A Truce With One’s Villains?

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There’s an occasional trope in fiction where mortal enemies take a break from their eternal conflict and sit, converse, interact, as… if not friends, at least cordial colleagues. Usually at such a time, it’s almost as if they’ve called a truce. They’re bonding over something that is either far larger than their conflict, or so small as to be not worthy of the strength of their animosity. Perhaps it’s because such a long relationship—even on opposing sides—means they have many shared experiences. Such opponents would know far more about each other—have far more in common—than typical friends

Two examples spring to my mind:

The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Tapestry,” in which Picard is dead and Q is showing him all the things in his earlier life that led up to that point, that might have been avoided. At the end, we learn that indeed, Picard had made all the right choices all along (even when in retrospect they appeared to be mistakes), and Q was showing him the error of ruing his ways. But before that point, there is a scene when they’re sitting in a bar watching the much-younger Picard and his friend interacting with some bad guys. He’s explaining to Q what happened, and what will happen, while Q is expressing surprise and interest. It’s a wonderful moment that—if we didn’t know the back-story of Picard and Q—might seem like two friends reminiscing.

The movie The Greatest Showman, the musical about P.T. Barnum becoming the showman and impresario we remember. After the fire, Barnum is sitting on the steps of the circus, and Bennett—the critic who has never had anything good to say about Barnum or his show—sits with him, regretting with Barnum the destruction of the building. He says, “I never liked your show, but I always thought the people did,” and offers Barnum a drink from his flask.

I’m not sure what got me thinking about these brief moments of friendship in the midst of long, lingering animosities (after the episode, Picard and Q return to their old ways; in the movie, that’s the last we see of Bennett), but there’s something comforting about the thought that they are possible.

Then again, it’s got me thinking about my own life. I’m not sure I have any blood-enemies of such stature as Q to Picard. At best, I’d say I have antagonists. And as much as I write fiction, and am enamored of those examples I’ve listed, I just can’t see anything ever cropping up that would cause me to declare a truce and sit collegially with any of my antagonists. Is it a lack of my imagination? Or those other writers being too idealistic and hopeful? Or do I simply not have sufficiently grand antagonists? If it’s that last, I can be satisfied with those I have, because I don’t need stronger, smarter, nastier ones in my life.

What do you think? Could you share a cup of coffee with the villain in your life to comment on something much greater than your conflict, or something so petty as to be beneath the energy it asks?

We Are the Frog

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I’m starting to feel like the frog in the slowly heating pot of water.

National Guard troops patrolling Los Angeles. A judge just ruled it’s a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, but that ruling doesn’t change much.

The military take-over of the federal district. “Crime is out of control,” according to the White House, though the city’s administration says those figures are a lie. No matter who’s right, we’re becoming inured to seeing troops in the streets.

Talk of next sending the troops into Chicago or some other major city. We’ll survive that, won’t we? After all, New Yorkers have gotten used to heavily armed people in fatigues at major events and gatherings. Those troops may not have chosen to be here, but we still have to thank them for their service.

Pair that increasing military presence at home with the spate of national emergencies the president is in love with declaring: the national emergency over immigration that the administration is using to justify increasing number of deportations. And the national emergency over international trade that was the justification for illegally imposed tariffs. And now there’s talk of the president declaring a national emergency over housing, because people in their 20s and 30s can’t afford to buy houses, because not enough new houses are being built.

Add in the president’s continual whining about that elections aren’t “secure,” that we can’t trust the mail-in paper ballots, or the electronic voting machines, or any other facet of the system, and that the federal government is going to have to take over the machinery of elections, just to ensure that they’re fair.

Do you see where this is going? This is all in the first seven months of this presidential administration. We are being inculcated to the steady stream of major emergencies demanding extraordinary governmental intervention. We are being taught to distrust the institutions of free and open government that have served us so well for two centuries. And we are growing desensitized to the elements of control such as the Army patrolling our cities.

It isn’t very much of a leap of reasoning to imagine we’ll be told we have to respond to some emergency in the summer of 2028, while the government is trying to make our electoral system “safe,” which will require a delay in election day, perhaps “just a few months.”

I think we’re in trouble. I feel the temperature of this water rising, but will we be smart enough to turn off the gas before it starts boiling?

Don’t do as I did

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President Trump on Monday tweeted about his dismissal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. His “reasoning” is that he claims Cook made false statements on mortgage documents, which was evidence of “gross negligence” and “potentially criminal.”

The evidence he is basing this decision on? Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi accusing Cook of taking out mortgages for homes in Michigan and Georgia in 2021, and telling banks in both cases that she planned to use the homes as her primary residences. Pulte alleges that was a fraudulent attempt to gain more favorable lending terms. Cook has not been convicted of anything, not even been indicted. But Caesar’s wife must be above reproach.

