Q&A with Janny Wurts!! [Curse of the Mistwraith BR]

[Janny]

Hi Laura - I'll be here, go for it. Safe travels until then!

[Laura]

Hi Janny,

I apologise for the delay and thank you for being here.

Here is the information you gave us about Talera:

First out: there is a LOT more back history involved with why the families are on Dascen Elur to start with. Big time issues at play here that all tie into the greater situation on Athera. At this moment in history, the folks on the splinter world have been totally cut off and separated from their roots. Record keeping and history in many cases was sketchy - some of the progenitors of these offshoots were sent offworld (from Athera) at very young ages; and other disruptions happened on top of the first, that sent them out of the line of fire, as it were. One of these disruptions is shown in its aftermath state, in Mistwraith's main Chapter III. You will encounter more of the originating forces and factors in later volumes, there will be details filled in.

Of the heirs sent through the Worldsend Gate, who arrived on Dascen Elur (centuries past, I do have an exact number, but that will get filled in also, later) - the Rauven mages were the extreme exception. The reason is mentioned by Asandir in dialogue with Dakar in main Ch IV, a direct mention, but it is only one line, and could have been passed over (regarding Sethvir's work with the distaff line of both Arithon and Lysaer's heritage: follow references to Dari's'Ahelas in the glossary).

Talera would have been TOTALLY cognizant of the connections between her heritage and the histories at Rauven ARE accurate...Mak s'Ahelas (the high mage at Rauven) would have totally known the greater connections and most of their ramifications. I say most - because after five centuries, even the best written knowledge would not be complete enough to keep everything totally intact.

So her deeper reasons to maintain the balance of power were critical to this history - she would NOT have been acting (all) upon her instincts as a mother. More, farsight DID play. She absolutely did not want her son to grow up and become LIKE his father....what she saw in that moment, playing the probabilities forward - what would have happened IF s'Ilessid gained the greater portion of her bride gift by force - was not going to be pretty, and the impact on the FAR future (how that played into the greater issue on Athera) would have been: devastating.

If you want the 'complete' picture of all the political pieces, and how they fit at the opening of Mistwraith, you can find them in the short story Child of Prophecy - two things to note: it takes a close up shot of the backhistory that will open up a wider view into the political tensions present at the opening of Mistwraith - a very tight view. This will affect how you 'see' the picture, ongoing - you will have insights the books don't allow yet. I wrote this story because readership tended to WAY oversimplify events as they happened - they regarded a singular event as 'instant' - when in fact, those factors played over decades or even, a century in the making. More, SOME readers who plunge into Mistwraith were not taking the care you guys are - they were 'missing' way way too much - and assuming even more, until what they took away (probably skimming) was so distorted it affected the impact of the story in vol I. So the short was written as a 'bridge' into the series to illuminate the political stresses that are still ongoing....so IF you read it, you will see from an advanced perspective - which is OK, entirely, but your call to make at this early stage. It was designed as an 'opener' to the series. It will explain a lot of the tensions in lots more depth.

The last point to raise with Talera's situation - given the above that I have to skirt - WHY would she have married the s'Ilessid king. For that, you'd have to parse the economics of Dascen Elur and (sigh, time!) see the map of that world that I have, but not in a publishable form (yet - I began that process last year, but two new story deadlines kicked it to the curb).

In short: Dascen Elur is MOSTLY ocean, scattered with small islands/clustered archipelagoes. Land there is very scarce, and not at all distributed equally. LARGE islands are very few - arable land that is not affected by wind, by salt air, by rainfall, etc - even more scarce. Amroth has the lions' share by a wide mile. In the early centuries of settlement, this was not a problem (in fact, it was decided by council/given the s'Ilessid royal line and its endemic traits). Rauven had the least (see Dari s'Ahelas and her attributed assets). Before things descended into blood feud with s'Ffalenn, before there was this power play creating a fissure that affected everything worldwide - there was a functional economy of sorts.

Post blood feud, things shifted - Amroth wanted POWER at any cost to suppress their enemies, and RAUVEN had no viable source of food production (beyond FISH! and they had little timber, small population for being much of a nautical strength).

So Talera's marriage was a 'trade' off alliance that SHE could control.....how her dowry played out was in HER hands, not her husband's. His madness progressed as years went on - he was not the crazy man he is at the opening of Mistwraith, when she married. And, in his off the rails fury, he threatened to use force to take what he wanted...

She was not stupid, she was faced with a terrible, terrible choice. And the weight of it made a tragic outcome, for her. Remind me: when you get farther along in the series (into ARC III by one or two volumes) OR if you read Child of Prophecy and want to dialogue with me inside spoiler tags - I am happy to go into more depth.

The short answer: it's NOT simple. I had to make terrible, terrible choices, in Mistwraith - how MUCH to show and not - because the full picture would have bogged down the story impossibly, at this stage: and even the 'small details' that had to be shown make the first half of Mistwraith very dense, because the reasons why are not (yet) apparent. They will be.

The nature of the s'Ahelas farsight will be revealed, later on. It is a lot deeper and more complex and tied into other forces than you can yet imagine. Watch for it!

Would this be ok to add as her story in the Bonus Material?

I am also taking the opportunity to ask if you would join us again for a Q&A for The Ships of Merior? I won't be making any chapter summaries this time and I would truly appreciate it if I could forward you the BR readers' questions. having you clarify our doubts would be a real treat for our little group.
Thank you again. :)

[Janny]

Hi Laura, quite fine to include this in your bonus material section.

The most salient point to add to Talera's backstory would be this: Arithon's father had a brother - who was captured by the s'Ilessid King (Demar s'Ilessid/Lysaer's father) - he was imprisoned, put on public trial and display, and condemned to death shortly before her break with the s'Ilessid King that ended her marriage and resulted in her defection to Karthan. She would have met him/very likely developed sympathy for his plight, and the manner of his execution and his defiance up until he died on the scaffold left a lasting impression that surely did influence her perspective on the blood feud between Amroth and Karthan.

More than glad to be on hand for any questions readers may have in the BR for Ships of Merior - and Warhost as well, since the volumes are two parts of one whole and are best read together as one story. The split between books was a publisher's decision (at half point climax) due to the length. Ships' finish is a decent stop point in the action, but the fierce convergence gains force after that split, for the payoff and denouement that finishes Warhost.

