MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1784 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Re: Welcome by shana 2) dice/hawkbrothers/Tolkein/fluff by "Nelson Greenslade" 3) Re: Disaster novels/Tolkien by Femmy Syahrani 4) The braid that time forgot... by Heather Arnold 5) dice/hawkbrothers/Tolkein/fluff by AERDEN-+AT+-delphi.com 6) Newbie alert... by Samantha 7) Re: the Star-Eyed and Valdemar by Noora Chahine 8) Re: Danya Winterborn's site by "Tea'la S." 9) Re: Cover Art by "Tea'la S." 10) Re: the Star-Eyed and Valdemar by shana 11) Tolkien/Fiest/some fluff/and halfblood by "Joey Burgess" 12) Re: hawkbrothers/names by "Judy L. Wood" 13) Re: Tolkien/Fiest/some fluff/and halfblood by Amy Trujillo 14) braid: newbies/ tolkien/characterization/jody lee by "Angie" 15) Halfblood,cover art,ect. by "Amy Lea-Anne Tracey" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 20:46:06 -0500 From: shana To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Welcome Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19981113204606.00795650-+AT+-mail.vt.edu> heyla everyone, my name is shanabritt and i just joined the list. i have been reading misty books for years and years. i don't even remember how i first came across one of her books...but i do remember the first time i read one. I used Oathbound as an escape during a family reunion of sorts. I was hooked. I have since read every book about the world of Velgarth. I read the entire trilogy about the Mage-Storms in one long weekend. I can't wait to get Owlflight and Oathblood, which i believe are the only ones in print that i haven't read yet. All of the others I have read at least twice so I am in desparate need of new reading material. I haven't quite gotten into the swing of things with the list yet but I am sure I will eventually and I am looking forward to it. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 23:31:26 -0400 From: "Nelson Greenslade" To: "Misty" Subject: dice/hawkbrothers/Tolkein/fluff Message-ID: <007c01be0f7f$6c97bf20$24afb3cf-+AT+-epzfbrwg> <> Just walk into your local comic shop. They usually sell role-playing stuff, or know where it is sold, and that includes the dice!! Me, I got mine from my cousin. He has this intricate plan to mould me into the perfect RPer for him to DM. ^_~ I'm not working out ~quite~ the way he expected.... {I am known as Enfant Terrible, after all} <)>> Spandex can be good... 'course, our Student Government VP is built okay, so no one really minds when he runs around in it as part of his costume as ROY, one half of the Ambiguously Royal Duo.... Then again, I have a curiously accepting school. <> I'd forgotten about that! ^_^;; How could I?! I remember thinking that was so cool... Gotta confess that I've been mistaken for a guy (though how I managed that with these hips, I don't know! I'd describe them as "child-bearing" !! *LOL*), so I think it's cool ~somebody's~ doing something productive along them there lines. (God, my English teacher would have a coronary if she saw this...). Yep, I could be a scout passing as male... until I opened my mouth, which wouldn't take long (I rarely close it; I once sunburnt my tongue!). I tend to squeak when I'm excited. <> Sometimes cartoons and live video don't mix.... *gags herself with a spoon* Beacause of those movies, I completely gave up on every finishing Lord of the Rings (whch I was nearing the second book of...not counting The Hobbit). I read a series that was sorta-kinda inspired a teensy weensy bit by Tolkien before I ever read his books, and that series I liked much better. Maybe because the main character was a girl. Maybe because it's less ...epic. That's it! I mean, sure, the series in question (The Deeds of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon -- Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, Oath of Gold) is epic in it's own way, Tolkein's is just TOO epic for me. Well, I'm off to read Black Gryphon for the first time!!! {Thanks for lending it to me Dawnfire!!!} So I leave you with this little, inconsequential fluff! ^_^ ~~~~~~~FLUFF~~~~~~~ Elsa stares intensely at the miniature scale 3D model landscape before her. Her brow crinkles in concentration. Suddenly, she gives a triumphant shout and moves an elite squad of Hunter Pheasants to attack the flank of Potato's rear cohort of War Sheep. She waves a finger mockingly at the big green dragon across from her, daring him to make his move. With a practiced air of boredom, Potato casually flexes his talons, then reveals his counter -- an ambush set for the Fighting Fowl Force. His Commando Canines run of her Hunters for the time being, and after falling over in sheer frustration, Elsa turns her attention to engaging her opponant's Forester Pigs with her Canadian Geese Guerillas while the porkers are exposed crossing the Big Valley. ~~~~~~~END FLUFF~~~~~~~ Elsa Knight of Fluff, One In Black, Member of the Order of Drifting Ashes, OoUH Champion of Jonne, Moonbeam, and Iceshadow, caller of monsters who is proud of all her affiliations, even the one which means she was foolish enough to be flamed.... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 11:14:21 +0700 From: Femmy Syahrani To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Disaster novels/Tolkien Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19981114111421.0068c258-+AT+-pop3.melsa.net.id> Angie wrote: >i'd rather read characterization novels than disater novels.. the mage storms, >mage wars... they're full of disasters. looke where they are? lhm, well, lhm >wasn't exactly disaster-free, but the disasters/tragedies are more personal than >"it's gonna wipe out the whole of velgarth".. Hmm ... I like character novels better than disaster ones, but I like disasters if the novel is about problem solving, like Mage Storms. But, I only like to read about the Valdemar part; I don't like Tremane at all (ducks for cover against coming fiery sheeps). A "good" bad guy? What do I need him for? I want "evil" bad guys! And *smart* bad guys, not stupid ones like Ancar, Hulda, or Falconsbane. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shantaya Autumnleaf wrote, >Jipi, another one! Join the club. I read the Hobbit when I was 15 (that's the >same amount of years ago) and thought I didn't understand half of it due to my >lack of knowledge of the ENglish language. About two years ago I tried reading >the Lord of the Rings but never could get into it. I forced myself through book >1 by taking it with me wherever I had to wait and could not escape or find >anything else to read and was soooooooo bored. As a non English-native-speaker, I can relate to you. I tried reading LoTR several times and couldn't get past the first book. Boring. Too much description. Not much happening. But everybody keep saying how good the books are and how the world is beautifully created and how beautiful the language is and so on. So I tried reading them again, this time I keep an open mind. I'm not reading as a fantasy reader who wants fast action and conflict, but as a person who's curious about a fantastic world created by this author, ready to see wonders for the first time like a small child. And by how Tolkien writes his first chapter, it's very easy to do--I keep seeing a mental image of a grandfather telling the story to his grandchild. Those long descriptions are necessary to paint the world in this story for the child--and for the reader, me. I think it's true that a good knowledge of English is necessary to really appreciate the beautiful language and poetry. The first time I tried to read LoTR is about four years ago. My knowledge of English doesn't improve that much since then, but it's improved enough to appreciate LoTR. Well, that's just my experience with Tolkien. FWIW, Femmy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 23:16:07 -0500 (EST) From: Heather Arnold To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: The braid that time forgot... Message-ID: ********FLUFF ALERT******** The Typo-dragon shuffles across the Halls to that nice little Post-Test Crashing Area and lands with a solid *whump* on the lovely, soft ground, sending up a flurry of fallen maple leaves. "Spliceosomes," she mutters feverishly. "Reverse transcriptase...undegradable intake proteins...Hydrogen ATPase kinase...Auntie Em! Auntie Em!" Thankfully, some thoughtful soul sends over a serving sheep laden with a bucket-sized mug of decaf mocha. After a few moments of whipped-cream and nutmeg laced solitude, the shell-shocked dragon (who appears to be molting from the stress) wakes up, pulls out her laptop, and begins to sort through a scary number of old Mistylist posts. ********END FLUFF********** Gotta throw in my two cents' worth here. IIRC, the character in that book of McCaffrey's (one of the "Pegasus" books, was it not?), was unconsciously using her powers to reshuffle genes to her favorite combination at the moment of conception. I personally thought that was kind of a neat idea, if a bit far-fetched (the "unconsciously" part, not the reshuffling). Still, it would be one thing to change code in a one- or two-celled, undifferentiated embryo, which would then divide and repeat the changes. To rewrite the sequence of individual cells in an adult, even just enough cells to make a difference, is difficult to do, and often doesn't last, since most cells die off over time. Still, now that they're isolating stem cells, there's the chance in the real world that we'll eventually be able to permanently fix some genetic problems (like those caused when an organism fails to produce certain enzymes). My argument against the idea of Misty's Valdemaran characters being able to do genetic engineering would not be the actual nucleotide-pushing involved (that's a matter of mechanics, and would, no doubt, be a *lot* easier than our current real-world methods). I would question the idea that they could find the specific sequence in the first place - it would be like finding one particular drop of water in a lake. In the meantime, a hit-or-miss approach would be even worse. In a developing embryo, even a tiny mutation that screws up the function of one important protein or another can result in a very dead organism. Call me crazy, but I feel that randomly changing things in a sequence, without a systematic study, is a Bad Idea. 