Ahh. It feels good to be back in Janloon. It’s been a little over 3 months since my last excursion to Kekon (in Jade Legacy) and I guess you could say I was having some jade withdrawal.
Turns out, Jade Setter of Janloon was my perfect fix.
The first thing it has going for it, is that it’s pretty short, and quickly paced for a Green Bone book (not that any of the other Green Bone books drag necessarily). Second, it’s very much it’s own kind of story. For all that it takes place in the Green Bone universe, it still has a distinct feel. More Noir, and less Urban Fantasy. In some ways it’s perhaps even more grim even than the previous offerings, but Lee does not linger too long on any of those moments. After all, there’s a mystery to solve.
Readers of Jade City, and Jade War (and of course Jade Legacy but I already linked it above lol) will thrill to see some familiar faces but personally, I delighted at the experience of a great cast of new characters.
Pulo is at once, an enterprising young upstart, and a dutiful assistant. His master, Isin, is reserved and conservative in his work, but brash and daring when it seems no one is watching. Their shop is both renowned, yet overlooked; an essential part of all clans but separate from any one group’s control.
Or so they think . . .
Of course, it’s the tilted power structures in Janloon that are the catalyst for most of the story, but the dynamics between characters were my favorite part of this book. For instance, Pulo quickly forms opinions without considering all the facts, which inevitably leads him into situations he isn’t even close to prepared for. It may not make for great detection, but it certainly makes for a compelling narrative.
I’m lucky enough to already be well versed in the world of this story, but even if I had never read a Green Bone book before, I think I would still have rated this book just as highly (and for those who have read other ‘Jade’ books, this one sheds new light on certain places). Each member of the cast has a complicated relationship to each other and the world around them, and it was amazing to see how this seemingly ho-hum group just gets more and more interesting with every chapter.
I’ll admit though, if you’re going into this book expecting the same kind hard hitting (let’s face it, tear jerking) story as the other ‘Jade’ books, you’ll be disappointed. As I mentioned above, this book is its own thing, and I don’t think it tries to encompass the same range of emotions as previous entries. That is not to say there aren’t sad moments, or happy moments too, but we just don’t have the time needed for these characters to get their hooks into us.
After three wonderful but harrowing novels already set in Janloon, I felt this more even keeled approach to be a feature, not a bug.
Read?
Emphatically yes! Even if you’ve never picked up the other Green Bone books before, this one will be a fun and enjoyable read. I think I also read that it would be eligible for a Hugo for the Novella in 2023? That’s a long way off, and I’m not sure it’s quite that caliber, but it’s definitely on my radar as a contender.
Has anyone read this book yet? What was your favorite part (who was your favorite cameo)? Please let me know in the comments. I’m looking forward to talking about this one!
I don’t think it’s too hard to guess why this one piqued my interest, it does after all, take place in Egypt, and I’m obsessed. I’ve always heard great things about this author, and (semi) recently I enjoyed P. Djeli Clark’s Ring Shout, so this was pretty much a no brainer.
Of course, the next question of “why now?” should also make a good bit of sense considering a novel set in this universe (known fittingly as the A Dead Djinn Universe), A Master of Djinn, is a finalist for the Hugo Award. I figured I should probably read up on the previous installments so I won’t miss any context when reading the novel.
Why I hadn’t jumped into this world before however, is a question I am completely baffled at, as it proved to be completely the thing I like and am always trying to search out and find new instances of. That it’s been out since 2016(!!) and I hadn’t read it and blogged about it is more than a little frustrating, but here we are. Doing it now.
I’m actually wondering if I did pick this up earlier, but bounced off of it because the setting wasn’t ‘ancient’ enough, meaning it wasn’t Assassin’s Creed Origins (although wikipedia tells me that game didn’t exist yet). When this came out, I probably wasn’t really into anything that felt like ‘steampunk’ either, though I hope I have since rid myself of such snobbery. Anyway, I probably read a few pages, saw no references to Ancient Egyptian Gods, and having no background in Islamic Mythology, did not care much about Djinn or Marid, and went on to something else.
Long story short, I should have read a few more pages. I should have read THE WHOLE THING!!
A Dead Djinn in Cairo DOES eventually reveal some cults to Ancient Egyptian gods, the goddess Hathor being of particular note, as I don’t feel like she’s often showcased in fiction (episodes of Disney’s Moon Knight aside). And thanks to my adventures in Daevabad, I do have a bit more context when it comes to Islamic Djinn, Ifrit, and Marid. Also, there are Angels.
All of the elements I’ve mentioned above are mixed together in a veritable soup of religions and alternate history which Clark never allows to become overwhelming. A lot of the Arabic words (like janbiya) and customs were new to me, but it was wonderful to read a story set so firmly within this point of view. The story never seems to fall prey to the type of exoticism we’ve seen in the past (the story even nods to this with the main character’s English suits which she wears because it’s exotic).
Finally, the main character, Fatma, is fun and provocative (within the context of the story). Clark weaves a tight, fast-paced, tale which never allows us to simply marinate in this crazy magical steampunk alternate Cairo, as much as we might like to. There’s murders to solve, and patriarchies to shoot holes in.
So . . . Read?
Yup! I really enjoyed this one, and am greatly looking forward to the next installments: The Angel of Khan el-Khalili, The Haunting of Tram 015, and then A master of Djinn when I get there. Probably the parts that resonated with me the most, were the complexity of world building and grounding of the reader in that POV. I also enjoy a good mystery as much as anyone, especially when it involves magic, the supernatural, and mechanical beings. What’s not to love?
Well that’s the end of the review. Has anyone read this story yet? What did y’all think? What are you most excited about for the next installment. More Djinn? Marid? These mysterious Angels?
Please let me know in the comments. See you next time!
