Paksworld

In the original Paks books,  dragons were believed to have existed at one time, but to have been vanquished (some said by Camwyn Dragonmaster.)    No dragons had been seen in human lands for a long, long, very long time.    In this lack of direct evidence, imagination flourished, and the Sinyi, many of whom had in fact seen dragons in their living memory, did not dispel any of the notions that humans came up with.  Nor did the rockfolk, who had–if not living memory–at least a closer tie to dragons.   In fact…they found human stories about dragons amusing.   Even the gnomes, who find very little amusing.   Still, though the legends attached to dragons have little basis in fact, they are of interest in how they shape humans’  ideas about dragons.

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Legends that cross racial boundaries (elf/human, human/gnome, elf/dwarf, etc.)  look very different in versions from the different groups.    The story of The Severance between elves and kuaknomi is perhaps the most complex of these, as it involves elves, humans, and trees.  This is necessarily a simplified version, and would be hotly disputed by some of those involved.

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The legends of Paksworld involve a startling number of wicked kings, especially way in the past.    Gird is “historical” in that he’s not that far back and the evidence is more documentary than legendary.   Falk and Camwyn and Torre and others (including such figures as Dort the Master Shepherd, the Blind Archer,  Guthlac Lord of the Hunt) are more on the legendary side, with no direct evidence that they existed.  But for some the tales are so specific it’s hard to think they might not have a basis in reality.  Read the rest of this entry »

Age and inactivity usually bring reflection–and reflection isn’t always pleasant.

The usual spoiler warnings apply:   Aliam Halveric is an important secondary character, and although I chose this snippet to be as little spoilerish as possible…it will seem so to some.

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Shorter, because I’m working very hard to get ready for a big Bach rehearsal tonight.    This snippet shows some of the background stuff that some of you appreciate and some, perhaps, skip over.  That’s fine…but there’s a reason for the background to show now and then.   This is as spoiler-free a snippet as I could find this far into the book (Chapter 20.)   But those who want to know nothing, not even the pattern on the wallpaper, should avoid it anyway.

The book itself is out here and there in Europe, so it’s time for another gentle reminder that everyone’s asked to observe spoiler space for those who haven’t got it yet.

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Since the previous snippet was supposed to be posted Monday (but, fooled by DST, I sent it after midnight) here’s the snippet that *should* come today.

I’ve previously posted a snippet that comes shortly before this one, about Stammel’s first experience in unarmed combat drill after his blinding.    Those who haven’t read the earlier snippet might want to look at it before reading this one.    They’re both in Chapter 9.

And spoiler warnings do apply:  don’t read below the line if you don’t want to know what happens.

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While we wait another couple of weeks for the US release of Kings, here’s some more background to consider.   Back when I first discovered the complexity of Paksworld (as much as was needed for that first set of books)  I knew that having so much magic, of one kind and another, would almost certainly displace technological innovation, wherever magic worked well enough and was economically viable.

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One of the topics UK Editor suggested for a blog post for the Orbit Books site was “favorite fantasy dragons” with a lead-in to Kings of the North.    Those of you around in the great burgeoning of SF/F in the late 1960s and 1970s will remember that “dragons” were fairly common.    Some belonged to older mythologies  and some had been softened and tamed and made almost bland.

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One of the problems facing anyone trying to run a large establishment new to them is staff.   Old staff–competent?  Trustworthy?   Or dishonest, lazy, troublemakers?    New brooms who have done this before may sweep clean, but someone coming into a completely strange situation may not know where to start, how to evaluate any existing staff, and where the organization needs shoring up.

So it is with Dorrin Verrakai, who would be quite comfortable running the North Marches stronghold–a familiar military establishment–but not the Verrakai holdings.    By escaping from her ancestral home, and absenting herself from the Tsaian court, she’s ensured not only her survival but her ignorance.    A military camp and a ducal household (especially with all those now-orphaned children)  have little in common.  Hence this snippet.

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31 days (or 30 by the time most of you see this) and thus time for a snippet.   In fact, a snippet from the very beginning of Kings of the North.   I don’ t think, this close to release, that it’s going to be spoilerific for anyone.

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