Hope, Curiosity, Vulnerability, Empathy Introduction On the surface, Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series is an intricate tapestry of science fiction, politics, philosophy, character exploration and a perhaps overlarge obsession with Eighteenth-Century France. Begin digging, though, and you might unearth a variety of strange new ways to examine this text. Today I'll be discussing one such lens, which is simultaneously the simplest and most magnificent of all. I've previously written about Terra Ignota 's utopian world and brought the series up in reflecting on the CEO shooting in December. Suffice to say that I'll be spoiling some major thematic moments from the series today , so go give it a read/listen first if you're disposed to. This is something of a sequel to my previous article about speculative fiction's tendency to equate the Earth with the universe, so consider reading that if you haven't already. And like that post, I'm writing today with a bit of a fever so please forgive any crazed notions which arise (besides, you know, this topic). Art by Emmanuel Castillo Inward vs. Outward Part way through Perhaps the Stars (the fourth and final novel – really wasn't kidding about spoilers) we discover the secret philosophical war for the future of humanity that has been a major catalyst for events and actions throughout the series. The Gordian Hive, under Headmaster Felix Faust , seek to unlock the potential of the human mind, to eventually transcend our inconvenient bodies and achieve digital immortality. Faust is desperate to reach this goal in his own lifetime, both for himself (already nearly 80 by the start of the series) and for his cherished students, and sees alternative ventures as frivolous and wasting human potential. The Inward Path. The Utopian Hive seek to travel the stars, already inhabiting a city on the moon and having spent lifetimes of work terraforming Mars despite knowing it will take them at least another 250 years to complete their task. To explore, to seed humanity beyond the reach of disaster, to work together for a common cause: better lives for those who come after. Every Utopian's coat is programmed to depict their individual vision of utopia, and every coat shows only static for a few moments whenever a Utopian dies – mourning the loss of their human labour, hope and dream. The Outbound Path. A Utopian, by Alex Broerman Utopia's path is desperately resource and labour-intensive, requires absolute dedication and courage in the face of the unknown. They are already seeing resolve decline within their Hive, as members grow used to the comforts of Earth and dread harsh lives in space (this is another fascinating lens I'll have to write about). These factions are therefore fighting for the hearts and minds of humanity, to decide the future of our planet and species. They're also fighting for the gifted mind and good will of J.E.D.D. Mason, nominally because he is the most influential person in the world at the time the conflict comes to light, but also because our universe exists solely for this reason . Big Protagonist Energy As I've previously discussed , J.E.D.D. Mason was born into the most influential position on the planet, educated by and heir to the leaders of most of the seven Hives and mothered by the woman who pulls their strings . He is unique in many ways, including his difficulty confining his speech to only one language – often mixing words from German, Latin, French, English and others unless actively working not to – and showing highly physiologically abnormal brain development. By the age of twenty-one, he's also convinced the entire universe around him was put together for his benefit: a Great Letter written for He, the Addressee. J.E.D.D. Mason, by Atiglain I'll certainly write a post at some point which questions the diegetic (in-fiction) truth of these ideas – because they are still quite debatable – but for today's purpose I'm taking them at face value. In his own understanding, Jehovah Epicurus Donatien D'Arouet Mason is a God/Alien visiting our universe from his own, at the invitation of our universe's God . (Not my fever talking, this is a central idea of the series – even if J.E.D.D. Mason only mistakenly believes it.) He is deeply troubled by much that he has witnessed in our universe, since in his own he has never contemplated – let alone introduced – ideas such as time, loss, finitude and the unknown. He sees humans (and other sentient beings) as 'small authors'; our free will and spark of life a miniscule but true imitation of that shared by Him and our universe's God. This is why, as I mentioned in that previous article, he cannot comprehend the trolley problem: all life is infinitely sacred to him. And to clarify without (hopefully) getting too far off track, the narrative gives him some reason to intuit the existence of this universe's God. A child named Bridger, who gets a fair amount of focus in the first two novels, is capable of miracles: bringing toys to life, creating literal magical items such as healing potions , Hermes' shoes and Thor's belt , and even re-writing reality to have the upcoming conflict take the narrative shape of The Iliad . (Go read the dang books! More on all of that in different posts to come.) Achilles (yes that one) becomes a major character in Terra Ignota So, given apparent evidence of the local Divine and J.E.D.D. Mason's firm belief in his own Divinity, what is the purpose of this Great Letter? Why is there suffering in the world? Should we go into the mind, or out among the stars? Into Lands Unknown (Terra Ignota) It's so beautifully, hauntingly simple in the end. What J.E.D.D. Mason concludes is that our universe's God was once like himself, content in a personal, infinite but known universe. But then they strove for more : "This, this is the image of thy Maker, Mycroft, One Who Groped, Who reached beyond His own Infinity, imagining beyondness as I never did, and found Me . [You plural] do image Him, Him only. There may be a trillion Beings of Our Species scattered in Our trillion cosmoses, Each unique and alone, but His uniqueness is that He is the God Who Groped, Who Moved, Who conceived—inconceivable to Me—of Beings beyond Himself . You were right who called Him First Mover, for He is the One Who Moved, Who reached, though there was no direction to reach in, but He imagined Motion, Distance, and Direction, casting Himself into a void as blind as Time. And so He found Me, Other, Alien, Peer, Interlocutor, Addressee, Stranger, Outsider, First Contact, Friend. " - Ada Palmer , Perhaps the Stars God damn. Not relatable at all, is it, the idea of reaching out for contact with another being like yourself? It's so good. Our universe then, is a question to this Peer: are you, like me, one who Reaches toward the stars? Or are you content to explore the infinities within? As presented, it appears the Great Letter was written with the latter answer being assumed: partway through Perhaps the Stars , all the work, hope and dreams of Utopia is on the verge of being annihilated. No human technology, expertise, craftiness or bargaining can possibly save it. The Letter's Author and Host showing deference to the Addressee and Guest, who comes from a universe entirely Himself. Yet: “I do not know how to call ‘Friend’ One Who does this.” I turned. Jehovah, reader. This wounds even Jehovah, teaches the Heart Which Loves all with a universe of Love to Love less. Jehovah’s Loneliness crossed infinities. He hungered for a Peer, a Friend, as no creature beneath the skies has ever hungered, His long patience enduring Time, Distance, impotences’ tortures, this long and bloody greeting we call war, but He Loved on, unconditional, and patiently He called This strange Host ‘Friend.’ But now He can’t. Now That Host reveals Himself as One Who would light such a spark and snuff it. One Who gave us Midway Island, stepping-stones, then crushes us when it would have been kinder by far to crush this spirit long ago, the first time someone thought to hollow out a log to make a boat, before we toiled a hundred thousand years. Intolerable. This makes Him finite, reader, He who was omnibenevolent and wrapped us in His kind Infinity. The Heart Which Loved all with a universe of Love cannot Love this. And immediately a literal deus ex machina intervenes; miracles worked months and years before by Bridger coming together to save Utopia in one of the most harrowing yet rewarding chapters I've ever read. Andromeda Galaxy, Credits: NASA/Swift/Stefan Immler (GSFC) and Erin Grand (UMCP) Bridging the Gap The series ends in such a way as to leave both the Outward and Inward Paths accessible, thanks again to Bridger's relics and J.E.D.D. Mason's hope for our species – but that is yet another topic that must wait for later. Having apparently found a self-portrait of the Author in the form of Dominic Seneschal (good grief that's a terrifying prospect, if I ever do a piece on deeply disturbing-but-effective imagery you'll learn why) and humanity in general, J.E.D.D. Mason believes that in exploring the stars, humans may come across portraits of himself and possibly other Peers in the forms of other intelligent species. It's a way of demonstrating empathy and understanding , like J.E.D.D. Mason experienced and as is necessary for any healthy communication. I love this stuff to bits, I hope you find it fascinating too! Thanks for reading and until next time <3

