Recently, I caught some of The Peripheral (television) series, which is based on a novel by William Gibson — and motivated me to reread Count Zero, which is one of his much older works.

Published in 1986, Count Zero is the second in what I think of as William Gibson’s Neuromancer trilogy, i.e. Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive, which are credited with creating Cyberpunk, a science fiction subgenre centered on a dystopian near-future.

Although each story is linked, the stories effectively read as standalone novels, so can be read out-of-sequence. (Officially, I think they comprise The Sprawl series.)

I’ve always thought the series’ worldbuilding is brilliant and each book introduces a cast of fascinating characters, many of them decidedly offbeat. In Count Zero, four central characters get caught up in events that span computer hacking, corporate warfare, voodoo, and sentient AIs. The narrative is fast-paced but with plenty of character development.

If you haven’t already discovered the Neuromancer ‘verse, I’m pretty much of the view that there’s absolutely nothing here that’s not to like.

In terms of disclosure, I know I bought my copy of Count Zero, but it’s so like ago I really can’t remember more than that. However, it’s been a fixture of my personal library ever since.

My edition, ca. 1995

Intermittently through this year, I’ve been reprising a Daughter of Blood  (and by extension The Wall Of Night ) Q&A series that first featured in 2019. I’ve been enjoying rereading the Q’s and my A’s so hope you’re doing the same. 😀

Today it’s Shannon’s Question that’s in the limelight.

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Shannon:  Was there any part of the book or maybe a character that was harder to write?

Two potential answers popped into my head as soon as I read your question, Shannon, so I’m going to give you both of them. 🙂 The two characters I had to spend most time on were Malian and Raven, because I felt it was really important to get the balance of their relationship right. They’re both formidable in different ways, but there’s a big gap in age and experience (Raven) that is counterbalanced by Malian’s power and destiny. The alliance they’ve struck is also a major step for both of them, with a huge amount at stake. It represents a significant shift from their Emerian relationship as well. A really important part of writing their characters in Daughter of Blood was to show the evolution from the old relationship to the new in a way that was true to both their characters, and most importantly did not empower one by diminishing the other—which turned out to be more challenging than it perhaps sounds. However, given the way their alliance has continued to evolve, I think I may have pulled it off.

The second answer is that I recall the beginning of Part VI: No Man’s Land exercising me a great deal because of the various story strands that needed to be woven in. I can’t recall all the permutations now, but I rewrote it five times before finally getting it “right”—and that experience is deeply incised on both my memory and my authorial soul.

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Previous Thursday Q&A Refeatures:

March 31 — #1 Phoebe’s Question on Book Planning

April 21 — #2 Sam’s Question on Deleted Scenes

April 28 — #3 Sandy’s Question on Characters That Take Charge

May 19 — #4 Lindsay’s Question on Research

June 23 — #5 Chris’s Question on Tirael & “What Would Have Happened If…”

June 30 — #6 Rosie’s Question on the Web of Mayanne

September 8 — #7 Jason’s Question on Weapons & Names

October 6 — #8 Robin’s Question on Tuckerization Characters

November 24 — #9 Josh’s Question on Whether I Have A Favourite Moment in Daughter of Blood

On 1 December, when Kim Falconer (currently writing as AK Wilder) and I joined forces to post the final instalment in the What Makes A Hero? series on the Supernatural Underground blog, I wrote that:

“Epic or High Fantasy is often termed Heroic as well, and The Wall of Night series is firmly in that quadrant of the Fantasy ’verse.”

All of which still stands, but sometimes I refer to the WALL series as “High Romantic Fantasy” as well.

The Wall of Night series

“I know” — so many terms for what’s effectively one class of storytelling, but the varying tags do illuminate different aspects of the genre. For example, I believe the heroic tradition is more pronounced in The Heir of Night, while “high romance” elements come through more in The Gathering of the Lost and Daughter of Blood

The “high romance” stems from the chivalric epics of the High Medieval period, which are a major influence on epic fantasy: for example, the Morte D’Arthur and Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, as well as Le Roman de Perceval ou le Conte de Graal, Parsifal and Lohengrin.

King Arthur and Guinevere (Excalibur)

Romance and love are an integral part of the High Fantasy tradition, but the High Romance lies in notions of quest and chivalry, of tryst and tokens, of the trumpet blast at dawn, the banners of noon day, and the twilight of the gods–and the romance is as often unrequited, star-crossed, or doomed, as ending “happily ever after.” This is the romance of Lancelot and Guinevere, Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady, of Tristan and Isolde…

In short, the love of High Romantic Fantasy may be bitter-sweet, but no less poignant for all of that — as I believe Kalan and Jarna’s arc in The Gathering of the Lost, and Myr’s storyline in Daughter of Blood, attest.

The trumpet blast at dawn…

The About The Characters post series focuses on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series, in large part because:

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

~ from my Legend Award Finalist’s Interview, 2013

Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters from The Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from both The Gathering Of The Lost and Daughter of Blood — in alphabetical order, by name, of course!

And yep, still in “M”! 😀

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Morin: an honor guard serving the House of Night; ensign-bearer to the Commander of Night

—and then the riders were there, emerging out of the darkness almost on top of him. Mainly black horses and black gear…Garan recognised Aeln, Sergeant Sarus’s second in the Honor Guard, with young Morin carrying the pennant, and then the Commander of Night, Asantir herself, rode into the light of their campfire.

~ from © The Gathering of the Lost, The Wall Of Night Book Two – Chapter 28, Border Crossing

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An honor guard…in Night armor bowed, the winged horse device glittering on his breast. … “I’m Morin,” he told Kalan. “The Battlemaster of Blood has approached Commander Asantir—as the one whose honor you primarily defend—to formalize arrangements for the duel. She is leaving tonight’s banquet early and requests that you meet with her.”

