Victory Harben: Fires of Halos
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- Author：Christopher Paul Carey
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Summary
The ERB Universe's Swords of Eternity super-arc concludes with Victory Harben: Fires of Halos by Christopher Paul Carey， featuring the world of Halos from Edgar Rice Burroughs' legendary unpublished novel fragment， The Ghostly Script！
When Gridley Wave contact between worlds is inexplicably broken， young physicist Victory Harben returns to her home at the Earth’s core to help solve the mystery。 Soon Victory finds the riddles of her past are hopelessly entangled with the machinations of an ancient and inscrutable queen of the Mahars， the inner world’s dethroned reptilian overlords。 Unwillingly hurled into the cosmic void by the queen， Victory is hunted down across space and time by a vengeful being whose flaming sword absorbs the souls of the slain， delivering them to the ravenous lords of Halos。 As Victory races to track down the key to her destiny， a storm of malevolent forces gathers against her， unleashing the secret rulers of the afterlife in an unholy tempest that threatens to shatter reality itself。
Includes the bonus novelette “Beyond the Farthest Star: Rescue on Zandar” by Mike Wolfer
When a hunting party from the village of the Ki-vaas goes missing， the tribe’s age-old customs decree the fate of its lost members to have been dictated by the gods。 But the young woman Tii-laa cannot abide such hopeless dogma。 Striking out on her own， she must risk both her place in the tribe and her very life， facing the planet Zandar’s deadly wilds and savage creatures in a desperate attempt to save her missing tribespeople！
THE FIRST UNIVERSE OF ITS KIND
A century before the term “crossover” became a buzzword in popular culture， Edgar Rice Burroughs created the first expansive， fully cohesive literary universe。 Coexisting in this vast cosmos was a pantheon of immortal heroes and heroines--Tarzan of the Apes， Jane Clayton， John Carter， Dejah Thoris， Carson Napier， and David Innes being only the best known among them。 In Burroughs’ 80-plus novels， their epic adventures transported them to the strange and exotic worlds of Barsoom， Amtor， Pellucidar， Caspak， and Va-nah， as well as the lost civilizations of Earth and even realms beyond the farthest star。 Now the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe expands in an all-new series of canonical novels written by today’s talented authors！
SWORDS OF ETERNITY SUPER-ARC
When an unknown force catapults inventors Jason Gridley and Victory Harben from their home in Pellucidar， separating them from each other and flinging them across space and time， they embark on a grand tour of strange， wondrous worlds。 As their search for one another leads them to the realms of Amtor， Barsoom， and other worlds even more distant and outlandish， Jason and Victory will meet heroes and heroines of unparalleled courage and ability: Carson Napier， Tarzan， John Carter， and more。 With the help of their intrepid allies， Jason and Victory will uncover a plot both insidious and unthinkable—one that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of the universe。。。
The Swords of Eternity super-arc comes to our universe in a series of four interconnected novels:
Carson of Venus: The Edge of All Worlds by Matt Betts
Tarzan: Battle for Pellucidar by Win Scott Eckert
John Carter of Mars: Gods of the Forgotten by Geary Gravel
Victory Harben: Fires of Halos by Christopher Paul Carey
℗ 2022 Oasis Audio
© 2022 Edgar Rice Burroughs， Inc。 All Rights Reserved。 Associated logos， characters， names， and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of ERB， Inc。 Used by Permission。
When Gridley Wave contact between worlds is inexplicably broken， young physicist Victory Harben returns to her home at the Earth’s core to help solve the mystery。 Soon Victory finds the riddles of her past are hopelessly entangled with the machinations of an ancient and inscrutable queen of the Mahars， the inner world’s dethroned reptilian overlords。 Unwillingly hurled into the cosmic void by the queen， Victory is hunted down across space and time by a vengeful being whose flaming sword absorbs the souls of the slain， delivering them to the ravenous lords of Halos。 As Victory races to track down the key to her destiny， a storm of malevolent forces gathers against her， unleashing the secret rulers of the afterlife in an unholy tempest that threatens to shatter reality itself。
Includes the bonus novelette “Beyond the Farthest Star: Rescue on Zandar” by Mike Wolfer
When a hunting party from the village of the Ki-vaas goes missing， the tribe’s age-old customs decree the fate of its lost members to have been dictated by the gods。 But the young woman Tii-laa cannot abide such hopeless dogma。 Striking out on her own， she must risk both her place in the tribe and her very life， facing the planet Zandar’s deadly wilds and savage creatures in a desperate attempt to save her missing tribespeople！
THE FIRST UNIVERSE OF ITS KIND
A century before the term “crossover” became a buzzword in popular culture， Edgar Rice Burroughs created the first expansive， fully cohesive literary universe。 Coexisting in this vast cosmos was a pantheon of immortal heroes and heroines--Tarzan of the Apes， Jane Clayton， John Carter， Dejah Thoris， Carson Napier， and David Innes being only the best known among them。 In Burroughs’ 80-plus novels， their epic adventures transported them to the strange and exotic worlds of Barsoom， Amtor， Pellucidar， Caspak， and Va-nah， as well as the lost civilizations of Earth and even realms beyond the farthest star。 Now the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe expands in an all-new series of canonical novels written by today’s talented authors！
