Book alchemy…
Those of you who have been following the writing and releasing of Helen Lowe books since this blog began, way aways back in 2010, will know that I am always very reluctant to talk about a book at all while it is still a work-in-progress.
This is because I feel, very strongly, that “the book that can be spoken of is not the book.” Or more prosaicly, that discussing something that is still very much in progress may upset the creative apple-cart. Or perhaps it is simply writerly superstition and I fear jinxing the whole project! (Which would never do!!)
The Wall of Night series to date Photo: M Taylor
However, I am very much aware that this book has been in the creative process for a Very Long Time now and that some The Wall Of Night series readers, while not worrying precisely, may well be wondering as to progress.
So taking one thing with another, I feel it behooves me to post on the dread Book That Can Not Be Spoken Of, aka the work-in-progress, aka WALL#4: working title, The Chaos Gate.
In doing so, I’m going to focus on the four most frequently asked questions, as follows:
Q. 1: Is The Chaos Gate finished yet?
A: No. Currently I am still working on the manuscript (ms.)
Q.2 When is the publisher’s final deadline for the book?
A: The final deadline is 1 July 2019, which is the goal I’m currently working to.
Q. 3: Do you know when the book will be published?
A: No, I don’t know for certain, because that decision rests with the publisher, but publication is usually at least one year following submission of the ms by the author and acceptance by the publisher.
Q. 4: Will you let people know when the book is done and when there’s a confirmed publication date?
A: I certainly will. I’ll post both pieces of news here on the blog and on my website. I’ll most likely tweet the news as well.
Writing on…
I am very aware that the upshot of this Q&A means quite a wait still for series’ readers. As a keen reader myself I am aware of how difficult that can be. However, I can only hope—and do my level best to ensure—that the book will prove worth the wait.
I would also like to thank all my readers, most sincerely, for their patience and continued support for the series and the creative process.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them through the comments. However, if it’s about the content of the story itself, I may be obliged to neither confirm nor deny. 😉
I am delighted to do a Just Arrived post for you today, because the new arrival is a novella-in-flash, The Crazed Wind (Truth Serum Press), written by my friend and fellow Christchurch author, Nod Ghosh.
Stormbringer from Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melnibone series
And one cannot discuss artefacts or swords of power without reference to Excalibur from the many variants of the King Arthur legend. Not the least of those was Excalibur’s re-imagining as Caliburn, the sword of the fallen (Roman) Emperor Maximus, in Mary Stewart’s wonderful Arthurian sequence.
“Hold on,” you may cry, “what about Druss, the legendary axeman in David Gemmell’s groundbreaking heroic fantasy, Legend?” To which I reply—nodding sagely—that although Druss is clearly one of the three leading protagonists in Legend, in the context of the book he is i) not of the high, knightly classes; and ii) does not see himself as heroic, although others clearly do. It is Rek, who becomes the Earl of Bronze, albeit through marriage, who is the great swordsman. Serbitar and the Thirty, who are mostly if not all of noble birth, also primarily use swords.
Alan Garner goes directly to the Four Treasures of Celtic myth in Elidor, which are found in a mound. These may also be found, although not necessarily in their official Four Treasures guise, in other Celtic-inpsired fantasy novels, such as Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionavar series and Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising quintet.
In Garner’s The Weirdstone of Brisingamen the treasure is a stone and not the necklace of Norse myth, but it’s rightful resting place is also a cave. Returning to Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising series (as mentioned in the MacGuffin post), the five books centre on the finding of longlost artefacts that will support the power of the light and turn back the dark. These include the grail, a codex to decipher it, and the “six signs” of Will Stanton’s Twelfth Night quest in the second book, also titled The Dark is Rising. As for where to find such items, “over sea and under stone” and generally secreted in unexpected places is the order of things.
In Philip Pullman’s Golden Compass trilogy, the first book is centered around the mysterious alethiometer, a truth-telling and predictive compass that only Lyra can readily interpret. In the second book, The Subtle Knife, the blade for which the book is named opens gateways between parallel universes. The armour of the panzerbjorn is also a significant artefact as well as the essence of the bears’ physical and spiritual being. The latter are only found in the forges of the frozen north.
