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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Dec 2006 : 13:15:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Kazzaroth
It was rather (intrestingly) shocking to notice that the small girl (Dag's daughter) was raised by Cyric worshipping farmer who was near defenceless against the knight (so worshippers of Cyric all are not some mass murdering maniacs or lunatics or clerics).
This raises the question of why someone would follow an evil god. Insanity is one reason, certainly, but I can think of several others. Perhaps the farmer fell into despair after the loss of loved ones, and, feeling betrayed or abandoned by the forces of "good," turned to darker gods. Perhaps he made a deal with the devil, so to speak, in an attempt to save someone or something he cared about. He might be a casual follower of Cyric--every religion has them--who wanted the half-elf woman and shrugged agreement with her insistence that he share her faith. Perhaps he has a fascination with death, due to a near-death experience and a glimpse of Cyric's court. A glimpse of divinity would be a powerfully transformative event, even if that divine being was evil. It could be that the farmer is a contentious soul, and found spiritual resonance among followers of a god whose clerics were (under some editions) known as "strifeleaders." Maybe he's a former soldier of the Zhentilar who was wounded in Cyric's service but still wanted to serve the cause.
Assuming that's the reason, why would he have been a soldier in the first place? Any number of reasons come to mind. Because his parents/brother/friends were, and he simply followed the course. Because it was the only path he could see out of a life of crushing poverty. Because he was ambitious and this appeared to be a good path to riches/status/power. Because he is, at heart, a sadistic thug and gets off on doing horrible things to innocent people. Because he saw the Zhents as the only thing standing between his family and an even greater evil. Because he had a strong need for order and structure, or perhaps a talent for fighting and a desire to prove it in battle, and since he grew up near a Zhentish stronghold, they were the only army he knew about.
Why do people follow any religion or ideology? Often it's simply a matter of upbringing and culture. Darkhold has its share of soldiers and henchmen and evil overlords, but any fortress maintains some sort of relationship with the surrounding countryside. I would imagine that most of Darkhold's nessesaries would come from trade, but it's also likely that such trademen as chandlers, coopers, and blacksmiths work in the fortress, or in small towns nearby. Farmers and hunters sell the Zhents provisions. Common folk groom the horses, wash the laundry, cook the meals, clean the privy chambers. Locals people, probably. And in times of danger, locals probably flock to the fortress for protection. And Zhentil Keep is even bigger--a small city, really. In areas where Cyric worship is the common thing, a lot of common folk will simply accept this as the way of life--some because doing so is expedient, and others because it's all they know. |
Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 01 Dec 2006 18:24:24 |
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Kazzaroth
Learned Scribe
Finland
104 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2006 : 21:17:00
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Hmmm, thank you for your comment on my question. I have thinked similar pattern that the farmer may have taked religion of Cyric because of tradition (parents worshipped so kids also worships) or somesort certain (least evil) aspect of Cyric being inviting.
So I cna explain logically how it is possible but so far as I recall in your novel I actually readed a invidual who worshipped a evil god but was not part of clergy and was rather form humble profession. It would had been egual shocking to discover that kind candy store man/woman is actually worshipper of Bane or Cyric (Shar and Mask can be more expected because both clergy's like have contacts in odd places ;)).
Also I have questions regarding a few theories based on elven pantheon (not sure should I ask from Ed or from you but I ask you first beecause you have writed alot elven novels and dealed whit it's lore);
Is it possible in someway that there could rise a evil aligned elven god which is not drow aligned anyway but is intrested on elven matters (and wellfare of elves eventual goal) but methods are more and less questionable moral wise.
Let's say like if Selvetarm gets killed or loses his portfolio (or something else happens what causes him removed from pantheon as god of vengeance) a newer god appears who would be new elven god for vengeance/revenge but it is not solely focused on drow but anysort of vengeance and is also somesort aggressive war god (or is involved often in wars to warrant for War domain) and god also war devices and arms.
How such god would be viewed by elves and elven pantheon generally? If we consider the fact if the god or goddess somehow controls the elven emotion of anger but also will to fight and also haves domain over creating anything regarding warfare (I think Corellon controls whole aspect of elven warfare, including weapon creation but I am not so sure about it).
Mostly basic question is that can elven pantheon accept a black sheep somesort if the god or goddess is important enough to keep? Or would Corellon deny the god/goddess and ban her religion as illegal or fell to follow. |
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Uzzy
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
618 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2006 : 22:56:01
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Hello again Elaine!
I had been thinking about that passage from Thornhold about Bronwyn taking Cara around Waterdeep when I made the suggestion. Having those scenes cut..  Ah well.
