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COVERING ALL MY TERMITE BOOKS

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First Review of Buried Ship - 5 Star!

 Thanks to Christopher Graham (The Story Reading Ape)!

Reading this last book of a series, about a group of characters I've grown close to, was a bitter/sweet experience.
Bitter because it's the last time I'll join in with their new adventures.
Sweet because I met new characters, discovered one character who was lost and found out how all the loose ends were neatly tied up by the author.
I was also reminded of some myths / legends I'd forgotten about.
The highest accolade I can give this author is - I will definitely be re-reading the series from the start again, probably more than once, so I can learn more about the characters, the legends the stories are based upon and so I can yet again enjoy the work of a Master Storyteller.

Speaking as the author, I wouldn't mind reading the series again myself!  I think it will wear well!

Buy all my books here

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New Five-Star Review of Revenge of the Dead Enemy

      

  

 Five Stars to John Clifford for a great review

of v.6 and the whole series!

       This is a review of the whole series, including the the prequel, The Termite Queen.  All of the best of all of the great epics from Ur to Iceland in one smooth flowing story, with a lovable cast of heroes, many of whom play surprising roles once you think you have them pegged from one epic, and a cast of villains both thoroughly detestable and occasionally pitiable. All the themes are here, all the feats, and yet the stories are fresh and exciting. Pretty amazing for a story about a group of intelligent termite of various species, but they are social creatures with all the problems that entails and so super human (termite?) responses are called to meet them. And those efforts have all too human consequences for termites as well. So the epic flows on in a natural (though, for those involved, a foreordained) way from feat to feat. And yet, alas, we end with one path finished but another begun and dropped. I have not yearned for the next step, a new epic built on this, so much since the latest volume of Song of Ice and Fire, more so even than Harry Potter. But it is in the works!

What writer wouldn't relish being compared to

The Song of Fire and Ice?

See this review and two other 5-star reviews 

of this book on Amazon

and also view my books on Amazon.co.uk,

Smashwords and Barnes & Noble

And watch this blog for a cover reveal on the sequel volume!

Another Great Review by a Reader Who Is Making His Way through the Series!

       

Click for larger view

Click for larger view

        Adam Walker recently reviewed The Valley of Thorns, v.3 of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head. New Review of The Valley of Thorns.  Now he has read his way through v.4, Beneath the Mountain of Heavy Fear, and put up another fine review on Goodreads.  It's short but to the point!  Here it is!

       Once more we follow Ki'shto'ba Huge Head and his companions through their adventures, this time even into the Underworld! In this volume we meet two more of the Companions; both of which are delightfully quirky! Oh and Za'dut continues to get himself and everyone else into all manner of trouble through his too-clever-by-half schemes. I'm really looking forward to seeing what develops as young Is'a'pai'a begins *its* quest entertwined with that of the Huge Head. Lots of good laughs here! Another success of Ms. Taylor and her termites!

       So my only comment is, why aren't more of you reading your way through my absorbing epic series?!!  You're missing out!  Don't be scared -- the big, bad termites don't bite Earthers!

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New review of The Valley of Thorns (v.3, The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head)

Current cover

Alternate cover, not used

Adam Walker, one of my best supporters, favored me with another great 5-star review, this time of The Valley of Thorns.  Here it is!

This third installment in the Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge Head series continues with the Herculean epic motif, but like the previous volume, which added in elements of the Beowulf, this volume adds elements of the Medieval French poem, the Song of Roland. Ms. Taylor, once again pulls off a wonderfully entertaining tale, blending elements of two Human stories which have endured for centuries while transposing and transmuting them into a form completely suited to her extraterrestrial termite heroes. Though much shorter than some of the other volumes in this series, this one manages to pack in all the elements I have loved in previous volumes--humorous asides, the snarky interplay between the narrator and his scribe, the machinations of the little worker Za'dut, and the interplay of the various friendships among the Companions--but this volume manages to add a few more elements--an epic list naming the warriors and their deeds before the great battle, betrayal, madness and vengeance, and regret and loss. Ms. Taylor managed to make me cry over a fictional termite, a termite for heaven's sake! I have enjoyed all the volumes of the Labors thus far, but I believe this is the best one yet!

See all the Goodreads reviews for the book here.

And of course you can buy all my books at Amazon, 

Amazon.co.uk (and all other Amazon countries), 

at Smashwords, 

and at Barnes & Noble.

Review of The Revenge of the Dead Enemy, by Marva Dasef

I haven't been blogging lately because of my recent surgery -- no enthusiam left for anything.  However, Marva Dasef, who has become one of my most devoted fans, posted a review on Dec. 19 (one day after the surgery) of the final Ki'shto'ba volume.  It's a great review (5 star) and I'm sorry I am only just getting around to sharing it here. See the original on Amazon, Goodreads, or Smashwords.  (And Marva is a really good writer herself.  See her books, including many in audio format, at Amazon.)

