It is a truth universally acknowledged that Fantasy literature readers generally, and Epic Fantasy lovers in particular, *heart* maps.

So far, I only have one broad brush map for The Wall of Night series world of Haarth, but a reader was inquiring about it recently and the relative locales of the Derai and the Swarm — think “here be dragons” and “beyond the edge of the map” for the latter — so I thought I’d post the Wall series map again in as large from as da blog will accommodate without distortion. 🙂

But it “is” beautiful — I still love artist Peter Fitzpatrick’s work as much as I did the first time I saw “the map.”!

So ‘ere it be: Enjoy. 🙂

The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick

“The Heir Of Night” map: artist, Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series is traversing 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 explored 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.

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Lathayra:  one of the Southern Realms of Haarth
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‘ Now she rode a sturdy gray cob and called herself Heris—a name that could equally well originate on the River or in northern Emer—an itinerant scribe on a pilgrimage to all the shrines of Serrut in Emer and Aralorn. And maybe Lathayra, although the shabby scribe was undecided on that point whenever his plans were discussed. Lathayra, he had heard, was a dangerous place for those not adept with the weapons of war.

“Perilous far, too,” one farmer deep in the Ormondian hills opined. ‘

~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two; Chapter 53 — The Solitary Tower
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‘ In a town like Aeris, being inside the walls could still mean pickpockets and knives down back alleys, but it also meant hot food, baths, and soft beds for those with money enough to pay. Unfortunately, that did not include two itinerant swords-for-hire, of indeterminate origin but sporting cloth head-wrappings and the bone-and-feather fetishes favored by Lathayran mercenaries. Raven had brought both his Hill horses with him into southern Aralorn, so Malian had sold her cob in the nearest market town and abandoned the identity of Heris the scribe for that of Crow, Raven’s companion hedge warrior. Birds of ill omen in appearance as well as name, she thought wryly, recalling how both innkeepers and caravan masters had eyed them askance—and sleeping rough had only added to their disreputable appearance. ‘
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~ from © Daughter Of Blood: The Wall of Night Book Three, Chapter 14 — Crow

As an author, I know what a wonderfully exciting moment it is when when nice things happen for a book.

It’s pretty durned exciting, too, when a book I’ve loved reading wins an award. It’s nice, you know, to discover  that others out there have enjoyed a book as much as I did myself. But as an author, I also know what it will mean to the writer, probably after she has spent years on the solitary process of researching and writing the book, then getting it to the world.

So I was over the moon when my friend Mary Victoria let me know that Us & Them (Stanford University Press, 2017), by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani, had won the Independent Publisher Silver Book Award for Literary Fiction, 2018.

If you want to know more about Us & Them, I discussed the book here:

What I’m Reading: Something New — “Us & Them” by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani

If you want to find out more about the author, you can check out her website:

Bahiyyih Nakhjavani

I really enjoyed this book so if you like literary fiction and something a little out of the ordinary, I believe Us & Them may be just the read for you. 😉

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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—although at present we’re having a run on single entries!)

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Dain:  a House of Blood honor guard, second-in-command of Jad’s eight-unit
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“Arrows are my main concern,” Dain said, dropping his voice. “We won’t be able to retrieve ’em this time, not with their archers deployed. The caravan’s well equipped for the usual dangers of the road, but its reserves weren’t meant for this level of attack.”

~ from © Daughter Of Blood: The Wall of Night Book Three, Chapter 46 — Line of Fire

This year, I’ve been sharing a few artefacts* of the writing life with you. You can find the previous entries under “About Writing” — below “Categories” in the far right-hand side bar.

And this week the spotlight’s on the ever-essential desk — or in this case, trestle-style table — and chair.

As you’ll see, I like a desk surface with a lot of space to spread stuff out! As well as clear space still, in-between the stuff!

And the chair ticks “serious” in the ergonomic stakes, essential when one spends long hours at the keyboard.