[Graeme]

Cool. It's always fun to have the author along on the journey.

[Brent]

Here's a couple of questions for you, Madam Talespinner, before I start my reread:

1) I remember reading somewhere that you said the first chapter set went through 17 rewrites before you were satisfied the staging and how things were presented. Would you be able to give us a little info as to what those trashed openings might have looked like?

2) In regards to the structure of the series, there are three main things that come to mind that I think are rather unique to the series: the arc structure, where each arc not only builds heavily on what came before but also has its own purpose in the grand scheme of things, with a comfortable pause point at the end of each arc; the chapter set structure, with each chapter set consisting of a main chapter and two sub-chapters that are tied off with a set of one-line triplets; and the fact that the series is exquisitely designed to not sprawl, but deepen, with each volume and each arc not only building on what came before and constantly deepening the characters and the world but also constantly overturning your assumptions along the way. My second question is, were these always intended to be big facets of the tale being woven, and if not, when did you realize and/or decide to adopt these elements into the series?

I won't lie, I always love getting a peek into the mind of the author whenever it comes to matters like this.

[Choko]

Brent, you put those questions beautifully!!! I am interested in the answers as well...

[Janny]

Brent wrote: "Here's a couple of questions for you, Madam Talespinner, before I start my reread:

1) I remember reading somewhere that you said the first chapter set went through 17 rewrites before you were sati..."

Ah, these are fun questions.

The 'earliest' version of chapter I for Curse of the Mistwraith did not start with the main characters; it began with the execution of Avar's brother by the King of Amroth. (in relationship, would be Arithon's uncle). This went through two iterations: an omniscient view of the event and a second, seen from the viewpoint of Lysaer's (then) mother....and became the trigger for her 'leaving' her marriage to (view spoiler)[ even the stakes between s'Ilessid and s'Ffalenn, locked in blood feud. (hide spoiler)]

This mess of a wrestling match was the earliest 'effort' to explain (view spoiler)[ the extremely complex basis for the feud, and the therefore very complex mix of enmity and the blood inheritance that begat the two half brothers (hide spoiler)]

For obvious reasons it quite failed to work - because it placed far, far too much emphasis on characters that were not going to play forward in the series. Many of the other attempts were efforts to condense this set of facts into something short, directly tied to the forward progression of the story, and, taking as little space as possible to deliver said factual origins and still make them hold an impression.

I also tried writing this as a short story/feeling for the relevant emotional connections.

I had a whole LOT to learn at that time - and it's part of the reason I realized I had tackled something way, way too complicated for a green writer. So I shifted sideways - wrote some of Master of Whitestorm as short stories to gain experience (kicked em to the curb, they were never published, but all but one of them were recycled for the novel; the one that was not still exists, written out, but it became only a reference in the novel length work).

Some of the revisions were stylistic. I 'picked' at this opening for over ten years, wrote four or five novels - while picking at it more, for years, on the side - until after Empire was finished out. I had eight novels published and multiple short works in anthologies - when I finally turned it all over and tackled it fresh, yet again - and that is the format you see in the book in front of you.

Part of that hashing out of openings - and as a reader - one of the things I encountered as a MAJOR shortfall for long series - was those essential scenes that had to go into a book, but that were definitely NOT interesting, they were just 'factoids' - and if they were written out, they slowed the impetus of a series terribly, because it's nearly impossible to write everything to a pitch that will capture the readers' interests evenly. That is still a challenge; but a critical challenge for this series where every single scene expanded outward required INTENSE attention to detail, or a skimmer who got 'bored' would miss something critical.

Further: if you read carefully you will have noticed that the timeline doesn't loop back over itself. The action is always simultaneous or forward; no 'back six months ago, in the 'other' faction's camp....etc etc).

So the little one liners were designed to neatly SOLVE this - quick encapsulations that would avoid the sprawl of a not terribly emotionally invested scene, and, to keep the 'other' camps' doings concurrent like skipping a stone over a pool. Quick, efficient, concise, with care to be sure the 'tie' to the major action threaded through.

I swiped direct inspiration for this idea from Roger Zelazny's book formatting in Lord of Light. He used three lines, at intervals, between chapters - but he made those likes REPETITIVE to hammer in a point. They all read the same, words shot into the weave like a poetic drum beat.

That format idea was so PERFECT. I used the concept to deliver vital information like a bullet list, as a meanwhile, elsewhere in the world....seemed to bog down things a lot less, too, than the 'overviews' of history taken as chapter headers in italics - that vehicle is also used to death in fantasy. I did a little, too - but as an opening frame, or to shove in a direct point, like the lines of an inscription, ballad, or prophecy that had bearing on the chapter at hand.

[Janny]

Choko wrote: "Brent, you put those questions beautifully!!! I am interested in the answers as well..."

See response above... :)

[Choko]

Thank you so much! Great explanation!

[Brent]

Two more questions for you Janny, this time sourced from the Prologue of CotM:

Why are the sages who are meditating upon events situated in the Seventh Age, specifically? I know that you're not the type to ever do "window dressing" or have extraneous details. If it's a "read and find out" then just let me know :)

The term "Lord of Light" is totally a reference to Roger Zelazny's book of the same name, right?

[Janny]

Brent wrote: "Two more questions for you Janny, this time sourced from the Prologue of CotM:

Why are the sages who are meditating upon events situated in the Seventh Age, specifically? I know that you're not th..."

Yes, on the tribute line to Zelazny; I'd explained how his formatting was an influence on my thinking.

Regarding the Seventh Age reference: I only expose the very tip of a very enormous iceberg as backdrop for this story. There were other Eras before the current one, and two prior Ages to the current Era in question. I wanted to hint that this moment in history was set into a context that extended, back and forwards, with a much, much wider scope.

Whether I actually draw on that extension - only if it bears on the story directly. If you have not read up to Arc V (last volume that I'm writing) the scope will have extended outwards a very great deal more than where you stand now. More is revealed, the farther you go; and the satellite shorts extend farther.