Good Omens, Terra Ignota, The Cosmere, The Library at Mount Char, The Raven Tower, Tolkien and more For All Intents and Purposes Why do so many stories insist on equating the Earth with the Universe? Why does the Christian God need to have created HD1 , a galaxy over 13 billion light years away, to exact specifications alongside everything to do with our planet? How can so many threats, originating on Earth and thwarted by the heroes at the last minute, truly threaten such distant stars? It's by no means a new question, particularly when applied to religion – but the more speculative fiction I read, the more frustrated I've become with this trope. I've written more than once about my love for vast and mysterious worldbuilding; the feeling that there are always more secrets and insights out there. This trope feels like a cheap attempt to up the narrative stakes to the maximum level, and always falls short because our minds simply aren't built to handle large numbers . I don't think there's a person on Earth who can truly conceptualize the distance to our sun, let alone the voids between galaxies and superclusters. Creation of the Universe in Good Omens , Concept Art by Grant Bonser Anthropocentrism and God(s) Along with the reasoning about dramatic tension above, the obvious answer is that we perceive ourselves as central to the universe and (arguably) have yet to be disabused of the notion that the cosmos were made for us and us alone. Good Omens does an incredible bit on this if you haven't seen it (or want a good chuckle): "It's the universe, not just some fancy wallpaper!" Thanks Crowley, guess that's the post done for me. But as that scene demonstrates, it is the vastness of the cosmos that makes this frustrating to me in many stories. There are plenty of fantasy stories (including Tolkien's and many Dungeons & Dragons games) which have omnipotent beings watching over the single world they created and the stars in the sky might as well be literal wallpaper. Books like The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins and Monster by A. Lee Martinez, on the other hand, make it clear in the text that the whole of the universe as we (don't) know it is at stake – despite all the action taking place right here on our little marble. If you've been reading here for any length of time, you might have perceived that Mount Char is my gold standard for speculative fiction worldbuilding in most cases. Here though, it's the primary offender. ( Spoilers in the next two paragraphs.) Ablakha, Father, Adam Black, God – Generated with AI Mount Char establishes that the world as we know it is the 'Fourth Age' of the universe – very much emulating Tolkien, albeit with some Lovecraft thrown in – which only began when Ablakha overthrew the previous god of the universe and introduced such luxuries as light and pleasure to our reality. Toward the end of the book, his adopted daughter Carolyn succeeds in taking over the joint – part of which necessitates hanging a new sun in our sky. It would be so easy for the book to just say that Earth and its solar system are the extent of the world. There has been zero hint that Ablakha spends any time or focus anywhere other than Earth, nor does Carolyn as she settles in. Yet she literally zooms in through the universe to hang the sun in the right place, establishing pretty clearly that it is just a silly big wallpaper. Monster doesn't involve a god per say, but has a single object upon which all reality depends and which plays an important role in the plot. Hope any alien life out there wasn't angry that their fate across the universe depended on some good ol' human perseverance. Local Gods Perhaps the reason this bothers me to such an extent is that Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere offers such a great look at the alternative: the Shards are beings on the level of gods, yet are bound by time and space. Their influence on worlds, whether alone like Endowment on Nalthis or contested like Ruin and Preservation on Scadrial, is an incredible source of storytelling. (Left to Right) Cultivation, Odium and Honor, by Mushimallo I could also imagine stories like Ann Leckie's The Raven Tower , where gods could travel alongside their followers to explore the darkness of space. The Myriad in that novel even arrives on Earth from space, a beautiful example of worldbuilding that embraces awe and mystery. Perhaps I just like gods with some character in my stories! Can a truly omnipotent, omnipresent being really have a personality or story? The Outbound Path So, why did I put the Terra Ignota playlist at the top if the post is just about done and I haven't brought up those books at all? Well, turns out this has all been a bit of a prequel to my next post, which will build on these ideas to discuss a piece of snail mail the size of the universe. (Thankfully hand-delivered, the amount of stamps would be a nightmare.) Thanks for reading, until next time <3

Epica’s opus about manifestation and the relationship between individuality & responsibility Death Growl Philosophy & Melodic Hope We're finally here! I've been a fan of Dutch symphonic metal band Epica for almost fifteen years now, at first drawn in by their unique sound and later also loving the moral and intellectual substance of their lyrics. Epica's songs aren't 3-minute ditties about break-ups, but dazzling vistas about topics ranging from the Deep Water Horizon oil spill (' Deep Water Horizon '), to the deadly beauty of drug addiction (' Chasing the Dragon '), to the Holographic Principle (' The Holographic Principle - A Profound Understanding of Reality ') and far beyond. Epica Album Covers & Singer Simone Simons, art by aUra-Traum Today, though, I'm focusing on 'Design Your Universe ~ A New Age Dawns, Pt. 6'. (Because if a 9 minute and 29 second song isn't enough for you, it also serves as the closing track to a 76 minute series of nine songs spanning four albums over sixteen years.) I'll admit that I haven't interrogated the meaning of every single song, but I'll still put forward that 'Design Your Universe' is perhaps the most meaningful and useful for growing both as a human being and as a society . It also bears a sharp contrast to another Epica song, 'Stay the Course', which I'll discuss below. If you're curious about my previous 'Lyrical' articles, I've covered Mono Inc's "The Book of Fire" and Ghost's "Twenties" . Album art for Design Your Universe: Gold Edition (2019) Manifest It (Be Yourself) In name and at first glance, this song is about the idea of turning your hopes and dreams into reality through work, positive thinking and perseverance – designing your own universe. It's an idea (often minus the work and perseverance) mirrored by the pseudoscientific ' Law of Attraction ' and related to both the Left Hand Path in magical circles and in ' manifesting ' as seen on TikTok. But don't worry, that's far from the whole story: We're blind and eager Avarice will set us back to blank Those who wager all will have to name a reason If you can't let go, you will end up empty handed If you can't control, you'll live your life in vain The opening lines establish that we (again, as both individuals and a society) are not in control of our lives; not only are we at the mercy of our animal instincts, but governments and corporations alike are doing everything in their power to control and take advantage of us. Between attacks on education, the ubiquity of TV/social media, celebrity culture and parasocial relationships, how many people in our world actually remember how to think for themselves? Who decides about my time to come? Who is able to break through the circle of life and doom? Don't look back Keep on track to break the curse Take the chance Design your universe Be yourself. Think for yourself. Don't get held back from living your life to the fullest. Create the life you want and live it. Stay the Course? Emphasis By Contrast (Best Lyric Video I could find! Song starts at 0:25) What initially sound like identical messages – to forge ahead regardless of what critics say –are actually opposites. 'Stay the Course' refers to George W. Bush 's commitment to the War on Terror in Iraq, and heavily implies that he was "bow[ing] and tow[ing] the line" to other interests. But it's so much broader than that too, applicable anywhere we see zealotry and fanaticism . (I'm now realizing it's probably worth its own article, partially because I don't want to start quoting lyrics from two different songs.) I highly recommend you give it a listen – above or on Spotify etc. – or at least look through the lyrics . Where 'Stay the Course' demands we follow orders and erase anomalies from our mind, 'Design Your Universe' asks us to heed the critics and learn from the mistakes of the past : We can't undo what we have done So show us now what we've become Confront us with our viciousness And our weakness We can't evade our destiny So show responsibility For we all surely have a sense Of our consciousness To take for taking's sake Will leave a path of loss and strain And endless breaking of faith can warrant acts of treason ... Who decides about what's true or false? Who is able to sift through the treasures from the flukes? Simply breaking free of control isn't enough; it's an essential trope of speculative fiction that the hopeful revolutionaries of today so often become the despots and tyrants of tomorrow – as I discussed in my article on K.J. Parker's The Siege trilogy . How can we hope to design our own universe and grow as people if we're not willing to take responsibility for our past? Epica at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, 2016. Photo by me ! Words to Live By The time has come, we have to see That total wisdom is in reach The time has come to color in the lines We must identify the signs So many people are full of hate While love and light are in their reach So many people will harm themselves But life can be so beautiful So many people will idolize While their own success is in their reach Don't forget you're able to Design your own universe Chills, every single time. Because that's it, you know? That's everything my blog is about, maybe everything media (should be) about. Love, light, beauty, thinking and acting for yourself. Find your balance, sink into rumination Ipsum te reperies [You will find yourself] Potire mundorum [Become a master of worlds] Potire omnis mundi [Become the master of the whole world] Epica loves to throw in some Latin verses; I think this is pretty clearly saying that you'll master your own world rather than the one we all live in, but you do you. (Interesting parallels to the endings of The Magician's Land and The Library at Mount Char though – I wonder if those authors meant to evoke themes of enlightenment.) A New Age Dawns I love media I can think about and try to learn from, and for my money Epica's music is among the best. I'll probably return to them at some point, whether for a closer look at 'Stay the Course' or something else, but my next Lyrical post will likely go in a slightly different direction . Thanks for reading, until next time <3