'Sides, the quest to understand keeps people like me in work. ;) ...In the world today, it often takes decades of very precise, very tedious work to "walk" a sequence and find the gene we're looking for. Still, Misty can claim any ability for her characters that she pleases - that's why it's still in the realm of fiction :) For a closely related and kind of interesting take on the whole thing, read that scene in (I think) _Bedlam Boyz_ where the kid healer tries to take on the systemic illness (Leukemia, IIRC - forgive me if I'm wrong: it's been years since I read that one). That doesn't rate a spoiler, does it? Someone also wrote: And: Hmmm. My thought on it was that Healing in this kind of fiction was more centered on working with systems, rather than actually getting in and physically pushing cells around. After all, with pharmaceuticals, people have been manipulating body systems for thousands of years (increase or decrease heart rate, gut mobility, metabolism, etc., etc.), and a lot of these function by tricking the body with compounds that mimic natural signal chemicals. I always figured Healers were supposed to be doing something similar, using little touches of Fetching-ish talent to stimulate systems to do faster what they would do on their own. My biggest question was: would it be Fetching, or would it be something more like...oh I dunno...telekinesis? I can't remember reading anything about Fetching in the Valdemar books that had to do with pushing or floating things around through space. Whenever Dirk was Fetching things (arrows, letters, almost-dead MO's) the things just *poof* disappeared one place and reappeared another. No hovering bodies or other such things. That seems kinda drastic for the medical setting. Were I living in Valdemar, I'd be just a little nervous about a healer disappearing any of *my* body parts, even for a moment. :) Here's an answering question for ya. Of all the healing scenes and snippets in the Valdemar books (and there are a lot of 'em. Dear me, those Heralds do seem to trash themselves regularly. Tsk.) The ones I found most interesting were when the Healers were doing something to alleviate or remove pain. They refer to 'pain blocks' in the Arrows books, which seem to suggest that something was done to the nerves to keep pain from registering. When Talia is having the long dark tea-time of the soul with Kris down at the bottom of Ancar's castle, though, it seems more like she's taken his pain into herself - he can't feel it, but she can. Anybody have thoughts on how this works, and whether there's a difference in techniques? (Or textevd? My ashke's little sister borrowed all of my books, so I am proofless.) I suggest _Jinx High_ for background, then _Born to Run_ , then _Chrome Circle_ to put good 'ol Tannim in chronological order. I'll warn ya... _Jinx High_ was probably my least favorite of the Di Tregarde novels. Read the others afterward at leisure - they have practically nothing to do with each other, though _Wheels of Fire_ brings back a friend of Tannim's, and I *think* fits chronologically before _Chrome Circle_. Again, since I have none of my books on hand, this could be completely incorrect: take my advice at your own risk. :P Sorana wrote: > Well, I like dragons and elves (and I LOVE unicorns!), but I don't like Tolkein much either. I admit that I've never _read_ his Hobbit series, but I've seen the animated movies of it. I didn't like them much. they were just strange. And dark. *gag*> I've always felt that if you can drag yourself through the first 80 or so pages of _The Hobbit_, you're a die-hard fantasy fan and ought to go ahead & finish the thing anyway. That was my least favorite of the Tolkein works I read, though perversely, I really liked the story. (It's one of those love the story, hate the book type situations). So in any case, I'm glad I read it, because when I remember it to myself, I leave out all the boring parts. ;) The _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy, however, I loved, and strongly recommend - if for no other reason than that they're classic, he's a master, and you really ought to know when your favorite Dungeons and Dragons/Terry Brooks/Forgotten Realms/Lodoss Wars/any campaign or series with the characters elf, dwarf, mage (wizard), fighter, and thief (plus various other very stereotyped characters) are ripping him off. Ooh. I thought that node-working people's eyes always were bleached to a blue or blue-grey regardless of the original color. Didn't Starwind's friend in MPawn have brown eyes originally? (What was his name? Moon-something. Moonbeam? Moonunit?) On the second question, I once baby-sat for a couple with two kids, both with black hair and blue eyes. Their father had dark brown hair and blue eyes. Actually, I could have imagined the little girl as a young Elspeth. Absolutely precious, beautiful as a princess, holy terror to sit. Ugh. Ugh. I'm tired. I'm cold. I'm going to go sleep for a week, then check my email again. It's dropped below eighty degrees down here, and I am breaking out my arctic gear. Brrrr! For any other flatlanders out there who are experiencing the same discomfort, my sympathies to all of y'all. To all who think the low seventies are balmy, THBBPPTTT! ;) . .---._ \ / //'\'\ \ Through sunsets golden, )\ /( // \ \ \ Typo, chronic lurker, ')/\'(' _.( \ _ | | | Brain-fried student, (q/\p )' ( )/)/)/ Keeper of mice, |/_/ /__.( | V V V Certified coffee addict, (oo)/' __/ ,' Member of the (very quiet) MisticCircle (^^)\/ (^^)---' vv vv ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 23:37:08 -0500 (EST) From: AERDEN-+AT+-delphi.