Journey to Kol Adair

Death's Mistress by Terry Goodkind
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Coming off the heels of the last adventure with Emperor Saluchan and putting the Omen Machine back to the under world and ending all prophecy for good, Nicci and Nathan are summoned to the layer of Red the witch woman. Braving some hazardous swamps to ge there, they find out they have another mission and that is to save the world and make Nathan whole. They are charged with finding the city of Kol Adair, which is at the other end of the DHaran Empire..
Enroute to Kol Adair, Nicci rescues a young man who is about to be killed by the name of Bannon. Bannon works on the wave walker, his captains ship. THe ship goes searching for Wish Pearls. It is on board this ship they come under attack for stealing pearls that belong to the selka. The selka are a race of sea people egineered by the wizards to fight in wars. The ship is attacked and of course the only three to survive are Nathan, Nicci and Bannon.
As they are shipwrecked on a strange and distant shore, they come across a small fishing town that is isolated from everything else. The villagers are very hosptable to the trveling trio. Yet only after being there for a while the town is attcked by Narukai slavers. Nicci is able to access her magic and use wizard fire to fend off the attackers. Nathan and Bannan must make do with swords. Nathan has lost his magic ever since the Omen Machine was returned to the underworld. When he does access his Han things go awry.
Their next adventure takes them to towns where everyone has been turned to stone. A wizard gone rogue has gone around assessin peoples guilt an turning them to stone. Nathan goes off on his own and sees a tower adorned with painted glass windows. THe wndows depict battle scenes of old. It is here that Nathan must battle some magically charged statues.
Their next two adventures take them to a place that is bein ravaged by another wizard called the Life Drinker. Rolland a wizard who accessed an ancient library was dying dying from/a wasting disease. To cure himself he used magic which casused him to drain the entire valley of life. Piecing together magic from ancient books they obtain a magic acorn from the tree of life. The next adventure has a priestess sacrificing herself to reanimate the valley. things seem to be going haywire. Kol Adair is a ways off still.

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The Most Holy Death

Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint by R. Andrew Chesnut
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THe cult of Santa Muetrte has grown by leaps and bounds since Dona Queta publicised her in her quesadilla stand in 2001. Before that he worhsip was kept under wraps with only a few people activelyfollowing her. Santa Muerte is a local homegrown Mexicn saint that is not CANONIZED by the Catholic Church. Most of her devotes are Catholic yet this movement seems to have the potential to break off into its own religious movement.
There are many saints that Mexican will pray to . THe most noteable one is the Virgin of Guadalupe, which was who the author was researching. Something was missing, a certain enthusiasm and after all theVirgin had been written about many times. Inspiration came when the author heard of the Mexican government destroying like over 40 shrines dedicated to the most holy death. This was part of an ongoing war against the drug cartels and Santa Muerte is a narco saint.
Many of her devotees are criminals, drug dealers, prisoners and also prison guards, policemen and soldiers. She is the most popullar saint, surpassing all of them in terms of sales items. But what is the story of this saint or this Grim Reapress. THe books is divided into chapters based on the color of candles her devotees will work with. Black is often the color most associated with her. Black is used for protections and cursing enemies. Back in the 80s and 90s when drug dealers kidnapped an american tourist and sacrificed him in a mixed palo mayombe ritual. Another case hapended in the 90s when a bust displayed Santa Muerte with black candles. The colors that are most popular to work with are white and red.
Thee first chapter is based on the brown candle. Brown is used for knolwdge and Enlightenment. This chapter discusses hsitory of Santa Muerte and her possible origins. THe chapter also covers offerings, the hsitory of Dona Queta and David Romo. Dona Queta opened a shrine to Santa Muerte from her quesadilla stand in the crime ridden neighborhood of Tepito. David Romo was allied with the Traditional Catholic Church and he opened up a church dedicated to Santa Muerte. David Romo has since been victimized by the government and was charged with kidnapping. The origins of Santa Muerte are hazy. Some are saying that she is a Mexican version of the Aztec goddess of the dead. But this cannot be because not all Indians were aztecs. Rather she is the Grim Reapress from Spain, who was La Parque or the parched one.
The next color they talked about was the black candle. In this chapter the author discusses how she is associated with cursing and protection. The drug dealers will ask her to help them with drug shipments or getting rid of legal authorities. Black is not a popular color but it is one most publicly associated with her. Thanks to cinema and media. White is for protection. Here the author discusses how the Saint protects her followers from witchcraft and other foul magic. Santa Muerte is as much a death bringer as she is a mother, healer and love doctor.
Red is the love candle. Most of her petitions are love petitions, especially jilted women who wanted their wayword husbands to change their ways. This has been her traditional roll historically. The other candle are green for justice, good for money, purple for healing. Finally the rainbow for all purposes. If you love Santa Muerte then get this book.

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Tarot Magic

Tarot Spells by Janina Renee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I got this book as a gift from a friend. Following pagan tradition it is a gift for a gift and I gave my friend a Santa Muerte Candle. Phoenix you are still remembered.