I can’t believe we’re already two thirds through this amazing show, but dem’s the breaks, so let’s talk about this episode while we can, and get ready for the fifth(!) episode to air tonight. If you’re interested in catching up on any of my previous posts about this show, please check out my Moon Knight Unwrapped tag. Might be fun to see what theories I’ve had come true, and which were a bust.
Anyway, Episode 4: The Tomb was definitely my favorite episode so far. We went full Indiana Jones in this episode, finally raiding the tomb of Ammit, and having to solve some puzzles along the way which we could only do by knowing a thing or two about Ancient Egyptian history and mythology.
— Spoilers from here on —
The clue they have to decipher is the Udjat Eye (or Eye of Horus), which allows Steven and Layla to figure out which way to go in Ammit’s mazelike tomb. I really enjoyed the inclusion of this motif as it is one of the most prominent icons of Ancient Egyptian mythology and culture. It is often used as a macguffin of sorts with characters having to find an amulet engraved with this symbol, or in some cases the literal eye of poor Horus. But here it is just a key which allows them to unravel the latest puzzle.
One of the episode’s major reveals, was who exactly was buried in Ammit’s tomb (and therefore presumably their original avatar). It turns out to be Alexander the Great! Again, Bicker can catch you up on the important background info relevant to Moon Knight.
I’ll admit, this was a complete surprise for me, and honestly not a particularly rewarding one. Alexander the great is a hugely important figure, but not a particularly Egyptian one. Also, with all the hints and clues this show leaves lying around to tease viewers about what future episodes may hold, I don’t feel that this was foreshadowed at allllll. Which doesn’t seem fair.
Anyway, I still enjoyed raiding the tomb with Steven and Layla (I forgot to gush about the creepy Heka priests!), and the burial chamber itself was completely amazing, and exactly the type of thing that I have been wanting from this show (or any show) for the previous three episodes up until this point. So, I refuse to be upset hahah.
I guess the next big reveal which needs to be discussed is Marc getting shot, and “falling” into an insane asylum, where he’s clearly been staying for quite some time. This entire sequence gave me Jeff Lemire vibes, specifically his first book, Moon Knight Vol 1: Lunatic.
In these issues of the comic, Marc is trapped inside an insane asylum and must fight his way out with some help from established characters from previous comics, who are also committed. In the comic version, Marc’s therapist is Ammit, who Marc sees as both a normal woman, and the crocodile headed demon depending on how shaky his mental state is. She is not the main villain of the three book run, and Marc ends up facing off against Khonshu by the end.
I really hope that this not what happens in these next two episodes as I’ve somewhat grown to like our bossy, yelling, tantrum-throwing moon god . . . but we’ll have to wait and see.
Last but not least, we see Tawaret in the final shot of the show. She says “Hi!” in the cutest possible voice, and hilariously, Marc and Steven (finally separated) scream in fright.
I’ll be honest, I had no idea what to make of this ending. I recognized Tawaret (who was properly foreshadowed in the first episode), as a hippo goddess associated with pregnancy and motherhood, but I’ve got next to nothing on what her role will be in Moon Knight. I guess we’ll have to see.
Theories . . .
Not a ton for you in theory land this time around even though we got tons of reveals and new information over which to speculate. I would definitely check out New Rockstar’s Episode 4 Easter Egg Break Down for anything you missed and a couple great theories coming out of there. For me though, I’m thinking about
Jake Lockley Appearance?
I really want to have some fresh original take on this, like “Steven’s third identity (still encased in that third tomb) is so-and-so, not Jake.” But unfortunately, I just don’t know who else it could be. Jake Lockley is just sooo prevalent in the comics, so I think it almost has to be him. However, so far none of the identities we’ve seen in the show have been very similar to what we saw in the comic. If it is “Jake”, I don’t think it will be like any Jake we’ve seen yet. Given the blackouts we witnessed in Episode 3, I’m assuming that he will be much more violent and scary than anything we’ve seen yet. Whatever it is, they better hurry up!
The Asylum is the ‘Overvoid’ which is why we saw Tawaret
I’m really hoping that the asylum is not Marc/Steven/Whoever’s true reality, and that he’s actually been sent to the “Overvoid” which seems to be the place where all the Gods hang out. Perhaps the reason it looks like an asylum, is because mortal minds cannot handle so much of the divine (or alien) in one place and so they hallucinate a reality they can believe. Since our MC has DID, perhaps an asylum is something it can make sense of. Whether the Overvoid is a heavenly Field of Reeds, or the hellish Duat, we will have to wait and find out . . .
The Climax of this show will involve Steven/Marc Freeing the entombed Gods from their Ushabti
As much as I really enjoyed this episode, one thing kind of bothered me. As soon as they got inside the tomb, Steven/Marc and Layla were so completely focused on finding Ammit’s Ushabti and preventing Harrow from getting it, that they completely forgot about Khonshu! In episode 3, right as Khonshu is crumbling to dust, he tells Steven to make sure Marc saves him . . . they did NOT do that AT ALL.
So, my prediction is that this objective is still on the table, and that once we’re out of the asylum/overvoid, we’ll head back over to Giza and start bustin gods out of statues. My hope is that in order to finally get to Khonshu, they’ll have to bust out many of the other gods we see thereby releasing them as players in the larger MCU. From promo posters, we can see Khonshu, Anubis and his scales, and (hopefully) Sobek.
We’ll just have to wait and see . . .
The End . . .
Well, that’s all I have for you this round. What does everyone thing. Will we get to see more Ancient Egyptian Gods Running around in the MCU? Which are you hoping to see the most? What other thoughts and theories do you have about this episode?
Please leave em in the comments. See you next time!
I’m not quite sure how this book came onto my radar (apparently I shelved it as ‘Want to Read’ on GoodReads a day before it came out), but if memory serves, I was pretty pumped to read it about a year ago. I mean just LOOK at that dragon. I must have been hearing some pretty good reviews as well because I feel like I was pretty hype.
