| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Alaundo |
Posted - 28 Feb 2007 : 21:09:15
Well met
This is a Book Club thread for the Depths of Madness web story, written by Erik Scott de Bie. Please discuss herein:
That Time of the Tenday
Mod edit: Added the link, now that we have it.  |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 21 Nov 2007 : 15:31:55
quote:
Originally posted by Akeri Rualuavain
I've just finished the text (first link) Real good. I'm dying to read more !
Erik, really you are a genius... lol.
Aw shucks. 
quote:
When i think you are not much more older than me... I'm jalous !
Age is just one of those things . . . je ne sais quoi. 
Cheers
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| Akeri Rualuavain |
Posted - 21 Nov 2007 : 00:04:35
I've just finished the text (first link) Real good. I'm dying to read more !
Erik, really you are a genius... lol.
When i think you are not much more older than me... I'm jalous ! |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 29 Mar 2007 : 15:37:33
quote:
Originally posted by Kyrene
We now return you to the Book Club thread for the Depths of Madness web story, written by Erik Scott de Bie. Please discuss herein: That Time of the Tenday 
Mmm . . . Twilight and the sexy succubus paladin . . .
Sounds like a fun time for my next webstory. 
Cheers |
| Kyrene |
Posted - 29 Mar 2007 : 06:52:04
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
Ah yes, the lovely Eludecia . . . I recall her popularity. Is she more than a web character? You seem to imply that she exists elsewhere as well.
Nope, I didn't mean to imply that at all. She does, however, have a well rounded history already, thanks to the OA, and could very well be a Realmsian character. After all, she is already an extra-planar character (outsider), what's to say she hasn't influenced Toril -- or other material planes -- already...
We now return you to the Book Club thread for the Depths of Madness web story, written by Erik Scott de Bie. Please discuss herein: That Time of the Tenday |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 28 Mar 2007 : 15:24:57
quote:
Originally posted by Kyrene
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
Wizards is often leery of non-humanoid main characters, and that might make such a novel difficult.
A great pity. One of my favourite characters is Eludecia, the succubus paladin. I'd love to read a novel dedicated to her story -- or perhaps even to events after the happenings of The Legend of the Silver Skeleton original adventure.
Ah yes, the lovely Eludecia . . . I recall her popularity. Is she more than a web character? You seem to imply that she exists elsewhere as well.
quote:
quote:
However, there is a lot more to be told about Alin Cateln . . . specifically, his flight from the two dragons who are hunting him as of 1374.
Has it been 5 years already? He must be quite insane by now -- he seemed almost catatonic at the end of THG.
Heh -- in the Realms campaign I DM (which is on hiatus at the moment), the PCs have *met* Alin Cateln (in 1372). As I recall, they thought him quite the chap -- weird (very, very weird), but nice. They were sure his ramblings about "dragons on the horizon!" were some sort of dark prophecy about the end of the adventure.
Heh.
Cheers |
| Kyrene |
Posted - 28 Mar 2007 : 06:14:46
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
Wizards is often leery of non-humanoid main characters, and that might make such a novel difficult.
A great pity. One of my favourite characters is Eludecia, the succubus paladin. I'd love to read a novel dedicated to her story -- or perhaps even to events after the happenings of The Legend of the Silver Skeleton original adventure.
quote:
However, there is a lot more to be told about Alin Cateln . . . specifically, his flight from the two dragons who are hunting him as of 1374.
Has it been 5 years already? He must be quite insane by now -- he seemed almost catatonic at the end of THG. |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 27 Mar 2007 : 15:41:27
quote:
Originally posted by Kyrene
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
Hmm -- no, I hadn't heard that particular song, but that sounds like the idea.
Surely you cannot be so young -- I've got you pegged at 18/07/nineteen-seventy-something -- that you have that particular gap in your education?
I am a 20-something and have indeed at least heard of U2 -- I like a great deal of their work.
quote:
If so, however, see if you can't find someone with a copy of The Joshua Tree and have a listen.
I shall look into it, sir!
quote:
Do you have guidelines from WotC as to how far you may push the envelope? What is a typical FR novel's target market?
No, not really -- our guideline (standard) is PG-13. Wizards's target market would be readers of ages 13+ (I think the largest body of readers is in the 13-25 range).
quote:
Aside -- and also slightly off topic -- I read The Hunting Game last night before bed. I'd actually be interested in a Ryla based novel in the future too. You do create some memorable characters.
I'm glad you enjoyed, sir!
Wizards is often leery of non-humanoid main characters, and that might make such a novel difficult. However, there is a lot more to be told about Alin Cateln . . . specifically, his flight from the two dragons who are hunting him as of 1374.
Cheers |
| Kyrene |
Posted - 27 Mar 2007 : 06:35:41
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
Hmm -- no, I hadn't heard that particular song, but that sounds like the idea.