As for JK Rowling’s Harry Potter, in which the books grow increasingly epic as the story progresses, the series features an abundance of artefacts of power. These include the philosopher’s stone of the first book (try Gringott’s vaults and/or caves beneath Hogwarts), the cloak of invisibility, the sword of Gryffindor (the Sorting Hat provides sure access), Hermione’s timeturner (professors such as Minerva McGonagall are a reliable source), and the goblet of fire (enchanted within a maze) for which the fourth book is named—not to mention the seven horcruxes in which Lord Voldemort has secreted part of his being. The latter will always be concealed in secret and highly dangerous locations.
If we look back to ships such as the Argo and 
In terms of artefacts that bridge Children’s and Adult literature, one can say that this is “all of them!” since artefacts of power are integral to epic fantasy. Ships, though, are one of my particular favourites, possibly because I always wanted to be an Argonaut as a kid. 😉 So it may then come as no surprise to learn that Robin Hobb’s Liveship Traders trilogy, which starts with Ship of Magic, is a favourite of mine and that I heart all the ships. Vivacia and Paragon are definitely just as much characters as the human protagonists. (At this point, of course, I yearn to mention Iain M Banks’s Culture ships, but of course I can’t because, fantastic though they are, they’re definitely Science Fiction and not Fantasy.)
Musical instruments are another of my favourite artefacts of power. I’ve always had a particular fondness for the cwidder (a musical instrument, reminiscent of a lute) that Moril uses to bring down mountains in Diana Wynne Jones’ Cart and Cwidder. In literature for older readers, I’ve always respected Morgon of Hed’s starred harp (in Patricia McKillip’s Riddlemaster trilogy), which has a lowest string that will snap steel and shatter stone. Unlike the cwidder, though, which belonged to Moril’s father before he inherited it, Morgon’s harp is a “found” object.
When it comes to artefacts of doom, stones hold a distinguished place in the literature. The stone called the Terrenon, in Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard Of Earthsea, and the Stone-at the-Heart-of-the-Deep in Barbara Hambly’s Dragonsbane, are both sources of great power that can be drawn on by others. The difference is that in Earthsea, the Terrenon is clearly evil, whereas the Dragonsbane Stone is neutral but the will of the user determines whether the magic is turned to good or evil ends. Both stones are to be found in secret chambers, deep within the earth.
Golden torcs are a crucial artefact in Julian May’s Saga of the Exiles quartet, as it is the torcs that enable the Tanu (i.e. the sidhe or fey) and those humans allied with them, to access their psychic and magical powers. Being born to or enlisting in the ranks of the Tanu is the usual way to obtain one. Golden torcs also play a significant part, for weal and woe, in Diana Wynne Jones’ Power of Three.
In David Gemmell’s Legend (mentioned above), Druss’s axe Snaga may be named but it has no magical powers. The armour of the Earl of Bronze, however—which also appears in Waylander, the prequel to Legend—is known as “the soul of the Earl of Bronze” and has considerable legendary and mystical status in the hearts and imaginations of the populace. As to where to find it, it is in “a deep cave high up the side of a tall mountain” in Waylander, and in a locked room beneath the fortress of Dros Delnoch in Legend—where the Earl’s sword is encased in a block of mysterious crystal.
No discussion of artefacts of power would be complete without reference to The Luggage from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. The Luggage is first encountered following the tourist, Twoflower, who hails from the Counterweight continent and gifts The Luggage to the wizard, Rincewind. The Luggage is distinguished by being able to follow Twoflower or Rincewind anywhere, including into alternate dimensions. It also devours thieves and is the only entity in the Discworld that presents a real challenge to the invincible Coen the Barbarian. If you want your own set of similar luggage, I’m guessing the Counterweight continent is the place to look…
Fantasy in general and epic fantasy in particular is often categorized as intrinsically nostalgic and inherently anti-tech. Yet I find it fascinating that artefacts are integral to fantasy storytelling, since they are created or shaped objects and in this sense technological, although usually from an earlier age. The stolen computer in Barbara Hambly’s The Silent Tower is one exception to that rule, though.
An excellent question. As a reader, listener, and viewer, I have always loved artefacts of power in all their forms so it’s no surprise one or even quite a few of them appear in 
As regulars here probably know, but newcomers may not, on the first of every month I post on the 
As it turns out, the post is timely because July 31 is Harry Potter’s birthday, so what better time to share my thoughts re a first-time listen which is also effectively a “re-read.” 😉 Here’s how it starts:
