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!

The Life of Hercules: The Hero's Death

Tenth (and last) 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)

The Life of Hercules: The Centaurs and the Erymanthian Boar

The Life of Hercules: The Golden Fleece (The Young Jason)

The Life of Hercules: The Argonauts

The Early Adventures in the Quest for the Golden Fleece

Nessus, Heracles, & Deianeira
Black-figured hydria, 6th c. BC, Louvre
http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentaurosNessos.html

       The following utilizes the text of Robert Graves' Greek Myths:       

       Herakles had many women and other wives, but his most important liaison was with Deianeira.  Deianeira was considered the daughter of Oeneus and the sister of Meleager, but she was really a daughter of Dionysus.  She was courted by the River God Achelous, who often appeared as a bull or a bull-headed man, and the prospect of marrying him revolted her.  Herakles was also in contention for her hand and he fought Achelous and won the battle, snapping off one of his bull's horns (I used this, in much adapted form. in The Storm-Wing, when Ki'shto'ba fought the lightning reptile and broke off his horn).  Thus Herakles acquired the hand of Deianeira in marriage.

       They had four sons and one daughter, including a son named Hyllus.  The children that the mad Herakles killed, however, were from a different wife, Megara.

       There is no denying that Herakles was never faithful to Deianeira.  One day in crossing a river, the Centaur Nessus offered to carry Deianeira across on his back while Herakles swam.  Instead, Nessus galloped off and tried to violate Deianeira.  Herakles heard her screams and pursued, shooting an arrow through Nessus's breast.

     For revenge, the dying Centaur told Deianeira that he would give her a charm to ensure Herakles's faithfulness -- that she should take blood from the wound, mix it with olive oil, and seal it up in a jar, then later on apply it to one of Herakles' shirts.  This she did without telling anyone.

       Later, when Herakles was preparing a thanksgiving sacrifice for a particular festival, he sent the courier Lichas to Deianeira for a fine shirt and cloak.  Deianeira was being forced to live in the same household as one of her husband's mistresses, and so at this point she availed herself of Nessus's love charm, impregnating a piece of wool in the mixture and rubbing the shirt with it.  After the clothing was dispatched to Herakles, she flung the piece of wool into the courtyard and to her horror watched as it ate into the pavement, causing red foam to boil up from it.  Realizing that Nessus had deceived her, she dispatched another courier, but it was too late - Herakles had already donned the shirt.  Herakles' arrow had infused Nessus's blood with the poisonous blood of the Hydra and this caused Herakles to burn with hideous fire.  As he ripped off the shirt, his flesh came with it, exposing the bone.

       Unable to find relief, Herakles raged across the countryside and killed the unfortunate courier Lichas, who was not at all at fault, by flinging him into the sea, where he became a rock of human shape, known as Lichas even to this day.  Then Herakles sent for his son Hyllus and asked to be carried away to die in solitude.  Meanwhile, Deianeira killed herself either by hanging herself or by the sword. [Here is a minor irritation - I know I read somewhere that another alternative death for Deianeira was by flinging herself off a cliff, but can I find that now?  Doing a little checking, I discovered that in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Deianeira threw herself off a cliff, but I never watched those early episodes.]

       Hyllus assured the vengeful Herakles that Deianeira was innocent, so Herakles forgave her and shared only with Hyllus Zeus's prophecy: "No man alive may ever kill Herakles; a dead enemy shall be his downfall."  Herakles then lay down on his own pyre and ordered its kindling.  Lightning bolts came from the sky and reduced the whole pile to ashes.

      Zeus then took Herakles' spiritual remains up to heaven (apotheosis), made him one of the Twelve Olympians, and persuaded Hera to adopt him (unlikely scenario!) by producing him from beneath her skirt.  He was then given Hebe in marriage, and he became the porter of Heaven while his mortal phantom stalks Tartarus, still looking like the shaggy earthly hero we all know well.

       Those of you who have read the six volumes of the Ki'shto'ba series will see the quite ingenious connections that I was able to draw between Herakles and my own more peaceable and humane Champion.  One plot problem lay with the sexual motivation, since termites feel no such thing as sexual jealousy.  They do, however, experience the desire for revenge and the instincts of compassion and forgiveness.  I won't spoil the final volumes of the series by giving any additional explanation.

       This concludes my series on the Life of Hercules.  However, I may supplement it with some additional myths which apply to the sequel volume (yes, there has to be a sequel volume, to tie up loose ends), so stay tuned.

The Life of Hercules: The Early Adventures in the the Quest for the Golden Fleece

Ninth 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)

The Life of Hercules: The Centaurs and the Erymanthian Boar

The Life of Hercules: The Golden Fleece (The Young Jason)

The Life of Hercules: The Argonauts

Here is a drawing nobody has ever seen before.
Click on it so you can read the caption. Those who
have read v.6 will know what is happening.

