tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67049855218144299172024-03-13T13:37:53.828-07:00E.L. Wagner's Umbral MusingsE.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-65348452423334807902017-02-05T16:45:00.003-08:002017-02-05T16:45:48.466-08:00This anti-fascism, anti-racist video, "Don't Be a Sucker" (which is is the public domain) is from the US War Department and is 70 years old but is still relevant today.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/23X14HS4gLk/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/23X14HS4gLk?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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History <i>will</i> repeat itself if we don't learn from it.<br />
<br />
I had to link this from you tube, because the site where I originally viewed this wouldn't link via blogger. Here's a link to the site where I first saw it.<br />
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<a href="https://archive.org/details/DontBeaS1947">https://archive.org/details/DontBeaS1947</a><br />
<br />
I'm really worried about the things that are happening in our country right now. If you are too, call your senators and representatives and relevant committees and government agencies. If you're not sure how to start, the <a href="https://5calls.org/">5 Calls</a> site is a good resource.<br />
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<br />E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-51226272216405324412016-11-11T16:04:00.003-08:002016-11-11T19:15:33.356-08:00Three Days After<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
So, it's almost 3:00 here, and I'm still in my PJs. Yeah,
it's been that kind of week, and I know I'm not alone.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I rarely speak directly about politics in this blog, though I'm
guessing most people can tell where I stand on things based on my feelings about
diversity in fiction. Overall, I'm a pretty conflict-adverse person, and I know
many women (and other, even more vulnerable people) who receive harassment and
threats for airing their views online.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Nonetheless, I have to say s<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">omething</i> about this election. Like half (or <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/opinion/clintons-substantial-popular-vote-win.html">more
than half</a>) of voting America, I spent the first Tuesday evening in November
in a state that started with hearty denial (well, Romney got off to an early
lead too, and all of these are "red" states) to still clinging to
hope (Well, shit about Ohio, but there's no way Wisconsin, Michigan, and
Pennsylvania can <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> go red) to shock,
followed by sick grief.</div>
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<br /></div>
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No election has affected me like this. I grew up during the
Reagan years, so I'm used to political disappointment and frustration. Like all
Americans, I've had elections not go my way and have walked around feeling blue
and anxious about the future of our country because of it. This is different,
though. It's more than just politics or fear that the kinds of programs and
policies I support will be stalled for another four years, or even just fear of
another Scalia type on SCOTUS. I've never felt this mixture of grief and fear.
It's as if someone I loved has died.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoVZmGEuELxW4k1rYiQnrG6-v3D-bqJFIKaKULAduf-2tLb2su8X1McV2IgjNX5oRsMyulhJW7lEJP-wSsp3ZQc6il-36iLzO_MSlFxkKaoHZi44HFNWDLEeIvnNzGfPLl1Rj6MWCZ8Hc/s1600/Flick+sadness.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoVZmGEuELxW4k1rYiQnrG6-v3D-bqJFIKaKULAduf-2tLb2su8X1McV2IgjNX5oRsMyulhJW7lEJP-wSsp3ZQc6il-36iLzO_MSlFxkKaoHZi44HFNWDLEeIvnNzGfPLl1Rj6MWCZ8Hc/s320/Flick+sadness.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how I feel right now.</td></tr>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2016/11/09/stronger-together-but-so-far-apart/">Many</a>
<a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com/2016/11/09/early-morning-thoughts-on-the-day-after/">visible,</a>
<a href="http://www.kameronhurley.com/its-morning-in-america/">eloquent</a> and
<a href="http://thebooksmugglers.com/2016/11/the-day-after-the-day-after.html">talented</a>
people have aired thoughts and feelings similar to mine over the past few days</span>, so
I honestly don't think I can say anything newly profound, let alone have any impact,
with this blog that has "tens" of regular followers. But
there's one thing that's starting to bug me: white, straight, cisgendered
people who are telling people that everything will be all right, even
sneering at people for being afraid "just because they lost an election."</div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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This isn't about just losing another election. Yes, I'd be
frustrated and somewhat angry if we now had another President Bush or Kasich or
Rubio (or, shudder, Cruz) etc. to look forward to, especially with congress
also being under the control of the GOP and a Supreme court with several
liberal and several aging moderate justices. But we don't have a qualified,
competent politician, or even a rational, well-meaning human being at our helm.
We have Trump (and Pence, who is <a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a4494411/mike-pence-anti-abortion-views/">in</a>
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/04/mike-pence-zealot-vice-presidential-debate-republicans">many</a>
<a href="http://billmoyers.com/story/need-know-mike-pence-ahead-rnc-speech/">ways</a>,
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/2016/10/04/what-media-need-know-about-mike-pence-s-economic-record/213497">just</a>
<a href="http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/07/mike-pences-top-seven-homophobic-moments-many/">as</a>
<a href="http://www.politifact.com/california/statements/2016/jul/28/gavin-newsom/true-mike-pence-advocated-conversion-therapy/">chilling</a>,
and with the political chops to back it up).</div>
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<br /></div>
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I won't list all the reasons I think he's unqualified to be
president, in terms of experience, temperament, character, or goals, or why I think he's going to be a disaster for everything from the economy and national security to human rights. <a href="http://grrm.livejournal.com/506110.html">Others</a> have done this very
well indeed. <a href="http://nkjemisin.com/2016/11/well-here-we-fucking-go/">Others</a>
have also done a good job of expressing the anger and disappointment I share that
most of the white people in America, even most white women, voted for a man endorsed
by the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-updates-trail-guide-kkk-trump-north-carolina-1478822255-htmlstory.html">KKK</a>
and who wants to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/20/opinions/obeidallah-trump-anti-muslim/">discriminate
based on religion</a>. A man who <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/09/van-jones-near-tears-on-cnn-this-is-a-deeply-painful-moment-in-america.html?source=TDB&via=FB_Page">frightens
children</a>. A man who <a href="http://correctrecord.org/trumps-disrespect-for-our-military-veterans-and-military-families-2/">disrespects</a>
the men and women in uniform who have sacrificed their lives, freedom, or
health for this country. A man who wants to <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/donald-trump-trust-me-to-overturn-the-shocking-gay-marriage-decision/">overturn
the Oberfell</a> decision and feels that discrimination against LGBTQ+ <a href="http://www.hrc.org/blog/gop-frontrunner-donald-trump-doubles-down-on-anti-lgbt-positions">people
should be a protected form of free speech</a>.<br />
<br />
I'm not at all proud of my race
today, and I earnestly hope that we will be just one of many minority groups in
the not-too-distant future. No one group should have the ability to deprive
others of their basic rights, and sadly, the white majority, as a group, has
shown they're not willing to go to bat for others. Instead we think of success and security <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/11/10/american-right-inside-the-sacrifice-zone/">as a line we're all waiting in for years and years</a> and shake our fists at other groups for, in our perception,"taking cuts." Think what we could do if she stopped acting like a bunch of dogs fighting over the last few scraps of meat and instead questioned why the fucking line is so long to begin with and why we all have to paddle so hard just to keep our chins above water. I get that many Trump voters didn't specifically choose to support
him <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">because</i> of the bigotry and racism
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/clinton-wasnt-wrong-about-the-deplorables-among-trumps-supporters/2016/09/12/93720264-7932-11e6-beac-57a4a412e93a_story.html">(though
too many did</a>), but they were willing to tolerate it as <a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com/2016/11/10/the-cinemax-theory-of-racism/">part
of a package deal</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So please, please, please stop telling people who are scared
and hurting they shouldn't be heartbroken and afraid. Some of us are more
fortunate, more secure, than others and can possibly ride out another major
recession, and (because of our race, gender, and orientation) we can hope be emerge personally unscathed from a period of rising intolerance for diversity and
human rights. Some of us <a href="http://sd24.senate.ca.gov/news/2016-11-09-joint-statement-california-legislative-leaders-result-presidential-election">live
in states</a> that are going to at least try to resist the New World Order. Lucky us, but even so, we're not immune from the potential harm. I'm already
wondering what will happen to the mental health care coverage in our insurance
plan when the ACA (which mandates mental health coverage) is repealed, and I'm
wondering how generous my state legislature and senate (and voters) will be
with keeping the money flowing to make up for lost federal dollars if we go
into another recession that depletes their coffers again. I'm wondering what will happen to the funding for the college where I teach, semester to semester on an as-needed basis, if the economy goes south again. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm not just scared for myself, though. You see, I
care about people who aren't just like me. I don't assume that everyone who is less fortunate is where they are from being lazy or stupid. Not everyone will be equally insulated
from harm when (and with the GOP controlling both houses, and soon, SCOTUS, it
seems like a when, not an if) Trump's policies start to take effect. Half of us
aren't male and are wondering what kind of behavior and harassment of women we
might see more of over the next few years, since we've gotten a man who calls
women pigs and dogs and thinks bragging about sexual assault is just generic
"male banter" in the white house. Will sexual harassment in the
workplace become another protected form of "free speech?"</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've got friends,
family, students and colleagues who aren't white, straight, economically
secure, cisgendered, Christian (or likely to be taken as such by casual
observation). What are their lives going to be like now? <a href="http://www.jimchines.com/2016/11/yes-i-am-afraid/">Jim
C. Hines</a> did a good job of listing reasons why many of us are afraid in his
blog the other day. I don't see any point in duplicating those reasons here.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In light of all this, it's rather insulting to tell us we're
being melodramatic when we say we think Trump and his movement remind us more
of certain events in1930s-era Germany than it does the ascension of Silvio Berlusconi
in Italy (not that the latter would be anything to be complacent about either).
If you don't agree or understand, there's not much I can do to sway you. But if
you can't lend support to your distraught friends, colleagues, and family
members, please don't try to feed us platitudes about how everything will be
okay. I'd love for that to be true, for this to be just another election cycle
that didn't go the way approximately half of us wanted, but I don't have a lot
of optimism right now.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I think we will be seeing more of <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/a-black-church-burned-in-the-name-of-trump/506246/">these</a>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/us/police-investigate-attacks-on-muslim-students-at-universities.html">kinds</a>
<a href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/11/trump-voters-threatened-women-people-of-color-yesterday.html">of</a>
<a href="http://wncn.com/2016/11/09/downtown-durham-graffiti-takes-aim-at-black-voters/">crimes</a>
over the next few years, and it makes me feel ill. When will our country
finally lay this shit to rest?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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The only thing that gives me hope is huge number of people
who are drawing together, pledging to support those who need it most. Planning
to fight back. If there has ever been a time to get involved, to reach out to
those who are most vulnerable, this is it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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One thing I do want to say to the friends (offline and
online), neighbors, and family members who are more vulnerable than I am: I
won't mock or dismiss your fears, and I'll do whatever I can to support you and
have your back. If you need something, please let me know.</div>
E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-7593835429972240772016-08-17T15:54:00.002-07:002016-08-17T16:18:23.073-07:00Female-Centered Stories and Some Thoughts on Man PainMy husband and I went to a drive-in movie a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't been to one since I was a teenager, and there's a six screen complex not too far from where we live. They show double features of recently released movies and are much cheaper than normal theaters. The main challenge lies in going on an "off night" when there won't be a long line of cars waiting to get in before sunset.<br />
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<br />
It was a blast (it helps that we went in my new Toyota mini-SUV, which is pretty comfortable). We saw <i>The Secret Life of Pet</i>s (which was fun and cute) and the new <i>Ghostbusters</i> Movie. In spite of the lukewarm reviews and my misgivings about remakes, it was an enjoyable movie that made me laugh. It actually wasn't a straight-up remake of the original, but a new story with four characters who didn't feel like female versions of the original cast. The main flaws were that the pace actually might have been a bit too fast in places, with less time for character development. There were a number of cameos and Easter eggs from the original movie that I enjoyed, but they probably would be over the head of younger viewers who haven't seen the original several times over the years. Also, they had an amusingly inaccurate portrayal of what it's like to be faculty trying (and failing) to get tenure at a major research university (female profs wearing spiked heels and having to clean out your desk the day the bomb is dropped instead of finishing out the academic year and fading away over the summer. Right), but movies usually mess up the details of academic life.<br />
<br />
I'll admit, most of the reason I decided I wanted to see it was the rancor and derision some have expressed over the notion of making an action movie, especially a remake of one where the original all-male cast went unremarked, with a female cast. Remakes of beloved classics are always controversial, but I don't think for a second that it would have gotten anything like the same amount of negative press if it had been made with a cast of four contemporary male comedians, or (as is more usual today) with a central cast of, say, three men and one token woman (who would, of course, be billed below the guys in the credits).<br />
<br />
Stories with male-heavy casts still seem to be regarded as normal and expected. No one's thought to have an agenda or accused of trying to "prove a point" when they write such stories. But have a movie that's mostly about women, and there has to be a reason (and if it's not about something where the characters have to be female and the target audience is female only) then the reason has to be that evil of evils, <i>Political Correctness</i>!<br />
<br />
And while remakes always get more scrutiny, I'm guessing that any movie, especially comedies and action movies (where the cast doesn't <i>have </i>to be<i> </i>female) with an all-female cast will have more than its fair share of detractors, not to mention out right haters.<br />
<br />
It's a bit like people who insist that a character in a book or movie shouldn't be black, or gay, transgendered, or differently abled, unless the plot requires them to be one of those things specifically. Yet male, white, straight, cis-gendered, or able bodied characters don't need to be justified. Such characters are supposed to be the "everyman" with whom any reader or viewer will relate.<br />
<br />
So male-focused narratives still seem to be our default norm. Male actors still get the <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/hollywood-sexism-continues-women-had-just-one-third-of-speaking-roles-in-2015-movies-study-shows/">overwhelming majority</a> of speaking roles in movies, and <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2014/mar/11/entertainment/la-et-mn-women-film-report-20140311">far more movies</a> have male "lead" characters than female. Male characters even <a href="http://polygraph.cool/films/">talk more in movies with female lead</a>s. Most films flunk the <a href="http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Bechdel-Wallace_test">Bechdel Test</a> (this is the test that asks whether a movie has at least two named female characters and whether they have at least one conversation with one another about something that isn't a man). It's much harder to get an accurate count for novels in different genres, but aside from genres aimed specifically at female readers, like Romance and Women's Fiction (the fact that books by and about women and their concerns gets its own "special interest" label kind of says it all, actually), I'm guessing a similar bias exists in most genres of published fiction that aren't aimed at a specific gender.<br />
<br />
Men and their relationships, problems and concerns are Important and Interesting to everyone. Women are often presented as plot devices that advance the story of a male character, not as important agents in their own right. And the frustrating thing is, the more we see this presented as the default norm, the more invisible it becomes to us, and the more we notice (and sometimes resent) movies that step outside of this comfort zone.<br />
<br />
This is a topic I've run across on a <a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2016/07/10/s-l-huang-on-the-subject-of-manpain/comment-page-1/">couple</a> of <a href="https://writingradically.wordpress.com/2016/08/15/man-pain/comment-page-1/#comment-602">blogs</a> lately, re the topic of the plot element that's come to be called "man pain" or "<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Mangst">mangst</a>."<br />
<br />
I grew up before the internet, so it was much harder to find people with whom to discuss concepts like the <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DoubleStandard">Double Standard</a>, let alone have glib phrases like <a href="http://lby3.com/wir/">Women in Refrigerators</a>. This doesn't mean these plot devices didn't exist or people didn't recognize them as problematic at times.<br />
<br />
I first became aware of this phenomenon during my childhood (I'm old. Shut up), when we used to watch a show called the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Six_Million_Dollar_Man">Six Million Dollar Man</a></i>. It was about a former astronaut who had almost died and was rebuilt as a cyborg and had all these superpowers used to fight crime for a fictitious branch of the US government. There was a special multi-part episode called "The Bionic Woman," where the love of the protagonist's life (who had somehow never been mentioned in the plot before this episode) surfaced, and they were about to get married when she suffered a deadly parachuting accident (she was a Strong Female Action Girl type). He got his supervisors to use their technology to save her and make her a superpowered bionic woman, but alas, she rejected her bionics and died. He suffered horribly while this was happening, and the last scene was of him kissing her cold, dead face with a single manly tear sliding down his cheek.<br />
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I was so mad. There was this great woman character with superpowers, a rarity in the 70s, and they killed her off because they couldn't possibly detract from the male protagonist's importance by having him be married and sharing the limelight.<br />