SWORDS OF ETERNITY SUPER-ARC
When an unknown force catapults inventors Jason Gridley and Victory Harben from their home in Pellucidar， separating them from each other and flinging them across space and time， they embark on a grand tour of strange， wondrous worlds。 As their search for one another leads them to the realms of Amtor， Barsoom， and other worlds even more distant and outlandish， Jason and Victory will meet heroes and heroines of unparalleled courage and ability: Carson Napier， Tarzan， John Carter， and more。 With the help of their intrepid allies， Jason and Victory will uncover a plot both insidious and unthinkable—one that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of the universe。。。
The Swords of Eternity super-arc comes to our universe in a series of four interconnected novels:
Carson of Venus: The Edge of All Worlds by Matt Betts
Tarzan: Battle for Pellucidar by Win Scott Eckert
John Carter of Mars: Gods of the Forgotten by Geary Gravel
Victory Harben: Fires of Halos by Christopher Paul Carey
℗ 2022 Oasis Audio
© 2022 Edgar Rice Burroughs， Inc。 All Rights Reserved。 Associated logos， characters， names， and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of ERB， Inc。 Used by Permission。
Reviews
Ric
，
With Victory Harben: Fires of Halos， Christopher Paul Carey has delivered the capstone to the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe’s Swords of Eternity super-arc， and it’s quite a capper。Readers of Burroughs， and in particular readers of the prior volumes of this “super-arc，” know that this universe is composed of a wild set of worlds populated by amazing inhabitants and visited by bold adventurers。 Founded in the pulp age of publishing， series written by Burroughs were bombastic and rip-roaring advent With Victory Harben: Fires of Halos， Christopher Paul Carey has delivered the capstone to the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe’s Swords of Eternity super-arc， and it’s quite a capper。Readers of Burroughs， and in particular readers of the prior volumes of this “super-arc，” know that this universe is composed of a wild set of worlds populated by amazing inhabitants and visited by bold adventurers。 Founded in the pulp age of publishing， series written by Burroughs were bombastic and rip-roaring adventures that led the way for much of what we see in fantasy and science fiction today。 But of course， they were written in a different age; less sensitive and more judgmental， often stereotyping racial and sexual differences。 While I love them I must admit that in some aspects they haven’t aged particularly well。 This new series of stories rightly adjusts the general diversity of stories， moving the female characters out of the stale damsel in distress trope， and for many into the hero class themselves。 It is a welcome move。Victory Harben was introduced long before she got her own eponymous novel， having appeared in the prior novels as well as in comics。 She was born at the Earth’s core in Pellucidar， educated in the finest schools， and is adept in several mad sciences born from the pen of ERB。 Following three books set in some of Burrough’s more popular planetary settings， Harben’s adventures recap， extend， and further mystify the Swords of Eternity storyline。 Having made guest appearances in each， this time the adventure is focused on Harben’s own adventures。 I was certainly reminded of the first line of the second chapter of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five， in which we learn “Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time。” Surely， Carey could have similarly started with the line “Victory Harben became unstuck in space。” Through an accident （or is it？） we follow Harben pinballing around the literal ERB universe， which of course is composed of areas originally set into play by Burroughs himself and expanded upon by earlier SoE volumes。 It would not be unexpected that you’d be reminded of Gullivers Travels， Alice in Wonderland， or even Candide as our heroine pops into and out of interplanetary adventures， in lands both familiar and more than a few brand new。 Carey’s obvious mastery of the entire scope of Burroughs works is evident as he both revisits and smoothly extends storylines already familiar to fans。 He pays painstaking attention to detail， and unlike my experiences with some of Burroughs works， I was never unsure of where we were， what things were like “here，” and who was playing what role in the moment。 This would be the only diversion， and a welcome one at that， from language that evokes much of Burroughs works。 And when Carey’s pulp action starts to roll， you’re carried right along with it。 As I hinted at before， this series adds a welcome amount of updating to the ERB Universe。 Carey avoids the stale stereotypes of even modern pulp-labeled storytelling。 This is a divergent cast， both in gender and color。 Harben herself is a young person of color， and a scientist， which is pleasantly compatible with her being a plucky adventurer。 She’s thoughtful and self-questioning， certainly searching out the other side of conflicts。 This is not a shoot fast and move on story， to be sure Harben’s gun doesn’t even （necessarily） kill when fired。 As far as pulp fiction goes， she’s more along the lines of a Doc （or Pat） Savage character than a Spider or Shadow。 