This is the May 2015 Open Thread for Merlinscribe.

[merlinscribe]

An open thread where people can ask questions and make comments. Now appearing quarterly for your record-keeping pleasure. It will run until I start a new one.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Glad to hear everything is all right. I have fallen in love with your writing and become a huge fan. Looking forward to your next project!

[merlinscribe]

Thank you!

Questions

[(Anonymous)]

1. I was very glad to see the map in Crown of Vengeance. Will we ever see versions of that map for either of the other two trilogies?

2. Will you ever write any more books featuring Harrier and Tiercel? I, for one, didn't have the impression that their story was over when I finished The Phoenix Transformed.

3. Were there any Tavadons or Volpirils in Armethalieh by the time of the Enduring Flame?

4. How is it that in Crown of Vengeance, Viellissar is seeking the title High King when she went down in elven history with the consort's title of Great Queen? (Don't answer this one if you'd have to spoil Blade or whatever comes next to do it.)

Thank you for posting these open threads

Re: Questions

[(Anonymous)]

To anon: I'll let Mr Mallory answer your questions, but a couple notes on High King: it appears that the titles in elvish are gender independent (except Ladyholder/Prince Consort ), but also that the commonfolk of the elves call her Great Queen in the outtake - so it may have been time distortion. Since there are far more commonfolk/landbonds, the dominant narrative could have become the Great Queen one. One thing I've found wonderful with this series and even with the Phoenix trilogy is that the authors account for the distortion of history with the passage of time. And a LOT of time has passed. Maybe someday she'll become Vielessar the Great. She certainly had a reign that deserves that title. (And Good Queen Pelashia since her reign allegedly was peaceful?)

But the more likely explanation that stuck in my mind is that the King of the Elves in the Obsidian trilogy and the Phoenix trilogy is Caerthalien. This implies that when if/when Vielle marries/takes her consort, she *co-rules* with Rune* (and he's her only equal in the tactical-political arena), OR far less likely, passes the title on to her life bonded mate OR that there is never a marriage and Rune (or his issue) is her Heir. Least likely of all, OR it's politically expedient to acknowledge the rulership/dominance at least one of the 4 great houses because Farcarinon is gone (though I would suspect not, because she appears to be conflicted about showing Caerthalion 'favor' despite the fact that it's made abundantly clear that no one can help or change the bond). Any of these answers would spoiler Blade/Book III.

It is clear that the line of elven kings is Caethalien's, and possibly hers. In which case, if you were explaining stuff in English as opposed to Elvish to a species (human) severely lacking in patience, you may be tempted to use the gender-appropriate translated term for the Monarch rather than the technically correct transliteration of a female High King. I suspect they kept War Prince Vielssar and High King Vielessar because I couldn't think of a single term for Ruler that actually sounded both gender appropriate and impressive. And the elvish gender independent inheritance laws (hmm, not primogeniture- last born has to have a different term, ya?) has been a feature of their society throughout. Certainly they dropped the lords part of the lords komen, and THAT in turn may be in line with the Great Equalization movement. So maybe a different kind of distortion?

The resolution of the Vielle/Rune* relationship, the acquisition and formation of the unicorn knights (presumably in time for the first war), the treaty with the other creatures of the light and the fact that she goes and wakes the dragons armed only with her power, her wits and her love, which could be three people: herself (or iardaliath), thurion, and runacalendalur [AND not to mention that the soul bond of the elves sounds suspiciously similar to the dragonbond] are three of the highlights I'm waiting to read about. So much tension! anticipation!

Anyway, if it wouldn't spoiler Blade or later, I would like to know the answers to your questions too. Especially with the maps. I tried to overwrite some of the geographical information from the other two series on the map we got with this book, and I *think* I'm able to map the journey but I also think there's a good chance that the geography has changed quite a bit. Over 15K years, some mountain ranges would be worn down, others will spring up, and clearly the north iced over between now and then to a greater extent. So yeah.

If it wouldn't take away time from writing to answer these questions that my anonymous friend posted, I would love to know the answers too. But I'm willing to wait until the books to find out some of those answers :)

Mr Mallory: congratulations on writing such a vivid, gripping, powerful tale. I have not had the best experience with expansions of existing series, and so far this Vielle's series has been better than the original.

In addition to question 4., I would like to know if Time-of-Three-Become-One elves also have the youngest, rather than the eldest, inherit?