How did this show so effectively capture the world's attention? Popular Speculative Fiction Season Two of Squid Game released today, so what better time could there be to look back on what make helped the first season succeed on the world stage? No spoilers for Season Two here as I have yet to begin watching it. Squid Game is a Korean dystopian thriller TV show first released in 2021, featuring hundreds of deeply indebted individuals participating in a battle royale for a massive cash prize. The show examines a real world issue, Korean (and global) individuals in crushing debt , through the lens of the 'game system' that has grown incredibly popular through Battle Royale , The Hunger Games and video games like Fortnite . Squid Game is Netflix' most successful show ever, gaining global interest and propelling actors Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon to worldwide stardom. How (aside from a little luck) did it get there? Audacious Atmosphere A mysterious, compelling, provocative setting is one of the fastest ways to hook me into a story . It's so easy to imagine Squid Game taking place in a bland, grim setting like just about every other dystopian show – after all, the audience is here for the action and characters, right? The Pastel, Meandering Hallways of Squid Game 's Prison Instead the show's creators established a visually striking world where otherwise cute, soft colours, objects and children's games are intrinsically associated with violence, terror and oppression. In his article on the setting , architect Romullo Baratto points out the inspiration from Escher and Piranesi which lends an unsettling air to the structure. The same can certainly be said for the faceless and emotionless villains, who three years later I still think of as cheap Darth Vader and his PlayStation buttons . Masks are a powerful shortcut to making a villain inhuman and alien in addition to simply adding mystery, which is part of why masked villains are so common in visual media. Front Man and the Masked Men, Squid Game Playing with Emotions The most memorable and compelling part of Squid Game has to be the damn Marbles episode. The soft lighting, the open-ended challenge, the deeply human conversations... and the sure knowledge that only one of each pair will survive? It still stings to think about it. Ji-yeong and Kang Sae-byeok, in Episode Six of Squid Game Part of what makes this episode work so well is simple moments of characterization throughout the show up until this point. We as the audience had seen characters like Ali and Oh Il-nam overcome intense situations and grow from them, even coming to see them as part of the 'safe' core cast in spite of how that flew in direct contrast to the show's premise. Of course these tense-yet-friendly-in-the-face-of-death scenes can really only work the once, so Squid Game put it all into this episode. This is arguably to the detriment of other episodes – the Tug of War game, with all main characters against all nobodies, and even the finale feel pretty lacking in comparison – but I think it goes to show that one powerful and lasting impression can sometimes be most effective. This echoes the Rue scene in The Hunger Games both in the depth of emotion it evokes and for how much more memorable it is than later, arguably more plot-important, conflicts. Areas for Improvement It could just be me, but Hwang Jun-ho's (the police officer's) storyline consistently had me disengaging with the show. Speculative fiction has to tread carefully around viewers' suspension of disbelief at the best of times, and this plot did almost nothing to help me believe he was successfully infiltrating the backstage of this organization (let alone keeping his phone charged for a week). Hwang Jun-ho, by Krisronart Even getting a look at the mysteries of the place through his eyes took away from the experience rather than feeling like a boon. The same is true of the VIPs, whose arrival only toward the end of the competition is still baffling to me. Their acting has been discussed to death online, but again I'll simply argue that their time on screen ultimately lessens, rather than heightening, the atmosphere and tension that the show worked so hard to establish. The VIPs arriving in Squid Game In my ideal world, Hwang Jun-ho's trip backstage comes later in the season and resembles Dany's visions in The Shining more than anything: carefully crafted images of absurd, corrupt opulence that add to the mystery rather than normalizing it. Of course, the writers had no way of knowing they might want to build up this world for a second season; though the first season does end with the hint that more is to come, it feels more last-minute and rote than truly hopeful. Shooting the Apple My greatest hope for Squid Game  Season Two is that we begin to see a meaningful disruption of the system, both from within the game and without. After all, this is yet another story about the wealthy treating other peoples' lives like disposable playthings. From The Hunger Games That idea has been in the media lately , so now would be the perfect time for a powerful story examining the common people closing the gap and reminding the VIPs that we're not actually so different. Thanks for reading, and enjoy Season Two! Until next time <3

Sixty-four posts , dozens of books, hundreds of hours, too many en dashes A Year 🎉🎉 Isn't that surreal? When I began writing here in December of last year, it was with a tempestuous mixture of giddiness and trepidation: Giddiness because I had found a place to share my fascination with speculative fiction and talk through the lessons I saw in it, and because I had previously vaguely believed that doing something like this would require at least a Masters or Doctorate in the field. Trepidation because it was a creative project I was passionate about, and my road with ADHD (pre- and post-diagnosis) is littered with the guilt-ridden detritus of exactly those types of endeavours. Having this fall by the wayside as well felt like a dire risk. So my New Year's Resolution for 2024 was to post [anything I could] once a week. At that point, with 3-4 real articles under my belt, just the idea of having 4 more done by the end of January felt like it would be an incredible achievement; let alone looking back on 52. I don't think it's any coincidence that my first post of the year opened with "Don't give up!" Two posts from January 2024 And here we now are! A few things I've done in the past year: Discussed my love of two series – The Masquerade and The Locked Tomb – in simultaneously too much and too little detail Experimented with listicles – reflective and promotional Explored archetypes and representation across the genre – Vampires , Gay Characters , Lesbian Characters and Neopronouns Spent far too much time checking these stats: Views on Medium, March-December 2024 Views on Substack, December 2023 - December 2024 No explosions through viral posts, just posting consistently and passionately while (more and more) trying to keep topics and titles relevant to current events and readers' day-to-day. Lessons Learned Passion does not guarantee readership, obviously. I was a little blind to that with one post in particular , which I felt great about but simply didn't have any draw to bring people in. I can think of half a dozen titles that would do much better but spoil the experience of the story; a delicate balance for any post. In a similar vein, I've oscillated a lot this year in terms of how much I spoil the books I'm discussing. In past months I've leaned heavily into spoilers, because my goal is to discuss what makes these books great and the share the lessons I've taken from them. The opposite approach would just be book recommendations, which are ubiquitous online and which I already have something of a place for with my Starting Points posts. Library, by MiloGreyStudio Daunting though it can be, I’ve also learned to go and share my articles in online communities dedicated to the books in question; it’s rare that these fans will otherwise stumble on my work unless they’re already on Medium/Substack. (Though it’s strange to see my blog be among the first results when you google image search art for characters like Cairdine Farrier and Colonel Orhan.) I’m also reducing the amount of AI art I use; now only for my Spotify playlists and characters with no previous art, like those above. In an ideal world I would commission these pieces, but that’s a universe away from sustainable right now. In the past month I’ve also been pleasantly surprised to find that I can keep up with writing two posts per week! It’s a helpful reminder to take stock and change things up as needed over time. Looking Ahead Did you know I feature a book each month and do a couple-sentence recommendation of it? Probably not, since it's really only on my Instagram and Website . Part of my reasoning for increasing to two posts/week recently was to make full posts about my 'Pick of the Month,' but I didn't end up doing it for December for a couple reasons. You can find all my past picks here . Winter's Orbit was my pick for December 2024 Would you be interested in seeing a full post (probably on the next Thursday/Sunday after the first of the month) for these, or to have it at least mentioned? I made a quick poll, shouldn't take more than ten seconds: https://strawpoll.com/B2ZB9WGQQgJ I have many ideas for posts, specific and general, that will come to be sooner or later. (I’d like to try more short video content, discussing books like in my post on This is How You Lose the Time War .) My goal for 2024 is mainly just to continue with two posts per week, but also to explore and experiment as much as possible. Thanks for reading and happy holidays! ❄️❤️

Terra Ignota shows that it only requires empathy Choosing Humanity We are never going to improve our world through individualism: worshiping celebrities and chasing the lie that anyone can succeed if they're just ambitious and cutthroat enough. Individualism and capitalism are intrinsically linked with the ' us vs. them ' mentality, simply by espousing the idea that some people are 'more deserving' of resources than others. (Why does this always lead to hoarding?) The world of 2454CE, as depicted by Ada Palmer in her Terra Ignota novels, has not entirely done away with money and the market – in fact the economy plays an important role in predicting the shape of world events. Hoarded wealth, however, is a thing of the past. The same goes for 40-60 hour work weeks (unless individuals choose otherwise, labeled 'vocateurs' for their dedication to a job), the prison-industrial complex and many day-to-day expenses. How are these differences (perhaps miracles to us) possible? Because the global mindset has shifted toward choosing and prioritizing humanity . Globalization saw the system of 'geographic nations' replaced with the Hive system , seven ' leviathans ' dedicate to different causes; Humanists seek philosophical advancement, Utopians seek to terraform Mars, Cousins focus on spirituality, etc. Life in Hives and beyond is not about working to survive (except for Servicers, more on them in a moment). Instead it is about working to the betterment of humanity, whatever form that takes. It is accepted that there are enough resources for everyone, so there is no need for hoarding. People are defined by their passions and talents, regardless of where they work for 10-20 hours a week. My previous post also referenced Terra Ignota , questioned societal ethics and concluded with parallel ideas of collective action and choosing humanity; consider giving it a read! Narrator Mycroft Canner, by Atiglain Adulthood, Family and Servicers Even after four long philosophy-focused novels, Palmer's vision lacks details in many places. There are a few areas, however, that I think we could learn a lot from in our world. (Certainly it would be nice to instantly eliminate international conflicts, but that might be a little further beyond our reach). Terra Ignota treats the transition into adulthood in a fascinating way. Instead of simply being under or over eighteen, minors can choose when to take an 'Adult Competency Exam' which ensures their