The Seventh Age is, definitely, far enough out of the timeline for THIS series that there are no living connections. That isn't a spoiler: the very fact the sages had to look backwards implies, between the lines, that there was no living reference to draw from. Other things can be 'extrapolated' from there, if you have a very busy mind....such as: what may have happened to the very accurate records inscribed at Althain Tower....but that for sure lies outside the scope of this series, and would, if ever, appear in a short work/or only in my pretty extensive file of notes.

There is a whole lot of stuff like that 'stuffed' between the lines; if ever there is a fan base curious enough to dig for it.

[Laura]

Hi Janny,

Could you please help us out with an explanation for this?

What does this mean exactly? (view spoiler)[ Is Arithon not allowed to use his gifts at all anymore because he chose kingship, not allowed to use them in a bad way for the benefir of his kingdom ro preserve balance, or something else?

'The master's mysteries you have learned at Rauven must never be used for political expedience" (hide spoiler)]

Thank you :)

[Laura]

I know we have asked this before but a lot of time has passed since then and a few of your shory stories have become available on your site.

Could you please let us know what are all the novellas and shorts stories we can read along with the series, when we should read them and from where we can buy them?

Thank you. :)

[Janny]

Laura wrote: "Hi Janny,

Could you please help us out with an explanation for this?

What does this mean exactly? Is Arithon not allowed to use his gifts at all anymore because he chose kingship, not allowed to..."

Hi Laura - pretty simple: a king who wielded such power over his subjects would come to be feared, perhaps be tempted to step over the line into tyranny; in addition, note: Arithon is trained strictly to look at every single situation One on One/by individual relationship. Mass rule must ride upon assumptions/choose for the many, which is an incompatible vantage for the Law of the Major Balance, which rides on permission and free will...even if the Rauven Mages might not 'call' it by that term, it would have been a founding principle of Dari's training, instilled by Sethvir.

Therefore Arithon used only Shadow to blind his enemies/who then turned on themselves....you may wish to file this away for future reference....because in the closing conflict in the last chapters of this book, the SAME tactic is used - you will get an indepth, INSIDE view from Arithon's perspective that will shed a backwash of insight into the detail of what Likely occurred against Karthan's Fleet.

If you want the full up reveal (in case you miss it later) here it is: (view spoiler)[ the invading troops from Etarra were only blinded by shadow if they continued to march FORWARD and press their conflict - any who turned Back found daylight and reprieve; so it was a free will choice that led them to their ruin. (hide spoiler)]

LOTS of things that happen in these books have a 'return loop' in perspective that show in depth reveals of what a little line rode on your assumption. Things always run deeper than they appear at first pass.

[Janny]

Laura wrote: "I know we have asked this before but a lot of time has passed since then and a few of your shory stories have become available on your site.

Could you please let us know what are all the novellas ..."

Here you go.

There are six satellite short works (five shorts, and a novella) that occur before the main events in this series. They are ALL available as singles in e format solely and directly from my website, linked here:

https://www.paravia.com/catalog/index...

I will list them in chronological order/along with their paper print release information/with suggested reading order points to be taken under advisement at your discretion because it will expand your awareness of the main events in the novels - not NECESSARILY in a bad way - you will get some early reveals, but they, in turn, will 'feed' a different sort of suspense into events as they play. You'll see more of the nuances and that will alter your first run perception but ramp up OTHER things you'd not see in a first read through.

The SUNDERING STAR
(paperback anthology Under Cover of Darkness/edited by Julie E. Czerneda and Jana Paniccia/DAW books) PRE ATHERA - set in the universe roughly ten thousand years prior to Mistwraith. Suggested to read after Fugitive Prince as it will give detailed information about one of the factions.

THE GALLANT - a novella set over 100 years prior to the opening chapters of Mistwraith. It is the Master Spellbinder Verrain's backstory, and it will give you a view of Atheran politics when things were starting to strain at the seams, but not broken, yet. NO paper print edition/originally in an anthology box set that is no longer availalable/only can be found on my website. You will see deeper into (and add a different sort of tension to) some events in Ships of Merior/Warhost of Vastmark.

BLACK BARGAIN - set three years prior to the rising in 5018, originally published in Evil is a Matter of Perspective/Grimdark Magazine, edited by Adrian Collins. DO NOT read this prior to the ending of Stormed Fortress/ARC III unless you want the tension of the mystery behind Davien's motivations revealed ahead of the series (partial) denouement.

THE DECOY - originally published in the anthology Unfettered II, edited by Shawn Speakman, Grim Oak Press, a tale of the start of the uprising in 5018. Could be read at any time/probably best after you finish Vol I, so the details line up, it's a lot to digest as an opener.

REINS OF DESTINY - another glimpse of the 5018 rising, published originally in The Solaris Book of New Fantasy edited by George Mann. Read anytime, with same caveat as above.

CHILD OF PROPHECY - takes place after the rising but before the Mistwraith's conquest. Was written to clarify reader assumptions (they tended to way way oversimplify) concerning how historical events played out. It was intended also as an opener to the series, to allow new readers who were easily overwhelmed a clear, advance look at the political ground on Athera, though events have added centuries to the mix shown in depth in this story. You could read it anytime - and gain greater insight into what Arithon and Lysaer are stepping into...the story will reveal it in little smatters, but not this in depth view. This story was originally printed in the anthology Masters of Fantasy, published by Baen and edited by Bill Fawcett and Brian Thompsen.

All of the e copies from my website come with a color cover. The anthologies, to my knowledge, are still in print, but not the box set promo that had The Gallant.

[Olivia]

Thank you :) I’ve seen your link on Twitter as well. Will go on a shopping spree once I’ve finished re-reading the first book and then slot them in as you recommended.

[Janny]

Olivia wrote: "Thank you :) I’ve seen your link on Twitter as well. Will go on a shopping spree once I’ve finished re-reading the first book and then slot them in as you recommended."

Thanks! I hope you enjoy them. The characters are quite varied and the vantage in the shorts add a whole lot of dimension that's for sure!

Oh, and I goofed, a little - The Gallant is set over Six Centures before the opening of Mistwraith, not 100 years...it is definitely a pre-rising story altogether.

[Brent]

Hey Janny, got a couple of questions for you if it's not too much trouble.

What themes are present in the Wars of Light and Shadow? And how are these themes explored in this work?