Another Short Story I would love to see would be one showing Arilyn the Assassin at work, a story from her past. Or a story about the Hammerfall Seven, Arilyn's old adventuring company. 
Anyway, I have a question about Evermeet (which I'm reading right now, and is terrific) Just got to Book Three of it, and it seems like the Crown Wars were sort of skipped over. Was this more to do with the fact that Danilo, as the supposed writer of the text, wouldn't have access to information about them? Or was it something else? Or do they get covered later in the novel? Thanks in advance for any answers, as always Elaine. |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 08 Dec 2006 : 09:13:38
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Hello again.
Kazzaroth, you should probably address your question to Ed Greenwood. I try not to speculate about Realms lore, because no matter how many disclaimers a writer adds, disseminating non-canon lore carries an assortment of perils and pitfalls.
Uzzy, there were several reasons why Evermeet skipped over the Crown Wars. First, it seemed likely to me that very little information about that era would be available to humans. There weren't very many humans around at the time, relatively speaking, and since it wasn't exactly the elves' most shining hour, they're not likely to brag about it thousands of years after the fact. I surmised that the most Danilo would be likely to come across would be obscure references, hints, bits of legend. Also, Danilo was not attempting a comprehensive history of the elves on Faerun, but rather a collection of stories that shed light on the history of the royal Moonflower clad, Arilyn's family.
The Crown War era is not covered later in the novel. It's mentioned, nothing more. It seemed to me that this topic was simply too big to be treated in single-chapter format. I would much rather see this story told in an epic series, something with a huge cast of characters and a complex political scenario. A story like that would need to be the Realms equivalent of A Song of Fire and Ice. |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 08 Dec 2006 : 09:19:37
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As mentioned elsewhere on these forums, the cover for The Best of the Realms Book III has been posted on the WotC site. I've also posted it on the home page of my website, www.elainecunningham.com.
This is a low-resolution picture, so the characters aren't particularly clear, but even at this level of detail the dragon is pretty nifty. Not sure who the male elf is supposed to be, but the cover is green rather than pink--always a hazard for female fantasy writers--so I've got no complaints. :) |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3741 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2006 : 04:23:06
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-Hey, Elaine.
-I just ordered a copy of the Cloakmaster Series (Spelljammer), and I was happily surprised to see that you were the author of Radiant Dragon. Now, I haven't read the books yet, but how much different was writing Spelljammer, instead of Forgotten Realms? Was it more fun? Was it harder? Yada, yada, yada... |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2006 : 14:55:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Dagnirion
I just ordered a copy of the Cloakmaster Series (Spelljammer), and I was happily surprised to see that you were the author of Radiant Dragon. Now, I haven't read the books yet, but how much different was writing Spelljammer, instead of Forgotten Realms? Was it more fun? Was it harder? Yada, yada, yada...
It was a lot different. For one thing, it was a shared-author series, with a single central character. For another, there wasn't a formal story bible, or even much of a story arc in place when I came on board. The story direction given was, "We like the title Radiant Dragon, so you should probably have one of those in the story." Not knowing the parameters of the story was difficult--this was only my second published book--so I'll admit to pushing the edges of the envelope, like a misbehaving toddler trying to get a sense of what the boundaries were. This was not a particularly successful strategy. I suggested a number of outrageous possibilities to the editor, including the possibility of destroying an entire world. Only when I gave a secondary character--an aparusa or "space gypsy"--the name "Rosleigh" did he object. No freaking way he was letting a "gypsy Rosleigh" reference into the book. Frankly, I was impressed that he picked up on a rather obscure pun.
A lot of details in the story just sort of developed. That cape of Telden Moore's, for example, kept changing color and shape and so on. I was certain they had to have some significance, so I built a spreadsheet listing these changes, what was happening at the time, and the probable significance. When I mentioned this to the project editor, his response was, "Cool! Send me a copy--I was wondering about that, myself."
One of the things that made the story tough to write was the time frame. Someone--don't know who--backed out of the project, and the folks at TSR called to ask me if I'd like to write a Spelljammer novel. The only catch was, they needed a proposal in thirteen (13) days. So in that time, I had to read book one, the manuscript of book two, the outline of book 3, ALL of the Spelljammer game materials, and put together a chapter-by-chapter outline, a ten-page writing sample, and one-page character sketches of all the new major and secondary characters. I made it, even though Sean, who was about 18 months old at the time, got sick of Mom's attention being elsewhere for so much of the day and decided to put a stop to this foolishness. He snuck up behind me, turned off the computer, and ran like hell. This was before automotic backup, and I lost the entire ten-day writing sample. I'm sure that on dark nights, my wail of anguish still echoes through that neighborhood... Fortunately, I was able to rewrite it in time.
