Choose Your Weapon -- Espionage

Arcane, set in the League of Legends universe, Ekko is on a spy mission of deadly concern. 

Happy Holidays, everyone!

For the final post in the Choose Your Weapon series, I want to explore one of the most complex, and possibly most intriguing weapons at an author's disposal- Espionage.

espionage

/ˈɛspɪənɑː(d)ʒ/

noun

noun: espionage

The practice of spying or of using spies, typically by governments to obtain political and military information.

By this definition, the usual arsenal of the spy ranges between futuristic weapons al la Bond, stealth vehicles and the key to it all, information.

Yes, information becomes the weapon. If you aren't convinced, consult Sun Tzu.

The Art of War

The Art of War, by Sun Tzu (circa mid-5th Century), is the oldest known military treatise and a classic study of rivalry and competition. It has 13 chapters, each devoted to a different set of warfare-related skills. For today, it's the 13th chapter that interests me the most - The Use of Spies.

Sun Tzu said: Raising a host of a hundred thousand men and marching them great distances entails heavy loss on the people and a drain on the resources of the State... Hence the use of spies... This is called "divine manipulation of the threads." It is the sovereign's most precious faculty. 

The First Spy-Fi Novel

Even though Sun Tzu wasn't writing fiction, there are subgenres devoted to this style of storytelling. For example, The Spy by James Fenimore Cooper, published in 1821, is considered the first spy novel. It's set during the American Revolution and based on the exploits of Harvey Birch, an American secret agent. 

But the first Fantasy spy novel is considered to be "The Princess and the Goblin'', published in 1872. Complete with intrigue, camouflage, trickery and twists, Spy-fi is defined as media that centers around the adventures of a protagonist working in secret to gain hidden information. Usually, these adventures involve defeating a rival superpower or singular enemy in a fantasy or futuristic world setting--outer space, undersea, alt history/time and/or Shagrala-esk locations in the world.

Contemporary Spy-Fi

Little has changed over the last two centuries of Spy Fiction, other than writing style and the increase in female, or even non-gendered main characters. The essential ingredients remain the same: a combination of Fantasy, Mysteries and Thrillers, and some form of espionage as the main weapon wielded.

Consider the titles below and thank you Silvana Reyes Lopez for your insights too!

Incendiary

Set in a world inspired by the 15th-century Spanish Inquisition, Incendiary is a great example of espionage.

Renata has a magic ability that makes it easy to steal memories from people. She has lived a thousand lives. Yet, she only wants to live freely on her own.

Part of a rebel group, Renata now has to infiltrate the royal court in order to rescue the leader of her unit. But the palace harbors difficult memories for her, and the prince inside those walls is ready to have her blood. 

Judgment Night by C. L. Moore 

Moore’s novella begins with an ironic meet-cute.

Juille, the princess of a galactic empire, is incognito on a pleasure planet, where she meets Egide, the similarly incognito leader of the space barbarians (yes, space barbarians) at her father’s proverbial gates. Their dance of will-they-or-won’t-they-topple-each-other’s-domains twists through double crosses, divine audiences, and the use of ancient superweapons, but the book ends by asking why a galactic empire should even continue to exist.

On the way to answering that question, Moore gives us an array of “high fantasy” prose that keep us riveted in the genre. For example, the ship came to a velvety stop; the worldbuilding is neatly bound up in deep time with immense scale; and a female anti-hero who’s strong, complex, and sympathetic. She's also bad to the bone...

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

In this brutal world inspired by ancient Rome, Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who rebel.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, she is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy...

Dragon by Steven Brust 

Over the years, Brust’s antihero Vlad Taltos has been involved in a lot of espionage and trickery, but in the eighth book we get that epic fantasy classic: a war

The beauty of Dragon is how petty, small, muddy, and unimportant that war is. Vlad, the supremely competent assassin and sometimes mafia boss, has to pretend to be a normal foot soldier in order to get close to an enemy. He’s utterly out of his element: uncomfortable, bored, and terrified. As the story wraps up, it expertly combines the satisfaction of a plot well-executed with dark satire and just a touch of sadness at such a useless loss of life.

All this is told in Brust’s spare and almost Hammett-like first-person prose, which describes epic fantasy figures and eldritch magic weapons as though they’re everyday nuisances...