Sound familiar?

In the case commonly known as New York v Trump (2023–2024), the judge ruled that “In order to borrow more and at lower rates, defendants submitted blatantly false financial data to the accountants, resulting in fraudulent financial statements.”

The pot calling the kettle back? It takes one to know one? The crime he’s accusing Cook of committing is the smaller version of the crime of which he was convicted. He says it’s a disqualifying crime (mind you, the accusation; there has been no trial) to serve on the Fed’s Board of Governors, but that the much larger version (which was adjudicated) is not disqualifying for him to serve as president.

I’m embarrassed that he’s the president, and I’m scared of what he’ll do next.

Trump says he’s fired Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook

People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Allen Weisselberg, Jeffrey McConney, The Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, The Trump Organization, Inc., Trump Organization LLC, DJT Holdings LLC, DJT Holdings Managing Member, Trump Endeavor 12 LLC, 401 North Wabash Venture LLC, Trump Old Post Office LLC, 40 Wall Street LLC, Seven Springs LLC

On Friends

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I had occasion today to scroll through my entire friends’ list on Facebook. That’s a lot of names. I was surprised how many times, just glancing at a name immediately brought to mind a face, or a memory of an interaction, or an entire relationship. On the other hand, I was also saddened as I realized how many of my Facebook friends are now deceased. It happens, but as final as their passings were, there’s an even greater feeling of finality in choosing to “unfriend” one of the deceased, because there’s no chance of a later request to reconnect ever being accepted.

All of those warm and maudlin thoughts combined to make me realize how prophetic the dedication of my forthcoming book is. Punctilious Punctuation will be officially published on September 15, but here’s a picture of the dedication page.

Science fiction(-ish) convention (8th of 2025)

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I’ve got my programming schedule for this year’s DragonCon. If you’re going to be part of the huge throng of people gathering in Atlanta the end of this month, these are the times/places you’ll be certain to run into me (I won’t have a dealers’ table, so everything else will be wandering about the convention):

I’ll be participating in the mass signing event known as The Gather on Friday August 29, from 8pm to midnight, in the Hyatt’s International Ballroom.

My panels include:

Saturday August 30, 5:30pm, in the Hyatt’s Embassy AB: “That Never Happened: Science Fiction as Alternate History” with D.J. Butler, Bill Fawcett, M.A. Rothman, Mark Stallings, and Ben Yalow.

Saturday August 30, 8:30pm, in the Hyatt’s Embassy EF: “Writing and Selling Short Stories” with Kevin A. Davis, Bethanne Kim, Violette L. Meier, Phillip Pournelle, and Sean H. Taylor.

Saturday August 30, 10:00pm, in the Hyatt’s International South: “Fantasy Dating Game: Will Our Characters Find a Match?” with Todd Fahnestock, Jen L. Grey, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Rachel Rener, Stacey Rourke, Daniel Schinhofen, Cisca Small, and Steve Wetherell.

Sunday August 31, 10:00pm in the Hyatt’s Embassy AB: “The Eye of Argon, Continued” with Keith R.A. DeCandido and Jean Marie Ward.

Hoping to see many of you there!

Embrace the Gerrymander!

~ ianrandalstrock ~ 2 Comments

The Republican redistricting scheme currently causing so much consternation in and toward Texas gives me hope. Not, perhaps, in the way you might think. But in it, I see the seeds of potentially, maybe, if if if, a solution to the gerrymandering that has plagued this country for two centuries.

Allow me to explain.

I’ve been railing against gerrymandering for years. Gerrymandering is the drawing of boundaries on political districts in order to group blocks of voters together, either to increase the power of one group, or to decrease the power of another. Sometimes it is used to increase the chances that a member of a minority group can win an election. But far more often these days, it is used to cement a political party’s hold on a district, to make it “safe.” (For the problems safe districts cause, see my previous writings.)

In normal times, Congressional district boundaries are redrawn every ten years, after the decennial census data is received, so that the districts accurately represent where the people live and what those people want. These are not normal times.

Governor Abbott of Texas, kowtowing to President Trump’s request, is urging the Texas legislature to redraw the state’s Congressional map right now, half-way through a decennial period, in order to concentrate the Democratic minority voters into fewer districts, and thus give the Republicans, potentially, three to five more seats in the House of Representatives. Democratic members of the Texas legislature have left the state, in order to prevent the legislature from reaching a quorum, which would—at least, in theory— prevent action on the proposal. But they’ve tried such a quorum-break in the past; it has not been successful. I doubt it will be this time, either.