Finally， as a treat for long-term fans， this book is a wonderland of literary Easter eggs。 My only mild complaint here is that several times as I was figuring one out for myself， Carey would footnote the reference confirming my assumptions before I could spring off to my bookshelf to search out the reference。 I guess that’s a personal preference， and I can see where these references could lead readers to new， previously unexplored literary adventures。 （I did figure out the mystery of the tattoo before it was totally exposed， which was a personal victory！）Overall， Victory Harben: The Fires of Halos is a terrific romp through so many things Edgar Rice Burroughs。 Recommended for older fans and curious new fans， the latter of which are likely in danger of coming away with an extended reading list of more wonderful stories。 Enjoy the ride。（This review was made possible by access to an advance reader copy provided for an honest review。 I eventually bought the Kindle version， and have the limited hardback edition on order。 So yeah， I liked the book。） 。。。more
Win Scott Eckert
，
（The following review is based on an advanced reader’s copy， provided in exchange for an honest review。）The mysteries left behind by the Master of Adventure， Edgar Rice Burroughs…Why can’t modern aircraft flying over the North Pole find the arctic entrance to Pellucidar， the hollow world existing a mere 500 miles below Earth’s crust？ And how can an inner world even exist when modern science has established that it cannot， based on our current knowledge of physics and geology？What the heck was go （The following review is based on an advanced reader’s copy， provided in exchange for an honest review。）The mysteries left behind by the Master of Adventure， Edgar Rice Burroughs…Why can’t modern aircraft flying over the North Pole find the arctic entrance to Pellucidar， the hollow world existing a mere 500 miles below Earth’s crust？ And how can an inner world even exist when modern science has established that it cannot， based on our current knowledge of physics and geology？What the heck was going on when John Carter died in that Arizona cave—and then woke up on Mars？ And then later mastered the ability to transport himself back and forth between Mars and Earth at will？ How come John Carter’s Mars （“Barsoom” in the language the planet’s natives）， and Carson Napier’s Venus （called “Amtor” by its inhabitants） don’t resemble what we know about our two closest planetary neighbors？ And what was up with a lady named Betty Callwell of Brooklyn， NY， showing up on Amtor？ Did her Earthly body need to perish in order to travel the Cosmos—just as the man only known as “Tangor” died before waking up on the distant planet Poloda in BEYOND THE FARTHEST STAR？If the mysterious “Gridley Wave” really exists， allowing those who access it to communicate across vast distances and through any barriers， how come it is not widely utilized by everyone today？ What was the deal with the Gorbuses in Pellucidar somehow hazily remembering past lives on Earth’s surface？What makes Barsoomian airships float？ Why， in ERB’s Moon series， did the Great War continue until 1967？These and other questions， along with other “loose ends，” have intrigued fans of Burroughs’ many works for decades。 Christopher Paul Carey’s latest novel， VICTORY HARBEN: FIRES OF HALOS （Book 4 of the “Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe – Swords of Eternity Super-Arc”）， tackles these and other fascinating matters raised by the Master’s original works （including ERB’s unpublished fragment， “The Ghostly Script”）， revealing a cosmology that is surprisingly integrated and logical。 Or perhaps not so surprising， as Burroughs himself returned time and again to several themes， including resurrection and immortality， mind vs。 body， and the perception of time。Carey does not address these mysteries with pedantic exposition。 Far from it。 We， and new protagonist Victory Harben， go on a scintillating journey through Burroughs’ various worlds as she—and we—try to figure out what’s happening to her， and why。 Along the journey， she pieces together the evidence， putting her Oxford education in theoretical physics to good use。 The fun is in the voyage， and the revelations are for those who have been paying attention; Carey does not beat the reader over the head with black-and-white “definitive answers，” thankfully opting instead to trust the reader to put it all together， just as Victory has。Speaking of Victory， some may ask why not send one of ERB’s pre-existing characters on this revelatory journey？ The new Edgar Rice Burroughs – Swords of Eternity books are about moving the saga of this universe and its plethora of protagonists forward。 ERB was always adding new characters and worlds to his oeuvre， and the “ERBU expanded canon” books do the same。 Victory is a member of the von Harben family， various other members of which were seen in several books in the original Tarzan canon: Victory’s grandfather， Dr。 Karl von Harben; her uncle， Erich von Harben; and her mother， Gretchen von Harben。 She is firmly rooted in ERB’s original canon。 Yet ERB wrote as a man of his time; reflecting social mores of the period in which he wrote， it was almost unthinkable to have a main protagonist who was not a white male。 Moving forward with the ERBU， it is absolutely thinkable， and is reflective of today’s society， and modern readers， that the protagonist of this extraordinary novel is a woman of color。