- Nineran

Re: Questions

[merlinscribe]

1. That would be up to Tor. Since the books have already been published without maps, it's doubtful, alas.

2. I do have one more story in mind for Harrier and Tiercel, but I'm not sure when I'll get to it. There are a few other Obsidian books to be done first.

3. Yes, but possibly not with that surname. Harrier has High Mage ancestry; Tiercel does not.

4. As the following commenter so rightly notes, the passage of time distorts things. It is approximately 12,000 years between Vieliessar's lifetime and Kellen's birth.

[(Anonymous)]

I have read Crown of Vengeance many time, I am going to guess upward of 40 times at least, not including how many time I have heard the audio version of it. Kate Rudd did a wonderful job of reading it and I hope she also does Blade. I have a very short memory which is both good and bad. Good in the context that I can read the same fiction book dozens of time and I may remember very little of it. In other words I can read a book, then a week or month later pick up the same book and it is like I have never read it before. It is bad because I can read a history chapter four times in a week and be lucky to get a C. I have about half of Crown memorize, which alone should say how much I have read it. Just finished reading it again, so now I am back to the beginning.
I do have a couple of question on the book that I was wondering about, and the answer could have been somewhere in the book that I could of skipped over. So if they were forgive me for that. In no particular order.
1. Is tuathal left? And deosil right?

2. From my second or third reading of the book there were two names that bother me. I am not sure if I was just misunderstanding what was said. In most of the book the War Prince of Telthorelandor was named of Ivaloriel who was bondmated to Ladyholder Edheleorn, but around the end of the book (chapter 16: Wind and Dust) it was spoken as if Edheleorn was the War Prince. And in the last chapter after the alliance called an abeyance, after Edheleorn spoke, the words His voice was written. So who is the actual War Prince? And there sexes?

3. I know this does not matter, but I am curious. How much older is Runacarendalur to Vieliessar?

4. This question has almost no bearing on the book, but I was wondering, after Vieliessar became War Prince of Oronviel how did Gunedwaen react when he heard?

5. At the very beginning of the final chapter, in the excerpt when it mentioned that she became high king through seven great battles. I think I figured out when they happened in the book. There were three of them listed (Niothrmangh, Cirdeval, and the Barrens) that I had a hard time placing in the book. I think I have figured out the first and last after so many rereads, but I cannot figure out where Cirdeval was place, or if that one was off stage?

Thank you for your time, and once again I cannot wait for Blade to be released.

Bridget

PS I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors.

[merlinscribe]

1. Tuathal is left and deosil is right. While humans have a "right" preference ("right hand man" and similar phrases), the Elves have a "left" preference.

2. Tsk. Either I or the copyeditor should have caught that. Ivaloriel Telthorelandor is War Prince of Telthorelandor, and Ladyholder Edheleorn is his Bondmate.

3. Runacar was one of the Lords Komen with the right to lead his own meisne in battle by the year Vielle was born. I've never nailed that down completely, but offhand I would say he was between twenty and thirty years older than she is.

4. Gunedwaen was with her, and a member of her court in Oronviel. I suspect the scene of him telling her she was an idiot is one of the ones that was cut, but you may certainly picture him as a mix of exasperated and impressed. (And hoping she'd stop with Oronviel, but no such luck.)

5. Cirdeval is a Less House of the Windsward, and Vieliessar did not fight any battles in the Windsward. I am, therefore, as puzzled as you. The text is:

"In centuries to come it would be said the High King gained her throne through seven great battles: Oronviel, Aralhathumindrion, Jaeglenhend, Niothramangh, Cirdeval, the Barrens, and the Shieldwall Plain. Oronviel was a Challenge Circle, Aralhathumindrion only a skirmish, and the Barrens was not a battle at all. But Storysingers shape history as cabinetmakers shape wood, and it is left for Loremasters to decide the truth."

It may have something to do with Thurion going to the Windsward as her envoy, but I would have to do a close reading of the uncut book to be sure. Sorry not to have an answer.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. It means a lot when authors are willing to take the time to answer question.

Much appreciated,
Bridget

[merlinscribe]

You're quite welcome! I like talking about the World of Obsidian, and there are huge numbers of things that haven't made it into the books. Side stories may be required.

[(Anonymous)]

Side stories are always fun to read. I, personally, can not get enough of the World of Obsidian. Considering how many times I read the books.

Bridget

[merlinscribe]

Dear Bridget: Thank you so much! I really do hope to publish the one about Silver Star Free Company: their story was one of the things I had to cut from CROWN.

[(Anonymous)]

I hope you do. I would like to know how or why the Silver Star Free Company joined her.