Warcross by Marie Lu

Emika Chen is desperate for some quick cash to pay her rent, so she decides to hack herself into the global sensation Warcross, a video game that took the world by storm. She soon realizes she just hacked herself into the opening game of the international Warcross championship, making her an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to get arrested, she’s surprised when she gets a call from the game’s creator, the young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, offering a deal she cannot refuse. 

***

Care to share your favorite Spy-Fi book or film? We'd all love to hear about it.

xxKim :)

***

The Complete Choose Your Weapon Series 2024

Poison

The Perfect Storm

The Sword

Firearms

Ranged

Spells

Unarmed

Curses

Time Travel

Invisibility

Espionage

***

About Kim Falconer

Kim Falconer, also writing as AK Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is working on the third book, out in 2025.

Kim can be found on AKWilder Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and KimFalconer.com. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site See you there!

Choose Your Weapon - Invisibility

 

"Timely, relevant, and genuinely terrifying, Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man recontextualizes a classic Universal monster into a modern examination of abuse, toxicity, and gaslighting." - Jeffrey Zhang

What is Invisibility?

Today we are looking at another weapon used in the Fantasy genre: invisibility. Simply stated, it is the state in which you are not seen.

Types of Invisibility

There are myriad ways of being invisible in Speculative Fiction.

Consider Magical rings, cloaks, potions and spells. Or magic conferred by a mythical creature, sorcerer, witch, or perhaps an ancient curse. 

And then there is Psychological, as in mind control, glamours ... your basic smoke and mirrors.

Also, we think of technology, which is seen mostly in SF via things like stealth tech, futuristic camouflage, DNA manipulation and advanced refraction of light.

Now, let's look at how these types of invisibility play out in our history of storytelling.

Early Fiction

Invisibility as a Weapon appears in very early fiction. Think of Hades (the god, not the destination) and his magic-imbibed helm of invisibility. Homer (circa late 8th or early 7th century BC) tells us he wore it when emerging from the underworld. In the light of day, Hades sees us but we don't see him.

Things are complicated with this helm when Perseus borrows it from Athena and uses it to assassinate the sleeping Medusa...

Later, in 1897, HG Wells gave us The Invisible Man, a SF novella about a scientist who turns himself invisible through technology. He uses his chemical inventions to lower the refractive index of a substance to that of air. This makes the substances, ie. his body, invisible to light. Although he intends to use his invention for self-indulgence, he ends up overwhelmed by isolation and falls into a mental spiral of madness and terror.

More Recent Fiction

Along the lines of The Invisible Man, Translucent, an original character from the Amazon series The Boys (not known in the comics series but replacing the alien Jack From Jupiter). Translucent can become invisible and repel bullets with his carbon metamaterial skin. It's pure technology, not magic. Like many, he is known to misuse his superpowers on unsuspecting innocents. He also gets depressed.

Forget-me-nots

Some writers give characters the ability to become so obscure they are forgotten or never noticed. Terry

Pratchett does this in Discworld, a comedic fantasy book where Granny Weatherwax and Tiffany Aching remain visible, but are extremely difficult to notice. The Grey Men in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time have this skill as well.

This technique appears in the Arcane Ascension, a series by Andrew Rowe. We also see magical objects with similar abilities.   

Oh, and for a more contemporary/mystery/thriller/fantasy, The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North is riveting: "... the tale of a girl no one remembers, yet her story will stay with you forever."

Magical Items

Night Angel by Brent Weeks has a character who is given a magic device that makes him the perfect assassin. Is it a call back to JRR Tolkien's LOTR? Of course, I must mention this cursed/magic ring forged in the Cracks of Doom.

The Crimson Shadow trilogy by RA Salvatore is also an example. Here, the MC has a cloak that grants him invisibility, but when he uses it, it leaves behind a crimson shadow burnt into the ground.

Deals with Devils

In David Eddings' Elenium series, two of the knights, Tynian and Ulath, make a deal with the Troll Gods whereby they can exist in the smallest fraction of every moment, meaning no one can see or hear them yet they can perceive everyone else. The narrator acknowledges this as faulty logic, the explanation being it works because the Troll Gods are so neurologically divergent they think it will work.  So it does.

