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Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold

Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #8 of the Vorkosigan saga.

Introduction

Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold is the eighth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Lord Miles Vorkosigan uses his alias, Admiral Miles Naismith. He is the leader of the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. This time, the fleet is at Jackson Whole. Jackson Whole is run by gangsters who have illegal cloning businesses. Miles must rescue his brother Mark from the gangs and disrupt the cloning operation. Will the brothers perform their mirror dance and escape Jackson Whole in one piece?

Summary

[Insert Summary Here]

Recommendation

[Insert Recommendation Here]

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61909.Mirror_Dance

Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold is the thirteenth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles and Ekaterine are racing back from their honeymoon to see the birth of their children, but a mystery brews for Lord Auditor Miles Vorkosigan. An issue arises in Quaddiespace involving Komarr, Cetaganda, and the triumphant return of Bel Thorne. Will Miles solve the mystery before an environmental disaster is released in the universe?

In A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles’s latest mission is his most difficult yet. He’s in love and wants to court the next Lady Vorkosigan, but everyone conspires against him, including her. 

In Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles uncovers a terrorist plot. Can Miles save Komarr from itself or will the planet fall into anarchy?

In Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold, death will not stop Miles Vorkosigan, but his boss Simon Illyan has an illness that might end Miles’s career. Can Miles figure out what happened to Illyan and what he should do about it before it’s too late?

In Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold, Dr. Ethan Urquhart must discover what happened to unusable ovarian samples. Will Ethan go off the planet, risk being corrupted, and solve the mystery of the unusable samples, or will he doom Athos by doing nothing?

Links Continued

In Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold, they send Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan to Cetaganda on a diplomatic mission. Miles becomes involved in a complex mystery. Will Miles foil the plot to destroy Cetaganda and save his home planet of Barrayar?

In The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, they accused Miles Vorkosigan of treason. Will Miles play The Vor Game well enough to escape the treason charges made against him and secure the assignment he desires?

Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold is the fifth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles and the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet escape the Cetagandans and arrive at Earth for repairs. Miles must juggle both of his identities, obtain the funds to repair the fleet, and defeat a plot to replace him with a double. Will Miles achieve his goals and rescue his brothers in arms?

In Warriors Apprentice (Book #2 of the Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles Vorkosigan gets involved in another planet’s war. Can he escape the mischief he started?

Links Continued

In Barrayar (Book#7 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan faces an assassination and the birth of her son. Will she survive the regency and give birth to her son?

In Shards of Honor (Book#1 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan takes Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith as a prisoner. They take a hike in the jungle. What happens when they fall in love?

In Falling Free (Book #4 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, space engineer Leo Graf must decide between retiring or risking his life protecting his students. The novel is a fun, self-contained space opera romp.

Writing Progress Report April 2026

This is my Writing Progress Report April 2026.

On March 27, 2026, I attended Detroit Penguicon at the Westin Southfield-Detroit. This is the Penguicon banner at the hotel.

Writing Progress from March 2026.

I wrote four blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. Including my writing progress report for March 2026, which I linked below.

In March 2026, I presented a short story named Cruising the Moons of Jupiter to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

I will write new short stories in January, February, and March. Last year I completed the novelette version of Chemithurgy. My plan is to expand the story to novella length in 2026.

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in March 2026.

Events from March 2026.

I attended Cleveland Concoction, from March 6, 2026, to March 8, 2026. They held the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio.

This is a link to the ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

I also attended Detroit Penguicon at the Westin Southfield-Detroit from March 27, 2026, to March 26, 2026. I attended the opening ceremonies and seven panels. This year’s theme was Rising from the Ashes.

Writing Goals for April 2026.

In April 2026, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com, including my Writing Progress Report for April 2026.

I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in April 2026.

In April 2026, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

In the past, I sent the stories, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I sent out in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022, 2023, 2024, or 2025.

I plan to submit short stories in 2026.

Planned Events for April 2026.

The next conference I plan to attend is the Confluence Conference, held near Pittsburgh, PA, from July 24, 2026, to July 26, 2026. They will have the conference at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Coraopolis, PA. I attended the Confluence in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, (2021 was cancelled due to COVID), 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore

Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore

Introduction

In Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore, Hodge is a historian living in a world where the South won the Civil War. They call it the war of Southron Independence. He lives in a much-reduced North and wonders how his history was shaped. He gets the chance to see the past as it happens. Will the North win this time and bring the jubilee to the South?

