More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

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Kvetch
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Kvetch »

It is The Great American Economy, I believe.

As to the plot, I'm afraid I don't recall it clearly enough.
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by lmodesitt »

The story is about a junior economist on the staff of the Council of Economic Advisors who, in trying to try down a source of inflation, discovers one of the first published instances of cybercrime [and technically the method would still work].


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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Locke »

What, in essence, is the staff of order?
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by lmodesitt »

The "staff of order" is, in essence, the equivalent of an urban myth for the people of the isle of Recluce and, like all myths, has a differing meaning for many believers. It is based on the belief that "pure" order cannot fall to chaos, and that such order, when embodied in a staff, can be wielded effectively against all enemies. Like all myths, there is some truth behind it, but, in the end, absolute adherence to that belief can be fatal, as Lerris almost discovers.

That's the best definition I know how to give.


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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Locke »

It's a good definition, and thought-provoking; thanks.
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Dwagginz »

I have two questions, if that's alright.

1. Is there any projected date for the paperback release of Scholar? I know Princeps is coming out in May (about half a year after Scholar), at least according to the pre-order pages on The Book Depository, but there's little sign of Scholar's paperback release. I know Tor are, for want of a better term, ridiculously unreliable with their paperbacks so does anyone have an idea, please? The paperback of Lady Protector isn't even out yet, and if the Macmillan site is correct, Arms-Commander's PB was released over a year after the paperback. I'm guessing it won't be until possibly late 2012/early 2013?

2. Talking of Arms-Commander, is it possible to just jump straight into it? I've only read the first book so far, and that was a while ago. It's the one I'm arguably most interested in, as I prefer reading about female characters, and I know from the Imager Portfolio 1-3 (and Magic of Recluce) that Mr Modesitt writes some excellent women, but also that he suggests publication order as the best way to read them. Failing that, is the Spellsong Cycle the best place to go for a well-written (by Mr Modesitt) female main character?
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by lmodesitt »

In answer to the questions, the paperback version of Scholar will be released in October 2012, 11 months after the hardcover. In point of fact, at least in the case of my books, the paperbacks are usually released 11-13 months after the hardcover, and true to that pattern, the paperback of Lady-Protector will be out in March.

As far as jumping right into Arms-Commander, I don't think you'll get lost, but it's likely you won't appreciate it quite as much as if you'd read the two books which precede it [both in publishing and chronological order], which are Fall of Angels and The Chaos Balance.

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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Dwagginz »

Thank you Mr Modesitt, on both counts. It's a shame I'll have to wait so long for Scholar (I'm one of those daft people who likes matching covers/sizes). I suppose I'm just used - as an English reader - to books often seeming to have a quicker turnaround, or at least UK/US editions to choose between, whereas with yourself I only have access to US editions.

And as for Arms-Commander, I'll bear that in mind. I think what I'll do is one day get started on reading the series from start to finish - it'd be the best way, I suppose.

Oh, whilst I'm here, I'd just like to say I'm sorry to hear of Darrell K. Sweet's passing. I loved the work he did for your early Recluce books, especially the one for The Magic of Recluce. They fit your books perfectly, in my opinion. :(
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by lmodesitt »

I used to have British editions, until an editor who shall remain nameless decided he didn't like my books, either because he didn't like them, or because they were acquired by his predecessor, even though the imported US editions of my subsequent fantasies sell almost as many copies as the books with which he replaced mine.

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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Dwagginz »

I did wonder what happened to your UK publishing. Mind you, after what Orbit did to your covers after a certain point, I think having the Tor US editions is infinitely preferable!

It's a shame to hear that, though. Seems wrong that the decision was with one petty person.
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Locke »

Mr. Modesitt,

Could you please flesh out the concept of the "lamaial?" I'm puzzling over the word.
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by lmodesitt »

You might say that "lamaial" is the male form of the word "lamia," which originally referred to a Greek vampire-like and shape-changing female monster. In the world of Corus, all who use the Tables to access the "tunnels" that connect worlds are changed [even when they remain linked to their home worlds]. Those who change shapes through linking to the "new" world were originally thought monsters, and destroyed on sight, and there are several references to that, particularly in Scepters, although there is also an example in Lady-Protector as well. This was because the "ifrits" knew that they would lose their incredibly long life-span if they linked directly to a new world, and because they feared that someone like Alucius might appear. The term "lamaial", meaning an unnatural creature of great power, was coined to refer to such "monsters", with the dire prophecy that if such creatures ever truly became powerful, all would be lost. Over time, this meaning was somewhat distorted, as often occurs over thousands of years.