Surely you cannot be so young -- I've got you pegged at 18/07/nineteen-seventy-something -- that you have that particular gap in your education? If so, however, see if you can't find someone with a copy of The Joshua Tree and have a listen.
quote:
Depths is technically PG-13, but it has enough darkness and implied thematic content to push it up to R, if you read it that way. I try very hard to keep it in line with stuff previously published in the setting.
Do you have guidelines from WotC as to how far you may push the envelope? What is a typical FR novel's target market?
Aside -- and also slightly off topic -- I read The Hunting Game last night before bed. I'd actually be interested in a Ryla based novel in the future too. You do create some memorable characters. |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 27 Mar 2007 : 00:11:55
quote:
Originally posted by Kyrene
Master de Bie, you are certainly growing on me -- like mould some would say, but bah! to them.
Hey -- mold is one of the most efficient lifeforms on earth. And that's not even counting gray mold.
quote:
Because of our discourse of Ghostwalker not so long ago, my mind is already primed and working on the subtleties of this little gem -- though it be dark like obsidian or jet.
Best of luck, my friend. 
quote:
"Cyric's silken corset"? That made me laugh, something not to do while supposedly busy-busy coding a complex bit of embedded SQL. Telketh is certainly looking for a 'Cyric-spanking' with that particular blasphemy. Aside, I enjoy this banter much more than I did that between Derst and Bars. You've gotten better at it?
I love writing ridiculous sorts of blasphemies and curses. The Realms is ripe for it and -- in some respects, goes my theory -- *made* for it.
quote:
"She ran without moving, fled without thinking, hid without closing her eyes." U2? This sounds awfully lots like something from The Joshua Tree, I can hear the music to it in my head.
Edit 2: Found the lyrics I was thinking of: from Track 5 - Running to Stand Still "You've got to cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice."
Hmm -- no, I hadn't heard that particular song, but that sounds like the idea.
quote:
Taslin = Fox?
Nope -- but they're both in Depths.
quote:
'Nemesis' = Erevan Ilesere in a sense? "A trickster, a jester, and a torturer." "He shattered into a thousand fairies and pixies"
Those certainly seem like descriptors and actions that would fit with Erevan . . . but I wouldn't be too sure. It's a good question.
quote:
Fox is a troubled girl; almost strangling herself in the opening scene. Fox is a darker creature than we thought we got to know in TGT. Fox is still dead sexy, or is that sexy dead?
Yes well, Twilight has some darkness to her I wasn't able to explore in the short story. A novel, however, now *that* gives me some space.
It has been a couple of years, too -- "tGT" is 1362, and Depths takes place in 1374. Something might have happened between the two dates.
quote:
Depths of Madness is PG-what? Some mature sexual themes in TTotT, but I like the way it's handled.
Excellent. I enjoyed the process of writing it as well.
Depths is technically PG-13, but it has enough darkness and implied thematic content to push it up to R, if you read it that way. I try very hard to keep it in line with stuff previously published in the setting.
I stop short of anything NC-17, of course. The mature stuff is generally implied, rather than overt.
quote:
Edit: I'm a little confused though? Is Telketh a dwarf or giant?
TTotT - "The long, straight beard -- dyed gray -- that gave him his name bounced against his thick chest. He was a dwarf, or perhaps a very stocky human -- Arandon found him too gruff to tell."
DoM Prologue - "The creature that loomed out of the shadows stood twice as tall as even the hulking Telketh."
I wondered when someone might ask this question -- Telketh is a dwarf. And he's a BIG dwarf. "Hulking" is a reference to his width and sheer mass, not his height. So the analogy is confusing -- it should say something more along the lines of "twice as BIG as the hulking Telketh."
This originally came about, I think, because Telketh's race was not noted in Depths, and I didn't establish him as a dwarf until I wrote "tTofT," which was about 6-8 months later.
quote:
Edit: Something I forgot to mention/ask: Fox's amulet, an Amulet of Nondetection perhaps?
You'll just have to see.
Cheers |
| Kyrene |
Posted - 26 Mar 2007 : 08:57:57
Master de Bie, you are certainly growing on me -- like mould some would say, but bah! to them.
Because of our discourse of Ghostwalker not so long ago, my mind is already primed and working on the subtleties of this little gem -- though it be dark like obsidian or jet.
"Cyric's silken corset"? That made me laugh, something not to do while supposedly busy-busy coding a complex bit of embedded SQL. Telketh is certainly looking for a 'Cyric-spanking' with that particular blasphemy. Aside, I enjoy this banter much more than I did that between Derst and Bars. You've gotten better at it?
"She ran without moving, fled without thinking, hid without closing her eyes." U2? This sounds awfully lots like something from The Joshua Tree, I can hear the music to it in my head.