Does “moving the saga forward” mean that the reader must have read the three prior novels in the Swords of Eternity Super-Arc （CARSON OF VENUS: THE EDGE OF ALL WORLDS， TARZAN: BATTLE FOR PELLUCIDAR and JOHN CARTER: GODS OF THE FORGOTTEN）， as well as the various bonus novelettes included in the novels， and the associated comic series？ Not at all。 Carey does an admirable job of recapping the story and clues thus far—sometimes from different characters’ points of view—to ensure the reader of his novel is not lost。 As with the prior three books， this truly is a standalone novel。That said， diving into the other three books， the novelettes， and the comics **will** provide the reader with an even richer experience， as well as demonstrate how tightly and accurately all the entries hang together with each other， and with ERB’s original canon of marvelous tales。Mike Wolfer’s bonus novelette， “Beyond the Farthest Star: Rescue on Zandar，” is a fine addition， engagingly introducing a whole new alien species on one of the planets in ERB’s Omos System， Zandar （ERB’s Poloda is one of the other planets in this unique system）， and setting up the comic series “Beyond the Farthest Star: Warriors of Zandar。”Two important notes。 1。 Readers should be sure to look for the “Quantum Coda” featurettes at the back of every Swords of Eternity novel。 These short pieces are akin to the mid-credits or end-credits features seen in many modern adventure film sagas， and chock full of teaser “Easter eggs。” 2。 Edgar Rice Burroughs， Inc。 is leaving money on the table if they don’t put out plush toys of Victory’s stalwart companion， Hucklebuck。 In sum， VICTORY HARBEN: FIRES OF HALOS is a love letter to longtime ERB fans and an open door， welcoming new readers to the adventure with open arms。 。。。more
Sean
，
（Note: I was given an Advanced Reader's 。pdf of this book in exchange for an honest review）I have been a fan of Christopher Paul Carey's work for many years now， and especially of his works building on Edgar Rice Burroughs， from his authorized works building on Philip Jose Farmer's novels set in ancient Opar to his novel SWORDS AGAINST THE MOON MEN。 Carey's love for Burroughs is obvious in his work， and therefore it was no surprise when ERB， Inc。 appointed him Director of Publishing。 Carey has s （Note: I was given an Advanced Reader's 。pdf of this book in exchange for an honest review）I have been a fan of Christopher Paul Carey's work for many years now， and especially of his works building on Edgar Rice Burroughs， from his authorized works building on Philip Jose Farmer's novels set in ancient Opar to his novel SWORDS AGAINST THE MOON MEN。 Carey's love for Burroughs is obvious in his work， and therefore it was no surprise when ERB， Inc。 appointed him Director of Publishing。 Carey has spearheaded a new Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe imprint of novels， which includes new novels featuring Burroughs' characters， as well as canonizing certain pastiches from years past， such as Farmer's TARZAN AND THE DARK HEART OF TIME （a personal favorite of mine） and Fritz Leiber's excellent novelization of the film TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF THE GOLD， which went to great lengths to fit into the continuity of the original novels。 Running through many of the new books has been the so-called "Swords of Eternity Super-Arc，" featuring Victory Harben， an original character but the daughter of Gretchen von Harben from Burroughs' TARZAN AND THE TARZAN TWINS and a Pellucidar native， and her godfather Jason Gridley， a character who appears in pretty much all of Burroughs' continuing series， as they are bounced across time and space。 I have had a great time following this storyline， which reaches its culmination here。 Victory is a great character， and it's extremely cool to see a well-written woman of color as the protagonist of an official novel in ERB's universe。 As much as I love the man's writing， I do feel some of his views on gender and race as expressed in his work have not aged well。 As someone who is obsessed with the idea of crossovers between fictional characters， I have always appreciated the shared universe Burroughs created for his work， and the ERB Universe novels have really run with it， with this book in particular featuring appearances by or references to characters and places from everything from BEYOND THE FARTHEST STAR to THE GIRL FROM HOLLYWOOD。 These Easter Eggs are not essential to recognize to enjoy the book， but certainly add to your appreciation if you're Burroughs-savvy。 I also greatly enjoyed the backup story by Mike Wolfer， "Beyond the Farthest Star: Rescue on Zandar，" which leads into the comic book miniseries BEYOND THE FARTHEST STAR: WARRIORS OF ZANDAR， also written by Wolfer in which the protagonist meets Victory。 I have not yet read this comic， but I will as soon as possible， as seeing these two cool ladies team up sounds too good to resist。 I'm also looking forward to the graphic novel promised at the end of the book。 If you consider yourself a Burroughs fan， you need this book！ 。。。more
Anthony
，