Summary

Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore is said to be a memoir by Hodge, a historian from the world where the South won the Civil War. Hodge grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. When he turns 17, he seeks his fortune in New York City. The South is a superpower, while the North is lesser. The South and Great Britain are allies, while the German Union and the Spanish empire are allied against them. Hodge gets a job in New York City and learns about the state of the world. He forms his desire to be an historian from living in New York.

The war of Southron Independence facinates Hodge and especially the battle of Gettysburg, which the South won which led the South to winning the war. He has an opportunity to see the battle firsthand. His goal was to be an observer only, but the reality did not follow his plans.

Recommendation

Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore is an alternate history and time traveling novel that raises interesting questions. Would the world be a better place if the South had won the war? Would it be different? Can events change the course of history? Hodge raises these questions and more in the novel. He portrays the uninvolved observer. But not choosing is still a choice. He had a wonderful life in his timeline with Catalina, but he had to learn what he wanted to learn which cost him in the end. This novel is a tragedy to me, a well written tragedy. I’m glad a read this novel.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61355290-bring-the-jubilee

This novel has one alternate history narrative while the following novel has four alternate history timelines.

In The Female Man by Joanna Russ, four identical women, separated by chance, come together for a reason revealed only at the end of the novel. The novel explores how their different upbringing shapes each of these women. It was disturbing and thought-provoking.

Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold

Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #5 of the Vorkosigan saga.

Introduction

Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold is the fifth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles and the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet escape the Cetagandans and arrive at Earth for repairs. Miles must juggle both of his identities, obtain the funds to repair the fleet, and defeat a plot to replace him with a double. Will Miles achieve his goals and rescue his brothers in arms?

Summary

[Insert Summary Here]

Recommendation

[Insert Recommendation Here]

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296182.Brothers_in_Arms

Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold is the thirteenth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles and Ekaterine are racing back from their honeymoon to see the birth of their children, but a mystery brews for Lord Auditor Miles Vorkosigan. An issue arises in Quaddiespace involving Komarr, Cetaganda, and the triumphant return of Bel Thorne. Will Miles solve the mystery before an environmental disaster is released in the universe?

In A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles’s latest mission is his most difficult yet. He’s in love and wants to court the next Lady Vorkosigan, but everyone conspires against him, including her. 

In Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles uncovers a terrorist plot. Can Miles save Komarr from itself or will the planet fall into anarchy?

In Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold, death will not stop Miles Vorkosigan, but his boss Simon Illyan has an illness that might end Miles’s career. Can Miles figure out what happened to Illyan and what he should do about it before it’s too late?

Links Continued

In Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold, Dr. Ethan Urquhart must discover what happened to unusable ovarian samples. Will Ethan go off the planet, risk being corrupted, and solve the mystery of the unusable samples, or will he doom Athos by doing nothing?

In Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold, they send Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan to Cetaganda on a diplomatic mission. Miles becomes involved in a complex mystery. Will Miles foil the plot to destroy Cetaganda and save his home planet of Barrayar?

In The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, they accused Miles Vorkosigan of treason. Will Miles play The Vor Game well enough to escape the treason charges made against him and secure the assignment he desires?

In Warriors Apprentice (Book #2 of the Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles Vorkosigan gets involved in another planet’s war. Can he escape the mischief he started?

More Links

In Barrayar (Book#7 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan faces an assassination and the birth of her son. Will she survive the regency and give birth to her son?

In Shards of Honor (Book#1 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan takes Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith as a prisoner. They take a hike in the jungle. What happens when they fall in love?

In Falling Free (Book #4 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, space engineer Leo Graf must decide between retiring or risking his life protecting his students. The novel is a fun, self-contained space opera romp.

Conference Recap Cleveland Concoction 2026

Conference Recap Cleveland Concoction 2026

Introduction

I attended the SF conference, Cleveland Concoction at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio. They held it at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 6 to 8, 2026. I also attended Cleveland Concoction in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025. (2020, 2021, and 2022 were canceled because of COVID-19).I attended the opening ceremony and three panels. This year’s theme was The Ragnarok of the Rings. Celebrating the Vikings and the 25th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring movie.

Concoction 2026 Banner

Cleveland Concoction 2026 Program Guide Cover

Concoction 2026 Badge

The link to the Concoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Summary

Friday, March 6 at 5 PM

The Opening Ceremonies.