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: dice/hawkbrothers/Tolkein/fluff Message-ID: <01J455PXIJCY90SXBV-+AT+-delphi.com> On 13-NOV-1998 23:07:45.4 mercedes-lackey said to AERDEN me>Me, I got mine from my cousin. He has this intricate plan to mould me me>into the perfect RPer for him to DM. ^_~ I'm not working out ~quite~ me>the way he expected.... {I am known as Enfant Terrible, after all} (snicker) My character Aerden is like that...(g) me><Tolkein much either. I admit that I've never _read_ his Hobbit series, me>but I've seen the animated movies of it. I didn't like them much. they me>were just strange. And dark. *gag*>> I loved the book, _The Hobbit_, but I did find 'The Fellowship of the Ring' to be somewhat slow going after the first book. me>girl. Maybe because it's less ..epic. That's it! I mean, sure, the me>series in question (The Deeds of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon -- me>Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, Oath of Gold) is epic in me>it's own way, Tolkein's is just TOO epic for me. Oh, I love the Paksenarrion books! I still haven't managed to read _Liar's Oath_, though. ::sigh:: me>Well, I'm off to read Black Gryphon for the first time!!! Hope you enjoy it! I haven't read it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. But the latest John Douglas is very fascinating and keeps swiping my attention away from other books. (g) Chantal, aka Aerden the Healer (snuck in from Pern) Member of OOPS Member of the OUH (Grand-Duke Tremane _rules_ in Hardorn!) (g) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 00:46:17 -0500 From: Samantha To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Newbie alert... Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19981114004617.007b3e50-+AT+-is6.nyu.edu> hi :) i'm samantha, newbie on this list. 17...sorry, 18 now...singaporean, but i'm studying at NYU right now. :) first books i read by misty were the LHM trilogy, and those've affected me GREATLY...down to the semi faghag which i now am ;) if you want more personal info, go to my homepage... http://homepages.infoseek.com/~schlumpfgrrrl/index.html right, let's take a shot at this mailing list stuff.... on cover art: i personally really really LOVED the LHM covers...arrows and the rest somehow just didnt match up. i like how there's like a running theme in each trilogy's covers, tho. yes, you should judge the book by its proverbial cover :) but fantasy art in general is fascinating stuff... on tolkien: i read the hobbit and thought it was fabulous :) but somehow never really got into LOTR...different style from misty, i guess that's why some people dislike it so much. but dont knock it til you've tried it. if you guys really like semi-humorous fantasy, try the dragons series by patricia c. wrede....very good fairy taleish kind of, yet not quite. kind of like a post modern fairy tale, if there's such a thing. no, not at all like the incredibly boring and dry PC fairytales. femmy, i like misty's characterization novels better too :) mostly because i hate having to keep track of more than one main storyline. it gets confusing as hell when the books switch back and forth between like three characters and what they're doing at different times in totally different places. on mistyakes: if we took the books apart word by word, we'd prolly find a TON of them...but hey ;) i'm appreciative and loving enough of all her wonderful stories to ignore and forgive inconsistencies. its the same with eddings :) Love, Sam. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 00:24:24 -0800 From: Noora Chahine To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk, odessius-+AT+-softhome.net Subject: Re: the Star-Eyed and Valdemar Message-ID: <364D3E37.43A95A47-+AT+-softhome.net> --------------761DD8BB06FF35CC3BFD42BD Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hey guys, it's me again I was just curious about something that has to deal with the Mage Storm trilogies, there may be spoilers, so I'll warn you. Does the people of Valdemar worship the deity the Star-Eyed? S P O I L E R > > > > > > .... because in the end of Storm Breaking after Florian dies in the blast he comes to Karal on the MoonPaths. Now excuse me for my ignorance (I never read Storm Rising due to my library and I may be missing out on something) but I remember somewhere that it says the Star-Eyed were just for her people like Vkandis is for his. So wouldn't that mean that the MoonPaths were reserved for the Avatars? And how come Need came there also? Does this mean that the Companions just worship the Star-Eyed, or am I getting the whole thing confused? By the way, exactly what god does Valdemar worship? I never remembered being informed about that. E N D S P O I L E R > > > > > Oh, and one more question, why does the official fan club of Mercedes Lackey only work on AOL? Sorry, but I'm not an AOL member, and I'm just dying to join the club. I really wish the fan club would work on different service providers. This is really sickening! Do they have any other fan clubs out there besides the Queen's Own. Really appreciate it.... gotta go.... I am all that I claim to be. I simply have not claimed all that I am. Misty 'Oathbreakers' --------------761DD8BB06FF35CC3BFD42BD Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hey guys, it's me again

I was just curious about something that has to deal with the Mage Storm trilogies, there may be spoilers, so I'll warn you.

