| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Jamallo Kreen |
Posted - 01 Sep 2007 : 19:08:59
Will someone please point me towards a unified chronology of the novels set in Sembia and a guide to how they all fit together? I just started reading the Ervis Cale trilogy, and when I learned that he'd been butler to the Uskawhatevers, I began wondering if I really ought to read the books about them first, and if so, which ones were essential to knowing Cale's background and which merely set in the same country?
Help, please!
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| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Kajehase |
Posted - 12 Sep 2007 : 17:02:58
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I sincerely hope that Mask doesn't have mammaries... 
Well, it has been stated that the rascal is a bit vague as to which sex he prefers to appear as... |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 12 Sep 2007 : 16:43:56
quote:
Originally posted by Kajehase
quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
quote:
Originally posted by Firestorm
Book 5: Heirs of prophecy, is about Larajin, an illegitimate daughter(Irrelevant to the cale series)
I wonder what Cale's thoughts are about the less-than-adequate serving maid who turned out to be yet another child of his best friend/father figure (if he has any thoughts).
I'd guess for something along the lines of "Sweet Mask's mammaries! Does this mean I have to be polite to her?"
I sincerely hope that Mask doesn't have mammaries... |
| Kajehase |
Posted - 12 Sep 2007 : 15:57:43
quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
quote:
Originally posted by Firestorm
Book 5: Heirs of prophecy, is about Larajin, an illegitimate daughter(Irrelevant to the cale series)
I wonder what Cale's thoughts are about the less-than-adequate serving maid who turned out to be yet another child of his best friend/father figure (if he has any thoughts).
I'd guess for something along the lines of "Sweet Mask's mammaries! Does this mean I have to be polite to her?" |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 11 Sep 2007 : 21:09:40
quote:
Originally posted by Firestorm
Book 5: Heirs of prophecy, is about Larjin, an illegitimate daughter(Irrelevant to the cale series)
I have to admit, I'm still a bit baffled as to why Larajin has not been mentioned at all in the Erevis Cale books so far. Wasn't she more or less accepted as a member of the family in Lord of Stormweather? I wonder what Cale's thoughts are about the less-than-adequate serving maid who turned out to be yet another child of his best friend/father figure (if he has any thoughts).
I would agree that reading the Sembia series before picking up the other Erevis Cale books is nice, but not absolutely essential. |
| Jamallo Kreen |
Posted - 05 Sep 2007 : 20:48:49
quote:
Originally posted by PaulSKemp
quote:
Originally posted by Jamallo Kreen
I've been enjoying Twilight Falling quite a bit. I had a question about how time is calculated in the book: in Selgaunt, at least, hours seem to be based upon clock time, beginning at midnight (by the clock); is this some new innovation, or has Selgaunt had mechanical clocks for some years? Forgotten Realms Adventures leads me to think that Selgaunt might be rather innovative in the manufacture of mechanical goodies and might have had a municipal clock tower before other cities, especially given the previous Hulorn's strange civic beautification program.
Jamallo,
I think I've always attributed timekeeping to the bells of Temple Avenue (and the individual temples would keep time based on local noon as an initial matter, then hour candles or sandglasses thereafter), rather than a municipal clock of some kind. Ed could speak more authoritatively, obviously.
Ironically, I have just finished reading the passage in which you reference Cale paying attention to the bells before praying to Mask. I certainly will ask Ed about clocks, though (Jak mentions Neverwinter clocks) because, as far as I know, before mechanical clocks in our world, "midnight" was always the exact midpoint between sunset and sunrise, and local "noon" was the time when the sun was at its zenith above a particular location, which varies from place to place.
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| PaulSKemp |
Posted - 05 Sep 2007 : 20:33:10
quote:
Originally posted by Jamallo Kreen
I've been enjoying Twilight Falling quite a bit. I had a question about how time is calculated in the book: in Selgaunt, at least, hours seem to be based upon clock time, beginning at midnight (by the clock); is this some new innovation, or has Selgaunt had mechanical clocks for some years? Forgotten Realms Adventures leads me to think that Selgaunt might be rather innovative in the manufacture of mechanical goodies and might have had a municipal clock tower before other cities, especially given the previous Hulorn's strange civic beautification program.
