Dragonships of Vardas Volume 1: Bones of the Dragon

Written by: Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

The dream team reunite. I can’t lie, I am an unabashed fan of Weis/Hickman. So you must take this review with that in mind. But as I read, I wonder how could somone not like their novels? No they aren’t as detailed as Tolkien, nor are they as verbose as Jordan or Martin. But as for worlds created combined with epic and entertaining stories?

They do quite alright.

Although it would be remiss for me not to admit that I had a hard time getting into this one at first. Despite meeting with gruesome ogres and battling with them within the first few chapters, there was a bit much exposition. But in volume 1 of 6, that is to be expected.

What is great about the tale is that there are NO perfect heroes. Our main protagonist, Skylan, son of the Chief is a petulant, spoiled brat who often means well and has good intentions but really deserves to get a good kick in the ass now and again.

Skylan’s best friend, Garn is a much better person but is cowardly when it comes to romance and admitting to his best friend that he loves the same woman that Skylan loves…and worse she loves him back.

The woman in question, Aylaen is as selfish as the men are in her desire for Garn above all else.

But what’s great is that despite that you still root for them to achieve, even as they fail. Especially as you realize how young the heroes are and how getting to watch them develop into righteous people is going to be a great part of the story.

Another great set up is the character of Wulfe. Part fae and part “Ugly One”, the kid is mysterious but makes such a mark, you know he will be even more important to Skylan as the story develops.

Full of magic, warfare, love, and humor, Dragonships is definitely the most adult oriented novel Weis and Hickman have come up with as they are not shy about language or situations at all but it goes well with the darker world.

After reading it, I realized that the novel is one big prologue to the series, but I don’t mind because it only means the story is going to get even larger in scope.

A-

Wow. Now that’s a finale! Twists, turns, and answers! Not enough to close the show out, but enough to satisfy Fringe enthusiasts for the time being.

No surprise that Nina Sharp lives through her gunshot. We learn quickly enough that David Robert Jones was behind her attack. Now covered in bandages from the sickness caused by the teleporter, David is now using a device and trying to find the right coordinates.

His first experiment draws a truck in through the portal and cutting it in half. A thorough investigation determines that the VIN, all serial numbers, everything about the truck don’t exist.

Nina finally (albeit slowly) explains what is going on. William Bell does not run a terrorist organziation. He is however not in this world. He has learned to go between this world and an alternate reality. It seems that David Robert Jones is also attempting to break into this reality and kill Bell.

Nina promises Dunham a face to face with Bell if she can stop Jones.

After a second incident slices a boy in half, Dunham tries to figure out why Jones is going where he goes. She is able to map all events of the pattern and find focal points. She realizes where he will next try.

Meanwhile The Observer takes Walter to his beach house and tells him he must find something. He seemingly is hesitant and even says that he has said too much before leaving. Walter struggles to remember what he is looking for.

With help from Massive Dynamic, Peter locates Walter and goes by himself to the beach house to get him back. Peter and Walter share some great character moments together as they both reminisce about events in the past. Walter is able to jog his memory and find the object.

A plug. To the hole that David Robert Jones is trying to open up.

Now both parties head up to stave off Jones at Reiden Lake, just west of Albany.

Jones opens the portal. Dunham shoots him but the sickness has also made him partially invulnerable. He continues to the portal but Peter is able to plug the hole slicing Jones in half.

And then the fun begins.

During the aftermath. Walter goes off on his own leaving Peter a note telling him he had to step out for a moment. He visits a graveyard that he had visited with The Observer earlier. And this is the tombstone he views:

What?!?! Yes this is the theory I had a few episodes back that is confirmed. Peter is dead! At least our world’s Peter.

After dropping very subtle hints all season long about Peter’s medical history, Walter losing something important to him, and Peter’s not remembering a lot of the memories that Walter has of him, they confirm it. So Walter must have plucked different Peter out of his world and put him into ours.

THEN we get Dunham’s meeting with Bell. After giving up on Nina showing up at their meeting, Dunham goes down in the elevator and suddenly gets off at a floor 13. We see a NY post regarding the Obamas moving into a new White House and Len Bias become NBA MVP. We then meet Spock…er William Bell. The camera fades out and we see that Bell’s office is in the still standing Twin Towers.