Thematic analysis has never been my forte, and I would love to be able to use this information to help explain better to people just what the Wars of Light and Shadow are about and what they can expect from the work.

[Janny]

Brent wrote: "Hey Janny, got a couple of questions for you if it's not too much trouble.

What themes are present in the Wars of Light and Shadow? And how are these themes explored in this work?

Thematic anal..."

Holy crap, Brent!!! (Wow, what you did last night! A thousand million thank yous!!!!! Blew me away.)

OMG, themes in this series - there are many of them, some very plain, some shaded subtly, and some, that readers have not even discovered, yet.

I will post this list - if you are aware of them, then, they may become a lot more apparent on a careful re-read...try not to overwhelm the readership with em...it's a lot for a new reader to swallow. All are pretty apparent from the first page, but they take on more weight and more facets as the arc sequence progresses. I am going to put these under spoiler tags in case other readers happen into here that have not read/and wish to discover for themselves. If you want 'how were they explored' in this work, that would take a much bigger post - how about if you ask where you can't see it for yourself? Cuts down on the volume, since some would be more obvious.

Obvious at vol I :

(view spoiler)[The myth of history as written by the victor
Justice vs Compassion

Ethic - the ethic of the individual view (bottom up, single vantage) vs the 'ethic' that rules top down 'for the good of the many'

The futility of war as a solution.

Ideology that fails to encourage doubt will create a ready made tool of its followers.

The charismatic 'ideal' inculcated by culture that founds hero worship in story/that persistently shapes a false ideal that blinds clear perception of actual truth.

Less obvious, but there from Vol I:

Violation defined as anything not based on free will choice

The false view of colonialism, that land can be 'owned'

Resonance (plain physics) as an applicable influence: take two different frequencies, put them together, they will create a third frequency that lies between the lower and the higher one. (hide spoiler)]

Arc II

(view spoiler)[Reinforces war/violence of any kind as a false solution/action taken way too late.

Deepens the impact of free will vs power and control

Presents the danger of 'blind faith' as creating a ready and dangerous tool of its following for anything claiming that 'ideal'.

Two sides and more in a conflict - none are 'right'

Opens the questions of redemption, catharsis and the false prison of guilt.

Starts at ground level to set the false trap - of the rubber stamp labeling a 'primitive' culture (they don't exist) based on only one culture's experience.

Delves into the psychological complexities of why human beings hang themselves up and are not always willing to heal.

Opens the concept of imagination providing non-violent solutions to implacable situations - but that human quality is too seldom used.

True power possesses the strength not to exert or even, reveal itself.

Human centric viewpoint in the world vs the wider picture where human beings are only part of a far greater whole.

All the false traps used by charisma to fabricate justification.

Dependency based influence exerted on others through catering to their fear vs influence driven by respect from not building on weakness. One goes down like syrup/the easier path, the other is harder and thornier.

Strength derived from admitting a wrong, vs the false strength of justification. And power and control exerted by building on fear and weaknesses.

Where compassion and empathy, unchecked, create vulnerable weakness, and where justice can create brazen tyranny.

How fearful, or emotionally scarred parents stifle their kids (Jinesse)

Innocent ignorance, vs wilful ignorance.
(hide spoiler)]

Arc III
(view spoiler)[
Moral High Ground - parses several 'templates' of ethics we see in history over and over. What is the 'greater good' - Does it even exist, and how does 'moral high ground' shift with growth, or a change in view point.

Environment: what constitutes abuse that could lead to disaster and is mankind or society as we know it equipped to check greed voluntarily?

Consciousness - explored from more than one angle of view. How deep does awareness reach, and is there a wider realm of experience beyond the reach of physical senses.

Catharsis, Redemption, Forgiveness - recovery. More on the false trap of 'guilt'.

The death and rebirth of hope/loss of hope and the abandonment of conscious choice and imagination as the true enemy of humankind.

Grief - how it heals, and where, unresolved, it damages growth.

The vicious trap of blind faith posed by organized religion if doubt dropped from the canon. Where that crosses the line to embrace atrocity.

What happens when a position of 'strength' becomes pitfall, or weakness, in a change of circumstances? (the hero in one case becomes the villain in another, to wit, the s'Brydion downfall)

Deeper exploration of resonance as an applicable force. (it is)

A higher reach into the ephemeral realm of consciousness.
(hide spoiler)]

Arc IV
(view spoiler)[
Resonance at a fiercer level of examination.

An alternate path of evolution (literally if humanity dared take it)

The construction of 'reality' by the senses and what our cultural background 'teaches' is to expect to 'see' determines the shape of everything encountered.

What happens when spirit is pushed beyond flesh - the physical aftershocks and where lies the 'threshold' of survivable experience.

Where do our outer perceptions mislead us, and how convoluted the human mind can become when it refuses to face itself, unclothed.

The misnomer of 'primitive culture' is brought home.

Again, Mankind's false perception of the environment as 'expendable' for its own purpose.

Start of the nonlinear nature/illusory concept of 'time'

Power and control vs free will choice.

The blinding'shortfalls' of prejudice - where (morally) what we expect to 'know and see' can be utterly wrong! (Vivet). Tyranny of the martyr - where one person's weakness can enslave another's strength of character without effort; the false traps posed by altruism IF they are based in failing to value and be true to self.

War as the abject surrender of hope.
(hide spoiler)]

And those are pretty much off the cuff/there are more buried in the intracacies/and others to come. (view spoiler)[ Creation without love being one of them, and it was mentioned as well, early on. (hide spoiler)]

[Brent]

Thank you Janny! If it's not too much trouble, could you elaborate on a few of these themes and how they're expressed, please?

The major themes of the series seem to be that of ethics, and of the futility of war - of no sides being right, with history being written and taught by the victors of any conflict. Also - that of Justice vs Compassion, and what happens when both become twisted in purpose. There are a ton more than these - but these seem to be the most prominent throughout the series, to me at least. Could you elaborate a little more as to how these are viewed and explored throughout the series?