[Insert Summary]

They held the ceremonies in the Pegasus Room with 31 attendees.

Saturday, March 7 at 4 PM

Is time spent writing short stories worthwhile? A panel with Robert Moore, E. C. Wolfe, J. D. Blackrose, and Marcus Calvert.

[Insert Summary]

They held the panel in the Hayes B Room with 8 attendees.

Saturday, March 7 at 6 PM

Reading like a writer, a panel with H. T. Brady, E. C. Wolfe, J. D. Blackrose, and Clif Flynt

[Insert Summary]

They held the panel in the Hayes B Room with 7 attendees.

Saturday, March 7 at 7 PM

How much is too much? A panel with Marie Vibbert, Barbara Doran, Addie J. King, Clif Flynt, and Weston Kincade.

[Insert Summary]

They held the panel in the Hayes B Room with 10 attendees.

Recommendation – Conclusion

Conference Recap Cleveland Concoction 2026 was wonderful. The Bertram Conference Center is nice. My star of the con was Ashley Berry. She was the Con Chair for 2026, gave an impressive performance at the opening ceremonies, and wrote an interesting word from our Con Chair in the 2026 program. It was a bummer that they changed the time for the Confused Greenies improv of What went down in goblin town, so I had to miss it. Maybe next year. The con returns in March 2027 with the theme of A Star Noir.

Links

I attended the SF conference, Cleveland Concoction at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio. They held it at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 7 to 9, 2025. I attended 11 activities. My star of the con was Marie Vibbert. The con returns in March 2026.

I attended the SF conference, Cleveland Concoction at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio. They held it at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 8 to 10, 2024. I attended the opening ceremony, eight panels, two author showcases, and the closing ceremony. This year’s theme was the Neverending dungeon. My star of the con was Becca Lynn Mathis. The con returns from March 7 to March 9, 2025.

Links – Continued

I attended the SF conference, Cleveland Concoction 2019, at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio. They held it at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 1 to 3, 2019. I attended the opening ceremony, four panels, and the closing ceremony. This is a link to my conference recap.

I also volunteered in the Programming Department for four hours and in the ConSuite for four hours.

I attended the SF conference, Cleveland Concoction at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio. They held it at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 9, 2018, to March 11, 2018. The 2019 convention was from March 1 to 3, 2019, and I realized that as I was writing a recap for that conference, I had not posted a recap for the 2018 conference. This is a recap of last year’s conference. I attended the opening ceremony, five panels, two author showcases, a performance, and the closing ceremony. I also volunteered in the ConSuite for eight hours.

This is my recap for the SF conference, Cleveland Concoction from 2017. They held it from March 10, 2017, to March 12, 2017. I attended nine activities and volunteered in the Con Suite for twelve hours.

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson

Introduction

This collection has ten stories that are not part of the cosmere universe. An overarching plot, which he calls the cosmere, connects the author’s works. The author set the stories of the cosmere on a group of worlds that people travel to through magical means. These are science fiction and fantasy stories not set in the cosmere. They previously published nine of these stories, while publishing the story Moment Zero here for the first time. All the stories in this collection are excellent, but I will comment on each, starting with the one I like most.

Summary

Moment Zero Summary and Recommendation

  1. Moment Zero is a science fiction novella involving two detective partners at work and in life. A time travel incident occurs, and they must work together to avoid an apocalyptic future.

Moment Zero is the longest story in this collection, and it was published here for the first and only time. The author writes in the postscript that he wanted to tell a story about two people fighting through time to avoid the apocalypse and to show the end of a failed relationship. I thought it was the best story in the collection.

Snapshot Summary and Recommendation

  1. Snapshot is a science fiction novella about two detective partners sent into a simulation of the previous day to determine the circumstances of a crime that was committed that day.

This was a nice serial killer thriller. The twist comes at the end, revealing an interesting secret about the relationship between the main character detectives. The author writes in the postscript that he worried it was too on the nose, but I think that’s what makes it good.

Perfect State Summary and Recommendation

  1. Perfect State is a science fiction novel about a simulation where real-born people inhabit a fantasy land surrounded by machine-born NPCs. Real born are the masters of their simulation, but there are other simulations where other real born people are located. What happens when they put two real-born people together?

The author writes in the postscript that he wanted to write about a reverse Matrix, where the real born have reasons to be happy inside the simulation. I felt like he accomplished that goal in the story. He debated whether to include or delete the final scene. At one time, he did, but he felt that without the final scene, the story is incomplete, so the final scene is in this collection. I think his reasons are valid, and I am glad that he chose to include them here.