It’s poetic, evocative, and emotional and probably the best way to show that Dunham has crossed over to an alternate reality.

A great episode that answers so much but leaves so much open that you know you’re coming back for Season 2.

A

OBSERVER MOMENT: The Observer has a few scenes with Walter

Previous – 1.19

Next – 2.01

Fringe hurtles towards it’s season finale and it’s a great rollercoaster ride. Everything has been pointing towards this type of ending, even if a lot of it is setting up for the next episode.

The Fringe event of the week involves a woman who seemingly explodes in the middle of a New York street. Fun!

More importantly though of course is the fact that Broyles has launhced a real investigation in Massive Dynamic and William Bell. Although Harris tries to squash it per his usual bluster. Broyles remains committed behind the scenes to continuing the investigation.

Even more intriguing is that the fact that Dunham is having hallucinations with regards to the scene. She sees an alternate reality of sorts. In her vision there are two bodies instead of one. In a later hallucination she sees the landscape of burning buildings. Walter theorizes that she is getting views into another reality. The road not taken. The cortexiphan trials are most likely the root of why she is getting these glimpses.

Meanwhile, Walter and Peter’s story is advanced when Peter begins cannabilizes Walter’s equipment for an experiment of his own. Walter is both proud and agitated at the same time.

The investigation takes it’s own twists and turns when it leads to Grayson. And one of the best sequences of the series. Grayson is a conspiracy theorist with a website who reported on a similar incident. Played by the always brilliant (and crazy) Clint Howard, Grayson at first tells them exactly what they want to hear. Bell is behind everything and even includes bits of the ZFT manifesto but then it leads into him claiming that Romulan agents from the future had been sent back in time to prevent the federation from forming (hmmm sounds just like JJ Abrams’ Star Trek plot!)

And Grayson announces himself as the Son of Sarek…or Spock. (Nice touch when you consider the next episode and William Bell).

Joshua Jackson comes off really well during the scene as well.

After finding that their victim did in fact have a sister, their investigation leads there but we see that she has aleady been kidnapped. During the struggle, she obviously let out some fire of her own and it indented in the window.

We then get to see what Peter has been creating with the parts. It was a device that would take the grooves on Walter’s rare records and digitize them, capturing them in the computer. Same concept, but it will instead capture the grooves from the window that was melted slightly.

They find a cel phone being dialed and when Dunham dials using the tones we get Sanford Harris.

YES! I was glad to see Harris be a ZFT infiltrator. Not because it’s imaginative at all. In fact it was pretty predictable. But it was good to know that he would be eliminated soon. His melodrama was just simply boring and irritating.

Harris has the twin in captivity and is trying to get her to activate her gifts when Dunham discovers her. Harris traps her in the same room and if the girl can’t control her gifts, than they both will die. With Dunham’s help, the girl is able to focus her heat powers on Harris causing him to explode instead.

Afterwards Dunham is distraught and lays into Walter with regards to him testing on her when she was a child and tries to get him to give her more information to which Walter breaks down crying. It’s a powerful scene for John Noble who continues to excel in the role.

Walter, who has been obsessing with the ZFT manual in an attempt to exonerate Bell, discovers a complete manuscript with the missing ethic chapter which stresses how we much protect our children. In a great moment of vindication, Walter is rewarded with a visit from The Observer who tells him that “it’s time.”

What?! Cliffhanger…and a good one. But it’s not over. Nina Sharp enters her condominium and is shot by an unknown assailant.

A great episode that solidly leads into the finale.

A-

OBSERVER MOMENT: At the end of the episode, The Observer collects Walter for a trip of unknown destination.

Previous – 1.18

Next – 1.20

“Midnight” is an episode that doesn’t really do anything wrong, but still at the end left me wondering how much of it was really that worthwhile. It seemed that the whole episode was really all about the last 5 minutes. And admittedly a few good scenes between Walter Bishop and the brilliant but flawed scientist, Nicholas Boone.

One of the main ho-hums about the story is the fact that it is a monster story…and actually again a kind of transformation story. Boone’s wife was dosed and now she needs to feed on spinal fluid. She is more wolflike now than human although she appears human.

Only when she feeds does her fangs come out and her mouth open wide.

