“A people are as happy and confident as the stories they tell themselves. Sick storytellers can make nations sick. Stories can conquer fear and make the heart larger.”

~ Ben Okri

—

Ben Okri is a contemporary novelist and poet, who won the Booker Prize (UK) in 1991 for The Famished Road and the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000 for Dangerous Love.

USA

In 2017, I resumed my “About the Characters” post series that focuses on the 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.”

~ 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 simultaneously — in alphabetical order, of course!

(The quotes, together with the covers, indicate whether the character appears in both or only one of the books.)

—

UK/AU/NZ

Col:  master archer at Normarch, in Emer

“A clangor shattered the morning’s peace, followed by voices shouting. Still half asleep, Carick fumbled the shutters open, shading his eyes against the early sun. Girvase and Hamar were circling each other in the center of the yard, swords in hand, while their comrades yelled from the perimeter. Carick recognized Malisande and Alianor, looking down from the loft, while Raher, Audin, and Jarna stood just inside the gate. The two combatants continued to cut and thrust, their faces intense with concentration. When Carick leaned further out, he could see Ser Bartrand striding down the hill, with Col, the Master Archer, beside him.”

~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two; Chapter 14 — Maister Gervon

For any fan of epic fantasy, Tolkien’s Middle Earth has to be one of the definitive fantastic worlds—and since Sir Peter Jackson made the three The Lord of the Rings (LoTR) films here in New Zealand (and followed up with The Hobbit project) I often get comments to the effect that being a fantasy author must be synonymous with living in New Zealand. 🙂

Yet as a fan of epic fantasy growing up in this country, I always conceived Middle Earth—especially the Shire, but also regions such as Rohan—as very much rural England. A far cry from New Zealand’s alpine South Island and a North Island that ranges from the arid central desert to the semi-tropical north—-or so I thought! Whereas now there are very few parts of the country that cannot lay a claim to being “Middle Earth,” from Hobbiton to the Westfold of Rohan, to the Gates of Argonath.

credit: B Miller

Although it is not the only landscape—or more correctly, series of landscapes—that has influenced my own Fantasy world of Haarth, New Zealand has undoubtedly been a major influencer on my worldbuilding.

For example, not long after The Heir Of Night was first published, a friend said (something like):  “You know that part in Heir, where Malian and Kalan cross the river into Jaransor and there’s rose briars and thorn scrub on the hillside, and thyme growing wild beneath their horses hooves? I couldn’t help thinking, ‘that does seem a lot like Central Otago.’”

Central Otago aka the “Westfold of Rohan

And, of course, it is—although not the part that filmgoers will immediately recognize as the Westfold of Rohan from the early sequences in The Two Towers (LoTR2). But fairly close by, all the same. So—my friend then demanded—does this mean that all of the Jaransor landscape is pretty much Central Otago?

To which I had to say “no.” There were several other real-world landscapes that influenced my concept of Jaransor. For example:

“She walked on alone to the edge of the trees, staring out over wild terrain to the west and the steep, bush-clad heights bathed in evening amber, and was struck again by the immensity of the land, and a sky that held nothing except the falcon’s hovering speck.”

Upper Moutere area

In this scene, what Malian sees is very close to the view from the heights of Australia’s Great Dividing Range—a very long way from Central Otago! I’ve spoken before, too, about how the canals of Ij, in The Gathering Of The Lost, were influenced by the khlongs of Bangkok, while the Tenneward and the Argent Vale in Emer were shaped by the area around Nelson, back in New Zealand again, particularly the Waimea Plain and areas such as Upper Moutere.

Still Otago, but tussock, not thyme…

I say “shaped” and “influenced” deliberately, though, because all world building in my fantasy writing is an amalgam: of real places that I have seen; of places I have not seen but can imagine from descriptions / photo / film; and other places from history that I can only visualize as they may once have been.

In these latter cases the worldbuilding imagination may be inspired by an account, but more often it is sparked by the idea of what that place once was.

Hill Tower, Jaransor; art by Peter Fitzpatrick

Ultimately, too, there is the purely fantastic—the leap of imagination that can springboard from the wild thyme of Central Otago, to the vistas seen from the Great Dividing Range, to ruined towers which have shadow structures that exist out of time, in a chain of hills that may themselves be sentient and drive the unwary mad …

I suspect that Tolkien’s Middle Earth evolved from a similar amalgam of the real through to the purely imaginary.

But it is undoubtedly very special, as a writer of fantasy fiction—and epic fantasy, what’s more, in the case of The Wall of Night series—to live and write within the landscapes in which the film versions of The Lord of the Rings were so vividly imagined—even if they are not the English landscapes that I visualised when first reading the series. 🙂

Gates of Argonath country…

The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series is exploring the full range of locales and places from The Wall Of Night world of Haarth.

From January 25, 2013 to November 25, 2014, the posts traversed locations encountered in The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost.

Now the series has returned to gazette the geography of Daughter Of Blood (The Wall Of Night Book Three.)  The new series comprises updates of previous entries as well as new listings.

—

Ishnapur: a fabled city and empire on the southern edge of the known world, bordering the great deserts of Haarth.
.

