elementality than human interest, being recommended to fans of the prior books.
Exodus: A Military Archaeological Space Adventure by Craig Martelle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
The fourth installment of Craig Martelle and Brad R. Torgersen’s Zenophobia series opens with a probe flying through space and the Tigroid Sankar cramped in a holding cell. In the meantime, the enemy vessel Direwolf is stranded in Hinteran space, with another Tigroid, Arbai, wanting to meet the head of the Golongans, another race the aliens had contacted. Next, Doctor Muni analyzes a server in her Oteran computer lab, with a signal leading her to call General Chayken. Arbai eventually meets Commissioner Sachim, while Chayken meets Sankar and wishes to remove the price on his head.
Arbai meets Sachim and wants to help his rebellion as the members of the Veracity Corporation worry about their companion Sankar, fearing he is dead. However, he reunites with them, after which they fly to Golongal and battle Arbai’s forces. Another Tigroid, Ausha, reveals her backstory as a Cadet-Trainer, after which comes a meeting with Commodore Qlovys at a hidden shipyard. The Bilkinmore reenters Golongan space, with its passengers eventually joining the battle among rival factions like the Golongan Peoples Revolution, intelligent machines led by The Overseer, and various religious factions.
Although this entry of the Zenophobia series, like its predecessors, shows promise, given its animal-populated cast, vibrant setting, and intricate backstory, it disappointed me. For instance, a synopsis of prior entries, a list of dramatis personae, and clear indicators and reminders of the species of the various characters would have been welcome. The absence of the Amazon Kindle X-Ray feature hampers the fourth installment as it does previous entries. Thus, I found myself rereading pages, given some confusing dialogue and sudden scene or perspective changes within chapters. Most who enjoyed the last books may appreciate this one; however, while I mostly like books with anthropomorphic characters, I found it inaccessible.
When I first started watching this live-action science-fiction dramedy on Fox the last decade, I assumed it would be a knockoff of the Star Trek series, but given the repertoire of showrunner Seth MacFarlane, responsible for animated series such as Family Guy, American Dad!, and The Cleveland Show, I knew it would be a more lighthearted take on the sci-fi genre. The series opens with up-and-coming Planetary Union officer Ed Mercer, portrayed by MacFarlane, catching his wife, Kelly Grayson, having an affair with an alien, which leads to their divorce. A year later, Mercer receives command of the eponymous spaceship, with Grayson, to his shock, becoming his first officer.
The Orville isn’t shy about its Star Trek inspirations, beginning with its music. The opening credits theme takes inspiration from “Life Is a Dream,” Jerry Goldsmith’s central composition of the first and the fifth Star Trek Original Series films as well as The Next Generation, a similarity more so apparent in the season three remix. The Planetary Union is a nod to the United Federation of Planets from Trek, along with the various alien races, with sundry conflicts erupting throughout the series, chiefly with the Krill, a vampiric and ultrareligious society. The robotic Kaylons, with one of its members, Isaac, serving as a neutral ambassador aboard the Orville, also come into play later.
Other notable crew members include Bortus, a member of the Moclan race with deadpan speech patterns that make for some occasional humor, who mates with Klyden and has a child named Topa, born female, which is rare among their species in their male-dominant society. The episode “About a Girl” focuses on the couple’s decision to change Topa’s gender to male to conform to Moclan society, which hit home to me as an autistic and receives a follow-up in the third season. Another first-season episode, “Majority Rule,” focuses on a twenty-first-century society reigned by upvotes and downvotes, touching upon themes such as the role of social media and public shaming, which parallels modern cancel culture.
The Orville has a pretty good selection of stars, both guest and recurring, aside from Seth MacFarlane. Brian George, who played the Pakistani restauranteur Babu Bhatt in Seinfeld, and various other Indian or Pakistani characters in other media (despite being Israeli), plays a researcher in the first episode. The late Norm Macdonald plays Yaphit, an amorphous blob with a crush on Doctor Claire Finn, and briefly appears in human form thanks to the ship’s Environmental Simulator (which Isaac also uses when he tries to woo Finn). Patrick Warburton plays a long-nosed alien in a few episodes, and Ted Danson recurs as an Admiral in the Planetary Union throughout the entire series.
Overall, I had a great time watching The Orville, which largely avoids the pitfalls of MacFarlane’s animated shows, such as the drawn-out gags and topical references (but there is some sound sociopolitical commentary that never becomes ham-fisted) and strikes a balance between being humorousness and seriousness. I found it an excellent homage and even rival to the various Star Trek series (and it did semi-compete with Discovery upon its original release), which evokes Trek’s feel (musically and aesthetically) while standing well in its own right. I would happily watch future seasons should the series continue and consider it a capstone among Seth MacFarlane’s television productions.
St. Gallen's Scribblings 