The storyline does have it’s ups as Boone has connections with ZFT so it is intriguing to know if we will get any answers by episode end. But generally, it’s a seek and capture mission that Walter can help out with.

The real heart of the story is Walter’s excitment at having a peer and their discussions about reality, souls, and the idea of redemption.

At the end Boone sacrifices his life, by draining too much spinal fluid for the cure, to save his wife but stands by his word to help Dunham with ZFT if she helped his wife.

In a video message he tells her that everything points to the man behind ZFT being one William Bell, the owner and CEO of Massive Dynamic.

So while it certainly isn’t a waste as it lays the cards out on the table at the end, getting there seems a bit redundant.

C+

OBSERVER MOMENT: The Observer can be seen at the dance floor in the beginning as he passes by the first victim

Previous – 1.17

Next – 1.19

“Bad Dreams” was a wonderfully woven story from start to finish weaving mystery, suspense, character development, and a deepening mythos into one cohesive tale that was fun to watch.

The first scene was as engrossing as it was disturbing watching our heroine push the mother of a young girl in front of an oncoming subway.

She awakens from the bad dream to see on the news, what she just had dreamed about.

The show spirals from there into a pit of Dunham’s despair and guilt as she tries to figure out what is happening to her and is she or is she not responsible for this woman’s death.

Then it happens again. She sits in a restaurant and suddenly helps an angry woman stab her husband. These things by witness are not involving Dunham but in her dreams she is the one responsible.

After watching enough video from the first incident and getting a description of a man at the second, she puts together a suspect whom she doesn’t recognize. After running through software they discover it is one Nick Layne, a former inmate at St. Judes.

Nick was born in Jacksonville, a trigger to Dunham for a possible case involving cortexiphan. We learn that Nick is basically a reverse empath. Whatever mood he is in will lash out and force others to be in a similar but even more heightened mood. Dunham realizes that his thought of suicide is what caused the woman to kill herself and the second woman to kill her husband.

The reason why Dunham is connected? It seems the two were partners during the experimentation period and thus they share quite a bond. This is really foreshadowed when they show Nick’s morning routine which is eerily similar to Dunham’s.

In addition is a really erotic sequence that visually works well. When Dunham decides to try to enter his head, the viewer sees Layne (as Dunham) picking up a stripper. I was pleasantly surprised at the subtle mannerisms Anna Torv displays as she acts like a sexually aroused male. It works well.

They are able to track Layne down and it turns out that Layne remembers everything about ZFT and their experimentations. He call Dunham, Olive which was her nickname we are to assume.

Afterwards Dunham confronts Walter about what happened and Walter is partially heartbroken with grief. We end the episode as Walter watches a grainy video of a depressed young girl…named Olive.

Great episode and movement forward.

A

OBSERVER MOMENT: The Observer can be seen walking past an ambulance at the end where Nick and his “followers” are standing on the roof.

Previous – 1.16

Next – 1.18

It was hard to find much fault in this episode and that may seem hypocritical given the fact that I’ve usually been negative about filler type episodes.

It certainly was far from perfect, however, this one was what it was. A good monster story. Pretty typical as both monster stories and Fringe stories go, it’s the story of a genetically altered beast which has spliced several animals together to create an uber-beast which is unleashed by unwitting animal cruelty protesters who raid the lab where it was create.

The beast thanks them by killling them all.

Of course Walter is there to figure it out. The trick is to find the beast. It is quickly discovered that the beast impregnantes by stinging a host to lay it’s larvae.

The drama is of course increased when Charlie gets stung while investigating. Everything has to be done quicker now so that Charlie doesn’t become a father in the worst possible manner.

Kudos to Kirk Acevedo as it is the first time Charlie’s had a chance to shine and he delivers with an understated performance that keeps the story grounded.

It also leads to some great work from the Bishops and Dunham as well as they hurry their actions. Walter especially gives a good performance due to feeling partially responsible.

It is here though that it is also a bit melodramatic. Walter has been at least partially responsible for MANY of the Fringe events we’ve seen…at least they’ve been based on his work. And he’s never shown signs of remorse before. He’s always been happy to see someone complete his work.

Except this time when he feels so guilty he poisons himself in an attempt to lure and snare the beast. It’s a bit much for him to display that kind of commitment to redemption.

