I’ve always wanted to see if I could put together fully independent short stories that, when brought together, make a novel. Turns out I can’t. But looking at the final result, this is one I’m happy with. I loved writing Paarfi again. And bringing Vlad and Khaavren together geeked my inner fanboy. Can I be a fanboy about my own stuff? Oh, right. That’s why I do it.
It makes me happy to read you are a fanboy about your own stuff. A wonderful level of investment on your part.
…and it means that my own inner fanboy gets to be sated as you are apparently motivated toward that which will do it.
Thanks, We’ll, I’m motivated toward what will sate mine, anyway. With luck, there will be a fair amount of overlap. :-)
Hi there – love that I found this site!
Side note: unless there’s another Twin Peaks, Round Rock (other than the location a shake or two north of Austin, I mean) I think that I read a good portion of this book sitting in the same building it was written.
Absolutely made me day. Thanks!
Heh. That’s really cool! :-)
This is one of my favorite books. It’s good to see that you are a fan of your own stuff. I kinda wish more people were like that.
Steve, did you mean to not add more to the conversation with Sethra that was started in the beginning? I was hoping that would go somewhere.
In other news; my favorite quote, from page 233:
“Captain,” said Khaavren, both by way of affirmation and correction, thus conveying the maximum amount of information in the fewest possible words; a custom of his, and one that this historian has, in fact, adopted for himself, holding efficiency of language to be a high virtue in all written works without exception.
I was impressed that someone could easily rewrite Part One with Vlad as the villain (except of course that Vlad would have to die or at least get his comeuppance.)
This has joined Athyra and Orca as one of my true favorites of the cycle. Jhegaala and Teckla are in the running for Honorable Mention.
Am I mistaken to suspect Daro has Lyorn ancestry? Perhaps half-Lyorn, perhaps full. Could be adopted or the product of an illict relationship. Regardless, I think there’s trickery going on here, and not just in-story.
Daro is a Tiassa who dresses like a Lyorn.
Gritafan–
If you want to learn more about Daro, check out Five Hundred Years After. It will help to understand Tiassa a bit better if you do, imho.
Can I mention what I assume is an error in Special Tasks? During the meeting of the team (p280 in the paperback), Khaavren mentions that last month he (Vlad) was set upon and attacked. The next paragraph Khaavren states that three months ago he set out teams to find what they could from the area where the attack too place!
Either the second months should be weeks, or Khaavren has remarkable prescient powers. :-)
You are aware, are you not, that the Dragaeran calendar is designed for individuals who live for millenia, and is built around the Great Cycle, which lasts for an epoch or more? And that, furthermore, the text we read is likely a translation of a translation?
So when Dragaerans discuss the passage of time and things that happened previously, such discussions are likely to confuse we short-lived Earthmen.
Second, it is clear from reading the full text of ‘Special Tasks,’ and from our knowledge of the history and character of Khaavren of Castle Rock, that there can be no question whatsoever that that worthy launched a thorough and complete investigation of the fight by the river as soon as he learned of it, namely that very day, or the next.
I have been rereading these througout the Covid quarantines, and finally made it to Tiassa, which I hadn’t read yet. It’s been a welcome way to de-stress for which I am immeasurably grateful. I thank you so much for crafting such great worlds with such entertaining characters to populate them.
Minor detail question – I thought Morrolan was Court Wizard? Where did this Kosadr guy come from? Entirely possible I missed something, so someone please feel free to enligthen me. Pure curiousity, here. (Morrolan’s one of my favorites, so just looking out for his career, you know…)
CF: I would guess that w/o his trusty and well-beloved Seneschal, the Lord of Castle Black needs to spend more time attending to his own affairs, so he resigned.
In general, Morrolan has Stuff going on, that might or might not show up in a future book.
It’s amusing to discover that Pirro’s and Ibronka’s love life is boring enough that they need to bring in a pro to spice it up! It leads to all kinds of speculations ….
Hey man when you live for 2-3,000 years without sorcerous elongation, there may come a time when you feel the need to mix it up!
Just re-reading this one after finally reading the Khaavren romances for the first time. It only reinforces my feelings that early Vlad actually is a villain, who eventually improves as he grows. Is it weird that Vlad is one of my least favorite characters in his own books? Or does that prove how good a narrator Vlad is? That he can so vividly bring forth the other people in his life and so unflinchingly present himself? On the other hand he is still a bit of a flatterer and thinks he is funnier than he is. (No knock on the skill of his “interpreter” in these remarks intended.) (And yes some books/sections are not actually narrated by him.)
And the romances really made me appreciate Morrolan fully. And bring up the pain of Lady Teldra’s fate yet again.