More recently penned, though set in the 1800s, we meet a young woman who makes a Faustian bargain to live forever but is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. I'm talking about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab. Poor Addie can interact with others, but after a while, they forget she ever existed. The psychological repercussions are, at times, devastating. 

Mind Control

In the Books of Raksura by Martha Wells, one of the Queens has the ability to turn off people's awareness of her presence, and she becomes invisible in social and/or action sequences. Of course, we all remember this technique from Star Wars when Obi-Wan uses the Force to 'erase' himself when convenient.

Fun, Fear and Folly

The ability of invisibility can help our beloved characters get through a tough spot, but in most cases, they suffer consequences as a result. From Frodo's stolen ring to Rosette in the Quantum Enchantment series who uses a glamour to hide herself from danger, the actions come with a price. They hear something they shouldn't. They see an unforgettable horror. Or they are exposed unexpectedly, at the worst possible moment.

Invisibility is undeniably a powerful weapon, but would it be your first choice?

Let us know in the comments!

xx Kim

Choose Your Weapon Series 2024

Poison

The Perfect Storm

The Sword

Firearms

Ranged

Spells

Unarmed

Curses

Time Travel

Invisibility

***

About Kim Falconer

Kim Falconer, writing also as AK Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is working on the third book, out in 2025.

Kim can be found on AKWilder Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and KimFalconer.com. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site See you there!

Choose Your Weapon - Time Travel

Lee Dong Wooj in Tail of the Nine-Tailed Is the past repeating itself again?

Time Travel as a Weapon

You might think of time travel more as a mode of transportation, at least in film and literature, and you would be right. It certainly offers a way of moving characters into precarious and plot-twisting situations.

But it is also a weapon. 

If you don't believe me, read on to discover how deadly time travel can be.

In the 2016 series Travelers, future surviving humans send their consciousness back through time into people of the 21st century to change the path of humanity. Of course, they kill their hosts to do it...

Time Travel Defined

Think of time travel as a way to transport a) information (precognition as in The Minority Report) and/or b) characters forward, backward and sideways (into parallel universes). And note, even though Einstein's Relativity says time, travel or otherwise, is an illusion, quantum physics begs to differ. 

Brief Sidestep into Science

In quantum physics, we have the idea of time symmetry in that it flows both ways, forward from past to present to future, AND backward, from future, to present to past. The latter is the most common because an observer is essential to 'see' a thing for it to exist. 

As John Wheeler puts it, "...what the observer will do in the future defines what happens in the past—even in a past so remote that life did not then exist, and shows even more, that 'observership' is a prerequisite for any useful version of 'reality'."

Don't you love how 'reality' is in quotes? 

Time becomes both complex and illusory, but that doesn't stop us from using fiction to get a handle on it.

Wheel of Time depicts time with a seven-spoked wheel marking the seven Ages. The turning of this wheel and the events of each Age generate the Great Pattern, a predefined plan which defines the past, present and future -  not unlike Hindu and Buddhist representations of time.

The Sub Genres of Time Travel in Fiction

Writing time travel in fiction offers a way to weaponize a character as well as play with the time/space continuum. And the best part of this, to me, is you can cross genres like crazy to do it. TT includes multiple classes of Speculative Fiction from SF, Fantasy and alternate history to even more obscure niches. 

We have books and films ranging from Fantasy, like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and The Dragonriders of Pern, to Fairytale like Rip Van Winkle to the War subclass like The Edge of Tomorrow (adapted from Hiroshi Sakurazaka's All You Need is Kill), Alt History like Outlander, comedy as in Groundhog Day and of course SF from H. G. Wells' 1895 classic The Time Machine to comedy/SF Back to the Future. 

I played with the symmetry of time in deadly ways in the Quantum Enchantment series, specifically Arrows of Time.

Time can change the course of history.
Right, Mr. Queen?

As well, we have works across more Spec Fic subgenres like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Wheels of Time to the wonderful array of KDramas such as Lovely Runner and Mr. Queen.

Conclusions

The point is, that time travel isn't always a glitch in The Matrix. It can be used to correct the devastating collapse of humanity (Terminator), to win the battle and save the day, for example...

"By making use of time displacement equipment, agents from both sides (pro Skynet and anti Skynet) are deployed on missions designed to either ensure, alter, or eradicate the status quo as perceived by the participants at the time." - Terminator Universe 

Now that is some weapon!

