The Tainted Cup

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Robert Jackson Bennett

Cover of The Tainted Cup featuring many dark, strange, and poisonous looking plants.

Note: this is a spoiler-free zone!

The setting is the Khanum Empire, a collection of cantons protected by huge walls from the seas and the leviathans — huge whale-like monsters with some land-walking ability — that periodically try to breach the walls and bring death and destruction to the land.

The Empire has mastered many technologies that allow them to create and change citizens to fulfil specific functions. For example:

  • Cracklers who grow to eight feet tall and double or triple the size of ordinary humans, so named because their reinforced bones and joints make a distinct clicking or crackling noise whenever they move. They are used for very hard work duties like hauling heavy gear and servicing the massive sea walls. However, the biological modifications strain the human body, significantly shortening their lifespans.
  • Engravers who are living recorders for the Iudex, the Empire’s investigators. They have a flawless photographic memory. They can perfectly record scenes and play them back later for analysis. They are easily identified by their gray-tinted skin. To calm their altered brains they develop grounding techniques such as smoking herbs.
  • Apothetikals (known as Apoths) who are the Empire’s biotech scientists. Their job is to manage contagions — of which there seem to be a lot —and to engineer living infrastructure. (For example, fretvine, used for walls, towers, and gates and fernpaper, used for internal walls.) Apoths are physically modified to detect micro-scents, chemical compounds, and biological pathogens by smell. Their modifications cause parts of their faces to display a distinct purple discoloration

The plot involves the investigation of the gruesome murder of a high-ranking imperial official — killed by a tree that sprouted from his body — by Ana Dolabra, an eccentric investigator and her assistant, the engraver Dinios Kol.

In a way this is a fantasy reworking of the Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson relationship. Dolabra is the one who is a bit footloose and fancy free with the law, seeing everything faster than others and Kol is the one, sticking to the rules and doing the hard slog on the ground. However, this observation is not a criticism. Their relationship is well done, carefully developed, and taking everything into account, believable. It’s a solid foundation for this excellent novel. These two main characters are well supported by a range of other personalities.

And all the characters are, in turn, supported by a masterclass in worldbuilding. Architecture responds to the weather. Alchemy manipulates biology. There seem to be more modified humans than the regular kind! What others have described as ‘biopunk’, I found thoroughly enjoyable. It’s strange, but it’s clear the author has put a lot of work in making it hang together and you do get used to it.

The plot is reasonably well crafted, the twists are sufficient, and the pacing is just about right. If there were any patches of self-indulgent overwriting, they passed me by. To nitpick, the one minor part that grated was a certain love interest. It didn’t work for me. YMMV.

I read this immediately after Halcyon Years. In both novels, the setting is key. In Halcyon Years, the setting is refreshingly different and presents a puzzle that isn’t initially revealed: why is the technology limited? It’s an open question if revealing the secret behind the limited technology means the setting won’t be as attractive in any future stories in the Halcyon.

By comparison, in this book, right from the first ‘biopunk’ reveal, you sort of know what’s going on and you’re keen to see what other weird and wonderful phenomena are there to discover. It’s also clear that there is lots more about this world to discover.

I can see why The Tainted Cup won a Hugo. It’s a delight.

Halcyon Years

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Alastair Reynolds

Front cover of Halcyon Years showing the silhouette of an old-fashioned private eye walking along a promenade into a futuristic city.

Note: this is a spoiler-free zone!

The Halcyon is a huge generation ship taking its enormous load of humans off on a several-hundred-year journey to settle a faraway planet. Inside, it’s built like a small country with all that entails including two rival families that seem to be running the show. A young member of each family dies within two weeks of the other. Both are tragedies. Or are they? Yuri Gagarin (yes, that Yuri Gagarin) is a private eye. A mysterious client asks him to look into the deaths. Another mysterious person tries (unsuccessfully) to warn him off. From here on, the mystery unfolds.

One notable aspect is the strange technological situation: technology is limited almost exclusively to a mid-20th-century level. It reeks of the 1950s with add-ons. For example, people use wired telephones with dials, standard televisions, and real film cameras reminiscent of classic hardboiled detective stories. (The cover image reinforces the noir nature of the setting.) The modes of transport include simple electric vehicles. While robots were once in abundance, now they are few and far between with limited capabilities. The major add-on is that the ship features advanced cryogenic chambers capable of preserving and successfully reviving human bodies (like Gagarin) decades or centuries later and repeating the process multiple times.

