Age of Ash

An interesting beginning to a new fantasy trilogy. The city of Kithmar is old, has a grand character all its own, and politics and plots that span centuries. When Alys, member of a street gang, runs a pull that goes awry, she sets in motion a series of events which could undo the whole city. 

In a new trilogy Daniel Abraham, of James A. Corey and The Expanse fame, brings us a stunning visual of the city of Kithmar and its environs. From the sprawling palace complex of Green Hill to the gutters of Long Hill. He is taking us on a new journey with thieves, gods and ancient magics. This is an Age of Ash.

The story revolves around Alys and her friend Sammish, two gutter thieves from Longhill. Her older brother Darro is a hired knife who gets in over his head. Wanting to unravel the mystery of her brother's work she begins treading down the same path as Sammish tries to stop her. Though we also see the trials of some of Kithmar's other residents, especially Andomaka who lives mainly in the sprawling Palace Hill complex and the temple of the Daris Brotherhood. The rich and the poor intertwine in some surprising ways, and we do see true compassion from the top for those on the bottom. One outsider who emerges is Saffa, giving us a small glimpse into the magic of this world, and a mother's vendetta.

It is more about thieves and loss than palace intrigue, and it shows us the poorer side of the city and the desperate struggles to eke out a life on the fringes of society. This is quite well done and I could almost breath in the desperate and grinding poverty of the citizens of the city. Sammish having no family to turn to and scraping out a living by running odd errands, doing odd jobs, and of course crime, makes for some heart rending moments as her life is explored. The progressive strain of her relationship with Alys merely adds to this and I was impressed at how these material conditions also effected her emotional journey as well.

Alys began as my favorite character in the book, but her vendetta became almost background to Sammish's mundane struggles. Both characters worked well as foils for one another and their struggles were almost literal mirrors, becoming intertwined almost by accident. They made for some great reading and a very, very suspenseful third act!

Kithmar itself is a character, in a way. Abraham details so much of it so well that you can see yourself walking these streets and getting lost in the alleys or marveling at the homes of the wealthy and the palace. There's a depth to the city that you don't get from a lot of fantasy locations and I'm looking forward to how it gets used as the trilogy expands. The bare bones of a broader mystery and sprawling contest are laid down for us and it will be fascinating to see them built upon.

However, I do think that for all this detail we were sparse on some background details. There are the Hansch and Inlisc peoples who inhabit the city, but beyond some broad cultural differences we don't get much information. There's gods about, but we get little information on who worships what and why. We also never really get a broader sense of the world, or whether the magic is so powerful. It leaves a lot of mysteries, but also slightly unclear stakes overall beyond our main characters. This is made up for by making the stories so personal and the stakes rooted firmly in their struggles, but it does leave many mysteries unexplained.

Told against the sprawling backdrop of Kithmar, which comes to life as a living, breathing, city, it's a tale of friends at odds and gods in the streets. The story shows us a lot of mysteries, but never quite answers them to our satisfaction. I'll certainly be looking to see more of Kithmar in the future.

Walkaway

In the not so distant future, the world is falling into shambles amid climate change as encroaching privatization leaves many without work, without insurance and without hope. Though technology is plentiful and scarcity could be a thing of the past, the grinding desire of capitalism to own and consume leaves no room for that. It has led many people to simply up and walkaway from the default world and trust altruism and omnipresent technology to help them get by. They're talked about in hushed tones by others. They're terrorists, radical anarchists, Mad Max style hooligans, and much worse. But for some, the crushing horror of the default world is too much and they take their chances with the walkaways.

Enter Natalie Redwater, scion of a zotta (ultra-rich) family and her new friends after a crazy night at a "communist party" where they flip on old printers and just give everything away. After a run in with the law, she and her new friends Hubert-nineteen middle names-Espinoza (otherwise known as Etcetera) and Seth decide they've had enough and decide to give it all up and go walkaway. Enter Limpopo, a veteran walkway and sort-or proprietor of the B&B, a walkaway community where you can stop and get adjusted. She shows them the ropes and helps them decide if they want to stay.

In the background however, the world is changing with technologies that could change the meaning of life itself, and Natalie's ultra rich father, Jacob, has power and reach. Will he let his daughter get out from under his thumb or will he leave her to the changing world of the late 21st century?

Walkaway is a sort-of piece of utopian fiction where a new world is struggling to be born. This is author Cory Doctorow's bailiwick, with the common themes he talks about in both fiction and non-fiction. Omnipresent surveillance, creeping capitalist domination, and the possibility of a post scarcity society just at our fingertips. In this novel he presents a radical ideology of pacifism, technological sustainability, and gift economy which exists outside the norms of capitalist society.