 

I'm a Termite Lover for Life

 

So you think you can't empathize with a giant termite? We've had many insectoid and arachnid heroes in literature. Consider "Charlotte's Web." If you didn't get teary-eyed when Charlotte died, then you must have a heart of stone. Other stories empathetic toward multi-legged creatures: Ant Bully, It's a Bug's Life, Bee Story. I'm sure there are others. I don't usually seek out books about bugs, but I could come up with these examples in a few seconds.

So, what about the entire epic journey "The Labors of Ki'sh'toba: Volumes 1-6?" I have previously reviewed 1-5, not to mention the 2-volume "Termite Queen" saga. I liked them...a lot. I continually complained about the difficult names, places, and concepts with the conlang (constructed language) of the Termite world. Too many apostrophes and a bunch of other punctuation I have no clue how to pronounce.

I will complain no more. I still can't pronounce 90% of the termite language, but I can visually recognize the names of the main characters. All have become familiar and lovable in their own ways. Di'fa'kro'mi, the Remembrancer (story teller) is quite an adept author considering he had to invent a written language in which to tell the tales. I know, the real Remembrancer is Lorinda Taylor, but she is such a wonderful writer, I was immersed in the stories as if they were really told by Di'fa'kro'mi.

As I did when first reading "Charlotte's Web," I wept over the death of some of my favorites throughout the entire six volumes. I cried for termites? Yes, I did, and I'm not ashamed.

The entire tale of Ki'shto'ba and his labors (modeled on the Greek Hercules myth) is hard to get into, but an epic worthy of the difficulty of the journey.

I completely and thoroughly recommend the entire six volumes. But you might want to start with the Termite Queen books to allow yourself to ease into the idea of termite heroes.

 

Thanks, Marva!  I appreciate it so much! 

 

 

New Review of The Wood Where the Two Moons Shine!

 

 

Here is Marva Dasef's review of v.5 of the series

The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head

 

See Marva's publications (YA and MG books,
 as well as adult, and a lot of audio books)
at Amazon

 

       In addition to looking up the myths yourself, you can read the posts in this blog in the series "The Life of Hercules," where I talk a good deal about how I adapted the stories.  I'd also welcome comments on how you feel about the conlangs.  Of course, you'd have to read some of my books first! 

 

An Epic Worthy of the Mythology

 Okay, if you haven't started with Volume 1 and worked your way through to this 5th volume, you'll have no idea what it's all about. Stop reading the review right now. Go to Amazon or Smashwords and start at the previous two-volume book, "The Termite Queen, Vol. 1" or at least at "The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, Vol. 1" which picks up events after the first book.
       While an excellent addition to the epic tale of heroic alien termites, I wanted a little more to highlight Ki'shto'ba's quest's end. As the first volume of the story of Is’a’pai’a's search for the golden (fleece) fungus, it's a smooth transition into the young warrior's quest.
       Yes, this is an imagining of Jason and the Argonauts. Most of the characters in the Greek myth are present and accounted for. But this doesn't need to be a deed for deed, character for character retelling. Some aspects of the Jason myth are impossible. For example, Medea as Jason's wife just won't fit into the story of neuter termite warriors. I suspect a Mother (queen) termite will stand in for Medea at some point.
       Am I complaining that the epic adventures of Hercules (Ki'shto'ba) and Jason (Is'a'pai'a) are utilized as the basis for the termites' tellings? Not at all. I went to my Dictionary of Mythology to remind myself of the human equivalents to the termite heroes and deeds.
       My only problem throughout the series is the con-lang (constructed language) Ms. Taylor has created. It's an impressive feat. On the other hand, it's reading a story with all the names and lots of other words are written in Urdu or Finnish. Hard to remember who is who and what is what. I got used to the main characters' names, but new characters and words introduced along the way didn't stick quite as well. This makes the book difficult to read without breaking immersion. The imaginary "translator" of the termite language text, could easily have said "Since the names are difficult, I will substitute more familiar (or shorter) terms to stand in. Please see the Appendix (yes, there is one) as needed." Thus, Ki'shto'ba would be called Kip or Kish, Is'a'pai'a could be Ike or Isa. I would definitely be easier to read.
       The difficulty of maintaining immersion because of the con-lang dropped a star off the rating [to 4 star]. In all other ways, I highly recommend both series. I look forward to reading Isa's continued quest for the golden fungus in volume 6.

 

(Don't forget to check out my new book trailer at YouTube)

A Milestone Is Reached! The Final Volume of the Ki'shto'ba Series Has Been Published!

      

Back cover of The Revenge of the Dead Enemy
Amazon, Amazon UK, and all other countries
Smashwords
 

        I began to write the series The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head at the beginning of 2001 (in fact I labeled it as starting on Christmas Day, 2000) and I completed the revision of the first draft of the final volume on 7/29/03.