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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Mythbhavd »

What is the difference in the power systems of a UAF ship and a mirror tower? The Winterlance had a fusactor, but it was negated immediately upon arriving at the world containing Candar. However, the tower power systems were able to function for quite a period of time before they began to fail.
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by lmodesitt »

I never specified that [obviously], but in my mind the difference is not in the source of the power, but in the containment structure. Both systems are fusion powered, but the "Mirror Towers" have a more efficient and essentially energy-reflective system containing the fusion, i.e., a stronger order/chaos barrier, but building such systems is far more expensive.


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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Mythbhavd »

It has been a long time since I last picked up Towers of Sunset. After reading it, I decided to just spend some rare, but enjoyable free time reading through the pages of this discussion. Quiet a few questions have been asked about the testing Justen, Lerris, and the Druids face. After reading Towers, I realized that Megaera faces a form of the trial. While she doesn't face the form of trial faced by Lerris and Justen, she is actually forced to face an internal trial through her ties to Creslin. She has to find a way to make the chaos and order within her system balance in order to survive and thrive under the restrictions of her bond. She reminds me in a way of the Druids. While she often uses her finger fire to intimidate, she truly doesn't want to do violence. She seems to seek out more balanced ways of doing things, although the options left are often unacceptable to her and Creslin.

Would she, had Creslin headed toward Naclos rather than Fairhaven been able to be accepted there?
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by lmodesitt »

That's a good question, but I'd have to say that they would have been -- but it would have been bloody and difficult... and they still would have had to return to the world outside Naclos. The druids are big on destiny.


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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Lucent »

Mr Modesitt,
I was making a comment on another thread about how you are more of a story teller for the benifit of the fans and the story it's self instead of the far to common modern story sellers whom obviously are more concerned with with holding further books...

But I wonder is your dedication to continuing stories just for the fans sake? or do you actually enjoy creating and telling the story as much as we enjoy reading it. After all you have to write it before even you can read it!

An I close here I know from your collection that you certainly are not just writing for the sake or writing.
Can you smell that?
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by lmodesitt »

I don't know that there's a simple answer to your question. From the time I was about fourteen, I've written. Since then, I've always written -- poetry, speeches, technical and political articles, columns for trade newsletters, consulting reports, and, of course, fiction, almost entirely science fiction and fantasy. I'm certain that I write the poetry, fiction, political and other blog commentary from more than one motive. I write because I have to; it's part of who I am. I write because I need to share what I create with others. I write because I want others to enjoy the stories and the characters whose stories I write, and, if possible, to spark thought and wonder through the words. I write F&SF because it's the only media I've found that allows me to do all of that... or at least to attempt to do all that. And yes, when a novel or story is done, I enjoy reading it as well.


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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by ErichPryde »

Mr. Modesitt-

I have a question or two for you. And, I suppose, a short story:

My love of your writing started when I was on the way to a small surgical hospital in Moore, Oklahoma in 2004 to have my right thumb removed due to a rattlesnake bite. On the too-quiet car ride up, my step-father looked back over the passenger seat, and then handed me a book. Although a Physics Professor at the University of Oklahoma, he had always been exceedingly soft-spoken unless he felt very strongly about something. We seemed to share the same taste in science fiction and fantasy, so I took the book from him quietly in my good left hand, my right partially wrapped in a bandage.
The Magic of Recluse? I frowned. Although the name was somewhat catchy, the cover art depicted simply a man on a horse and a carriage. Not particularly exciting looking, and although I hadn't expected a book, I at least hoped it was something exciting that would distract me from the long wait I would surely face before surgery. I sighed. I'd been filching my mother's science fiction for years, and recognized the author. I'd read the Ecolitan series when much younger and liked it, and more recently, I had read The Parafaith war and liked that, too. I raised a single eyebrow. Science fantasy from this Modesitt guy? What the hell, I'd give it a shot.
Perhaps that first sentence captured me: "Growing up, I always wondered why everything in wandernaught seemed so dull..." Or perhaps it was the fact that I would have done just about anything to escape the dull ache in my right hand, the knowledge that I was about to impart on my own adventure... Of a sort.
Whatever the case, I was frustrated when, a hundred pages later, the nurse came into the waiting room and informed me that we would have to unwrap the bandages so that they could look at the thumb. The bandages would not come off, and needed soaking. I could read, but it was difficult to turn pages with one hand in a container of warm water. My brow furrowed- Had anything in the last two weeks been particularly easy?
As the bandages finally dispersed in the clean water, my mother cried at the sight of my hand. About the same time that Isolde said "One of you believes that success lies in accomplishment, and the other believes that having answers will explain everything," I told my mother not to cry, that in twenty years, she had always been strong for me, and if I could bear it, I needed her to be able to handle it, too. pun intended, I suppose.
Not too long after, the nurse came in and notified me that it was time to go to surgery. I was dismayed- the dangergelders had just barely made it to Candar- I wanted to know what would happen next!