So we have to accept the reality that Texas is about to further marginalize their Democratic population and flip five of their seats in the House to the Republican party.

Governor Newsom of California has been making noises about attempting the same scheme in his state, which would flip several seats from the Republicans to the Democrats. There’ve been whispers elsewhere—such as Governor Hochul in New York—that other states might do something similar if Abbot and Trump get their way in Texas. The problem I foresee is an ongoing character flaw of the Democrats: the party insists that it must be holier than thou, purer than thou, that it will play be the rules even when their opponents have shown absolutely no compunction about violating those rules. While doing so may give them a moral victory, it will inevitably lead to an actual loss. To my mind, in these cases, the Democrats are those crying “life isn’t fair.” No, it isn’t. Everyone should follow the rules. Everyone should be a good, moral, decent human being. Everyone should be more interested in the good of us all than in our individual results.

But not everyone is.

We don’t need Governor Newsom and Governor Hochul warning “don’t do it or we might do something, too.” We need him and his fellow Democratic governors to act! Today! We need them to implement precisely the schemes Abbot and the Texans are planning. We need to gerrymander the country to a fare-thee-well, to legislate out of existence those last 40 competitive seats in the House.

Because then, and only then, will we all see just how egregious the gerrymandering has become. Only then will it be brought to the Supreme Court. And to my mind, regardless of the Court’s political slant, there is no way it can allow such outrageous diminution of the minorities to survive. In such a case, I think, the Supreme Court will only be able to rule that the gerrymandering violates the people’s rights to be fairly represented, and that political maps must be drawn in a fair, impartial manner.

(Yes, I know, I’m an idealist. It may not work out that way. But I don’t see any other way to fix the mess we’re in.)

And if, IF my dream comes true, may I humbly suggest new legislation regarding how districts are drawn? A fairly simple test, actually:

No Congressional district, when drawn on a Mercator projection map, shall be drawn in such a way that a straight line drawn on that map shall be able to cross into the district more than once. That is, except in cases where the state border itself violates this dictum.

I don’t expect any of this to happen. I expect the Democrats will continue to purge their own ranks, as they threw out Al Franken. I expect they’ll yell and whine and do nothing, while Texas rejiggers their Congressional map, and that the election of 2026 will result in a Trumpian increase in the House, and we’ll continue bitching and moaning about their self-serving actions for years to come.

But wouldn’t it be nice if I was wrong, and we could actually make things better?


Democrats flee Texas to block Republican redistricting map backed by Trump


Texas Democrats arrive in Illinois to block vote back home on redrawn House maps sought by Trump


Limited options for Democrats to retaliate if Texas Republicans redraw congressional map

First Men In Office

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A quick story on ABC’s noon news just now noted that Mikie Sherrill, who is the Democratic nominee for governor of New Jersey, has chosen Dale Caldwell as her running mate, and that if they win, he will be the first male lieutenant governor of New Jersey.

That caught my ear. While we have (or are much closer to) equality of the sexes, I know enough of our history to know it was not always the case, and that a claim that a political office holder will be the first man to hold the office is strange.

So I did a little research. The quote is accurate, but demands a slightly longer explanation, which is that in New Jersey, until recently, the governor was the only official elected state-wide. If the governor’s office became vacant, it would be filled by the president of the State Senate, or by the speaker of the General Assembly. The position of lieutenant governor was created in 2006, and first filled in the election of 2009. To date, the entire list of lieutenant governors of New Jersey is: Kim Guadagno (served January 19, 2010–January 16, 2018); Sheila Oliver (January 16, 2018–August 1, 2023 [she died in office]); and Tahesha Way (September 8, 2023–present).

Indeed, I can’t think of any other American political office to have been held exclusively by women at any point (excepting First Lady and Second Lady [until Doug Emhoff from 2021 to 2025]). Frances Perkins was the first woman to serve in a president’s cabinet, but she was the fourth Secretary of Labor. The 46th and current Treasurer of the United States, Brandon Beach, is the first man to hold that position in 76 years, since the 28th Treasurer, William Alexander Julian, who served June 1, 1933–May 29, 1949 (but all of his predecessors were men).

Publication Day: Mystralhaven

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It’s publication day!

Fantastic Books is thrilled to be publishing a major new fantasy novel by first-time novelist Ron Kaiser, who Paul Witcover calls “a bold new voice in epic fantasy.” Mystralhaven is the tale of Baz, the Mossbringer, who may be able to save humanity, if only she can figure out her own powers before she is enslaved or killed.