Does the people of Valdemar worship the deity the Star-Eyed?

S P O I  L E R

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.... because in the end of Storm Breaking after Florian dies in the blast he comes to Karal on the MoonPaths. Now excuse me for my ignorance (I never read Storm Rising due to my library and I may be missing out on something) but I remember somewhere that it says the Star-Eyed were just for her people like Vkandis is for his. So wouldn't that mean that the MoonPaths were reserved for the Avatars? And how come Need came there also? Does this mean that the Companions just worship the Star-Eyed, or am I getting the whole thing confused? By the way, exactly what god does Valdemar worship? I never remembered being informed about that.
 

E N D    S P O I  L E R

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   Oh, and one more question, why does the official fan club of Mercedes Lackey only work on AOL? Sorry, but I'm not an AOL member, and I'm just dying to join the club.
I really wish the fan club would work on different service providers. This is really sickening! Do they have any other fan clubs out there besides the Queen's Own.
Really appreciate it.... gotta go....

I am all that I claim to be.
I simply have not claimed all that I am.
        Misty  'Oathbreakers' --------------761DD8BB06FF35CC3BFD42BD-- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 00:30:57 PST From: "Tea'la S." To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Danya Winterborn's site Message-ID: <19981114083058.18667.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> > >From: "- Willowsong -" > > >To whoever is creating a Queen's Own persona - want to collaberate? >Wow, that makes it sound like we're committing espionage or something. >But what I mean is, can you possibly help me w/ my persona? I'm sure >your ideas are way more creative than mine, considering the fact that >I'm having the biggest case of writer's block (make that writer's >ten-ton brick) on the face of the planet. > >~Willowsong~ OLd Nicodemus has created an e-groups mail list called Queens Circle for everyone interested in collaborating on personas for ML world. Just go to e-groups.com and search for Queens Circle. ************************************************************ Knight of the Order of Colors Leader of Knights of White Life-chosen of Chata the Flabby Tabby & Bongo the Blondcat check out my page: http://geocities.com/Area51/Dreamworld/4316 and play our game. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 00:54:36 PST From: "Tea'la S." To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Cover Art Message-ID: <19981114085437.15123.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> > >From: tan3-+AT+-cornell.edu >To: bongokitty-+AT+-hotmail.com >Subject: Re: another newbie - some fluff > >*smiles shyly* > >Ok, I have to get in on the cover art discussion here, but it's got a >small twist.... > >I was wandering through a bookstore (ooh, big surprise there) the other >day, and I saw a ML book I had never read, seen, or even heard of! I >grabbed it off the shelf and ran to the counter to buy it when all of a >sudden I actually *looked* at it. Yes, cover art by Jody Lee, but author >was not ML. Actually, I can't even remember who it was at this point, so >strong was my chagrin. However, the cover looked *exactly* the way I have >come to expect all ML covers to look. > >*shrugs and stomps off sulkily to stand in the corner, supposedly ashamed >of herself, until you see the corner of BtS sticking out of her oversized >pockets* > >Zephyr I just got my Sci-Fi new order today w/ the Lloyd Alexander Prydain series (Black Cauldron) after gazing at the cover for a bit I checked inside and sure enough- Jody Lee did the cover. And it does look like a Misty cover. However....I personally refuse to find fault with any cover from LHM. (other than 'Fandes looks kinda strange. Van looks OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (yummy) If I was a fictional character in a book, I'd look at him- shay a chern or not. I can always look. > > ************************************************************ Knight of the Order of Colors Leader of Knights of White Life-chosen of Chata the Flabby Tabby & Bongo the Blondcat check out my page: http://geocities.com/Area51/Dreamworld/4316 ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 04:35:21 -0500 From: shana To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: the Star-Eyed and Valdemar Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19981114043521.007be930-+AT+-mail.vt.edu> Hey all- i feel i may have a bit of an answer to at least part of the following question: > >it was written>>>Hey guys, it's me again > >I was just curious about something that has to deal with the >Mage Storm trilogies, there may be spoilers, so I'll warn >you. > >Does