USA

UK/AU/NZ

“A line of pewter marked the thousand leagues of road that ran from Emer to fabled Ishnapur and beyond that again was the vast and unknown desert, a sea of dunes wrought in jasper, topaz and bronze.”

~ from © The Heir Of Night: The Wall of Night Book One; Chapter 17 — Eye of the Storm
.

UK/AU/NZ

USA

‘ “It is a very long way from Ishnapur to Ij—especially for the unwary.” Something in the Master’s tone sent a chill down Jehane Mor’s spine. “Bringing down the heralds will send a message that no one is beyond our reach. But they must all be dead. No one must escape the net.” ‘

~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two; Chapter 5 — The Guild House
.

USA

UK/AU/NZ

“He had even seen an Ishnapuri mariner once, with wide silk trousers, curved knives thrust into her waistband, and curled toes to her shoes. She had winked when she caught him staring and tossed him a small silver coin with the lion and stars of Ishnapur on one side, and a ship on the other. He had drilled a hole through it and wore it still, on a leather thong around his neck.”
.
~ from © Daughter Of Blood: The Wall of Night Book Three, Chapter 2 — The Serpent Prince

Essential to the writing life…

I wanted this entry to be COFFEE but it doesn’t fit the dictionary definition of an artefact, so the entry had to be a coffeemaker. And after all, without a coffeemaker of some sort or t’other, there can be no coffee.

I know I shared my new oventop coffeemaker with you when it was new, but it is doing sterling service so I feel deserves to star again. 🙂

And since coffee is an essential part of the writing day, then a coffeemaker is an equally essential part of my writing life. Adhering to the Platonic principle of moderation in all things (although I believe Plato ascribed the principle to Socrates) I try to keep consumption to 1 to 2 cups per day — but I find the ritual of the coffeemaker (as opposed to instant coffee), as well as the deliciousness of the end result, helps focus the various sections of the writing day.

Deploying the larger of the coffeemakers

You probably know that the second part of the Platonic adage is moderation in all things, including moderation itself. So sometimes, when the going is tough or genius is flowing, the coffee too must flow — which is when a bigger coffeemaker must be deployed. 😉

And I believe both the coffeemakers fit the definition of functional and decorative.

*Artefact: "a functional or decorative human-made 
object."

UK/AU/NZ

In 2017, I resumed the “About the Characters” post series that focuses on the 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.”

~ 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 simultaneously — in alphabetical order, of course!

(The quotes, together with the covers, indicate whether the character appears in both or only one of the books.)

—

USA

Caril Sondargent: the Duke of Emer, an independent duchy in the Southern Realms of Haarth
.
“The foremost horseman was bareheaded, with a coronal around closely cropped hair, and Malian caught the glitter of gilded mail beneath a black jupon that bore the oak of Emer in gold across its breast. Caril Sondargent, Duke of Emer, she thought, noting the authoritative lift of the iron-gray head. The body beneath the black jupon had thickened with age, but he look looked powerful still, although well worn—as you would expect of the man who had ruled Emer since he was seventeen, cementing the peace that was the last long battle of his father’s and grandfather’s wars.”
.
~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two, Chapter 32 — Cockcrow

Over the holiday season, I’ve embarked on a post series titled “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue” (and you can see the previous entries under Categories: What I’m Reading in the farther right-hand sidebar.)

Initially, though, I was a bit stumped by Something Blue, because I couldn’t find a book I hadn’t read previously, whether new or old, that had “blue” in the title.  I could think of plenty of books that I had read and loved previously, which make quite a nice list in their own right:

• A Patch Of Blue by Elizabeth Kata (first published as Be Ready with Bells and Drums, 1961)
• The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (1982)
• A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voight (1983)
• Army Blue by Lucian K Truscott IV (1989)
• Blue At The Mizzen by Patrick O’Brien (1999)
• The Blue Girl by Charles De Lint (2004)
• Bitterblue by Kirstin Cashore (2012)
• Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater (2014)

And there’s one or two more in there, I’m sure…

However, I did not have to continue thinking hard after all, because I was rescued by a Christmas present — UK designer William Yeoward’s Blue & White, subtitled “A Personal Journey Through Colour.”

As those  who’ve read my Month Of Joy posting on Skiffy and Fanty will know, I am a fan of colour in all its manifestations — and the colour blue is probably my most consistent favourite (although the “favourite” tag does tend to shift around.) So Blue & White was always going to be of interest and although it’s been some time since I read an interior design book from cover to cover, this one did repay the journey.

The “personal journey” of the subtitle is very much the driving force of the book, but that is no less interesting than a wider purview since William Yeoward has spent 35 years in the industry, honing his craft — which has also, as perusal of the book makes clear, been very much an artistic path as well.

The book focuses on homes and settings that Yeoward has either decorated outright or styled in some way, and I liked that it is not “just” pretty pictures: he also explains his design approach and how certain effects  are achieved. One of the elements I found interesting was how he combined the basic blue and white schemes with other textures, for example, natural wood, to ensure the blue effect was not “cold” — always the risk with blue, from my observation, much as I love the colour.