I must apologize in advance for the color of Queen Amlaruil's hair in this book. At the time, there were no references to her coloring in any of the Forgotten Realms lore (there wasn't much lore at the time except the gray boxed set and the Waterdeep module), so I picked blue (which was listed as a common color for moon elves' hair), not knowing that one of Doug Nile's Moonshae books, which was being written at the same time, was establishing her hair as red-gold, a color it was to remain throughout many FR game products and novels. That was an inadvertent oops, but I take some comfort in the fact that my Spelljammer book only sold about 37 copies. |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2006 : 15:30:49
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Funny you should mention that, just managed to pick up the cloakmaster series myself on ebay. Never read any but it was only a few quid so I thought why not
I'll let you know what I think  |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2006 : 22:59:25
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
That was an inadvertent oops, but I take some comfort in the fact that my Spelljammer book only sold about 37 copies.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2006 : 23:24:15
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
That was an inadvertent oops, but I take some comfort in the fact that my Spelljammer book only sold about 37 copies.
Well, regardless of its problems Elaine, I'm still happy to say I own one of those 37 copies.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2006 : 23:27:24
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
That was an inadvertent oops, but I take some comfort in the fact that my Spelljammer book only sold about 37 copies.
Well, regardless of its problems Elaine, I'm still happy to say I own one of those 37 copies.
As am I even though I paid way to much to buy it since I bought it a year or so ago and it cost me quite a bit. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 11 Dec 2006 : 00:11:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
That was an inadvertent oops, but I take some comfort in the fact that my Spelljammer book only sold about 37 copies.
Well, regardless of its problems Elaine, I'm still happy to say I own one of those 37 copies.
As am I even though I paid way to much to buy it since I bought it a year or so ago and it cost me quite a bit.
Good to know. I think that accounts for all 37 of you. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36805 Posts |
Posted - 11 Dec 2006 : 02:37:07
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I've already stated that I'm another owner of one of the 37. I bought it new, in fact, when it first came out. As I've mentioned before, I am a spelljammer junkie.  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 11 Dec 2006 : 02:39:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I've already stated that I'm another owner of one of the 37. I bought it new, in fact, when it first came out. As I've mentioned before, I am a spelljammer junkie.
Oh, yeah. Since you got counted twice, that means there's still one nameless reader out there. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 11 Dec 2006 : 03:51:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I bought it new, in fact, when it first came out.
As did I.
And, I just noticed -- after visiting my local gaming store during my lunchbreak -- that not only is there a copy of Radiant Dragon still available for sale (for $8.95AUS), but several of the earlier SJ-ing books for the "Cloakmaster Cycle" are also still available.
Except for Into the Void. With the minor Nimbral references inside, it's likely this book disappeared from the shelves rather rapidly.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3741 Posts |
Posted - 11 Dec 2006 : 17:22:51
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Heh. I'm in the 37 Club. I feel so honored.
-And, don't worry about Queen Amlauril's hair color. Rich Baker wrote, in the Last Mythal Trilogy that her hair is black. Maybe she was feeling a little gloomy at the time, and had her hair turned blue via a cantrip. All better! |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
Edited by - Lord Karsus on 11 Dec 2006 17:23:50 |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 11 Dec 2006 : 17:55:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Dagnirion
-And, don't worry about Queen Amlauril's hair color. Rich Baker wrote, in the Last Mythal Trilogy that her hair is black. Maybe she was feeling a little gloomy at the time, and had her hair turned blue via a cantrip. All better!
That works for me. Also, it seems unrealistic to assume that ANY woman could live for hundreds of years without changing her hair color at least once. |
Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 11 Dec 2006 17:57:25 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36805 Posts |
Posted - 11 Dec 2006 : 18:52:03
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This reminds me of the debate that resulted when a bit of artwork in a sourcebook showed Alustriel's hair was brown... Here's the explanation I came up with then, with the rules added by someone else (I can't recall whom):
quote:
Okay, I'll admit it: it's me. I've been selling Wooly Rupert's Wondrous Hair Dye in the Realms for many years now. Ten gold for a bottle, ten doses to a bottle. A single dose of Wooly Rupert's Wondrous Hair Dye will cover the head of a medium-sized humanoid, and can be applied in minutes, but lasts for one full month (thirty days). During that time, the wearer can mentally control the color and style of their hair, changing either by act of will, once a day. The style and color choice will remain until the wearer decides to change either, or until the dose wears off.
A side effect is that all body hair (eyebrows, etc) is affected by Wooly Rupert's Wondrous Hair Dye, even though it's usually only applied to the head.
