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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5696 Posts |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Jan 2008 : 19:31:02
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Very interesting story. Mirt in his younger mercenary days, and a past war. More than that: a "little war," one of the endless (and largely overlooked in the published Realms so far) skirmishes we know happened, but haven't seen much coverage of. No doubt some readers will regard the appearance of a certain Chosen as a deus ex machina, but it isn't, really; it's Ed telling a tiny vignette in the past "real history" of his world. I love the way he brings everyone to life, though I would have loved to see him go on longer and delve deeper into everybody, of course.
Curses on the old TSR folks; we could have had YEARS of Ed sketching in the back history of the Realms with these little stories, like the sidebars in Grand History but a little longer and fictonal, and everyone else could have followed to "paint in the gaps" with various novels.
I liked this tale, spare though it is in places.
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Malcolm
Learned Scribe
242 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2008 : 16:02:49
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Full agreement here. I likeed the "everyman" aspect of this story; it's really about what it feels like for the average fighting joe (Mirt, in this case) to be caught in a sticky situation and then watch and experience someone with great power (one of the Chosen) reveal themselves and blast through that stickiness.
I'm sure Ed's usual detractors, who don't understand Ed's telling the history of the Realms approach and the fact that all writers for hire have to get their stories (including major characters used) okayed by the editor, will view this as "Oh, Ed couldn't resist doing one of his 'usual' stories where goody-goody uberpower characters wipe the floor with everyone."
But then again, that's the root problem: they don't understand. I find this little tale a fascinating examination of what it feels like to be a spear-carrier trampled underfoot by the more powerful (and by that, I don't mean just the Chosen, I mean the Waterdhavian meddlers with their armies). Ed does a delicious job of contrasting the meddling of the Chosen with the meddling of wealthy investors participating/fomenting in a war in another realm for their own financial gain.
Nicely done. Boy, would I like to see more Mirt stories . . . |
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Longtime Lurker
Seeker
51 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2008 : 16:07:01
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| I liked the tale too, for the same reasons you did. The Realms fantasy setting lets Ed tell a "grunts fighting in the trenches" story without any direct real-world connections or evocations. The focus on human nature rather than on this real-world country or that one. I also liked the Susan Morris story in this anthology, for the same showing us human nature reasons. |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2008 : 17:22:36
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Great fun, just what I need to remind me how the realms should be!
Only question is, Mirt did not know that his lover had been replaced????
How in the hells did tv Old Wolf live long enough to see the spellplague?  |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2008 : 06:18:08
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| I found this one deliciously sinister. I just wished Mirt was the one to unravel the Vizier's schemes. But it's good to see more of the Sisters and learn of Dove first meeting with Mirt (especially before they are banished by the dreaded demon known as "4E".) |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2008 : 22:20:28
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quote:
Originally posted by Malcolm
Ed does a delicious job of contrasting the meddling of the Chosen with the meddling of wealthy investors participating/fomenting in a war in another realm for their own financial gain.
Excellent point!
I enjoyed this story, myself--like the other scribes in this thread (and unlike a lot of other people out there) I enjoy it when the Chosen of Mystra show up. I like hearing, bit by bit, how they do things. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Ozzalum
Learned Scribe
USA
277 Posts |
Posted - 21 Feb 2008 : 16:12:42
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quote:
Only question is, Mirt did not know that his lover had been replaced????
This represents the peril of shallow relationships, or at least long term shallow relationships. I figured he was sleeping with a horribly disfigured woman because of some deeper attraction he held for her. Apparently not. Maybe he was just being nice because he slept with her before she was horribly disfigured?
I was expecting to read about how Mirt managed to get himself out of the mess he was in, but instead a Chosen or two show up and save the day! Ed is really rubbing it in to his critics.  |
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Kyrene
Senior Scribe
South Africa
758 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jul 2008 : 07:11:21
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| I enjoyed this tale too. Lots of characters, each fleshed out just enough to get a feeling for them -- and boy were there many -- and each with their own agenda. Mirt and company in dire peril and outmatched by the vizier and his wizards. Then Ed lost it for me with the deus ex machina. I actually like -- or am at least ambivalent about -- most of the Chosen, but their "saving the day" in this particular tale was just horrible. I liked the fact that Mirt and Dove first met in a festhall, or that the Simbul had past dealings with the vizier. Why could Ed not have left it at showcasing Mirt, and written a little more intelligent solution to his captivity? |
Lost for words? Find them in the Glossary of Phrases, Sayings & Words of the Realms
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Realms of War: "Too Many Princes"