       Now on 10/27/14, the entire series has finally been published!

http://www.kidsdiscover.com/spotlight/sound-and-vibration/

Do I hear a round of applause?

 

      

 

 

 

 

      

 

 

       I've taken Ki'shto'ba and its Twelve Companions on the promised Quest to reach the sea, moving from the original Three Companions (Di'fa'kro'mi, Wei'tu, and Twa'sei) to the last Two, Mo'wiv the Shipwright and Da'sask'ni'a the Doubly Cursed Seer (both introduced in v.5).  Along the way we met the 4th Companion, Ki'shto'ba's Twin, A'zhu'lo (later surnamed Beloved of Champions under tragic circumstances).  We acquired the 5th Companion, Za'dut the Tricky Lizard (also more nobly surnamed Fortress Breaker), who provided an endless stream of audacious, useful, and entertaining pranks and inventions.  We added a Healer, Ra'fa'kat'wei, who had a quest of her own -- to find an antidote to the snail-poison that killed a great Champion of her people.  We discovered a young Warrior of the Water People, Is'a'pai'a, an exile who knew nothing of its heritage, and that Warrior's helper Krai'zei, one of the Yo'sho'zei, a people with the reputation for mysterious powers.  Finally, we met the 9th Companion, Bu'gan'zei, a word-crafter who has invented a new way of speaking that can charm the very leaves and stones -- who is destined to guide Ki'shto'ba into the World Below.  And then there is the 10th, Thel'tav'a  the Intercaste, a female winged and eyed Warrior whose name means Loyal to the Good and who will give her fidelity only to one who can best her in battle. 

       When the Quest finally reaches the sea, the emphasis shifts to Is'a'pai'a's own quest -- the Quest for the Golden Fungus.  Ki'shto'ba begins to play a support role until events unfold that fulfill the final prophecies that have hedged the Quest about from the very beginning. 

       And this means that the final volume leaves much unresolved.  It means that I need to write a seventh volume.  In 2003, after working intensively on this series for two and a half years, I was a little burned out on it and I decided to write something else for a while.  I started The Man Who Found Birds among the Stars, and that was a disaster -- not that the book was without value but it swallowed me up and became endless.  I never got back to that seventh volume.

       Now I've got to write it.  It won't be called Volume Seven -- it will be called

 

 The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head: The Sequel

The Buried Ship at the End of the World

(unless I change my mind on the volume title) 

 

       I have a lot of notes, but I have to do some more research on the mythology that I'll be interpreting and I have to carefully work out the timeline.  I also need to make a chapter outline, because I want to cover certain events in a structured way that will keep the book from growing to an unmanageable length (my worst failing).  I guess I really am a planner and not a pantser, because improvisation is deadly for me.  That is, I can improvise in the actual writing process, but not in figuring out what I want to put in the plot.   

       This won't be a quick undertaking, because when I get inspired, I can write fast, but then I like to take a lot of time to "cook" the book -- let it simmer, rest, and then be stirred and seasoned over and over.  And I'll also have to do a cover drawing from scratch -- no older drawings here that I can pull out of my hat.  And I'll have to make the maps, also.

       I may work on some other material as well, like trying to decide what to do with The Man Who Found Birds among the Stars, and also that extract called Father and Demons that I had planned to publish earlier only to change my mind.  So I think I have more than enough creative projects to move to the front burner.

       In the meantime, I'd love to have more readers for what I've already published.  I'm going to try to do more promotion.  I think there are a lot of people out there who would be surprised at what a great read my books are, particularly the Ki'shto'ba series, which only gets more intense and more moving as it goes along (be sure you have some hankies handy when you read The Revenge of the Dead Enemy). 

       So stay tuned for further developments, and let me hear from you as you enjoy my creations!  You can find me on Facebook, on Twitter @TermiteWriter, and also on my Google+ community, Books by TermiteWriter.  Or leave your comments on this blog or on my other blog Ruminations of a Remembrancer. 

 

       P.S.  Watch for a Facebook event soon!

Opinions Needed: Which Cover Works Best?

Version No. 1

       I composed this picture a long time ago and I decided it made a great cover for v.6 of the Ki'shto'ba series.  Now you're going to say, the four versions are all the same, but if you look closely, they are not.  (It becomes one of those "Find six differences in these pictures" puzzle!) My main problem is getting the sea to look halfway decent.  For The Wood Where the Two Moon Shines, I needed a twilight sea with a lot of foam and golden highlights, since the sun was setting.  A plain darkish blue worked fine for the sea.  Here it's broad daylight and the sea needs texture.  It's really tough to get that with the Word drawing program . 
       I've left the waves in the lower part on all the versions, but the last three versions have a darker blue sea, so I changed the color of the waves to grayish-white.  Kind of like making a negative instead of a positive.

