It’s March — and you know what that mean! Yesss indeed, preciousss, time for a Supernatural Underground post.

In this case, it’s Instalment #2 of my 2025 post series on Great Leaders In Speculative Fiction, subtitled ‘Where to Find ‘Em and Why They Rock.’

So I’ve rocked on up with Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive, and — because I couldn’t pick between ’em for leadership chops — both Dalinar Kholin and Kaladin Stormblessed.

Stormlight #1

Do I have a favorite? Well, although I heart both of them as characters, I kinda do — but see if you can pick it from the post. I’m open to comments letting me know your take and the reasons why. (I’ll even confirm ahead of next month’s post, if there’re any takers. 😉 )

Now you’re keen to read and decide, here’s the link:

Great Leaders In Speculative Fiction #2: Kaladin, Dalinar, & “The Stormlight Archive”

Stormlight #5

On Monday, I celebrated the opening of Moby Dick, which is generally regarded as a ‘Great American Novel’ and one of the literary classics.

Now, that is. Because it certainly wasn’t that way in the author, Herman Melville’s, lifetime.

Moby Dick was first published in 1851, and although it received some positive notice in the UK, American reviewers were generally hostile. At that time, it was a commercial failure and was out of print by the time of Melville’s death in 1891.

According to that organ of all wisdom otherwise known as Wikipedia, the turnaround in Moby Dick’s fortunes began in the early twentieth century, when literary luminaries such as William Faulkner and DH Lawrence praised the story.

And the rest, as the saying goes, is history — and goes to show that you do just never know.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged…”

Nope, not starting with that one, although it is indubitably one of the great opening lines. And it is fairly universally acknowledged that a tale’s opening must reach out and grab the reader, hauling them headfirst—and with enthusiasm, i.e. no kicking and screaming—into the story.

This post series is going to look at some of my personal favourites, starting with the classics. But not Jane Austen’s classic, or ‘not this day’, anyway. 😀

Today, I’m taking a look at Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, which both passes and fails the opening test.

Moby Dick was a set text for a Lit course, many long years ago, and although (in those youthful and giddy times) I regarded its size with considerable misgiving* I dutifully set out to read—

—and very nearly foundered on the opening section, which is titled “Etymology.” Not because of the opening line, which pricked my interest:

“The pale Usher — threadbare in coat, heart, body and brain; I see him now.”

Tell me more, I thought. Except the more was a list defining the word ‘whale’, followed by “Extracts”, which comprises a compilation of whale quotes from literature. Sixteen pages of quotes, no less. Not exactly riveting stuff and my youthful self was ready to throw in the towel at that point.

Original title page

Until I turned the page to Chapter 1 and these fateful words greeted me:

“Call me Ishmael.”

Talk about reaching out, grabbing the reader by main force and hauling them into the book. I was also fortunate enough to immediately get the allusion to the original (Biblical) Ishmael, who was an outcast — and wanted to learn more about this outcast.

The main reason the opening compels engagement though (imho) is because it’s so personal: the narrator is speaking to the reader and inviting us into the story. Masterful! (Again, imho.)

Fortunately, from that point on, the story did not disappoint. So when it comes to great opening lines, while I nod to the Usher, otherwise it’s straight to Chapter 1 and “Call me Ishmael.” 

Audio edition

As for that asterisk* — by reading, I discovered that ca. one third of the edition’s 1015 pages was not the actual story, but comprised introductory matter (86 pages), a subsequent “Commentary” of 300 pages, and a map (2 pages.) The dangers of becoming a classic work!

UK/AU/NZ

OK, now we’re really back into things, because it’s already time for instalment two in the “About The Characters” series, for 2025.

Just to run over the “Meet the Minor Players” drill it focuses on the minor (or more correctly—sometimes anyway—“more minor”) characters in The Wall Of Night series because:

“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

~ Helen Lowe
(from my Legend Award Finalist’s Interview, 2013)

Parannis is one of those characters who has some prominence at a particular point in the series (Part IV, The Bride of Blood in Daughter of Blood, to be precise.) But as that is the only part and book to date in which he appears, he must still count as a minor player in the overall scheme of things.

~*~

USA

Parannis: seventh child to the Earl of Blood, so known as a Son of Blood

… Parannis lounged directly opposite. Her half-brother exuded such sleek satisfaction that Myr suspected the whispers must be correct and he had been calling out those he considered enemies, killing or maiming them in secret duels.

He’s cruel, she thought, and repressed a shiver, certain the supposed enmity was just a pretext—and because she had learned young that Parannis was the brother to most actively avoid.

~ from © Daughter of Blood, The Wall Of Night Book Three – Chapter 20, Emissaries of Night

Yep, time for a “from the backlist” post — and this quote from a 2012 post on (then) genre site SF Signal still feels evergreen.

Now no more, alas…

The subject, as per the title, centered on why I write Fantasy (as opposed to any other class of fiction) in general and epic fantasy in particular. It went something like this:

“The reason I want to celebrate epic fantasy is fairly straightforward: I love the genre…I love big, sweeping, adventurous stories where there’s a lot at stake and what’s at stake matters. I love stories of heroism, and friendships that endure in the face of darkness and despair — but sometimes fail, too. I love sword fights, and glorious charges, and forlorn hopes, and “bands of brothers” holding together through the “thick and thin.” I love magic, too, and if comes with a thread of darkness, danger, and the surreal, then all the better. World building is also really important to me, and not just landscapes but cultures as well: I want the world and the societies to be real for me when I’m reading and that’s what I strive for in my own writing. And I like a bit of romance — not big R romance which has it’s own genre, but what I call “little r” romance, which is integral to all our lives and definitely has its place in big book epic. [My books]…may be about magic and danger, roof top pursuits and forced marches by night, tourneys and battles, bands of brothers — and sisters — but [they’re] also about love…So there you have it: epic and adventure and magic, battles and flights, world building and emotional power, friendship and love. If you enjoy any or all of these things in your reading, then you may just find something in…[my storytelling]…that you will like.”