Edit 2: Found the lyrics I was thinking of: from Track 5 - Running to Stand Still "You've got to cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice."
Taslin = Fox?
'Nemesis' = Erevan Ilesere in a sense? "A trickster, a jester, and a torturer." "He shattered into a thousand fairies and pixies"
Fox is a troubled girl; almost strangling herself in the opening scene. Fox is a darker creature than we thought we got to know in TGT. Fox is still dead sexy, or is that sexy dead? Depths of Madness is PG-what? Some mature sexual themes in TTotT, but I like the way it's handled.
I can now officialy not wait to order my copy of DoM. Thanks a lot! 
Edit: I'm a little confused though? Is Telketh a dwarf or giant?
TTotT - "The long, straight beard -- dyed gray -- that gave him his name bounced against his thick chest. He was a dwarf, or perhaps a very stocky human -- Arandon found him too gruff to tell."
DoM Prologue - "The creature that loomed out of the shadows stood twice as tall as even the hulking Telketh."
Edit: Something I forgot to mention/ask: Fox's amulet, an Amulet of Nondetection perhaps? |
| The Red Walker |
Posted - 25 Mar 2007 : 03:54:51
Wow.
Two words......Helter Skelter.
Just like the song says " When I get to the bottom, I go back to the top of the slide, then I sit back down and I go for a ride....."
When ya think ya got it firgured, you better start thinking again!
Tally Ho! |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 23 Mar 2007 : 13:38:46
quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Since I picked up the book today, I decided to read this piece before I dove into the novel. I have to say, much as initiate elaborated, that a lot of Erik's work reminds me of Ed's Realms stories.
That's a high compliment -- I very highly esteem Ed's work, creating the setting and for the genre in general.
quote:
I like the focus on adventuring bands (even if Erik has a talent for killing them off in his stories . . ) and the banter between them.
There's a great deal of potential there, eh?
quote:
This does get me in the mood to delve into the book, and while I was curious about Twilight from her short story in Realms of Elves, this one built upon the sense of mystery around her . . . now I just hope to get some answers about her.
Some answers, but not others. We'll see.
quote:
Darn Sharrans manage to sneak in everywhere, don't they?
Indeed they do. 
Cheers |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 23 Mar 2007 : 03:56:19
Since I picked up the book today, I decided to read this piece before I dove into the novel. I have to say, much as initiate elaborated, that a lot of Erik's work reminds me of Ed's Realms stories. I like the focus on adventuring bands (even if Erik has a talent for killing them off in his stories . . ) and the banter between them.
This does get me in the mood to delve into the book, and while I was curious about Twilight from her short story in Realms of Elves, this one built upon the sense of mystery around her . . . now I just hope to get some answers about her.
Darn Sharrans manage to sneak in everywhere, don't they? |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 12 Mar 2007 : 22:08:55
My my! What kind words. Thank you sir -- I'm glad you enjoyed.
quote:
Originally posted by initiate
If the tone of "That Time of the Tenday" is the prevailing tone through most of "Depths of Madness", (I found the prologue to be a slightly different flavour), we are in for a delightfully chilling journey indeed.
Such was my endeavor.
quote:
There are some truly disturbing, surreal images in here. The opening strangulation sequence... The face-peeling... Glorious! With such eloquent, descriptive prose behind them some of these sections are truly horrifying.
Why thank you. Some of those (particularly the strangling dream) are based upon experiences that I myself have had. I also watched a good bit of horror in preparation for writing Depths.
quote:
One of the things that struck me most about the story was how many characters are woven into the tale in such a short time. If I may make the comparison, it reminds me a lot of the wonderfully tangled, labyrinthine plots for which Ed Greenwood is known, ("Swords of Eveningstar" being a particularly superb example in my opinion.)
Wow! I am flattered by the comparison.
quote:
I liked the frequent scene changes; almost like a prolonged montage, explaining little and hinting at things to come. I thought they were very effective for a teaser piece. In every single one of them new questions are raised.
Kinda like a long movie trailer, eh?
quote:
Is the "nemesis" who Twilight speaks of someone we should know from "TGT", someone who appears in this story and-or Depths, or someone who has yet to appear? Rygillis, perhaps? Someone else I should remember?
It isn't someone -- unless you're me -- that you would know.
quote:
Will all the characters who appear in this story play significant roles in Depths?
Perhaps, perhaps not. Part of the fun of the two pieces is determining which of the characters is in which, and identifying who the characters are in the webstory (because some of them aren't named).
quote:
Will we learn the name about which Twilight is so uptight, or will this be left to our logical faculties?
There are certain names that will be revealed, chief among them Twilight's own name.
quote:
Is the repeating question "Why did you kill him?" as central in Depths as it is here?