Version No. 2

       Then I used broadly dashed lines in the upper part to try to make the sea look less static.  You can see I made them either a different shade of blue or they are grayish white.  In the 3rd and 4th versions, I removed them entirely.  Now I can't make up my mind whether it looks better with or without those squiggles.  I really want some opinions and if you're not comfortable commenting on a Blogger blog, leave a message for me on Twitter @TermiteWriter or post on my Facebook timeline or page or on Google+.
       One other thing that differs:  I used a different typeface on Version No. 4.  I've pretty much settled on that one, for the cover and the title page and headers, etc.
       It works best if you click on the pictures and get a bigger version where the detail is easier to see.

       The scene depicts the Point of the Monster (Dan'ki'no'dai).  Remember the story of Perseus and Andromeda?  Here is what is said about it in the book:

       As we sailed into the deep bay where Li’hwai’chet was located, we had to pass the impressive headland that thrust out along its west side. “Dan’ki’no’dai,” said Mo’wiv. “Can you Moon-Wings see the monster upon it?"
        We craned our necks and could indeed make out the shape of an enormous head at the top of the point and twisted rocks that descended in great coils.
        Mo’wiv was continuing, “It is said that the ancient hero Wak’a’lo’a possessed the head of a magical She-Monster that it had killed in lands beyond the north wind. The palps on this head would turn anything they touched to stone. Wak’a’lo’a used it to destroy the fierce sea-worm whose petrified remains you see here and thus saved a female nymph from being carried off by Guoi’me’uh’hma’no’tze … [i.e., the Sea King]”


Version No. 3

     At that point I exclaimed, “Oh!  The Northern Nasutes told that tale, only they substituted Ju’mu for Wak’a’lo’a.  So this is the place where that myth originated!”  And Ra’fa’kat’wei and I gawked with even greater curiosity.
       ...
       And we sailed on, through the shadow of the Point of the Monster, which loomed above us like a warning not to overstep ourselves – a reminder that, even though one of us had earned the surname “Monster-Slayer,” we did not live in the same age as ancient heroes.







Version No. 4

 

The Wood Where the Two Moons Shine Is Published!

Front cover

The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head

Volume Five

The Wood Where the Two Moons Shine

 

is now published!

 

Only one more volume to go!

 

       Here is the description of v.5:

Back cover

The Companions arrive at the Hidden Fortress and meet Vai’zei’a’parn, the Leader of the Yo’sho’zei, who was Is’a’pai’a’s mentor.  Is’a’pai’a finally learns the story of its origin – how its egg was laid in Hwai’ran’chet at a time when that mighty fortress had come under the domination of an invading tyrant named Wei’thel’a’han.  Here the treacherous No’tuk’a’nei, a power-hungry Alate Seer-Sorcerer who happens to be the hatchmate of Vai’zei’a’parn, convinced the new Commander that a nymph of a certain lineage would be the agent of its death.  Since the current King of the fortress was of that lineage, Wei’thel’a’han ordered the destruction of every egg laid and every individual hatched since that King came to the Mother.  In the midst of the ensuing slaughter, one egg was rescued and taken to the Hidden Fortress, where it was given to Vai’zei’a’parn for safekeeping.  Is’a’pai’a hatched from this egg and now it learns that its destiny is to be the Champion who delivers Hwai’ran’chet – and its own Mother – from the clutches of the Tyrant and its evil Sorcerer.
       The Companions linger in Zan’tet, where a seemingly harmless adventure ends in disaster.  Ultimately, Ki’shto’ba and its Companions depart to finish the Quest to reach the sea before venturing into Hwai’ran’chet.  Accompanied by the newly acquired 11th Companion, the group soon encounters the 12th, who guides them to the shore.  Arriving at sunset, they can at last see the Golden Path on which thy must tread. 

Many prophecies will find their answer as the future continues to unfold.  In the final chapter, a ship has been built and the Quest for the Golden Fungus is about to begin.  The leadership of the Quest then passes to Is’a’pai’a even as the Companions learn the meaning of “The Wood Where the Two Moons Shine.”

 

A Word on Volume Six

 

The final volume in the series will be entitled The Revenge of the Dead Enemy, with all the ominous implications that phrase carries -- and you'll know what I mean if you've read the earlier volumes and remember the prophecies of certain Seers.  I hope to have v.6 published well before Christmas.  It will complete the questing begun by Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, Di'fa'kro'mi the Remembrancer, and their Companions way back at the end of The Termite Queen.  However, it doesn't complete the whole story, so

 

There must be a sequel!

And it hasn't been written yet!

 

My plan is to write one more book, which will probably be entitled The Buried Ship at the End of the World.  I expect the writing of this book to go a bit slow.  I haven't really written anything new (no major fiction at least) in several years, so I expect to be rusty.  In the meantime, I've also gotten older (I assume nobody has gotten younger over the last few years!) and less energetic. 