‘What, no standing desk?’ you may be thinking. In fact, there is a version of the standing desk but it’s a workaround not a distinct, standalone artefact so will have to decide whether it makes the series or not. 🙂

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

“The Heir Of Night” map: artist, Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series is traversing 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 explored 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.

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Keep of Winds: main fortress stronghold of the Derai House of Night
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‘ ‘For it is the House of Night that holds the Keep of Winds,’ “ Malian chanted in reply, ” ‘foremost of all the strongholds on the Shield-wall of Night.’  It was you who first taught me that, Nhairin.” ‘

~ from © The Heir Of Night: The Wall of Night Book One; Chapter 1 — The Keep Of Winds
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‘ “The voice snuffed out as the flames had done and Malian breached the surface of the darkness like a diver, to find herself standing before the main gate of the Keep of Winds. The keep cleaved the dream realm like the prow of a great ship, yet the Derai world massed behind it was as closed to her now, even in the realm of dreams, as it was in the waking world.” ‘

~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two; Prologue
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‘ “Let’s get this done.” Garan ended the brief silence that followed. “You ready, Nerys?”

Silent Nerys. Even in his dream, Kalan remembered her, just as he could still dredge Garan and Sarus, Innor and Ter, out of his six-year-old memories of the Old Keep of Winds. Gauntlets slapped again, only this time the scent in his nostrils was woodsmoke, leather, windchill—and the face he saw was Malian’s, gazing into a campfire. ‘
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~ from © Daughter Of Blood: The Wall of Night Book Three, Chapter 27 — The Turnings Of Fate

Unsolicited shoutouts, I may add, so arriving as a complete surprise and even more of a buzz for that reason. 🙂

1. Gillan Polack’s Women’s History Month Series: A Guest Post by Mary Victoria

Mary Victoria

Firstly, my friend and fellow author, Mary Victoria, sent me a link, accompanied by this cryptic note:

“I hope you enjoy! NOT an April fools! 🙂 “

On clicking on the link, I found an article that began as follows:

“She writes with aplomb; with heart; with grace. She is a New Zealander, a Christchurch earthquake veteran and a lover of trees. To those of you in the know, these few words will immediately evoke the name ‘Helen Lowe’. But perhaps there aren’t as many of you in the know as I should like, so I will introduce my chosen writer for Women’s History Month with a quote from one of her books. This is how she begins the tale of Lady Mouse, or Myr, one of the main protagonists of Daughter of Blood and easily my favourite Lowe character to date …”

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Did I enjoy this introduction and all that followed? Being human, dear readers, of course I did! I also may have blushed a little and certainly felt both honoured and humbled.

To read everything Mary had to say click on the following link:

Women’s History Month: Mary Victoria Features Helen Lowe

To read the full series hosted and curated by Gillian Polack, which comprises some very interesting posts, click on the Introduction, which posted 1 March, then scroll forward from that point:

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Gillian Polack’s Women’s History Month Series: Introduction

Alternatively, Gillian says she will post a complete list when the series winds up, so keep checking her blog for that. I’ll also do my best to cross link here.

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2. Waterstones Swansea (UK) Features A “Best Of” Display

And guess what’s on it? Yep, you guessed it, it’s The Heir of Night! (Check out the bottom row, left-most book. 😉 )

So here’s the pictorial evidence — a screenshot of the tweet.

And another screenshot providing a closeup of the pic:

And as I tweeted when I saw it: so very nice to see The Heir of Night enjoying the crown of very good company.

Thank you, too, to Mary Victoria and Waterstones Swansea for adding a touch of starshine to my week. 🙂

UK cover

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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—although at present we’re having a run on single entries!)