<br />
Evidently, my feelings weren't alone, because the producers brought the Bionic Woman back to life (she was really in a coma, see) and gave her <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bionic_Woman">her own show</a>, but with a convenient case of Amnesia so she was no longer involved with the Bionic Man character. Her show had a successful run. As for the Bionic Man's man pain? It was conveniently dropped and forgotten when it was no longer relevant to his arc. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I've run across this kind of thing over and over in the decades since, and most of the time the writers in question don't bring the female "plot device" back for a book, movie, or TV series of her own :(<br />
<br />
In the defense of the creators of the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman shows, the 70s were a different time. The modern incarnation of the women's movement (or "Women's Liberation" as it was called back then), was younger and pretty controversial in many circles, but there seemed to be at least some interest in expanding viewerships by showing women in new and different roles in books, movies, and television with shows like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie%27s_Angels">Charlie's Angels</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman_(TV_series)">Wonder Woman</a> (and of course, they tried to avoid alienating male viewers by having the female characters be <i>very </i>attractive and most often sexily clad) but many of the old prejudices and assumptions about gender still went unexamined. As they do today.<br />
<br />
I wish the whole man pain thing would, if not die in a proverbial fire, at least be rarer, or examined with a more critical eye. I'd love to see more books, for instance, where a male character gets into one of those "her suffering is all about me" jags and be brought up short by the woman in question (or at least have someone ask him, "Are you so hung up on this because you're sad for her and miss her, or is it mostly because you're experiencing tedious masculine guilt because her death symbolizes your own personal failure?")<br />
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Men are cool. Men are important. Their relationships and feelings are interesting. They are half the human race, after all. But there is no shortage of stories about them. It would be nice to see more books, movies and TV shows where they share the limelight, or maybe even take on the support roles for a change.<br />
<br />E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-44634685193653171282016-04-23T15:59:00.000-07:002016-04-23T16:01:55.322-07:00How Small, Personal Biases can Shape SocietyI ran across this simulation called "A Parable of the Polygons." In a nutshell, it demonstrates how an integrated society can become increasingly segregated over time if individuals harbor even a small amounts of personal bias towards living near their own kind.<br />
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<a href="http://ncase.me/polygons/">http://ncase.me/polygons/</a><br />
<br />
It's fun to play around with the numbers. One thing that's interesting is that once segregation occurs, an elimination of bias doesn't result in greater mixing. I'd love to see a version of this with more "shapes" and where the bias can be manipulated to be different for some "shapes" than others.<br />
<br />
While this demonstration focuses on physical proximity, it's possible that something similar could happen with regards to the choices people make about the books they want to read (both with regards to the gender or race of the authors or of the characters therein).E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-48787432796276442902016-04-19T00:54:00.001-07:002016-04-19T15:23:02.944-07:00Joe Abercrombie's Shattered Sea Trilogy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpA_F6FYRi0njaRii7A9YdtucAr_w6LBxrlHLoCtpWdHoZm10IrplSGZNRCbZpxpSRRtn0bzOWFKC8HKDzMSKs1YIbXh-z4bbIX6EsPJUok4tRqhSiQs-HpFoATC7Ng969CkCDtuTSdD2K/s1600/Half+a+King.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpA_F6FYRi0njaRii7A9YdtucAr_w6LBxrlHLoCtpWdHoZm10IrplSGZNRCbZpxpSRRtn0bzOWFKC8HKDzMSKs1YIbXh-z4bbIX6EsPJUok4tRqhSiQs-HpFoATC7Ng969CkCDtuTSdD2K/s200/Half+a+King.jpg" width="133" /></a><i>Shattered Sea Trilogy</i> by Joe Abercrombie, published in 2015 by Del Rey.<br />
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I've been quiet lately, but I just finished <i>Half a War</i>, the third book in Joe Abercrombie's YA <i>The Shattered Sea</i> fantasy trilogy. I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up the first novel in this series, <i>Half a King</i>. I really enjoyed his <i>First Law</i> Trilogy when I read it a couple of years back, in spite of finding a few bits and pieces problematic. I loved the way the author gave each pov character a distinct voice, narrative style, and personality and made me care about people I wouldn't like at all in real life.<br />
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I wasn't sure if his YA titles were going to be the same exact thing with teen protagonists, or if they were going to copy the style that dominates YA fantasy nowadays (nothing against it, but it's very different from Abercrombie's writing in some ways).<br />
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As it turned out, I needn't have worried. The story is very different, but the world building is, if anything, deeper and more internally consistent than what appears in The <i>First Law</i> books and their sequels. The writing style is smoother and a little more consistent across characters, but each character still has their own voice and personality. Unlike a lot of YA fiction these days, the stories are written in limited third (and in past tense), but the narrative is so immersive that it feels as if the story is unfolding as it's read.<br />
<br />
As for tone and style, there are fewer "f" bombs than in Abercrombie's adult fiction, but the characters still talk the way you'd expect warriors and sailors to talk. There's no dumbing down or sugarcoating anything just because the story is written with teens in mind. The protagonists have adult responsibilities thrust upon them (as one would expect in a war-torn, pre-industrial society), and they rise to the occasion convincingly without coming off as adults in teenagers' bodies.<br />
<br />
One constraint placed on YA fantasy is the need to keep the story within a limited scope or time frame so the protagonists don't "age out" of the demographic as an epic tale or series unfolds. Abercrombie deals with this issue by changing viewpoint (pov) characters with each book. <i>Half the World</i>, takes place a few years later and follows two different viewpoint protagonists (not Yarvi, who was the protagonist in <i>Half a King</i>). Book three took place three years (more or less) after book two, and has three new and different pov characters.<br />
<br />
This may be a bit frustrating to readers who prefer to stick with the same pov character/characters for an entire series, but in each case, the protagonists from the previous book appears as important secondary characters in the subsequent ones. The development of Yarvi's character across the series, as seen through the eyes of new povs, was particularly intriguing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajUT_1Ftrd-z6GtIREymuAYrBJ-k0UF63E9u60HZN1yC_1H75RBNNgotVBdZqLafXDPPbtCfs_zoHpdvnbvEEfoL0nkhunnxpUDCbbJNLDAdfSQJUPMQtvQbS0cxXjZk-8_Zc1kO5IkQ3/s1600/Half+the+World.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajUT_1Ftrd-z6GtIREymuAYrBJ-k0UF63E9u60HZN1yC_1H75RBNNgotVBdZqLafXDPPbtCfs_zoHpdvnbvEEfoL0nkhunnxpUDCbbJNLDAdfSQJUPMQtvQbS0cxXjZk-8_Zc1kO5IkQ3/s200/Half+the+World.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
One thing that Abercrombie received some criticism for in his <i>First Law</i> trilogy was his treatment of women and the prevalence of rape and female victimhood as a plot element. Out of six pov characters in <i>First Law</i>, only one was female, and she was possibly the least developed of the bunch in terms of motivations and backstory. It wasn't a deal breaker for me, but it did bother me in a couple of places.<br />
<br />
This was far less of an issue in the <i>Shattered Sea</i> Trilogy. While book one was more male-centric (only one character, who was male, had pov time), books two and three had well-developed female pov characters. The fantasy world portrayed wasn't a feminist utopia by any stretch, but women played an important role in the culture and society and all the female characters, viewpoint and secondary, had well-developed personalities, goals, and agency.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rxtzMMm76VStmWMviq3oHdKWPk8YdUVZwXsaBCkgctLkHL5HQ644LMK2C80bD7k0ZQHgFkLKOolugYz3WPzmaCGhaPm6HZF4mdil-0YnYfMWbbMS5IbLloGQwhezViMU4VDctEL-J0Cr/s1600/Half+a+War.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rxtzMMm76VStmWMviq3oHdKWPk8YdUVZwXsaBCkgctLkHL5HQ644LMK2C80bD7k0ZQHgFkLKOolugYz3WPzmaCGhaPm6HZF4mdil-0YnYfMWbbMS5IbLloGQwhezViMU4VDctEL-J0Cr/s200/Half+a+War.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
Another characteristic of this trilogy is that I found each book better than the one before it. I liked <i>Half a King</i>, really liked <i>Half the World</i>, and couldn't put <i>Half a War </i>down. The ending was satisfying and stand alone, but there's enough going on in this world that I'd be happy to read another book or series set in it if the author decided to write one. I'd love to learn more about who those "Elves" really were, though the narrative provided enough hints about their cities and artifacts for me to formulate some hypotheses of my own.<br />
<br />
I recommend it to anyone who likes gritty, sword-and-sorcery style fantasy set in a low-magic world, centered around a culture that feels vaguely Norse. The writing is tight but full of voice, the pacing fast, the emotions intense, and the characters are flawed human beings who are nonetheless endearing.<br />
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Don't read below here if you don't want mild, non-specific spoilers/content warnings.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Things that may be issues for some readers: the stories contain a fair amount of gore, battle scenes with descriptions of injuries and death, slavery, some swearing, consensual sex that is less graphic than in the <i>First Law</i> trilogy (and endearingly awkward enough to remind us that the characters are teens), death of major characters, references to torture and mistreatment of prisoners. I don't remember rape being depicted or mentioned overtly in the story.</span>E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-48055383879080367582016-03-31T00:14:00.000-07:002016-03-31T22:19:05.764-07:00The Pervasive Myth of the Chastity BeltI remember learning about these devices in my European history class in high school. They were presented as lurid examples of how horrible it was to be a woman in the middle ages. People referenced them from time to time in articles or discussion, and their existence were pretty firmly in the camp of things "everyone knew" to be true. But something always bothered me about those stories: they didn't seem like something that could be terribly effective, unless they were constructed in a way that would make their wearer likely to succumb to a nasty infection.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYraON8ugC2313A_TafTutckD-DvwW4CFeSaXS5hGN3aG8Z1zRNQ2ifkWG1heKP0u7n2ZksybqYW2y4kO2cXC6I95Yl2XIJDofcNb5vLiOIIYXuVj49xld8lbLN_Tfiwf_YxHmEk6mxP-u/s1600/800px-Venetian-chastity.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYraON8ugC2313A_TafTutckD-DvwW4CFeSaXS5hGN3aG8Z1zRNQ2ifkWG1heKP0u7n2ZksybqYW2y4kO2cXC6I95Yl2XIJDofcNb5vLiOIIYXuVj49xld8lbLN_Tfiwf_YxHmEk6mxP-u/s320/800px-Venetian-chastity.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chastity_belt">Belt claimed to be from 16th-17th century</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Of course, my misgivings turned out to be correct. There's little evidence that medieval and Early-Modern references to the things were anything but metaphors or jokes, and the "real" ones that exist seem to date no earlier than the 18th or 19th centuries, when they were probably created as fakes to put in "medieval torture museums," or perhaps as sexual novelty items.<br />
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Here's some reading on the history of this pervasive myth.<br />
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<a href="http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/everything-youve-heard-about-chastity-belts-is-a-lie/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page">http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/everything-youve-heard-about-chastity-belts-is-a-lie/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-chastity-belts-are-myth-180956341/?no-ist">http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-chastity-belts-are-myth-180956341/?no-ist</a><br />
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<a href="http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/160509">http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/160509</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/05/chastity-belts-never-actually-used-medieval-times/">http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/05/chastity-belts-never-actually-used-medieval-times/ </a><br />
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Add this to the long list of things people "know" about the middle ages that just ain't true. As the old adage goes, a lie makes it around the world before the truth gets its boots on.E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-61568554641849188362016-03-26T20:20:00.001-07:002016-03-26T20:20:55.783-07:00BathRuby 2016 - The Surprising Neuroscience of Gender Inequality by Jane...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cn-L7zjIYfI" width="480"></iframe> This is a fascinating video that touches on things I've noticed (as someone who teaches science at a college).E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-14064262519496354822016-03-24T00:08:00.001-07:002016-03-24T00:08:34.753-07:00Article About Women in Epic FantasyThis article is by Kate Elliott, and it is on Tor.com. It's as excellent as her previous writing on this topic.<br />
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<a href="http://www.tor.com/2016/03/23/writing-women-characters-into-epic-fantasy-without-quotas/">Writing Women Characters into Epic Fantasy Without Quotas</a><br />
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<br />E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-15935312730936273742016-03-20T21:30:00.000-07:002016-03-20T21:31:07.926-07:00Fantasy Novels I've Read Recently<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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We're already almost a quarter of a way through 2016, so I wanted to list some of the books I've read and enjoyed over the past two months or so. The last two, Updraft and Uprooted, were published in 2015 and are eligible for the 2016 Hugo Awards. If you're eligible to nominate for the Hugos this year (the March 31 deadline is rapidly approaching), I recommend you give these a read if you haven't already. I'd never tell anyone else what they should like, but I think both of these books are Hugo Worthy. </div>
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The other titles on this list are excellent too, and I strongly recommend them.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAoZ2TDtkRnD1din3BXHLnFvTpPJq-ezY15vasozzoxWeF_uDY8KYcMzA7FH3PiRq1l65qQ4UFh6s7kzJZ5GBx4WwWKdhl-5SjU3s1KhiGqkRLf7t_8gAvLzTkFoqTqVL1-V174A4fV7-/s1600/Natural+History+of+Dragons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAoZ2TDtkRnD1din3BXHLnFvTpPJq-ezY15vasozzoxWeF_uDY8KYcMzA7FH3PiRq1l65qQ4UFh6s7kzJZ5GBx4WwWKdhl-5SjU3s1KhiGqkRLf7t_8gAvLzTkFoqTqVL1-V174A4fV7-/s200/Natural+History+of+Dragons.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover by Todd Lockwood</td></tr>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Natural History of
Dragons</i> by Marie Brennan. Tor 2013. I put off
reading this book, because I thought it was going to be a fake reference book
or something, but it's actually a delightful story, written memoir style, about
Isabel, a woman living in a quasi-Victorian world that is very similar to our
own, except that it has dragons. Fantasy elements are slight, and the dragons
portrayed are very naturalistic--intelligent animals. The book starts with a
the protagonist's childhood memories of dissecting a dead dove (and getting
punished for it) and collecting specimens, and nearly being killed by a
creature called a "wolf drake."</div>
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After Isabel marries a man with similar interests, she
manages to get them a berth on a research trip to a mountainous country to
study a breed of dragons called "rock wyrms." The narration is alive
with voice and the protagonist's wry wit, and the tale kept me riveted until
the end. I've just read the sequel, entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Tropic of Serpents</i>, and it's every bit as good. These books definitely a change of pace from the style of epic fantasy I usually prefer, but I enjoyed them thoroughly and plan on reading the rest of the books in this series.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover by John Jude Palencar</td></tr>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Broken Blade</i> by
Kelly McCullough. Ace books, 2011. Aral, the
protagonist, is a former assassin priest of a goddess of justice who has been
murdered by her fellow deities. Robbed of both faith and identity, he's a
tattered remnant of his former self who works as a blade for hire between bouts
of drinking. The only thing keeping him sane is Tris, his shadow-dragon
familiar. I'm a sucker for "hot mess" characters and for stories with
animal companions and magical familiars, so this premise attracted my interest.
The author's wonderful deconstruction of the "trouble walked in wearing a
red dress" trope in the opening scene drew me in.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The book was entertaining, cleanly written, and well paced, and I liked the pov character's voice. If there's a flaw, it's that the author was a bit light on environmental and character detail for my tastes. I tend to favor leanness here, but I couldn't really visualize the kinds of clothes they were wearing, the style of architecture, and the appearance, coloring, racial characteristics of the characters, so my mind kept defaulting to "pseudo-medieval, European with everyone white," but I don't know if this was the author's intent. It's a small thing, though. This is the first book
in a series, and I look forward to reading the next one soon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqllPtUJIrmjrB4Wg7Dl1v6XGjyzsg873wijIPytim3c_Mht8_QLXxuWSUua_MAHH2-hJl_1-9Uv7I1HziTOi5CqVKXF4ooZYuG0Me1puaSIAy4hiV9Ae3xxzk9TyAOu6Q_YVLd83pblAj/s1600/Hunting+Monsters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqllPtUJIrmjrB4Wg7Dl1v6XGjyzsg873wijIPytim3c_Mht8_QLXxuWSUua_MAHH2-hJl_1-9Uv7I1HziTOi5CqVKXF4ooZYuG0Me1puaSIAy4hiV9Ae3xxzk9TyAOu6Q_YVLd83pblAj/s200/Hunting+Monsters.jpg" width="134" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover by Kris Kamikakushi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Hunting Monsters" by S.L. Huang. Book Smugglers
Publishing 2014. This is a short story, published as
a stand alone. It's available as an e-book on Amazon, and Barnes and Noble
online. Set in a fairy tale world (incorporating elements from "Little Red
Riding Hood," "Beauty and the Beast" and other classic tales), this
is a wonderful example of how a good writer can layer world building and
history into a short story. Like many good fairy tale protagonists, the main
character lives in a small cabin in the woods. On her fifteenth birthday, her
mother is arrested for the murder of a grundwirgen, creatures that resemble
beasts but are people in the eyes of the law.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The writing in this story is very good. I've always had a
weakness for retellings and reinterpretations of fairy tales, and this one was
a page turner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIXQlfA2mrE_uyMMF-W2yk9Kv20Z_ie-LYtBrbxAf9rKlVpDtCZjRd3z_BCYNl6LXr2wE56keMER7shJoWG7UUzcOfzkjlH__kirk-B8Mzc1n5GWD8J19Gv6jg6mdHdMO7yrJOfLcP_Sy/s1600/51olbbtafCL._SX328_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIXQlfA2mrE_uyMMF-W2yk9Kv20Z_ie-LYtBrbxAf9rKlVpDtCZjRd3z_BCYNl6LXr2wE56keMER7shJoWG7UUzcOfzkjlH__kirk-B8Mzc1n5GWD8J19Gv6jg6mdHdMO7yrJOfLcP_Sy/s200/51olbbtafCL._SX328_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover by Steven Martiniere</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Updraft</i> by Fran
Wilde. Tor Books, 2015. This has to be one of the
most unique speculative fiction settings I've ever encountered. Set in a world
where people live in bone towers (which appear to grow from somewhere below the
clouds) and fly on silk wings, it follows Kirit, a protagonist who wants to
become a trader like her mother, but is manipulated into becoming one of the singers
who protects her city safe from attacks by invisible predators.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a singer in training, Kirit stumbles across multiple
layers of intrigue and discovers a truth that could change her world forever.