Jamallo,
I think I've always attributed timekeeping to the bells of Temple Avenue (and the individual temples would keep time based on local noon as an initial matter, then hour candles or sandglasses thereafter), rather than a municipal clock of some kind. Ed could speak more authoritatively, obviously. |
| Jamallo Kreen |
Posted - 05 Sep 2007 : 19:58:42
I've been enjoying Twilight Falling quite a bit. I had a question about how time is calculated in the book: in Selgaunt, at least, hours seem to be based upon clock time, beginning at midnight (by the clock); is this some new innovation, or has Selgaunt had mechanical clocks for some years? Forgotten Realms Adventures leads me to think that Selgaunt might be rather innovative in the manufacture of mechanical goodies and might have had a municipal clock tower before other cities, especially given the previous Hulorn's strange civic beautification program.
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| PaulSKemp |
Posted - 05 Sep 2007 : 19:37:31
quote:
Originally posted by PaulSKemp
Paul
Paul
As you can see, I'm going by "Paul Paul" these days. Please make a note of it.
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| PaulSKemp |
Posted - 05 Sep 2007 : 19:33:29
quote:
Originally posted by Jamallo Kreen
My, my, my! What a tangled web of stories! (Oops, wrong series. Sorry.)
Jamallo,
With respect to the Cale stories, my recommendation has been to start with The Erevis Cale Trilogy, go on to The Twilight War, then, if you want backstory/origin stuff, go back to Halls, SW, and the short stories.
I've actually heard from a good number of readers who picked up the stories with The Twilight War and went back for earlier stories later, all without missing a beat.
Just an FYI. It looks like you need to read a whole lot in order to understand what is happening, but, based on reader response, I don't think that's so. YMMV may vary, of course. 
Anyway, if you read the various stories, I hope you enjoy them.
Paul
Paul |
| Jamallo Kreen |
Posted - 05 Sep 2007 : 19:17:19
My, my, my! What a tangled web of stories! (Oops, wrong series. Sorry.)
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| Xysma |
Posted - 03 Sep 2007 : 06:08:19
The Erevis Cale reading list:
“Soulbound” from Realms of the Dragons
“Another Name for Dawn” from Dragon 277
“Resurrection” from The Halls of Stormweather
Shadow’s Witness
“And All the Sinners, Saints” from Dragon 297
Twilight Falling
Dawn of Night, The
Midnight's Mask
Shadowbred
Shadowstorm
Shadowrealm
Additional reading for The Twilight War
The Lord of Stormweather Features Tamlin Uskevren who plays a significant role in The Twilight War
Mistress of the Night Gives details about The Leaves of One Night. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 02 Sep 2007 : 01:11:02
The Uskevrens.
And, as for a "unified chronology" of the various novels in the Sembia series... The order they were published [which was illustrated by Firestorm's ordering above], is largely how I read through the series. You'll find that each of the individual tales take place [especially Cale's own Shadow's Witness] before any further novels which were later published and which feature some of the characters from the Sembia series.
As it is, Shadow's Witness was published before the 'Erevis Cale' trilogy. And the events of that novel take place before the events depicted in the 'Cale' trilogy. |
| Jamallo Kreen |
Posted - 01 Sep 2007 : 19:36:35
Right! I missed the "Erevis Cale" scroll in this forum, but I'm interested in how they all fit together, not only in how they affect Erevis Cale. Thanks for your help.
I'm ordering Shadow's Witness today, though I don't know if I can stop reading the first book in the trilogy. The reviewers on Amazon.com are quite right -- Kemp is a fine writer.
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| Firestorm |
Posted - 01 Sep 2007 : 19:28:15
The only two ESSENTIAL for reading the Erevis Cale trilogy from Sembia are:book 1: Halls of stormweather(Has a series of short stories about everyone) and book 2: Shadow's witness(all about Cale)
The rest are optional. There are 7 in total. But all cover members of the Uskreven family, who Cale butles for:)
Book 3: shattered Mask is about the mother. Shamur
Book 4: Black Wolf is Talbot's book(He has not been in any of Cale's series)
Book 5: Heirs of prophecy, is about Larjin, an illegitimate daughter(Irrelevant to the cale series)
Book 6: Sands of the soul, is Tazi's book. She is in the Cale series briefly, but to me, this book is not necessary to read for the cale series.
Book 7: Lord of stormweather is Tamlin's book. Some of these events you may want to read if you go past the Cale series into Shadowbred.
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