On the plus side:

  • Gagarin is supported in his endeavors by Lemmy Litz, a former policeman, whose contacts are a major help in the investigation. The interaction between Gagarin and Litz is entertaining with some laughs peppering the dialogue.
  • The setting is creative and fun. It’s a definite highlight.
  • All the oddities in the technology situation are explained reasonably well.
  • The plot does a good job of drawing in the reader and keeping up the tension.

On the down side:

  • Although the Litz and Gagarin encounters are entertaining, sometimes these characters came across as more cartoonish than believable.
  • At times, the setting impresses more than the plot.

Overall, I enjoyed Halcyon Years. The setting is a winner. I don’t think this particular story matches the quality of the setting. In other words, there are probably better stories to be told of life on board the Halcyon. In short, it’s a good book: not one of the best, but well worth reading.

Scottish Facial Recognition Technology

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I am just back from a trip to the UK — Glasgow and London — featuring the usual mandatory visits to Glenduffhill Cemetery and Foyles bookshop and on this occasion some common-or-garden sightseeing.

I went to Hampton Court, Bletchley Park, and Cambridge. The first two were impressive. The last was a bit of a disappointment because it reeked of ‘tourist trap’: the admission prices for some of the university locations were far too high. (Given the university gets wads of public cash, why should the public — especially British taxpayers — be charged anything?)

In Glasgow I encountered the latest in facial recognition technology. On Shabbat morning, I was stopped at the shul entrance by a security guard who said ‘Sorry sir, but I don’t recognize your face’ and he then politely barred my entry. I explained I was a visitor — yes, it does still feel strange, even after all these years, being a visitor to Glasgow — but that didn’t move him and correctly so. Fortunately, one of the regular congregation arrived just then and vouched for me. Phew! Of course, it’s a sad comment on the state of affairs that the shul needs security, but it’s also a common feature that is unlikely to go away soon.

On Shabbat, I skipped off early from the services and walked into the city center to meet up with the amazing Glasgow Friends of Israel. For more than ten years they have been presenting their pro-peace platform on Buchanan Street and making a real difference. If you don’t already know about them, I encourage you to search for them on Facebook and check out their weekly reports. They are amazing. They are solid evidence that the silent majority support Israel and that social media is not the real world. It was an eventful day but I won’t say any more until certain legal matters have been resolved. I was glad I went and the volunteers thanked me for my support such as it was.

Glasgow was the first stop on the holiday. As I drove south to London, I couldn’t help thinking about the Jewish community I was leaving behind and hoping for their future safety and survival.

After UNIFIL?

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The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was established in March 1978 under Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426 following Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon. Deployed as a temporary peacekeeping operation, its initial purpose was to:

  • Confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon
  • Restore international peace and security, and
  • Help the Lebanese government to reestablish its effective authority in the border region.

However, the subsequent Lebanese Civil War and the emergence of various terrorist groups in the south effectively hindered the mission from achieving meaningful success. That left UNIFIL hanging out to dry — stationed along the border for decades as a symbolic international buffer rather than an enforcement mechanism.

After the 2006 Second Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah, the UN Security Council significantly expanded UNIFIL’s mandate through Resolution 1701. Tasked with maintaining a strict demilitarized zone between the Israeli border (the “Blue Line”) and the Litani River, UNIFIL was mandated to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in ensuring that no non-state armed groups —specifically Hezbollah — operated or stockpiled weapons within this area. Under Chapter VI of the UN Charter, however, UNIFIL’s rules of engagement limited peacekeepers to operating primarily alongside Lebanese forces and using force only in self-defense, leaving the mission without direct authority to forcefully disarm militant groups.

Despite numbering 10,000 soldiers at its peak, UNIFIL was wholly ineffective at deterring Hezbollah’s military expansion. Given the circumstances, this was unsurprising. It’s worth noting that at no time did anyone in UNIFIL or the UN take any material steps to improve the situation. It was a classic ‘head in the sand’ attitude.

Over nearly two decades, despite Resolution 1701 and UNIFIL, Hezbollah:

  • Built an extensive network of cross-border attack tunnels and fortified underground bunkers
  • Accumulated an arsenal of over 150,000 rockets
  • Routinely restricted UNIFIL’s movement
  • Systematically militarized southern Lebanon — including hiding rockets, launchers, and attack positions inside villages

Much of this activity took place in direct line of sight of UNIFIL observation posts!

UNIFIL did document some breaches of Resolution 1701, including rocket launches, unauthorized military presence, and border crossings along the Blue Line. These incidents were compiled into periodic reports submitted by the UN Secretary-General to the UN Security Council. Following these reports documenting Hezbollah’s violations of Resolution 1701, the UN Security Council (UNSC) took almost no action or measures, relying instead on diplomatic statements, mandate renewals, and political framing. (Sound familiar?)