A question that's partly about themes and partly about worldbuilding (with the answer most likely a "Read and Find Out", I'm assuming): (view spoiler)[The Law of Major Balance holds free will and personal choice sacrosanct. Yet this is a setting where divining the future is definitely a thing, in the form of prophecies and auguries - which at the initial surface seems to be diametrically opposed to and irreconcilable with the idea of free will, as it implies that at least part of future events are immutable, or that we don't have as much "real" choice as we think. How can true free will - true freedom of choice and ability - exist in such an environment?

If this is something that will be explored later on in the work (keep in mind I've only read partway into Arc 2 on the last read, before real life threw me many a curveball) then please hit me with the authorial duct tape on this :) (hide spoiler)]

And finally, a question that came to mind when I was thinking back on what I've read from Child of Prophecy and Curse of the Mistwraith last night: (view spoiler)[We know that at first the Mistwraith was active and malevolent - Child of Prophecy made a big point about people being sent off to battle the incursions of the Mistwraith as it encroached onto Athera from South Gate. Yet (and keep in mind these are assumptions on my part, informed by the story in Mistwraith) it seemed that after Traithe made his sacrifice to close off South Gate, the incursion stopped - and what was already on Athera, well, it spread out as much as it could until I'm assuming it blanked the entire planet. And again, an assumption on my part, it seemed that the more it spread out, the less actively malevolent it got/ability it had, so all it could really do was choke out the sunlight for 500 years and not much else.

Part of my question is, how accurate is this assumption? And the other part is, exactly how sentient/aware was the Mistwraith while it blanked the whole of Athera - or at least the whole of Paravia? Its presence covered the entire continent - and I feel it's more than a safe assumption that the Mistwraith is capable of thought and a sense of self. So the question is, all the comings and going of Paravia for a span of 500 years - was it privy to every detail, every word said, every action done over that span of time? And if so, what was it able to learn? (hide spoiler)]

[Janny]

Brent wrote: "Thank you Janny! If it's not too much trouble, could you elaborate on a few of these themes and how they're expressed, please?

The major themes of the series seem to be that of ethics, and of the ..."

The themes you mentioned - how are they explored throughout the series? Look for what point of view or decision a character made at the start of the story - and how a change that impacted them shifted their view of their action and choice. They revisit what they 'thought they believed' and change how they handle their future decisions; or they don't, and they dig in and how they justify or stand their ground demonstrates how the themes play pretty intricate detail.

The specifics that follow won't be at all, not nearly complete, because: that would take a massive rundown of the books that really is best brought up in discussion as you go, phase by phase. It may give you a crude overview to start with:

Second: the themes also reprise, again and again, throughout by way of reader perception. Read how a character acts in a situation, based on the information they have OR based on what the reader 'thinks' they know - or assumes - and then proceed to another arc, where an unveiling or shift in vantage (say discovering the moral high ground from which that choice was executed was NOT what you thought) and bang! Readership must revise or re-justify their former stance, even as the characters do.

How many facets of assumption blindside the reality of what is, in full, presented on the page - the pitfalls to human communication are so many and often dangerous - and there are direct consequences to the failure to empathize, communicate, or examine a situation fully before reacting.

(view spoiler)[ In general: Arithon presents the intricate view where the individual stance is the 'center' - each situation is responded to one on one/and that stance is flexible and open enough and honest enough to grow. Compassion and empathy destroy assumption faster than anything, but, they also erode boundaries in a big way. When an individual cannot turn a blind eye to suffering, they are vulnerable, all the time, every time - which is 'key' to his guarded character. His boundary (inward) is very very stiff, vs, the thin boundary, from the outside in. He has strong protections for the permeabllity of outside individual views manipulating him.

Lysaer - is the 'for the many'/sacrifice the individual stance for the 'greater good' and build Law that is Fair - only - if he stumbles, if he misapprises - the effects are massive. He thinks he is being altruistic - but can he see widely enough to really tell? 'Fairness' and Justice can be manipulated easily through lack of correct information. And at the apex, where judgment is necessary - the pinnacle can be blinding.

Arithon builds friendship on strengths (and it is not always comfortable! for the one interacting with him). His interactions create growth, intimacy, and independence.

Lysaer builds co-dependencies on weaknesses. He makes people 'feel good' by never confronting their shortfalls - and by 'cozening' those shortfalls to 'work' towards reliance on him as savior.

To see this, check out, in depth, Dakar's arc in the first three volumes....how do the characters interact with each - also, how does Lysaer handle Jinesse vs Arithon's handling. Seen through this lens, the character patterns are very plain.

Look at the change of opinion that Caolle, Diegan, Talith (and later on, Sulfin Evend) undergo.

Then look at your own shifts of opinion, particularly in Arc III/as you encounter the 'moral high ground' taken by the various factions....were those factions what you 'thought' they were or did their actions shine in a different light when you learned about the 'drivers' behind their interactions. (hide spoiler)]

Regarding Prophecy - there are several 'sorts' presented in the series. One is not fixed!!! It is based on 'probabilities' - projected futures that stem from Existing Beliefs and arcs of intent IN THE MOMENT - projected forward as probabilities - some will be more prominent. Some will be less likely to happen. The nexus view in the moment - as the arcs of intent/belief/ are projected forward will form Intersections where actions are most likely to knot together and 'create' a standing wave (physics again) of impact - a harmonic resonance - of force in motion that is Not Easily Disrupted...this is how Sethvir Sees based on his earth-sensed awareness (like looking at 'the weather' - it is a complex series of projections/moving forces - the closer to the 'event' the more accurate the forecast - at longer range, those forces are averages - projected forward. Sethvir reads the 'emotional' weather of EVERYTHING, simultaneously - so his projections are bound to be pretty tight....our own modeling of weather on earth can pretty much predict La Nina and El Nino months in advance...the currents, temps, movement - all add up. So you have probabilities that DO ride on free will - because vectors of intent Can change...characters can opt not to take the predictable course. Prophecy is Not Fixed in this regard.

Then you have Dakar's forecasts - the ones where he is conscious are simply Second Sight, where he's picking up strong waves of probability (time is illusory, right? So future event impacts simultaneously outside sensory perception which IS locked in time). Then there are Dakar's 'wild prophecies' which ARE fixed, and he is NOT conscious - nor does he remember them. THESE ARE DIFFERENT!!! and authorial duct tape is firmly in place, since Song of the Mysteries will reveal why.

