Who We Were
I was recently looking through some of my old materials for inspiration and found one that might be interesting to share. I’ve mentioned in previous articles that my original plan…
Matters of Perspective
As I contemplated an article for this week (all my current ideas having failed to garner any inspiration), I got to thinking about legacies. Although the events of the past…
Tyranny of the One and the Many
As the last act of “Tears from Iron” gains momentum into the climax, the Empress Kayrstana worries about the undercurrents of the Syraestari imperial court. From these concerns, she makes…
A Yearning for the Epic II: The Last Stand
Last article, I began the discussion of how we all yearn for the epic and, even if our lives are more mundane than our childhood dreams, the paths we choose…
A Yearning for the Epic
I think there is a part in all of us that yearns for the epic. It begins with the unfettered dreams of childhood with aspirations to be an astronaut, a…
Nefarious Villainy!
The latest string of articles continues to evolve. We began with elves and the Aestari which included a discussion of good and evil. This led to talking about the nature…
Here there be Monsters
With the previous article concluding on the nature of good and evil, it felt appropriate to follow that discussion with one on monsters. There is a growing trend in epic…
To Be Aestari
[The Aestari] are tall, taller even than the Humans or the Ie’dhae who came after, and slight of frame with long features, sharp noses, angular cheeks, and pointed ears. To…
They’re Just Elves, Right?
One of basic components of fantasy is the blending of the familiar with the fanciful. But sway too far one way or the other and the majority of readers will…
Is Combat Boring? Jordan’s High Lord Turok and Dumai’s Wells
Today marks the conclusion of this four-part revisiting of the theories of combat in literature. I had begun by positing that combat is boring for a myriad of reasons. The…