More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

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lmodesitt
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Post by lmodesitt »

The five seasons are: Spring, Summer, Harvest, Fall, and Winter.


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Post by Telonius »

Thanks for the answer, that makes a bit more sense now when trying to piece together time frames in individual books. :D

400 day year... just think about that... that means they live almost an entire extra year for every decade, crazy.
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Post by Spectralfire »

either that or we have a longer life expectancy by 6 years or so :P
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Post by Emperor »

Forgive me should this have been asked before. Speaking only for the Recluce Series.

As I mentioned in another post, I finished reading Natural Ordermage, and I noticed that the story seems to end with the emphasis of another story to follow. There have been 3 books early on that were entirely self contained stories. Most of the books seem to have 2 books to them.

My question is this then, when the idea hits you are you thinking too many possible ideas to fit into 1 book, or after your finished the one book that another idea for the character takes over?
The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think.

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Recluce Books

Post by lmodesitt »

I'd have to say that it really depends on the circumstances. Initially, for example, I thought The Magic of Recluce would be the only book about Lerris, but the idea for the sequel occurred later. In the books about Nylan, Cerryl, Lorn, Kharl, and, now, Rahl, I knew the story arc early on, but realized at some point that I couldn't fit it into one book that Tor would publish. In none of the cases did I deliberately set out to write a "duology." Part of the problem is, I suspect, that I tend to see more complexities in life than fit into a single book.


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Post by CodeBlower »

I'm working on a project for my Recluce website and re-started "The Magic of Recluce" yesterday.

This afternoon, I found a phrase that I don't remember and it's bothering me.

It's from when Lerris is unpacking his things in his dangergelder room at the end of his first day in Nylan:
The order-locked purse was there, with my apprentice wages, as was another purse I did not remember.
Lerris has had a lot of "instruction" from Magister Kerwin about chaos and order but when his father asks him if he believes in "magic", he says he's never seen anything like good magic that couldn't be explained by chance or hard work.

My question(s): Why does Lerris consider an order-locked purse to be "normal" and how does he know it's order-locked?

(thanks)
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The gelding is what the gelding is, unlike people who change in response to their perceptions of events that may benefit or threaten their power. -- Lorn, Chapter LXXXII, Magi'i of Cyador
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Contradiction

Post by lmodesitt »

Just remember that Lerris is a teenager, and he's contrary, especially at the beginning. It doesn't seem at all contradictory, in terms of behavior, but then, I've been through eight teenagers.


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Post by Emperor »

When did it become known as Dangergeld in the series?

I'm drawing a complete blank
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Post by the grim squeaker »

Really? I'm
Last edited by the grim squeaker on Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
'You can take our lives but you'll never take our freedom!' he screamed.
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Post by Robertus »

Just a couple of quick (hopefully) questions

Which book has been your highest seller? Would be interesting to know what the 'masses' thought was your best work.

On a Recluce note, Cerryl is refered to as 'Great' by Blacks. Seems a little strange to me that they would call him that as well.

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Post by BobH »

Robertus wrote:On a Recluce note, Cerryl is refered to as 'Great' by Blacks. Seems a little strange to me that they would call him that as well.
I would guess that it's because he shepherded Candar through a long period of relative peace and prosperity - which benefitted Recluce too. People tend to remember times like that with a certain fondness ("The Good Old Days"). Especially if the next ruler blew it.

Also, I would think others outside a realm tend to accept the moniker given by the people of that country. Easier for interaction.
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Post by Spectralfire »

Robertus wrote:On a Recluce note, Cerryl is refered to as 'Great' by Blacks. Seems a little strange to me that they would call him that as well.
Cerryl was the first leader of Fairhaven to declare that Recluce should be allowed to prosper. He believed the more Recluce prospers the more chaos there will be in the world for Fairhaven to use. It would be like a leader of Palestine telling Palestinians its in their own benefit for Israel to prosper. I'm sure Israelis would appreciate that.
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Bestseller

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In terms of total number of copies sold, the best seller is The Magic of Recluce.

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Post by gollum »

Mostly assumed that editorial/advertising wrote those synopses & back-cover blurbs until I read http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/07/22/t ... -synopsis/
Wondered if you write all of yours, and pondered/agonised over similar issues?
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Synopses

Post by lmodesitt »

Actually, I don't have to write a synopsis to sell a book, thank heaven, but I do have to write one for the marketing people, and then often a draft of the back cover/jacket flap copy, which gets worked over by my editor. The first and second are different because the marketing people need to know plotlines and characters more, but cover copy needs to tease without containing spoilers.