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Dame Nelys:  chaperone of the Girls’ Dorter, at Normarch in Emer

“The peace lasted until he walked through the castle gate and noticed visible tension in the guards on duty. By the time he reached the hall, he could hear a woman’s flurried, anxious voice. Dame Nelys, he thought, stepping inside, and saw the chaperone…standing with Erron and Raven. She looked as though she might faint at any moment, while the handful of younger damosels in the background appeared frightened and excited at the same time. “I can’t understand it,” the Dame said, twisting her hands together. “I had no idea of this, none at all.” “

~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two, Chapter 18 — Vigil

First published a half-century ago, in 1968, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin has become a classic of children’s literature and one that I felt it was high time I revisited—which turned out to be a really rewarding experience.

The (main) character of Ged and the story being told both have real depth. The worldbuilding—particularly in terms of the magic system—is powerful and yet so understated I didn’t really notice its power overtly, but more through the innate satisfaction I felt throughout the reading experience. The writing is beautiful and evocative, too, and as elegant as the worldbuilding.

All in all, A Wizard of Earthsea is a thoroughly satisfying read in almost every way. I also believe it is a rare read in the Fantasy genre, whether for children or adults, because it is not about war and fighting, with the attendant tendency to glorify both. The focus of the book is on the inner and outward journey that the main character, Ged, also known as Sparrowhawk, must undertake to better understand himself and what it means to have a wizard’s power. He must also take responsibility for setting right a danger—chiefly to himself, but potentially to others as well—that he unleashed through arrogance and pride. In this sense A Wizard of Earthsea is clearly a coming of age story, but it’s a profound one. And despite not being about battles and war, the story is every bit as exciting and compelling as books that are.

A Wizard of Earthsea is also distinct from mainstream Fantasy because almost all the characters are people of colour: for example, Ged is far from unusual (among the people of the Archipelago) in having a coppery-brown skin and black hair and eyes, while his best friend, Vetch, is black. Overall, the societies of the Archipelago still have a medieval feel in terms of their technologies and the way people live, but there is sufficient societal diversity that the world avoids being an analogue for any one period or society in human history.

My one reservation with regard to A Wizard of Earthsea—particularly given the strengths and innovative qualities cited above—is that I have always been struck by the story’s conservatism in terms of the presence, let alone the role and status of women characters in the story. In this respect, the worldbuilding clings to the most conservative model, as the societies of the Archipelago are uniformly patriarchal. In particular, no women are wizards and very early on the reader encounters the common saw: “Wicked as women’s magic”or “Weak as women’s magic.” I still recall sucking my breath in (at around age 12) when I read those lines. Nor is this a case of the author setting up a premise in order to explore its truth, or otherwise, through the unfolding story; it’s a simple statement that encapsulates the status of women in the Earthsea world.

I remain as disappointed by this aspect of the A Wizard of Earthsea story now as I was at age 12, and also puzzled by it given Le Guin’s anthropological background and the way in which she broke the mould so comprehensively in the other areas discussed above. Nonetheless, while I feel this aspect of the story should not be glossed over, and I do not consider it a small matter for female power to be relegated so comprehensively to the “wicked” and the “weak”, I still believe that A Wizard of Earthsea remains an outstanding book in every other respect.

The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series is traversing 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 explored 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.

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Keep of Stone:  fortress stronghold of the Derai House of Adamant
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” “The Earl paused again, a deep line between his brows as his right hand clenched into a fist.  When he resumed speaking, his voice was harsh.  “Your mother was sent to the Keep of Stone and no word came back to tell us how she fared until two years later.” “

~ from © The Heir Of Night: The Wall of Night Book One; Chapter 18 —Parts Of The Truth
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“Garan rubbed at his chin again; he needed to shave. “If the Stone priests are doing escort duty, they may be less inclined to pick fights.” He wasn’t going to rely on it, though, not given what he knew of Keep of Stone priests and their ways.” ”

~ from © The Gathering Of The Lost: The Wall of Night Book Two; Chapter 28 — Border Crossing
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” “What of Adamant?” Kalan asked him now. “Should we expect a force from the Keep of Stone?”

~ from © Daughter Of Blood: The Wall of Night Book Three, Chapter 51 — Out Of Time