Spectre’s Sayings

Recently, I re-read four books by Harry Turtledove (writing as Eric Iverson): Werenight and Prince of the North (bound together under the title Wisdom of the Fox), King of the North, and Fox and Empire.

I had read these books years ago, but had forgotten much of them. As Turtledove is wont to do, he plucks situations out of our own history and transplants them into a fictional land. In this case, his premise is the invasion of the Roman Empire by barbarians. At the outset of this fantasy work, Gerin the Fox is a frontier baron on the northern edge of the Empire of Elabon. When the barbarous Trokmoi invade from the north, the empire cuts off all communication with the Northlands, leaving the barons of that province to fend for themselves.

The cunning of the Fox allows him to survive several crises, including men who turn into beasts when the moons are full, commerce with gods, two separate barbarian invasions, divorce and remarriage, monsters from below the earth, and other situations.

It’s rip-roaring good fantasy.

This is interesting: girl switches blood type after liver transplant in first known case.

Popular Mechanics has a photo slideshow about Richard Branson & Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two, including a picture of the craft under construction on page 4.