SHORT REVIEW: Victory Harben: Fires of Halos， written by Christopher Paul Carey， is classic Edgar Rice Burroughs interplanetary adventure from start to finish， a worthy continuation of the first true interconnected universe in fiction。 Victory Harben is a new character in that universe， every bit as smart， sassy， resilient and strong as Burroughs’ own Jane Porter， Dejah Thoris and Duare， all of whom were easily a match for the men in whose books they appeared。 The novel is non-stop action that t SHORT REVIEW: Victory Harben: Fires of Halos， written by Christopher Paul Carey， is classic Edgar Rice Burroughs interplanetary adventure from start to finish， a worthy continuation of the first true interconnected universe in fiction。 Victory Harben is a new character in that universe， every bit as smart， sassy， resilient and strong as Burroughs’ own Jane Porter， Dejah Thoris and Duare， all of whom were easily a match for the men in whose books they appeared。 The novel is non-stop action that takes our heroine from a setting most Burroughs fans are intimately familiar with， Pellucidar， to one fans may be less familiar with， the Omos star system of one of Burroughs’ final books， the short novel Beyond the Farthest Star。 Carey’s facility with creating alien worlds， societies， and wildlife is wondrous and perfectly Burroughsian， as Victory navigates her way through as many near-death encounters as her forebears Carter and Carson。 The interplanetary roller-coaster leads to a well-earned finale that wraps up the major threads of the novel nicely while leaving plenty of room for future Victory Harben novels。 Burroughs fans both life-long and intermittent will not be disappointed。LONGER REVIEW: Victory Harben: Fires of Halos is a landmark book in the history of Edgar Rice Burroughs， Inc。 for several reasons。 First， it brings to a conclusion the first set of new officially canonical Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe books released since the Master of Adventure died in 1950 and the last of his original works was released （barring a Tarzan novel later completed by Joe Lansdale）。 Yes， there have been plenty of novels and comic books released in the decades since featuring Burroughs’ most well-known characters， many of them published in recent years by ERB Inc directly， but it is only in the past few years that the company has started declaring certain novels as official additions to the Canon， based on how closely those books hew not just to the timeline of Burroughs’ original works but also the style， pacing and intent。 Tarzan novels by Fritz Lieber and Philip Jose Farmer released in the 1970s have been officially canonized， along with Pellucidar novels by John Eric Holmes – and of course the four novels that comprise the “Swords of Eternity Super-Arc，” of which Fires of Halos is the final installment。Victory Harben: Fires of Halos， written by Christopher Paul Carey， is classic Burroughs interplanetary adventure from start to finish。 It opens with the author， at work in the ERB offices in Tarzana， California， receiving a message sent across space and time by Victory Harben， ready to relate her latest adventure for his transcription and fictionalization （to cover up details the world isn’t ready to know or believe yet） – just the way Burroughs received such messages from John Carter and Carson Napier among others。 Told in first person narration by Victory Harben after that brief introduction， the novel is non-stop action that takes our heroine from a setting most Burroughs fans are intimately familiar with， Pellucidar， to one fans may be less familiar with， the Omos star system of one of Burroughs’ final books， the short novel Beyond the Farthest Star。 There are stops in locales familiar （Barsoom！） and new （Kjarna！ Zandar！ Both of which I hope we’ll see more of in future novels）。 Carey’s facility with creating alien worlds， societies， and wildlife is wondrous and perfectly Burroughsian， as Victory navigates her way through as many near-death encounters with wild animals and angry aliens as her forebears Carter and Carson。 The interplanetary roller-coaster leads to a well-earned finale that wraps up the major threads of the novel nicely while leaving plenty of room for future Victory Harben novels。The second reason Victory Harben: Fires of Halos is a landmark novel in the publisher’s history is that it is the first new canonical novel to headline a character not created by Burroughs himself。 Part of ERB Inc’s current efforts to revitalize the ERB Universe includes expanding it to include new characters with connections to the classic Burroughs creations。 In her previous novella and comic book appearances， we’ve seen Victory study under Tarzan， Jason Gridley， David Innes and Abner Perry as well as encounter Caspak （The Land That Time Forgot） and Carson of Venus。 And of course her mother， uncle， and grandfather are all characters who first appeared in supporting roles in various Tarzan novels。 The three previous novels in the “Swords of Eternity Super-Arc” featured Carson of Venus， Tarzan， and John Carter， but here Victory gets the spotlight。 And make no mistake: she is a character in the classic Burroughs mold – as smart， sassy， resilient and strong as Burroughs’ own Jane Porter， Dejah Thoris and Duare， all of whom were easily a match for the men in whose books they appeared。 Victory Harben as a character is a terrific addition to the ERB Universe， a character I am sure we’ll see taking the lead in many more novels。The book is rounded out with “Rescue on Zandar，” a novella by Mike Wolfer that further expands the ERB Universe by giving us the back story of Tii-Laa， a native of Zandar who first appeared in the recent ERB comic mini-series Beyond the Farthest Star: Warriors of Zandar alongside Victory Harben。 In the novella， we get a Tii-Laa who is only just starting to realize how different she is from the rest of her race。 Her confusion about being different and not fitting in， her defiance of constrictive societal norms， and her self-acceptance infuse the story with a modern feel without detracting from the classic Burroughs pulp-adventure pace。 （And again， the pace is rapid-fire， with several interesting new creatures to survive encounters with。）I have tried to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible while still hopefully getting across the sheer fun， excitement， and yes， importance， of the book。 Burroughs fans both life-long and intermittent will not be disappointed in Victory Harben: Fires of Halos。I received an advance reading pdf of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 。。。more