education and awareness of the laws (world-spanning and Hive-specific). Only upon completing the exam do minors choose a Hive to join. Minors also have unique representation in the Senate, both because they don't have a Hive to politic on their behalf and because they represent the next generation and will often bear the consequences of decisions enacted in the present (more on that in a moment). In Palmer's world, the nuclear family has been supplanted by bash'es : groups of close friends and partners choosing to live and potentially raise children together. Both in and out of world the term originates from the Japanese i-basho , meaning ' place where one belongs / where one fits in / where one can be oneself '. It's a great example of societally encouraged and accepted found family and mirrors similar ideas in other utopian novels like A Half-Built Garden – while also prioritizing idealism over lineage. Non-dangerous criminals in this world can choose to become Servicers instead of serving time; dedicating themselves to community service for the duration of their sentence. The series grapples with the ethics of this program for a variety of reasons, but it would be hard to argue that just having the option would be a blessing to, oh I don't know, the nearly two million people behind bars in the United States. (The Servicer program also seems to guarantee therapy with a Cousin, community with other Servicers and guarantees that there will be work available). Cover for Too Like the Lightning , the first Terra Ignota novel by Ada Palmer From the Ashes Back to the minors for a moment. While it feels at times as though the series only contains philosophical conversations, there is also some real conflict. I found the minors' statement to the Senate on the aftermath of one of these conflicts particularly touching: “We discussed what we want from you now,” [Kenzie] began, “ you who had power and used it to burn the world. You burned a lot. You didn’t just burn trees and cities and each other. You burned our admiration for the governments we grew up respecting. You burned our sense of safety in your care. You burned our patience, our ability to believe that the great things in this world you promised to protect will still be there for us and future generations. You burned our trust as you misused the data and surveillance we let you collect ... You burned our self-trust, too, since we know we are infused with your values, values we thought made both you and us people who would never do what you just did. We have to be afraid of ourselves now, vigilant against what you’ve taught us to be, since now we know we are something to be afraid of and ashamed of. And even if you didn’t personally kill in the war, if you carried arms, if you participated, you helped burn what nothing can bring back. - Ada Palmer , Perhaps the Stars I think this message echoes the feeling of every generation of disgruntled youth, and emphasizes the importance of including future generations in the decision of today. Choosing humanity. The outcome of this is three fifths of people on Earth choosing to take on minor Servicer roles to rebuild what was lost through conflict. It is combined with Utopia's 'Infinite To-Do List', an endless set of tasks furthering the aims of humanity which can be filtered by ability, location, etc. (This bears striking similarity to L.X. Beckett's Gamechanger , where world-improving tasks from emptying trash to putting out fires have been gamified). In all cases, the focus is on improving the world and humanity's place in it rather than simply surpassing everyone else. Does Terra Ignota really represent a perfect world? Not by a longshot. I'm still on the fence about how the series tackles gender and how it focuses so heavily on the elite. The only thing I know for sure is that the universe was created as a letter to another universe's god. (You'll have to wait for that post, haha.) Oh, and that we just have to have collective empathy for our fellow humans, present and future, to begin making the world a significantly better place. Until next time, thanks for reading <3

Discussing Wind and Truth, Terra Ignota, Dune, Lord of the Rings and more Introduction A certain big news story has overtaken the internet in the past week, similar to how the Titan submersible incident did in June 2023, and tongue-in-cheek reactions online have been (perhaps surprisingly) similar considering the difference in morality and agency between the two events. Instagram posts from The Onion (June 2023) and Reductress (December 2024) I'm not going to talk much about the shooting itself, since if you've been online at all the past week you've heard more than enough about it. Instead I'll be reflecting on themes and morals in speculative fiction that feel relevant to the situation, in an attempt to grow my understanding of its causes. The dilemma of our age: individual violence is wrong , but abusive corporate (and governmental ) policies which lead to millions of deaths are legal – I can't help but also think of the opioid crisis, explored so hauntingly in Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead . (I've written previously about real-world corruption if you're interested: Trump & Fictional Counterparts , Trump & Truth and "Twenties" by Ghost .) Minor thematic spoilers for all the books I'm discussing today, especially newly released: Wind and Truth As I described in my previous post , Brandon Sanderson's Wind and Truth grapples heavily with ideas of universal law & morality and their usefulness in our ever-changing, subjective experience . Odium's deliberate, malicious corruption besets the cast at every turn, testing their Oaths to rigid, unchanging Honor by constantly putting them in no-win-scenarios . (Indeed there is a surprising amount of philosophical and practical game theory  in the book.) Szeth-son-Neturo, by Ren_v2 // Tanavast & the Stormfather, by Daitengu_koh And this paralysis, being forced into losing by a corrupt system , feels pretty relevant to the societal injustices of our world . I wish I could go into Brandon's various answers in Wind and Truth , but for the sake of avoiding spoilers I'll just point to Star Trek 's infamous example: sometimes you have to break the rules . Terra Ignota Explaining the (utopian cyberpunk?) world of Ada Palmer's philosophical science fiction epic Terra Ignota will have to wait, so I'll be a little vague today. Suffice to say that although this world is generally post-scarcity , the trolley problem (in many variations) is a fundamental theme of the series. In many ways embodying and symbolizing the belief that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few is Ojiro Cardigan Sniper (it/its): Olympic champion, living doll model and member of the elite Saneer-Weeksbooth bash' . Ojiro Cardigan Sniper, by Atiglain Sniper explains part of its role near the beginning of the second novel: Tyrants and assassins have a great symbiosis. Assassins are always evil and despised (even when our effects are good, we’re still a bad means to a good end) until tyrants crop up. Then suddenly assassins are heroes, lifelines; suddenly we alone have the power to save the world without a revolution and the destruction revolutions bring. You admit you need us. But, between tyrants, you forget that assassins will only be here, ready, when you want us if we’ve been here, ready, the whole time. You feel dirty keeping such a weapon in the house, but somebody has to keep one or it won’t be there when the bad wolf comes to huff and puff. My office is no less a pillar of this age than Censor or Anonymous. I serve with no less pride. - Ada Palmer , Seven Surrenders Granted that this view doesn't quite track with last week's event: it doesn't seem like this will have much impact beyond expressing the frustration of millions. J.E.D.D. Mason, by Atiglain Another major character in Terra Ignota is J.E.D.D. Mason, birthed and raised by a group of the most influential people on the planet and consistently opposed to Sniper throughout the series. (There is so so so much to say about him, but again I'll wait for now.) J.E.D.D. Mason intrinsically understands that all human life is infinitely sacred, to the extent that he freezes up for hours when confronted with the trolley problem. He is that most hopeful philosopher who firmly believes that there must be a better, bloodless solution to every problem. It's a beautiful sentiment, though only possible to maintain thanks to the fact he was born into the greatest position of political influence in the world . But that is the alternative: overwhelming peaceful, democratic action which can't be ignored, in order to shape a new and better world. (Though I'm not convinced Palmer will guarantee that world's safety from corruption oozing back in.) Dune, Lord of the Rings and Beyond As I wrote a while back , a major moral of the Dune series is that humanity will not be truly safe until tyranny can never again oppress all humanity. In that article I argued that Frank Herbert was making some shaky assumptions with the solution of the Golden Path , though it – and Paul's journey in the original Dune novel – do offer useful parallels. Leto II Atreides beginning the Golden Path, by Andrew Ryan With both Paul against the Harkonnens and the Ixian plot against Leto, violent revolution is necessary to overthrow oppressive tyrants and their policies. It calls back to Odium in Wind and Truth and mirrors situations throughout speculative fiction. Dungeons & Dragons is a game where you can do just about anything, but its mechanics and our societal knowledge of storytelling will almost universally lead to stories of heroes overthrowing corrupt, evil regimes – whether human, dragon, demon, undead, etc. – by sword and spell. Sauron, the Dark Lord, by Kieran Yanner After all, so much of the genre was influenced by The Lord of the Rings , where Sauron is an easy stand-in for Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini or any tyrant. Diplomacy famously failed horribly to address any of those historical figures, so is it any surprise that no one in Middle Earth suggests talking things out with the Dark Lord? And yet The events of last week, as already discussed, didn't overthrow anything or achieve meaningful change (beyond CEO security suddenly tightening ). Vigilante actions don't mean much against the multiheaded, regenerating hydra that is systemic injustice. So what's the takeaway? Wind and Truth is a great reminder that mindfulness is key on an individual level to recognize the injustices and dissonances in our own lives. Terra Ignota , Dune and the rest tell me that however it comes about, real change is going to require the unified effort of many people. "One is not enough. The change must come from many." - Brandon Sanderson , Wind and Truth Until next time <3