This book is an older edition. The spells are relatively simple to do. Unlike most Wiccan spells such tools like candle, incense , athame a and wands are optional. Most spells make candle, flowers and crystals optional.

At the books beginning there is a general opening and closing of the spell. The opening and closing is generic and no particular deities are called upon. The option is yours whether you want to use it, modify it or disregard it.

After the general opening and closing there is a meditation for each card you put down for the spell. Finally there are affirmations. You can break these visualization and affirmations off from the spell and use it independently as a stand alone should you so choose.

The appendices which are rather many give over lots of good information about what each tarot card means, what different colors correspond to and a few other goodies on Chrystal's plus there is an extensive bibliography in the back.

The spells are great for beginners just getting started and some of the more advanced practitioner might appreciate the simplicity.

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Modern Day Genocide

ISIS: Caliphate's Sex Slaves by Brad Power
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

ISIS: The Calhate's Sex Slaves

The book was way to short. I read it in an hour. Glad I did not pay nine buck for this book but got it off the Kindle Lending Library. What Brad Power does in this short pamphlet like book is give the reader a laundry list of crimes committed by DAesh against primarily the Yazidi community. There is scant mention of the other communities effected by the cultural genocide.
The aim of Daesh was to ethnically cleanse Iraq and Syria of any non muslim, non Sunni or non Arab prescence. Their take over began in August 2014. The start of the campaign was besieging local towns. First the fighters would demand the villages turn over all their weapons or die. If the villages had any weapons they would turn them over. Then they were told to hand over mobile phones and gold. Third they were told to convert to Islam or die.
The final assault came when they gathered the villagers and separated the men from the women. The men were taken away from the village and murdered enmasse. The women were distributed as spoils of war. Life as slave is terrible. Women asyoung s twelve are raped repeatedy through out the day. Many time they are forced into a marriage and forced to convert to islam. Women have comitted suicide things were so bad. Imagine bein rapd 30 time a day and passed around from man to man. Slave markets and concentration camps are poppingup all over Iraq and Syria. THe Yezidees have been forced tohide at Mount Sinjar for refuge. They have been abandoned by the Kurdish militias and the Iraqi army.
ISIS is aworld wide phenomona. Fighters come from over the world. Most are from Syria and Iraq. Yet others are from Russia, Europe, Africa and the Central Asian republics. The women are sold as slaves. The younger and prettier they are the more they cost. Buyer are coming in from all over the world. Truly sad.

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Inside Look at the Viking Rus

BLADE HONER - Book Two: My Enemy's Head by Maria Kvilhaug
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was a great read. It was very informative and it gives the reader an inside view as to what Viking Rus life was like in Audjeberg. This novel was also very entertaining and enjoyable. Once I started I found it really hard to put down. The story reads more like a narrative of life in the viking compound and how the two young girls captured from their village are getting used to lif with the Russ.
From the previous story Zivah and Thordiss were kidnapped from from their village and were the sole survivors of a massacre. zivah was brought over as a slave, while Thordiss was recognized as the lady of the court. In effect she is the only free woman in the Viking settlement. The rest of the women are slaves or sheaths. Slaves wear collars and call their masters either house bond or herri. There is an illusion that viking mistreat women, nothing could really be further from the truth. Vikings thought it unmanly to make a woman sad and that would also displease the gods. Viking can only do it with any woman only if sh agrees. Sheaths are basically like concubine, save that they are shared between six men, but those are lovers that are permanent.
Slowly but surely the girls get used to with the Viking and even enjoy bein among them. In Norse culture women are blade honers which means it is their job to give men a hard time so as toughen them up and make them warriors. Men listen to the verdict of women, it is important because it is always true. In Norse culture men must respect women.
There is one Viking, despised thoroughout the camp, who is known for abusing women. When he goes to far with Zivah and hurts her and humiliates her a group of Vikings go to the kindly women, who are priestesses of Hel, Goddess of the underworld. They give Hialti a taste of justice, which is where the title comes in. Acccording to their rules if a man seriously harasses a maiden the warriors of the clan go after that man cut off his head and give it to the woman. The skull is dipped in silver and used as a drinking cup.
After this there is a ritual of the Yule where in Thordiss shows her real power. It is during these rituals oor holidays that the rules are turned upside down. as they get used to camp life Zivah learns to warmup with Thioden, the skald, to whom she was given. It takes time to realize that in a harsh environment, what seemed to be cruel was really a kindness. Thioden who hails from Europe did not partake in the slaughter but he is still he is trying to be worhty of her affections and forgiveness. Thioden teaches THordiss her innner spiritual power and about Norse life. Thioden is a prince who has in soul song to rule people. He was taught a long time ago by wand witches how to serve the people he rules.
The book also gives the back story on the slaves and how they came to the encampment. It tells what life was like and how degraded they had been before they arrived to Arnulfs encampment. Over all life got better for slaves once they were owned by vikings. They had ben slaves all their lives. The book progresses to happy ending and reconciliation.

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