John
，
（The following review is based on an advanced readers' copy。）I have written in the past - numerous times， in fact， to the point that some people are probably good and tired of my bringing it up so often - of how my father introduced me to the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs when I was a third grader and the impact those works have had upon my life。One of the reasons ERB held such appeal for my youthful imagination was the way Burroughs weaved his characters and tales into a single vast tapestry。 A （The following review is based on an advanced readers' copy。）I have written in the past - numerous times， in fact， to the point that some people are probably good and tired of my bringing it up so often - of how my father introduced me to the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs when I was a third grader and the impact those works have had upon my life。One of the reasons ERB held such appeal for my youthful imagination was the way Burroughs weaved his characters and tales into a single vast tapestry。 A century before the Marvel Cinematic Universe， decades before Dr。 Mark Sloan met Matlock and Mannix or the Green Hornet and Batman teamed up （more or less） to outwit the nefarious Colonel Gumm， Burroughs created pop culture’s first truly cohesive universe: A universe in which Tarzan sets out on a quest to the inner world of Pellucidar… where Carson Napier ended up on Venus after attempting to reach Mars… where a pair of young American siblings - Barney Custer and his sister Victoria， of Beatrice， Nebraska - discovers that he is a dead ringer for the King of Lutha， while she is the reincarnation of the prehistoric mate of a caveman revived from suspended animation… and where a young neighbor of Burroughs’ named Jason Gridley invents a device that allows communications with many of the various exotic locales ERB introduced his readers to。 Anyone who enjoys modern “crossover” stories - whether it be in the movies， on television， or in books and comic books - owes an enormous debt of gratitude to the creator of Tarzan and John Carter of Mars， because he did it first。 One of the great joys I’ve experienced as a reader in recent years has been a series of new， authorized novels that have expanded the Burroughs universe and added to the adventures of the heroes he gave the world - heroes like Tarzan of the Apes， John Carter of Mars， Carson Napier and David Innes。 And so far the real gem of these new adventures has been the four-volume “super arc” known collectively as Swords Of Eternity。 I was fortunate enough to be among a handful of Burroughs aficionados given the opportunity to review the first three books in this series - and recently I was invited to review the fourth and final adventure in this epic science fiction-fantasy adventure。The novel is question is Victory Harben: Fires of Halos by Christopher Paul Carey， the same author who previously penned a sequel to Burroughs’ Mood Maid novels as well as several sequels to Philip José Farmer’s tales of Ancient Opar。 Carey is one of only a handful of writers uniquely qualified to follow in the footsteps of both Burroughs and Farmer， and in Fires of Halos he turns in his best work yet - one which adds to the ERB legacy by focusing on the adventures of an all-new character， one which ERB himself did not create but has definite ties to those which he did。She is the title character， Victory Harben， the protagonist/narrator and a descendant of characters first seen in various Burroughs novels。 Victory has been a presence throughout the Swords of Eternity series - indeed， she pretty much sets the story into motion in the first place - but in the first three books she is something of a secondary character who pops in and out of the action just long enough to make the reader （well， this reader， anyway） scratch his head and wonder where the story is going。 In that respect she has provided a fun bit of anticipation for those of us who have enjoyed going along for the ride。This time Victory is front and center， and she acquits herself quite nicely as a worthy addition to the pantheon of Burroughsian heroines that includes Dejan Thoris， Jane Porter Clayton and Princess Duare of Amtor - and in her own way the equal of Tarzan， John Carter， Tangor and so many other ERB heroes。 Carey makes the most of this character’s unique backstory， using her as a conduit through which the reader’s eyes are awakened to the possibility of adventures that likely ERB himself might not have dared imagine。One of my favorite aspects of Carey’s novel is the manner in which he incorporates not one but two versions of one of Burroughs’ greatest concepts。 When I was a youngster discovering Burroughs， one of my favorite of his books was the science fiction novel “Beyond The Farthest Star，” which unfortunately concluded with an open ending that Burroughs never got around to following up on。 Years later I learned that this novel was， in fact， a reworking by Burroughs of an earlier， unpublished fragment he entitled The Ghostly Script。 