Philosophy, magic, swords and in-world books Life Before Death, Strength before Weakness, Journey Before Destination These 'Immortal Words' comprise the first oath of all Knights Radiant and are perhaps the philosophical backbone of Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive . Among many things they argue for mindfulness and focusing on the present; persevering though the future looks bleak. Things always seem to change if you just take another few steps. So while today I'll discuss the titles of these novels, the extent of their meaning aren't entirely set in stone. I'm currently about 2/3 through the newly released Wind and Truth – very minor, thematic spoilers for that book today – and already four of the five titular in-world texts have been detailed a little bit more. I've written on Stormlight before if you're interested: about transhumanism in the Cosmere , Dalinar's revelation at the end of Oathbringer and more recently about the Wind and Truth sample chapters . The Way of Kings The first Stormlight Archive  novel's title reflects the deeply important theme of leadership and self-conduct in the novel. Dalinar and Kaladin must both confront their insecurities and grow to lead and protect the people who are counting on them; meanwhile Kings Elhokar and Taravangian and lesser nobility like Amaram and Roshone demonstrate how morally flawed authority figures can be. This applies to a lot of minor characters as well, to varying extents. Shallan, Renarin and many among Kaladin's bridge crew begin their journeys toward overcoming deep-seated insecurities and harmful beliefs; we also see Szeth struggling with his actions, despite rejecting his own autonomy. The title also refers to an in-world book, The Way of Kings , by the legendary King Nohadon, detailing his philosophies on leadership. The book is a significant part of Dalinar's journey, both in providing him a baseline from which to work and inspiring him to learn to read (normally only done by women and scholars), which in turn helps him to nurture a more curious, questioning mind. Words of Radiance The second novel's title is arguably the most cohesive in its meaning, centered on the gradual return of the Knights Radiant and the words they must speak to advance in their Oaths. This book solidifies the series' and magic system's focus on oaths-as-power through Kaladin, Shallan and ultimately Dalinar as they take their first steps on the path to re-founding their Orders. The title also refers to another ancient text, Words of Radiance , which attempted to document everything known about the Orders two hundred years after their disappearance – but still roughly 2,000 years before the series' current narrative. This is useful in re-establishing baseline knowledge of the Radiants, but also leaves the precise nature of each Order's Oaths a mystery to characters and readers alike; the ancient Radiants likely knew the general intent necessary for every Oath, where as of Wind and Truth only 4-5 characters are known to have found and spoken the Fourth Ideal of five. Oathbringer The third novel's title is perhaps the most misleading, especially to someone looking ahead from The Way of Kings : despite the fairly important role Dalinar's shardblade Oathbringer plays in the first novel, it is hardly mentioned thereafter. Certainly that sword isn't the one Jasnah holds on the cover, despite how fitting that might appear. Instead the title refers to the 'main character' of this book, Dalinar, in his role as leader of the Radiants and Bondsmith – unique among the Knights Radiant for having a maximum of three members and closest to the power of Oaths and Honor. Dalinar also goes a little further than expected with his abilities, possibly infringing on his (dead?) God's authority, so the title also subtly reflects that blurring between him and Honor. Dalinar is also the author of this book's in-world text, Oathbringer , in which he details his horrifying past and philosophical, personal journey to his present position. The full influence of this text has yet to be seen, though it has already widened the rift between Dalinar and his son Adolin, who only found out about Dalinar's involvement in his mother's death from people discussing the book – yikes, Dalinar . Rhythm of War While I'd argue The Way of Kings and Wind and Truth have the most nebulous titles, I could easily see Rhythm of War being up there as well with its fourfold meaning. The first is the simplest – there's a war happening! – though it's funny to look back on how I imagined that war (still on the Shattered Plains) while I was still reading the first book compared to the continent-spanning, magic-fueled conflict we actually see. The second is also fairly evident once you've spent some time in this world. The Singers express the emotion and intent behind their words and actions by the Rhythms they speak and hum to – in place of facial expressions – and they are now very much attuned to war under Odium. It is notable, though, that this is more thematic than literal: War isn't a known Singer Rhythm, even among those coming directly from their dark god . Now, arguably the juiciest meaning so far: over the course of the novel, Navani and Raboniel conduct a number of experiments with the different magics of their world. Alongside their discovery of Anti-Light and its deadly implications, the pair manage to harmonize the pure tones of their gods. They dub Honor's and Odium's combined tone the Rhythm of War; reflecting the vast history of conflict between the two Shards but also the intimidating possibility that combining them would result in a Shard fully dedicated to War. And of course, the fourth meaning of the title is Navani and Raboniel's in-world book, The Rhythm of War . Despite the inspiring fact of a human and Fused working side-by-side to create and discover facts about the world amidst a massive conflict between their peoples, the main consequence of the book has been the promulgated knowledge of Anti-Light and the threat of permanent death to formerly immortal beings such as Fused, spren and Heralds. Wind and Truth As I discussed in my post about the preview chapters, the Wind is a surprising newcomer to the large cast of this climactic novel. Her importance, both as a character and in her implications, remains to be seen; but it is by no means a coincidence that she shares her name with half the title of this novel. Even beyond her, the wind has many important implications in this book. Kaladin and Szeth, on a quest to Shinovar, are both Radiants capable of flight and closely connected to the wind – as is Sigzil in his own storyline. There's also the tumultuous winds of the Highstorm and Everstorm, both incredibly thematic to the series. But there's also simply the winds of change : this book marks the end of the first Stormlight narrative arc, and author Brandon Sanderson has made it clear that there will be a massive upheaval of the status quo. As for Truth? It actually feels a lot like The Way of Kings (more on symmetry in a moment) in that it applies to just about every character in their own way. Half the cast are trapped in realms beyond as they search for the truth behind thousands-of-years-old mysteries such as Honor's death, Aharietiam , the Recreance, the destruction of Ashyn and Ba-Ado-Mishram's imprisonment. But it is most fundamental to Szeth – granted 'main character' status this book because it contains his flashback story – and his quest in Shinovar. Once cast out as 'Truthless' because he saw signs of apocalypse before anyone else but no one wanted to hear it, Szeth bears a lifetime of trauma from people – well-meaning and pure evil alike – telling him what to think and do. In a way his struggle for Truth in this book is a microcosm of all humanity's relationship with Honor – and it remains to be seen how either might begin to safely think for themselves. The Ketek Don't worry, there is an in-world book for Wind and Truth too; though so far it just seems to be a recounting of Szeth and Kaladin's journey to Shinovar by an as-yet-undisclosed author. But this time there is a slight break from tradition: the in-world book is called Knights of Wind and Truth . Why? Brandon wanted the (acronym) titles of this Stormlight  arc – and their in-world counterparts – to form a ‘ketek’; a kind of palindrome important to some societies in-world. He had: TWOK WOR O ROW [KOWT] Knights of Wind and Truth  is the closest anyone got, but that was too wordy a title for the actual Stormlight  novel, so was shortened to Wind and Truth . Evidently the ‘and’ is not a deal-breaker as he has confirmed that, at least diegetically, the ketek is saved . Happy Reading! Wherever you might be on your Stormlight journey, I can't recommend the next book highly enough! These novels are full of heart and soul (in addition to a lot of great fantasy), with characters confronting their inner demons in as realistic a view of mental health as I've seen in fiction. Wind and Truth is no exception so far, with multiple moments that I've personally related to on a pretty visceral level. Until next time <3

Subtle nuance, shock-and-awe; no two reads of these books are the same Introduction Welcome to my final (for now) post about Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb series; I've previously written about John/Alecto , Lyctors & Gender Dysphoria Part 1 and Part 2 , Commander Wake and Harrow & Gideon . My post today will feature heavy spoilers for the series, since I'll be discussing the unique narrative structures Muir employs. Symbols of the Nine House, by Banjoker We're all friends here To get ahead of everything I'm about to say about mysteries and shocking revelations: these books about bones, death, angst, gore and the cold of space are among the friendliest I've ever read. I talked a little in my first post about how author Tamsyn Muir suffuse her prose with literary references and millennial tumblr memes – here's a nice video explaining many of those in Gideon the Ninth (she also has videos on Harrow and Nona ): Alongside the irreverent tone and plain likeability of the series' cast, it feels like Muir is inviting the reader to share in the joke and enjoyment of the narrative in a way that I've rarely experienced. In a lot of ways it reminds me of a great TTRPG campaign, laughing along with friends and enjoying the strange challenges they set for you. However, a side effect of this friendly style is that the series' narrative perspective is tightly focused on a few characters and their immediate goals/concerns. The world beyond that narrow focus is utterly unknown to the reader; part of my reason for loving Nona the Ninth  so much is that we finally got to see the perspective of average humans caught up in the Nine Houses' conflict with Blood of Eden. Subtle Incongruities & Foreshadowing Probably the greatest trick Muir pulls on the reader is Harrow's erasure of Gideon from her mind in Harrow the Ninth , which I discussed in my previous post . That