But I rarely pull the trigger on a new (to me) author right away, and it seems like one thing led to another (pretty sure I was in the middle of Song of Achilles and #WyrdAndWonder), and this Norse inspired epic sadly got pushed to the side and forgotten about.
Then, around the beginning of March (2022) I saw an epic wolf on the cover of a book and realized the two were connected. Once Netgalley approved me for an early review of Hunger of the Gods (oops that drakkar has sailed) it was time to get serious about reading Shadow again.
And What Did I think?
Well, I thought a lot. I’ll try not to go on to long, but like most books there were some things I liked, and some things I didn’t. I’ll write a bit about both before giving a final recommendation.
— (plz note, spoilers ahead) —
What Worked For Me:
The World Building – Gwynne did his homework for building out this world . . . and then probably some extra credit, and then maybe a PhD. I’m being a little flippant, but in reality, I have a ton of respect for the setting Gwynne created. Each detail from the clothing of the townsfolk, to the world altering battle between gods felt vivid and full. It was obvious that many of these details were taken from actual history, but assuredly quite a few were invented for the story, and I never knew the difference. I don’t have a ton of knowledge of Norse history or mythology, but I didn’t need to. Gwynne’s setting is revealed in stages and (for the most part) I was never confused by any of the funny spellings, or unfamiliar terms. For any Fantasy novel, this is a hard feat, but given the density with which these details availed themselves in SotG, I was doubly impressed.
Action Sequences– This author likes a good fight. And with a bunch of Vikings sailing around in search fame, fortune, demons, and missing children, there were plenty of good fights to be had. Again, attention to detail is what really made these scenes work. I’m not sure I’ve ever though much about choreography in a book before, but each move in SotG felt well thought out, real and easy to visualize (not to mention totally badass).
What Didn’t Work For Me
Too Similar Characters – SotG has three main characters, who despite different back stories and circumstances, kinda felt like the same character (to me). Varg was probably my favorite by the end. He’s a fugitive thrall who has escaped enslavement and needs to perform a ritual in order to find some information critical to his sister Froya’s death, and then enact his revenge. A lot happens in his attempt to achieve this goal, but ultimately his solution is to become a Viking and sail around fighting stuff.
Orka — who was my favorite at the start — has an awesome setup, with a son and husband living quietly out in the woods, hunting and investigating strange animal sightings. I was overjoyed to see this group emerge as I thought we might actually see a family go on an adventure together. Without spoiling too much, Orka ends up on her own, and must try to save her son. Her solution is essentially (again) to become a Viking and sail around fighting stuff.
Finally, Elvar deviates from the pattern in that, at the start of this book, she is already a Viking who sails around fighting stuff. She wants fame, glory, and a kind of immortality she believes those things will give her (I already mentioned Song of Achilles right?). Above all she wants freedom. She pursues this by continuing to be a Viking, sailing around fighting stuff.
Varg ended up being my favorite because I felt becoming a Viking and sailing around fighting stuff actually made the most sense for him to achieve what he wants (and also what he needs which is Viking bros!). For the other two characters? I think I wanted different stories . . . O well.
Voice – Different people have wildly different opinions on the actual prose authors use to get across their story. Some may prefer more modern language, while others feel this takes them out of the story. There is also this idea that authors should stick to the [perceived] constrains of their world, one of which being language. If a culture has not yet invented gun powder, then even an explosion fueled by magic cannot “go off like a bomb”.
Gwynne makes some interesting choices in the lexicon to create immersion in the world and give it a kind of ancient and brutal feel. One (at first) fun example is ‘thought-cage’ instead of mind. However some of these choices only served to hang up the reader during otherwise flowing prose. For instance, nobody in Vigrid or Iskidan seems to hold anything in their hands, only with their fists. A pretty brutal and fear inspiring description when grasping a weapon, but difficult to understand when holding something benign like a cup (not actually in the text but if committed to fully, you might expect to find fists used to describe the caress of a lover, yikes haha). I’m sure there are more examples of this kind of thing but these are just what came to me while writing this.
Fair-fame?
Ultimately yes. There is a lot to love in Shadow of the Gods, but also plenty which made it a struggle to finish. I enjoyed the setting and action sequences, but felt the character work could have used some more variety, and the prose sometimes made the story more difficult to understand, making me lose immersion rather than gaining it. In the end, was not an epic of which we will sing about in our blogging sagas (blogas?). It was just so-so.
I already have the sequel, Hunger of the Gods which I’ll probably read soon, but I won’t rush.
Alrighty, how wrong was I? Anyone read this book yet? Love it? Hate it? What was the most interesting part for you? Let me know in the comments.
It’s Wednesday morning, so that means it’s time for another review / theory discussion of Moon Knight!
Before we get into the meat of things however, I just wanted to point out that if you’re wanting to catch up with any of my previous episode reviews, you can just click the Moon Knight Unwrapped tag, and it should list them all as they’re posted.
Finally, if you’re like me, the coolest draw of this show is the ways in which it interacts with Egyptian history and myth. There’s all kinds of other books, movies and shows that do this as well, and so if you’re just into Ancient Egyptian stuff like me, please check out my Ancient Egypt tag (right now a lot Moon Knightstuff will be floating to the top, but I’m thinking of making it separate).
Ok, onto the review . . .
— Spoilers from here on —
Of course, another great episode. We learned so much, both about our characters, and about our setting. It was so great to be able to see a modern Cairo in this episode. I’ve been wanting to travel there for quite some time, and this just reinforces that desire.
I have a few favorite parts of the episode, but I think the most interesting part was certainly the ‘trial’ inside the Pyramid of Giza. Now, as Roxane Bicker explains in her post, „Moon Knight“ – Die altägyptischen Hintergründe erklärt, Teil 5 (god bless google translate), Khufu’s pyramid does not have such a massive room inside it. But given just how cool this scene is, and how amazing the room looks, I’m willing to more than overlook it because . . .