On a more subtle level, there is the temporal fugue portrayed in Creatures of Light and Darkness by Roger Zelazny where our hero moves through time, adding himself to a causality loop so his 'copies' can join the fight. The possibilities here are endless!

* * *

Do you have a favorite time travel book, film or game? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Choose Your Weapon Series 2024

Poison

The Perfect Storm

The Sword

Firearms

Ranged

Spells

Unarmed

Curses

Time Travel

Invisibility

* * *

About Kim Falconer

Kim Falconer, currently writing as AK Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is working on the third book, out in 2024.

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site

Choose Your weapon - Curses

 

(Sofia Boutella) awakens in “The Mummy.” (Universal Pictures)

What do Egyptian Mummies, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White have in common? 

That's right. The curse!

Today we are talking about curses, the words intended to "inflict harm'. They can be a more dangerous weapon than you might imagine, specifically because they are so darn hard to undo.

Curse

noun

1.

a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something.

"she'd put a curse on him"

Ramped throughout history, across all cultures and all times, the curse has packed a potent punch. In Fantasy fiction, it has an even more powerful presence. From Heart's Blood by Juliet Mariellier to The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, and Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones to Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake and Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury, let's look at some of the most complex and deadly curses ever uttered.

Just remember that curses can be used as protection (against tomb robbers and thieves, for example) and often they have a personal note that runs deep, possibly even generational. What launches the curse in the first place isn't always filled with evil intent...

Heart's Blood by Juliet Mariellier is a stand-alone historical fantasy for adult readers. Within the pages, you will no doubt recognize elements of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, but there is an interesting twist. 

What is this curse that plagues Anluan, or is it the entire surroundings that are touched? Is it the young scribe Caitrin herself whose life has been changed forever?

When you discover the why of this curse, all will fall into place, unless you've run out of time...

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh is a retelling of the Korean story of Shim Cheong. Here we have some similarities to the ancient Greek tale of Psyche and Eros only this curse is much deeper than first assumed. While deadly storms, war and misguided sacrifices drive the plot, a deeper sense of love, family, community and soul grows.

Like Psyche, Mina has a choice to make, though that's where they part ways. Mina is no damsel in distress but a force of nature not afraid to pave her own way. 

Higher powers may have forged this curse, but that won't stop a young girl from trying to break it in two!

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is a YA book made even more popular by the 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film by the same name, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. 

Within the pages, and the movie version, lies a string of curses around which the plot twists. What moves the story along so well is not only the curse itself but the goal of breaking it... or 'them' as we find more than one MC is labouring under these deadly weapons.

Let it be known that there is far more to Howl and the elderly Sohpie than first meets the eye! 

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake is a straight-up YA horror not to be read alone in the dead of night. The main characters are twisted, revengeful and angry, perfect for each other, or so it seems. 

The curse in this book comes alive as it is discovered, making for an edge-of-your-seat experience you won't ever forget. Cas may be bent on breaking the curse, but when he finds out why it was cast in the first place, the whole plot turns on its head.

The question is, where will you be standing when it does?

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury starts out intimate and personal, full of black girl witch magic, hope and promise. But that all goes down the drain when a terrible choice appears. Voya must choose correctly, or her family line will lose their power, forever. 

Unfortunately, making strong choices is not Voya's forte, and in this case, right or wrong will lead to innocent deaths.

An urban fantasy not to miss; a curse to avoid at all costs.

* * * 

Do you have a favourite fantasy fiction curse?  I'd love to hear about it in the comments. 

Choose Your Weapon Series 2024

Poison

The Perfect Storm

The Sword

Firearms

Ranged

Spells

Unarmed

Curses

Time Travel

Invisibility

* * *

About Kim Falconer

Kim Falconer, currently writing as AK Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is working on the third book, out in 2024.

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site

Choose Your Weapon: Spells

 

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Spells as Weapons

In today's issue of Choose Your Weapon, we will consider a category of magic that includes ritual, sacrifice and invocation. In other words, magic spells. Touched on in The Perfect Storm, this form of weapon is as old as sticks, or rocks!

Delving into how magic is hardwired into our brains, Melissa Burkley writes in Psychology Today:

"If there is one thing psychologists can learn from the Harry Potter phenomenon, it is that people love magic." 