~ from © Daughter of Blood, The Wall Of Night Book Three – Chapter 27, The Turnings Of Fate

‘I undertake it through the good times and the bad, through the dry periods and the periods of abundance, and I keep on going regardless of my successes or failures. Inspiration comes because I put in the work.’ — Nick Cave

~*~

I couldn’t agree with this sentiment more — so can think of few better ways to focus the mind and spirit at the beginning of a new week, than sharing it with you. 🙂

Victory Beach, Otago Peninsular

Not only is it 1 December with the end-of-year looming, but it’s the final post in the What Makes A Hero in Fantasy series on Supernatural Underground.

To celebrate reaching the end—and sticking to “C” for my secondary titles all the way through!—Kim Falconer and I are channeling a lil authorial camaraderie via a joint post.

The topic? The characters in our Amassia and The Wall of Night series respectively, viewed through the lens of the “What Makes A Hero?” series—from the first instalment’s Call, to last month’s Calm and Chaos.

Ash, a hero of the Amassia series

Kim is counting down to publication of Curse of Shadows, AMASSIA #2, on December 6, so there’s plenty going on.

To read all about it and join the fun, just click on:

“What Makes A Hero?” 10: Camaraderie & Characters

And as always, enjoy! 😀

“Hard times are coming, when we’ll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope. We’ll need writers who can remember freedom — poets, visionaries — realists of a larger reality.”

~ Ursula K Le Guin, 1929 – 2018

~*~

I’m at a critical stage with the WALL #4 writing right now, hence no profound or indepth post today — but when it comes to profound and insightful, it’s hard to look past the legacy of Ursula K Le Guin. This quote speaks to our times, so I leave it with you, to absorb and reflect.

This year, I’ve been reprising a Daughter of Blood  (and by extension The Wall Of Night ) Q&A series that first featured in 2019. I felt the questions merited another look so do hope you’re agreeing with that sentiment as you read along. 🙂

Today the spotlight is on Josh’s Question.

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Josh: Do you have a favorite moment in Daughter of Blood?

I’m not sure authors should admit to favourite scenes or characters, in the same way parents are not *meant* to have favourites among their children. 😉 Sometimes, though, I can’t help having a fondness for a particular section in the book, if only because it’s been especially easy to write, or in writing it I realise a higher truth about a character or the plot, or simply because it’s So Much Fun. A scene that fits into the latter category, and for which I can’t help feeling a certain fondness thereby, is the moment when Tirael and the Star Knights charge, using surprise and daring to turn the Swarm flank. I like the way Myr and Faro realise it’s a rescue and the moment when Myr identifies the banner of Stars. Like the banner against the wind, the moment lifts the hearts of the camp’s defenders — as I hope it does readers’ hearts, too.

As I said in reply to Phoebe’s question in Q&A #1, sometimes I may know the broad outline of the story for a long time, but precise details prove elusive. So I knew Taly’s path was going to cross Tirael’s and that he would get involved in the action, but a great deal of “how” depended on the way his character developed. So I was a lot closer to the actual scene when the muses finally lifted their veil aside and I thought, “OMG, he’s going to charge!” And when all’s said and done, who doesn’t love a glorious charge? Definitely So Much Fun!

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Previous Thursday Q&A Refeatures:

March 31 — #1 Phoebe’s Question on Book Planning

April 21 — #2 Sam’s Question on Deleted Scenes

April 28 — #3 Sandy’s Question on Characters That Take Charge

May 19 — #4 Lindsay’s Question on Research

June 23 — #5 Chris’s Question on Tirael & “What Would Have Happened If…”

June 30 — #6 Rosie’s Question on the Web of Mayanne

September 8 — #7 Jason’s Question on Weapons & Names

October 6 — #8 Robin’s Question on Tuckerization Characters

As those who follow me here and on Supernatural Underground probably know, I have read and enjoyed both Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth in the Locked Tomb series by fellow NZ author, Tamsyn Muir.

So I’m very pleased to have the third instalment, Nona the Ninth, arrive on my TBR table.

I understand that Nona was a somewhat unexpected, but welcome, arrival in a series that was originally conceived as a trilogy, as the TOR.COM announcement on 30 July 2021 — I was going to write “implies”, but I think “makes clear” would be more accurate. 😀

I kind of like the tagline(s) already:

Her city is under siege.
The zombies are coming back.
And all Nona wants is a birthday party.

Likewise Alix Harrow’s front cover encomium:

“You will love Nona and Nona loves you.”

More zombies, more necromancy, more mystery – and a whole new leading character.

Needless to say, I’m keen to read. 😀

And will try not to take too long to let you know how I find it.

That being said, delays are all caused by “you know what”, so maybe they’re not a bad thing, after all…

Ye-es! Finally got there — “What Makes A Hero?” (in Fantasy) #9 has posted on Supernatural Underground and this month’s theme is Calm and Chaos.

Rock on over to check out what it’s all about, but the summary version is whether a cool head or a certain degree of hotspur-to-berserker chaos is a better basis for a fantasy hero. Although there may be a few wrinkles in the mix…

Just click on the link to “read all about it!”

What Makes A Hero #9 — Calm and Chaos

Chaos…

Here’s a snippet:

“…Calm or Chaos is the better starting point. In other words, a protagonist may emulate Kipling’s famous If,  and keep their head “when all about … [them, others] … are losing theirs”, or hurl caution to the winds and charge headlong into the face of overwhelming odds.”

…or Calm.

Enjoy!