FINALLY we get to meet some other Ancient Egyptian Gods! We meet Hathor, Tefnut, Horus, Osiris, and Isis. That is exactly zero of the gods I hoped/predicted we’d see, but we’ve only met five of the possible nine that make up the Ennead so perhaps there is hope yet (none of the others I predicted are in the historical Ennead, but the show seems to be taking liberties with that as well).
I have hope, based on the statuary that we do find in the tomb, that we’ll meet Sobek, and Thoth at least, and possibly Sekhmet (because Hathor).
My next favorite scene was definitely when Mark and Layla go to visit Mogart. I had never heard of the El-Mermah games before so that was definitely an interesting glimpse into Arabian culture. I’m definitely interested in learning more about this when I get the chance. Also, makes for a pretty awesome and violent fight scene.
I think those were the main scenes that stood out to me. Obviously, Khonshu causing an eclipse and moving the night sky back 2,000 years were amazing bits of special effects, and possibly have huge implications for the show and MCU, but I still enjoyed some of these ‘less epic’ scenes a little more.
Anyway, that’s all I have for reviewing, let’s move on to the theories!
Theories . . .
Marc is already dead and journeying through the underworld?
One theory that I saw online, is that Marc is already dead, and that we are watching Marc’s journey through the Ancient Egyptian Underworld. I do kind of like this theory, as it makes a very good arc for the six episodes. Ammit (who is the big bad of the series), is a very prominent figure at the Weighing of the Heart, when an Ancient Egyptian’s soul was thought to be judged by the Court of Gods. It kind of has a certain sense to it.
However, that judgement is just one aspect of the Ancient Egyptian journey through the underworld, known as the Duat. A little research reveals the Duat to be a complete terrain, with lakes (of fire), mountains, fields etc. Also, the journey requires one to cross Twelve Underworld Gates guarded by Gate Deities. This seems like a task that would take more than six episodes (unless we’re flying through two gates an episode) and considering we’re only just starting to see all the players on the board, I don’t think this theory is gonna pan out.
Khonshu just took Earth back 2,000 years?
This theory was put forth in the New Rockstar’s Moon Knight Episode 3 Easter Egg Breakdown, and then expanded on in the How Khonshu Moved the Sky episode. This would effectively retcon the entire MCU AGAIN! For like the third or forth time in Phase 4 alone. Personally, it doesn’t seem to make much sense. Why would Marvel/Disney would want to do this as it invalidates like 23+ movies and shows? They want you to HAVE TO WATCH all of them to understand what’s happening next so retconning them doesn’t really make sense, even if they have written themselves into plot corners (which I haven’t really felt like they have).
But I also have another reason for thinking this theory is false. Upon second watching of the episode, I noticed that Steven is complaining about how painful turning time back is, and he encourages Layla to hurry up and take the pictures with her tablet because he isn’t sure how much longer he can hold it. This makes me think that yes, they turned back time to the night the star chart was made, but that it is kind of like winding up a spring, eventually it unwinds (when Khonshu gets turned into a tiny statue), and I believe they go back to the present, even though we are not shown the sky while this is happening (Steven is too busy fainting).
Just my theory
That’s all folks!
And that’s all I’ve got this time around. Thank you all for reading. I enjoyed this episode just as much as the last two, and I’m really looking forward to watching the 4th episode later tonight.
How did you enjoy the episode? What was your favorite part? Have any theories? Did Khonshu retcon the MCU? Is Marc already dead?
Leave your thoughts in the comments. I’m excited to talk about this one!
I’m not entirely sure how one celebrates this ‘holiday’ but I assume that it’s like any other social media holiday, and you can just do whatever you like so long as you use the hashtag.
My original plan was to actually do some research and learn about this fierce and terrible creature, and then write up a post telling everyone what I had learned. Probably something along the lines of, velociraptors had little to nothing in common with the horrible creatures we all trembled to watch during the kitchen scene in Jurassic Park.
But then I saw this . . . The Velocipastor . . .
Obviously I had to know.
I can say that I wasn’t disappointed? I can also say that this movie is a huge disappointment? Let me explain.
I usually don’t go in for summary when I’m doing reviews, but in this case I think a little bit will put things in perspective. I’ll try not to spoil any of the INTENSE PLOT (<— this is sarcasm).
Anyway, in the The Velocipastor, a priest begins to lose his faith after the death of his two parents. They’re killed by, and I kid you not, text that says “VFX of Explosion”. The other priest recommends that our main character, Doug, travel in order to find himself. “Go where you don’t think God is, and if you find him there you’ll know he’s within you.”
Doug goes to China, which we can derive from the onscreen text that says China as Doug creeps around what is probably a heavily wooded backyard. In the godless backyard of ‘China’, Doug encounters a dying ninja, and recovers a claw, which cuts him and makes him sick. He wakes up back in America with the other priest taking care of him, and thinking the whole thing was a dream. Then he decides he’s hungry and woozily goes in search of food. Next we see Doug, he has become a velociraptor and is hunting evil men who attack hookers in a park.
Honestly, the whole thing is pretty hilarious.
The film clearly knows its ridiculous but I sometimes felt it didn’t realize just how ridiculous it was being. At parts you could tell the film was trying to tell a joke, or subvert a trope, but it either beat the joke to death or didn’t quite make it clear enough.
But the story of how The Velocipastor got made is actually kind of funny in and of itself, with the director misspelling velociraptor on his phone and it auto-correcting to “Veloci pastor”. A trailer for the film went viral and confirmed to Brendan Steere (director) that it was a fun/funny idea that had an audience.
And the Velociraptors?