And since many of you who visit here have liked, and have already waited far too long for the series’ conclusion, that’s all from me for today. Otherwise I’ll never get my outpass from the current (metaphorical) writing abode, as pictured below. 😀

“Ten leagues beyond the wide world’s end”;
art by Peter Fitzpatrick

By way of a reminder, the quote was:

“It is simply this: do not tire, never lose interest, never grow indifferent…” ~ Tove Jansson, 1914 – 2001

Although it is not “a truth universally acknowledged”, I often post a quote when I’m particularly busy beavering on WALL and don’t want to lose momentum.

And that was the case on Monday — but I do really love this quote, so I hope it put a spring in your step, not only on Monday but for the rest of this week.

As for “not tiring”, “never losing interest”, and “never growing indifferent” (to paraphrase very slightly 🙂 ) I can assure that although it has been quite a slog, I have never lost interest or grown indifferent to the WALL story.

By way of true confessions, I may (do!) sometimes feel tired — but that is what rests are for and I always come back to the writing desk with the batteries recharged. 😀

A time-out spot

Coffee essential

“It is simply this: do not tire, never lose interest, never grow indifferent…”

~ Tove Jansson, 1914 – 2001

Tove Jansson (Finland) is best known for her Moomintroll childrens’ series, but some of her adult works, such as The Summer Book, are also very highly regarded — including (or is that ‘particularly’?) by me. 😀

O-o: I pretty much forgot that it was a blogpost day and Waitangi Day today — until now, which is rather late in the day. But still the day, so it’s not (quite) a mea culpa after all.

Bay of Islands from Waitangi — where Te Tiriti was signed

True confessions, I do lose track of the days sometimes, when I’m deep in the writing, and have been known to miss catchups with friends as well. Which is definitely mea culpa territory, although it’s never intentional.

Anyway, back to February 6 and Waitangi Day, which is the day that marks Aotearoa-Nu Zild’s foundation as a modern nation. On this day, way aways back in 1840, representatives of the British Crown and the Maori people of New Zealand signed a treaty at Waitangi (in the Bay of Islands) which effectively made this country part of the British Empire and enabled lawful settlement by people from other places.

The Mission House at Waimate North — also in the Bay of Islands & from the same era as Te Tiriti

So Te Tiriti O Waitangi, the Treaty of Waitangi, is the founding document of Aotearoa-New Zealand as we know it today. Which makes it pretty special, to my way of thinking. The really important thing about it, though, I’ve always felt and thought, is that the establishment of NZ’s government and subsequent settlement, is by agreement — because of Te Tiriti.

Not by conquest, or by purchase, or without any by-your-leave, but by agreement. Which is not to say that plenty of bad stuff hasn’t happened subsequently, in the (sadly) usual colonial way. And although I’m writing in  a relatively informal way, I don’t make light of that history, which is why I’ve always supported the work of the Waitangi Tribunal and the Treaty settlement process.

The Waitangi Tiriti page

I’ve felt proud, not because we’ve needed to do that work—there’s nothing to be proud of in the cumulative acts and omissions of the Crown that have caused the need for redress—but because as a country we’ve been willing to do it.

Correspondingly, I’ve been dismayed by the current government’s promotion of a Bill that I believe, having read it, effectively seeks to rewrite and nullify Te Tiriti. I’ve made a submission on that, so won’t revisit it here, but it does make me want to mark Waitangi Day and reflect upon what it means to me.

I’ve seen a poster recently that encapsulates the core of it, so I’m going to paraphrase it here:

I am Tangata Tiriti* (*one of the many NZers who are legitimately here, ie not a colonist, because of Te Tiriti)

Because of Te Tiriti, Aotearoa-New Zealand is my home.

As a citizen, I respect and honour Te Tiriti O Waitangi: the Treaty of Waitangi.

Toitu Te Tiriti: Honour the Treaty.

Made it! The switch from posting on the first day to the second of the month on Supernatural Underground, that is — and with a post theme for 2025.

As the title indicates, it’s Great Leaders — and by implication, leadership — in Speculative Fiction, subtitled Where to Find ‘Em and Why They Rock.

There’s the classics — but I’m not starting here…

The ‘locale’ part being the particular book or series where the said leader lurks, and the ‘Why They Rock’ the raison d’etre of the posts. 😀 Both in terms of featuring some great leaders among Spec Fic’s pantheon and exploring the qualities that make them great.

And I’m going for ‘speculative fiction’ this time, not just fantasy, the better to include scifi in the mix. Let’s see how things go — but the first leader off the blocks is definitely fantasy.

Not starting here either… 😉

Wanna know more? Then you know the drill — click on the link below, rock on over, and read. 😀

Great Leaders in Speculative Fiction — Where To Find ‘Em & Why they Rock

So-o, last time I did an update, I signaled that: “In terms of where to from here, my aim is to get to the end of the current section, at which point I’ll do another update.”

As I’m not quite there yet, this is “not an update.”

I am, however, getting very close, with just a few puzzle pieces left to fit together, so (fingers crossed!) it should be the update soon.

My metaphorical abode until it’s done!
Art by Peter Fitzpatrick