Wooly Rupert's Wondrous Hair Dye is currently available in larger cities of the Realms, and from any outlet of Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog.
Disclaimer: Wooly Rupert is not a Thayvian, and his products are not in anyway connected to that nation or its people.
Wooly Rupert's Wondrous Hair Dye: Prerequisite: Brew Potion, Disguise self. Minimum Caster Level 5
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3741 Posts |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 12 Dec 2006 : 04:07:35
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I've already stated that I'm another owner of one of the 37. I bought it new, in fact, when it first came out. As I've mentioned before, I am a spelljammer junkie.
Oh, yeah. Since you got counted twice, that means there's still one nameless reader out there.
[raises his hand sheepishly...] hum... that would be me... It's still on my 'to read' stack (just finished Elfshadow, starting Elfsong now, then on to the drow gal who likes big scottish highlander-lookin' dudes... then perhaps the Spelljamming series... although I have several FR books in that pile as well)
Hmm... Elaine... perhaps you could send me a summary of the Spelljamming books that came before YOURS, so I can skip right to that one! (and take note of all the pages where you used that spreadsheet, then posting a summary here...  ) |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3741 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2006 : 20:49:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
Hmm... Elaine... perhaps you could send me a summary of the Spelljamming books that came before YOURS, so I can skip right to that one! (and take note of all the pages where you used that spreadsheet, then posting a summary here... )
-Well, I just started the first book, and it seems to me that the series can be summerized as thus:
-A young man, unexperienced in the ways of spelljamming, unintentionally gets sucked up into a zany adventure, spanning multiple worlds, in which he comes across a great magical item, that he needs to prevent falling into the hands of evil.
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(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2006 : 20:54:11
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quote:
Originally posted by Dagnirion
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
Hmm... Elaine... perhaps you could send me a summary of the Spelljamming books that came before YOURS, so I can skip right to that one! (and take note of all the pages where you used that spreadsheet, then posting a summary here... )
-Well, I just started the first book, and it seems to me that the series can be summerized as thus:
-A young man, unexperienced in the ways of spelljamming, unintentionally gets sucked up into a zany adventure, spanning multiple worlds, in which he comes across a great magical item, that he needs to prevent falling into the hands of evil.
That works. |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2006 : 23:50:49
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Nice.  |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3741 Posts |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 18 Dec 2006 : 16:34:00
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Since this is not a Realms-related topic, I'll be brief: the second book of the Changeling Detective series (Tor Books) will be released as a paperback reprint on February 6, 2007. Amazon.com has a page up for the book, which is available for pre-order.
Here's a link.
Mod Edit: Fixed the link.
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Edited by - The Sage on 19 Dec 2006 10:55:57 |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 19 Dec 2006 : 05:57:58
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Since this is not about the Realms, I'll be long-winded!
Am I to understand that this series is about... about a girl in a modern setting similar in time and place than our oh-so-dear real-world, who finds out that she's an elf... and that mafia-like elves are trying to guide the human race towards its downfall...
If not, I apologize, as Amazon reviews 'can' be confusing... but in ether case, please, PLEASE expand about this series!!! wow, lesbian elf-chicks in modern times!! sign this humble knight down!!!! DOWN I SAY!!!  |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 19 Dec 2006 : 14:44:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
Since this is not about the Realms, I'll be long-winded!
Am I to understand that this series is about... about a girl in a modern setting similar in time and place than our oh-so-dear real-world, who finds out that she's an elf... and that mafia-like elves are trying to guide the human race towards its downfall...
If not, I apologize, as Amazon reviews 'can' be confusing... but in ether case, please, PLEASE expand about this series!!! wow, lesbian elf-chicks in modern times!! sign this humble knight down!!!! DOWN I SAY!!!
Well, for starters, Gwen isn't a lebian. (::Cue Seinfeld cast:: Not that there's anything wrong with that.) But her friend Marcy is, and Marcy has a long-term relationship with a slightly neurotic J.A.P English professor who isn't very secure when it comes to Marcy's other friendships.
Gwen is a Changeling, raised among humans. She never had reason to think she was anything out of the ordinary. Sure, she has periodic bouts of psychic sensitivity and her ears are "not her best feature," but apart from that (and the fact that her appearance hasn't changed much since she was fifteen), she fits in. Sort of. When she starts working on a missing-teenager case, she gets tangled up in her own past and starts learning about her true heritage. I can't tell you much more without giving away plot points.