Unfortunately, if you’re watching this to see cool velociraptors, pick apart the accuracy of their depictions or behaviors, or even try to learn something, you’ll be sorely disappointed. The creature we see in the DVD jacket (this movie went to DVD!!), is probably the best representation you’ll see, and what’s actually shown in the movie is far worse. Just look at it for a moment:
Sigh. This movie supposedly had a 35k budget (higher than I though although still probably very low for a movie), and considering how many actors and actresses were in it, I’m amazed they accomplished as much as they did on that sum, but if asked, I can think of a few places in which I’d have made cuts in order to throw more money at the dino (looking at you Father Stewart’s Vietnam backstory). Honestly, we all know I’d only give money to the dino which probably would not have bought much at all, but hey, I’m not a film person.
So Recommend?
Honestly, yes. If you like movies like Sharknado, or even understand the appeal of them, you’ll probably enjoy this movie. There were definitely parts that made me cringe to watch (soo much maniacal laughter from the villains whyee!), but also parts that genuinely made me laugh out loud, like pretty much anything that the Frankie Mermaid says. Also, there were some moments of surprisingly poignant satire/commentary, like when Doug says something to the effect of “I don’t believe Dinosaurs exist, how can I be turning into one?”
I pretty much died on that one.
Anyway, if you’re into terrible movies, give this one a shot. Like most things in life it probably will and won’t disappoint you at the same time.
Anyway, that’s all for now. Has anyone watched this? What are your thoughts? What were your favorite moments? I think some of the books about dinosaurs in the movie were real. Anybody read any of them? What’s your favorite Frankie Mermaid quote? What should we expect from a sequel? (yup they’re making a sequel!)
Leave your thoughts in the comments. See you next time!
Happy Friday everyone! We’ve got another comic book review this week, and because I’m obsessed, it’s another Moon Knight review. If you’re just getting caught up, I’ve been reviewing Moon Knight comics in preparation for the Moon Knight show on Disney+.
So far I’ve managed to read through the 3 books by Jeff Lemire, and a Moon Knight “Essentials” volume, and then of course I’m blogging about the show each week as the episodes come out in my Moon Knight Unwrapped series. It’s a lot of fun, and honestly I’m a little amazed I’m not sick of it yet.
Anyway, THIS week’s review is about Moon Knight Volume 1: From the Dead by Warren Ellis. It came out in 2014, before the Lemire books I read just before this.
In some ways, I felt like this take on the character deviated the most from anything that I’ve seen so far. First, there were lots of references to other marvel properties like Spiderman, Wolverine, and S.H.I.E.L.D. and a lot of allusions to past events which I assume are part of the Moon Knight cannon which I haven’t come across yet (I probably should not be reading these in reverse chronological order hahah). It was not as off-putting as I felt some of the allusions in Lunatic were because Ellis seems to have a more straightforward writing style (when it comes to dialogue at least). Things aren’t referenced so much as explained, and I never really felt all that confused although sometimes I did wish I had experienced them first hand.
I found the artwork in these volumes to be the most enjoyable of anything I’ve read so far. A lot more use of color, and many of the environments were quite surreal. It was great!
However, I also felt that this book was perhaps the most simplistic version of the character I’ve seen yet. Each story focuses almost solely on Mr. Knight, usually punching his way through a slew of enemies. YouTuber Matt Draper does an interesting analysis in Moon Knight – Burdened by and Unknown God, and manages to show the complexity of the Spector/Khonshu relationship as a metaphor for the unknowable nature of religions and their followers . . .
Perhaps this develops, or is more apparent in the books that follow, but to me, it seemed like Ellis rejected some of Moon Knight’s most interesting characteristics, his personalities, and the series’ other characters. Only at the end do we get any idea of where Jean Paul Duchamp (‘Frenchie’) and Marlene are (no mention of Crawley that I noted), and while it is hinted that there was a falling out, but we do not understand why. Ellis’ Moon Knight is a violent loner and that just wasn’t as interesting to me.
Wasn’t Khonsu a healer?
Finally, the violence of these issues actually inspired me to do a bit of research into the Ancient Egyptian God of the Moon Khonsu, because I just couldn’t reconcile this violent portrayal with a deity that in history was seen as a protector and healer.
In From the Dead, Ellis names five aspects of the god which Moon Knight supposedly embodies. They are: Pathfinder, Embracer, Defender, Watcher of Overnight Travelers, and The One Who Lives On Hearts.
Embracer, and Defender, seem to match up with a healing moon deity apparent in the Bentresh Stella, who’s statue healed Ramses’ sister in law. Watcher of Overnight Travelers, and Pathfinder is also quite understandable when we consider:
“. . . which is that it derives from the verb khenes which means “to cross over or traverse”. Khonsu therefore means “the wanderer” or “he who traverses [the sky]” “
But what of this last epithet, The One Who Lives On Hearts?
Well it turns out, Khonsu is represented as being violent and blood thirsty in two sources, the first being the “Cannibal Hymn” from the Pyramid texts, which describe a deceased Wenis/Unas killing and eating gods for sustenance with Khonsu’s help:
It is Wenis who eats men and lives on Gods Lord of porters who dispatches messages. It is “Grasper-of-Horns” who is in Khonsu who lassoes them for Wenis
Faulkner, R.O. The “Cannibal Hymn” from the Pyramid Texts, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology v10 no2 1924 pgs 97-103
I suppose that it should not come as a surprise to learn that this god of the moon was not only benevolent but sometimes malevolent too. After all, most things in Ancient Egyptian epistemology have a duality.
Read this one?
Despite my disappointment, I would still recommend this one. It’s straightforward in it’s approach, and while I was dubious of such a violent representation of the moon deity bearing up to any historical scrutiny, it seems that the evidence is there and that Khonsu had a violent side after all.
I plan to continue on with the next books in this run. We’ll see how things develop!
Has anyone read these already? What were your thoughts? Enjoy this different take on the character? Please leave your thoughts in the comments! See you next week!