Carey marvelously incorporates BOTH versions of Burroughs’ concept， and in doing so not only completes the original fragment but finally gives this aging fan the answer to the question that has nagged me since I first read “Beyond The Farthest Star”: “What happened next？”To say too much specifically about the plot of Victory Harben: Fires of Halos will only serve to rob the readers of the joy of discovering this grand adventure for themselves。 Suffice it to say that it works on several levels: as an incredibly exciting standalone adventure starring a wonderful new character; as the conclusion to one of the greatest multi-volume literary epics I have encountered since Terry Brooks’ “Shannara” novels and Phil Farmer’s “World of Tiers” series; and as an introduction to the Burroughs Universe for young readers who have yet to travel there themselves。 Carey has promised more adventures for young Victory， and I for one can’t wait。If you love good old fashioned adventure， you owe it to yourself to read not only Victory Harben: Fires of Halos but also the three preceding novels in the Swords of Eternity super-arc: Carson of Venus: The Edge of All Worlds， by Matt Betts; Tarzan: Battle for Pellucidar by Win Scott Eckert; and John Carter of Mars: Gods of the Forgotten by Geary Gravel。 Do yourself a favor and seek them out。 You won’t be sorry。 And you can thank me later… 。。。more
Bill Wormstedt
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（This review is based on reading an advance reader's copy）The new book “Victory Harben – Fires of Halos” by Christopher Paul Carey， is part of the new “Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe”， or ERBU。 It is the fourth and final book of the “Swords of Eternity Super Arc”。 Each of these books， one each for Carson of Venus， Tarzan， John Carter of Mars， and now the new character Victory Harben， has each been written to be read as stand alone stories， but reading the entire four gives the reader a much fulle （This review is based on reading an advance reader's copy）The new book “Victory Harben – Fires of Halos” by Christopher Paul Carey， is part of the new “Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe”， or ERBU。 It is the fourth and final book of the “Swords of Eternity Super Arc”。 Each of these books， one each for Carson of Venus， Tarzan， John Carter of Mars， and now the new character Victory Harben， has each been written to be read as stand alone stories， but reading the entire four gives the reader a much fuller story。 Victory is not a character created by Burroughs， but is related to characters that ERB wrote about， the Von Harben family。 She appears in cameos in the three earlier books in this series， and is the main character in this book， and has also appeared in a several comic book mini-series from American Mythology。The basic plot is the Gridley Wave， used to communicate between Earth and Pellucidar （inside the hollow Earth）， has stopped working and Victory is working with Jason Gridley to try to get it working again。 Victory， though born in Pellucidar， has been studying quantum mechanics in England， and is very qualified to help Jason， the inventor of the device。 Somehow， Victory has been sucked into a portal， and is being transported willy-nilly around the galaxy， with no control of where she is going， how long she stays， or what might happen at each spot。 She meets a number of people from ERB’s original books， such as Tarzan， Dejah Thoris（！）， Tangor， and more。 And all she wants to do is figure out how this is happening， and find her way home。 And also find and rescue Jason， who had followed her into the portal。 Much of the later part of the book occurs on the planet Zandar， which is 450，000 light years away from Earth， Beyond the Farthest Star。This book ties up many of the loose threads from the three previous books， as you would expect – and even explains some details from the original Burroughs stories themselves。 I really liked that Carey uses quantum theory and some pseudo-science to explain things， which gives the book more of a scientific feel than Burroughs himself did， or could have done， 100 years ago。The whole story is exciting and well worth the read。 I think it could be read without a background in Burroughs， but having that background just ups the fun！ There were three times during the novel where certain events just surprised the heck out of me – I didn’t see them coming at all！The bonus feature “Beyond the Farthest Star: Rescue on Zandar” by Mike Wolfer， stars a new Zandarian character， Tii-laa。 Tii-laa is trying to rescue a mentor of hers who has went looking for a new location for her tribe， and encounters a number of trials in her search。 Tii-laa， along with Victory， both carry on into the comic book series “Beyond the Farthest Star: Warriors of Zandar”。 Wolfer has also done a good job with this story， and gives us more background on Zandar， which may be an ongoing location for more stories。And Christopher has told us there is more Victory Harben to come！ I’m looking forward to it！ 。。。more
Atom Bezecny