This story is fascinating and well written. If it has a fault, its that the
alien setting and culture, along with the highly immersive approach to world
building (it's told in a very "here and now" style of first person
with not an info dump in sight) makes it hard to understand and relate to the
characters' motives at times. This may be a fault in me as a reader and not the
book itself, however, and I found myself increasingly pulled in as I read. I
look forward to the sequel, which is coming out later this year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV8vT4jfnAS2v3Ej6IS8pYdm8s1g_WeHuBwWjSc72znelQgfFeW82wSbcQ9O-d4KYy50dfrqBDfp3nQVoxzw077DL2Pyc2w9M7AVKmd5N0ifZb8tKzIZxwhuNMQJiTYGre7XBjcuOXsQD/s1600/Uprooted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV8vT4jfnAS2v3Ej6IS8pYdm8s1g_WeHuBwWjSc72znelQgfFeW82wSbcQ9O-d4KYy50dfrqBDfp3nQVoxzw077DL2Pyc2w9M7AVKmd5N0ifZb8tKzIZxwhuNMQJiTYGre7XBjcuOXsQD/s200/Uprooted.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover by Scott McKowen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Uprooted</i> by Naomi
Novik. Del Rey books, 2015. This story draws from
Polish fairy tales the author remembers from her childhood, and it's beautifully
written. Set in a village where a 17-year-old girl is taken every ten years by
the wizard who protects it from encroachment by a cursed wood, the story has a
strong female protagonist who is driven by her love for her best friend. The
world is vividly drawn and simultaneously familiar and relatable yet fresh with
many unexpected twists. I liked the way the author was able to create a sense
of menace while remaining basically optimistic about human nature. Kept me
guessing until the end.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a stand alone-novel, something that's probably too
rare in fantasy. I love series and I understand why writers and readers of
fantasy like sweeping epics and want to return to their favorite worlds for
tale after tale, but it's also pleasant to be able to lose oneself in a book
and to reach the end without feeling like there are plot threads that still
need to be tied off.</div>
E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-63333696521089472912016-03-06T23:52:00.003-08:002016-03-07T01:53:27.766-08:00Fantasy Novels Without War<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://doggedlywriting.blogspot.com/2016/02/why-is-fantasy-genre-so-focused-on-war.html">Last
time</a>, I wrote about the popularity of war as a plot element in fantasy, but
there are a number excellent novels that break with this tradition.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before I can discuss this further, however, I have to define
what I mean by military plot elements. This is important, because different
readers may draw the line in different places, or differ in what they see as
militaristic. I mentioned last time that a friend and I disagree about whether
Anne McCaffrey's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dragonriders of Pern</i>
books are, at their heart, military stories, because I see the combat between
the dragons and the thread as an "against nature" sort of context, but
he has a point when he says that the dragon weyrs have many of the characteristics
of a military, such as support via a system of tithes and a hierarchical rank
structure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For this reason, I've attempted to separate these ostensibly
non-military fantasy novels into two broad categories: books where combat
itself plays no significant role in the plot at all, and books where there are
skirmishes and armed conflict at times, but it exists in a context that is
personal or disorganized. In both cases, any "action," such that it
is, is either incidental or a consequence of other plot elements, not what
drives the main plot overall.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsyfc8fge2lUHdfloLJ5GYAY42Vp-n4-vgaC01TEM5t90PRN2rVuvpF7qp4HytayJZWYB5gFsNGbZisih0JlFiUnACgUCQR7hb_jDd6Q16gIamUA1pJbYaa45DjOaYDYaqdEiLDT8rtQn/s1600/The+Last+Unicorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsyfc8fge2lUHdfloLJ5GYAY42Vp-n4-vgaC01TEM5t90PRN2rVuvpF7qp4HytayJZWYB5gFsNGbZisih0JlFiUnACgUCQR7hb_jDd6Q16gIamUA1pJbYaa45DjOaYDYaqdEiLDT8rtQn/s400/The+Last+Unicorn.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original paperback edition of <i>The Last Unicorn</i>.<br />
Cover art by <span class="ircsu">Gervasio Gallardo</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One fantasy classic I can think of that is an example of the
first kind of story is Peter S. Beagle's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Last Unicorn</i> (Viking Press, 1968). This stand-alone story is a well-beloved
tale about a unicorn who suddenly realizes that she is the last of her kind and
must find her missing brethren. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span class="ircsu"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another non-military fantasy I read quite recently is
Katherine Addison's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Goblin Emperor</i>
(Tor Books, 2014). This is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy_of_manners">fantasy of manners</a> about
mixed-race prince, raised away from court, who unexpectedly ascends the throne
of Elfland and must learn to hold his own in the backstabbing world of
politics.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Barbara Hambley's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stranger
at The Wedding</i> (Del Rey, 1994) is another story that could be described as
a fantasy of manners. Its protagonist is Kyra, a young wizard who must crash
her sister's wedding and surreptitiously use her meager assortment of spells to
disrupt the nuptials and save her sister's life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mervyn Peake's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gormenghast</i>
trilogy (originally published by Eyre and Spottiswoode between 1948-1959) is
about as non-military as a fantasy story can be. This is a gothic fantasy, one
that's actually lacking in magical elements, with a plot that centers around
machinations and jostling for position within a family. The characters don't
even step outside their castle until the third book.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mary Robinette Kowal's regency-style <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Glamourist History</i> series (published by Tor books between 2010-2015)
are set in a Regency-era world that is reminiscent of Jane Austin's stories,
but one where ladies of quality are expected to be magicians.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Marie Brennan's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lady
Trent</i> novels (Tor books 2014, 2015) take place in a fictitious world with
very Victorian sensibilities and follows the adventures of a "lady
naturalist" who becomes her country's most celebrated expert on dragons.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although the above novels are very different, they do share
two things--little to no combat or "action" in the sense that many
fantasy readers mean the term, and plotting where the stakes are highly
personal, even if a deeper conspiracy is discovered as the story unfolds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second group of novels are more violent than the
previous ones, and may contain some skirmishes and bloodshed, but larger-scale
military conflicts don't drive the plot in any meaningful way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neverwhere</i> by Neil
Gaiman. (BBC Books, 1996). Based on the TV show by the same name that he
co-wrote with Lenny Henry. Gaiman's stories get emotionally intense, violent
and scary at times, but armies, pitched battle, and military campaigns aren't
factors.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Earthsea</i> cycle
by Ursula K Le Guin (first volumes published in 1968 by Parnassus Press) are a
classic high fantasy where the stakes start out personal and expand until Ged and
his companions save the world from the damage caused by magic. A raid on the
protagonist's home village serves as plot catalyst at the beginning, but after
that, there's little combat aside from one-on-one wizard's duels.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Patrick Rothfuss's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
name of the Wind</i> (Penguin Group, 2007) has a nasty fight with a bunch of
giant spiders in the opening chapter, and a battle with a giant lizard near the
end, but military engagements are notably absent. As of the end of the second
book in the series, however, it appears that a larger-scale armed conflict is
on the horizon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harry Potter</i>
Novels by JK Rowling (Scholastic Books, 1997-2007) have plenty of physical
conflict, and no few deaths, throughout the series. But there really isn't
anything that could be described as a battle until the end of the last book.
And that didn't take place in any kind of military context.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fran Wilde's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Updraft</i>
(Tor, 2015) is set in a world where people live in bone towers and fly with
silk wings. While one-one-one combat between characters is important, the antagonists
in her world resemble a secret police force, not an army.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gentleman Bastards</i>
series by Scott Lynch (Bantam Spectra, 2006-present) is filled with cloak and
dagger and intrigue aplenty, along with some good old fashioned swashbuckling
action, but as of the latest installment, the focus hasn't been on military
conflicts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I could keep listing examples, but if I did, I'd be writing
all night. Many of Terry Pratchett's satirical Discworld novels focused on fantasy
elements besides war (it really depended on which tropes he was taking a poke
at). Same for many books by Patricia McKillip and Robin McKinley. And while
Mercedes Lackey's Velgarth books usually contained a battle, and her heralds
represented an elite group of officers, her <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elemental
Masters</i> novels are simply fairy tale retellings that are, at their hearts,
love stories.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So even though the fantasy genre (especially<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fantasy taking place in secondary worlds) has
the reputation for plots that center around the mustering of armies and the
fighting of epic battles, there are a number of authors who have created
individual novels, even series, where the plots are driven by relationships, intrigue,
smaller-scale conflicts, personal goals, and political machinations. While many of these
stories have stakes that are intensely personal, some do end up impacting the
fate of entire kingdoms or worlds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The take home message is that fantasy is a diverse genre
with ample room for character driven stories that encompass a broad range of
topics.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know I've only scratched the surface here and have left
out a number of great examples. Feel free to comment with more titles.</div>
E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-75094587294715349482016-03-05T17:06:00.001-08:002016-03-05T17:06:42.037-08:00RIP Pat ConroyI don't generally mention deaths in my blog. But When I read about the passing of Pat Conroy yesterday, it made me very sad. He had an ability to make this reader care deeply about someone with whom they might have little in common on the surface. I think it's because of his rare gift for bleeding emotions onto the page. Walk in the light, Mr. Conroy. You were one of the greats.<br />
<br />
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/books/pat-conroy-who-wove-his-family-strife-into-novels-of-carolina-dies-at-70.htmlE.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-27927051434750641642016-02-26T21:14:00.001-08:002016-02-27T18:03:56.447-08:00Why is the Fantasy Genre so Focused on War?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Warfare plays an important role in the fantasy genre. Many
of its most iconic works embrace military themes, either as a central plot
element or as a disruptive force that's more in the background but still creating
obstacles and conflict for the protagonists.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes the military is front and center, as in <a href="http://www.elizabethmoon.com/">Elizabeth Moon's</a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00APA1E96/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1">Deed
of Paksennarion</a></i> novels or <a href="http://djangowexler.com/">Django
Wexler's</a> <a href="http://djangowexler.com/shadow-campaigns/">Shadow
Campaign</a>. Other times battles occur intermittently throughout the series
where much of the focus is on something else, as in <a href="http://www.robinhobb.com/">Robin Hobb's</a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/41452-farseer-trilogy">Farseer Trilogy</a>,
and other times, war is completely in the background but still influencing the story,
as in <a href="http://www.sff.net/people/carolberg/">Carol Berg's</a> <a href="https://www.sff.net/people/carolberg/lighthouse.html">Lighthouse Duology</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMcZNhkrY-lSEd9ZbCVmftEz6p3lQRo9Mt8JxiWZKWLHm9zoXzyc4uKDfHJ8ZuxtfpeRH22LuDvKM2cIuPhqPhNGGH712ORq5uykn2wiFIUZ4o0GBvfIX2YACYcJuVT5CcomlBeOc74_2/s1600/Armored-men-on-horses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMcZNhkrY-lSEd9ZbCVmftEz6p3lQRo9Mt8JxiWZKWLHm9zoXzyc4uKDfHJ8ZuxtfpeRH22LuDvKM2cIuPhqPhNGGH712ORq5uykn2wiFIUZ4o0GBvfIX2YACYcJuVT5CcomlBeOc74_2/s400/Armored-men-on-horses.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Richard_Caton_Woodville's_The_Battle_of_Towton.jpg</span></h4>
<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
</h3>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've wondered why this is.
Many people look at the genre as escapist, and war is one of life's less
pleasant realities. Few of us really want to live in its shadow as civilians or
soldiers, and painstaking descriptions of military training, tactics, camp life, not to mention indignities such as dysentery, can be quite dull. <a href="http://www.scriptmag.com/features/conflict-the-foundation-of-storytelling">Conflict</a>,
<a href="https://grubstreet.org/grub-daily/understanding-patterns-of-change-in-fiction-and-memoir/">change</a>,
and <a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/07/16/25-things-to-know-about-your-storys-stakes/">stakes</a>
are necessary plot elements in any story, and war can certainly create these, yet other genres of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fiction find ways to test their characters
and introduce change without a focus on sieges, battles and military strategies
or tactics. It's possible to create stories with compelling stakes
that have nothing to do with war. This is the norm in many genres
</div>
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<br /></div>
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When I put this question to some of my fellow fantasy
readers and writers, one explanation was that historical epics, such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gilgamesh</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Iliad</i> focused heavily on battles and wars. Fantasy as a genre
often attempts to recreate or evoke the tropes presented in these traditional
tales, which often contained magical or supernatural elements.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The success of Tolkien's work is also a possible explanation. While he didn't dwell on
the nitty gritty day-to-day life of soldiers, or even on military tactics, no
one can argue that war was an important part of both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hobbit</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lord of the
Rings</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Given Tolkien's influence on the genre, it's hardly surprising that many writers adopted his
approach. A focus on
enemies who are unilaterally evil and under the control of a dark figure that
must be stopped certainly does turn war into something that's more appealing
from an escapist perspective.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can't help but wonder how much of fantasy's sometimes
idealistic portrayal of war was shaped by the two world wars in particular.