Well, it’s Wednesday morning again, and I’m gearing up for watching another awesome episode of Moon Knight when I get home from work, but first I thought I’d do what I always do here, and review Moon KnightEpisode 2: Summon the Suit and then spout off any theories I’ve managed to come up with. As it’s been essentially a full week since this episode came out, many people on the internet have already done a lot of amazing analysis, so there will be a lot of linking, and hopefully I’ll be able to come up with a meaningful idea of my own. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Long story short, I’m still just as fascinated with this show as I was last week. I don’t suspect this will change as it seems like they’re really busting out all the stops for it. There seems to be sooo much going on that even a second watch doesn’t feel like enough to really soak it all in.
I think what I’ve been enjoying the most, is that they’ve injected quite a bit of humor into the dialogue and in this most recent episode, it took on a much more physical form. I’m thinking particularly of Mr. Knight’s/Steven’s fight with the jackal. Crushing his head on that poll, sticking the landing, and then falling over. It’s like if one of the three stooges became a super hero.
I’m also really enjoying how much Stephen and Harrow parallel each other as any good hero and villain should. They’re both vegan, they both were Khonshu’s Avatar, and they both serve deities who seem to have taken the judgement of mortals into their own hands, and use violence to enact their sentences. However, as Steven points out, with crucial differences. I just loved when Steven flips Harrow/Ammit’s logic on its head.
I think the show does a good job of balancing its horror influences, with its humor, and typical super hero action. Again Khonshu was legitimately terrifying while he chases Steven through the storage locker. It’s interesting how the god is framed almost more like a petulant child when Harrow is around to ground Steven. It seemed a weird change up, but then seeing how domineering the god is with Marc, it feels like Khonshu’s character is determined by Marc/Steven’s perception in real time.
When Steven is scared of losing his mind, the god is shown like the great evil of a horror film. Marc seemingly feels guilty (probably about the deaths by his hand / people he failed to save, at the dig site, and so Khonshu becomes the type of god who would collect a debt. At the end of the episode, we see mark drinking heavily, and perhaps I’m reading into it, but it almost seems like he’s coping with some kind of PTSD (which would totally make sense if he was a mercenary).
We got the answer to a LOT of questions in this episode, for instance:
Who is Marc Spector? – He’s a mercenary, who’s done bad things at a tomb in Egypt. He has a wife, and it’s him who has been dragging Steven along on these blacked out adventures.
Who is Layla (who called him so many times)? – Marc’s wife, a total badass who knows her Egyptology (I was totally cringing at Steven trying to mansplain) and can fight like Sydney Bristo. She seems to know about Marc’s powers and the Scarab so they must have been very close . . . I’m guessing she also knows about Khonshu although I’m not sure if that is explicit.
“So you guys are talking again?” – Steven’s mom may/may not be real, but Marc’s mother seems to be alive and on bad terms with her little boy.
Who is Khonshu? – An Egyptian god who seeks justice through punishing evil doers. He’s got a bad ass enforcer/avatar called the Fist of Khonshu, aka the Moon Knight
What’s with the Scarab? – The Scarab is (at this point) a compass which points to Ammit’s Ushabti and tomb (where ushabti are usually buried).
What’s Harrow’s motivation? – Get the scarab, use it to find Ammit’s tomb, resurrect the ugly crocodile/lion/hippo monster and bring peace to the galaxy. Also, probably to get back at Khonshu for whatever reason they are no longer god/avatar.
Which has me a tad nervous for the pacing of this show. From what comics I’ve read, there isn’t a ton more backstory to reveal, and so the adventure must be a lot of new material moving forward.
However, we did get some new mysteries to ponder as well, such as:
Why was Khonshu banished / not liked by the other gods?
What debt must Marc repay? Just that Khonshu brought him back? Or is there something else he’s trying to atone for?
Why do Marc and Layla want the Scarab? Obviously now they want it to prevent Harrow from raising Ammit, but it seemed like they had another reason before they new about Harrow? Maybe I’m just reading into things
Finally, I’m just dying to see how Crawley’s role is going to expand as the season goes on. He’s a very prominent character in the comics which is only just given little bit parts so far in the show. Looking at you statue dude.
Theories . . .
This is the part where I’ll probably do a of linking to other’s analysis but hopefully you’ll still learn something new, and maybe I’ll think of an original thought. Let’s get to it:
O Khepri, amid his boat, primeval one, whose corporeality is infinity/eternity, may you rescue Osiris Amenhotep, true of voice.
They also mention that this text is very similar to a passage from The Book of the Dead. I think I’ve mentioned the god Khepri in previous posts and of course Osiris . . . Honestly I’m not sure just what to make of this but perhaps it could mean literally someone needs to be rescued. Also I’ve seen ‘true of voice’ often translated as ‘justified’ so perhaps, if this is referring to Marc/Steven, perhaps it could mean that he is ‘justified’ and won’t be punished.
Also to consider:
“The function of the heart scarab was to bind the heart to silence while it was being weighed in the underworld to ensure that the heart did not bear false witness against the deceased”
If it is a heart scarab perhaps it will offer Moon Knight some protection in a climactic final judgement (battle).
Jackal Summoning Translation:
As if knowing Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs was not enough, apparently we should also brush up on our Coptic. Again, r/AncientEgyptian comes to our rescue with a translation of Harrow’s speech as he summons the jackal. The first bit seems to be simply “Awaken, awaken, awaken”. A little anticlimactic, but I’m sure the rest of the translation will come soon . . .
Did Egyptian Gods have Avatars?
In “Moon Knight“ – Die altägyptischen Hintergründe erklärt, Teil 4, Bicker more or less tells us no. Pharaohs were considered conduits to the divine, and a kind of divinity in their own right, but avatars as we think of them (and how they seem to be displayed in the show) are a Hindu concept and not Ancient Egyptian.