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（This review is based on reading an advance reader's copy。）Christopher Paul Carey's exciting novel Victory Harben: The Fires of Halos is the conclusion to the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe's Swords of Eternity Super-Arc， which has seen a circle of talented writers tell new stories starring Carson of Venus， Tarzan of the Apes， John Carter of Mars， and others as those heroes are joined together by massive timespace-spanning events。 Beyond finishing out this astounding world-hopping adventure， Care （This review is based on reading an advance reader's copy。）Christopher Paul Carey's exciting novel Victory Harben: The Fires of Halos is the conclusion to the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe's Swords of Eternity Super-Arc， which has seen a circle of talented writers tell new stories starring Carson of Venus， Tarzan of the Apes， John Carter of Mars， and others as those heroes are joined together by massive timespace-spanning events。 Beyond finishing out this astounding world-hopping adventure， Carey's novel also serves as a worthy expansion and unification of many of the diverse and mysterious story threads which Edgar Rice Burroughs scattered throughout his shared universe。 Edgar Rice Burroughs himself already joined together his various adventure series within his lifetime， often connecting them via his character of Jason Gridley。 Appropriate， then， that the star of this novel， and one of the new stars of the Burroughs Universe as a whole， is Jason's goddaughter， the fantastic Victory Harben of Pellucidar。We've already seen glimpses of young Victory's adventures in other ERB Inc。 stories， including the other Swords of Eternity books， but this book finally allows us to see the whole picture。 Her basic story is this: while trying to solve the mystery of why the Gridley Wave， the unique wave which allows her and Jason Gridley to commune with their friends and families across the universe， has ceased functioning， Victory ends up instilled with a strange energy that teleports her around the universe and catapults her into various adventures。 As she tries to gain control of her jumps， she slowly begins to glimpse the reasons behind her journey， and as it happens， these reasons have big implications for the very foundations of the ERB Universe。 I won't reveal exactly how deep these roots go， but let me just say that I made quite a few surprised exclamations while reading this book。 The book weaves together Burroughsian science with modern quantum psychics to create a bold new perspective on ERB's sci-fi。 This is not a revamp， or even a reimagining—the seeds Carey calls upon were always there in Burroughs' book。 But it takes a remarkably imaginative gardener to grow these seeds to fruition， and Carey performs this task with the utmost creativity。There are two really smart decisions that were made for this book， and I'd like to talk about them separately。 The first is that Victory's teleportation conundrum is a great way to literally revisit the worlds of the ERB Universe and （re）acquaint the reader with the scale of Burroughs' creations。 Throughout her journey Victory explores Pellucidar， Barsoom， Amtor， Caspak， and worlds Beyond the Farthest Star。 No Burroughsian sci-fi rock is left unturned。 None of these worlds are exhausted or used up—rather， one ends the book with an even clearer vision of all of them， and in my case at least I found myself wanting to see what happens next on each of them。 Having Victory as the focus of the journey only increased that excitement—she starts the book more than worthy of standing besides other Burroughsian heroes like Tarzan and John Carter， and she ends the book as perhaps the most knowledgeable human being in their universe。I will comment briefly but glowingly upon the fact that Victory is a female scientist of color。 In her is a repudiation of the unfortunate truth of Burroughs' original works: that the books are racist and sexist。 If the ERB Universe stood any chance of continuing beyond the problematic nature of its early 20th Century point of origin， it needed a character like Victory。 But Victory isn't just a symbol—Carey flawlessly makes her into a living， breathing person， with a variety of human feelings， ambitions， and interests。 As a scientist and as a genuinely cool and funny person， I can easily foresee her entertaining the children of the present as her fellow ERB heroes entertained the children of the past。 That's where representation matters the most I think， is in letting kids see themselves in the sort of stories they'd love to live out。In-universe， Victory is also an ideal protagonist for this shared setting。 Her backstory combines elements of the Tarzan and Pellucidar books， and her aforementioned link with Jason Gridley opens up yet stranger frontiers to her。 She is fully part of this universe and a huge part of synchronizing these vastly different worlds。 Her natural scientific curiosity makes her a born explorer， and her compassion gives her some of the best insight into the worlds she explores。 I'm looking forward to all her future adventures。I do have to admit， this book may be a bit of a tough read for one who is not at least somewhat familiar with Burroughs' main series， but Carey helpfully provides footnotes telling readers where they can catch up。 This complexity is also easily excused by the fact that it's the fourth book in a series， and by the fact that the richly-tiered Burroughs lore is hugely rewarding for those who are knowledgeable about his works。Victory Harben: The Fires of Halos is a fantastic epic of a novel， and a truly unique and exciting read。 Its mythology is vast， complicated， beautiful， and terrifying。 And its protagonist is a marvelous hero。 If you like incredible and vividly-realized sci-fi worlds， this will be a great addition to your collection。 。。。more
Win Scott Eckert
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