My home for my writing about speculative fiction, related commentaries, and the archive for the years of serial fiction written and published here first.
One would expect that a book by Imperium Press, the company with an entire series called "Studies in Reaction", would pick up a book like this and give it the best promotion possible.
It is as you expect: a gut-punch to everyone that still believes that you're going to vote your way out of this Clown World. The leadership that erected Clown World were an elite that displaced their enemies--also elites--and the masses were resources to exploit, pawns to manuever, and prizes to be won in their contest.
What you are going to learn is that this has been consistent for all of Mankind's existence. If you read other Reactionary thinkers, you will not be surprised to find that Clown World is actually strictly disciplined, hierarchical, and (believe it or not) lead by the men who lead as patriarchs shaping internal and external organizations to be family-like in their structure- mockeries of God-given kinship and the bond therein.
Imperium's store page is here where you can pay them directly and deny others their middleman cut.
Imperium Press is a new publisher focusing on returning the Western Classics and other great works memory-holed by the Death Cult back into your hands. Their newest offering The Ancient Family, explained below.
The deepest and oldest layer of European religion is almost unknown today, and yet it governs all subsequent history. This is the Indo-European hearth cult, the subject of The Ancient Family. In this book we get a picture of the most traditionalist, nationalist, patriarchal religion imaginable, of a people gathered around a sacred fire, worshipping its ancestors, jealous of its gods, and sufficient unto itself.
Taken from books I–II of Fustel’s momentous work The Ancient City, this volume can be read as a constitution of the primordial family structure, the father of all that came after it. The Studies in Reaction series collects works that challenge modernity, and this family structure is the perfect antithesis of, and remedy for, all that ails us today.
There is precious little information of useful substance on how pre-Christian religion actually worked, and here is Imperium Press putting some of what there is out there for you to easily acquire and master. You'd be a fool to pass up this opportunity to learn from this, and see how this ancient structure readily integrated with Christianity once introduced. This structure works, doesn't require expense and complex technologies to become or maintain effectivness, doens't require complex social instruments (such as media complexes, phramaseutical regimes, or academic institutions), and is wholly self-sufficient so autarky is facilitated by this structure and Globohomo deliberately attacked by it.
This came up in a recent interview, embedded below, and it's worth a listen in own right.
And talked about more here.
You'll find Imperium's store listing here, where it's available in paperback for now, but you can also find it at Amazon for pre-order.
The Leading Hispanic Voice in Science Fiction, Conqueror of WorldCon, and Future King of California Jon del Arroz has released a new Indiegogo campaign for his parody of his own Deus Vult graphic novel: "A High School Girl In The Crusades" (a.k.a. "Desu Vult").
This is a two-for-one campaign, as people who missed Deus Vult can acquire a copy now--complete with new cover--as part of a package deal with the manga-style parody. This is a smart move, as you'll get both the original work and what is being parodied in one go. Jon explains:
We are offering two different comics:
A High School Girl In The Crusadesis a 22-page manga-style isekai parody about a high school girl transported to the crusades (duh!). Art is 100% by The Quaff (Shotgun Samurai, Nuclear Warhead Samurai).
Deus Vult is a 66 page epic fantasy graphic novel about a crusader transported to a magical and evil realm. Art is by Jesse White and Matt Crotts. This is the 2nd chance for this book, and we are offering a brand new cover featuring art by famed fantasy artist, Lolo Guzman.
You'll find the campaign page here, and you'll find the covers for both books there along with other sample artwork for your consideration and the reminder of the original T-shirt that has now proven to be the inspiration for this project is a bonus- get one.
This is a good deal, so take a look at the campaign page and see what you'll find worth your money to put towards it.
This is an hour well spent, and this podcast is worth throwing into your feed. Jon's appearance here is a fantastic one that drops a lot of knowledge in a short amount of time.
It took longer than expected, in part due to the Coof, but finally Castalia House has made available the first three volumes of the Junior Classics once again. You can buy directly from Castalia here. For those that prefer Amazon, here's the links to each volume's sales page:
This is, as the publisher notes, an ideal resource for homeschooling and these are meant to be heirloom-quality pieces meant to last for generations with proper care- yes, even the general editions now available. These are not digital disposables. These are books you buy in print, put into good shelving in good conditions, and use gently as you would your Bible.
The big goal this year is to put out both "Hounds of Nimrod" and Book Three, currently titled "Siege of Second Salisbury". But there is more to come after that, and I've mentioned that a spin-off will be done. Today I took the first concrete step towards that objective, purchasing some research materials.
That spin-off is centered around New Vienna, and the story is based on the events of the 1683 Siege of Vienna that Sabaton returned to popular awareness with "Winged Hussars". Starting this weekend (according to Amazon), the first two books will arrive; these deal with that siege. A second book on the siege will take another week to arrive.