Tolkien fought in WWI and lived through WWII as well. He claimed that his work
was not meant to be allegorical, but it's hard not to see parallels between
fascism and the minions of Sauron.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Tolkien aside, those of us who were born and came of age
in the decades following WWII had our consciousness shaped by the cultural
memory of a war that really was against an implacable evil that could have
destroyed civilization as we know it. Few would argue in hindsight that a more
pacifistic approach would have been the best one in that particular instance. Could the warlike nature of late
twentieth and early twenty-first century fantasy represent a collective desire
to escape to a world where moral ambiguity was (in hindsight, at least) less
than it is today? This is certainly possible, though I can't think of a way to
test, or falsify such a hypothesis.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another thing to consider is that war stories are often
anti war stories at their heart. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All Quiet on the
Western Front</i> is an iconic example here, but there are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_with_anti-war_themes">plenty
of others</a>. Fantasy novels are notably absent from this list, but I don't think fantasy writers
always portray war in a positive light. TH White's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Once and Future King</i> is a retelling
of Mallory's version of the Arthurian legend, a heroic epic, yet <a href="http://www.connotations.de/pdf/articles/hadfield00602.pdf">some feel</a>
it was inspired by his own <a href="http://allreaders.com/book-review-summary/the-once-and-future-king-13867">pacifism</a>
and misgivings about nationalism as he came to terms with a war (WWII) where the enemy
clearly had to be stopped.</div>
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Other fantasy writers like <a href="http://www.revolutionsf.com/article.php?id=953">Moorcock</a>, and more
recently <a href="http://www.joeabercrombie.com/2011/02/15/bankrupt-nihilism/">Abercrombie</a>,
have also sought to deconstruct some of the tropes popularized by Tolkien and other
fantasy writers from the earlier part of the 20th century. Moorcock's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elric-Stealer-Chronicles-Emperor-Melnibon%C3%A9/dp/0345498623/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51ajxUIQTeL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&refRID=0WANM1M8RYF0D03EYW7S">Elric
saga</a>, and the <a href="http://www.joeabercrombie.com/books/the-heroes/">Abercrombie's
novels</a> are very violent and war-centered, yet neither glorifies war or
presents it as something that improves the world.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And there are plenty of other explanations why war is so
commonly portrayed in fantasy novels. It's often stated that in the
early-to-mid 20th century at least, fantasy was traditionally aimed (with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wonderful_Wizard_of_Oz">some</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VD1CDM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1">noteworthy</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wrinkle_in_Time">exceptions</a>) at
young, male readers. This is a demographic that is often drawn to
tales of adventure, heroics, and self-sacrifice, and while war isn't necessary
for stories to embrace such themes, it certainly lends itself well to them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's also possible to overstate the prevalence of war in
fantasy, as there are a number of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwhere_%28novel%29">popular</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying_Earth">iconic</a> fantasy tales, many
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FO6NPIO/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1">very
recent</a>, but <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_of_Elfland's_Daughter">some quite
old</a>, that have no military, battle, or war in them at all, or if they do,
it's so much in the background that it has little to no impact on the plot. One
thing that's really hard to do, given the thousands of trade-published titles
(not to mention all the self published work that's become available more
recently), is to actually tally up the books published during a given period to
see if there are certain plot elements or themes which become more or less
prevalent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The diversity of the genre itself becomes problematic here. How does one define a war-focused story to begin with? Are Rowling's
<i>Harry Potter</i> books war focused because the last book in the series had the
siege of Hogwarts in it? I'd say it really isn't, but some might not agree.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A case in point, is that I never really thought of
McCaffrey's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Pern_books">Dragonriders of Pern</a></i>
books as militaristic, since it's unthinkable in that world to pit dragon against dragon or go to war over land when the whole
planet must cooperate to survive. To me, these books always felt more like a long disaster
relief effort with coming of age stuff, romance, interpersonal drama,
and cloak and dagger plots, but a friend recently told me that they always made him think of one unending Battle of Britain, but with
mindless spores instead of enemy planes and bombs. He has a point. </div>
E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-32612232002029134392016-02-16T20:32:00.003-08:002016-02-16T20:32:59.775-08:00Great Secondary World Fantasy by Woman Authors You Might Not Know Since March is Women's History month, I thought I'd write about women who are currently writing traditional fantasy (by traditional, I mean fantasy that takes place in a secondary, pre-industrial setting).<br />
<br />
I became a voracious reader of science fiction and fantasy in the 1970s and 80s, and I've been reading it ever since. While I read all types, my primary interest has been traditional "space focused" SF, and traditional "secondary world" fantasy. For a long time, most of my favorite writers of speculative fiction were women. They included writers like C.J. Cherryh, Mercedes Lackey, Lynn Flewelling, Kate Elliott, Ursula K. LeGuin, Kate Elliot, Kage Baker, Elizabeth Moon, and Anne McCaffrey. My bias was somewhat deliberate, because I noticed that a lot of the popular male SF and fantasy writers of that time period treated female characters (and relationships between the genders) in a way that didn't appeal to me.<br />
<br />
Sometime during the early 2000s, I decided I needed to remedy my female bias in reading, and I started reading some of the newer male authors<br />
<br />
Not dismissing the men here. Many of my favorite fantasy authors have been male. But with all the controversy over at the SFWA, I've been thinking a lot about this issue lately. Epic fantasy has taken a darker, grittier turn in recent years, and it also seems like fewer of the new voices in adult secondary world fantasy have been women in recent years, though there have been a lot of women writing YA fantasy and urban fantasy. When people recommend fantasy, or discuss their favorite authors, female writers often get overlooked.<br />
<br />
Here's a list of some woman fantasy writers I've read personally who have set at least some of their more recent novels in secondary worlds and who write primarily for an adult audience. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I've tried to emphasize some writers who are a bit more recent.<br />
<br />
Kristen Britain:<i> Green Rider </i>Series. This tale is set in a more
traditional fantasy world, where special messengers called Green Riders
serve their king. An enjoyable tale with a strong female protagonist.<br />
<br />
Amanda Downum: <i>The Drowning City</i> (first book in <i>the Necromancer Chronicles</i>). A great female protagonist, and a cool take on necromancy in general.<br />
<br />
Lynn Flewelling: <i>The Nightrunner</i> series and the <i>Tamir Trilogy</i>.
She's been writing for a while, and has a strong following, but a
surprising number of epic fantasy fans haven't read her work. Her
fantasy society is ruled by a lineage of warrior queens and served by a
network of wizards and spies, and intrigue and conflict figure
prominently in these stories.<br />
<br />
N.K. Jemison: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms: This is her
debut novel, and it's a complex tale of intrigue and ambition, set in a
fascinating world.<br />
<br />
Jaida Jones and Daniel Bennett: <i>Havemercy</i>. This is
the first book in a series that is set in a world where a country with a
Czarist Russia feel uses mechanical dragons to fight their enemies.<br />
<br />
Francis Knight: The <i>Rojan Dizon Trilogy</i> (<i>Fade to Black</i>, <i>Before the Fall</i> and <i>Last to Rise</i>). Darkish fantasy set in a dystopian theocracy where magic is fueled by pain.<br />
<br />
Glenda Larke: <i>The Stormlords Trilogy</i> and the <i>Isles of Glory Trilogy</i>.
Both of these have great world building and intriguing characters. The
water-based magic system in the Stormlords books is wonderful. <br />
<br />
Jane Lindskold: The <i>Firestarter</i> series. The protagonist is a girl
raised by intelligent wolves, but this doesn't stop her from becoming
embroiled in a web of royal intrigue. Lots of twists and unexpected
turns. An added bonus is that the author actually researched wolf
behavior and social structure and didn't rely on the outdated
stereotypes and assumptions that clutter up far too many stories.<br />
<br />
Anne Lyle: <i>The Night's Masque Trilogy</i>. This is set in an alternative Elizabethan England, where an intelligent, magic-using species that is decidedly not human inhabits the new world.<br />
<br />
Maria V. Snyder. <i>Poison Study</i>. I've heard that this is marketed as YA, and as a romance, but it doesn't really fit the typical mold for these genres (the protagonist is 19, already past the usual cut-off age for YA at the beginning of the series, and ages throughout. Plus the romance is an important part of the tale, but not its main focus). An interesting debut novel set in an unusual fantasy world.<br />
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<br />E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-22399470588478026422016-01-10T03:52:00.001-08:002016-02-16T20:24:38.495-08:00Some Fun Fantasy Reads From 2015<br />
<i>Swords and Scoundrels</i>, by Julia Knight. Published by Orbit Books.<br />
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This story centers around Kacha and Vocho, a sister and brother who have been exiled from the Duelists Guild because Vocho killed a man he had been hired to protect. They're making ends meet as highwaymen until they rob the wrong carriage and are plunged into a conspiracy. This story is set in a flintlock and Rapier world where people worship a clockwork god and live in a city where the buildings rearrange themselves at set intervals. It's a really fun read, filled with plot twists, conspiracies, and divided loyalties that will keep the reader guessing until the end. The tale continues in the sequels, <i>Legends and Liars</i> and <i>Warlords and Wastrels</i>.<br />
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<i>Black Wolves</i>, by Kate Elliot. Published by Orbit Books.<br />
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Set in the same universe as her <i>Spirit Gate</i> Trilogy, this novel stands alone and does an excellent job of pulling a new reader into the author's rich and complex world, which centers around a kingdom called The Hundred. It has several pov characters, but the connections between these characters keep the story from meandering the way some fantasy epics do. It's not easy to give a thumbnail sketch of this book, but it centers around the power struggle between the current King of the Hundred, his wives, their sons, and their various allies. A major theme in this book is change within a society and conflict between cultures. And don't let the cover and blurbs that focus on male characters fool you. Three out of five of the protagonists are women, and the author does an excellent job of portraying women, even ones who are from cultures that cloister them, as major players with agency and goals. I'm looking forward to the next installation.<br />
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<i>Dust and Light</i>, by Carol Berg. Published by Roc Books.<br />
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Set in the same universe as her Lighthouse duology, this book book can be easily read by someone unfamiliar with <i>Flesh and Spirit</i> and <i>Breath and Bone</i> (though those are well worth reading as well). Magic is hereditary in Berg's world, and sorcerers occupy a privileged, yet constrained position, as the use of their magic is controlled and contracted by the restrictive pureblood registry. The story centers around young Lucian de Remeni-Masson, a pureblood sorcerer who has been stripped of half his magic for unseemly conduct with an "ordinary." He and his sister are struggling to survive after the rest of their family was murdered by savage Harrowers. When he's forced to accept the contract of Bastien, master of the local dead house, Lucien's talent for creating portraits that tell the truth about the dead lands him in a world of trouble. Like with Berg's earlier books, the narrative is in first person and she does a fine job of portraying the voice and personality of her protagonist and making the reader care about him and his problems. The second book in this duo, <i>Ash and Silver</i>, was released in December, and I plan on reading it soon.<br />
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<i>Finn Fancy Necromancy</i>, by Randy Henderson. Published by Tor Books.<br />
<br />
I don't read a lot of urban fantasy, but this author came to my attention when I attended the Cascade Writer's Conference in 2014. The protagonist, Finn Gramaraye, was framed for the crime of dark necromancy 25 years ago, and the story begins as he ends his exile from his body to the Other Side (an ethereal place of existence populated by the fey) and returns to his body, which has been helpfully occupied by a changeling to keep it alive during Finn's sentence, in the mortal realm. But the person who got him in trouble last time doesn't want him back in the mortal world, and Finn, with the help of his eccentric family, are going to have to find out what really happened and prove it to the Arcane Enforcers. The story has got a great voice and plenty of dark humor. The next book in the series, <i>Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free</i>, is coming out in February.<br />
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<i>The Waking Engine</i>, by David Eddison. Published by Tor Books.<br />
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This novel was published in 2014, but I didn't read it until last year. As someone who is a fan of classic fantasy, I wasn't sure if this book would appeal to me, but the author did a good job of drawing me into his basic premise, which is somewhat similar to that of the <i>Riverworld</i> series. When you die, you awaken in another world, where you live until you die again. Rinse, repeat. Until you awaken in the City Unspoken, which holds the gateway to true death. But Cooper is an anomaly. He seems to have skipped to the end of the line, and he awakens in the City Unspoken without ever having died at all (his navel from his "first birth" is still intact). He may be the only one who can solve a problem that threatens to unravel the metaverse: the gateway to true death seems to be malfunctioning and the Undying City is thronged with people who have nowhere else to go and are repeatedly dying and being reborn in the same place. Cooper is no kick-butt protagonist; he's more like an Arthur Dent--confused, bemused, and in over his head--but he never lost my sympathy. The author also made good use of the omniscient pov, something I haven't run across much in fantasy lately.<br />
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<br />E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-79997286402757218142015-12-20T17:25:00.001-08:002015-12-20T18:05:44.817-08:00New Car AttainedTo update, we settled on a car last weekend. A local Toyota dealer still had some 2015 Rav4s, and they were willing to go well below invoice price on them. Since there's not much difference between the 2015 and 2016 models, and I couldn't get an outback or Forester for anything close to the price I was able to get on this Toyota, we went with it. The fuel efficiency isn't quite what I would have liked, but there's enough space in the back for the dog crates, and it's got the other features I was hoping to get in a new car. As an added bonus, it's red (not the easiest color to find among the endless parade of silver, white, charcoal, and brown cars everyone seems to prefer these days). My first two vehicles, both light pickups, were red, so I was always a bit disappointed that the best color I could get for my 2001 Legacy wagon was boring whit (the only other color any local dealers had back then was a sort of alligator-colored gray green).<br />
<br />
So I'm reasonably pleased so far. I'm hoping that it proves to be reliable and all the fancy electronic features they have on new cars won't be a thorn in my side as the car ages. Only time will tell there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUOiW_HIFof78FQiTeOLE2y9QjhXxLeh6ZDBFrPyEBa-jelZlcEXpVhesnVMiVyPq7xFgchFmHuGH0BcdBam1KdF1RCpS3tkvU4ig10t-guBhqutKWinfyDQj6pQ67nww_cxn9ZgY9Co-/s1600/New+Toyota.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUOiW_HIFof78FQiTeOLE2y9QjhXxLeh6ZDBFrPyEBa-jelZlcEXpVhesnVMiVyPq7xFgchFmHuGH0BcdBam1KdF1RCpS3tkvU4ig10t-guBhqutKWinfyDQj6pQ67nww_cxn9ZgY9Co-/s320/New+Toyota.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new wheels</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWX2uVcP_0bPqpBTLIHvAj1td8wzwAgrspkfm9PCDOlmqgKVJ7Qge_ot6qgkwyS6jLcSq3SBI_B3w3mH9AASfvruMXZdlVaybYH7rezwwI-FLYlCxAt4a5aR08WTeA67R6Tmx8M7bkXexT/s1600/IMG_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWX2uVcP_0bPqpBTLIHvAj1td8wzwAgrspkfm9PCDOlmqgKVJ7Qge_ot6qgkwyS6jLcSq3SBI_B3w3mH9AASfvruMXZdlVaybYH7rezwwI-FLYlCxAt4a5aR08WTeA67R6Tmx8M7bkXexT/s320/IMG_0044.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Austin and Wiley's crates from the rear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHPMwJ9yqMTiYH8o_Xl2bWrLXDzDPehcwaWbaCdQJXbEGDMeFyvMU-GCPtufTP8_8ACBYPbwXbW7xOqOuk8Gg8oTVYtjjLp6Bru_oYx1ovwNb-gczHwio-KXERvsEg0j3uQTUDZPpW5N4/s1600/IMG_0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHPMwJ9yqMTiYH8o_Xl2bWrLXDzDPehcwaWbaCdQJXbEGDMeFyvMU-GCPtufTP8_8ACBYPbwXbW7xOqOuk8Gg8oTVYtjjLp6Bru_oYx1ovwNb-gczHwio-KXERvsEg0j3uQTUDZPpW5N4/s320/IMG_0045.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flick's from the right passenger door</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippCX0K3ztuQCtjgtuWU-1sUVBsBiFX73qnGcLkoYANPqEFir5OcyxP7uyoshuqfokLp6RczH106kBs3xHsadFXQIx4ix7xZQSjQpZGZb1Y-t1PO7qM03qNenzBPIjrQt-S1xYDYKQXPIa/s1600/IMG_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippCX0K3ztuQCtjgtuWU-1sUVBsBiFX73qnGcLkoYANPqEFir5OcyxP7uyoshuqfokLp6RczH106kBs3xHsadFXQIx4ix7xZQSjQpZGZb1Y-t1PO7qM03qNenzBPIjrQt-S1xYDYKQXPIa/s320/IMG_0047.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnetic doggie "decals" duly installed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the homeowner front, we finally got that toilet flange patched, so the hall bathroom is functional again. And our new heating/cooling system is installed. Doug and I are a good deal poorer than we were this time last month, but driving is much more comfortable than it was, and our house is toasty warm again.E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-25573263592247897312015-12-08T23:05:00.001-08:002015-12-08T23:17:03.590-08:00Time To Start Car Shopping<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
I've had my Subaru Legacy Wagon for almost 16 years, and
it's time to replace it. It's served me well for the most part, but it's
definitely got some issues that are going to cost more to repair than they're
worth. And I can't deny that I've got a hankering for a car with the newer
bells and whistles (my Legacy has a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cassette</i>
deck and no hands-free smart phone interface or anything), and I'm sick of dealing with a manual transmission too. I want driving
to be a little more fun, or at least less of a chore.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6jAuT8WD-ZNt_Feswf08Q8a1rAPtwUrbFudpZdZSjKIpDFv_J8L_Zgbqa2d_d5bKbvUdkZQdxreXuVRmbJbjmQDOprHBgj93-i8UWhm7eZF0XuBtpHNhBnVa-uEvTVbCOWdOy3PRgzPT/s1600/IMG_0522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6jAuT8WD-ZNt_Feswf08Q8a1rAPtwUrbFudpZdZSjKIpDFv_J8L_Zgbqa2d_d5bKbvUdkZQdxreXuVRmbJbjmQDOprHBgj93-i8UWhm7eZF0XuBtpHNhBnVa-uEvTVbCOWdOy3PRgzPT/s320/IMG_0522.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Room for Flick's, Wiley's and Austin's dog crates is non-negotiable </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it's the car I use to take my dogs to agility in, so I have to be able to fit their crates in its replacement. I can
fit three med crates in the back of this little wagon by placing one sideways facing
the passenger side door, and the other two facing the back. This leaves about
18" of space between the crates and the lift gate for other gear, plus
it's sort of a "buffer" between the back of the car and the rear. It
means my dogs' crates (and more critically, my dogs) are less likely to be crushed in a rear-end
collision.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most crossovers have a shorter, taller, and wider cargo box,
so I'd have to check if the three crates would still fit in any replacement
candidate (the exact dimensions of the cargo areas is something car
manufacturers are very coy about, I've noticed). Extra "headroom"
above, and space to the sides of the crates is of less use to me than a
somewhat longer, but not so tall and wide cargo area.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another thing I'd like is to get a car that gets better than
the 24 mpg my current vehicle averages. I'd really hoped that there would be a
selection of small wagons, minivans and crossover SUVs by now that averaged, if
not the 40 mpg of my husband's Ford Focus hybrid, at least somewhere in the
mid thirties. My car is the dog mobile on the weekends, but it's the car I use for
commuting and driving to work the rest of the time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The vehicles I've been considering include:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.toyota.com/priusv/">Prius v Wagon</a>. Higher mpg, above 40 average. Very
sluggish performance compared to the other vehicles on my list (and compared to the Ford Focus hybrid), but maybe worth
it to save fuel costs and to help the planet. Not sure if the cargo space is
sufficient for my crates, though, and that would be the real deal breaker.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://automobiles.honda.com/cr-v/">Honda CRV</a>. Decent fuel efficiency and the cargo space looks
good on paper (about 71 cubic feet behind the front seats). Generally a well-reviewed little mini SUV. But I've a feeling
the cargo area is too short and tall for my crates.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.subaru.com/vehicles/forester/index.html">Subaru Forester</a>. A bit worse than the CRV for mpg, and maybe
a bit better space wise. A well-regarded car overall, but it may still be the
wrong dimensions for the dog crates.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.subaru.com/vehicles/outback/index.html">The Subaru Outback</a>. Similar mpg to the Forester with a bit
more omph and a slightly higher price tag. Similar to my Legacy Wagon, but taller.
