Small Town Residents Threaten To Sue School Over Rainbow Flag

Residents of Marshall, Minnesota, have threatened to take legal action against Marshall Middle School for including a rainbow pride flag in a display about diversity.

The display that has come under fire also contained flags from nations around the world, but parents, and some students, have only cited concern with the inclusion of the pride flag. Last week dozens of members of the local community attended a meeting at the school board chambers to voice their opinions on the issue.

As can be expected from so many other incidents like this, parents have complained about the pride flag as they believe it to 'promote' a 'lifestyle', one that they feel is against their Christian beliefs. More than one of those who spoke out against the flag chose to read from the bible as their argument against it, choosing passages that they believe highlight that God is against homosexuality and trans people. They even said that the pride flag might 'confuse' children.

One parent, Mohammed Ahmed, asked the board, 'What's next? Curriculum? Teaching the lifestyle in our classrooms?'

One of the students from Marshall Middle School took to the mic to talk about how he and other students had begun a petition to have the pride flag removed but it was taken away by a teacher and given to the principal. He, and several other students, then tried to protest the inclusion of the pride flag by displaying flags on their lockers. In this case the 'Don't Tread On Me' flag; a flag that has some connections to racism and white supremacy.

This student complained that these flags were taken down by a teacher. People are now trying to claim that this was a breach of the students constitutional rights to free speech.

Bill Mohram, a local lawyer who has been approached by several members of the community to potentially sue the school over the pride flag said; 'If that young boy accurately described what happened to him, some teacher in your school district violated his constitutional rights unequivocally;'

Thankfully, these were not the only voices on display that night, as other members of the community took turns to defend the flag, and the school's decision to display it.

'Kids can only hear so many times the public shaming and these hurtful online comments,' said Karrie Alberts, the Marshall High School GSA Advisor. 'They are absorbing these words. They cannot hear that they are ungodly, or they are second-rate, or that they should be hidden away in some other room.'

She continued to condemn the attackers for treating LGBTQ+ students as being 'controversial'. Other parents stood up to say that they felt the flag was a symbol of inclusion for their children, some of who are gay, and that taking them down would be demonstrating to queer children that they are considered to be second class citizens.

No decision was made by the end of the meeting, with the Marshall Superintendent Scott Monson saying that he would need to consult the school district's legal representation. Despite this, those protesting the flag have said that if their demands have not been met, they 'will file a lawsuit in federal district court'.


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Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins - Book Review

Dungeons and Dragons is cool. Let's just get that out of the way first of all. Anyone who doesn't think it is has clearly never played it, because as soon as you do you realise its so much fun. But whilst it's a lot of fun to play it seems like it's sometimes hard to watch. A lot of the time this comes down to the fact that most people who play the game are just regular folk like you and me. Critical Role, however, stands out as something a little different, thanks in part to the players being such good actors.

Within the first episode of the web series you'll end up being sucked into the world that the group have created, as well as the characters that they play. It doesn't just feel like a group of friends playing a game, but a group of creatives making something special. That's why there is literally hundreds and hundreds of hours of Critical Role content out there; people recognised that it was something special.

Despite having a hugely successful web series that takes weeks to watch through even if you don't do anything else, fans always want more Critical Role in their life. This is where Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins comes in. Jumping back in time to the very beginning of the story, this book shows readers just how the group first came together all those years ago when they were playing in their homes.

The story begins with elf twins Vex and Vax investigating the strange happenings in a small town surrounded by a swamp, where the young and old are getting sick and dying. The two of them are trying to find out if it's some kind of curse, a poison, or some evil force behind the events when they discover a much bigger plot, one that has drawn in several groups of adventurers.

It's fun to see several members of the group split across other groups, and to see that they actually didn't really like each other that much. Viewers of the series got to see these characters after they'd been together for years and had become something of a family, but here they're just strangers. Instead of teasing there's outright hostility at times.

This isn't the Vox Machina that most fans will know, and it might be something of a shock to see the characters portrayed in this way, but it still ultimately feels like Critical Role, with the same group of misfits and idiots, and the same plans that don't work. One of my favourite parts of the book is when the group are standing around outside the evil lair, coming up with various plans whilst Grog goes running off in the background, attacking head on. It feels like a comic representation of every planning session the team has in the series, where things usually go a little crazy and unexpected.

It won't take you long to read through the book, but if you're all caught up with the episodes and don't want to go back and rewatch this'll certainly scratch your Critical Role itch for an hour or two, as well as shedding some light onto the origins of the iconic group of heroes.

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The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Martian Menace by Eric Brown - Book review

'A new addition to the Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series from science fiction and crime author Eric Brown. A deadly Plot. For the second time in human history, Martian invaders occupy planet Earth. After a common terrestrial virus thwarted the first deadly invasion, another Martian armada arrived six years later to make peace. Now, mankind enjoys unprecedented prosperity due to the aliens' scientific wonders and technology, and an entente exists between the two races. But when Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson are called upon to investigate the death of an eminent Martian philosopher, they unravel an intricate web of betrayal and murder that leaves no one - human or Martian - beyond suspicion...'