When Hezbollah launched thousands of rockets into northern Israel following October 7, 2023, some of these attacks were launched from positions near UN compounds to deter Israeli counterstrikes.

In the face of Hezbollah’s attacks UNIFIL did… nothing.

In short, UNIFIL had not stopped Hezbollah from turning the demilitarized zone into a staging ground for war. Indeed, there’s an argument they provided cover for Hezbollah.

So, what now?

UNIFIL’s failure has irreparably shattered faith in international peacekeeping as a viable security solution. Across the entire political spectrum, no Israeli leader worthy of the name will ever again accept a UN force as a substitute for sovereign border defense.

Further, beyond Israel, UNIFIL’s woeful performance raises a related fundamental question for any nation facing potential UN peacekeeping involvement: why should anyone put faith in UN security guarantees that are not worth even the paper they are printed on?

Ultimately, the legacy of UNIFIL’s impotence will haunt international diplomacy for decades. Future UN peace operations may be virtually impossible to sell.

Let’s not forget: UNIFIL’s failure is a UN failure. A shocking one. This episode alone gives considerable strength to the argument that the UN is not fit for purpose.

George Cross

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Front cover of The Tailor by Tim Sullivan sowing an image of a red reel of thread with a needle through it, the whole thing sitting on a puddle of blood.

Note: this is a spoiler-free zone!

The Book

The Tailor, by Tim Sullivan, is the eighth novel in the crime series starring Detective Sergeant George Cross.

The book starts with a shocking murder aboard the morning train from Bristol to London. William “Billy” Titcomb, a third-generation bespoke tailor, is found dead in a first-class train toilet before the train even reaches Bath. His throat has been savagely cut and a plastic bag placed over his head.

The British Transport Police call for help, bringing in the local force’s Major Crimes Unit (MCU), which is where George Cross works.

From here on, the investigation proceeds as our hero works to solve the crime. And that’s all I’m going to say about the plot.

The writing is crisp and packed with wisdom and humor. Much of this comes from the lead character, but the supporting cast have their moments. The plot is well put together, though of all the books to date this is the one which requires the most suspension of disbelief. And, as with all good books, I was disappointed on reaching the end as I wanted more.

This novel is a fine piece of crime fiction. I recommend it and the whole series. If you like this sort of thing, don’t start here. Read the books in order. (The first is The Dentist.) If you don’t normally like crime fiction, this might change your mind. Why? George Cross is a great character and that alone makes the books worth reading.

And so, let’s talk about the lead character.

The Character

Previously, I’ve referred to the oft-followed rule that police-based crime stories must feature a defective detective. The hero must be a drunk, a womanizer, a misogynist, a thoroughly unpleasant individual, a murderer, or be potentially fatally flawed in some other way.

George Cross is not the typical detective. He is on the autism spectrum and his neurodiversity is depicted not as a tragic burden or a magic gimmick, but as his primary investigative strength. This makes Cross a compelling and refreshing character. Here’s why.

No Hunches

Unlike standard fictional detectives who rely on hunches or emotional intuition, Cross works strictly through logic, evidence, and pattern recognition. He doesn’t form wild hypotheses. Instead, he systematically tracks patterns in human behavior and timing, seeing the breaks, and following these through.

Nothing But the Truth

Cross is completely unaffected by social status, office politics, or external pressure to close cases quickly. Whether questioning a powerful politician or advocating for a marginalized victim (such as an elderly homeless man in The Dentist), he treats every individual with the exact same literal, unvarnished objectivity. His motivation isn’t ambition. Indeed, he actively declines promotions to avoid managerial overhead. He wants to get to the truth. As he sees it, that’s how to maintain justice and order.

High Conviction Over High Speed

While many fictional policemen boast high arrest rates, Cross boasts a (frankly unbelievable) 97% conviction rate. How does he achieve this? Slowly. His meticulous adherence to protocol, a flawless chain of custody, and immaculate paperwork take time. He maintains a dogged, steady approach. And when a case reaches court, the prosecution’s evidence is practically bulletproof.

Total Social Literalism and Unintentional Wit

Cross does not grasp small talk, sarcasm, or social subtlety. His completely literal responses to everyday statements create natural humor throughout the books. He is never intentionally rude; he simply sees no point in polite dishonesty or beating around the bush.

Rich, Grounded Personal Dynamics

His character shines just as brightly outside the police station. His rigid daily routines (such as cycling to work and playing the organ at a local church) contrast with the messy human element of his personal life. His close bond with his elderly father, Raymond, along with his evolving professional dynamic with his practical partner Josie Ottey — who acts as his social translator and defender — gives the series genuine emotional warmth.