       Robert Graves writes (section 149 of his Greek Myths):  "Heracles, after capturing the Erymanthian boar, appeared suddenly at Pagasae, and was invited by a unanimous vote to captain the Argo; but generously agreed to serve under Jason who, though a novice, had planned and proclaimed the expedition."  Even so, in my retelling of the epic, Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head yields the captaincy of the Quest ship to Is'a'pai'a. 

       And the first adventure in the Quest occurred on the island of Lemnos, where a year earlier the men had quarreled with their wives and taken foreign concubines.  In revenge, the Lemnian women murdered all the men, except the King, whom his daughter Hypsipyle (meaning High Gate) decided to spare, but only by setting him adrift in an oarless boat.  When the Argo appeared, the women made a decision to welcome the men and take them to their beds with the purpose of breeding a new and stronger stock.  They didn't tell the Argonauts the whole truth, saying only that they had been ill-treated by their husbands and so had exiled them.  Hypsipyle claimed Jason for her own.  Although Jason proclaimed that he would have to finish his quest first, the crew lingered, engendering many children.  The Quest might have ended there, except for Heracles, who was guarding the ship.  He finally strode angrily into the city and drove all the crew back to the Argo, after which the Quest resumed.  As a footnote, the King survived his oarless journey and was cast up on the island of Sicinos.  When the Lemnian women learned that Hypsipyle that spared him, they sold her into slavery, or she may have been abducted by pirates (now there is a tale in itself!)

       So how can this be adapted to a sexless termite society?  Well, if I tell you too much about that, it will ruin part of v.6 for you.  Suffice it to say that the name of the Mother of the island fortress of Thai'no'no'gwai is Pri'rak'vit'ta'tzi, which does mean "High Gate Mother"  And the society is composed entirely of female Alates.  How can that happen, you say?  You'll just have to read the book!  It forms a really exciting couple of chapter!

       After that, the Questers came to the realm of King Cyzicus, a good and noble ruler who became great friends with Jason. However, in a very sad event, as the Argo was sailing away from the King's realm, a storm blew them back, and, not knowing where they had landed, the Argonauts got into a fight with defenders, and Jason killed his friend Cyzicus.  You will find this sorrowful and ominous event portrayed quite accurately in my version, even to the dedication of an anchor stone.

       It was at this point that something happened that caused Heracles to leave the Quest.  Heracles had a companion named Hylas, whom he loved dearly.  Here is what Graves has to say about their relationship: "Hylas had been Heracles' minion and darling ever since the death of his father, Theodamas."  Of course, the implication was that they were lovers, an unremarkable relationship in ancient Greece.  At any rate, Hylas had set out to fetch water from the pool of Pegae on the island of Mysia and never returned.  Heracles was frantic, but all that could be found was Hylas' "water-pitcher lying abandoned by the pool side."  It seemed that "Dryope and her sister nymphs of Pegae had fallen in love with Hylas, and enticed them to come and live with them in an underwater grotto."  Heracles didn't reappear the next morning and finally the ship left without him.
       Heracles never found Hylas and ultimately resumed his own life, "after threatening to lay Mysia waste unless the inhabitants continued their search for Hylas, dead or alive."  And a touching after-note: "For Heracles' sake, the Mysians still sacrifice once a year to Hylas ...; their priest thrice calls his name aloud, and the devotees pretend to search for him in the woods."

      Here is where I did some conflating with later events, and if I tell you too much about that, it will seriously damage the impact the story, so ... I will proceed to the next adventure ...

      The Argonauts landed next on an island ruled by the "arrogant King Amycus, a son of Poseidon."  The King believed himself to be a great boxer (he used gloves studded with brazen spikes) and he was always challenging visitors to boxing matches.  If they declined, he would fling them over a cliff into the sea.  Polydeuces (one of the Dioscuri) was also an award-winning boxer and after a prolonged bout was able to defeat and kill Amycus in spite of the fact that the King used less than honorable tactics.
       So now you know why it is Ti'a'toig'a who fights the battle on the Cliff of Fear instead of Ki'shto'ba.  And since termites don't box, I made it a wrestling match.
       The Argonauts next encounter Phineus, a Seer who was blinded by the gods for prophesying too accurately.  He was also plagued by Harpies, who kept flying over his table, snatching the food and fouling it with their excrement.  Phineus refused to prophesy for Jason unless the Argonauts got rid of the Harpies for him.  After the Harpies were driven away, Phineus proceeded to give the Argonauts advice on how to navigate the remainder of the journey to Colchis, warning them of the Symplegades, the moving rocks in front of the entrance to the Bosporus that clash together and crush ships.  Jason defeated them by sending out a dove (or a heron) and following it through the maze.
       No mention is made at this point of the Cadmus's dragon's teeth that grow into Warriors when planted, but I introduced it here.  The story of Phineus and the Harpies grew into one of the most complex and moving sequences of my version of the myths.  And the Argonauts had many later adventures that I have omitted or that will be utilized in the sequel volume (if I ever get it written!)  I myself am not completely sure at this point how I'm going to adapt some of them.

       

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! 

 

 

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