MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 2177

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) River's Gift.
	by Syara3-+AT+-aol.com
  2) Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2175
	by Paige <ppwalker-+AT+-sympatico.ca>

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Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000 20:28:52 EST
From: Syara3-+AT+-aol.com
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: River's Gift.
Message-ID: <0.4496fc7c.25a15554-+AT+-aol.com>

Well, I thought it was very fairy-taleish but I liked. I think she could have 
done more. I agree with whoever said that her main characters are gettign 
rather cookie cutterish. It seems to happen when an author gets popular. Oh 
and the word 'shayana' what does it mean? Starwind says ot to Savil and 
vice-versa.  Fuzzy little sheep that stay on your shoulder to anyone who 
likes fuzzy things :)       
                    Syara   
        

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Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000 17:58:15 -0800
From: Paige <ppwalker-+AT+-sympatico.ca>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2175
Message-ID: <38700236.FF16AED0-+AT+-sympatico.ca>

Abigail Laughlin wrote:

> <<I didn't forget him, I omitted him because he wasn't a Herald when he had
> kids, and therefore, he didn't have to take his office into
> consideration when he and his wife decided to have them.>>
>
> Keep in mind that, except for those with the Healing Gift, "deciding"
> probably doesn't have a lot to do with it. Given that modern birth control
> isn't 100% effective, we can be certain that the methods they'd be using in
> Valdemar (described briefly in By The Sword), wouldn't be.

> In fact, given the hedonistic tendencies of many of the Heralds we know, I'm
> surprised there aren't more with children. ;)

The Herald's do so practice Birth Control,  It's all explained to Talia in
Arrows of the Queen when Sherril gets her Whites.  Recall (badly quoted) Sherril
says "You must have noticed that you never (or possibly rarely) see a pregnant
Herald, and we're hardly a celibate bunch."  She then explains that the Healers
make up something for them that sounds fairly close to our modern day birth
control pills.  A tea you drink on your "moon days" and one on the others.

In that case, so far Rubrick is the only Herald with mentioned children that
might not have had a choice in the matter, since we don't know if the Healers
make this potion available to the general populous or not.


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End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 2177
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