Michael Howington
asked
David Dalglish:
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[Reading through the half orcs series and I just have to know what made you to decide to massacre my boy Haern? Reading his death then having him brought back by necromancy is too much for my heart. Thankfully I still have shadowdance to read. (hide spoiler)]
David Dalglish
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[So around that point I'm only working on what was my fourth novel ever, and I'd gotten it into my head that one of my biggest strengths was my willingness to kill off major characters, and just be absolutely ruthless to ensure the stakes remain high. Every book featured some major death in some way. So coming into book four, I'd originally planned to kill off Dieredon there in that spot. Fully the expectation. But when I was writing it, I felt no impact. Not really. And the sadistic part of me that still wanted to shock people, to pull off the emotional hits like with Aully in CoB, changed things at the last second. Down comes Haern, to sacrifice himself. There it is. The big shock I want. No one will see that coming!
Now also bear in mind this was before I ever wrote anything in Shadowdance. Haern was, to me at that time, just a cool character that was a bit of a Drizzt knock-off whose main emotional attachments and story arc were basically done (Delysia was dead, as was his father, so he was just kinda...there...). So off he goes, and I've not really regretted it, honestly. (If I have regrets, its about how the Thren/Haern face off goes, which in my defense, I literally wrote within a few chapters of even figuring Haern out as a character).
So would I do it again? Eh. Probably? I'm far less enamored with killing off major characters as I used to be, and I'd probably tweak the scenario so Haern gets a bit more epic of a send off, but I still do feel like his story was mostly 'done' at that point. He wasn't Veldaren's Watcher anymore.
Bringing back thru necromancy was just me having a blast tormenting everyone I knew would be pissed off at me for killing him, no excuse there, lol. (hide spoiler)]
Now also bear in mind this was before I ever wrote anything in Shadowdance. Haern was, to me at that time, just a cool character that was a bit of a Drizzt knock-off whose main emotional attachments and story arc were basically done (Delysia was dead, as was his father, so he was just kinda...there...). So off he goes, and I've not really regretted it, honestly. (If I have regrets, its about how the Thren/Haern face off goes, which in my defense, I literally wrote within a few chapters of even figuring Haern out as a character).
So would I do it again? Eh. Probably? I'm far less enamored with killing off major characters as I used to be, and I'd probably tweak the scenario so Haern gets a bit more epic of a send off, but I still do feel like his story was mostly 'done' at that point. He wasn't Veldaren's Watcher anymore.
Bringing back thru necromancy was just me having a blast tormenting everyone I knew would be pissed off at me for killing him, no excuse there, lol. (hide spoiler)]
More Answered Questions
Hunter Garretson
asked
David Dalglish:
Recently I've been reading your Shadowdance series, A Dance of Ghosts. I'm still waiting for six to emerge. But as I read the first few I had several question. Did you ever plan for Haern to develop 'relations' with someone? Like why not put him with Zusa? And why does it seem like Zusa is Bi? Does she like like Alyssa? Oh and (possible spoiler) ever gonna give Zusa an actual mate?
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