I Hate Dragons Summary and Recommendation

  1. I Hate Dragons is a humorous fantasy short story. Skip’s special talent is that he smells good to dragons. Also, he can understand spoken words as written to the annoyance of his employer, Master Johnston. Skip is the dragon bait and Master Johnston’s crew are dragon killers. The story follows from that setup.

It’s a great, funny story. The author writes in the postscript that he wrote this story in response to a prompt from his podcast, Writing Excuses, in January 2011. The prompt was to write a story with dialogue only. No dialogue tags or descriptions are allowed.

This is a link to the story on his website. Extended versions of the story are also found at that link.

https://www.brandonsanderson.com/blogs/blog/i-hate-dragons

Defending Elysium Summary and Recommendation

  1. Defending Elysium is a science fiction novelette. Jason comes to the orbital station Evensong to find a missing operative sent by his company. An extraterrestrial being is murdered, and things get more complicated. How are these two events connected?

This story is set in the same universe as the author’s Skyward series. It’s one of his earliest written stories.

This is a link to the story on his website

https://www.brandonsanderson.com/blogs/blog/defending-elysium

Mitosis Summary and Recommendation

  1. Mitosis is a superhero science fiction novelette. David is a Reckoner, a group that defeated Epics, strong supervillains. Another Epic surfaces and David must defeat it, or it will kill many citizens of David’s city.

This story is set in the same universe as the author’s Reckoners series.

Firstborn Summary and Reccomendation

  1. Firstborn is a science fiction short story. Dennison is overshadowed by the accomplishments of his older brother Varion. Varion is an experienced space fleet commander, who has never lost an engagement. Dennison always fails in his attempts. Dennison studies Varion’s record. What will Dennison do with his knowledge?

This story was originally published on Tor.com which is called reactor now. It’s one of his earliest written stories. The author writes in his postscript that he wanted to explore the topic of nature versus nurture in this story.

This is a link to the story on reactor.

Dreamer Summary and Recommendation

  1. Dreamer is a phycological horror short story. Dreamer and Phi both want to find Longshot first. Who is going to win this battle and what that means is the subject of the story.

This story was first published in the Games Creatures Play anthology. It’s a short story that tells the message and finishes quickly. It’s hard to care for these characters because of what they are.

Brain Dump Summary and Recommendation

  1. Brain Dump is a short story about genetic engineering. People can choose the brain that they want for their children. A couple wants a child and finds out the downside of the choice. There is always a negative consequence for any positive trait. They choose their own path.

This story gives a different take on designer brains.

Probability Approaching Zero Summary and Recommendation

  1. Probability Approaching Zero is short flash science fiction story.

Not much there.

Recommendation

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson. is a great anthology. I liked Moment Zro and Snpshot the most.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222035715-tailored-realities

Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson. Sixth of the Dusk is a trapper that has magical birds that help him. Dusk must travel to the dangerous Emberdark and discover a necessary secret or his people would lose their freedom to those who want to take it away.

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson. They published the original novella named Sixth of the Dusk in this anthology.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28595941-arcanum-unbounded

Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson. Dalinar Kholin’s forces fight the forces of the god, Odium. The fight ends with a contest of champions. Who will prevail in the contest of champions?

My review of Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson. Wax and Wayne must foil a plot started by the terrorist group called the Set to destroy their home and people.

My review of Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson. In book 3.5 of the Stormlight Archive, Rysn and Lopen must uncover the secrets of the lost island of Akinah, or it will doom Roshar.

Links Continued

My review of Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson. In book four of the Stormlight Archive, the war between humans and Voidbringers intensifies.

My review of Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. In book three of the Stormlight Archive, Dalinar learns the truth of his past through his flashbacks.

My review of Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson, a collection with nine stories that are part of the cosmere universe. An overarching plot, which he calls the cosmere interrelated many of the author’s works. He set six stories on the worlds of his published novels, and three stories are about worlds that have not had a novel-length story treatment. All the stories in this collection are excellent.

Writing Progress Report March 2026

This is my Writing Progress Report March 2026.

On February 14, 2026, we went to the Fourteenth annual Cleveland Kurentovanje Festival and Parade. It’s a celebration of all things Slovenian and includes a parade on St. Clair Street in front of the Slovenian National Home as pictured above.