One of the books ordered is the Osprey book on the subject. Osprey is fantastic for getting started on a research project; in addition to being a good survey on the subject, the Bibliography is a gold-mine of options for following up specific threads. I expect that Amazon will have these in hardcover or paperback, and whatever they lack I can acquire via the county library or by using my Alumus privledges at my Alma Mater (which is tied into the national university system).
The Enemy At The Gate: Habsburgs, Ottomans, and the Battle for Europe is one of the books that goes into depth on the events of Vienna. The Siege of Vienna: The Last Great Trial Between Cross & Crescent is the other.
Between these two, and the aforementioned Osprey book, I should be able to map out the sequence of events as well as the players making the moves. The purpose of that task is to discern where the dramatic potential lies for my purposes, and from there come up with a draft plot outline.
Osprey's related books to the siege cover the men that fought it, but I haven't bought them yet because that's for when it becomes necessary to delve into those details. The Hussars get a few volumnes, the Janisarries get a book, and I may pick up one or all of them if I find it necessary.
There is one recent film that also depicts the events, The Day of the Siege, which some Sabaton fans use to make music videos for "Winged Hussars". Sabaton's song is on The Last Stand.
There's also plenty of other books on the 1683 siege and the war giving it context. If you'd like to help, gifting me anything I haven't purchased is welcome; I maintain a History Wish List on Amazon, so have at it.
At this point, I should remind you that I don't intend for this to be a straight Space Opera retelling of history. As is my usual habit, I will be blending other inspirations into this project; I'll address those in detail in later posts. Just remember that Star Knight is, at its core, a blend of Space Opera and Chivalric Romance with giant robots and laser swords.
But you can be damned sure that, once again, the Winged Hussars will save the day.
The wars of the past have had impact reverberating down the ages to the present. Patterns of behavior we see today went along then, and that is one of the reasons everyone ought to be familiar with the great men and events of days long past. You can get off to a good start with a well-annotated edition of Classical history, and this edition of Herodotus' Histories (and the two companions suggested to go with it) are good places to start- including if you are a father teaching your children at home.
Especially if you are a father educating your children at home.
Connecting these ancient events to more recent echoes is a thing for another post; suffice here to say that the Athenian expansion into Syracuse and the Persian incursions into Greece are good places to start. (On a related note, do take the time to ensure that your child doesn't mistake Frank Millar/Zack Snyder's 300 for the real events.) As these are meant to hold up over time, and given that the events covered are long gone, if you do your part to take care of these books then you'll be teaching your great-grandchildren with them 50-75 years later.
The entire period that began with Persia's two big invasions of Greece and ended with Alexander's sacking of Persia describes a sequence of events whereby one imperial power, in its hubris, underestimated the resilience of the nation it targetted for conquest. That pair of failed invasions would then lead to the two leading cities each succumbing to the same curse in turn, before a heretofore ignored backwater rose to power, conquered and unified Greece before enacting revenge upon Persia and destroying that empire before itself overextending and collapsing.
That's a pattern that's played out more than once since. (Specific examples I leave to readers to discuss.) These are patterns manifest by means of war, war conducted up close and person by men stabbng and slicing each other to death while avoiding getting smashed by boulders or trampled by beasts. Only recently did we extend that hellscape to include firearms, cannons, and air-dropped bombs. Those men that survived would come home and pass on what they learned--and earned--to their sons, making them ready for when war came yet again.
It is one thing to honor our own veterans. It is another to forget what put them in the field, and by connecting the chains from past to present we can detect the patterns behind them (as well as the men that use them to their benefit and the detriment of common men) so we may forecast the future with reasonable accuracy- and decide what to do accordingly. That this is not done in our schools, save for those in the elite--and to the end, as we learn, of exploiting we common men--is unacceptable; we cannot rely on enemies within to do good for us, so we must--as we did before--do for ourselves.
I'll quote the man's own description here. He does a fantastic job of it.
There Is Nothing Average About the Average Rush Fan!
Rush, the legendary Canadian progressive rock trio, has a legion of devoted fans. But what is it about the band that inspires such a loyal and dedicated fan base? And what is it about these fans that has created this powerful bond between artist and audience?
The story of these fans has never been told . . . until now.
Being that this is a non-fiction book, you can expect--and Alexander provides--answers to those questions in the formers of collected documentation, interviews from a couple of key people in the band's story, and testimonials from fans on what Rush means to them and has done for them.
It's going on the To Read pile. I'm by no means a big fan, but neither did I hate Rush. They were a great band with a run many envy, and we'll see their influence persist well beyond their lifetimes.
Again, you can find it here. Pick up a copy. Support independent authors.
