The relation between short story and novel, inside the writer’s head, is interesting. “Semley’s Necklace,” though a complete story in itself, was the germ of a novel. I had done with Semley when I finished it, but there was a minor character, a mere by-stander, who did not sink back obediently into obscurity when the story was done, but who kept nagging me. “Write my story,” he said. “I’m Rocannon. I want to explore my world. . . .” So I obeyed him. You really can’t argue with these people.