It can at least partially plausibly be explained that it is the first time it’s actually involving a team member…but it’s not as if he is close to Charlie to begin with. So it’s definitely a bit of a stretch invented for dramatic effect this episode.

Overall it is a decent episode despite the flaws and despite the filler aspect of the story.

B-

OBSERVER MOMENT: The Observer can be seen behind the reporter Charlie watches the TV news report.

Previous – 1.15

Next – 1.17

Another intriguing episode in a series that is starting to get more consistent in it’s delivery. It’s lows aren’t quite as low but their highs are still pretty high.

The Fringe Event of the week turns up in a little boy discovered to have been living underground in a sealed warehouse sized room for nearly a decade. He’s emaciated, doesn’t talk, but he’s smart and he turns out to be an empath. He can read people’s emotions very well. So well in fact that he can make a connection – positive and negative.

In the meantime, an old nemesis of Dunham’s resurfaces…The Artist. The man is a serial killer who kidnaps women and then alter’s them in the form of art. He leaves calling cards letting the FBI know where the “art” is.

The child, who does not talk, does in fact write and writes out the name Sam Gilmore, which the FBI believes must be his name. In fact it’s the name of The Artist’s next victim.

The rest of the episode is classic CSI – Fringed style as Dunham uses the boy to find and put the Artist out of commission.

The intersting portions really though deal with the child specifically. First the NSA gets involved and wants to take custody of the child, something child has a very negative reaction towards and is very grateful when Dunham tricks them out of getting their hands on him.

Second as the boy is being driven away, they pass by the Observer who looks at the boy…in an obvious connection. My personal belief? The kid IS the observer. But that’s yet to be determined…I just wanted to get my theory out there now before it gets proven. The first time through I had another theory that came through about Peter, that I’ll save until the actual episode.

Overall a fun episode, with a little mystery to add to the mythos, but even without it, it kept the viewer engaged.

B

OBSERVER MOMENT: The Obserever is seen observing the child as he is driven away to his foster family

Previous – 1.14

Next – 1.16

“Ability” makes it two really landmark episodes in the direction of the series as a whole. Once it began with a recap of David Robert Jones’ escape, the episode spends the rest of the time really delving into Dunham and her importance in the realm of Fringe.

Jones’ presence is felt when another Fringe Event occurs, this time in the form of a Boston newstand operatior. A latex gloved patron hands the man a $2 bill and moments later, the man makes like Neo in the beginning of the first Matrix and is helpless while flesh begins to grow over all his orifices, suffocating him in the process.

Dunham realizes it is Jones’ handiwork but not everyone is convinced. She brainstorms that perhaps they were wrong about ZFT and maybe that it’s not the group’s name but instead the bible of the group. She implores Peter to use one of his “weird connections”.

One of the highlights of the episode is this weird connection. Edward Markham is a crusty used book store owner who just steals the show in his small scene. They are able to procure a copy of the unpublished manifesto.

Suddenly Jones shows up to turn himself in, but will only speak to Dunham.

Harris of course won’t accept this and sends Dunham instead to raid a warehouse that was discovered to be activated right after Jones’ escaped. During the raid an FBI agent also finds a $2 bill and is contaminated. Dunham tries to trach the agent so he can breathe but the flesh grows over the trach.

Dunham of course uses this as proof that Jones is involved and convinces Harris to allow her to speak to him, with the objects he requested from Jones.

Jones uses the objects to cut off all monitoring and gives them privacy. Jones warns Dunham of another massive attack with the bioweapon that can only be staved off if Dunham can pass a test. It seems Dunham was dosed with a drug called Cortexiphan, which supposedly lets a child’s mind continue without being limited, hopefully giving them abilities.

After researching and talking to Nina Sharp, Dunham believes that that is not possible because the only trials happened in Ohio while Dunham lived in Jacksonville.

The test is simple, yet seemingly impossible. There is a light box and Dunham is supposed to be able to turn off the lights using only her mind. After a few trial and errors, they figure that maybe they can trick the ailing Jones into believing she did it by rewiring the box.

Jones collapses, as part of his illness from being teleported and is brought to the Bishop House of Horrors as Peter lovingly declares it. Dunham “proves” she did the test and Jones tells her where the bomb is.