the people of Valdemar worship the deity the Star-Eyed? Alright to answer that i draw on a particulat scene from Oathbreakers.the scene is in chapter 8 and about page 181 in my copy. Tarma is seeking answers from the Star-eyed about whether she can trust the Herald Roald and help Prince Stefan. So while seeking the leshya'e kal'enedral she in fact gets the Star-eyed herself.. she asks the star-eyed whether she can trust them and this is what happens: "the Star-eyed speaks, *I think jel'enedra that your answer comes on its own two feet, two and four*.....Tarma looks and on her right....knelt....the Herald, Roald..... The Warrior laid her hand gently upon (the Companion's) neck. He gleamed with all the soft radiance of the hidden moon, plainly surrounded by a light that was dimmer, but not all unlike Hers."..... later the Star-eyed explains about Companions: " *And you, My gentle Child are leshya'e Kal'enedral of another sort hmm? Like My hands and unlike. Perhaps to Complete the set I should see if any of My Children would become as you. ...... But this is a good land, yours. It deserves good servants, strong defenders-- vigilant champions to guard it and hold it safe as My Hands hold Mine. Do we not all serve to drive back the Dark, each in his own fashion? So I cry-- well met, Children of My Other Self!" So it would seem to me that an aspect of the same diety also watches over Valdemar. As far as the Moonpaths go-- well I think I remember in LHM that when Vanyel met with Tylendel there was a mistiness and a place that sounded a lot like the Moonpaths.. the same in Arrow's Fall, when Talia saw Kris. Just sort of a general place for good spirits to meet with the living. I aslo believe I remember that somewhere in either Mage Winds or Mage Storms there is an explanation about why Need could walk the Moonpaths. She is a spirit after all she just happens to be in a sword. You also asked who the Valdemar people worshipped... well it seems that there is no consensus on that except that there is "No one true way".. was it umm Mero maybe in Arrows of the Queen who worshipped only one God known as The One.. and I know LHM mentions that there were worshipppers of Vkandis who were Valdemaran citizens. But I think that the Goddess of the Heralds is just another aspect of the Star-eyed.. As far as Vkandis, He is definately a male deity. And I know there is a line somewhere that says there is some foggy recollection of a male deity that was kind of a partner type to the Star-eyed but that He was just forgotten. Oh wait! I found it maybe- in Appendix 2, The Shin' a' in Song of the Seasons: "Although Tarma seldom mentioned the fact, her people have a four-aspected male deity to compliment the female." Well- it is hard for me to prove anything since I only have one or two of the books with me at college. The rest are all at home. I hope this helped a bit. But it is just my humble interpretation after all. until next time- britt ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 06:03:47 PST From: "Joey Burgess" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Tolkien/Fiest/some fluff/and halfblood Message-ID: <19981114140347.3068.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> <> Heyla, all Just a quick note on Tolkien: I've read The Lord of the Rings, and after the Hobbit, I had to force myself to read the Fellowship of the Ring, but after that, the other two were easy to get through, cause at the end of Fellowship, the story tends to pick up some. Now for Feist: The new Riftwar book Krondor: the Betrayal is excellent. It's labeled as the first book in the Riftwar Legacy, and features Locky and Jimmy the Hand, as well as a character named Owyn, who becomes as powerful as Pug. I definitely recommend it. And now onto the Halfblood Chronicles: Just a question for this one: does anyone know if the series is going to continue. I'm just about to start reading the second one, and I thought I remembered someone saying that there was gonna be a third one. //fluff// Taliesin Pereldan walks up to all the new people who have joined while he was lurking and says "hi. I'm Taliesin, and this gold lady on my shoulder is Rhiannon, my fire-lizard. I welcome all of you, watch out for the Jest....ooops too late, I see he already got you! I shall be watching...." //endfluff// One more thing before I go: I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEW DT NOVEL!!!!!!...or Tempus Fugit, the new SERRAted edge novel.....which hopefully will have my favorite SE character: FX..... Taliesin Pereldan, impressed of gold Rhainnon Oh wait, just thought of one more thing!!!!!! HOGFATHER IS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Death takes over the role of the Hogfather, and Susan is the only one who can save the day!!!!!!!! --said as Taliesin fades away into the Dimensional Lurkhole (TM) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 10:00:40 -0500 From: "Judy L. Wood" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: hawkbrothers/names Message-ID: <364D9B15.391ED175-+AT+-BellSouth.Net> - Willowsong - wrote: > Esla wrote: > < isn't exactly PC.