The Conclusion

George Cross is a great character. Don’t miss out!

Games Played — July 2026

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The games I played included the following:

A Victory Awaits

This is an MMP publication of what was originally three separate Japanese designed and published games about Operation Barbarossa (the 1941 invasion of Russia by the Germans).

Roy and I played the shorter (6-turn) scenario on the Smolensk map. (Even though I knew we wouldn’t get to finish it, it was the best way to get us both up-to-speed on the rules, the situation, and some of the strategic and tactical options.)

Roy’s German forces inevitably wiped out the frontline Russians, most of whom died in a pocket. The German panzer forces pushed on like the proverbial hot knife through butter. However, the task for the Germans is demanding, requiring a lot of terrain to be captured in the face of an ever increasing supply of defending Russians.

At the end, the Germans were threatening in the center but well out of reach of the key victory point cities. It was fun, though playing the Russians you have to recognize you cannot go toe-to-toe with the Germans; it’s a waiting game.

We need to work out how to do a complete game. Perhaps we’ll use Vassal next time around.

Sniper!

This is an old (1986) update of an even older SPI game about man-to-man combat in WW2. Each hex is 2 yards and each turn a few seconds.

Roy and I played a 1943 encounter between a German squad (with 3 machine guns!) and a USA squad, in the Naples countryside. It was a meeting of patrols.

When I was preparing the game, I realized why I hadn’t played it more before: the rules are not that long, but there are lots of exceptions and a few loose ends. I applied some house rules to make sure we could get through the session without any major problems.

The two squads bumped into one another and there was an exchange of fire. Down went one of the Americans, wounded.

The Americans took cover in the heavy terrain, seeking to advance slowly into firing positions. The Germans threw a couple of grenades and kept up their defensive fire, wounding another American. The Americans moved deeper into better cover.

The game ended in a sort of stalemate. Although the Germans were well ahead in victory points, neither side was budging from its positions, so we called the game.

While this was fun, the game’s poor ergonomics made play a bit of a drag. Each soldier has several ratings — initiative, panic, and combat skills and deficiencies — which you track on a roster, so there’s a constant switch between map and roster. In this way, as Roy pointed out, it’s like a miniatures game. It would be much easier with all the ratings on the counters.

The activation system is interesting. Each soldier has an initiative rating and activates if his side draws a chit that’s equal to or greater than the initiative. Also, each side may get multiple rounds of activation per game turn, depending on the activation chits drawn. In this way, you might get an advantage of seeing your opponent running out of activations. That having been said, if you keep your soldiers within sight of the squad leader, and that soldier has an initiative rating of 1, you’re going to be less restricted. That part needs work.

I doubt we’ll play this again, though if I could ever summon up the perseverance to create my own counters with all the information on them, and redo the activation, leadership, and panic rules, there could be a good game here. On the other hand, there are all these other games…

Barbarossa: Army Group North, 1941

This is one of a series (East Front series) of monster games at the operational level scale (5 miles per hex, each turn is 2 days, and units are divisions, brigades, and regiments) about the WW2 campaign in Russia.

The first scenario — neatly presented in a standalone card with combined map and setup details — is a solitaire training exercise to get you up to speed on the game’s basics: movement and combat. It does a good job. Also, the Playbook includes a detailed play through of that first scenario so you can see exactly how the game is played and check your rules understanding.

The second scenario, which I played twice covers the opening ten days of the campaign from the border to the capture of Daugavpils.

The game map around Kaunas showing many German units opposed by fewer Soviet units.
The Axis have taken Kaunas

I would summarize the experience as follows:

  • The rules are well written and comprehensive but they are long and detailed. There are many exceptions. You need to have the time to invest in learning the system.
  • The example play through is a big help.
  • The maps are gorgeous.
  • The counters are clean, crisp, and easy to read.
  • The player aids are excellent. However, I would have preferred the terrain effects chart to be on two pages with a larger font.
  • There are lots of tricks and tips that experienced players will have picked up. So, my play will not have been optimal.
  • The many scenarios are a blessing. You don’t need to play the campaign!
  • The supply rules are so much easier than OCS. The airpower stuff doesn’t convince me it’s at the right level of complexity or decision making. The play, once you get the rules into your brain, is engrossing. The sequence of play is not symmetrical so you have to play differently according to which side you have.
  • If you have the time and like the topic, this is highly recommended. This (or one of the other games in the series) will be on my table again.

Advanced Squad Leader

I played The Vital Hours (WO37), a September 1944 encounter near Arnhem in the Netherlands between British parachute forces aiming to force their way to their destination through a motley crew of second-rate SS soldiers.