Furthermore, Di'fa'kro'mi won't be writing the last volume.  I won't say more than that right now, but the person composing the book will be inexperienced at the Remembrancer's craft  and he will have to narrate the tale in the third person.  I'm so used to Di'fa'kro'mi's point of view that I may find it hard to get inspired.  But maybe when I actually start writing, I'll get into it.  I have some notes already, and I intend to do some more mythological research.  I also mean to make a chapter outline and stick to it, so I won't make my usual blunder of letting the length get away from me.  I guess I really am a planner, not a pantser!  Improvising is disastrous for me!

In the meantime, those of you who haven't read any of the series have some fun ahead of you!  Here are the links where you can buy all my books, or scroll down the sidebar for individual volumes:

 

Amazon (Kindle should appear by 9/10/14)

Amazon.co.uk

(and all other Amazon branches)

Smashwords

 

The Life of Hercules: The Centaurs and the Erymanthian Boar

Sixth of a series. Here are the earlier posts:

The Life of Hercules: Birth and Childhood

The Life of Hercules: The First Six Labors

The Life of Hercules: The Final Six Labors

The Life of Hercules: Digression into the Underworld

The Life of Hercules: Another Digression (The Calydonian Boar)

Terra cotta centaur statue, 8th c. BCE.
(Bibi Saint-Pol / Wikimedia Commons)
http://www.argonauts-book.com/cheiron.html

        The Centaurs and the Lapiths are both depicted in ancient myths as descendants of Ixion and they represent certain pre-Hellenic mountain tribes of northern Greece, according to Robert Graves in his Greek Myths.  Two different versions of their origin (see Lapiths and Centaurs in Wikipedia) confuse the picture, but in one of these Lapithes and Centaurus were presented as twins.  Lapithes went on to found the human race of Lapiths, while Centaurus mated with the Magnesian mares, producing the race of Centaurs.  Thus the two peoples were in effect cousins, even though they became mortal enemies.  Early depictions of Centaurs show them as humans with a human's legs and a horse's rear attached at the back, while  the currently more familiar form of a man's torso on a horse body developed later on.
       As time passed, the Centaurs began to be viewed as more barbarous than the human Lapiths.  "The strife among these cousins is a metaphor for the conflict between the lower appetites and civilized behavior in humankind." (Centaurs in Wikipedia)
       The Centaurs were unused to wine.  When they were invited to the wedding of the Lapith Pirithous, they consumed wine in a barbarous fashion, i.e. straight, undiluted with water, and in excessive quantities.  Hence, they became very drunk and began to attempt to have sex with all the women (and the men, too).  A great battle ensued, in which the Centaurs were defeated. 


Cheiron and possibly Achilles, although it
could just as well be Jason.
Etruscan vase, c. 500-480 BCE
(© Fæ / Wikimedia Commons)
 http://www.argonauts-book.com/cheiron.html 

       Strangely enough, even though the Centaurs represented the lower nature of humans, they could also produce great teachers, both of the arts of battle and of philosophical and moral matters.  This aspect of the Centaurs is best represented by the wise and honorable Cheiron.  Achilles' father gave him into Cheiron's tutelage to learn how to be a Champion, and Cheiron also mentored Patroclus, Asclepius, Jason, and other heroes (see list in the Wikipedia article).   He taught them not only how to fight but how to live. 
       Heracles was not mentored by Cheiron, but nevertheless they were friends.  This brings us to the topic of the Erymanthian Boar, the Fourth Labor of Heracles. I spoke about that briefly in my post The Life of Hercules: The First Six Labors, but I want to elaborate a bit here.  Boar hunts are common in Greek myth; after all the wild boar was a giant and fierce animal.  We already dicussed the Calydonian Boar Hunt, and who can forget that Adonis was killed by a boar?  However, our present interest lies in what happened as Heracles was on his way to Mount Erymanthos to capture the boar.  He stopped in at the house of Pholus, another kindly and friendly Centaur, and at dinner Heracles asked for wine.  Again, the concept that the Centaurs did not know how to handle wine comes into play.  The scent of wine attracted other Centaurs, who drank it straight, became rowdy, and attacked Heracles.  He shot at them with his arrows, which had been poisoned by the blood of the hydra, and they retreated to the cave-home of Cheiron.
       Curious as to why the arrows were so lethal, Pholus picked one up and dropped it on his own foot, thus causing his own death.  But more importantly, in the melee of the battle one of the arrows struck Cheiron.  Being a son of Chronus, Cheiron was immortal, but the pain of the poison was so great that he volunteered to give up his immortality in ransom for Prometheus.  Naturally, Heracles grieved mightily at having killed two of his old friends.