Doctorow does a wonderful job elaborating on these ideas throughout the novel, his characters having real motivations for what they do, and complex and all to humanly flawed personalities which clash with their own ideologies more often than not. Though the throws a lot of slang and terminology at you, he does a good job explaining most of it and fleshing out how his world works, why the walkaway society is great, but by no means perfect. With the power of efficient recycling and 3D printing, the society is one which seems enticing, if weird and alien to the world of default sensibilities. Ideas of owning nothing, and carrying little more than what you have on your back are not only rational, but with the power of printing, viable.

Though the story starts from Etcetera's perspective, it is largely that of Natalie's and her work in adapting to the walkaway lifestyle and the world. The other driving characters are Etcetera and Limpopo who all shape the story to one degree or another alongside others introduced later on.

Walkaway spans multiple years, but this is never clearly indicated between chapter breaks. I found myself getting lost in the plot a few times as suddenly we were years down the line and I had no indication of what had happened which jarred me from the story more than once. The slang and jargon often goes unexplained with you having to pick it up as you go along, which does work in most cases but was a bit confusing at times.

There is also very little preamble into the state of the world leading up to when people just walkaway and despite some mentions of wastelands or abandoned properties I found myself wondering how so much land simply got abandoned. With looks at climate change and mentions of bankruptcy and social disorder, I had some inkling, but much of the world was a little vague for my taste.

That said, I do have a certain thrill that 99% of the book takes place in Canada. Doctorow is a Canadian by birth, and the setting early on in and around Toronto and Niagara was a huge tug at my heartstrings. It made for a nicely familiar setting to me, with talk about some differences between Canada and the US, but also some delightful time shock as it examined the breakdown and atomization of society to this future norm where I scarcely would have recognized Canada of the later 21st century!

Doctorow also does wonders with the aspects of passive and non-violent resistance. Not that walkaways won't defend themselves, but they almost exclusively use non-lethal means, except against drones and that doesn't count. That is part of the walkaway ethos where people can't take something from you if it wasn't yours to begin with. The action in the book primarily revolves around this kind of retreat and technical battling against aggressive electronic warfare by the state. It made for many amazing action scenes in which, on many occasions, no one actually dies! A very different form of action from what I'm used to.

Like any good utopian fiction, it grapples with the flaws and pitfalls of the society it creates. Selfish people still exist and they can drag the whole thing down - no one really solves the free rider problem. There's also the benefits, and they do seem legion. The science fiction aspect of course also plays a role with the technology, with some very interesting ideas being bandied about.

Walkaway is a radical utopia with warts and all. Despite some difficulty jumping in, I did enjoy the story and the trajectory for these characters. It's a fascinating world with radical ideas and some beautiful character growth. Give this one some love.

My Stoic Journey

A few year ago now I stumbled across the idea of stoicism from fellow blogger Jeffery Brooks. It was mere chance that I saw a post he had done on the nature of stoic philosophy and down a rabbit hole I began to travel. It has been an exciting journey of self discovery I would love to share with you!

Stoicism is, in a nutshell, an ancient philosophy which teaches the value of self control through the practice of virtue. The idea is that if one practices virtue, you can become a clear and unbiased thinker. Practicing virtue leads to a better life, and focusing only on what you can control, your reaction to things, allows you to weather the blows of life better than simply giving in to base emotions. The power of the stoic philosophy is well put by one of its greatest thinkers Epictetus:

Philosophy does not promise to secure anything external for man, otherwise it would be admitting something that lies beyond its proper subject-matter. For as the material of the carpenter is wood, and that of statuary bronze, so the subject-matter of the art of living is each person's own life. (Discourses 1.15.2)

The stoic philosophy extolls the four cardinal virtues. These are; wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance. In the stoic mind the evils of the world follow from ignorance of these principles, or men acting out against their nature, or the innate logic of nature (the logos). Practicing and refining your life around these virtues then is a goal to be strived for and it is not merely a set of spiritual beliefs but something to be strived for. There is an art to stoic living, one that requires, like exercise, constant practice and refinement.