(view spoiler)[ then there is prophecy that has roots to the Biedar in Sanpashir - whelp, those babies are masterly powerful!!! It is demonstrated, several times, that they can MANIPULATE event, operate OUTSIDE of time, Change outcomes across the stream of probability/even, occupy TWO REALITIES AT ONCE. And they do it: in plain sight in Sundering Star. They do it;!! they are seriously NOT to be messed with. If you re-check what you read of them, the intense scenes, a lot of what they are is in plain sight, and there is more coming.

Then you have the forecasts shown through the Elementals - that is a whole other ballpark....!!! I'd have to 'define' what those forces are and - some is in the books - some lies outside the range of this story...think 'physics made conscious' and you are beginning to grapple the concept - are you Really ready to delve that deep?? So many who read this series don't delve into the deeps that are there - I didn't want to 'scare' them off! and in so many respects, that is still true...more to this world than is on the page, you really are viewing the tip of the iceberg in alot of respects.

Then there is the sort of reality occupied by Ath's Adepts - best explored via Kevor's experience/Verrain's life change in The Gallant/what happens (and doesn't) in Lysaer's encounters in Ships and in Arc III. Adepts operate at frequencies outside the range of senses, too, they can leave the continuum of Time and return (but they don't manipulate). They work by shifting the template of belief and intent - as forerunners of 'reality' as we know it - change the template, apply high frequency response, you get a different reality in outcome. (hide spoiler)]

Free will Always plays, every single time - but how hard is it to truly change a belief, an intent, a learned reaction, the thrust of the habits instilled by fear/ignorance/insecurity/PTSD from trauma? How radically DO people change, or do they just intensify as they age? Changing a core belief is unwinding an interrelated Tangle of experiences - how much time for introspective thought to many people take in their lives, when just stress and survival occupy them 24/7?

Free will can be influenced - and it happens - look at Arithon and Asandir's encounter at Caith-Al-Caen in Mistwraith....and also, the moment where Arithon, confronted by Asandir for his behavior in the Pass of Orlan, realizes he is only Not Free because of his own ethic!!! in the subchapter titled Confrontation. "You are telling me things that might all have been prevented." and its following line, "If the Fellowship were to use power to COMPROMISE a man's destiny, yes."

Then the double barrel blast that puts the ball back onto personal responsibility in Arithon's court: "You would let me go that simply."
and Asandir responds: "I would." The Sorcerer added: "But let us be accurate. Would you let yourself?" (YOU GIVE ME KARTHAN ALL OVER AGAIN!) and Asandir's response, that shatters the blind: THE MAN WOULD NOT STAND HERE WHO DID NOT CHOOSE KARTHAN FIRST."
Arithon's final awareness: "The bitterest enemy (of free choice) is myself, then."

And it is a master's awareness, that Arithon already KNOWS/and has demonstrated he knows:

"Show me the hero, and I will show you the man enslaved by his competence."

There is so darned much woven into these little moments of exchange if time is taken to parse them in depth/not in a rush to 'see what happens' alone, but how the entanglements of character steer 'destiny' that is in fact self-created, moment to moment, year upon year, century up century.

"Much can change in the course of five centuries."
and Asandir's notice: Much has not changed at all in the course of five centuries.

Another pivotal scene I've not (yet) seen a discussion 'dissect' is the moment of (view spoiler)[ Arithon's redemption in Kewar. Step by step, the moment of denouement when he Actually receives the epiphany and Actually changes his perception/surmounts the false guilt that is crushing him down. Look for the exchange in Peril's Gate when the Centaur guardian challenges him to 'disown' himself. (hide spoiler)]

The Mistwraith - is actually written into the story (again, not examined closely enough) - there are key scenes that expose and develop it. You are correct to note that the overall effect weakened after the closure of South Gate/spread across the entire world. But there is nuance (unexplored) in the text that defines its nature quite clearly (with, naturally, much more coming in Song of the Mysteries) so let me mull this so that I know what I can say further, or if it ought to be left right here until the final volume is in your hands. (Don't want to make a forest for the trees reveal/accidentally, that I think is inconsequential, when it isn't). it's a pitfall I'm wary of, when I know what was written into the books, but - perhaps everything there is still overlooked/since I know the resolve and you don't yet.

[Brent]

Thank you so much Janny! You've sure given me a ton to contemplate and ponder on now. And I figured that my last question there would be met with a giant :x for an answer, but I felt it was a question worth asking, regardless!

A few more questions, these ones extend outside the scope of this volume though:

1) Arc 3: (view spoiler)[I know that when you wrote Fugitive Prince, your publisher imposed a harsh limit on the wordcount/pagecount of the volume that caused you to conclude events in the volume before you wished/had hoped to. If your publisher didn't insist such a harsh limit on the size of Fugitive Prince, how might the first half of the Alliance of Light have looked nowadays as a result? (Within reason, though - no 2,000 page long volume that concludes at Kewar Tunnel lol) (hide spoiler)]

2) Arc 4: (view spoiler)[I read a post of yours somewhere - I believe that it was on the Paravia discus forums - about why you chose to open up Arc 4 in the time that you did. Something about how one character had pulled so much farther ahead of another in terms of development, and you needed a way to halt the former's development to let the latter catch up, but I cannot seem to find this post now. Does this ring any bells, and if so, do you think you could explain again/more in depth the reasoning behind this? (hide spoiler)]

3) Master of Whitestorm: (view spoiler)[Again, I read a post but on the Goodreads forum this time, about the suggestions your editor made for you to use to change/alter the manuscript of Master of Whitestorm, but once again I'm failing to find this post again. Once again, if it's not too much trouble could you shed some light on this one more time? (hide spoiler)]

Again, thank you so much Janny for all of your help!

[Janny]

Brent wrote: "Thank you so much Janny! You've sure given me a ton to contemplate and ponder on now. And I figured that my last question there would be met with a giant :x for an answer, but I felt it was a quest..."

There was no page limit on Fugitive Prince, beyond, if it is too fat, we can't publish it...ARC III could not be made to fit other than breaking it into five segments.