        So how do I make use of all this in The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head?  I needed a species of Shshi that could represent the Centaurs.  The termite world is not fantastic enough to have a people who are, say, half termite and half reptilian (there are no mammals on that planet).  But there are many varieties of nasutoids (termites whose soldiers have both fighting mandibles and a poison-spraying gland; true nasute soldiers have only a poison-spraying gland and hardly any mandibles at all).  To the plains Shshi Ki'shto'ba and Di'fa'kro'mi, a nasutoid appears like a hybrid.  So I created the Yo'sho'zei -- the Ancient Ones -- who are supposed to be an archaic species of Shshi, the oldest in origin that are known.  They have enormous, downward-hooking mandibles and a gland on their heads that produces a foamy, lethal acid spray.  Their home is far to the south, near the sea, in a obscure region known as the Spirit Hills, and they have a mysterious reputation of being Sorcerers and Sages, attuned to things of the spirit.  We meet one of their Workers in the person of Krai'zei, the young Is'a'pai'a's aide and caretaker.
       What do I do for Cheiron?  He is such an important figure that I divided him into two people.  The Warrior Ju'mu, whom we encounter in v.1: The War of the Stolen Mother represents the trainer of Warriors.  Ju'mu is shown as the mentor of Nei'ga'bao Swift-Foot just as Cheiron mentored Achilles and it teaches Ki'shto'ba how to fight with an extra-body weapon.  The name "Cheiron" means "hand," but I couldn't name Ju'mu just "Mu" (claw), so I named him "Hard Claw."
       The wise scholar and healer who is the other aspect of Cheiron doesn't appear as a speaking character until v.5: The Wood Where the Two Moons Shine, which I'm just preparing for publication.  Vai'zei'a'parn is an aged Alate who mentored Is'a'pai'a (the Jason figure) as a nymph and obeyed a Seer's instruction to send Is'a'pai'a off to roam northern lands and find a Champion to teach it.  I couldn't use the meaning "hand" twice, so Vai'zei'a'parn's name means "Giver of Knowledge."
       How I complete the myth -- i.e., how the Erymanthian boar fits in, how Heracles kills Cheiron by accident, and how the drunken Centaur aspect is utilized -- will remain a mystery until you read the fifth volume!



A more typical depiction of a Centaur
Probably one of the drunken ones!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur#

      
Besides the Wikipedia references mentioned in the text above, the following articles are of interest: 

http://www.mythindex.com/greek-mythology/C/Cheiron.html
http://www.argonauts-book.com/cheiron.html
 

Another New Review: The War of the Stolen Mother

Front cover:
Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head Stands Guard

 

Here is Adam Walker's review from Goodreads

of v.1 of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head.

I do believe I've acquired another fan!

The Bold type in the last paragraph is mine.

 

       This book is a very fun retelling of the Trojan War in a Shshi context. The Shshi are intelligent extraterrestrial termites, so don't expect the story to play out exactly the same, there is a lot of creativity on display, in both characterization and event, but the basic outline is there. You might not imagine it, but this story of termite cities locked in "eternal warfare" manages to offer up a story with moments of great humor and deep pathos. The fates of the Mothers of the two cities, their Kings and the Warriors who fight on both sides are both influenced by and entrap the intrepid band of adventurers lead by Ki'shto'ba Huge-head, the Hercules-like Champion who readers of The Termite Queen will already know and love.
       If you love Greek myths, read this book. If you love detailed, well-crafted alien societies, read this book. If you like adventure stories with quirky narrators, read this book. If you think social insects are cool, read this book. Just find an excuse and read.

 

You can see my interview of Adam

under his pen name over on my other blog,

Ruminations of a Remembrancer.

New 5-Star Review of Beneath the Mountain of Heavy Fear

Once again Marva Dasef has come through with a great review of the 4th volume of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head.  Marva writes MG/YA books that I find very enjoyable. The Witches of Galdorheim (trilogy) is my favorite, but Setara's Genie is absolutely a lot of fun, and among her other books are a mystery and a series of tales about a boy growing up in Texas in an earlier era.  Most of her books are available in audio form as well as print and ebook.  Find them at Amazon and at Smashwords, plus other online retailers. 

 

Here Is Her Review!
      

Epic and unforgettable!

       The 4th volume of the Labors of Ki'shto'ba the warrior termite. In this book, Ki'shto'ba and its friends find the prophesied 9th and 10th members of the companions.
       Ki'shto'ba literally must enter Hell (and I know what literally means) to face his past and forgive himself for its self-perceived crimes. Led by an unusual alate bard, Bu'gan'zei, Ki'shto'ba faces some of those he killed and answers the right question.
       As the companions continue their journey to the ocean, the 10th companion turns out to be a fractious intercaste (mixed breed) who is both alate and warrior. The mystery of the prophecy of her origin is cleared up, and the journey continues.
       None of this will make much sense to you unless you've read the previous three volumes. I consider it well worth your time to do so. I'm looking forward to the 5th volume. Alas, I have so many other books I must read first.

[A parenthetical comment: v.5 (The Wood Where the Two Moons Shine) is written but hasn't been published yet.  It will come within a few months.]