>> > - Willowsong - wrote: > Why not use Hawk-kin? Well first off (IMHO, of course) Hawk-kin > just doesn't have the same exotic, mysterious, etc. etc. ring to it that > Hawkbrother does. Also, I believe that PC terms only came into fashion > around the late 80s (along with spandex ), and bear in mind > that Velgarth is set in a time period considerably before the 20th > century. And lastly, they are at least halfway PC in that they use > Wingbrother and Wingsister (correct me if I'm wrong here, I don't want > to walk all the way across my house to get text evidence. Yes, I'm > lazy.) So they're trying, at any rate. I have 2 beliefs about the name Hawkbrother. 1)I believe the name Hawkbrother was given to them by outlanders. Most of the Tayladras scouts look very much alike, so it would stand to reason that people not aware of their culture would assume that the one's with birds are only male. 2) The name Hawkbrother could be like Shieldbrother, used as a sexless term. I have read somewhere, I believe it was in Oathbreakers when Sewen is telling Tarma and Kethry his suspicions about Idra's not communicating. He refers to Idra as a shieldbrother. I believe it is the same with Hawkbrother. ******************************************************************* About Tolkien.......I loved his writings.....and I loved the animated series based on it. Yes, it was dark, but the mood of some of the books are dark to me. I have a question for everyone. Have you read Bored of The Rings? It is a Harvard Lampoon book spoofing Tolkien. I have, and loved it. ******************************************************************* Marion wrote: > Heyla! > I also found some textevd on counting time, SW, page 168: > "...Or "candlemark", as the Valdemarans reckoned time. Easy enough to > judge, > since the candle that had been left burning all night was a timecnadle - > marked > off at regular intervals. As near as Karal could judge, the Valdemaran > "candlemark" and the Karsite "mark" as reckoned by water-clock were about > the > same lenght. ..." > > But how long is a candlemark? Is it as long as "our" hour? I'm not so sure > > because somewhere earlier in the book (sorry, this time I did not mark the > page) > it was said they had spent 20 marks in the saddle before they reached > Haven. > They did arrive late at night but did they really ride for 20 hours? I believe the candlemark, mark, and hour are comparable. I did notice that Misty uses the term hour in her writings as well. In AOQueen, when the first female guard that Talia meets on her journey to Haven, tells Roland that they have for Talia to stop and eat for an hour (or something like that). ******************************************************************** About Elspeth's eyes. Yes they were brown to begin with, but using the node energy was turning them to a blue gray. ******************************************************************** Everyone congratulate me. I have a job!!!! I am working through Manpower at IBM in RTP (Research Triangle Park) I am going to learn how to build computers. Sounds like fun doesn't it? I have been told it is a long term assignment (how long? As long as I and they want it) Judy -- "Insanity takes its toll.....Please have exact change" "Where the hell are the singin' cats?" -- Paul Newman "Surely, you can't be serious!" "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley" ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 09:34:15 -0600 From: Amy Trujillo To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Tolkien/Fiest/some fluff/and halfblood Message-ID: <364DA2F1.42AA-+AT+-southwind.net> Heyla listsibs, Taliesen said: > One more thing before I go: I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEW DT NOVEL!!!!!!...or > Tempus Fugit, the new SERRAted edge novel.....which hopefully will have > my favorite SE character: FX Well I hate to disappoint you but there will never be another DT novel. Misty has decided not to write anymore due to the actions of some disturbed fans. She is going to be writing a novel about Andre fighting Nazi's in WWII or something like that. As far as I know Tempest Fugit is still going to be out. If you want to find out more about the DT stuff go to firebirdarts.com and look at her The Last Straw. I do think that there is going to be another in the halfblood series too, but don't hold me to that. he also said: > Just a quick note on Tolkien: > I've read The Lord of the Rings, and after the Hobbit, I had to force > myself to read the Fellowship of the Ring, but after that, the other two > were easy to get through, cause at