same narrow focus and lack of information helps to cover Muir's tracks: certainly the reader (eventually) recognizes that the Canaan House story Harrow is experiencing differs greatly from the one they read in Gideon , but it is remarkably more difficult to spot the "Ortus the First" incongruity also right in front of their eyes – even when other characters directly question it: “Oh. Then he just wants you dead,” she said, with perfect unconcern. “Good luck! Not!! That man is Teacher’s attack dog... If he thinks you’re a threat then I would advise you to settle your affairs.” You stared up at the ceiling and noted the bone-strewn scrollwork between the frames of the panelling, all about the long planks of electric light. And you said: “But why does Ortus the First want me dead?” “Who?” said Mercymorn , indifferently. Harrow 's second major reveal, that she is re-enacting this Canaan House experience with the actual spirits of the dead, likewise feels obvious in retrospect but impossible to guess on a first reading. The fact that all the actual survivors (and Palamedes) now die without speaking a word is because their souls aren't available for this performance; meanwhile the departed spirits constantly confront Harrow with "this isn't how it happens," since they remember the actual events. Palamedes & Camilla, by Dawn Carlos Muir pulls off the double again in Nona the Ninth , where the front-and-centre mystery revolves around whose soul is inhabiting the eponymous amnesiac girl with Harrow's body. The first secret, that Nona is Alecto, feels similar to those in Harrow the Ninth with incongruous lines that we instinctively ignore on a first reading but feel obvious in retrospect: multiple times she is directly conversing with her fellow Resurrection Beast Varun the Eater, yet many readers (myself included) never put two and two together. The second is somehow even subtler, given that I only picked it up on my re-read and haven't seen it discussed anywhere. Palamedes and Camilla spend much of the book trying to discern Nona's identity between the likeliest possibilities of Harrow and Gideon, but also raise an easy-to-miss new theory in Chapter 17 and discuss it thereafter: “Cam, have you thought about what it means if Nona’s actually—a completed merger? One we will never actually be able to unpick, a successful soul gestalt?” Of course at this point we have hints that Harrow, at least, is somewhere else listening to God's story, so it's even easier to dismiss this as another line of technobabble from Palamedes. Yet when we later see the pair attempt this very thing and become Paul , these lines become incredibly meaningful. There are probably other authorial tricks like these I've missed, and I would love to hear about them! But for now, let's jump to the opposite end of things. The Utterly Alien For all the subtle foreshadowing and nuances that Muir employs in crafting these phenomenal books, she is by no means a stranger to shock and awe tactics. Take the consequences of John's Resurrection ten thousand years before the start of The Locked Tomb , still being revealed to us three books into the series. He drained every spark of life in the solar system, then slowly began restoring it. Who but Muir would think to make the most significant consequence of that action the eternal ire of the undead planets themselves ? A Resurrection Beast, by Briarwick The Resurrection Beasts slowly but inexorably follow John and his Lyctors across space and destroy all in their path, thereby forbidding God and his Saints from returning to our solar system lest it be consumed. “Harrowhark, those revenants move through the universe, inexorably, without pause... and they feed on [living] planets as they go, like vampires... and they won’t stop until I and the Nine Houses are dead. They have had me on the run for a myriad, and they’re nearly impossible to take down.” This made very little impact on you. It had the dim and nonsensical ring of a fairy story. You said, “The Lyctors have died... fighting these things?” “Fighting them?” said God. “Harrow, I’ve lost half my Lyctors distracting them. They’re hideously complex to destroy. The ones we’ve killed, we killed through luck—they were young, and we were at full power—and then... once our numbers thinned out... by sheer accident, or by suicide mission.” In the second book in a row where a single half-mad lyctor is an overwhelming threat to Harrow, the introduction of Resurrection Beasts is a truly powerful shift of perspective. The Beasts must be fought/distracted on both the physical plane and in the River (not unlike how Commander Wake is finally banished) and then lured close enough to the 'stoma' at the bottom of the River that it is sucked into the void beyond. Not to mention that they are living hives of smaller, deadly revenants called Heralds, proximity to which drives normal necromancers insane. And Alecto is one of these things; the Resurrection Beast of Earth. The stuff of speculative fiction legend. Read the full eight-panel comic by naomistares ! A few more incredible shock-and-awe moments just from Harrow the Ninth (you may sense a theme): Harrow prepares soup (see that comic ) using her own bone marrow, attempting to assassinate Gideon the First by growing entire skeletons within his stomach Mercymorn's attempt to kill John, turning him into a crimson mist in what feels like an anticlimax... only for him to horrifyingly rebuild himself and snuff out his ancient friend Augustine's attempt to kill John by dragging him to the stoma, only stopped by Ianthe choosing to save God for her own purposes One Flesh, One End Part of me would love to go into more of the worldbuilding of necromancy, the River, devils and so on... but I think this is enough for now and that topic is best saved for the release of Alecto the Ninth . I absolutely love this series (if you somehow couldn't tell), and must again recommend that you give it a try! Muir is an incredibly intelligent and imaginative author, and I'm deeply excited to see what she writes next!

The great, the glory and the gore of the series' foremost relationship Welcome to the Ninth House Today's post continues from my previous The Locked Tomb articles – on John/Alecto , Lyctors & Gender Dysphoria Part 1 and Part 2 , and Commander Wake – so consider reading those if you haven't! I will again be going into major series spoilers as I explore the progression of Harrow & Gideon ('s bodies?) in the series. Last week I discussed how the dying Commander Wake used her last moments to ensure her (and God's) daughter survived her failed mission to open the Locked Tomb. It so happens that the Ninth House watches over that Tomb, took in the orphaned child and named her Gideon (the only word they could get out of Wake's corpse, naming and cursing her murderer). I've also previously established that Harrowhark's parents pinned all hope for their Ninth House on their daughter, sacrificing the lives of two hundred children in a necromantic ritual to empower her. This left her with a lot of emotional and magical baggage and (for some reason) few peers her own age while growing up in the isolated Ninth House on Pluto; really only Gideon, whose half-God DNA mysteriously saved her from the ritual. Harrow & Gideon, by RosieVernonArt Reverend Daughter & Indentured Servant The period of Harrow & Gideon's childhood and adolescence, including what we see in the first few chapters of Gideon the Ninth , wasn't great. Harrow ends up with the blood of her parents also on her hands ( explanation here ) and takes all of her guilt out on Gideon: “ You apologise to me ?” she bellowed. “You apologise to me now? You say that you’re sorry when I have spent my life destroying you? You are my whipping girl! I hurt you because it was a relief! I exist because my parents killed everyone and relegated you to a life of abject misery, and they would have killed you too and not given it a second’s goddamned thought! I have spent your life trying to make you regret that you weren’t dead, all because —I regretted I wasn’t! – Tamsyn Muir , Gideon the Ninth Harrow & Gideon's relationship starts off in an outright abusive and toxic place; sadly it is a place plenty familiar to queer people, so the idea of The Locked Tomb going on to romanticize these characters sparked some heated discussion. I certainly held some mixed feelings about it for a long time, until I found this lovely article by Gwen Katz defending and arguing for the value of Muir's portrayal. Harrow & Gideon sketches, by Phobic-Art With that aside, the characters themselves: Harrow is haughtiness personified, the result of both single-handedly running the Ninth House for years (knowing that all is doomed if her mask slips) and genuinely being one of the most powerful necromancer adepts ever. Gideon is simply a delight to read; joyfully mocking and down-to-earth in a world full of pretension and gravity. Necromancer Adept & Cavalier Primary The plot of Gideon the Ninth sees the two paired as necromancer and cavalier after the death of Harrow's nominal swordsman Ortus Nigenad . As Gwen Katz discusses in her article, Harrow and Gideon slowly confront their tragic history as they learn to depend on and respect each other while facing the tests and competition of Canaan House. This culminates in a heartfelt scene where they talk things through and vow to be 'One Flesh, One End'; emulating a note they found of Gideon the First's and Pyrrha Dve's and foreshadowing lyctorhood. Gideon & Harrow (in the style of Hades II ), by corvophobia This period still feels far too short in retrospect, with the pair spending so much of the book exploring, mingling and learning separately from one another. The climax sees Gideon sacrificing herself in a slightly ill-conceived hope of empowering Harrow, shattering the latter and opening discussion about doomed queer relationships in fiction. Lyctor & Ortus Between the first and second books, heartbroken possible-lyctor Harrow decides her best path forward is to erase Gideon from her memory. This is the underlying reason for Harrow the Ninth 's incredibly confusing narrative, which sees her both navigating the present and subconsciously attempting to reconcile her time at Canaan House, where we now see Ortus Nigenad alive and serving as her cavalier (this also unintentionally replaces Gideon the First's name with "Ortus the First" in Harrow's present). Harrowhark, by Caio Santos ( Right , Left ) The book, narrated in second person by the part of Gideon's soul within Harrow, sees Harrow learning from (and barely surviving) God and her fellow lyctors while also experiencing Commander Wake/The Sleeper's attempts to possess her mind through the Canaan House narrative. Given her mental state it's hard to really even call her the same character, let alone say that she makes much emotional progress. Gloom Mistress Harrowark, by Trevor Henderson Gideon's voice plays