The cargo area is longer with less headroom than the Forester.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.caranddriver.com/photo-gallery/2016-toyota-rav4-hybrid-official-photos-and-info-news">Toyota Rav 4 hybrid</a>. Brand new, so there's that buying
something when it first comes out thing. Plus it's kind of pricey, and there
are the same possible space issues as other crossover SUVs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.toyota.com/rav4">All-gasoline Toyota Rav 4</a>. The 2015 was panned by reviewers,
but rumor has it there are some improvements with the 2016 model. I've noticed
the 2015 models are being priced dirt cheap on clearance right now--same price I
paid for my wagon 16 years ago. Might be a good deal if the 2015 model isn't a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">complete</i> pig.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://automobiles.honda.com/odyssey/">Honda Odyssey</a>. The best minivan on the market, according to
many sources. Also rather pricey and cruddy mpg (better than most other
minivans, but still no improvement over my current car). It has tons of space,
but is rather large for day to day driving and parking.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://automobiles.honda.com/pilot/">Honda Pilot</a>. The next crossover step up from the CRV. It costs
about the same as the Odyssey and gets similar mpg but has less cargo space
(though a lot more than the CRV). So not sure why I'd buy one instead of the
minivan.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.ford.com/crossovers/transitconnectwagon/?gnav=header-suvs">Ford Transit Connect wagon</a>. It comes in two wheelbases and
has more space than a crossover SUV but less than most minivans. It's cheaper
than the pilot or Odyssey, more comparable in price to small crossover suvs. But
it's ugly as sin (really just a very small work van with windows and kitted out
for passengers) and probably klunkier to drive and park than a crossover or
smaller wagon. And it gets terrible mpg.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, the sad truth is, there's nothing on the market right
now that really fits my desired criteria: room for three dogs crates with a bit
to spare, over 30 average mpg (preferably higher), and affordable (as in less
than, say, 28k). So I'll have to compromise on something. The next step is to start test driving. And of course to bring a tape measure to investigate the cargo space dimensions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I may have to consider getting the next new car sooner
than I normally do if there's some technological breakthrough in the next few
years that puts a high-mileage dogmobile on the market.</div>
E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-72907167899721928632015-12-03T22:55:00.002-08:002015-12-04T01:44:20.507-08:00Tedious Home Owner Stuff<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's been a rough week or so on the home ownership front. A
little more than a week ago, I accidentally flushed a washcloth down the hall
toilet. Don't ask, but it was in the bucket of mop water. The plunger didn't
get it out, nor did the snake. The loo was well and truly plugged. It was
either pull the toilet or call a plumber.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, I got this bright idea; since we've been meaning to
replace the old water hog with a more environmentally friendly model, why not go to Lowe's and
pick up a new toilet? One was duly researched and purchased. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But when we pulled the toilet up and scraped away the remains of the old wax ring (one of the most disgusting home repair jobs in existence), we discovered that the
iron flange was cracked on the right side. So it's not possible to bolt the
toilet down on both sides without doing a repair. We made an appointment for a
plumber to come by to repair the flange and install the toilet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjiTXO0EHfV3sC9J7GjVSy5sPmE0VRmO6aPZHWXcY3AsKhV5K4rYDWfSsORezx5q13n3mToJN9Chdn6kpFYXk2B6PiGzYPiUeM2nK9zAkt5-CzKGFpYFmpACRNCuf6nRkzitG9pf0fdF1/s1600/IMG_0513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjiTXO0EHfV3sC9J7GjVSy5sPmE0VRmO6aPZHWXcY3AsKhV5K4rYDWfSsORezx5q13n3mToJN9Chdn6kpFYXk2B6PiGzYPiUeM2nK9zAkt5-CzKGFpYFmpACRNCuf6nRkzitG9pf0fdF1/s200/IMG_0513.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This furnace is 37 years old.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then the furnace broke. Not a great thing this time of year.
So we researched repair companies, and called one with the requisite rave
reviews and ratings. He was able to get it working again, but unsurprisingly,
he discovered that the heat exchanger is starting to develop a crack. Turns out
our unit dates back to 1978, so it's at almost twice its life expectancy. It's
not dangerous yet, but it's only a matter of time. So we're now researching and
taking bids on a new heating and air conditioning system. We also need to
replace the ducts and put more insulation in the attic.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This isn't going to be cheap.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And to make things more exciting, the plumber came when we
were talking to the furnace repairman, and he said he's not allowed to repair
the damaged toilet flange. All he can do is replace the whole flange for 700 bucks
(this involves crawling under the house and cutting the cast iron pipe and
welding a new one in place), or we can do our own easy repair with a flange
plate from Lowe's or Home Depot on our own.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhW8opDNtJg9tWU1zSUUr-viQEiRY2mtnuVXptbQ9X3TiyUB-YKK_MQE0J8Y67I0SRFAU4yeyuVJHa5jjHc9ezkw3UkrcrmwG7mpqgH8YNSqaEh0Aj6w3ntc393YL6TArNjLo5439l9FJy/s1600/IMG_0511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhW8opDNtJg9tWU1zSUUr-viQEiRY2mtnuVXptbQ9X3TiyUB-YKK_MQE0J8Y67I0SRFAU4yeyuVJHa5jjHc9ezkw3UkrcrmwG7mpqgH8YNSqaEh0Aj6w3ntc393YL6TArNjLo5439l9FJy/s320/IMG_0511.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bolts would be in the wrong place here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We opted for the latter, but we soon discovered that the
flange repair plate from Home Depot didn't line up with the holes in the cast iron flange (which were at exactly 12 and 6) in a way that allowed the slots on the
side to be in the correct position for tightening the bolts. There's no way to screw the flange repair plate in the correct position.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I went to Lowe's this time and found a different plate
with different hole positions, but it still didn't work. I did manage to take advantage of a post-Thanksgiving sale to purchase a new washing machine to replace the one that was in the
process of dying (no longer draining water properly), so the drive wasn't a total
loss.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I got home, I went online to Amazon and found a flange plate that
had the holes in the right place. I purchased it (the hall bathroom has been
sans toilet for over a week now), and two days later, the thing arrived and it
was the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wrong one</i>--identical to the plate I'd already purchased from Lowe's that didn't work. It was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IA3QIGO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00">one
pictured</a> (instead looked like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Superior-Tool-SuperRing-Closet-Replacement-Closet/dp/B000ANWS02/ref=pd_sim_sbs_60_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=41E4yvOL%2BJL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0XWNV1BX4F9TQYQVKBHZ">this</a> product, which is a different shape <i>and</i> has holes in a different position). So I returned it and asked them to send me the product pictured,
and they sent me the same one again! At this point, I gave up and asked for my
money back. Clearly they had the wrong picture displayed for the product they
were selling.</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0O_aeDD5PD8mGInbxmPAqLBCX0l1-uf0RXZi91l7VccmW-0g301gWXZn4Gt1NC1P0GUlCezUPqCPvyRm5-d_7otCcEohWQb9zjPNw0AwLOtmA6QthA6yoxTb-FQ7QtCLzbE__zzvkWXx/s1600/IMG_0529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0O_aeDD5PD8mGInbxmPAqLBCX0l1-uf0RXZi91l7VccmW-0g301gWXZn4Gt1NC1P0GUlCezUPqCPvyRm5-d_7otCcEohWQb9zjPNw0AwLOtmA6QthA6yoxTb-FQ7QtCLzbE__zzvkWXx/s320/IMG_0529.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These two products are <i>not</i> equivalent.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I finally found a different product on Amazon that looked like what I wanted. This
time, they sent me what I ordered, and hallalujah, it was the correct one and the holes lined up.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Except now we can't screw the plate cover to the flange,
because the holes in the cast iron aren't threaded, and the wood underneath is
old and in cruddy condition with what must be old water damage, probably dating
back to when previous owners replaced the house's original toilet with ye olde
70s-era water waster (something else that will need repairing/replacing in the
future and may push up the date for our projected bathroom remodels). So the
whole plate wobbles. Not a good thing unless we want a rocking toilet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we're doing what we'd hoped to avoid all along. Drilling
holes in cast iron, a very slow process. And it involves another trip to Home Depot tomorrow to
purchase some self-tapping metal screws tomorrow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All in all, it's been an expensive and harrowing week. It doesn't
help that this all started right before Thanksgiving, and it's the busiest time
in the semester for us, and it's my birthday week (all I want for my birthday
is a working hall bathroom and a new and much more energy efficient furnace/air
conditioning unit).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It looks like we're having the kind of fun people who own
older homes do sometimes. This house was built in 1958, and it's very solid in
most ways, but we've had to do repairs over the years--a new roof a few years
back, and a replacement sewer main three years ago. Now we have the dying furnace and some issues with ancient plumbing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And my car is on its last legs too in that it will soon need repairs that are so expensive that we're better off getting a new one, so the search for a
replacement is in the works. That nice, secure feeling people get when they
actually have savings for a rainy day is rapidly dissipating. This relentless parade of expenses is cleaning out the bank accounts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still, we're lucky. For many, dying appliances and plumbing mishaps are expenses they can't handle at all.</div>
E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-70502694503669321812015-11-30T21:57:00.000-08:002015-11-30T21:58:52.053-08:00New Dog Progress ReportAustin is settling in nicely. He's an energetic, active young dog with a personality that is far more border collie than cattle dog. He's getting on well with Flick and Wiley and shows a lot more ball fanaticism than any dog I've had so far. Flick loves playing ball. It's FUN, and tossing a tennis ball on a rope at the end of an agility training sequence is a definite motivator. But for her, part of the fun is playing a little keep away at the end. Bite, bite, giggle. Come and get it if you can.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsCfcq6zZQGq2pf6RA4Hz_Hv5tHY29W4f7uepexwAxo1gtNDfqsnRIDmIbo9u1HZJf_ARtzbIOVcGKZCwVe8Un7RSJhy0VccjrxKzwxlVRNhHj2cUsoQJA68SWxMQxcRpjTub7z6Nr6yh/s1600/IMG_0516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsCfcq6zZQGq2pf6RA4Hz_Hv5tHY29W4f7uepexwAxo1gtNDfqsnRIDmIbo9u1HZJf_ARtzbIOVcGKZCwVe8Un7RSJhy0VccjrxKzwxlVRNhHj2cUsoQJA68SWxMQxcRpjTub7z6Nr6yh/s320/IMG_0516.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're going to throw that, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For Austin, the ball is very serious business. He runs after, brings it back, tosses it down at my feet, and backs away. If I don't throw it again, he'll nudge it towards me. He doesn't want me to interrupt him with treats in the middle of BALL. Just throw the damned thing. Ball is not a game. He pretty much ignores other dogs when he's playing ball at the dog park. Yes, I finally have one of THOSE boring (to everyone else) dogs.<br />
<br />
It's a bit weird, but that's how border collies are a lot of the time. His only issue so far is a bit of cat obsession. He's fascinated with Leo and Merlin and will chase them. It seems more herdy behavior than serious "I want to eat them" predation. But it's still upsetting to them, and intense herding can drift into more predatory behavior. So we're trying to find a way to redirect this obsession.<br />
<br />
I've done a bit of jump and tunnel work in the backyard with him so far, and have bought the materials to make a small wobble board for him. He definitely is fast and is going to need to learn how to collect and pay attention to his body when he jumps so he doesn't knock bars. I've ordered a copy of Suzanne Clothier's natural jumping book on Amazon.<br />
<br />
He's a nice dog, though, very affectionate. He's pretty level headed and cerebral for a 1.5 year old male BC/cattle dog mix.<br />
<br />E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-86611858232911560132015-11-26T13:55:00.001-08:002015-11-26T13:55:16.959-08:00Happy US ThanksgivingHere's a picture of a Mount Vernon turkey my husband and I saw a few years back when we visited the home of our country's first president. They didn't let us get too close, but somehow they seem like a fitting picture for today's holiday.<br />
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<br />
<br />
Hope everyone celebrating Thanksgiving today has a great feed with their loved ones.E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-66545693917783683172015-11-01T21:47:00.000-08:002015-11-01T21:50:49.711-08:00Because We Couldn't Be Sane, Normal People With Just Two Dogs<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
When Roxy passed, I wondered if I was up for getting another
dog in the near future. With Wiley and Flick, we are hardly dogless. And with my late-night writing schedule, I've
been kind of bleh about dragging my butt out of bed before dawn on weekends for
agility trials lately. And there's no question that walking two dogs is much
easier than walking three.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Then Doug started to ask when we were going to get another
dog. And I realized that some of the reason I've been less than enthusiastic
about agility lately is that Wiley's getting older and slowing down quite a lot
lately, and Flick (who is a hyper vigilant dog who occasionally decides she
just doesn't like someone or other) will never be the kind of dog I can just
relax with in noisy, chaotic trial environments.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Still, I wondered if it was the right time to start looking.
School's kicking my butt this semester, and some nagging and vague health
issues have robbed me of my energy and motivation lately. And the universe
seemed to be telling us to wait too. We narrowly missed out on a couple of
prospective dogs at our local shelters (Other people beat me to the adoption).