The ultimate plans of the "Elder Folk" (they don't use the "E word") are not yet known. It may well be that they'd like to see the downfall of the human race, but right now, it would appear that they're just messing with them. The EF (Gwen tends to use the word "effing" as a multi-purpose adjective for them) are not really a mafia, per se. It's just that this particular group of them operates in Providence, Rhode Island, formerly the capital of the New England mafia and the still the capital of one of the most corrupt political entities since Renaissance Venice. I suppose a comparison to the mob is inevitable, but it's overstating matters to refer to them as an elven mafia.
The setting is contemporary and urban, nothing conspicuously different from the world you and I know. The magic takes place in the shadows, and tends to be the sort of thing people might glimpse out of the corner of their eye. The plot is a mystery with dark fantasy elements. The story is fast paced and relatively short. Due to the language and subject matter, I don't recommend these books to the younger end of the Forgotten Realms readership.
One aside that people here might find amusing. I've received several thank-you emails from FR gamers and readers who gave these books to their wives/girlfriends, some of whom went on to read my Liriel books, and are now much more tolerant of their significant others' formerly incomprehensible hobby. Just another of the services we provide around here. |
Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 19 Dec 2006 15:04:17 |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 19 Dec 2006 : 14:53:39
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For more info, here's a post from the blog of my two-day-old MySpace account:
Shadows in the Starlight
The second book in the Changeling Detective series (Tor Books) will be released in paperback in early February. There's a page up on Amazon.com, and the book is available for pre-order. My website also has pages for each of these books, with cover art, story synopsis, and sample chapters, so if you'd like to check them out, there's plenty of info. Here are the basics:
Gwen Gellman is a disgraced vice cop turned PI. An orphan who survived the system, she makes a living (sort of) dealing with family problems. Many of her cases involve finding lost kids or runaways, but recently, her work has been taking her back into her own past. She uncovers a hidden network of malicious Elder Folk living among unsuspecting humans--and the disturbing possibility that she may be one of them.
The series is set in modern day Providence, Rhode Island, a midsized city known for its Ivy League school and world-class art college, its red-brick charm, the waterfront "Renaissance" that occurred under former mayor and current inmate Buddy Ciencin, and the fact that it has more strip clubs per capita than any other city in the country.
Political corruption is a given in Rhode Island. Around here we tell jokes such as, "What's another name for the politician's retirement home?" (Answer: The state pen.) Multiple choice sections on middle school achievement tests include questions such as, "You are driving down the I-95 when a black sedan with Jersey plates pulls up behind you and starts shooting. Do you a) speed up, b) pull off on Atwood Avenue and let the locals deal with the out-of-town talent, c) return fire, or d) all of the above.
Okay, so maybe I was exaggerating a little with the multiple choice thing. But only a little. We regard our history as the former capital of the New England mafia with a certain perverse pride, and we love our corrupt politicians. I suspect that if Buddy ran for office after he gets out of prison, we'd re-elect him faster than you could say, "Quahog chowdah."
But I digress. And speaking of which, here's another digression.
My husband doesn't like fantasy novels. He just can't buy into the whole magic thing, and swords and sorcery tropes inspire a resounding "meh...." After years of not reading my books, he picked up the first one in this series and didn't put it down until he'd finished. His first comment was, "When can I read the next one?" I got similar reactions from non-fantasy-reading family members, and even from friends and co-workers of family members. Then the emails from "real readers" started coming. A surprising number began with, "I usually don't read or enjoy fantasy, but..." And I've also received quite a few thank-you emails from Forgotten Realms readers and gamers who bought these book for girlfriends who "don't get" their fantasy hobby. Some of them have ventured into the Forgotten Realms, and are now much more tolerant of those evenings spent tossing dice with like-minded friends. For whatever reason, these books--which are contemporary mysteries with dark fantasy elements--seem to appeal to non-fantasy readers. So if you have friends who like fast-moving stories with kick-ass protagonists but aren't big on Tolkien elves and flashy magic, or friends who read urban fantasy but vastly preferred the early Anita Blake novels to the last six or so, Gwen might be their kind of gal.
One final note: If you haven't read the first book yet (Shadows in the Darkness), I strongly suggest that you read it before picking up this one. The story is strongly dependant upon events of the first novel. That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but hey--live and learn, and other songs from the same album. |
Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 19 Dec 2006 15:01:53 |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 20 Dec 2006 : 05:43:12
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Thanks Elaine!
I'll buy these for my wife... then casually stuff the first book from the Liriel series under her pillow, once she is done reading them... |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 20 Dec 2006 : 10:01:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
I'll buy these for my wife... then casually stuff the first book from the Liriel series under her pillow, once she is done reading them...
Heh. No guarantees, but it HAS worked for some.... |
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Questions for Elaine Cunningham
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