Aspects of the soul and Steven’s Ka
Hieroglyph for Ka
In 9 Things About Ancient Egypt I Hope We See In Marvel’s #MoonKnight, I talk about how Ancient Egyptians conceived the soul as having many aspects. In Summon the Suit, I believe we’ve revealed yet another aspect of our main character’s soul in Mr. Knight. The Ka is often thought of as a “double”, but we can also see the out stretched arms of the glyph for Ka as representing a part of the soul offering divine protection which survives the body after death. It’s interesting that Marc seems to have this divine protection in Moon Knight after he dies in Khonshu’s tomb. I believe Steven ‘dies’ after smashing his head against that lamp poll and his Ka, Mr. Knight, survives to protect him.
Probably reading into this part of things too much, but I still feel that the show is using each the main character’s identities to represent aspects of the ancient egyptian soul, although my working theory seems to be pretty thin. We’ll see as time goes on.
That’s all I got . . .
Yup! We’ve reached the end of the road so far. I’m definitely looking forward to next week’s episode. I hope you’ll join me for another edition of Moon Knight Unwrapped.
But if you’re still here now, what was your favorite part of the episode? Any thoughts on all the craziness we’ve seen so far? Anyone know coptic?
Leave your answers in the comments. I’m super hype to talk about this!
John Scalzi is a fun dude. Listen to him talk (or follow him on twitter) and you can immediately tell that he’s also a smart dude, and often thoughtful/deep.
He has many facets.
For Kaiju Preservation Society, we’re firmly in the facet that does fun. Anyone who’s a fan of Red Shirts or Miniatures will probably enjoy this book a great deal, although I don’t think the humor (or strangeness) of Miniatures is on display here, nor is the wit or genre savvy which made Redshirts (or even way back, Old Man’s War).
In a lot of ways, we get what we expect from a Scalzi novel, a slightly nerdy (but almost wishfulfilingly smooth) protagonist who (imho) should not be able to save the day, but inevitably does. Oh and giant monsters . . .
I think my favorite parts of this book were definitely it’s cast of characters. I was impressed by — for someone who probably hasn’t been in college for a long time (googled: Bachelor’s in 1991) — how MUCH these characters felt like modern postgrads. Honestly, I probably would have just read an entire book of them ribbing each other but alas that’s not how good writers write books.
Also worth noting, this lovable group was pretty diverse which was refreshing.
But obviously, the hook for this book is the kaiju. If you love giant monsters (which I do), it’s just gonna pull you in regardless of anything else. I thought Scalzi did an amazing job coming up with reasons for WHY and HOW kaiju could work, or at the very least, explaining away things like the Square-Cube Law which would cause kaiju NOT to work. I’ll be honest though, my knowledge of actual physics is not terribly deep, mostly things I picked up from reading other science fiction. Given all the pop culture references, I believe Scalzi knows this and is writing for his audience.
I felt this the entire time I was reading. For someone who was hoping to learn something regarding how describe giant monsters (as any good dinosaur writer would), I was sorely disappointed.
After this, my only other gripe was with some of the meta humor. I actually hurt myself rolling my eyes when one of the characters lampshades what lampshading is. I think younger me would have come to a book like this looking for that sort of thing . . . I guess now I’m old.
Self-Conservation Book?
So I didn’t want to write ‘preservation’ twice in the title, so I settled on self-conservation instead. What I mean is, I think the real story of this book is not any kaiju who were saved, but the John Scalzi who was preserved by writing it. COVID has been ROUGH on EVERYONE. It was encouraging to read that this applies to authors too, especially for kai– ahem monsters of the industry like John Scalzi (we can’t all just write 4 books like Brandon Sanderson haha).
Also, I’m totally curious what book he stopped writing to write this one . . . But will be totally fine if we never see it.
So . . . Give this one a read?
Yea. I’d say so. Despite the gripes mentioned above, this was one of the few books recently that I was excited to start, excited to keep reading, and satisfied when it was over.
Has anyone read this one? What were your thoughts? Who are your favorite kaiju? From this book? From all the monster movies of times past? Leave your answer in the comments.
Welcome. Welcome. FINALLY we get to talk about the first episode of the Moon Knight TV show!
It feels like I’ve been waiting forever to write this post, and I’m both sad and happy to say that it’s going nothing like I expected.
My original intent for these posts was to watch the show Wednesday night, sleep on it, and then type up a recap the next day. I felt uniquely qualified to handle such a task because I’ve written a lot of reviews on this blog about Ancient Egypt in fiction, studied the culture and history as research for my own fiction (of which only a short story, Narmer and the God-Beast, is completed), and even taken a few lessons in how to read hieroglyphs. In preparation for this show, I’ve been trying to catch up on Moon Knight comics (see my review of Essential Moon Knight Vol 1, and Jeff Lemire’s Vol 1: Lunatic, Vol 2: Reincarnations, and Vol 3: Birth and Death) and I’ve had a great time doing so, but I’ll admit that my main interest still continues to be the Ancient Egyptian aspects of the story (although multiple personalities is also pretty damn skippy. Sorry my alter ego who thinks he’s Mickey Avalon is showing through).
But this is not a recap . . .
Correct! No! Whichever! After only one episode, I’m realizing that there is just TOO MUCH for me to be able to (on the timeline I had hoped) figure everything out and get it written down. I have a job, and other writing projects, and there are tons of other people who are terribly more qualified than me (both in knowledge of Marvel, and in Egyptology) who have taken up the torch . . .
So, I’m retooling the purpose of these posts. They will probably be similar to other posts I’ve written here, where I’ll talk about what I liked and didn’t like about the show. Gonna try to get these finished for Tuesday or Wednesday mornings, so any one reading it can check it out before starting the new episode.
Anyway, enough housekeeping, let’s get to the review!
Wow! Just wow!
If you couldn’t tell, I really enjoyed almost every facet (of which there are many) of this first episode. The introduction was unique (not many shows start with the villain), and shocking (who puts glass in their sandals?!) and hooked me from the very beginning.