Q. 2 (view spoiler)[ Lysaer's arc had to be slowed down so other aspects of the world picture could be developed for denouement to happen in stride. (hide spoiler)]

Master of Whitestorm hit the wall with the first contract when two editorial letters requested massive changes that made NO sense/would have radically shifted the plot line and made the book as it stands a shallower read. Turned out, under pressured examination, what the publisher really wanted was greater profit margin by shortening the length, with no regard for the quality of the story. I pulled the book/resold it, and repaid their advance.

The demanded changes to 'shorten' were: (view spoiler)[ Make the affrray with Carralin a 'romantic tryst' (whaatt???) and get the dwarves' antics in sooner, and KILL entirely the chapters where Ithariel gets compromised with the White Circle Wizards by the Valjir in Alhaerie - in short, eliminate Korendir facing his 'greatest fear' - el Nope!! I declined to sabotage the intent of the story which is about a character dealing with PTSD and his deepest fear, facing them, and surmounting the trauma. (hide spoiler)]

[Janny]

A note on the order of the 'satellite shorts' connected with Wars of Light and Shadow - if you plan to read them at the tail end of the novels - they can be read chronologically by Atheran date. (although truthfully they are all stand alone/not connected to each other directly and could be read in any order).

The dates (and hence, the chronological order) are listed on the front covers.

That sequence/with the six existing shorts would be:

Sundering Star (prehistory)
The Gallant
Black Bargain
The Decoy
Reins of Destiny
Child of Prophecy

If you are reading them, interleaved between the series novels, this order is not advised (some spoilers involved, particularly Black Bargain).

[Laura]

Janny wrote: "A note on the order of the 'satellite shorts' connected with Wars of Light and Shadow - if you plan to read them at the tail end of the novels - they can be read chronologically by Atheran date. (a..."

Thank you Janny. :) We'll add them in this order in our BR.

[Laura]

Hi Janny. I have a little question unrelated to WoLaS

Does your The Master of Whitestorm feature any middle aged characters?
This is one of the few I haven't read yet but plan to.

[Janny]

Laura wrote: "Hi Janny. I have a little question unrelated to WoLaS

Does your The Master of Whitestorm feature any middle aged characters?
This is one of the few I haven't read yet but plan to."

Depends how you define 'middle aged'. Both MCs are grown. The side kick Haldeth would be in his middle thirties. Mature viewpoint/in no way coming of age/not a YA read.

[Laura]

Janny wrote: "Laura wrote: "Hi Janny. I have a little question unrelated to WoLaS

Does your The Master of Whitestorm feature any middle aged characters?
This is one of the few I haven't read yet b..."

That would be a perfect fit Janny. Thank you. :)

[Laura]

Hi Janny,

In the ongoing read-along over on r/fantasy a few readers are wondering about the Red Desert and Dascen Elur.

If it's ok, I'd like to ask over here a few of the questions raised there.


The Red Desert and Mearth - is this another splinter world like Dascen Elur? What does "splinter world" mean in this context? Are splinter worlds perhaps worlds that only have one Worldsend Gate? Is the world of the Red Desert a "dead" world, ie no other living beings?

[Laura]

Then we have this:
A reference to different constellations is made. Does this mean they are in a different galaxy?

[Janny]

Hi Laura, happy to answer anything that comes up.

"Splinter worlds' would refer to any world connected to Athera by way of a Worldsend Gate.

So, yes, Mearth and the Red desert are both on the world of Racinne Pasy (name probably never mentioned in text that I recall, part of the great iceberg you never saw/in my notes). The Red Desert where the Worldsend Gates are located is dead; other regions may not be.

There is a reason for the Red Desert being the location of the Gates to Dascen Elur (never stated!! it is in my historical reference notes -- may want to flag Brian for the wiki as this is the first time I've put this out in public).

The Red Desert has no standing water, salt or otherwise. It is brutally dry. While Mearth once was inhabited, and had wells, there is no native plantlife in the wild. Mearth was walled and defended (By Paravians originally). The Five Centuries Fountain was totally isolated/a creation of Davien's/the trees there also a creation of Daviens.

Reason: Athera in the First and Second Age had Greater Krakens, a nasty scourge of them...in fact, there was a whole range of brutally predatory drake spawn that tore the Paravian civilizations apart, repeatedly. These creatures were eventually taken in hand by the Fellowship Sorcerers - and an agreement was forged - they got to live free on Dascen Elur PROVIDED they ceased predation. Mankind settled Dascen Elur (from Mearth) to fish, primarily.

The Greater Krakens still inhabit the oceans - they have kept their agreement/no predation (though they do prey on seagoing species to eat).

The Red Desert - Racinne Pasy and the Red Desert was a 'buffer' - Krakens could not cross/there could be no return route for invasion to trouble Athera, and in the Third Age when Mistwraith and the Wars of Light and Shadows takes place, the Fellowship still minds the agreement.

You will encounter a referent mention in Arc V, regarding some weapons used against the Greater Kraken, and still stored at Althain Tower. There is a referent mention also, of the weapons Sethvir maintains as Althain Tower's Warden.

All four Gates, and each of the splinter worlds had a 'function' at their inception, whether the story includes that or not/it's in my archives.

[Laura]

There is one reader who is a bit confused as far as gates and lanes are concerned.

Here is his doubt:

- the West Gate is on the Second Lane here, but Northstrait is officially on the First, and later the Second runs near Erdane and the Third through Earle. So even allowing for lanes to not be straight lines on the map (which makes sense since they're pole to pole), that's a heck of a swerve to one side.')

Could you please help us out and let us know if we missed something here?

[Laura]

Janny wrote: "Hi Laura, happy to answer anything that comes up.

"Splinter worlds' would refer to any world connected to Athera by way of a Worldsend Gate.

So, yes, Mearth and the Red desert are both on the wor..."

Thank you! :)
That is very helpful. :)

[Janny]

Laura wrote: "There is one reader who is a bit confused as far as gates and lanes are concerned.

Here is his doubt:

- the West Gate is on the Second Lane here, but Northstrait is officially on the First, and ..."

The First Lane runs through Corith/last bit left of the sunken lands of ancient Mhorovaire. What they may not have figured: this is a mercator projection/global map would be more obvious.

[Laura]

One more question from the read-along Janny, if that's ok with you.
Regarding the accent of Clansmen and people from Dascen Elur.