Yes and no -- it's not articulated in so many words in the book, but it is relevant. You'll see.
quote:
If I may be so bold as to say so . . .
Wow! Thank you for being bold. I do intend to stay around for a while, but as to when my next book appears, and whether it has anything to do with Twilight, will depend -- I imagine -- on how well-received Depths is.
Cheers
P.S. Tell your friends!
Mod edit: Tweaked the quote coding, to make it come out right. |
| initiate |
Posted - 12 Mar 2007 : 21:22:37
Wow, it was really ... really good. My impressions come from someone who hasn't read "Depths" beyond the prologue yet; (events conspire in such a way that I may not get my copy for some weeks, but have it I must). I also don't remember "TGT" very well, and this may alter the way I look at things. It seems to me that TTotT is not so much a story in its own right as it is an expansion on events before Depths. It certainly works well as an inducer of curiosity; I am even more eager to read Depths now than I was before.
If the tone of "That Time of the Tenday" is the prevailing tone through most of "Depths of Madness", (I found the prologue to be a slightly different flavour), we are in for a delightfully chilling journey indeed. There are some truly disturbing, surreal images in here. The opening strangulation sequence... The face-peeling... Glorious! With such eloquent, descriptive prose behind them some of these sections are truly horrifying.
One of the reasons I see the story to be best read as a prequel to Depths is that it gives us a closer look at Twilight's adventuring party prior to their ... misfortunes in the novel's prologue. I have a feeling that, when next I reread the prologue, I will feel rather different about what happens now that I know the characters.
One of the things that struck me most about the story was how many characters are woven into the tale in such a short time. If I may make the comparison, it reminds me a lot of the wonderfully tangled, labyrinthine plots for which Ed Greenwood is known, ("Swords of Eveningstar" being a particularly superb example in my opinion.) I liked the frequent scene changes; almost like a prolonged montage, explaining little and hinting at things to come. I thought they were very effective for a teaser piece. In every single one of them new questions are raised. Viewing the story as a hint of something larger, a couple of the most pressing of these, (for me at least), are:
Is the "nemesis" who Twilight speaks of someone we should know from "TGT", someone who appears in this story and-or Depths, or someone who has yet to appear? Rygillis, perhaps? Someone else I should remember?
Will all the characters who appear in this story play significant roles in Depths?
Will we learn the name about which Twilight is so uptight, or will this be left to our logical faculties?
Is the repeating question "Why did you kill him?" as central in Depths as it is here?
If I may be so bold as to say so, if That Time of the Tenday is any indication of what Depths of Madness is going to be like, I cannot overstate how important it is to this humble Realms reader that WotC break out their contract-signing pens and start dipping them in trilogy-related inkwells as soon as possible. Twilight is a character worth expanding on, and, so far as I'm concerned, Erik Scott de Bie's writing talents are welcome in the Realms as long as he cares to stay. I eagerly anticipate Depths of Madness!
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| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 12 Mar 2007 : 16:09:11
Excellent! I've edited Big Al's original post to include the link. |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 12 Mar 2007 : 14:36:07
"That Time of the Tenday" appears to be up, if not yet linked to their book publishing page (you can find it on the product page for Depths).
http://ww2.wizards.com/Books/Wizards/?doc=fr_depthsofmadnessstory
Cheers
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| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 01 Mar 2007 : 15:25:14
Same way -- royalties. Wizards pays me a certain amount on every book sold.
They do indeed hold all the rights to their settings and any characters I write into those settings for them. So if I never wrote a book for them again, they could release however much they wanted about, say, the ghostwalker or Fox-at-Twilight, written by other authors.
They do, however, pay me for my writing. Wouldn't be all that time-effective for me to do it for free.
That said, I am *not* paid to write webstories -- "Wayfarer" I wrote for free, and "That Time of the Tenday" was also not contracted/bought. These things I wrote purely as promotional material -- and because I really like the characters.
Cheers |
| Kyrene |
Posted - 01 Mar 2007 : 05:17:28
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
And I should mention that this webstory will be a companion piece to the novel, much like "Wayfarer" was to Ghostwalker, if anyone remembers. So the concept is that you can read it before, after, or during, and it shouldn't spoil anything.
Excellent!
By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, how do you make money out of writing for WotC - where I presume they hold the intellectual property - as opposed to getting work published elsewhere? |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 28 Feb 2007 : 23:11:23
quote:
Originally posted by Alaundo
URL coming soon!
The instant I've got a URL, you guys will be the first to know.
And I should mention that this webstory will be a companion piece to the novel, much like "Wayfarer" was to Ghostwalker, if anyone remembers. So the concept is that you can read it before, after, or during, and it shouldn't spoil anything.
Cheers |
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