We at Between the Covers are proud to announce the second story in the Red Sabre series: Cinderborn! It is set to release on April 2nd on a digital platform of your choice. This story has been a labour of love for the last two years. Kait and I are excited to continue the adventures of Captain Felicity Metticia and her ragtag band of mercenaries as they seek out fame and fortune on the wild frontier of Athemisia.
In Cinderborn, the action comes to the Thyrian controlled western coast of Albionoria. This recently annexed province bears heavy wounds. The Prisian citizens have little faith for their age-old rivals. The Thyrian conquerors likewise focus their attention on profit and plunder in the old bastion of Mount Royal. Thrust into this boiling pot, Captain Felicity must chart her own path through hostile forces and reluctant allies.
But a greater danger lurks in the darkness. And not all those that carry a light have noble intentions. Something more primal grows beneath the cold stone of the fortified port city. And as weak hearts give over to temptation, a city and its people will be shaken to their very foundation.
Digital copies should be compatible with Kindles, Kobos or just about anything that can read epud format. You can always order a hard copy from Amazon as well, though given the spread of Covid-19 there’s no way to estimate how long shipping will take.
You can order Cinderborn digital or hard copy from Amazon here.
Furthermore you can obtain Cinderborn early if you order from Smashwords here.
So tell your friends. Tell your loved ones. Grab a copy and enjoy the explosive sequel to The Clockwork Caterpillar.
So it has been a few days or so since my last posting. 2020 has turned out to be quite busy, both worldwide and in my own little microcosm. I’m hard at work finishing up the second Red Sabre novel: Cinderborn. This has been a very arduous journey and I feel like I’m nowhere near finishing it yet. Though no one comes here to read my work woes.
I’ve also had a lot of personal changes going on in my life. I’m trying to get things finished for a large move to another country that has eaten up more of my attention and time. It feels like I’m starting a new chapter of my life: filled as it is with the typical apprehension and anxiety that such changes bear with them. So this blog post is hardly a sign that I’ll be getting back to my old posting habits. Mostly, it’s a brief oasis in a turbulent sea of uncertainty.
But, more than anything, I have returned with the news that Plaid Hat Games has turned independent again. There is word that Summoner Wars 2.0 is in the works which got me pretty excited! There’s been no details – naturally – of what that will entail. Will it be a reboot? Will it be compatible with the old decks? Will it be so overhauled as to be entirely unrecognizable?
Who knows? But that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate about it!
In honour of this announcement, I wanted to make a list of things that I would like to see changed or returned whenever this game comes to the market (assuming, of course, it does). These are presented in no real order as this post is entirely my first impressions and enthusiasm for one of my classic games getting a very unexpected breath of fresh air!
So let’s begin on my Things I want to see in a Summoner Wars sequel!
BetterTheme
We’ll begin with the easiest. I wrote at length how bland and generic I found the original Summoner Wars. It’s artistic design was… well… functional at best. If you want to see why I found the Jungle Elves and Swamp Orcs so creatively distracting, you can search through my archives. But it wasn’t just bland flavouring. I also spoke to a great degree how the drab art detracted from the game as well. The original Mountain Vargath look rather indistinguishable which can lead to moments in a game where units blend undesirably together.
However, I also feel like this wish is almost all but guaranteed. I doubt anyone is particularly wedded to the old designs because they were so basic so changes are doubtful to cause outcry. Furthermore, Crystal Clans and Ashes demonstrated Plaid Hats’ evolution in far more distinct art direction. Regardless of whether you like the art in either of those, it at least stands out and I think it pretty much all but guarantees that this is a field in which Plaid Hat will have a one hundred percent improvement. And I hope they push more into their weirder design ideas while keeping a wide pool of wacky factions. Despite having bland names, the clans of Crystal Clans had some nice fantastical variety.
Crystal Clans, Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn and Summoner Wars all belong to Plaid Hat Games. I think. I don’t quite get their independence deal.
2. Keep the Dice
Here might be my most controversial request. I would really like to see the attack dice return! I know this is often the most maligned aspect of Summoner Wars but hear me out.
I think the dice in Summoner Wars is rather integral to its game. I’ve read numerous articles and design documents from developers explaining how randomness improves complexity and strategy rather than diminishes it. Which runs counter typically to how players and fans respond. But the one thing that randomness does is create dynamism. Summoner Wars is a rather simple game by design and I think its simplicity is an important part to making it popular (it’s certainly useful in teaching it to new players). Removing the dice shifts it to a far more predictable game that both reduces the excitement of turn by turn decisions (since attack actions would be assured) but also decreases design space. We’d lose abilities like Precision, Toughness or even interesting ones like Infernal Preaching (ignore the higher result of your attack rolls). The final second summoners managed to find plenty of additional interesting design space in a system that doesn’t have a whole lot in the first place.
So I’d like to see the dice remain but I would prefer if the system was expanded to give it more support. Having played a bunch of Arkham Horror LCG, I wouldn’t mind something like its “card commitment” system or another one analogous to it added to Summoner Wars.
Finally, Crystal Clans departed from the dice while still adding some element of uncertainty with its hidden card play. And while it was cute, I found it mostly highlighted that I preferred dice. Crystal Clans combat was basically a straightforward game of addition and the hidden card mechanic made it impossible to really play the game by yourself.
And I must shamefully admit that I’ve played a bunch of Summoner Wars on my own. Particularly when I was designing my custom content. I found this unworkable with Crystal Clans even though my games against people hardly took into account what card they played in their defence. It was all but impossible to not consider that information on your own.
3. New Economy
For me, this is the portion of the game which I would really like Plaid Hat to consider and experiment. The issues with Summoner Wars mechanics has been debated simply to death. Everyone has their own answer for what went wrong. For me, the problem lays here. It was clever to have your events and units also double up as your economy. But in the end, I feel that it was also the greatest handicap to the game’s desired flow.
