Fantasist's Scroll

Another great Lawrence Watt-Evans book!

I just finished reading Touched By The Gods by Lawrence Watt-Evans last night. It was, of course, up to his usual wonderful work. Though, I have to admit I had some issues with the names he used. They were occasionally hard to pronounce and that interrupted the “flow” of the story for me sometimes. But, that’s really my only complaint.
It’s a fairly straight-forward theme, really, a champion who is chosen by the gods during a time of peace is suddenly thrust into a war that could destroy civilization as he knows it. Standard heroic fantasy stuff. Of course, Lawrence Watt-Evans manages to bring those “stock” characters to life and make them real with an expert stroke of the brush. Malledd, who is the god’s chosen champion, is born into a smithing family and takes up the trade at his father’s anvil. He grows to enourmous size, even for a smith, but settles into a peacefull life with his wife and children. But, it’s not meant to last, and it would have made a boring book if it had! An enemy of the empire in the far East has found a dark magic that he hopes will allow him to avenge himself against his people’s conquerers. And, along the way on his quest for vengence, he discovers that the gods can favor more than one champion…
I won’t tell any more than that, though, lest I give something away. Let me say only that Touched By The Gods has some interesting takes on destiny and duty. In fact, they’re themes throughout the book as Malledd struggles with the internal conflict between staying home with his family and doing his duty to his empire. An enjoyable read and a bit of a break for Lawrence Watt-Evans who is well known for his Ethshar series of books. I really can’t say enough about his fantastic fiction. And, yes, I meant that as a play on words! So, what are you waiting for? Go get this book and read it!!

Well, not in the United States!

This article in Wired News discusses the Korean created cloned human embryo and the stem cells derived from it. In part, it says, the Koreans managed this before us because of our moral and religious leanings. Our politics and medical ethics are derived from our, primarily, Judeo-Christian outlook on the world. Those beliefs have stymied clone experimentation on humans in the United States. Wrongly or rightly is something for every individual to judge.
I, on the other hand, find myself speculating on what that will mean to the future of the world. Will we have thousands of copies of Kim Jong Il? Or, since China is working on these kinds of things too, Chairman Mao? Will we be reading about a genetically “improved” army marching out of Asia somewhere to conquer the world? Or, do we just have to worry about having shorter lifespans than the average Korean? Perhaps, as William Gibson has suggested in his fiction, we will all be going to Asia, somewhere, for the “best” surgeries and “improvements”.
Who knows… But, as a writer, the possibilities are thought provoking, to say the least!

I just finished reading Dragon Venom by Lawrence Watt Evans this week.

Wow, what a sweeping book! Lawrence Watt Evans had a lot of ground to cover in this final installment of the Obsidian Chronicles and he did so amazingly well. First off, if you haven’t guessed by now, this is the last book in a series of three novels that are not set in Ethshar, one of my favorite fantasy settings. This world is a little grittier and certainly more savage than Ethshar. And, it allows the author to explore some rather gruesome ideas about the comingling of magic and blood that his somewhat more “happy-happy” Ethshar series doesn’t allow. But, that aside, it’s a great series.
In this final installment, Lord Obsidian attempts to put an end to the dragons for good. And, of course, to seek his revenge on the dragons that devistated his village. Okay, now, if you’re reading this series, stop here, the spoilers are on the way…
Well, he manages to kill quite a few dragons, which doesn’t do much but irritate the remaining ones a bit. But, he also manages to let the wild magic of the South start to encroach on the Lands of Man. So, the Duke orders him to stop slaying dragons until he can guarantee that the Lands of Man will be safe from the wild magic without dragons. That, then, is the main thrust of the book. Obsidian explores far to the South, meets a “wizard”, then kills it, and a god, learning quite a bit about magic along the way. But, not quite getting the answer to his problems.
He does find out that dragon blood is concentrated magic and the key to his problem. So, he goes about trying to create a magical dragon “substiuite”. And, well… I’ll let you read the book.

An interesting website.