Writing Progress from February 2026.

I wrote four blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. Including my writing progress report for February 2026, which I linked below.

In February 2025, I presented the short story named Bounty Hunter Jupiter to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

I will write new short stories in January, February, and March. Last year I completed the novelette version of Chemithurgy. My plan is to expand the story to novella length in 2026.

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in February 2026.

Events from February 2026.

No events attended in February

Writing Goals for March 2026.

In March 2026, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com, including my Writing Progress Report for March 2026.

I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in March 2026.

In March 2026, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

In the past, I sent the stories, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I sent out in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022, 2023, 2024, or 2025.

I plan to submit short stories in 2026.

Planned Events for March 2026.

The next conference I plan to attend is the Cleveland Concoction, from March 6, 2026, to March 8, 2026. They will hold the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio.

This is a link to the ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Another event I plan to attend is the 41st Annual Western Reserve Writers Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Lyndhurst, Ohio on March 28, 2026.

This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org

ConFusion Detroit 2026 Conference Recap

ConFusion Detroit 2026 Conference Recap

Introduction

I attended the ConFusion Detroit 2026 Conference at the Sheraton Detroit Novi at 21111 Haggerty Road, Novi, Michigan, from January 30, 2026, to February 1, 2025. I also attended ConFusion Detroit in 2019, 2020, (2021 was canceled due to COVID-19), 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsored the conference. I attended the opening ceremonies, the guests of honor’s dessert reception, four panels, the guest of honor’s interview, and one author’s reading. This year’s theme was Magical Confusion.

This is a link to the ConFusion website.

http://confusionsf.org/

The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsors Detroit ConFusion.

This is my badge for ConFusion Detroit 2026.

The Theme for 2026 was Magical ConFusion

This year’s Writing Guest of Honor was Maurice Braddus.

This is my plate from the guest of honor’s dessert reception held on Friday evening. Yum!

Summary

ConFusion Detroit 2026 Conference Recap

[insert summary here]

Recommendation – Conclusion

[insert recommendation here.]

Links

This is my post about the ConFusion Detroit 2025 Conference from January 24 to 26, 2025. The theme was Monumental ConFusion for the 50th time they held the event. My stars of the con were John Scalzi and Marie Vibbert.

This is my post about the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 19 to 21, 2024. The theme was the Labyrinth of ConFusion. My star of the con was Author John Scalzi.

In January 2023, I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan. I still want to write a post about that.

I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan, from January 21 to 23, 2022. The theme was Rising ConFusion. My stars of the con were Guest of Honor author Jim C. Hines and Science Guest of Honor Dr. Jordan Steckloff.

Links – Continued

I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan, from January 16 to 19, 2020. I attended four panels, two readings, and one interview. The theme of the con was How to Train Your ConFusion, based on the movie, How to Train Your Dragon. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading of Chapter Two of his upcoming book, The Last Emperox. My other highlights were Kameron Hurley’s interview and the lecture on Edible Insects and Human Evolution. I’ll be back next year.

I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan, from January 18 to 20, 2019. The theme of the con was Storming the ConFusion, so they chose the areas with names related to the movie The Princess Bride. I had a great drive to Detroit just before the snowstorm came. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading and was engaging in the panel I attended. My other highlights were Ada Palmer’s interview and watching The Princess Bride at the Con. I’ll be back next year.

The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham

The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham (Book #4 of The Long Price Quartet)

Introduction

The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham is the fourth and final book in the Long Price Quartet. The magic of the beings called the andat protects the cities of Khaiem. Their Empire and their magic have receded, so the non-magical Empire of Galt tries to overthrow them. The best Galt general takes away their andat. The former poet Maati seeks to bring back the andat and fix his mistakes. The Emperor of the Khaiem, Otah, seeks to make peace with the Galts. Will Maati or Otah prevail, or will the andat destroy the cities of the Khaiem?

The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham

Summary – Background

The cities of the Khaiem are connected by the use of sentient magical creatures called the andat. Each city has one andat controlled by a person called a poet who binds them with a series of words. They name andat by the special task they can perform. Seedless, the andat of the city Saraykeht can magically pick seeds from cotton, functioning just like a magical cotton gin. The andat of the city of Machi called Stone-Made-Soft can help with the mining of ores. The andat also protect the cities by having the power to destroy enemies of the Khaiem. No one has defeated the cities since they obtained their andats. The Old Empire before them used the andat but was destroyed, serving as a warning to them of what could go wrong.