Unfortunately Jones is tricky and it turns out the only way to stop the device is to turn off the lights with her mind. Dunham panics but decides that she has to do it and amazingly enough…she does.

Now did she? Or did Jones just do a little rigging of his own? It’s quite possible, but this viewer chooses to believe that in this realm, anything is possible.

The show ends as Jones escapes from the hospital but not before marking on the window, the words “You Passed”. After this is over, Dunham gets a call from Nina Sharp who informs her that there was in fact another trial site for cortexiphan that they discovered. To no one’s surprise…Jacksonville, FL.

It’s a great episode from the get-go filled with suspense, answers and more questions, more than enough to keep the intrigue going.

A

OBSERVER MOMENT: The news vendor stumbles right into the vendor as he screams for help

Previous – 1.13

Next – 1.15

After a shaky and somewhat redundant opening, the episodes turns into an interesting tale. The beginning is reminiscent of the pilot as a Fringe EVENT takes place aboard a plane which causes it to crash.

What? A plane crash in an Abrams show?!? Get out of here!

What happens is that a man starts out with a nosebleed but suddenly knows what is happening. After demanding sedatives, the man begins to transform into a beast of some sort and tears everyone apart until the plane crashes down.

The Team is called in when the charred remains of the beast-man are found. Of course Walter is thrilled to have more mysteries to unravel.

Dunham suddenly flashes back to one of John’s memories as she glimpses the name Marshall Bowman on the flight log. After hearing him discuss a product that is a horror show, she knows who the beast man is.

Not long after they discover a disc in the hand of the beast, much like the federal agent earlier in the season.

Of course a lot of the episode then involves a little dig a little find with regards to John Scott’s memory and others who were in on the plot. Specifically a man by the name of Daniel Hicks.

Hicks is initially uncooperative until his nose begins to bleed and he realizes that he is undergoing the same transformation as Bowman. Dunham makes him talk before assisting him and he is able to give them the name of Conrad as the one behind the sale of the deadly biovirus. While Hicks is out, Dunham orders them to cut into Hicks palm and sure enough there is another disc.

The rest of the episode is good intrigue as with Hicks’ help, Dunham and Peter have to fake through a buy to meet Conrad so they can take him down.

But in reality the important part of the episode is Dunham’s visits to the sensory tank and her reuniting with John Scott. He informs her that he was a part of a secret NSA project that no one could no about as it was off the books. Dunham doesn’t know what to believe but his information does prove to be solid and by the end, there is a happy moment between the two in the tank and Dunham has her peace with John.

Overall a decent episode after you get past the slightly redundant beginning.

B

OBSERVER MOMENT: The Observer can be seen at the Scarsdale soccer field as the plane crashes

Previous – 1.12

Next -1.14

“The No-Brainer” is an apt title for this episode. As in, it’s a “no-brainer” to skip this one when rewatching season 1. It’s not that it’s horrible. It’s just….there’s not a lot of substance to it.

There is a vague attempt at taking a look at father-son relationships by showcasing some Peter-Walter moments with a killer and his son. But it’s all covered by garbage.

The Fringe event is a knock off of The Ring. Person watches video (in this case a downloaded program) and the person dies. We see a young teen watching the program and then watch a hand come out of the computer much like the creepy Ring girl and the person turns into goo.

Ok, so getting past that it becomes a typical CSI detective show. All ably done, but nothing new is added to the mythos or even makes it spectacular.

We get some more melodrama with regards to Sanford Harris and his trying to stop Dunham at every turn, some suspense when the killer targets Ella as someone Dunham loves, and some action when they track the killer down.

Ho-hum.

The only thing worthy is the subplot regarding Walter. The mother of the lab assistant that died in the fire that forced Walter to the institution tracks Walter down and at first Peter gets in the way of them meeting. After some heartfelt soulsearching and talks with Dunham, the two are able to meet and we discover that the woman isn’t there to accuse Walter, merely to find out what her daughter was like in the end. It’s a nice moment and deserved to be in a better crafted episode.

C-

OBSERVER MOMENT: The Observer can be seen on a street corner when Dunham is racing home to save Ella.

Previous – 1.11

Next – 1.13