JANNY WURTS: Initiate's Trial: Speculation SPOILER WARNING!!!

[dekket]

4. S'Ffalenn descendants? There was only one, and who is to say she lived past childhood? This is a medieval society, remember. High infant mortality.

On earth this would be a medieval society with a high infant mortality. On Athera things seem to work very differently when it comes to sickness, etc (at least if you aren't living in one of the towns).

5. Didn't Arithon survey Athera's oceans waaay back in Fugitive Prince?

Arithon began to survey the oceans, and wasted years doing so. But he also told Dakar that he would need dozens (or perhaps scores) of ships to do a proper job of it. The job is still far from complete, and if we are to believe Dakar's vision, there is still an island out there somewhere with a Unicorn that is just waiting to skewer Arithon on its horn.

 

[Grimward]

Arithon began to survey the oceans, and wasted years doing so. But he also told Dakar that he would need dozens (or perhaps scores) of ships to do a proper job of it. The job is still far from complete, and if we are to believe Dakar's vision, there is still an island out there somewhere with a Unicorn that is just waiting to skewer Arithon on its horn.

Not to mention insuring that Ciladis continues to enjoy his slumber whilst awaiting said skewering....

And yes, there's definitely mud to be found here, but it ain't under Pro's tires, or mine....Oh, and one other point on that discussion that hasn't been mentioned yet; SHE'S THE AUTHOR! OF COURSE SHE ISN'T GOING TO LET ON THAT THERE'S A CONTINUITY GAP WHILE THE PASSAGES STILL OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE THEME/PLOT/CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!

Finally, and certainly not least, congrats Dek! That's fabulous news. Of course, it will mean even less posting time for you, my friend. You can put the hours spent in 2:00 am feedings (which will happen sooner or later, depending on Ms. Dekket's viewpoints/inclinations, of course!) to good use mulling over where you and Clanny went wrong with the continuity issue.

 

[dekket]

Clansman, Grimward, thanks for the congrats.

 

[Clansman]

Yes, dekket, remember those compliments when you are sitting up, bleary-eyed, rocking a collicky baby who desperately needs to fart, and your wife, to whom you have a debt that can never, ever be repaid (childbirth), is trying to get the sleep that she so desperately need.

Cable television really comes in handy, because somewhere on the dial, even at 2 a.m., you will find Tele-Tubbies.

Anyway, back on track, afore we get moderated.

 

[The Procrastinator]

Happy nesting Dekket! (knocking the thread back off track) My neighbours are in the same state, they were due a couple of days ago but the bub is taking her own sweet time...She's their first so they are in a high state of anticipation and nesting.

Oh and btw, anyone who has to give as complicated an explanation as Janny did is hiding something.

 

[Clansman]

Oh and btw, anyone who has to give as complicated an explanation as Janny did is hiding something.

"The grapes were probably sour anyway"...

 

[dekket]

complicated?

 

[Clansman]

complicated?

I didn't have any trouble understanding it.

 

[Grimward]

All right you two, quit picking on Pro (who btw is correct; "complicated" here doesn't mean "hard to understand" so much as "overly laden with verbiage spins to the point where it almost looks concocted specifically to respond to the question, rather than a statement of the facts from the existing story at hand" ) and get back to more important things, like figuring out whether there's going to be an underground movement in Initiate's Trial.

 

[Grimward]

Well.

This debate certainly went underground, anyway....

Just thought I would post fair warning here that Amazon UK actually is accepting pre-orders for Initiate's Trial, with a projected 12/1/09 availability date. Those who frequent Trys' page know this is pure fantasy, but since there might be Chronners who haven't visited Wurtsian mecca yet, well, in the immortal words of the Wizard of Oz, "Ignore the man behind the Curtain!".

Anyone care to resurrect the underground movement discussion?

 

[Clansman]

Yes. Yes I do.

 

[Grimward]

Well then, how's about this (abandon all hope of rational speculation first, as this is a wild, completely uncalled for speculative thought I had):

The underground movement, searching for places where they can meet and avoid detection, conquers their fears and begins meeting in the focus circles at night, reasoning that most other townspeople shun the places as haunted (can't remember if the focus circles are considered warded by the compact; if so, the madness attendant to trespassing might be a problem here!). Among the first circle to be chosen in this fashion is the one outside Jaelot.