Summary

The Empire of Galt defeated the Khaiem. Balasar Gice was their best general. In winning, he lost for his people.

Maati Vaupathai is a scholar, an apprentice poet who missed his chance to control the andat called Seedless. His actions caused the loss to the Galt’s in the war. He wants to start a school for women to bind andat. In this way, he hopes to atone for his mistakes.

Otah Machi is the sixth son of the Khai Machi. He became the ruler of the city of Machi after his father died. He became a poet apprentice, where he met Maati, and later, Otah was exiled as a laborer. Maati is his old friend, but they have a complicated relationship. The Galts destroy all of the Khaiem except Machi. Otah becomes the Emperor of the Khaiem. He wants to make peace with Galt.

Cehmai held but lost the binding on the andat named Stone-Made-Soft. He considers Maati a mentor. He disappeared after his loss.

Kiyan is Otah’s wife, and she recently passed. She is the mother of their daughter Eiah and their son Danat, Otah’s heir.

Sinja Ajutani is a mercenary captain from Machi. He is the former lover of Kiyan. He is Otah’s best friend and bodyguard.

Recommendation

The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham is a great finale for this fantasy series. The fantasy elements in the series were subtle, focusing more on the political and business spheres, until the ending of the previous novel. The use of the andat in that novel created catastrophic consequences. Maati seeks to bring back the andat to defeat Galt and fix his mistakes. Otah wants to make peace with Galt. The ending of this novel is bittersweet and appropriate.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11550699-the-price-of-spring

In An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham, the magic of the andat protects Otah Machi’s country. The best Galt general learns how to take away their andat. Will Otah Machi defeat the Galts, or will they destroy him and all the cities of Khaiem?

In A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham, the Khai Machi is dying, and his sons must fight to the death to follow him. His youngest son, Otah was exiled and presumed dead. Otah still wants to be hidden but is drawn into their conflict. If he doesn’t win, his city will be sacked by the Galts.

In A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham, the poet-magician Heshai must keep control of the magical creature Seedless, or the Summer Cities will fall to the Empire of Galt.

Memory of Light by Robert Jordan

A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, Book Fourteen of the Wheel of Time series.

Introduction

A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson is the fourteenth book of The Wheel of Time series. The novel follows seven main plot arcs featuring Rand, Mat, Perrin, Elayne, Egwene, Aviendha, and Nynaeve. All seven characters face difficult choices and must grow to get closer to their goals. Will the forces of Light be ready for the Last Battle or will the Dark One win?

Memory of Light by Robert Jordan

Summary – Prologue

The prologue has twelve point-of-view characters, and each point of view sets up a plot arc.

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Summary–Main Plot Arcs

A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson has seven main arcs.

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Summary–Best Chapters

Two Chapters stand out in A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.

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Recommendation

A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson is the last novel of the series. Rand gets everyone to the Field of Merrilor for the Last Battle, Tarmon Gai’don. Rand, Perrin, Mat, Elayne, Aviendha, Gawyn, and Egwene must overcome challenges. The Final Battle occurs and creates unforeseen consequences.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60508036-a-memory-of-light

Review of Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Rand, Mat, Perrin, Elayne, Egwene, Gawyn, and Aviendha get closer to their goals in this novel.

Review of Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, and Gawyn get closer to their goals in this novel.

Review of Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan. Rand, Mat, Perrin, Elayne, and Egwene get closer to their goals in this novel.

Review of Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan. Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Egwene get closer to their goals in this novel.

Winters Heart by Robert Jordan has some brilliant scenes but misses conclusions to the plot arcs explored

Review of Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan. When Rand fights the Seanchan, will they defeat him, or will he win across the Path of Daggers?

Links Continued

This is the link to my review of Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan. When Rand forces the hand of one of the Forsaken, will the Forsaken defeat him, or will he earn a Crown of Swords?

This is the link to my review of Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan, Book Six of the Wheel of Time. Chaos reigns in the Westlands. They push Rand to the edge of insanity. Will he survive the box?

This is the link to my review of Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan, Book Five of the Wheel of Time.

This is the link to my review of Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan, Book Four of the Wheel of Time.

This is the link to my review of Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan, Book Three of the Wheel of Time.

This is the link to my review of The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, Book Two of the Wheel of Time.

This is the link to my review of Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, Book One of the Wheel of Time.