Since then, I've read many of your books. Liked all of them, loved the majority. A well-worn copy of The Ecolitan Enigma, with plenty of highlights, dominates the top of my whiskey cabinet flanked by The Dinosaur Heresies, The Mismeasure of Man, and Speaker for the Dead. There are many other books there, but so few of them are instilled with such a sense of order and clarity as those.

But seriously... on to the questions....

You mentioned in an interview that you used First person, 3rd past, and 3rd present differently for different impacts in the recluse series. I agree that they definitely have different impacts. Is it my imagination, or do you use present tense when telling the story of something you consider Lore? Some of your more powerful, more inevitable characters seem to be in present tense. While Lerris bumbles through Candar finding out who he is (although I acknowledge that you flip to present for Krystal), Martel's domination of Aurore is inevitable. The same can be said of Creslin- we all know how powerful he will be from the beginning, how unstoppable- again, first person. There is a different kind of feel to the present tense- it can be very powerful.

And secondly, if you'd be willing to provide it: to what tune is down by the seashore sang? I was recently re-reading The Towers of Sunset, and was hoping you'd share. whole reason I made this post, actually....
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by lmodesitt »

The books in which I used the present tense are those where I felt the reader had to be closer to the character. That some of those stories verge on Lore is secondary.

The base tune for "Down by the seahore..." is "Down in the Valley," at least that's the title I know it by, and I may have changed the rhythm slightly.


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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by ErichPryde »

Thank you.
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Mythbhavd »

A quick question about Imager.
Spoiler: show
When Rhenn images caustic at Johanyr and Diatz, is the reason it so adversely effects them because he images behind their shields in the leaded hallway? I've always wondered why the lye in his bag wasn't used. I understand how the lead would keep him from drawing from other sources, but his bag had a ready supply.
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by lmodesitt »

It wasn't quite that simple.
Spoiler: show
Rhenn does image some of the caustic from his bag, but he wasn't specific enough in doing so, and in imaging behind their shields, he also ended up drawing the elements from their bodies. The actual lines include the words "just like the caustic in the bag." Not the caustic in the bag. Rhenn is guilty of being less specific in his imaging.

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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by Lucent »

Sir, I know these are questions you're not comfortable with answering. I / know from experience by for the other believers or those who might be wondering I need ask again.

Sir your novels seem more like histories than fictional novels. While many know or believe the current timeline of our planet is not the first or only existence of man & womankind. I have for 25 years deliberately and consciously shared your teachings with those I felt would benefit. That is almost the point. It feels as I delve back into familiar stories I learn something or experience something new each time each series, each timeline?

Since Recluse is the most popular dispite the almost singular POV offered in the Imagers portfolio or many of your sci-fi novels adamante, haze,, Parafaith story. Recluse is the hook. Not just a singular families history but a planet's. So I will use it as an example.

Anyone knowledgeable of the series knows it is ridiculous. It is more of a retelling of history than a novel. Constantly from M.O.R throughout the entire series everything interplays together as If the entire history was written prior to the first novel published.


Can you explain how this and the fact that all the series or independent novels appear to exist within the same universe at different times?

For those who make the statement about "how much better" of a writer you have become over the years. I implore them to pay attention. Much like your articles and short stories it seems to me you expect a bit of consciousness in your followers.

If my inquiry annoys you I am sorry but your teachings in my own experience have not only molded mine, but many other successful lives and families.
Can you smell that?
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Re: More Questions from an L.E. Modesitt Fan

Post by lmodesitt »

As I've said elsewhere and may have said in part here at some point, when I write a book, any book, I do have in mind at least some back history and culture, and in some cases, such as Recluce, a great deal of history in mind. That's because I see what I write as part of a continuing history. The other related point is that almost everything I write branches off, either sideways, in the past, or in the future from our present-day world. My SF novels are all what I see as different versions of where the future might go, or might have gone, based on what has already been. For that reason, they're all related, because they start from the same or very similar points. Just as we cannot separate ourselves from our history, neither should those about whom I write be separate from their past. I do think, for better or worse, that I'm one of a very few writers who thinks this way. It's not enough, in my opinion, merely to create a "workable" world; one must also create a work with a workable history and a possible future.

I hope this addresses the overall question you posed.


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