MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 2135

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2134
	by "Abigail Laughlin" <abbykat-+AT+-hotmail.com>
  2) My intro
	by Desyran-+AT+-webtv.net

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999 09:36:43 PST
From: "Abigail Laughlin" <abbykat-+AT+-hotmail.com>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2134
Message-ID: <19991112173644.77488.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com>

<<Also, on page 227 or Arrow's Fall, when Dirk is trying to find out
info about what's up with Talia, it says "he even queried Gwena..."  Why 
would he ask Gwena?   The only other companion that had spoken in his head 
was Rolan.  Why wouldn't he just ask Aphrodie?  Or was it perhaps just a 
typo?>>

Actually, I'd assume it would be quite natural for him to ask Ahrodie--she's 
his Companion, after all. Therefore it follows that if she couldn't or 
wouldn't give him any helpful information, he'd have moved on to whoever 
else was within reach--Heralds, non-Heralds, Rolan, and 'even' Gwena.

<<In the Vanyel books. he keeps mentioning that Whites have an amazing
tendency to stay pristine white.  Then, in the Arrows book, Kris and
Talia mention that they are almost impossible to keep clean.  Is there an 
actual difference between to two whites?>>

Someone *does* mention in the later books that Whites stay White if properly 
cared for. I don't think it has anything to do with some 'magical' treatment 
or coating, though the use of magic might have had something to do with it. 
More likely--Misty made a mistake and forgot which attributes Whites were 
supposed to have.

<<I don't really want to start another discussion about government, but have 
you noticed that, once there is offically a Monarch's Own on the Council, 
there is virtually no way that the monarch's decisions will be thwarted?  
Between the monarch's own and the monarch, who will most likely rarely, if 
ever, disagree, there is no way they can be outvoted.>>

Not necessarily. I imagine that in many cases, the Monarch and/or Monarch's 
Own don't necessarily have much of an opinion in the first place--say, in 
discussions about taxing, etc. So they hear the councilors' opinions and 
votes, and they make their decisions--which may not agree. Also, one of the 
major purposes of the Monarch's Own is to keep the Monarch from doing 
something stupid. So if the Monarch throws in a vote for something really 
unwise, the Monarch's Own can and will counter. I think the point of the 
Monarch and Monarch's Own's ability to overturn council decisions is for 
cases like the vote about Elspeth's betrothal that we saw in Arrows--where 
the councilors, not being Heralds, don't understand why it's important from 
the Heraldic point of view for something to happen or not happen, and come 
at the problem from a nonHeraldic standpoint.

A governmental expert could probably pick all sorts of holes out of that 
system, but why bother? It works for the books.

Zha'hai'allav'a,
Raven Darkblade and Mor the raven,
Holy Hand of the Goddess of Elves,
Member of the Mistic Circle,
Webmaster of the Circle of Stone,
Knight and Founding Member of the Order of Unsung Heroes;
http://www.angelfire.com/ky/Ashke/ - The Labyrinth

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999 15:17:54 -0600 (CST)
From: Desyran-+AT+-webtv.net
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: My intro
Message-ID: <11470-382C8402-3580-+AT+-storefull-173.iap.bryant.webtv.net>

Heyla, everyone!  I don't know if anyone here is still around from '96
but I went by Tygriss then.  I've really missed the discussions.

A lot has happened.  Got married, moved, no kids yet though.  I'm afraid
that's something I just don't have patience for.  Still live in
northeast AR.

I'd like to get back in the Bower too, if I could.

ObMisty:  Lammas Night was one of the best single-character/theme
anthologies I've read.  Definitely as good as Thieves' World by Robert
Asprin.  Will that work?

Blessed Be,
Desyran


------------------------------

End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 2135
**********************************