tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post4261967223974295676..comments2023-11-03T03:30:26.920-07:00Comments on E.L. Wagner's Umbral Musings: The Next Big ThingE.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-71244353758094124252012-10-08T19:29:27.002-07:002012-10-08T19:29:27.002-07:00Thanks, Nick and Fen. I never read Friedman, but I...Thanks, Nick and Fen. I never read Friedman, but I certainly was influenced by various presentations of shadow magic, blood magic and necromancy in various novels I've read and computer games I've played.<br /><br />The magically informed medicine has been a sticking point for some readers (not a deal breaker, but it's raised some questions about whether my world is too scientifically "advanced" for a magic-based fantasy world), even though most fantasy novels have some kind of magical healing. It may be because my magic is mechanistic/naturalistic in nature, so I actually describe what it is the healers are seeing and manipulating in a couple of places rather than having them channel powers from the gods or something without understanding them.<br /><br />I'm softening the IV to a subdermal injection in the rewrite, I think, since there are less potential hazards with that type of injection (bubbles in the line, fluids that are not perfectly isotonic, etc). But really, the only reason they couldn't have had hypodermics earlier than they did was because metallurgy was too crude to make hollow needles with sufficiently small bores (though the Chinese did experiment with some, even so). But in fantasy novels, they always have these fantastic, magical metals and ways of enchanting items--so why in the heck wouldn't some of those magical innovations be used for things besides weapons and glowy balls of light?E.L. Wagnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-31728685949344889332012-10-08T19:10:33.154-07:002012-10-08T19:10:33.154-07:00Well, I can say as someone who really doesn't ...Well, I can say as someone who really doesn't prefer reading high fantasy, it was the highly conflicting, self-torturing people that completely drew me in to this book and the subtle details that really separate your world from the typical high fantasy (like the fact that they have invented syringes and IVs. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-33764122249420213052012-10-08T18:48:12.579-07:002012-10-08T18:48:12.579-07:00I like Jewel Staite as Tesk. I think that's a ...I like Jewel Staite as Tesk. I think that's a good pick. The magic in the story reminds me a bit of C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy, especially the Umbral magic.Erikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04406903657837367974noreply@blogger.com