a huge role in maintaining an emotional connection to the first book, even if it's hard to tell that's what is happening for most of a first read. This is especially true when Harrow takes her necromancy to the River and leaves Gideon in charge of her body, prompting one of my favourite lines of the series: Harrow, I heard it. It fractured your fucking skull. I was so terrified. I was undergoing the kind of shit that I had only undergone once in the happy knowledge that it was all going to be over soon. Child, that bee smashed you. A skull should not have made those sounds. The sound of it un-smashing was even worse—like an egg blowing back out again—but as it was saving your only skull, it was music to my ears. I cleaved that bee open from the thorax down, and it disgorged huge amounts of reeking guts and bones and green blood all over me and the carpet. At the end, we were left in a sea of dead space bees, and you were impossibly okay. Your arms didn’t even hurt, not anymore. You didn’t have your original thumb and I’d touched your intestines, which is usually what, fourth date, but you were fine. Nona & Kiriona If Harrow made fans long for the days when our pair could actually interact with each other, Nona the Ninth turned that feeling up to eleven. I'd argue that neither Harrow or Gideon are really in this book; Harrow spends it washed up on banks of the River listening to John's story and it remains fully unclear where her portion of Gideon's soul ended up. But just because their souls are out at the moment doesn't mean their bodies can't be central to the narrative! Nona & Kiriona Gaia , by CandenceLewisArt Nona is the amnesiac soul of Earth/Alecto, squeezed into Harrow's tiny frame after the chaotic ending of Harrow the Ninth . She's simply the best: innocent, loving, perceptive, friends with Varun the Eater and Noodle alike. Harrow would be nauseous at all of it, but most of all because Nona never even considers putting on Harrow's skull paint. Kiriona Gaia is the chunk of Gideon's soul – lot of snark, little heart – that Harrow didn't consume, restored to her long-dead body by John (though he didn't heal her fatal wounds): “My father has made my body’s bones denser than titanium plex,” said the Crown Prince coldly. “My father has made my skin turn away bullets. I am the perfect sword hand and the final expression of the art of the Nine Houses. Don’t you get it? I am the Emperor’s construct.” Pyrrha said—“Shame he didn’t get some spackle for your extra holes, right?” “Those are my speed holes. They help me go fast,” said Kiriona quickly. John's reasons for creating Kiriona and sending her to Blood of Eden's doorstep, despite the fact her blood could still be used to open the Tomb, remain utterly mysterious. Muir's reasoning is a little more evident in my mind: this lets at least a version of Gideon join Harrow in having agency for the final book. We get a hilarious taste of this in Nona 's epilogue, written from Alecto's perspective and in almost biblical prose: So Alecto, wearied of talking, kneeled upon the rock and offered up the sword to [Harrow] , and placed the child’s hand upon the blade, so that it received also the red blood of the child. This made the child exceeding faint, but it did not swoon of weariness. Which strength pleased Alecto, who said: Notwithstanding, I offer you my service . To which a voice on the opposite side of the shore was raised [by Kiriona/Gideon] , exceeding wroth, and Alecto heard it shout in a very great shout: Get in line, thou big slut. I truly cannot guess how these characters will progress in Alecto the Ninth , beyond a prediction that they will not go the way of Palamedes and Camilla and form a single gestalt soul. Will Gideon be fully restored, in such a way that they can live happily ever after? Probably not. Will they both die? Also probably not. I suppose my best guess is that necromancy ends and they live out mortal lives together... but this is Muir we're talking about, so probably things will be far gayer, stranger and awesome. Thanks for reading! Until next time <3

Prepare to meet one of sci-fi and fantasy's greatest badasses Einherjar Commander Wake from Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb is one of my favourite characters from across speculative fiction, in part because she embodies the character archetype of unrelenting, awe-inspiring badass, or as I'm calling them, Einherjar: warriors carried to Valhalla by Valkyries in Norse mythology, with the name itself translating to "army of one," "those who fight alone." As that definition would suggest, these characters are defined by their capacity for overwhelming violence. This is often true to such an extent that when allied with the protagonists, their mere presence and agency in a scene ensures the physical safety of other characters (potentially making their absence feel inherently dangerous). Conversely, an antagonistic einherjar shatters any conception of safety and order, often necessitating a chaotic escape. However, I think of einherjar as having inverted plot armour; they will believably survive just about anything, right up until the plot decides their time is done. Some examples of characters who I'd call einherjar (who may or may not eventually get posts of their own) include: Boromir from The Lord of the Rings , Tain Shir from The Masquerade , Sigrud from The Divine Cities , Iren from The Books of Babel , Snorri from The Red Queen's War and, for a minor curveball, Jayne from Firefly . Commander Wake, by abominablebebop For the sake of brevity I won't be re-explaining anything from my previous The Locked Tomb articles – on John/Alecto and Lyctors & Gender Dysphoria Part 1 and Part 2 – so consider reading those first if you haven't already. My discussion today will have major spoilers for Harrow the Ninth . Blood of Eden I briefly mentioned the revolutionary group Blood of Eden at the end of my previous post, whose fundamental purpose is the destruction of John's Nine Houses, necromancy and everything it has touched; to liberate humanity from its evil undead overlords. (It's utterly fascinating to consider the ethical tension between John's actions and Blood of Eden's – who many speculate descended from the trillionaires who barely escaped John's wrath.) Commander Wake personifies Blood of Eden's guile, violence, perseverance and disdain for necromancy. Her full name, in the Blood of Eden custom , is: Awake Remembrance of These Valiant Dead Kia Hua Ko Te Pai Snap Back to Reality Oops There Goes Gravity (referencing Shakespeare's Henry V , New Zealand's national anthem and Eminem's "Lose Yourself"; I'll write a little more about this when I get to Muir's worldbuilding and style). John, being John, mockingly refers to her as "Commander Wake Me Up Inside ." I'd read entire books about Wake; unfortunately we know very little about her legendary leadership, strategy and charisma within Blood of Eden beyond the fact that, as we see in Nona , they are still reeling and uncoordinated two decades after losing her. Instead it was her final personal actions that shaped the course of The Locked Tomb . Commander Wake, by MidnightCrows While technically unconfirmed, I firmly believe that Wake hatched a plan to use the surviving lyctors against John; beyond simply removing his greatest allies, they have resources and insights Blood of Eden could only dream of. At some point Wake succeeded in making contact, likely through forming a relationship with Gideon the First's compartmentalized cavalier Pyrrha Dve (see my previous post ). Two lyctors ( Augustine and Mercymorn ) theorize that a child of John's would be able to enter the eponymous Locked Tomb, sealed to all others by powerful blood wards, and recruit Wake to attempt an infiltration. They supply her with John and Mercymorn's genetic material (ten thousand years together have led to complicated relationships between God and his Saints) to create a key in an external womb, but the ova die and Wake elects to carry the child to term herself in order to see the mission through. The psychological (body?) horror of this choice is unparalleled in my mind. Yet Wake knows that this is the only chance in her mortal lifetime to expose John's dearest secret, so she carries her enemy's child for nine months alone and on the run with the plan of sacrificing it to enter the Tomb. Her hunter, Saint Gideon the First, catches up to her at the very end and she chooses to save her newborn daughter's life rather than her own; in hopes that someone will one day find and use the key. Wake & Gideon, by monakisss The daughter's story must wait for another post though, because mere death isn't enough to stop a badass like Awake Remembrance of These Valiant Dead. The Sleeper Similar to how Palamedes haunts his own skull fragment until he reconnects with Camilla, Wake haunts first her body, then her daughter’s sword, before finally moving into the mind of Harrowhark Nonagesimus. What’s awe-inspiring is that Palamedes, a trained necromancer using specialized techniques, is said to have pulled off a minor miracle by staying in place for eight months; Wake has no training, only sheer dedication and willpower, and remains for over eighteen years . Harrow the Ninth sees Wake sowing discord across the Mithraeum (John and the lyctors' secret fortress on the other side of the observable universe), through both the corpse of lyctor Cytherea and within Harrow's muddled memories. In both plots she is an agent of mysterious horror, since we don't find out about her until the end of the novel. In the physical world we only see hints of the corpse's movements (for which the lyctors are happy to blame each other) until Wake nearly succeeds in incinerating Gideon/Pyrrha, presumably looking for revenge on her murderous ex(es). Commander Wake / The Sleeper, by notedchampagne Within Harrow's corrupted memories of her time in Canaan House (the plot of Gideon the Ninth ) Wake similarly takes the form of a stalking, murderous, not-so-sealed corpse; this time wearing the faceless hazard suit in which she died. Her goal is presumably to possess Harrow, now a mostly-functional lyctor, and then cause enough chaos that John and the Saints fall to their greatest, most horrifying enemy . Harrow musters a veritable army of spirits (including the greatest swordsman to ever live) to exorcise Wake, who fights ferociously with an incongruous arsenal of guns against the spells and blades of her necromantic foes. In life she must have had few, if any, equals. Her people — whoever they had been— must have cherished her as their finest champion. She was a prodigious fighter: fast, brutal, ruthless in exploiting advantages, terrifying in her force and aggression. She had gained a wicked-looking knife with a serrated edge in her left hand, balancing the baton in her right, and she struck with it at eyes, groin, or anywhere else she could reach. The heavy haz suit did not