       I've become a fan of Lorinda Taylor's complex alien termite tales. If you'd asked me before I read the first of her books if I'd want to twist my brain around names like Ki'shto'ba or Di'fra'kro'mi, I would have said it was unlikely for me to get so involved with these people.
       If you haven't read any of the Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head books, you might want to start your journey with the intelligent alien termites with "The Termite Queen." The presence of human interpreters allows readers to become familiar with the alien world.
       These books are epic in scope. No doubt because Ms. Taylor uses human mythology as the framework. Translating myth to an alien world isn't a new technique, but these books have so much depth to them you never feel you're reading some Disneyesque retelling, but a truly serious experience. But the humor of the characters comes through as well to lighten the tale.
       Highly recommended. Matter of fact, I'm going to break my general rule of no more than 4 stars because I can't wait to read volume 5 and beyond.

 

Thanks, Marva!  I really appreciate it!

 



Cover Art for Beneath the Mountain of Heavy Fear

Progress Update!

Front cover
Click for larger view

Back Cover
Click for larger view

       I've finished the front and back cover for the fourth volume of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, and here they are! 
       I've also finished the black-and-white map for the paper-back and I've posted it on the tab MAPS along with the maps for all the other volumes. 

       In case you haven't read v.3 yet, here is the descrip-tion of v.4 from the end matter of that book:

 

       As Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head and its Companions venture into the lands of the At’ein’zei (People of the Root), they encounter the Ninth Companion, an eccentric Alate named Bu’gan’zei who practices a strangely hypnotic type of word craft that is totally new to the questers.  He has visited the legendary Mountain of the Glorious Root seeking a deceased friend to whom he was exceptionally devoted, but he failed in his attempt to extract her from the World Beyond.  Bu’gan’zei agrees to guide Ki’shto’ba and its friends to the Mountain, where the Champion can seek resolution for its guilt and where the personal quest of Is’a’pai’a Gold-Seeker will finally begin.  

After several exciting adventures with the monsters and giants of the Mountain, as well as new prophetic pronouncements by the resident Seer, the Companions again head south.  Near the At’ein’zei fortress of Ra’ki’wiv’u they encounter the Tenth Companion, an Intercaste Warrior with a bizarre story all her own.  In order to win her friendship, Ki’shto’ba (with Za’dut’s unsolicited assistance) must prevail over her in the Warrior Games during Ra’ki’wiv’u’s annual festival.  At that same festival, Di’fa’kro’mi takes part in a Remembrancer’s competition.
       This light-hearted episode is a welcome relief after the stressful events under the Mountain and soon the Companions are ready to set out for Yo’sho’zei lands, where Is’a’pai’a can learn its true destiny and where the sea is no longer a distant dream.

 

You can check out all the books in the series at Amazon and at Smashwords.  The publication of v.4 is getting closer all the time!

 



The Life of Hercules: The Final Six Labors



Hercules and Antaeus (1690),
by Gregorio de Ferrari
Wikipedia (public domain)
See Labor No. 10

Third of a series.  Here are the first and second posts:
The Life of Hercules: Birth and Childhood
The Life of Hercules: The First Six Labors

     In the previous post, I discussed how Heracles was forced to perform twelve labors as a kind of penance for killing his own children under the influence of madness.  My Heracles stand-in, the Shshi (intelligent termite) Champion Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, also suffers an episode of madness, but the onus of performing Twelve Wonders comes to it for a different reason, which you can learn about if you read v.1 of the Ki'shto'ba series, The War of the Stolen Mother.

       Following up on the previous post, I'll list the final six Labors of Heracles and comment on whether and how I used them in my series.  Not all of them are suitable for adaptation to a termite culture.

 

       7.  The Cretan Bull.  A fire-breathing bull was ravaging Crete (possibly the one which sired the Minotaur) and Heracles was constrained to capture it.  He took it back to Eurystheus, who set it free because Hera wouldn't accept it as a sacrifice (gave too much glory to Heracles).

       I didn't use this Labor at all.

 

       8.  The Mares of Diomedes.  Possibly based on a coronation rite in which women in horse masks killed and consumed the sacred king at the end of his reign (see Robert Graves, Greek Myths, under The Eighth Labor).  The savage mares of Diomedes were carnivores and Hercules fed Diomedes himself to them, then captured them while their appetite was sated.  Prettty gruesome tale.

       I didn't use this one, either.

 

       9.  Hippolyte's Girdle.  This is a story of the Amazons; Heracles had to bring back the girdle of Ares, which was worn by the Amazon Queen Hippolyte, as a gift to Eurystheus's daughter. 

       While this makes a good story, it has absolutely no bearing on Ki'shto'ba's quest.  However, in v.6 of the Ki'shto'ba series you will encounter a strangely aberrant termite society consisting entirely of female Alates.  I'll talk about that in a later post.