In order to better understand this refinement, the words of the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, can still be easily read in his accidental book of philosophy Meditations. The private thoughts of an emperor written down for personal consumption, they are the innermost reflections of one of the most powerful men in the world as he chides himself, tries to direct his energies to a more productive use, and reminds himself that he is mortal and fallible. Indeed, one can take some of his thoughts and reflect on it well every morning to cope with life's stresses:

“Say to yourself first thing in the morning: today I shall meet people who are meddling, ungrateful, aggressive, treacherous, malicious, unsocial. All this has afflicted them through their ignorance of true good and evil. But I have that the nature of good is what is right, and the nature of evil what is wrong; and I reflected that the nature of the offender himself is akin to my own -- not a kinship of blood or seed, but a sharing in the same mind, the same fragment of divinity. Therefore I cannot be harmed by any of them, as none will infect me with their wrong. Nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him. We were born for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of upper and lower teeth. So to work in opposition to one another is against nature: and anger or rejection is opposition.” (Meditations, Book II.I)

It was not with that great and venerable emperor philosopher I began my journey however, it was through the work of Massimo Pigliucci in his work How to be a Stoic. It is an easily accessible book, with diagrams and endless personal anecdotes on the stoic lifestyle, its challenges, and how to live by what the ancient philosophers said. His work is easy to read for a philosopher novice, and he draws heavily on the works of others and tries to break down their language so that it is more accessible to a 21st century reader. Through it all he succeeds admirably, and does a very concise job in showing you the path to living a stoic lifestyle.

I immediately followed this by reading Epictetus's Discourses. It is a good read, but one that is much better suited to someone who has studied philosophy before. Going onwards I immediately read Meditations, which has stood the test of nearly a thousand years! Edited into digestible chunks, it is merely the musings of Marcus Aurelius. Easy to read for many and something that should be read and appreciated!

From there I read a few of the works of Seneca and Cicero, both great writers and thinkers in their own ways. My most recent read however, was from a very modern source, Nancy Sherman's Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience. 

Sherman writes in a very conversational style, only occasionally drawing on the exact words of the ancient writers and instead utilizing her own personal knowledge of stoicism to inform you on how to apply this ancient wisdom to your modern life. From hectic schedules, to cellphones, to the pandemic (which struck as she was writing it) she applies the different ideas of stoic virtues and ways of living/thinking which are so useful to stoics. I sincerely recommend this accessible read to anyone hoping to see how this ancient philosophy is very applicable to their modern lives!

For my own part, having accessed Pigliucci's work and then read through the stoics and managed to try my hand at the stoic way of living through the wisdom of these sages, and finally more recently through the work of Sherman, I am attempting to incorporate its practices into my everyday life. Whether it's Marcus Aurelius's admonishment for every morning, or simply remembering there is very little I can have physical control over in my life, I attempt to bring those ancient ideas forward.

What has been of some great comfort is that stoic practice has directly influenced modern cognitive behavioral therapy, which I also practice. I remind myself what I can control, what I can or should think about, and set concrete expectations on what I can do. It has been very helpful living in these trying times.

Stoic thought too has influenced Christianity, with the Apostle Paul using stoic arguments and metaphors in his epistles to the early churches. The stoic virtues and ideas of consistently refining yourself to the rigors of modern life and the world have resonated with Christian audiences, and can be very useful in guiding the Christian faith. At least I have found so anyways.

Stoicism is though, a powerful philosophy for the modern world. A series of ideas and practices which have withstood the test of time and are as applicable to life now as they were when the first stoic, Zeno, began to spell out his thoughts to his followers all those millennia ago! Hopefully these ideas have been instructive and offer a little glimpse of the philosophy I enjoy, and hopefully you can explore these resources and find out more for yourself as well!

Battlestar Galactica Season 1

It has been forty years since the Cylons rebelled against humanity in one of the most destructive wars the human species has ever faced. Now however, the two sides have agreed to an uneasy peace. The Twelve Colonies of Kobol have thrived, and some have even forgotten the lessons of the Cylon War and are interested in bringing increased advances in computing to humanity to make their lives better, one notable advocate is Gaius Balter. One man who hasn't forgotten the lessons of the last war is Commander William Adama of the elderly Battlestar Galactic which is one of the last vessels of the First Cylon War. On its way to a decommissioning ceremony to become a museum he is looking forward to a retirement from the Colonial Fleet and seeing the transfer of the men and women under his command to new duty stations.

From the ever outrageous ace pilot Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, his alcoholic Executive Officer Colonel Saul Tigh, and his estranged son Lee "Apollo" Adama, his people are important to him and he wants to see them turn out well. Onboard is the Secretary of Education Laura Roslin and her staff, looking for a smooth transition from the ship's final assignment.

Little do they know, the Cylons are coming back.