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series by Titan Books is one of my favourite series of Sherlock Holmes books. The series gives readers a broad mixture of stories, some very similar to the original books and could fit in nicely with the tales written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, others, such as this one, mix things up and present weird and wonderful new versions of the Holmes universe.

The Martian Menace combines the classic detective with the science fiction classic of The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells. I've adored this series when it's combined Sherlock Holmes with other classic Victorian era books, such as Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes, and this story continues that tradition.

Set more than a decade after the events of the original War of the Worlds, readers are dropped into a world where the Martians returned following their initial defeat. This time, however, they came with the offer of friendship, explaining that the Martians involved in the initial invasion were part of an aggressive, rogue faction. With these new, benevolent Martians welcomed to Earth a new age of technological development has begun, and Humanity have started to work alongside their new allies to create a better future for themselves.

When Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are approached by the Martian ambassador to England, Grulvax-Xena-Goran, to help investigate the strange murder of one of Mars' most eminent and respected philosophers the two of them jump at the chance. Having previously worked with the ambassador in the past, and desiring to see the red planet for themselves, they quickly find themselves whisked off world and into a much deadlier mystery than they first thought. When the two detectives discover that the new martian friends might not be so different than those in the first invasion, they get drawn into a battle for the very survival of humanity itself.

Before getting into the meat of the story, readers are given a short prologue story where Holmes and Watson investigate the murder of the current Martian ambassador, a story that features H. G. Wells himself. Whilst this was a good introduction to this new world, I was a little worried that the main story would become a similar rehash, though over a longer page count. This was especially worrying as I didn't think Holmes and Watson would be able to investigate a murder on Mars in the same way they normally would. As such, I was hugely happy when it turned out that this case was just a ruse, hiding a much bigger and grander story beneath.

Holmes and Watson aren't big heroes, they're not going to be on the front lines of a fight against the Martians, especially during this time period when they're older men. However, they're both incredibly intelligent and resourceful people, who have ruined far too many evil plans in the past for the Martians to just ignore them completely. This means that we get to see the heroic uprising story told from a point of view of someone other than the leader, or the front-line hero. They dip in and out of the greater story, working in the shadows on small details that ultimately make a big difference to the overall survival of humanity. The two of them just wouldn't work as figureheads leading the charge, and Eric Brown knows this, using them in a much cleverer way instead.

The story draws upon some of the history of Holmes too, with some surprise characters appearing during the narrative. It also throws in some real world figures for the two heroes to interact with, such as George Bernard Shaw and G. K. Chesterton. Brown even throws in another Arthur Conan Doyle hero, Professor Challenger, much to my immediate delight. The book is filled with literary and historical nods that it'll keep any fan of the Victorian era smiling.

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Martian Menace is a great example of why this series is not just full of great books, but some of the best Sherlock Holmes books around. It manages to seamlessly put the iconic duo into this wonderful sci-fi setting without it feeling weird or out of place, in a story that's a worthy follow up to the classic tale. An absolute pleasure to read from start to finish.

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The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III - Book Tour

'A young curandera, a medicine woman, intent on uncovering the secrets of her past is forced into a life-and-death battle against an evil Archbishop. Set in the mystic land of Aztlan, "The Unholy" is a novel of destiny as healer and slayer. Native lore of dreams and visions, shape changing, and natural magic work to spin a neo-gothic web in which sadness and mystery lure the unsuspecting into a twilight realm of discovery and decision. 

'PAUL DeBLASSIE III, PhD, is a psychologist and writer living in his native New Mexico. A member of the Depth Psychology Alliance, the Transpersonal Psychology Association, and the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, he has for over thirty years treated survivors of the dark side of religion.'

The Unholy is a story about faith. It's about colonialism, and the encroaching of white beliefs and practices on native peoples. Whilst this should have been somewhat obvious from the description of the book I was still a little taken aback by how much this narrative took the centre stage.

The story follows Claire, a native american woman that works as a therapist in a small, church run, mental health facility. When just a child she witnessed her mother killed by a terrifying man in a cloak, a figure that has haunted her dreams for decades since. After the death of her mother she was raised by friends of her mother and taught about her role as a medicine woman. Despite being raised with her culture being a big part of her identity it feels like she's almost at war with herself, afraid to embrace her role and her culture in a place where Christianity rules with an iron fist.

This conflict is the central focus of the book, with Paul DeBlassie III making a point of showing the dark side of religion. Yes, religion can be a very comforting thing for some people, and it can provide a lot of warmth and community, but this isn't always the case for everyone. As a psychologist he saw first hand how religion can cause harm, how it can be the route of abuse and suffering for some people; and how this abuse can have long lasting affects.

Claire is the embodiment of this. Her mother was violently ripped away from her. Her culture is repressed and made out to be wrong. She's treated as secondary by people because she's not a white christian. She's constantly on the back-foot, fighting for herself and trying to prove her worth.