 

       10.  The Cattle of Geryon.   This is a vast Quest epic in itself, with Heracles travelling into the world's Far West to steal the cattle of a monstrous creature named Geryon.  Cattle raiding is rampant in the culture of ancient peoples, including the Celts; men bought their brides at the price of so many cattle.  Once Heracles gets the cattle, he ends up herding them all over Africa and Europe, having adventures all the while.  It was during this journey that Heracles is said to have opened up the entrance to the Mediterranean (the Pillars of Hercules, or Gibraltar).  He also encountered Antaeus in Libya.

       I made some use of details from this myth.  First, I endowed the termite planet with a long and narrow inland sea much like the Mediterranean.  Ultimately the Companions will reach the outlet of that sea (in the seventh volume, which I haven't written yet).

       And I made intense use of the myth of Antaeus.  I'm going to quote Wikipedia here: "[Antaeus] would challenge all passers-by to wrestling matches, kill them, and collect their skulls, so that he might one day build out of them a temple to his father Poseidon. He was indefatigably strong as long as he remained in contact with the ground (his mother earth), but once lifted into the air he became as weak as other men."  You'll have to read v.4: Beneath the Mountain of Heavy Fear, if you want to know how I applied this. 

 

       11. The Apples of the Hesperides.  Heracles had to go on a second journey to bring back fruit from Hera's golden-apple tree, which was tended by the Hesperides and located either at Mount Atlas or on an island again in the Far West of Earth (undoubtedly the Apple Island of Robert Graves's beautiful poetry).  Atlas lived there as well and the Hesperides were his daughters, conceived before he was set the task of holding the celestial globe on his shoulders.  Hera suspected the Hesperides of stealing some of the apples, so she set a dragon-like creature called Ladon to twine around the Tree and guard it.  Altas also built a great wall around the garden where the tree stood, to protect it from a prophecy that a son of Zeus would steal all the golden apples.  Heracles arrived, and after killing Ladon with an arrow over the wall, he offered to relieve Atlas of his burden for a brief time if he would fetch the apples for him.  Atlas agreed, but upon returning he told Heracles he would take the apples to Eurystheus himself.  Heracles told him he would agree to that if Atlas would allow him one moment to put a pad on his head.  Atlas (apparently not too sharp-witted) complied, resuming the globe, whereupon Heracles scurried off with the plunder.
       It's also said that it was during this journey instead of in the cattle-raiding episode that Heracles encountered Antaeus.
       I used elements of the golden-apple myth, but I twisted them around to my own purposes.  The Quest of Is'a'pai'a of the Gwai'sho'zei (Water People) involves finding the Golden Fungus, which fills the role of the Golden Fleece (the termite planet has no mammals; furthermore fungus is a chief foodstuff of all Shshi, even the woodeaters).  But the Golden Fungus can also stand for the Golden Apples; both are fruit of a type.  And the fungus grows on the root of a primordial tree (the World Tree, in effect) and I set a Ladon-stand-in to guard it: Yak'roit'zei, the Coiling Guardian.  It isn't a dragon and it doesn't have a hundred heads, but it's equally fierce and dangerous.  Think ... giant centipede!  Ki'shto'ba doesn't kill Yak'roit'zei, however, and the Golden Fungus proves elusive.  To find out what does happen, you'll have to wait until v.4 is published.
       I didn't include Atlas in my adaptation.  It's just a little too incredible to conceive of Ki'shto'ba holding up the world!


       12.  The Capture of Cerberus.  The very last Labor contains the requisite visit of the epic hero to the Underworld, the Place of the Dead.  Heracles was charged to bring the dog Cerberus up from Tartarus.  During this daunting task, Heracles met the dead hero Meleager, who agreed to allow Heracles to marry his sisten Deianeira.  I mention this only because of the later repercussions in Heracles's life.  Heracles had many adventures in the Underworld, but ultimately Hades permitted him to capture Cerberus if he could do it without using weapons.  Here is a pertinent quotation from Robert Graves's Greek Myths (Section 134, The Twelfth Labor: The Capture of Cerberus):
       "Heracles ... resolutely gripped him by the throat -- from which rose three heads, each maned with serpents.  The barbed tail flew up to strike, but Heracles, protected by the lion pelt, did not relax his grip until Cerberus choked and yielded."
       Again, I must remark that the termite planet doesn't have any mammals, so I had to make my Cerberus character a reptile.  And Ki'shto'ba is great at wrestling.  Furthermore, he doesn't need a lion pelt, since Shshi Warriors are protected by their own very thick chitin shell!
       I'll have more to say about the journey into the Underworld in my next Hercules post.  Meanwhile, here is my drawing of Ki'shto'ba contending with No'dai'dru'zei, the Monster of the Pit.


Ki'shto'ba and Bu'gan'zei enter Mik Na'wei'tei'zi
(Place of Holy No-Seeing, the Underworld)
Click for larger view