Libromancer's Apprentice

The Forever War  / Joe Haldeman Well.  I can certainly see where comparisons between Old Man's War  and The Forever War are made.  I love that Scalzi wrote his book without having familiarity with this one, and his introduction to this edition is kind of precious. The Forever War  is a 40 year old novel, deliberately set so that characters could have served in Vietnam.  In some ways it has aged poorly, and in others it seems like something written today.  But then, some themes are as relevant now as then.  It's a space opera about war, about the world changing around you, and perhaps the vagarities of chance. This was technically the July Virtual Speculation read, but at this rate I don't have to pick a list for next year, just finish up this years...  Life has been a bit, overwhelming. Discussion Fodder There are some markedly different cultural structures at the start of the story, including the bed rotation roster, the "Fuck You, Sir" response, and t

The following is a narrative and epilogue for a character I played in Pandaemonium, at HLG Con, October 12-13, 2018. Once there was a child, like any of us.  Playing the games we all play.  Running wild with friends, due home by dark to be welcomed back by parents A child grows and changes, the pieces not always fitting the mold set by the parents.  Algebra seems so… tedious compared to the thrum of a tuned engine, the just so fit of a pair of jeans, to secrets held in the shadows.  Childish mischief transmutes into the usual adolescent rebellion.  Or started as such.  There were so many fascinating things to learn, interesting things to try, expanding the consciousness. It was a laugh when the straights started crossing themselves instead of laughing or mocking.  Why not take on their scorn and wear it as a badge of pride.  Watch out for the scary witch. It only takes a moment for everything to change, one decision made so quickly you don’t even remember making a choice.  Some