Although we associate this form of magic with witchcraft, it was originally used by prehistoric humans who made sacrifices to the powers to ensure a good hunt, calm weather, healthy children and other necessities of survival. Not of a personal nature, these cave-day spells were cast for the good of the clan.

Limited edition The Grimoire of Heaven and Hell by Travis McHenry

As time went on, the clan's shaman--a member of the community with links to the spiritual world (populated by benevolent or malevolent entities)--would use animal guides, divination, medicinal plants, ritual words/prayers and later written spells to heal, promote, protect and ensure the wellbeing of the clan as a whole and specific, usually high-ranking members. They may also cast spells that gave them the upper hand with neighbouring enemies.

Later, as we are all aware, the use of magic spells became outlawed. Practitioners were hunted down, burned alive and their families severely marginalized. But for today's exercise, the takeaway is most people still, even if on an unconscious level, believe in the power of spells, be they thought forms, incantations or ritual magic. 

And you can be sure that the Fantasy genre has tapped into this powerful vein in the human mind.

Fantasy Books with Spells

Across all subgenres, magic spells are alive and well! Consider these titles and how their use of magic fuels the readers' imagination.

General Fantasy Even with the author's controversial exclamations on social media, the Harry Potter Series brought a modernized version of ancient spells, making them familiar to an entire generation of the Western world. For example, we learn the Shield Charm was typically used in duelling along with Stunning Spells, the Impediment Jinx, the Full Body-Bind Curse, and the Dancing Feet Spell. In a way, the idea of 'wizard-craft' (note how the word 'witchcraft' is avoided...hmm) was pulled out of the dark, inqusitioner's dungeon into a normal but consequential everyday life for young Harry Potter.

The much loved David Eddings series, both the Bellgariad and the Mallorean, have characters who weave spells. ... known as the Will and the Word, sorcery is a magic power that lets some individuals manipulate the universe around them.

Anime Girl Alchemist Wallpaper

Anime Fullmetal Alchemist is a strong example of spells in Anime. "...Edward Elric practices magic in the form of alchemy. Unlike most of Amestris, Edward can transmute things without using a transmutation circle. While this power is derived because he performed one of the greatest taboos known, his skill is nevertheless impressive.

Blood Like Magic Duology

Young Adult   My Favorite to date YA contemporary spell crafting is in the Blood Like Magic series by Lissell Sambury. She's a wonderful writer who combines her Trinidadian-Canadian background into a perfect weave of 'black girl magic' we can all relate to.

I'm also looking forward to a new book by Sarah Beth Durst. She is always engaging, creative and insightful, no matter what 'age' she is writing for. This is next on my TBR:

A new release from Sarah Beth Durst!

Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune, The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is a cosy fantasy tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams and even sweeter romance.

'Sarah Beth Durst is the hidden gem of the fantasy world' — Book Riot

Every home needs a little magic . . .

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to... until now?

Urban Fantasy Books 

Why not try this anthology to see which author you love the most? Many of my favourites are here.

"...magic spells, witchcraft, wizardry, fairies, devilry, and more. Urban living, at least in fantasy fiction, is full of both magical wonder and dark enchantment. Street kids may have supernatural beings to protect them or have such powers themselves. Brujeria may be part of your way of life. Crimes can be caused (and solved) with occult arts and even a losing sports team's ""curse"" can be lifted with wizardry. And be careful of what cab you call - it might take you on a journey beyond belief! Some of the best stories of urban enchantment from the last few years gathered in one volume full of hex appeal and arcane arts..."

Magic City

Film and Gaming with Magic Spells

Films - Wheel Of Time, The Witcher,  Shadow and Bone, Wu Assassin

Gaming - Diablo, Elder Scrolls, Witcher, Path of Exile, Baldur's Gate, Magika, Divinity, Magic the Gathering... so many more I have yet to play.

What are your favourite spellcasters in the Fantasy genre? 

I'd love to hear about them.

***

Choose Your Weapon Series 2024

Poison

The Perfect Storm

The Sword

Firearms

Ranged

Spells

Unarmed

Curses

Time Travel

Invisibility

***

About Kim Falconer

Kim Falconer, currently writing as AK Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is working on the third book, out in 2024.

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site