Ricardo Pinto has put up a website to support his series of books, which is really one book in three parts, called The Stone Dance of Chameleon. The third book is forthcoming, but the first two are out. (They are The Chosenand The Standing Dead, in case you’re interested.) I haven’t read either book yet, but the world displayed on the website is fascinating. It has quite a few similarities to Mayan or Incan cultures, but, of course, with a very unique twist or three to them. It really looks like a rich, full world that one could spend quite a bit of time exploring. Certainly, the author seems to have spent quite a bit of time creating it: over ten years, according to his claims. He has a created language and maps of the geography in the books. Not only maps, but actual sculpted models, too!
This website is the first introduction I’ve had to the books, but I’m impressed enough that I might just have to hunt the books down when I get caught up in the reading department. Go see for yourself!

Well, it’s just as good as dreaming about winning the lottery!

A long time ago, I remember seeing a list of things not to do if you ever become an Evil Overlord. Well, the other day, I found it. Twice, actually. Bull’s Place has the “short list” and EvilOverlord.com has the “long list”. The second list also has some history about how the list was developed.
Something to think about the next time you design a villian. Or, try to take over the world.

What is the art of magical writing?

Well, I think it would be called “chirography”. It’s not really a popular way to do magic in the West, but the Eastern magi have used it for generations. Taoist charms and such are all mainly written spells on special paper with special ink and blessed by special ceremonies and prayers. Of course, Western wizards have the Runes, but it just doesn’t have the same feel. Runes are usually engraved on stone or wood and they seem so primative with all their sharp angles and simple forms. But, Eastern calligraphy is so flowing and exotic that it just seems to be made from magic.
I was first introduced to this kind of magic via anime and manga. A priestess holds up a strip of paper with Chinese symbols on it, shouts out a “prayer”, and a fireball launches from the paper. What fun! Every so often, I search for information on this, but rarely come up with much. The latest time, though, I found Yellow Dragon Talismans.
It occured to me that this would be a great way to do magic in a fantasy fiction world. It’s not really something that I’ve seen before and it has some nice limitations that generate some good plots. Also, as a writer, I like the emphasis on how magic the written word is! In any case, it’s an idea that captures my imagination, so I thought I’d throw it out for anyone else who might be fishing for an idea for their constructed world.

Is there such a thing?

Well, David Grinspoon thinks there is. In this article on Slate, he questions whether or not we should be going to Mars with the nationalist attitude that is driving our country right now. I have to admit, he raises some interesting points. For one thing, the proponents of Martian terraforming are trying to say that we’ll be conquering Mars the same way we “conquered” the frontier here in America. But, of course, we didn’t do that here. We stole America from Her natives. On Mars, though, we will really be making the frontier.
Right now, Mars is not much more than a ball of rock and dirt and ice. No breathable atmosphere or any real “life” as the layman recognizes it. It will take years to reshape that planet into something that can support life. Well, really, it will take decades, maybe even centuries. In any case, a really, really long time. But, already there are people saying that we, as in Americans, should claim Mars for “ours”. I wonder what they mean? Will we deny the Russians or the Chinese a space base there? How will we control that border when we can’t hardly stem the tide right here on Earth where the borders are relatively well defined?

Well, it’s an interesting and thoughtful article and, of course, a great source of ideas for some science-fiction stories.

A little review with a big title!

I recently purcahsed The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Spells & Magic, which is a neat, inexpensive, little book. It’s a very brief, simple encyclopedia of superstitions and magic beliefs that covers a lot of ground. First off, let me say that I don’t think anyone should try 99% of what’s in this book! A lot of it involves either dangerous materials or cruelty to animals. However, as a reference to what the people of Europe thought of or about magic, it’s pretty cool.
There are several sections, each highlighting a different area of magic. Everything from witches to alchemy to the Kabbalah. And, while I have to admit it’s not always the most accurate information, it at least gives a good overview of what was going on. Each section has a little bit of history, a couple of important historical figures related to that particular practice, and some of the general ideas involved.

While this is far from a book of practical magic, it is nice for either a writer or RPG game master who wants to add a bit of color to their work. At the very least, it’s a good reference overview that let’s you decide what general area to focus on and then find more information. If you take it for what it is, it’s a good little reference book.