Sebsastien de Castell (author of the Greatcoats and Spellsinger series) says the book blends “classic epic fantasy adventure with modern themes,” and that it “is a fast-paced, emotionally charged tale of magic, duty and the complex nature of heroism. Ron Kaiser’s fearless protagonist discovers not only the burden of destiny but the difficult balance between fighting exploitation and believing in redemption.”

Can she figure out what she is in time to save humanity?

The coming of Baz, the Mossbringer, has been foretold: she has powers far beyond those of even the most gifted around her. And had her mother lived, she certainly would have been able to guide Baz through her dawning awareness of her abilities.

But even if Baz learns how to control and use those powers, it may not be enough to save the monks who want to use her, the Borderforges who want to enslave her, or the people who fear her. Can she trust Rendwyll—who is more sand than person—to guide her into her new awareness? With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, can she afford not to?

“This thrilling hero’s quest is a pulse-pounding journey. Ron Kaiser’s epic novel had me thoroughly gripped, from start to finish.” —David Yoo, author of The Choke Artist and The Detention Club

“Artful prose, strong characterization and a freewheeling imagination lights up this fascinating tale. This one is in the top echelon of modern fantasy.” —Bram Stoker Award-winner John Shirley, author of A Sorcerer of Atlantis

With an eye-catching cover by new artist Helen Cotrupi, Mystralhaven: The Mossbringer is available today in trade paperback, case laminate hardcover, and ebook formats. For more details and links, see https://www.fantasticbooks.biz/product-page/mystralhaven-by-ron-kaiser.

Science fiction convention (7th of 2025)

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I neglected to post last week (I blame the post-AG recovery period), but this weekend is yet another science fiction convention. I’ll be in Burlington, Massachusetts, for Readercon.

As is typical, I’ll be at the Fantastic Books table in the dealers’ room (working the screwy hours this convention is imposing for no legitimate reason I can find: Friday 3–7pm, Saturday 10am–1pm, Saturday 2–7pm, Sunday 10am–12n, and Sunday 1–3pm). Please come by the table, where we’ll be featuring the debut of Ron Kaiser’s novel, Mystralhaven: The Mossbringer!

If you’re looking for me on programming, I’ll be on several, including one of their “Thursday night free to the public sessions”:

Thursday at 9pm in Salon G/H: “What Time Loops Reveal” with Marianna Martin, Mark Painter, Ken Schneyer, and David G. Shaw.

Friday at 12:30pm: I’ll be giving a reading in Envision/Enliven.

Friday at 5pm in Salon G/H: “Is the Quest Fantasy Dead?” with P. Djeli Clark, Lyndsay Ely, Scott Lynch, and Robert V.S. Redick.

Saturday at 11am in Salon I/J: “Dhalgren at 50” with Gregory Feeley, Jim Freund, Elizabeth Hand, and Ann LeBlanc.

Two weeks, never: whatever

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Donald Trump left the G7 summit in Canada early, “because he needed to be close to his advisors in the White House, to decide on our course of action with regard to Israel and Iran.” But once he got home, he decided to maybe make a decision… in two weeks. Honestly, no one should have expected anything sooner, because the only things he acts on today are the internal culture wars he keeps fighting. Real policy decision, things of global import, those are the things that are always “in two weeks,” because he doesn’t want the blame for actually doing something. Remember “I’ll end the war in Ukraine on day one”? Remember “I’ll negotiate trade deals with every country in the world”? Remember “we’ll take over the Gaza Strip and turn it into a tourist destination”? Remember “we need to take over Canada, or Greenland”?

As Jen Psaki very clearly lays out in this segment, “two weeks” is Donald Trump’s version of “I talk big, but I’m not actually going to do anything, and you’ll forget about it.” He’s been “two weeks”ing us since he took office the first time.

I’ve been thinking about his two weeks, and comparing it to Ben Bova’s story “Crisis of the Month.” In Bova’s story, the heads of the news media get together when they realize the public’s attention span for any story peters out after a month, so they need a new story with which to entrance and enrage the public every four weeks. Bova wrote it in 1988, before the internet and the 24-hour news cycle. Apparently, Trump has learned that Bova’s one month span has dropped to two weeks or less, so that by the time his “two weeks” rolls around, we’ve already forgotten whatever it was we needed him to say or do, and we’re on to the next story.

It’s time we realized that when he says “in two weeks,” what he actually means is “I’m not doing anything. Forget it, please.” Or we could just look at his record: he’s done a great deal with executive orders, but none of it is the least bit presidential, none of it is what we elect a president for, and none of it can be taken seriously.

Edited June 21, 2025 at 21:50 EDT: Sure, the one time he decides to act in less than two weeks. Oy.