And while perusing petfinder for kelpies, border collies <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and their mixes, I realized that the canine
population had really shifted in our state. Herding breeds are increasingly
rare (it's nearly all bully breeds and Chihuahua mixes all the time there for
some reason).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not that I'm complaining. It's nice to know that the owners of
herding breeds are getting more responsible in our neck of the woods. A friend
suggested a McNabb breeder to me and the person who hooked me up with the
shelter that had Wiley back in 2006 said she'd recommend me to them. But I
wasn't quite sure I was up for buying a dog. I really want to save a life, or
at least clear up a slot in one of our local rescue groups that keep dogs out
of shelters. So maybe it would be best just to wait for a while.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then I saw a picture of a 1.5-year-old border collie/Australian
cattle dog mix on petfinder. He was at the <a href="http://www.wagsandwhiskersrescue.org/">Wags and Whiskers</a> rescue group
down in Modesto, and he sounded very promising. Our application was accepted,
and the people were very nice about agreeing to hold him for us on Saturday, so
we could drive down without worrying about losing out to someone who got there
right before us again. He interacted nicely with Flick and Wiley, and is really
just an awesome boy. Evidently, his original owner purchased him from a breeder
of what are sometimes called "Texas Heelers," because they
intentionally cross cattle dogs with border collies or Australian shepherds for
ranch work down there.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXR88kNYMNJo1q9vXJ3nVPkpwaOqNJI_P3UpHX4tybGeCnuftyapvPu8TnqDlu1u2wi5Peddp22hafwBoy8ZmEA2AWZibptsoG0L31zm2m-UsowuFnZkgVRvvv-VaGS_vF27UZSkYWyRgu/s1600/IMG_0449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXR88kNYMNJo1q9vXJ3nVPkpwaOqNJI_P3UpHX4tybGeCnuftyapvPu8TnqDlu1u2wi5Peddp22hafwBoy8ZmEA2AWZibptsoG0L31zm2m-UsowuFnZkgVRvvv-VaGS_vF27UZSkYWyRgu/s320/IMG_0449.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flick seems to like Austin a lot so far</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So we adopted him and named him "Austin," in honor of his Texas roots. He's really sweet. Energetic and loves to
play ball, but he has an off switch and is willing to lie quietly and chew on a toy
too. He's got a nice, sound structure, and he's got a touch of that border collie focus and eye without the over the top edge that some of that breed have, yet he's softer and more biddable than many purebred cattle dogs. When he gets interested in something, like another dog or a cat, he redirects easily. Flick loves him so far (which was a worry I had), and Wiley is slowly coming around to the notion of
no longer being the only boy dog.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So life just got complex again.<br />
<br />
Roxy would have liked him too, I think.</div>
<br />E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-79650743962001060822015-10-03T16:35:00.000-07:002015-10-03T16:35:49.846-07:00Goodbye, Sweet RoxyDoug and I just made a very hard decision today--releasing our beloved Roxy from her failing body. It's not the first time we've had to say goodbye, but this choice was especially hard because there wasn't a sudden crisis or catastrophic diagnosis. She was just growing increasingly feeble, and the arsenal of drugs and therapies we had at our disposal were slowing the decline, but not halting it. She had bad days when she could barely walk, and good ones where she wanted to go out and sniff, but the latter were growing fewer and further between.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj-7AYcyKTXB2IFkXSDWQwrIoupHaRlyaGzD6L9zK4kV1Bx1cleeb6IaQa8fdIZaOY0mBuClHTUPLov4W7_KsYJz5YE6VgiIdXCNFAIXKXIzUZoZVKpOscK_XpfIz61CfHFJdCpGq26pH/s1600/roxchutejpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj-7AYcyKTXB2IFkXSDWQwrIoupHaRlyaGzD6L9zK4kV1Bx1cleeb6IaQa8fdIZaOY0mBuClHTUPLov4W7_KsYJz5YE6VgiIdXCNFAIXKXIzUZoZVKpOscK_XpfIz61CfHFJdCpGq26pH/s320/roxchutejpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roxy: Feb 2000-Oct 2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's hard to know exactly when to say goodbye to an animal that's probably not in severe pain, yet is growing progressively weaker and takes joy in fewer and fewer aspects of her daily life. But it was at the point where Doug and I agreed she was becoming a shell of her former self and wasn't having any fun.<br />
<br />
Roxy was the first dog Doug and I adopted after we got married. We jumped the gun a bit and went to the Sacramento County animal shelter after we closed on our house but before we'd actually moved into it. Our lease only allowed one dog (Astra), so we fudged a bit on the adoption agreement (it asked if you owned your home, and in fact we did), so we didn't have to get permission from our landlord. We brought Roxy home, and one week later we found Simon. So we moved into our new home in November of 2000 with three dogs and four cats.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekquRl9kLtR8LGWvp8JN8b85xKVaLB0SBftZpZaNETF5sKFoOwkmpSK2Ik00EOEmNdgtpZgoQKhpVyZm7PmgJ82MKg5B4rbGnyCaXd-TVY54r8YZiwEp39EjbG68yRsT5PsNkEP_LCXGC/s1600/Rox+Tunnel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekquRl9kLtR8LGWvp8JN8b85xKVaLB0SBftZpZaNETF5sKFoOwkmpSK2Ik00EOEmNdgtpZgoQKhpVyZm7PmgJ82MKg5B4rbGnyCaXd-TVY54r8YZiwEp39EjbG68yRsT5PsNkEP_LCXGC/s320/Rox+Tunnel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Roxy's first trials in Carson City.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Roxy was a very special dog, but I'm too broken up right now to describe all the ways. Suffice it to say that she was gentle, loyal, and willing to do anything I asked of her. She was my agility partner for many years, and we earned a NATCH and a CATCH title, but as she got into middle age, she lost much of her enthusiasm for the sport, so I retired her. She's the dog who convinced me to commit to positive-reinforcement based training and to expunge "corrections" and coercion from my training toolbox. I still made mistakes. She was such a sensitive creature, even a sharply indrawn breath on my part felt like a leash jerk to her. But I think our relationship made me a kinder, more patient person overall.<br />
<br />
She had a good, long life, but damn, it never seems like enough. Roxy is gone, and she's taken a piece of me with her. My scientific world view has never given me a lot of reason to hope there's anything waiting on the other side, but if there is, I hope she's with her old pals Astra and Simon now, and with my dad and his beloved dog, Florence. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrvO4SF6yN2lfPD-3aNa97LFOvD-16RugPE-R54GVhQm6_ieE4dvUYWPC3lbnWwWQ3Hgi9WIXGXXtKRnLa7_cMjc8LUdAAMMYPNfXNjXvXYJ2Iidh1A7BrWw_T4qse-iZI4ITAHES9kAH/s1600/3stooges1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrvO4SF6yN2lfPD-3aNa97LFOvD-16RugPE-R54GVhQm6_ieE4dvUYWPC3lbnWwWQ3Hgi9WIXGXXtKRnLa7_cMjc8LUdAAMMYPNfXNjXvXYJ2Iidh1A7BrWw_T4qse-iZI4ITAHES9kAH/s320/3stooges1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roxy, Simon and Astra</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVywI33rVjSjm9LtKjnfCHUafmqaLzpdGPhyphenhyphenad_2KYmtiJz8ancffqT5xfrWwTQssN1svLuDCul01hxSoIQ-xpTh2Io029oTImYu7RISQUozszpRd06fvddZ2b3y6s6_XLcaXTU3JNLpK/s1600/roxymday08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVywI33rVjSjm9LtKjnfCHUafmqaLzpdGPhyphenhyphenad_2KYmtiJz8ancffqT5xfrWwTQssN1svLuDCul01hxSoIQ-xpTh2Io029oTImYu7RISQUozszpRd06fvddZ2b3y6s6_XLcaXTU3JNLpK/s320/roxymday08.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roxy running at WAG in Elk Grove</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeDjc0_7tTRC_KqDneo_l67slzk3bQfo_ltOMf8wU-u-6oufdda5GL0e4asv-cs_E_LPFkpnJS8ZU1sVPxPhp0kfcxh2HNSh9PwApZ6C5q7AQcwO_Z7nebFA0PVp8ho9EmSjX2tWxxLZV/s1600/Roxy+at+ocean.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeDjc0_7tTRC_KqDneo_l67slzk3bQfo_ltOMf8wU-u-6oufdda5GL0e4asv-cs_E_LPFkpnJS8ZU1sVPxPhp0kfcxh2HNSh9PwApZ6C5q7AQcwO_Z7nebFA0PVp8ho9EmSjX2tWxxLZV/s320/Roxy+at+ocean.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roxy at the Huntington Dog Beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Goodbye, dear girl. Thank you for your love and friendship.E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-86669211345843903982015-09-21T23:28:00.003-07:002016-02-16T20:25:21.429-08:00More Forgotten Fantasy Classics (with a couple of newer series you really need to read).<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]-->This is a continuation of my forgotten classics series (the first installment is linked <a href="http://doggedlywriting.blogspot.com/2015/09/some-great-fantasy-novels-or-series.html">here</a>) , and it includes some more fantasy novels and series that seem to have fallen (undeservedly, in my opinion) off the cultural radar in recent years. I've tossed in some newer fantasy novels that I think are very good as well. If these entries lead anyone to read and enjoys a book or author they wouldn't otherwise have heard about, then I'll be very pleased.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoFT-C7MPQqftAdD3Cb_ra0Cg0okOqZkpojzKWJeJn4oEDeWddbGuwxMzeY5q_J23QG8mjZ_jT50NyGlJdiflzas_SgO2R4EX-UUJjCMlssamO2zPwIHK2xpCZH7C-6WU4eJ05uftErAN/s1600/Dragon+Prince.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoFT-C7MPQqftAdD3Cb_ra0Cg0okOqZkpojzKWJeJn4oEDeWddbGuwxMzeY5q_J23QG8mjZ_jT50NyGlJdiflzas_SgO2R4EX-UUJjCMlssamO2zPwIHK2xpCZH7C-6WU4eJ05uftErAN/s200/Dragon+Prince.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. Dragon Prince series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Dragon
Prince, The Star Scroll, Sunrunner's Fire</i>) by Melanie Rawn. Published
between 1988-1990 by DAW books, these books were well reviewed and popular, and
set the stage for a host of intrigue-heavy fantasy with large casts of
characters who fall along a broad spectrum in terms of morality.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The story's desert environment doesn't feel like a
quasi-Europe, the story has a lot of action, and while gender roles are pretty
traditional, the women have agency and goals of their own and aren't just there
for the men. The story even shows some of the men through a female gaze, which
was unusual back in the 80s, even for female authors. And Rawn does a better
job than most authors of her era at exploring the implication of living in a
world with large, intelligent predators.</div>
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2. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Watergivers</i>
Trilogy (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Last Stormlord, Stormlord
Rising, Stormlord's exile</i>) by Glenda Larke. The author is Australian, which
might be why these books aren't as well known in the US as they should be. They
were published by Ace Books in the US between 2010-2011. Set in a secondary
world, these novels focus on the power struggles within a society that relies
on water-manipulating magic for survival. The core conflict centers around a
base born boy who may be the last person alive with this talent and on his
attempts to master his unreliable magic and to resist being manipulated.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The story is set in a culture that doesn't feel like it's
based on anything that's simply lifted whole-cloth from our world, and the
story's two main protagonists are both people of color. There are several pov
characters, including some interesting women, and some LGBTQ characters, but it
is not in any way an issue story.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxrfQtKB2D0PDP41Y6uPTyFWIm21mcwIP4YercgqrG7oTJi4EPUaWeYAGLEup7jYWoA6tQ3I5hTR0o-ZipVxYv1-MWzy7iYEMgoUnE-aGK1bdRc1SXzfWHfPtQUOhCL94mr8Dih3hJrxc/s1600/Watergivers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxrfQtKB2D0PDP41Y6uPTyFWIm21mcwIP4YercgqrG7oTJi4EPUaWeYAGLEup7jYWoA6tQ3I5hTR0o-ZipVxYv1-MWzy7iYEMgoUnE-aGK1bdRc1SXzfWHfPtQUOhCL94mr8Dih3hJrxc/s320/Watergivers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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3. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chosen of the
Changeling</i> duology (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Waterborn and
The Blackgod</i>) by Gregory Keyes. Published in 1996-1997, they've recently
been reissued for kindle. The story focuses on Hezhi, a princess from a magical
family. It contains many traditional fantasy elements, but the author's
attention to world-building detail and his knowledge of linguistics and
fencing, give this story a depth and authenticity many lack.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMYTvebgLYd5efPQOdJSxbI86E2de4iPgZpfI1wpC0SjkgHHmTeGog_OI6VlR0GMD9Iooi2FtOfkQy3DOKT58MObgwB7nZO5RzvXpkkWt6klIotzAhqekRhcxFjE5iqyLerdWytzVcX8O/s1600/Fade+to+Black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMYTvebgLYd5efPQOdJSxbI86E2de4iPgZpfI1wpC0SjkgHHmTeGog_OI6VlR0GMD9Iooi2FtOfkQy3DOKT58MObgwB7nZO5RzvXpkkWt6klIotzAhqekRhcxFjE5iqyLerdWytzVcX8O/s200/Fade+to+Black.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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4. Rojan Dizon Trilogy (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fade
to Black, Before the Fall, Last to Rise</i>) by Francis Knight, published in
2013-2014 by Orbit books. A secondary world fantasy noire, the story's setting,
the magic tech city of Mahala, is a bit reminiscent of Blade Runner. The city
is ruled by priests and has a rigidly hierarchal class system. Among its many
themes story explores outsider issues and the disconnect between the religion
practiced by the privileged wealthy and the impoverished masses.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The reluctant hero (a snarky womanizer who must hide his
magical talent) is evocative of many well-loved UF protagonists, but his costly
magic and social ineptitude keeps him from ever approaching the wish fulfillment
archetype. The pace is brisk and the twisty, turning plot keeps the reader
wondering how the story will end.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHJsKjsstWIFQZFrhzFNj_FI427y08Igc1sj_aTXAO38HoXkDpnhbJTo5doMF5MNzU6FJF_e0IAEQXhSiBOHeByegG5nOJ9eBSMrT6zBfIfJpSOGoSyhScsdNVxGY4nTqlKJHeHq73sNa/s1600/Wayfarer%2527s+Redemption.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHJsKjsstWIFQZFrhzFNj_FI427y08Igc1sj_aTXAO38HoXkDpnhbJTo5doMF5MNzU6FJF_e0IAEQXhSiBOHeByegG5nOJ9eBSMrT6zBfIfJpSOGoSyhScsdNVxGY4nTqlKJHeHq73sNa/s200/Wayfarer%2527s+Redemption.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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5. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wayfarer Redemption
series</i> by Sarah Douglas. This consists of six books (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wayfarer Redemption, Starman, Sinner, Pilgrim, Crusader</i>) that were
published in the late 1990s by Harper. They are very popular in the author's
home country of Australia, but they've never gotten the attention they deserve
in the US. Unfortunately, Ms. Douglass passed away in 2011, which might be
another reason they haven't been promoted as aggressively as they should be
over here.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The novels meld elements of SF and fantasy, as they
incorporate space travel, stargates, and demons known as Timekeepers, but it
takes place in a pastoral, non industrial world When a plague of monsters
threaten their homeland, a noblewoman and a military leader must learn the
truth about the history of their world.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdxGWdoe5sqKeqgcx1ZqZc-_90WXyyvcmp9-Zue3vEl2NtYaCdMrOzrgUJbW4-jWDU_xsq60NT0KcCDE-uTbYwpwN1uzKo7q74_Q053ulaXcH_g0xzk41QiNDpe5usewf_Vw0SdEHvwhb/s1600/Eve+Forward.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdxGWdoe5sqKeqgcx1ZqZc-_90WXyyvcmp9-Zue3vEl2NtYaCdMrOzrgUJbW4-jWDU_xsq60NT0KcCDE-uTbYwpwN1uzKo7q74_Q053ulaXcH_g0xzk41QiNDpe5usewf_Vw0SdEHvwhb/s200/Eve+Forward.jpg" width="118" /></a></div>
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6. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Villains by
Necessity</i> by Eve Forward. This stand-alone book was published in 1996 by
Tom Doherty Associates. This humorous novel subverts many familiar tropes, as
it centers around a band of traditional fantasy villains (an assassin, a thief,
an evil sorceress, and a dark knight) who must save the world from a fatal
imbalance after evil is banished.</div>
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<br /></div>
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As far as I can tell, Forward has only written one other
novel (by this name, at least), Animist, which read like the start to a
promising series that never materialized. It's a shame, because she is a good
writer who has a knack for twisting familiar tropes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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7. In a similar vein, though written with a different style
and execution, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grunts</i>, by Mary
Gentle. First published in the UK in 1992 by Bantam Press, it was reprinted in
1995 by Roc books. This satirical book takes place in a cliche-ridden fantasy
world based on the basic D&D mode. The plot revolves around a band of orcs
preparing for the last battle between good and evil, one they're destined to
lose. Things change when they find an artifact that turns them mentally into
20th century US soldiers.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The book is filled with camp and over-the-top humor and
references to tropes that should appeal to anyone who ever played fantasy games
or simply got tired of tired rip offs of JRR Tolkien's works.</div>
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<br /></div>
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8. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vows and Honor</i>
trilogy (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oathbound, Oathbreakers,
Oathblood</i>) by Mercedes Lackey published in novel form between 1988-1998.
These books tell the tale of Tarma and Kethry, who make a cameo appearance in
at least one of her Heralds of Valdemar books. These books are unusual in
fantasy, because they focus on the friendship between two female adventurers
who are seeking to avenge the slaughter of Tarma's clan. It's fun to see a good old fashioned
"mismatched" buddy S&S-style adventure fantasy told from a female perspective. And the acerbic
"Need" is probably the coolest take I've seen on the sentient sword
trope.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDvwxos6tEOssHVy5T335KNrec4MNp20dvo077I8zeWTd2XkcnceLfvBeu9UXfUNm9TF0-T3MPJfpGYrZGzgPxxZnwLG7yhjIWuvhbXs3sC9xLgyNIWMGT3_KficvOO91i1mtt7Ruv8Hp/s1600/Oathbound+Trilogy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDvwxos6tEOssHVy5T335KNrec4MNp20dvo077I8zeWTd2XkcnceLfvBeu9UXfUNm9TF0-T3MPJfpGYrZGzgPxxZnwLG7yhjIWuvhbXs3sC9xLgyNIWMGT3_KficvOO91i1mtt7Ruv8Hp/s1600/Oathbound+Trilogy.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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8. Alan Garner's the <u>Weirdstone of Brisingamen</u> is
considered to be a children's novel, but it has plenty to offer adult fantasy
fans too. It was well-received when it first came out, but fell into relative
obscurity, perhaps because the author decided he didn't feel it was a very good
book.</div>
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<br /></div>
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First published in 1960, this novel is based partially on a
Cheshire legend tells the story of two children, Colin and Susan, who are
staying with some friends while their parents are overseas. Susan owns a
bracelet that contains the weirdstone of the title. The minions of the dark
spirit Nastrond who, centuries before, had been defeated and banished by a
powerful king, wants this item back.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Pz0XrCcWEayUnh1lbKydfLVbPL6xBXDiqq50PmM-2tduoHUuU7Aog26Uv3AvzEyVUQjxO4mqxMNxHuBf9118wWIKHQEs3U65EoijDBlC2JIaWbF3fDxrz1TrczsWNrlGMKRkq24e_xk1/s1600/Deed_of_Paksenarrion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Pz0XrCcWEayUnh1lbKydfLVbPL6xBXDiqq50PmM-2tduoHUuU7Aog26Uv3AvzEyVUQjxO4mqxMNxHuBf9118wWIKHQEs3U65EoijDBlC2JIaWbF3fDxrz1TrczsWNrlGMKRkq24e_xk1/s200/Deed_of_Paksenarrion.JPG" width="126" /></a></div>
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9. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deed of
Paksenarrion</i> trilogy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Sheepfarmer's
Daughter, Divided Allegiance, Oath of Gold</i>), published in 1988-1989, were
the first volumes in the Paksennarion series. It is fairly classic high
fantasy, set in a quasi medieval world with elves, dwarves, and paladins. The
story follows the character of Paks as she joins the army to flee an arranged
marriage. This may be why it's faded from view in spite of being popular in its
day--the Tolkien and D&D-inspired high fantasy of the 70s and 80s has
largely run its course. But the excellent characterization and well-developed
religious themes (unusual in a genre where characters often have the mindset of
citizens of 20th century secular democracies) make it stand out from its peers.