The British inevitably ground their way forward but took casualties and couldn’t get to the exit point in time, giving me and my defending Germans a rare victory.

I also played Burnt, Blue and Gray (WP15), a July 1944 scenario set in France. I led a force of German Fallschirmjagers, backed by three StuG IIG vehicles, in a counterattack on bocage territory held by Ran’s forces (infantry, machine guns, and a couple of bazookas) from the USA 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment.

German and American forces coming to blows among the hedgerows.
Action from WP 15 with the German attack about to be ground to a halt.

The short version of the story is that I focused my attack on one wing and didn’t make enough ground. This allowed Ran to bring all his previously strung out defenders into play and bottle up my spearhead. We called it ahead of time as it was plain the defenders would easily hold the line.

Next time around I am hoping Ran will agree to play this again and switch sides so he can show me how I should have played it.

As I have said before, all part of my continuing (and losing) ASL education.

Threat Environment

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As reported by the Times of Israel, the following comes from the country that brought the world “Death to Israel!”

Iran treats all threats as credible, even if meant as scare tactic, defense minister says

Iran’s threats — to Israel and the USA — are not looking so smart now. Perhaps that is what’s to be expected if you take a combination of student politics and antisemitism to the world stage.

The foul Iranian regime cannot fall soon enough.

Strategy & Tactics 49

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Front cover of S&T 49 featuring an image of Frederick the Great on a horse in front of a battle scene.

Date of publication (as given): March/April 1975

Context

  • March 1975: a world record attendance (104,000) at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh see Scotland defeat Wales 12:10 in the Five Nations Rugby Championship. David Bowie’s Young Americans album, with John Lennon appearing on two tracks, is released. Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System begins.
  • April 1975: FIDE strip Bobby Fischer of the world chess title (because he refused to defend it) and award it to Anatoly Karpov. Bill Gates and Paul Allen form Microsoft. After the 1974 Carnation Revolution, Portugal’s first free election since 1925 sees the Socialist Party win.

Game Included

Frederick the Great by Frank Davis and Edward Curran is an operational level game about the campaigns of the Seven Years War (1756-163) with four scenarios covering (separately) 1756, 1757, 1758, and 1759.

The game was sufficiently impressive — it featured a number of then revolutionary ideas — that it was bought, repackaged, and republished by Avalon Hill. As far as I recall, there were no material changes to the system, but the new version included more scenarios. I’ve played this game fairly recently and it’s lasted well.

For more about the game (albeit it’s the Avalon Hill version) see here.

Articles

  • Outgoing Mail — editors

And then there was the oddest mass interest game of them all: War in the East. Why, we don’t know. It just sold a lot of games…

Generally, wherever you find large concentrations of college educated males between the ages of 18 and 35, you will find high concentrations of gamers.

  • Frederick the Great — Frank Davis

Quantitively, the 85,000 man army which Frederick II inherited in 1740 was the fourth largest in Europe. Quality wise, it was already the most formidable army in existence.

  • Blue & Gray — David C. Isby

In the years 1861-1865, Americans slaughtered their fellow countrymen with an expertise that no foreign nation, either before or since, has been able to approach.

  • Briefings — Short reviews of new games and books

SPI Games Advertised

On a Personal Note

This was a classic S&T encounter for me: the magazine arrived and introduced a whole new era of history that previously I had known nothing about. I devoured the covering articles and was hooked. Although it’s never been one of my most favorite periods, I keep my hand in with the occasional book and game purchase, all because of the Frederick the Great game.

I remember being impressed by many of the systems in the game and playing it fairly extensively, mostly solitaire. It was fascinating to compare the history as portrayed in the game with how books presented it.

About that Promise I Made…

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Zohran Mamdani
“…and I’ll pave the streets with gold.”

Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for him to become mayor of New York City included a promise that he would arrest Bibi Netanyahu if he entered New York.

There are several interesting points to be made.

  • The mayor has no power to arrest Bibi.
  • During the campaign, few called him out about this piece of fiction.
  • Also during the campaign, his supporters actively promoted this promise as a major reason for the undecided to vote for Mamdani.
  • Why is the mayor of New York City focusing on issues beyond his purview, when he has a whole city’s problems to deal with?
  • Why focus on Israel? Why not focus on, for example, the plight of Afghan women? (No jews, no news?)
  • It’s stretching credibility to believe that Mamdani didn’t know the promise could never be fulfilled. What does that say about his integrity? (If he, against all the odds, hadn’t checked this out, what does that say about his competence?)

Now in the closing part of a dreadful anti-Israel rant, he admits that the promise was legally impossible. He refuses to say when he knew this.

Do people really think this kind of behavior is acceptable? Is this what politics has become?