seem to slow her at all, and she had a catlike agility in keeping with her earlier handspring; she kept swerving her body away from strikes and mixing elbow jabs, knee strikes, and even kicks into her overall assault. There was no trace in her of the beribboned show fighter: she fought like she wanted to kill you and she hoped it would hurt. – Tamsyn Muir, Harrow the Ninth The Sleeper, by wubbelwubbwubb Wake is ultimately banished by Harrow just in time to also be blasted out of Cytherea's head by Pyrrha (acting as Gideon). Is she conclusively, permanently dead? Some fans certainly speculate that she's not, and it's hard to argue why it should be impossible for her to cling on this time when she did it so well before. I lean towards her being truly dead, in part because as I discussed earlier with the idea of reverse plot armour, einherjar feel uniquely vulnerable to losing their sublime fortitude precisely when the author decides their time has come. Valhalla Awake Remembrance of These Valiant Dead Kia Hua Ko Te Pai Snap Back to Reality Oops There Goes Gravity, Blood of Eden's Commander and the greatest mortal threat to John Gaius in ten thousand years, must rank among speculative fiction's greatest badasses. It is a shame that we really only see and feel her ghost in The Locked Tomb , but in a way that might make her showing even more impressive. I truly appreciate how Muir characterized Wake, both in having a regular human rise to the level that she could threaten John's Empire and in keeping the morality of their conflict so open to interpretation. Even if she stays dead, the shadow of her crusade for a free humanity hangs over this series and will certainly play a role in Alecto the Ninth . Thanks for reading, until next time <3

Male & female, body & mind, heart & soul, bone & cartilage Catching Up This is a direct continuation of my previous post (and may reference my first Locked Tomb post about God and Earth ), so be sure to give that a read if you haven't already! As with last time, heavy spoilers ahead . I left off after discussing Harrowhark; exploring her mysterious relationship with the 200 sacrificed children's souls and nodding to her own warped Lyctorhood. That last doesn't have as much to do with gender, so I'll save it for when I dive into the maelstrom that is Harrow & Gideon Nav. Harrow viewing a painting of Ianthe, Alecto, John Gaius and Kiriona Gaia, by Noctilia Bodies & Minds continued: Pyrrha Dve Now we get to the heart of Nona the Ninth 's portrayal and exploration of trans experiences – including my own, as I relate in different ways to both (all three?) of the characters ahead. I've alluded a few times to how enigmatic this series can be, to the extent that my first and second reading of these books were radically different experiences. The Saint of Duty (Gideon the First/Pyrrha Dve) feels like a strong model for this principle given how much mystery author Tamsyn Muir shrouded them with. Friends of John Gaius prior to the Resurrection (I won't go into too much detail here but it's fascinating to learn this history in Nona ), Gideon and Pyrrha were the third of the seven original lyctors; necromancer Gideon eternally feeding off of Pyrrha's soul, his eyes replaced by hers. But by Pyrrha's own words: "we were children—playing with the reflections of stars in a pool of water…thinking it was space." Somehow, uniquely and unknown to him, Gideon compartmentalized Pyrrha's mind within his own, in such a way as to allow her occasional control. This is the source of major confusion (for readers and characters alike) when the violent Saint of Duty acts completely differently scene-to-scene in Harrow the Ninth – not to mention that he is renamed Ortus for most of that book, another detail for the Harrow discussion. When Gideon dies in the liminal plane of the River at the end of Harrow , Pyrrha takes full control of his body (which still heals as a lyctor's, but Pyrrha doesn't inherit Gideon's necromancy). Pyrrha Dve pre- and post-Lyctorhood with Gideon the First, by deirdresart To quote  eloquent author Tamsyn Muir: "Pyrrha is a ten thousand year old James Bond MILF with attachment issues." Yet Nona depicts Pyrrha dealing with the everyday realities of gender dysphoria while living with her strange new family of Nona, Camilla and Palamedes. Nona, fascinated, watched the brown column of her throat move as she swallowed. There was already a fine dark rust of stubble beneath her chin, amid the dust and the dirt, and when Pyrrha caught her looking, she felt there with her hand and said, laughing, “I know, I know … Gideon always had a five o’clock shadow at three o’clock. Sextus, can’t you fix it?" - Tamsyn Muir , Nona the Ninth She must shave (twice?) daily and even after ten thousand years of co-inhabiting this body is still frustrated by her appearance. Even now that she has total control, her body's innate healing puts her beyond the reach of any gender-affirming procedure (medical or magical) except, perhaps, if performed by another lyctor. "pyrrha 'never could help giving the girls what they wanted' dve", by ofthesewntongue But Pyrrha isn't one to overlook situational advantages, as Muir points out when discussing lyctors : Lyctorhood from first blush has been a huge genderfuck as I understood it, and of course I got to understand it intimately from the get-go because I made it. Pyrrha uses gender like a nightstick. (Pyrrha uses most things like a nightstick.) While Pyrrha visibly struggles with the disconnect between her body and mind at home, she accepts a masculine role as a construction worker within the chaotic, war-torn refugee crisis that is their society for most of Nona . It even seems be implied that Pyrrha is more confident in her skin than Gideon the First ever was, from her practiced imitation of him. Aside from John's brief historical account of her pre-Resurrection self, we never got to see Pyrrha in her own body. Yet even existing in the Saint of Duty's and experiencing all the dysphoria that comes with it, her force of personality jumps off the page like few other characters. And I think that can be an important message, whether for gender dysphoria or general dysmorphia; owning your body and being yourself is truly powerful. Bodies & Minds continued: Paul I can't help but wonder whether Tamsyn Muir intended all along for Camilla & Palamedes to become such major characters in the series, or whether immense adoration on behalf of fans had any influence – there's a comparable amount of fan art of them as of Gideon Nav & Harrow, despite being minor players in the first book and nearly absent from the second. Oh, and Palamedes got exploded to tiny bits at the end of Gideon . (Though Gideon Nav – not Pyrrha's – died too, so it evens out.) By the time they return in Nona , the scientifically minded pair have worked out how to keep Palamedes' spirit attached to Camilla and how to take turns inhabiting her body. Camilla Hect and (skull fragment) Palamedes Sextus, by ancientannoyance Muir says of their independent genders at the start of Nona : Camilla-and-Palamedes both have a very strong sense of self and gender as Camilla, as Palamedes, while at the same time Camilla-and-Palamedes is a clusterfuck. Gender is kind of a weird buffet in the Locked Tomb universe as it is. Our observant point-of-view character Nona helpfully lets the reader know whenever the swap occurs, switching pronouns and names to refer to the person currently inhabiting Camilla's body despite no change in appearance (though a major tell is that Palamedes will put on and/or fiddle with his glasses). I think this is a beautiful example of gender and pronouns being used and accepted completely independent of physical presentation, similar but distinct to Pyrrha's relationship with her body and people's perception of it. Perhaps it also relies a bit on Palamedes being extremely cerebral and a little aloof (and in great danger of being destroyed if the wrong person discovered his existence) for him to apparently be so comfortable in Camilla's body, but in a small way it also foreshadows what is to come. I'm thinking of writing a dedicated post on Muir's enigmatic, foreshadowing style, so for now I'll just skip ahead to everyone's favourite geniuses Camilla and Palamedes developing a new kind of Lyctorhood for themselves – perhaps surpassing even John and Alecto. They cast polymerization ! Saint Paul, by bugcowboyart The two have become one, more completely than with any other lyctor pair, forging a single new identity as (Saint) Paul. This occurs late in the third book and Nona uses they/them pronouns for Paul in the few frantic scenes we got with them, but that could easily change come Alecto the Ninth . I weep alongside the fandom for stalwartly loyal Camilla and audaciously clever Palamedes, and join them in feeling the name choice is a little jarring, but am beyond excited to see Paul in action. Whether Muir intended this (I assume she did) or not, I deeply relate to the idea of they/them pronouns representing a symbiosis between male and female senses of self – both as a middle ground and potentially reflecting multiple selves. My reading is that Nona initially referred to Paul as they because she was still thinking of Palamades-and-Camilla and then stuck with it because she didn't know their gender identity. I love it and hope it sticks, but I'm sure Alecto will knock me on my ass regardless. Aim/Angel & Beyond The final part of Muir's quote about gender in The Locked Tomb reads: Pronouns often exist independent of gender identities— there’s one character in particular who lives with bestowed pronouns and who is violently proud of them while at the same time quite likes experiencing what other pronouns mean . Titles are important for different people for different reasons. The choices people have made—or haven’t made—as to what their names are, what they’re called, are meant to be significant. The main person she's referring to is 'the Angel' or 'Aim', a figure of great importance to the revolutionary Blood of Eden who want to put an end to John and all necromancy. Nona and her friends refer to the Angel with female pronouns, which Muir seems to imply stems from their role as teacher, doctor and nurturer. Yet Blood of Eden uses they/them for Aim and those pronouns feel essential to their role as Messenger within the organization (some theorize that they carry the memories of past Messengers, like Dune 's Bene Gesserit or A Memory Called Empire 's imago machines ). I raised this idea of gender/pronouns-as-social function in my post on neopronouns if you're interested! (It will also certainly come up when I write about the fascinating Terra Ignota series I'm currently listening to.) I really appreciate the way Muir is playing with and exploring gender in these novels, and I'm sure there will be more of it in Alecto and her future lesbian-western-cyberpunk series! Until next time <3