The author's military experience shows as well.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuEAQRM-2LOIaAb5yYz9pUy9Fr2XO9YOFyJ9UUZclW7SMpWIQ5z6XZDaN7dvpJV42AQl1EndzdA2cLCelA3ddXFs7ERMp-e2xnAuMgA9gFU2ozSnR8YvOKSo4GLadgg61MOf1Nb_pcUE0/s1600/Morgaine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuEAQRM-2LOIaAb5yYz9pUy9Fr2XO9YOFyJ9UUZclW7SMpWIQ5z6XZDaN7dvpJV42AQl1EndzdA2cLCelA3ddXFs7ERMp-e2xnAuMgA9gFU2ozSnR8YvOKSo4GLadgg61MOf1Nb_pcUE0/s320/Morgaine.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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10. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Morgaine Cycle</i>
(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Gates of Ivrel, The Well of Shiuan,
The Fires of Azeroth, Exile's Gate</i>) by CJ Cherryh. Published by DAW books
between 1978-1988. I discovered these on my parents' bookshelves when I was a
kid, and they helped foster my lifelong love for speculative fiction. Strictly
speaking, these are SF, as the author has stated that they are set in the same
universe as her Union-Alliance novels. But the stories have a sword and sorcery/quest
fantasy feel, and the characters travel on horseback for most of the series. CJ
Cherryh is one of my favorite authors, and she was one of the first SFF writers
to employ a closer, character-focused narrative style in SF and F.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Though Morgaine is the plot-driving character, the story is
told through the narrative perspective of Vanye, a disgraced bastard. Outcast
for accidentally killing his brother, he accepts food and shelter from
Morgaine, and is bound to assist her in her quest to close the travel gates
left behind by a star faring empire. The Gate of Ivrel is Cherryh's first
novel, but the world building and characterization are phenomenal. Why these
don't end up on any of those "best and influential SFF lists" is
beyond me.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9G4uVWRN0_cndzrT7uGWFa10H-Bv3eHjRMrUAdFf_sihXtTu9RWHDckxnSEPQO-KPbmgqWKdGpjv5kERTZVaqJeY9DadrEAr8X3alEErkL75zWND8apawVF9clCZpXR6_JJ_soV4d6hyphenhyphen/s1600/anderson-broken-e1378304295439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9G4uVWRN0_cndzrT7uGWFa10H-Bv3eHjRMrUAdFf_sihXtTu9RWHDckxnSEPQO-KPbmgqWKdGpjv5kERTZVaqJeY9DadrEAr8X3alEErkL75zWND8apawVF9clCZpXR6_JJ_soV4d6hyphenhyphen/s320/anderson-broken-e1378304295439.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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11. Poul Anderson's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Broken Sword</i>. Published in 1954 by Abelard-Schuman (currently available in
the US for Kindle from Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy. This is another
fantasy novel<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>remember finding on my
parent's bookshelves when I was a kid. Michael Moorcock declared <i>The Broken
Sword</i> superior to Tolkien (though that's not saying a lot, since Moorcock
isn't the biggest Tolkien fan in the universe), calling it “a fast-paced
doom-drenched tragedy in which human heroism, love and ambition, manipulated by
amoral gods, elves and trolls, led inevitably to tragic consequences.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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It was influenced by H. Rider Haggard’s 1891 Viking
adventure <i>The Saga of Eric Brighteyes</i>. It's definitely worth a read if
you'd like to spend some time with elves that aren't at all like the ones from
most role playing games. It's a product of its time in that it's somewhat
sexist, but still a good read.</div>
E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-31388296320960504062015-09-02T23:58:00.002-07:002015-09-21T23:45:00.127-07:00Some Great Fantasy Novels or Series That Rarely Make Those "Must Read" Lists<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The web is a great place for learning about books and authors, but sometimes it seems like there's a "rich get richer" element to the various "<a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/139085843/your-picks-top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-books">must read</a>" and "<a href="http://bestfantasybooks.com/best-epic-fantasy.html">best of</a>" or "<a href="http://www.listchallenges.com/reddits-top-105-fantasy-novelsseries-of-all-time">top</a>" lists that get linked on various sites. The same books and authors we've heard of already tend to come up. So I thought I'd toss some books out there that were either well-liked in their day but have fallen off the cultural radar or had a cult following of sorts but never made it into the fantasy "mainstream" (whatever that might be for the genre). In order to keep this from being just a list of my own unsung favorites, I've been picking the brains of my fantasy-loving friends as well, and some of their suggestions are included. This is not a complete list by any means, and I've got many more titles I'd like to discuss, maybe in a future entry.</span><br />
<i><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSGcAy7sS3UjoDM8ce5WODs8jZiBfGDAt08XxiI-UYXXpoi4CmxbMPH0AYNa1s5COn0a8dSYRz7YU4x_FQxV32rfe64WhNP89kiB6sQqXrlriuTJ7b_vxRmHkaiuu_NrZgBkmVT-kHXcz/s1600/Deryni+Rising.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSGcAy7sS3UjoDM8ce5WODs8jZiBfGDAt08XxiI-UYXXpoi4CmxbMPH0AYNa1s5COn0a8dSYRz7YU4x_FQxV32rfe64WhNP89kiB6sQqXrlriuTJ7b_vxRmHkaiuu_NrZgBkmVT-kHXcz/s200/Deryni+Rising.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">1. </span>Deryni
Rising </i>and sequels, by Katherine Kurtz. Published by Ballantine Books in 1970,
reissued by Ace books in 2004. This was the first book in her Deryni series,
which was fairly popular with fantasy geeks in the 70s and early 80s, but even
though she <a href="http://io9.com/how-katherine-kurtz-changed-fantasy-books-forever-1695523162">is
credited with influencing authors like Guy Gavriel Kay and George RR Martin</a>,
this novel and series are rarely included on "<a href="http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/blog/top-10-fantasy-series/">recommended</a>"
or "<a href="http://www.listchallenges.com/reddits-top-105-fantasy-novelsseries-of-all-time">Must
Read</a>" lists today.<br />
<br />
Set in the fictitious kingdom of Gwynedd, the fantasy society Kurtz created
is much closer to a historically accurate medieval setting than is typical in
epic fantasy. The stories focus heavily on magic, intrigue, and politics as
Prince Kelson seeks to learn the truth about the not-so-accidental death of his
father, his own magical heritage, and to put down the plot to steal his throne
by sorceress and pretender Carissa.<br />
<br />
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2.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Tales of the Otori</i> by Lian
Hearn, Riverhead Books, 2003-2005. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Across
the Nightengale Floor, Grass For His Pillow, Brilliance of the Moon</i>). This
story takes place in a world inspired by feudal Japan. The protagonist, Takeo,
a member of a persecuted religious group, is nearly killed when his village is
destroyed. He's saved by the Otori clan an falls into a world of intrigue,
magic, and warfare.<br />
This novel is actually fairly popular, but it doesn't seem to be well known
in fantasy circles. It seems to be shelved with general fiction in bookstores,
in spite of its magical elements and alternative world setting. The first book
in the series takes an unusual approach to narrative viewpoint, with one point
of view character being shown in first person, and the other in third<br />
<br />
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3. <i>White Crow Sequence</i> by Mary Gentle. First published in the UK by Bantam
in 1990, it's not easy to find a paper version of these books in the US, aside
from used books. Kindle editions of the series (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rats and Gargoyles, The Architecture of Desire, Left to His Own
Devices, and White Crow</i>).<br />
<br />
This story is about Valentine the White Crow, a scholar-soldier who has fled
from her suitor to a vast city at the centre of the world. The city's humans
are ruled by an aristocracy of humanoid rats, which are themselves subject to
immensely powerful gods who mostly sleep but are growing restless. Aided by
various allies, Valentine must face the gods, defuse the conflict between
humans and rats - and decide how she really feels about her suitor. Gentle
writes beautifully, and her world and story are far from run-of-the-mill
fantasy.<br />
<br />
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4. Jack Whyte's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dream of Eagles</i>
series, six books in all. Published between 1992 and 2005 by Forge books. It's
the authors take on the Camelot legend. It's sometimes billed as historical
fiction, but falls more into historical fantasy. He's a wonderful writer with a
fabulous command of language and a penchant for researching to the nth degree.
Want to know how to forge a sword using Dark Ages techniques? He's got it.<br />
<br />
The series starts with the first person account of a character named Pubilus
Varrus as he retells his own history and that of the Roman withdrawal from
Britain, but new characters narrate the later books in the series, which ends
with the fall of Camelot.<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">5. The Witcher</i>
Series by Andrzej Sapkowski. Not actually novels, the first book in this series
was originally published as a collection of five short stories by <i>Wiedźmin</i>,
in 1990. Four of the five have since been translated from Polish released in an
English-language edition, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Last Wish</i>
in 2008. Other story collections in the series include <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Blood of Elves</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sword of
Destiny</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baptism of Fire</i>.</div>
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Many Americans were introduced to Sapkowski's world and
character via the video games by this name. The stories center around the
character of Geralt, a monster hunter struggling to maintain his own ethics
while operating in a very "gray" universe that should appeal to people who like darker fantasy. The stories are very influenced by the legends and mythology of
Eastern Europe and are filled with subtle humor.</div>
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6. Lighthouse Duology (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flesh
and Spirit </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Breath and Bone</i>)
by Carol Berg, published in 2008, 2009 by Roc books. This story takes place in
a fairly typical early-renaissance sans gunpowder fantasy world, but the
writing and characterization are phenomenal in my opinion. The protagonist is a
rebellious mage who has been hiding from his family for more than a decade,
which is a big deal, because in this world, magi are pampered chattel,
controlled by their families and expected to live by rigid set of rules. His
situation is complicated by a strange malady that's afflicted him since
boyhood, which he self medicates with a forbidden magical ritual that is as
addictive as it is agonizing. </div>
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The story has a slower start than is typical for modern
fantasy, but the author introduces information about the world and the
protagonist's situation in a way that keeps the reader guessing until the end. I think it should appeal to fans of writers like Robin Hobb, but it has a tone and style that's all its own.</div>
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7. <i>The Book of Words Trilogy</i> by J.V. Jones (<i>The Baker's Boy, A Man Betrayed, Master and Fool</i>). Published by Aspect Books in 1995-1996. The story centers on the adventures of a young woman who refuses to be a pawn in a political marriage and an apprentice baker who has powerful but uncontrolled magical abilities, and it incorporates many familiar fantasy tropes--evil twins, scheming sorcerers, and idealistic knights. But the world building, dialog, and intrigue elevate it beyond run of the mill fantasy. A fun read. The paper book appears to be out of print, but it's still available as a kindle edition.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4fbO_4s8SLkzzkwYv_6KBRlQAPCFca676-BE_l7bPBPLbwilmanoj3xBhbtjU_PZy2sniloY4j9W6UWjAgQv4bNUK2_07CxDmM57RYyGdoZSICSwhj2xR4OfnN0yOnSETzVxTylVsGi0/s1600/Jones.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4fbO_4s8SLkzzkwYv_6KBRlQAPCFca676-BE_l7bPBPLbwilmanoj3xBhbtjU_PZy2sniloY4j9W6UWjAgQv4bNUK2_07CxDmM57RYyGdoZSICSwhj2xR4OfnN0yOnSETzVxTylVsGi0/s320/Jones.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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8. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tamir Triad</i> by
Lynn Flewelling (The Bone Doll's Twin, Hidden Warrior, The Oracle's Queen).
These novels take place in the same world (in the land of Skala) as her
long-running Nightrunner series, but centuries earlier. They tell the story of
Tamir, Skala's greatest Queen, who was magically disguised as a boy at birth in
order to hide her from her Usurping uncle. Although the novel uses
"prophecy" and "chosen one" tropes, it handles them an
interesting perspective--the cost of assuring that they come to fruition. </div>
<br />
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Though there are several viewpoint characters, Flewelling
focuses on the character of "Tobin," who is a shy, lonely, and
somewhat peculiar boy who is haunted by the ghost of his twin brother.
Flewelling writes compelling and fascinating characters, and the ones in this
book have stayed with me longer than most. The main flaw (one I didn't not
think so much about the first time I read it), is she missed an opportunity to
explore the issues faced by transgender children and teens in more depth.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSZbTKUX0QmmhSsIkG5YHYtKgKn8V7OARU1SH9EtTNRRc5vslAO1PnyyaoaosIVfL7O9VW7gAzgPmLGvTplOpeuzXGOmjfwpxahz25bLQWTtF8-RYQXrjBAnDFzJdf7-ePMNwp2KnMkbp/s1600/Flewellings4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSZbTKUX0QmmhSsIkG5YHYtKgKn8V7OARU1SH9EtTNRRc5vslAO1PnyyaoaosIVfL7O9VW7gAzgPmLGvTplOpeuzXGOmjfwpxahz25bLQWTtF8-RYQXrjBAnDFzJdf7-ePMNwp2KnMkbp/s320/Flewellings4.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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9. Barry Hughart. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Bridge of Birds</i>, Del Rey, 1984. It's a novel of ancient China that
never was - but ought to have been. There are two sequels ( <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eight Skilled Gentlemen</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Story of The Stone</i>), but this novel
stands alone with no trouble at all. When the children of his village are
afflicted with a mysterious plague, Number Ten Ox heads to the city and
recruits a sage to help find a cure, and together they go on a
quest. Along the way, they discover they are stuck in the middle of a plot
by the Heavenly Emperor of Jade himself.</div>
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The book is written in a lyrical, fairy tale style that
should delight lovers of classics like The Princess Bride and The Last Unicorn.</div>
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10. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Crown of Stars</i>
Series by Kate Elliott: This seven book series (starting with King's Dragon)
was published between 1997-2006 by DAW books. It is set in the fictitious land
of Novaria, and story follows the stories of two young adults, Alain and Liath,
as they are drawn into the war that starts when their home is invaded by an
inhuman race called the Eika, who had nearly destroyed the world more than 2000
years before. </div>
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The author based her world and cultures on real-world
medieval kingdoms. The excellent writing and epic scale of the conflict should
appeal to fans of Tolkien and George RR Martin.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLFORRUVmEklEuJ3oiH9FND9rYRVF0HYgPLlHr7JdFDo8hTqJ78iPdlxwz3K_oxNCoUSIggeRL1q7_BS8yiCh8XFQmrgLqH9FqMubtI7tpGU38fQHZ5HAP-J1e6CLQG-ul_AJV3Xq3N5i/s1600/51LNeET0UbL._SX311_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLFORRUVmEklEuJ3oiH9FND9rYRVF0HYgPLlHr7JdFDo8hTqJ78iPdlxwz3K_oxNCoUSIggeRL1q7_BS8yiCh8XFQmrgLqH9FqMubtI7tpGU38fQHZ5HAP-J1e6CLQG-ul_AJV3Xq3N5i/s200/51LNeET0UbL._SX311_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
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11. <i>The Witch World</i> series by Andre Norton (first novel <i>Witch World</i>, 1963). Andre Norton was a brilliant writer of both SF and F (the first woman to be awarded the SFWA's Damon night Memorial Grand Master status). and for reasons unknown, she seems to have fallen off the cultural radar in SF and F circles and her books are rarely included on the lists of classics. It's possibly because she was such a prolific writer that no one book or series stands above the others. She was a consummate world builder who often melded SF and F elements. This could also be a reason why her work is often overlooked--people aren't always sure where to categorize it. She also was one of the first speculative fiction writers to include LGBT characters in her work.</div>
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Magic is considered to be the sole property of women in this world, and witches lose their powers if they have sex, but the male protagonist has some magical ability, and when he marries a witch woman, both their powers are amplified. This creates some problems with the society's rather conservative ruling caste.<br />
<br />
The next installment in this series is available here: <a href="http://doggedlywriting.blogspot.com/2015/09/more-forgotten-fantasy-classics-with.html">http://doggedlywriting.blogspot.com/2015/09/more-forgotten-fantasy-classics-with.html </a></div>
<br />
<br />E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-38986570061552296092015-08-01T18:52:00.004-07:002016-02-16T20:25:53.201-08:00But It's Realistic! The Delicate Issue of Rape in Fantasy<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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If the title of this post isn't a warning, I'm talking about
a very unpleasant topic today, one that can be a trigger for some people.