Here is the reader's doubt:

'I find it a little weird that the Clansmen have exactly the same accent as people from Dascen Elur. In five hundred years, there is almost no chance that the language has evolved in the same direction when people have had no contact, so maybe there was in fact no significant evolution in all this time? I can understand that on Athera, since there are at least 7 immortals (and possibly a lot of people who drank from the fountain) who can "freeze" the language, and have friendly relations with the clansmen (since the other side tend to burn them), but how did the language/accent not evolve on Dascen Elur? And did the town's people already had this accent 500 years ago, or did it evolve? If so why?'

Could you help us out please?

[Laura]

And a fun question about the Khadrim from another reader.

'Khadrim - They're evil dragons and you can't convince me otherwise. On a serious note, why did they kill everyone but not eat them? Are these like the Stormwings from Tortall - creatures made to punish humans? Or are they just pissed off after being locked up and take their revenge on any suitable target? Is there intelligence there? I need more information.'

Could you help us out please? :)

[Laura]

And another question about the calendar.

'18,000 years when the sword was forged, yet the calendar date we are given in this section mentions "Second Age 2545" which means there's at least 2 calendar systems, if not more, at play here.'

What is the year we're at in book 1? Which Age?
And could we have a bit more information about the ages please?

[Janny]

Laura wrote: "One more question from the read-along Janny, if that's ok with you.
Regarding the accent of Clansmen and people from Dascen Elur.

Here is the reader's doubt:

'I find it a little weird that the Cl..."

Sure thing.

This stems from historical detail - and you may want to spoiler tag this, it's a mild reveal, certainly won't upset the story, but in due time, it will unfold in the books.

Clans held a designate role under the compact - to serve at the boundaries of the free wilds and maintain the safe separation between humanity and the Paravian presence. High Kings were direct, living liaison - they handled petitions in humanity's behalf, and it was dangerous business, they died young in due course of handling this direct contact. This demanded the use of the Paravian language, in its original spoken form, to dialogue with the Paravians. (This differs from Actualized Paravian, which is reactive and the dialogue of creation).

High Kings/clans - were well schooled in this language/fluent.

The original purity of their accents has degraded just a bit over the Mistwraith's incursion. Not too much. (Just as American English accents, according to what historians have claimed in papers, bears a closer relationship to the times in which they left England - whereas England's engilish has shifted and evolved)

Townfolk lived under town law in STRICT separation from the Paravian presence. They speak a patois - some words derived from Paravian, and others from their own origins. (Humanity is not native to Athera).

Dascen Elur's population was clan based, more than not, and Arithon and Lysaer are directly descended of the High Kings from Athera....so their accents more closely follow the influence of the Paravian spoken by that faction.

Well enough to trigger the 'assumption' they were from barbarian origins on Athera.

You will see more definition of this reference going forward.

[Janny]

Laura wrote: "And another question about the calendar.

'18,000 years when the sword was forged, yet the calendar date we are given in this section mentions "Second Age 2545" which means there's at least 2 calen..."

Curse of the Mistwraith opens in Third Age Year 5627.
Third Age Year One began with the arrival of refugee Mankind.

The Second Age of Athera extended for 13,051 years. It began with Second Age Year One - arrival of the Fellowship Sorcerers.

So the swords forged at Isaer were created in the Second Age/plus the Third Age years, after the calendar reset, added on.

The First Age of Athera began with the arrival of Ath's Gift to the World - the three Paravian races...and it lasted for 827 Years.

These three Ages are in the Era of Redemption. (Which followed the Era of Creation/then the Era of Destruction)

The Era of Redemption preceded the forth Era, which is the Era of Enlightenment.

There were corrections made to the historical times that were typos in the original vol I.

[Janny]

Laura wrote: "And a fun question about the Khadrim from another reader.

'Khadrim - They're evil dragons and you can't convince me otherwise. On a serious note, why did they kill everyone but not eat them? Are t..."

The Khadrim are not dragons.

They are in the catagory of Greater Drake Spawn (created by dragons). There are MANY kinds of creatures that are termed 'Drakespawn' - Iyats are 'lesser' drake spawn. There are wyverns on Athera - and they are lesser drake spawn/non fire breathing cousins of Khadrim.

"Greater" drake spawn usually have language/communication and are a great deal more dangerous. Some are extinct. Some are banished. Some are held in check, variously.

There are more and worse Greater Drake Spawn than Khadrim, by far.

The Isaervian swords affect all of them/to different degrees.

They are not harmless, they vary as to how vicious they are, and yes, Khadrim would EAT PEOPLE/if they were sated, they would continue to destroy what they could and leave the carcasses. They are one of the dangerous kind that are (generally) held in check.

They are drakespawn, and as such, a different form of consciousness.

[Laura]

Thank you Janny.

That helps a lot.

On a side note, Readers have found several typos in my chapter summaries. Mistakes of names. I'll edit those out in my r/fantasy posts, as well as in the GR posts.

Should I let Brian know about the changes? Since he uploaded those summaries from GR it's a fair guess my typos will be on Wiki too.

[Janny]

The would be great, certainly let Brian know if you have the time.

[Laura]

Hi Janny,

I may have made a mistake on my chapter summaries. One related to interpretation, and other readers have pointed that out.

Could you please shed some light on the matter?

When the Seven divine the strands, the second option is:

'let the Mistwraith's hold over sky and sun abide unbroken, while the powers that offered it's sole downfall, two princes' inherited gifts of Light and Shadow, became sundered by their hand to preserve the peace.'

Does it mean to kill the princes out right or simply strip them of their inherited gifts and let them live?


I also have one more question. Are the Seven able to use elemental power just like Arithon and Lysaer?

If yes, are they not using them against the Mistwraith because they are constricted to act against it by the Law of Major Balance?

[Janny]

Hi Laura, the Fellowship Sorcerers absolutely would not have killed in this instance, the second premise is correct.

There are concerns regarding the Mistwraith that will not be fully revealed until Arc V, so I can't directly answer your Q here without spoilers. Yes, the Sorcerers could wield elemental power directly. Could does not mean should, and the other constraints, the story will make very plain in due time.

Thank you for the exemplary job with the discussion! You have been very thorough, and the dedication shown is amazing.