the end of Fellowship, the story > tends to pick up some. Well I have to say that Tolkien is what introduced me to fantasy in the 5th grade. I read the Hobbit and loved it, then I went on and read The Lord of The Rings and I was permanently hooked. I never found it too complex, but then I also like to read Tolstoy's War and Peace :). The writing never bothers me if the story is interesting enough. Basically I'm a reading addict which probably has something to do with the fact that I am now working toward my Masters in history. > > Now for Feist: > The new Riftwar book Krondor: the Betrayal is excellent. It's labeled as > the first book in the Riftwar Legacy, and features Locky and Jimmy the > Hand, as well as a character named Owyn, who becomes as powerful as Pug. > I definitely recommend it. Good, I just ordered it from the SciFi bookclub and I was going to be really unhappy if it was not good. To be honest I lost the thread of the Krondor stuff after the King's Buccaneer, I just was not as interested in that plotline. But I love Locky and Jimmy and will definitely read this series if Feist has returned to that time period. Does anyone else wish that Feist would write a sequal to his book Fairie Tale? I absolutely loved that book. Until next time, Double choclate dipped strawberry sheep to everyone Amy Ferret Friend Lady of All Things Missing, Especially Socks ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 01:34:04 +0800 From: "Angie" To: Subject: braid: newbies/ tolkien/characterization/jody lee Message-ID: <01be0ff4$f976c560$0100007f-+AT+-heraldtg> Heylas... Hiya Sam, I'm from s'pore too... but i guess you've read that... ;) All newbies... watch out for bucket-wielding persons... and the custard-toting Torell... ;) about Tolkien: I don't know what to say about him... it takes a while to get into his stories, but one you do, you've _got_ to finish it... or else your concentration is broken, and you won't want to pick up another book... ;) yeah... i loved his li'l songs... especially the one Galadriel sang in LotR... you know, about the "I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold..."? i'm still trying to pick up the silmarillion... do i dare? the size of the darn font is so scary... ;) and i didn't know there was a cartoon based on it? I finally bought Owlflight! yay! now i can torture... um... i mean discuss the book with you guys! heh... no need to ignore the spoilers from now on... ;) characterization... well... we can all say that we like reading it, but... i don't think misty's going to change her style of writing any time soon. and don't blame larry either. there was this thing that larry started helping out on her storylines since LHM.... hmmm Jody Lee's art: yep! you're correct! Jody Lee did the art for Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series! (doesn't Van look like Taran in MPrice's cover?) and it was around the same time too! (you can check the date around her sig) so, we get three extra pics of "Van"... from "Taran Wanderer", "The Book of Three", and "The High King".... anys... gtg now... mint sheep to everyone... and lollipop sheep to the newbies... ( ) Wind to thy Wings <==+==> Shadowblade mindmate to Raul, Elven archer-mage of Fairgrove | | High Priestess of the Goddess of the Elves, and of OOPS | | Grand Dame of the Order of the Namers, Singer of Fire(Alto) | | Member of the Order of Unsung Heroes (Eldan, Eric, and Terenil!) | | Member of the Mistic Circle, Visit my Homepage ~> \/ http://members.tripod.com/~Shadowblade ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 09:53:07 -0700 From: "Amy Lea-Anne Tracey" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Halfblood,cover art,ect. Message-ID: I read somewhere (I think it was in QO newsletter) That there were going to be 2 more Halfblood chronicles comming out, Elvenbred and Elvenborn,but so far I haven't heard anything more about them... As for the cover art,I like the coverart in that it IS Fantasy art,But i don't think that most of it matches the books. I dislike (create a mage-shield)the LHM cover art,Vanyel just didn't look the way I pictured him to look. Another thing,who does the cover-art in the combined books? I have the LHM the combined hardback version.It's not flashy at all,and 'Fandes lookes like an average white,blue eyed horse. And Van looks like a ghost. There is also combined version for the Arrows trilogy,which I haven't seen. Oh,yes and the Vows and Honour trilogy,which I have. Fluff*** Dawnfire summons her mind-mate,Tarsi,who appears to be a cat of some sort. Dawnfire leans over and whispers in Tarsi's ear. Tarsi runs up to the Newbie,Samantha and gives her a kiss. Welcome samantha! And watch out for the intiation procedure! End Fluff*** Zhai'hellva! Dawnfire and Tarsi Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1784 **********************************