This would be a bad enough situation to be in if that was it, if she was just fighting oppression, but there's more going on that just the very real world hatred that so many people live with everyday. The man that murdered Claire's mother is still out there, and wants to kill her too. A killer being after you is bad, but when he's also the head of the regime that's oppressing your people and has been making your life hell forever, it becomes even more complicated.

I was super excited for this story, for seeing this evil archbishop hunting down a native medicine woman. It's a scenario that really appealed to me, especially when it's revealed that there's more going on beneath the surface than just a man turned bad, that there might be something darkly supernatural beneath the surface. And whilst I did enjoy the journey, the mystery that DeBlassie made, I felt a little let down by the conclusion.

There wasn't anything bad with the resolution, and it made narrative sense for the story, but it happened a little too quickly for me. After so long building up this world and the story the conclusion happened over just a handful of pages. I wanted more from the ending. I wanted it to take a little more time. Despite this fast conclusion, the book was still very engaging and interesting, and played with some interesting story themes and ideas that I'd love to see in more books.

The Unholy might not be a book for everyone, especially if you're not open to the idea that organised religion can be a bad thing, or that white society has oppressed countless cultures and peoples. However, if you're open to seeing these harsh truths, if you have respect for native peoples and understand that white cultures have done them wrong you will really enjoy this book. It puts both the historic sins of oppression and conquest, as well as modern divisions centre stage to tell a story that talks about important themes wrapped up in a supernatural mystery.

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The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

'In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren't finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to track down any restless characters who emerge from those unfinished stories.

'Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing—a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organising books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materialising as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

'But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell ... and Earth.'

I think the first thing that needs to be gotten out of the way when talking about The Library of the Unwritten is that I feel a little personally attacked, as I'm sure anyone who ever thought up an idea for a book but never got round to writing it would be after reading this. A book that tells you that your unwritten stories are going to sit away in Hell for all eternity definitely feels like a kick up the butt to anyone who's ever thought about writing, and for that I really want to thank A.J. Hackwith for making me think about going back to my own writing.

In all seriousness, this was a book where I wasn't entirely sure what to think of it for a good portion of it. I knew that I was enjoying it, that the story was interesting and the characters were good, but there was a lot thrown at readers here to try and get their heads around. Thankfully Hackwith was clearly aware that there was going to be a lot of new ideas coming into play, and provided readers with Leto, a wonderfully sweet character who could act as our eyes in this magical new universe, able to ask what the hell's going on (no pun intended), and make the other characters explain things.

The Library of the Unwritten deals with a special library in Hell, filled with books and objects that were dreamed up but never created. These include stories, poetry, beautiful rugs, and even exquisitely crafted swords. Claire is a human who has gone on to become the librarian following her death, a post that means she has to run the Unwritten Wing. Not only does she have to make sure that things stay neat and organised, but she also has to maintain an uneasy neutrality with the demons of Hell, as well as stopping the characters in the unwritten stories from waking up.

However, when one of the heroes not only waked up from their book, but escapes to Earth to find his author, Claire and her small team end up on a path that sees them hunting for a powerful lost artefact; a quest that puts them in conflict with the forces of Heaven.

When I started to read The Library of the Unwritten I honestly didn't really like the characters that I was presented with. Claire was moody and confrontational, Leto was a bumbling sack of nerves, Brevity was overly cheerful and one dimensional, and Hero was a bit of a dick. Over the course of the book I was proven wrong about each and every one of these characters. I got to see that Claire had a heart, that Leto was brave and sweet, that Brevity had depths, and that Hero may actually be the most complex person in the story.

Hackwith did something that I absolutely love, she took a group of misfits that don't really work well together, that you don't even think you like, and makes them into a family that you really care about. There's no big moments where you see this happening either, no obvious points where the characters make a sudden shift; instead you suddenly find that they've slowly morphed into completely three dimensional people who you want to see survive until the end of the story.

It's not just the characters where Hackwith excels either; at first the story felt very grounded in Christian mythology, making Heaven and Hell a central focus of the story. It reminded me of Supernatural, or Good Omens (there were a number of times during the story that it made me think of Neil Gaiman). But over the course of the narrative more religions and mythologies were introduced, and in interesting ways. It would have been easy to just stick to Heaven and Hell and not get too overly complicated, but A.J. Hackwith chose to add more layers and complexity to her world, giving us something so much grander instead.

I knew I liked the book from the beginning, but it wasn't until I reached the end that I realised it had managed to sneak its claws into me, to make more invested in the characters, to want to know what happens next, and to want to read the next book in the series right away. It drew me in in such a subtle way that I'd say it was insidious if I didn't enjoy myself so damn much. A great book for anyone who loves mythology and religion, who enjoys character driven stories, and who wants a read that will inspire you to go and write yourself. Hopefully this book will lead to a few less volumes in Hell and gets us all writing our stories.

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