<br />
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Rape is an unfortunate and disturbing facet of human
behavior. In a world where a significant percentage of women (and a number of
men too) have been subjected to one form of sexual assault or another, it makes
sense that it would make its way into fiction, including fantasy.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It is a real thing, for both men and women. It happens in
war, in prisons, on the streets, and even in people's homes and private lives
(in fact, <a href="https://rainn.org/get-information/types-of-sexual-assault/sexual-assault">with most sexual assaults, the victim knows their assailant</a>). I
don't think it should be off limits, either as a story focus or as a plot device.
I learned about how horrible it was by reading some stories where characters
were raped (a couple were even issue books, aimed at teens) and also learned
something about the problems victims have with shame and self blame and so on.
These novels dispelled some myths about rapes, gave me some information about
how to protect myself from it, and helped me develop more empathy for victims.<br />
<br />
However, it's a topic that is <a href="http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/jhamlin/3925/myths.html">rife with misconceptions</a>, and it is <a href="http://jimhines.livejournal.com/437292.html">often handled badly in fiction</a>. </div>
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In the first draft of the novel I'm querying now, my female main character was a rape victim. It felt so natural to do this. My story isn't set in a sugar-coated fantasy world. I wanted a bit of grit and realism. Plus, a past sexual assault gave her a reason to be hyper-vigilant, focused on her work, and leery of intimacy. And it gave her a traumatic
past that would allow her to empathize with the male main character's outsider status.</div>
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But then I started to think about my choice in more detail,
and I began to wonder if my unthinking gravitation to rape as backstory for
this character wasn't problematic. Here's why:<br />
<br />
1. It's the ultimate crime of erasure and un-personing, and it's
just about the worst thing a person can do to another without killing or
mutilating them. It is a very powerful thing, and it shouldn't be trivialized.
Yet is often is in fiction. Did I want to make the issue of rape a specific
focus of this novel? No, I really didn't, but if it's handled in passing, then it suggests I think it isn't all that weighty.</div>
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<br /></div>
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2. Adding insult to injury, rape (or other indignities)
committed against a female character are often used as a motivator for a male
character. It's not about her, it's about the "real" character, who
happens to be her lover, husband, father, brother or whatever. It's a form of
the infamous "<a href="http://lby3.com/wir/index.html">women in
refrigerators</a>" trope first identified in superhero comics, but also in <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StuffedIntoTheFridge">movies,
video games, and books</a>. Was her rape really there to be something the male
main character would have an emotional reaction to later? I didn't like the
answer to that question.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3. It's often used as a cheap way of showing how evil
someone is: cardboard villain rapes character (or threatens her with rape).
It's just been done <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil">so
darned many times</a>. Same for using it to show how dark and unjust one's fantasy society is. But aren't there other ways I can make a villain
thoroughly unpleasant or show the reader how gritty things can get in my world?<br />
<br />
4. There are a lot of real, live people walking around who have been victims of
sexual assault. Reading
about it in a book can cause them to relive their own experience. My
character's rape was "off screen," and of course every victim processes his or her experience differently, but even so, did I want to dredge up those
emotions in some readers if it wasn't necessary for the story at hand? Not
really.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkZHDZqGAs0gWqwPv7L-rKu4HvbbWvcMNYZgkDiCP_G6wErgLBe-yoKQ47pcflhutB7sRD5JOzdeYrtGAd7tYls4GFAP3Yf67imhP9_37LDzRBL8lf0Tv28AtDEez4tnAKf2YIFD0LHKP/s1600/rape-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkZHDZqGAs0gWqwPv7L-rKu4HvbbWvcMNYZgkDiCP_G6wErgLBe-yoKQ47pcflhutB7sRD5JOzdeYrtGAd7tYls4GFAP3Yf67imhP9_37LDzRBL8lf0Tv28AtDEez4tnAKf2YIFD0LHKP/s400/rape-0.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When so many of one's potential readers have been a victim of sexual assault, it's a good idea to consider how it's portrayed, because it will affect them. Graph from <a href="http://www.vox.com/2014/9/5/6110411/study-1-in-5-women-have-been-raped">Sarah Kliff's</a> Blog.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></div>
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5. It's often misunderstood. It's a planned crime of <a href="http://www.onislam.net/english/family/your-society/gender-and-society/460814-what-makes-a-rapist-psychological-analysis.html?Society=">violence,
humiliation and control</a>, <a href="http://www.middlebury.edu/media/view/240951/original/"><i>not </i>lust</a> that
got carried away. This has been known since I was a kid at least, yet many people haven't gotten the memo
yet. Rape is sometimes portrayed as something raiders or soldiers do simply because they haven't been with a woman for a while. It's also one of the only crimes where the <a href="http://www.middlebury.edu/media/view/240951/original/">victim is
routinely blamed</a>.<br />
<br />
I did address victim blame, both self blame and blame by
others, as problems for the character in the story. But did I really want to explore how that would
play out and spend the time to make it <i>clear</i> this rape was a crime of control
and anger, not misplaced passion, even if most of the characters didn't realize it? Again, the answer was no.</div>
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<br />
6. If a character who is meant to be sympathetic rapes or is accessory to a rape, then he/she will cease to be sympathetic to a large number of readers. If the writer wants a
redemption arc for a rapist, their work is cut out for them. I call this the
Thomas Covenant problem. It wasn't relevant in my case, since the proposed rapist was a villain, but it's definitely an issue in some stories. It's not impossible to make a rapist relatable to a high percentage of readers, even if he isn't on a redemption arc (Anthony Burgess's <i>A Clockwork Orange</i> is a great example of this, as is Mark Lawrence's <i>Prince of Thorns</i>), but it's a hard needle to thread.<br />
<br />
7. Rape portrayals might be titillating or erotic to some
readers, or at least read like they're meant to be. This is a particular problem when the assault is shown as part of an
actual scene, rather than summarized or recounted as back story. This wasn't really an issue for me in this particular story, but it's another thing that can come up. And more problematically, what's horrific for one reader might be
titillating for another.</div>
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<br /></div>
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8. <a href="http://www.odh.ohio.gov/~/media/ODH/ASSETS/Files/hprr/sexual%20assult/appendix182011.ashx">Men
get raped too</a>. It's actually quite common in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/jul/17/the-rape-of-men">warfare</a>
and <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17456904">torture</a>
situations, yet rape of adult men seems to be omitted from most stories where authors justify female rape for its realism. Funny how my "go
to" rape victim was female. I had actually considered rape of a male character at one point, but I abandoned the idea, because I feared it
would make him too unsympathetic or unmanly in the eyes of some readers. Why is
this, and why didn't I fear the same thing might be true for my female character? The answer is pretty uncomfortable.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
9. And it's been used by so many writers (especially in
fantasy) in such lazy, clichéd ways as the life-defining trauma
for female characters. Or it's presented as a sort of comeuppance or
life lesson for adventurous, naive, or "careless" female characters
who presume to go out and risk themselves in a man's world. "Silly girl!
Don't you realize all these rules and restrictions that hamper your freedom and
agency are really there for your protection? So now you've been raped (or threatened with it). Hope
you've learned your lesson and find a man to protect you!" I absolutely, positively did not want to send anything approaching
that message.<br />
<br />
For all these reasons, I realized that even careful and realistic portrayals of the rape trope
can feel (to female readers, at least, but maybe to some male ones too) like being poked over and over in the
same patch of deeply bruised flesh.</div>
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<br />
I decided it might be fun to write a story where the main female character
has some <i>other</i> past trauma or dark secret for once </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I really think the one I ended up going with actually works a lot better for her as a character and for the way things unfold
between her and the male main character.</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I'm not saying rape should never be used by authors,
of course. There are too darned many rules out there to baffle and confound new writers. However, I do think it's best
to proceed with care and to carefully consider one's reasons for including it.</span>E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-50118028672423309802015-06-29T18:15:00.002-07:002015-06-29T18:15:15.036-07:00Why Are the Little Differences So Hard to Imagine in Fantasy?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A fellow writer recently asked (on an online fantasy site)
how people had sex in the olden days, when most people lived in one room
cottages or huts. Surely the presence of a couple's children, in the same room,
or perhaps even the same bed, would have put a damper on things, he reasoned.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As someone who grew up loving the Laura Ingalls Wilder
books, there as a point (sometime around my own pre-adolescent period,
probably) when I wondered something similar. How did Ma and Pa have sex when
Laura, Mary, and Carrie were sleeping in the same one-room cabin on the
prairie?</div>
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<br /></div>
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The answer, of course, is that people in different times and
places did not (or do not) share our modern, post-Victorian sensibilities about
having sex in front of the children. They probably waited until they thought
the kids were asleep and had at it. And maybe, when the weather was fine,
couples found ways to steal moments alone together in barns, thickets,
haystacks, even churches.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nowadays, many people think it's immodest, or even
potentially harmful, for kids to overhear, let alone see, their parents making
the beast with two backs. That attitude has hardly been the norm throughout
history. Parents probably didn't sit down with their kids and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>have "the talk" back then. Kids
simply learned about sex via osmosis (and of course, most people in agrarian,
nomadic, or hunter-gatherer societies were around animals a lot while growing
up, so they almost certainly made the connection there too).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This article does a great job of discussing sex in the
middle ages. In fact, people really weren't as prudish back then as many
suppose.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2013/02/14/sex-in-the-middle-ages/">http://www.medievalists.net/2013/02/14/sex-in-the-middle-ages/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In spite of what some people have been insisting (in light
of the recent SCOTUS ruling legalizing and legitimizing same-sex marriage in
all fifty states), sexual morality is a very fluid and variable thing across
history and cultures.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This question got me to thinking, though. There are numerous
fantasy novels that show people living in societies with attitudes where the
big things--slavery, torture, sexism, public executions, a rigid class or caste
structure--are very different from ours. Yet the things that we have trouble envisioning as
writers and readers are often the little, everyday differences (like people
mostly living in a single room and parents thinking nothing about having sex
while their kids are present).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Imagine a romance or fantasy novel with a love scene where
the couple is holding back their cries of passion so they don't awaken their
toddler, who is sleeping in the bed with them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another example of a fact that freaked me out when I learned
(sometime around middle school age, I think) it was that women <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ6eqMgn5u0">didn't wear underpants</a>
under their dresses until fairly recently. The thought of walking around all
day with one's most personal and vulnerable parts open from below, gave me the
heebie jeebies. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3geLi96s7pfB1DvvYBsCdwvuEY4GKIw8dmk_vmh2PiACmEySYiEjQVUNHMXDs1SVt9wnOXE9i3PAm46Jjtp4dwCSFgRVKsHxuFEqLXHg3bCDsGfzIUPCgRk08eU7ubahUws7Ny8ITK1e/s1600/450px-Fragonard%252C_The_Swing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3geLi96s7pfB1DvvYBsCdwvuEY4GKIw8dmk_vmh2PiACmEySYiEjQVUNHMXDs1SVt9wnOXE9i3PAm46Jjtp4dwCSFgRVKsHxuFEqLXHg3bCDsGfzIUPCgRk08eU7ubahUws7Ny8ITK1e/s320/450px-Fragonard%252C_The_Swing.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fragonard's The Swing: What is this fellow looking at?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, I've since figured out that those heavy skirts
and petticoats were unlikely to blow up or reveal one's nether regions, even
when it was windy or their owner climbing ladders, but it still feels a bit odd
to me. On the plus side, the idea that brassieres didn't exist before the 20th
century <a href="http://www.historyextra.com/lingerie">turns out to be untrue</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One thing that's very hard to relate to is differing attitudes about personal hygiene. I admit I was very relieved to learn that all those tales about how
no one ever bathed in the olden days were <a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2013/04/13/did-people-in-the-middle-ages-take-baths/">rather
exaggerated</a> (though, interestingly, westerners were at their most foul
during the early modern era, not the middle ages), and in fact, clothes washing
and periodic bathing have been the norm throughout history, even if people
didn't always live up to modern standards of cleanliness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Given how itchy and stinky I am after just a couple days of
days camping, I'll admit that a character who bathes but once a year and never
cleans his/her teeth is harder for me to relate to than an assassin who kills
people for a living. Brent Week's Durzo Bint? I had more problem with his garlic-chewing habit (I have a very low tolerance for garlic, even in food, and the smell of it on someone's breath makes me physcially ill) than I did his talent for slaughter. No fangirl crush on <i>that</i> character!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And speaking of bathing, anything resembling the <a href="http://talktoyouniverse.blogspot.com/2011/05/culture-share-bathing-in-japan-by.html">Japanese
tradition</a> of families bathing together doesn't seem to be something that
comes up terribly often in fantasy novels. I suspect that many modern authors
have too much trouble stepping away from the notion that nakedness is an
inherently sexual condition.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bkbT01Q6HaVgm9ZtJ80ceAUkhYVtDWyA_RIfFKlk90_DNEpjsv9b_MKfoEyEgKgHFnKsLwZdfDzn0J1YjYMbuZVfEgnMeoTcAcwfsau7ya-HlG6bYHtEyRcj33Fa8OGXPg1YC1zsAAKB/s1600/Latrine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bkbT01Q6HaVgm9ZtJ80ceAUkhYVtDWyA_RIfFKlk90_DNEpjsv9b_MKfoEyEgKgHFnKsLwZdfDzn0J1YjYMbuZVfEgnMeoTcAcwfsau7ya-HlG6bYHtEyRcj33Fa8OGXPg1YC1zsAAKB/s1600/Latrine.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A print of this painting hangs in my hall bathroom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another social convention that few
modern fantasy writers explore in their worlds are communal latrines.
Outside of boot camp, modern western bathrooms tend to have locking doors or screens around the toilets, at least. Yet the Romans had <a href="http://ancientpeoples.tumblr.com/post/51068743901/roman-bathroom-habits-the-romans-were-not-shy">communal
latrines</a> and public piss pots where people of both genders "went"
in front of one another, and even socialized whilst they did. Especially
revolting to me, however, is the concept of the <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/science/sharing-toilets-with-friends-and-evil-spirits/?no-ist">shared
sponges</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Toilets are definitely one of those intimate, everyday things with which we like to take for granted. Anyone who has been camping, or traveled in a country where facilities are designed differently, knows how disconcerting it is to adapt to a different way of answering nature's call.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moving to the other end of the alimentary canal, I also have a hard time getting my head around the idea that
<a href="http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/who-invented-the-toothbrush">toothbrushes</a>
seem to be a very recent invention (though unsurprisingly, the Chinese might
have had something similar). However, people did indeed have ways of cleaning
their teeth in the old days, and some research suggests that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teeth_cleaning_twig">tooth cleaning sticks</a>
made from some kinds of trees or shrubs do an excellent job of promoting
gingival health.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Habits of grooming or beauty aesthetics that are different from ours can be a jolt also. It's hard for me to imagine being attracted to a man with a tonsure, for instance, though those have existed in various times and places in history (and not just for monks). And when I saw the Kurosawa movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ran/">Ran</a></i> many years
ago, I was put off by the way the women plucked their brows to nothing and drew
fake ones in way above their natural position. These looked odd to me. It's
another one of those "small things" that wouldn't be very comfortable
for me to imagine in a protagonist in a fantasy novel. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are plenty of other "little things" that
have changed throughout history and that vary between cultures. Taboos, habits
of personal hygiene and grooming, even table manners (like using fingers to eat
instead of utensils). Even though it can be a bit uncomfortable, I think
authors sometimes miss opportunities to use these kinds of small differences as
a means of reminding their readers that their characters aren't simply modern
people wearing costumes. It's challenging, though, because for some readers, the ability to connect emotionally, even romantically, with a character is an important part of the experience of reading.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Feel free to comment and chime in on some of your own blind spots about history. What kinds of small, everyday differences have you tried to incorporate into a fantasy culture? Which ones put you off so much it's hard to relate to a character who practices them?</div>
E.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.com3