Meanwhile, the cave on the isle in the Cildein where Ciladis sleeps, guarded by Riathan Paravians (and possibly others; we've only seen/read about unicorns thusfar) actually houses advanced but currently dormant computer technology, the primary purpose of which is to monitor and defend Athera. The Fellowship, of course, was unaware of it because the location is warded by the Paravians (extending possibly back to the drakes). Ciladis, therefore, discovered not only the Paravians but also this technology, which supposedly is in violation of the compact, and so had to be taken out of the equation, at least until the time is right.

Arithon's current day crew on board Khetienne (built by Riverton's master shipwright under Arithon's supervision in Merior, she OF COURSE is still seaworthy 200 years later) discovers the isle. The Paravians withdraw before detection, taking Ciladis with them and allow the Khetienne's crew to discover the cave. Investigating, they inadvertantly activate the computer's directive. Halfway across the world, a portal opens within the Jaelot focus circle (sorry, don't have the book with me to give it it's correct name), revealing yet another computer bank, networked to the first. The focus circles, it turns out, do more than focus Athera's lane energies. The clansmen out in the Cildein and the underground outside Jaelot find they can communicate with each other, establish an accord of sorts opposing the light (not exactly an open alliance, mind you, but a sort of pact of non-hostility), then set out to make contact with the other focus circles.....

 

[Grimward]

(Stealing a page from Clanny's Book.....)

Rejoice, all ye citizens of London (and the rest of the UK); Intiate's Trial will be available in hardback.

Now if only the US will follow their lead.....

 

[dekket]

Grimward,

the first circle to be chosen in this fashion is the one outside Jaelot.

It wouldn't have been my first choice, considering that the Jaelot focus circle is beneath the floor of the dining room/grand hall of the Mayor of Jaelot's residence.

actually houses advanced but currently dormant computer technology

Are you hoping that when activated, this technology will turn out to be a SetNav system, and will awaken the Vaere? I can just imagine Tamlin sitting on the shore, smoking his pipe and talking the the Unicorns about the dangers of the Morrigierj enslaving worlds throughout the galaxy. Sorry about the Cycle of Fire references, by the way.

 

[Grimward]

Apology not necessary, because my thought (presuming that I can remember back to last May, which is a large presumption!) at the time was more or less along the those lines; namely, that technology wasn't going to be window dressing in this series, or merely relegated to Marak IV. I doubt that we'd see a crossover (she doesn't seem to be into mixing her worlds), but I wouldn't rule out some similar involvement of technology, particularly if it's partially rooted in the Fellowship's past lives.....

 

[Clansman]

Hmmm. I think we will stay mystical in this series, that technology on Athera is not a possibility. It is strictly forbidden by the Compact, which, of course, can result in the wholesale removal of humanity from Athera by the F7, and without a lot of choice on their part, due to the binding placed upon them by the Drakes.

And there will be a hardback in North America too, because the UK edition is being imported by virtue of the terms of the new publishing contract. The same edition is being released simultaneously worldwide.

 

[Grimward]

Recall that my earlier posting squarely falls under the category of wildly speculative. From that perspective, it's not out of the question that the Great Drakes themselves are but projections of master computers, a la Tamlin from the Cycle of Fire series. I think this highly unlikely, of course, and would prefer that it remain mystical, too.

Regarding the hardback, do you think technology will lag long enough for her to complete the series in hardback? Terribly non-green of me, I know, but books are recyclable, after all.....

*Cringes at the thought of his prized Wars of Light and Shadow series being feed to the shredder....*

 

[Clansman]

Regarding the hardback, do you think technology will lag long enough for her to complete the series in hardback? Terribly non-green of me, I know, but books are recyclable, after all.....

*Cringes at the thought of his prized Wars of Light and Shadow series being feed to the shredder....*

That was horrible! Just horrible! I have a perfect hardback collection (except for that nasty remainder mark on my copy of Curse of the Mistrwraith). You made me shiver in horror!

Besides, there is some debate about the green-ness of e-books. Forestry can be sustainable, and paper production can be made very green, however, making plastic and using mercury, cadmium, lead and other heavy metals and nasty things?

Also, if I take a book to the beach and it gets wet, I can still read it (though it gets fat). Not so with a e-reader. Also, tossing a paperback into the recycle bin is not as pricey as taking your broken e-reader to the e-dump, which then transports the stuff to some slum in China where gangs force slaves to burn the things to extract heavy metals.

Ah, but I digress, and she will be done this series in the next 4-5 years. At least, that's my bet, as SF came out a little over two years ago, and she is about finished IT (published late 2010???), and DC (Desitny's Conflict) and SotM (Song of the Mysteries) will likely take about 2.5 years apiece, given her pace with the series as a whole.

I think hardbacks will still be around then.