Then we see the strange sleeping routine of Steven Grant, and I’m hooked again! Dribble out a little Ancient Egyptian history; more hooks. Begin suggesting some inconsistencies in the point of view through small details, and then wham! Literally knock our (and Steven’s) jaw off with a globe trotting blackout, and some strange omniscient voice calling our MC an idiot (rude!). And then don’t let up . . .
Now, I won’t just keep listing plot points (because, after all, this ISN’T a recap), but there was a (cupcake) truck full of mysteries presented to us throughout course of the episode, and a staggering amount of details to hold in one (splitting) brain. Yet somehow, that was wonderful!
As I mentioned earlier, most of the details I was concerned with were related to how these personas tie in, and are effected by Ancient Egypt and its history and mythology. In this respect, Moon Knight certainly did not disappoint. We had references to many ancient Egyptian Gods, some of which I expected to see (check out 9 Ancient Egyptian Things I hope to see in Marvel’s Moon Knight for deets), but several (like Hathor) I did not.
And I just got the feeling that these gods were going to be so much more than just references and setting. Obviously Khonsu was to play a large role, but the inclusion of Ammit (and some creative license taken with her mythology) as well other gods, which are seemingly VERY active in mankind’s affairs is the type of treatment I’ve wanted to see this pantheon receive for a ages.
And there’s hieroglyphs everywhere, which obviously I tried (and failed) to translate. But still, what a trip. I can’t wait to see what is revealed through their inclusion as the show progresses (hopefully it won’t spoil anything).
Needless to say, I’m super excited for episode 2 and I can’t wait to hunt down and search for all the other little secrets this show has in store . . .
Theories . . .
So, this part of the post is probably going to contain a lot of links, but I think in the end, it will be worth it. In tracking them down, I feel like I’ve learned so much I didn’t understand before.
Theory 1: Werewolf by Night!
Definitely one of the most suspenseful scenes comes when Steven is leaving the museum and thinks that he hears a dog somewhere among the exhibits. Despite his better judgement, he pursues it and is attacked by some crazy, vaguely canine creature from which he’s eventually saved by his alter, the titular Moon Knight.
Me watching the first episode lol
Now many seem to believe that this dog is either the god Anubis himself, or some kind of minion of the same. Even given all of the creative license the show takes with Ammit, I just don’t buy this connection. We see Anubis in Lemire’s Vol 1: Lunatic, in which he helps Marc to escape an asylum (although there is a cost). Later, in Vol 3: Birth and Death, Anubis helps Marc reenter the asylum after Marc saves his wife Anput. I don’t believe Anubis was ever represented in ancient Egyptian myth as malevolent although his role in guiding the dead and ultimately working the scales of Ma’at at a soul’s judgement probably did not endear him to many mortals. Still I’m not convinced.
Of course, Anubis was not the only jackal-head deity in the Egyptian pantheon. Wepwawet, or the “Opener of the Ways”, could be a likely candidate. He has a more wolf-like appearance then Anubis, and as a war deity, was often invoked before battle to scout and provide generals with critical information for victory.
Finally, as Ethan Hawke said in the featurette, “Every aspect of this show has a duality.” Perhaps this creature may also be serving a dual purpose in the first episode. Not only could it serve as a new addition to the gods represented in the Moon Knight cannon, but also as an homage to the original comic Moon Knight appeared in, Werewolf by Night, in which he hunts a werewolf named Jack Russel (lolz).
Hathor = Sekhmet
Another interesting cause for speculation, is the addition of Hathor into the Ennead which was a group of nine gods worshipped at Heliopolis (for an great piece about Moon Knight’s use of the Ennead and a lot of other ancient Egyptian iconography, please check out Roxane Bicker’s “Moon Knight“ – Die altägyptischen Hintergründe erklärt, Teil 1. She’s amazing! It’s in German but google translate seemed to have no trouble).
I think this actually has more to do with Marvel lore, than ancient Egyptian myth. Marvel has a group of Egyptian inspired gods called the Heliopolitans. You’ll notice that Hathor is not counted among their number here either. However, the lion goddess Sekhmet is. In ancient Egyptian mythology, it would seem that Hathor and Sekhmet are somewhat similar, or maybe interchangeable (wikipedia says “Ra sends the goddess Hathor, in the form of Sekhmet . . .).
Marvel’s own wiki, also seems to keep a Hathor/Sekhmet duality (there it is again!) with the lion goddess being born as Hathor, and then becoming Sekhmet because of blood lust.
There’s some math here but, I think in the logic is something like:
Ennead = gods worshiped at Heliopolis = Heliopolitans
Sekhmet is a Heliopolitan
Hathor = Sekhmet (because of blood lust)
Therefore Hathor = Heliopolitan = god worshipped at Heliopolis = Part of the Ennead
Scarab text might somehow refer to Akhenaten . . .
For this, I’m just blatantly using the ideas of the aforementioned Roxane Bicker and Michelle (TardisInATeacup). I tried to work out the hieroglyphs etched into that gleaming macguffin, but ultimately I was only able to get almost through the first line:
There’s a lot to think about here. Khepri is another god who in real life would have been worshipped Heliopolis, and later Thebes. His name invokes ‘transformation’. The Ba is one of the aspects of the soul, even as Steven has many aspects of his personality. Osiris is usually the name given to the deceased, in this case Amenhotep?
And then this last nugget:
Then it might be Akhenaten himself, who changed religion in ancient egypt extremely …
While I think we’ve discussed a lot here, I’m not sure I’ve actually managed to ‘unwrap’ completely, any of Moon Knight’s mysteries. In any case, I’m anxious for episode 2, and I’m sure the answers to these questions will only bring us more questions. And this is somehow wonderful.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments! What burning questions are you trying to get answered. What aspects of ancient Egyptian art, myth or culture are you hoping to see in this series! Looking forward to hearing from you all!
alligators and aneurysms! 