[merlinscribe]

There is so much to tell about Silver Star and its captains: taken all together, the way their lives went and the choices they made (or were forced to make) is pretty much a snapshot of life among the Hundred Houses--from Landbond to Ladyholder--from the years just before Vieliessar. And so I really want to finish writing it. SCOURGE comes first, though.

[(Anonymous)]

I can understand Scourge coming first, since I can not wait for both Blade and Scourge to come out. Still hoping Blade comes out soon. But I think it would be nice to read more about some of the other people. Why they were willing to, in some cases, give up everything they had to join.

[merlinscribe]

A lot of that *used* to be in CROWN, of course. By Vieliessar's time, if you weren't a member of a War Prince's court (and sometimes even if you were, if you were a member of a Less House), life pretty much sucked. The Landbonds were treated worse than cattle, and the Craftworkers, Farmholders, and hereditary servant classes were severely exploited. Unless you were Lightborn, one of the Lords Komen, or the War Prince, life was uncertain, power was corrupt, and justice was non-existent.

In the specific case of the Silver Star Free Company, it was one of the few Free Companies to escape the Scouring of Farcarinon (one of Bolecthindial Caerthalien's less-stellar ideas), and had a certain bone to pick with the Hundred Houses. Vieliessar's policy of enfranchising outlaws and mercenaries under her banner tended to ensure that any surviving members of Free Companies (after the Scouring) would join her. How Silver Star came to fight under her banner, however, is quite another story...

[(Anonymous)]

Can't wait to read it. I can never get enough of this world. So thank you for putting this world on paper for us to enjoy.

[merlinscribe]

I am so glad you are enjoying the story!

[(Anonymous)]

Hi! I was wondering when the next book in the Dragon Prophecy would be released.

[merlinscribe]

I'm sorry that I don't know: I've turned it in, and now that's up to Tor. I will keep you as up to date as I can.

[(Anonymous)]

I just finished re-reading the Obsidian Mountain Trilogy and the Enduring Flame Trilogy, which renewed my interest in the events surrounding the creation of the High Magick. Do you have any plans to write a series of books about the second war with the Demons? Since it covers 100 years, I guess that could be quite an undertaking in terms of how to cover a number of characters that would come and go, but at least the major elf characters could provide continuity from book to book.

Terry

[merlinscribe]

Tor permitting, the next books after the ones about the First Endarkened War will be a trilogy about a pivotal element in the Second Endarkened War: the siege of Vel-al-Amion. And you're right: there's a lot of potential material there!

[(Anonymous)]

Kudos to you for finding a very efficient way out of the dilemma I envisioned: Focus on specific events/times out of the 100 years!!! Wow, what a concept, and very doable since we all know how the 100 Year War turned out anyway. Bet I even get some details on how the High Magick came to be!

[merlinscribe]

Funny you should mention the High Magick. I hope you'll enjoy listening to Joraide and Dannait discussing it. At great length. Very loudly.

To write a book, or even a series of books, that tells about a long event in depth is difficult. Consider, for example, the Napoleonic War: there have been many books set during it, but in the sense that they are "about" something, they are about the life of a handful of people who are fighting (or living through) the war. And so this is the way I approach these books, and the history of the Fortunate Lands: find a person, and tell their story. Because while you know how the war ended, as do we all, you don't know the fate of the individual whose story it is until the very last page...

[(Anonymous)]

I'm very much looking forward to that very loud and lengthy discussion! If it's anything like Harrier and Tercel (though I understand different), I bet it gives me a few chuckles, if not outright laughs!!! I can sort of imagine it, knowing your style, although you kind of keep me guessing about your style because you change the tone from era to era, but aspects of your style remain consistent throughout all the books...and I do like your style! I also liked well-crafted turns of phrase and words. Some of your best examples of that are in 'The Phoenix Transformed'.

Terry

[merlinscribe]

Thank you, Terry. I'm so glad you're enjoying the books! One of the things I try to do as I write is use the style to help depict the world as it is in the timeperiod I'm writing about. As Rune and Vielle have very strong opinions on a number of things, I am certain their conversation will be...spirited...

One Dozen Daughters

[(Anonymous)]

I simply wonder if we'll ever get the stories of Clarice's sisters? Has the series been purchased? Dropped?

Re: One Dozen Daughters

[merlinscribe]

Neither one: Tor wants to see if the (still-unwritten) first book in the other series sells better or worse. In a perfect universe, of course there would be not only one book about each daughter, but one about the son as well. We'll see.