The other aspect of interest to me was how Yeoward’s schemes and focus were predominantly in what I consider the English style, which is very textured and very formal. Overall, it’s not a style I think works readily for the New Zealand climate and lifestyle, or its light, which is much harsher than in the UK. However, the value of the book is not so much in fittings and furnishings but in how colours work together and effects can be achieved. In that sense it’s a matter of applying the principles rather than slavishly adopting the “look.”

Blue & White is a beautiful coffee table book and it’s also a resource, albeit at a high level. Anyone who is interested in art, interior design, or colour will almost certainly enjoy the read — if only to realise how much time and money people spend, not only on interior schemes but on elaborate table settings. With respect to the table settings I will confess that my own plebeian reflection was that it was a lot of time and effort to expend on something that would be all-for-nought as soon as the guests sat down, however striking as a first effect. I enjoyed the “window shopping” though, even if, like Georgie Girl, I had no intention of “stopping to buy.”

So there it is, not only Something Blue, something a little different for “…on Anything, Really” as well. But hey, it’s the new year and that’s the time for having fun and changing things up a little.

The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series explores the full range of locales and places from The Wall Of Night world of Haarth.

From January 25, 2013 to November 25, 2014, the posts traversed locations encountered in The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost.

Now the series has returned to gazette the geography of Daughter Of Blood (The Wall Of Night Book Three.)  The new series comprises updates of previous entries as well as new listings.

—

USA

UK/AU/NZ

Impassable Range:  part of the Wall of Night; the mountain range that separates the Sea Keep from the Towers of Morning
.
Teron spoke again, as though studying Garan’s map at the same time. “The Sea Keep’s vital, of course, but it’s protected from Dread Pass by the Impassable Range.” Reluctance entered his tone. “I suppose Garan’s right. An enemy that occupied the Towers would be almost impossible to dislodge, with untrammeled access to the Gray Lands. But it’s still Morning’s responsibility, and their allies’, to guard against such attack.”
.
~ from © Daughter Of Blood: The Wall of Night Book Three, Chapter 28 — Field of Play

Ursula K. Le Guin passed away last week at the age of 88, after a long and prestigious life in letters. In 2014, she  was awarded the (US) National Book Association awarded Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. The citation included the following:

“For more than forty years, Le Guin has defied conventions of narrative, language, character, and genre, as well as transcended the boundaries between fantasy and realism to forge new paths for literary fiction…

Among the nation’s most revered writers of science fiction and fantasy, Le Guin’s fully imagined worlds  challenge readers to consider profound philosophical and existential questions about gender, race, the environment, and society. Her boldly experimental and critically acclaimed novels, short stories, and children’s books, written in elegant prose are popular with readers throughout the world.”

I wholeheartedly agree with these observations, although as a reader I would say it more simply: I loved—and still love—Ms Le Guin’s junior classic, A Wizard Of Earthsea, and its two immediate sequels, The Tombs Of Atuan and The Farthest Shore: for the depth of their characterisation and worldbuilding, and the beautful, spare, powerful writing — all hallmarks of Ms Le Guin’s work.

As an adult, I was blown away by The Left Hand Of Darkness—for all the reasons included in the citation: elegant writing, outstanding worldbuilding, and the challenge to consider alternate views of “gender, race, the environment, and society.” Not to mention the real science of her SFF novels and short fiction, including the invention of the ansible, which epitomises the concept of faster-than-light communication in a universe of slower-than-light travel.

In addition, Ursula Le Guin has penned some of my favourite quotes on writing, all from her book on the art and craft of literature,  Steering The Craft. Here are just a few of them:

“Somebody asked Willie Nelson where he got his songs, and he said, ‘The air’s full of melodies, you just reach out…’  The world’s full of stories, you just reach out.”

“…the story boat is a magic one. It knows its course. The job of the person at the the helm is to help it to find it’s own way to wherever it’s going.”

“The chief duty of a narrative sentence is to lead to the next sentence … [because] the basic function of the narrative sentence is to keep the story going and keep the reader going with it.”

When Ms Le Guin received the National Book Association Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, I could think of few more worthy recipients. When the news of her death came through last week, I felt a profound sense of intellectual and emotional loss.

She has left a tremendous legacy and an equally significant gap in our literary and cultural ranks. And although I can read and reread her writing, I shall miss simply knowing she’s there.

USA

Recently, I resumed my “About the Characters” post series that focuses on the 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.”

~ 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 simultaneously — in alphabetical order, of course!

(The quotes, together with the covers, indicate whether the character appears in both or only one of the books.)

—

UK/AU/NZ

Brania Sondmurre: a young woman of Normarch, in the duchy of Emer
.
“The weather’s always best in Ormond,” said a damosel called Brania, smoothing back coppery curls. Her expression was guileless, but there was an edge to her voice and Carick remembered…that Brania’s grandfather, lord of the Murreward, had died in the last great battle with Ormond. She was distant kin to Lord Falk, on her mother’s side, but had always seemed friendly with both Ormondians…
.
~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two, Chapter 16 — Summer’s Eve