And, yes, writing either one is a pain, but necessary, as any author who's seen enough junior editors try it wil testify.l


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Post by Emperor »

You mention your editor in several posts, I'm curious to know has it been the same one over the years? Have you had several?
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Editor

Post by lmodesitt »

I've had the same editor for all but one of my books, and for the last 25 years.

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Post by CodeBlower »

Pronunciation question: "Taryl" (from Natural Ordermage and Mage-Guard of Hamor).

Is the accent on the first syllable, as in "Darryl", or on the second, as in "motel"?
"Budge up, yeh great lump." -- Hagrid, HP:SS
-=-
The gelding is what the gelding is, unlike people who change in response to their perceptions of events that may benefit or threaten their power. -- Lorn, Chapter LXXXII, Magi'i of Cyador
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Pronunciation

Post by lmodesitt »

It's pronounced TAR-ryl [as in Darryl].


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Post by PasoFino »

Just a quick lunchtime note!

I LOVE Taryl, he is awesome. I finished Mage Guard this past weekend and have been waiting until I have some time to gather my notes and comment.

One odd little question I have is how similar is the mage guard uniform to the military uniforms of Hamor? As I read the book I was picturing Rahl blending in pretty well with the soldiers when viewed from a distance. I was also wondering if they wear tall boots for riding or if they go for half chaps instead.

I like to get a good picture in my mind. This is becoming more important to me as I re-read books. Sometimes I sketch things out to get a better picture. I still have not figured out the details on what the whites look like that the Fairhaven wizards wear. Come to think of it, I have quite a few wardrobe questions. Maybe it isn't a big deal?
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Uniforms

Post by lmodesitt »

The mage-guards wear basically the same uniforms as the officers, except that their cap device is different, as are weapons. Boots are mid-calf.


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mage guard of hamor in kindle format?

Post by dhsu70 »

I was curious if there were plans to have the latest book (Mage-Guard of Hamor) in Amazon's kindle format? I was hoping it would be upon release since the last book was. Who decides if it gets released in this format? the author or the publishing company or a combination of both?
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Format

Post by lmodesitt »

The author, or at least this author, gets no say in what format a book is published, only in making sure that he does get a royalty regardless of format.

From what I know, the decision to release in any E-book format initially rests with the publisher, although Amazon has been fairly aggressive in seeking Kindle releases.


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Post by CodeBlower »

PasoFino wrote:I like to get a good picture in my mind. This is becoming more important to me as I re-read books. Sometimes I sketch things out to get a better picture.
Like Rahl did with the training manual? ;)

As I mentioned in a different thread, I had trouble visualizing a couple of the troop maneuvers .. I'm thinking I might try rough-sketching them on my re-read.
"Budge up, yeh great lump." -- Hagrid, HP:SS
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The gelding is what the gelding is, unlike people who change in response to their perceptions of events that may benefit or threaten their power. -- Lorn, Chapter LXXXII, Magi'i of Cyador
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Post by Janos »

Hello Mr. Modesitt,

Long-time reader and fan of the Recluce series. Thank you for the time and effort put into the books, they have been a favorite of mine since Towers of Sunset was published, and I've recommended them to a large number of friends.

I have a few questions about Black Ordermage from Viewpoints Critical.

When does this story take place approximately? Obviously it takes place before Death of Chaos, but I wasn't sure if it pre-dates Lerris (and Cassius is a very old Ordermaster), or if it takes place between Magic of Recluce and Death of Chaos.

These questions are spoilered for those who aren't familiar with the story:
Spoiler: show
Kytrona mentions that Cassius saved her three times at the very end of the story. Saving her on the ship, and escaping their imprisonment came to mind, but when was the third?

And a very minor question, but one my wife point out that I had missed and we've been debating. Was Kytrona sexually abused by the guards? I wasn't sure if she was reading too much into the story.
And finally, one more general question:

Do you plan to expand the late period of Recluce any? You've hinted a bit on threads here that some of the story in Lerris' era hasn't been told yet, such as Naclos, Cassius, Rahl's tie to the Hamor emperor, and a few other lose ends. Is that just for the mysterious allure of some unfinished questions with any world (because there are no perfect answers), or an era you're ear-marking to potentially go back to?

I'm really looking forward to the Sarroyn/post Nylan tales in the works, especially a chance to see more of the lands of the Legend.
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