Particularly, killing your own units controversially awarded you with magic. I’ve heard a number of people comment on how unintuitive this is. Furthermore, it led to a particularly bleak period of the game’s lifecycle wherein the most popular mode of playing was to kill all your commons for magic, build all your drawn commons for magic, then hide behind your walls hoping your opponent would come to you so that your saved champions could wallop them and secure you a victory. I’ve been rather critical of the argument that this style of playing was the “best” and that its proliferation was more due to the delicacy Plaid Hat applied to aggressive faction and unit design.
But this system also pushed the game into a rather tight design corner that made certain units and mechanics far less desirable than they should have been. For example, single attack cards were almost all but useless. Two attack was far more guaranteed to wound your opponent with a decent chance to give two wounds. This made 2 attack 1 health units far and above more valuable than 1 attack 2 health units. Failing to secure a kill had a compounding problem. First, you didn’t get the expected magic from the death of your enemy. Second, it gave your opponent a good chance to claim your unit for theirs. A unit for unit trade at least is an equal exchange. But summoning a unit only to have it fail to generate magic and then die the next turn was far too punishing, especially if your opponent killed it with the unit you failed to eliminate! It set you back the resources on your failed summon, gave them the resource of your failed summon and (in all likelihood) resulted in them claiming their own unit as a small refund! It also made it so 1 attack 1 health units were essentially non-existent outside of very niche decks as they accomplished nothing and gave too much resources to your opponent.
What could they do differently? I’m not certain because changing the nature of the game’s economy will have a massive fundamental change on all aspects of the game. Crystal Clans had an interesting push and pull economy with the crystal tracker. I’m not certain it was successful. Partly because I didn’t play enough to really understand the game. Partly because I think it led to a different issue of evaluating better exchanges and value.
Had I a good suggestion for this, though, I wouldn’t be sharing it here. I would be designing my own game. So I wish the best of luck to Plaid Hat on this front.
4. Maintain the BoardSize
So, I know I’m referencing Crystal Clans a lot but that’s partly because of my disappointment with it being a spiritual Summoner Wars 2.0. It is largely its own beast and the similarities between the two are more superficial than they are worth highlighting. However, the nice thing about Crystal Clans being so different is it allowed me to hone in on what I really liked about Summoner Wars.
There’s a really fascinating spatial puzzle aspect to Summoner Wars. You have to manoeuvre your units around your opponent’s forces and open up corridors of attack. Or you have to funnel an invader into death alleys while protecting your wounded leader from surprise flanking measures. Crystal Clans lacked all this because its board was so small. You had no sense of actually outmanoeuvring your opponent. But that’s what the difference of 48 squares to 9 squares will bring. I want to have to plan crazy sprints of swift units around enemy bodyguards or using guile to shift units to open valuable columns to rush my assassins through. I don’t know if I would want to see the board shrunk, I’d be happy to see it grow but at the very least it should remain substantial.
5. Balance Defence and Offence
Summoner Wars matches can really grind to a halt, especially against some of the earliest designed decks. There are two reasons for this: the board is large enough that you can put your opponent’s summoner on the retreat (this is good). The other problem was that invading your opponent’s board was far too difficult because of the power of summoning walls. Walls were too strong to reliably address in a timely manner if your opponent’s summoner slipped behind them. And assaulting the walls or trying to work around them left you far too vulnerable to your opponent summoning off those walls and stealing momentum and advantage.
Yes, the summoning wall mechanic was the other great contributor to the stagnant turtle strategy. But I don’t want it abolished. I want a nice balance between defensive strategies and offensive strategies. Playing defensive shouldn’t be an inherent advantage (due to the awkward economy of the cards combined with the positional advantage of defending walls). Instead, it should be strong for factions designed around them. The Deep Dwarves losing offensive value to gain an economic edge is a great design. It puts pressure on the attacker to come and get their opponent otherwise they’ll sit and meditate their way to victory. But it also means that, to truly capitalize on the meditating advantage, the Deep Dwarf player has fewer units to defend herself from an assault.
On the flip side, you had Tacullu who was only strong on defence but did not apply any pressure for doing so. His abilities triggered if the enemy was on his side of the battlefield but there wasn’t anything to encourage the enemy to come to him. So it was often advantageous for his opponent to sit across from him, passing and twiddling their thumbs since Tacullu’s defensive style applied no pressure – it merely punished his opponent if they tried to play the game.
I think Plaid Hat was slowly arriving at a good balance near the life cycle of Summoner Wars between offence and defence. But more than that, I want there to be some mechanic to encourage offensive play. Crystal Clans had its crystals which armies fought over. I think Summoner Wars 2.0 would benefit from some manner of map objectives that allowed an aggressive player to seize momentum or an advantage by claiming territory on the board. I think this could open up greater design space too but having defensive factions built around the idea of reinforcing a space on the battlefield instead of just taking advantage of inherent defensive perks. A theoretical faction could then be geared towards claiming a map objective and sitting on it, making it very difficult to reclaim by their opponent instead of being designed around hiding in a corner behind unbreakable walls.
6. Take Time to Future Proof
I will always sing the praises of the final releases for Summoner Wars. Alliances and the last second summoners were, overall, really interesting from a complexity and creativity standpoint. It really stretched the game’s system and made for some really fantastic abilities.
But goodness was Farrah and her deck a novel. Moyra had her own collection of awkward wording and overall the writing on the cards got smaller and smaller as more text was squeezed into unchanging boxes. A large part of this was trying to come up with ways to write really narrow gameplay fixes to prior cards or strange interactions. I think the game would benefit from having a more fleshed out toolbox. Having things like keywords, generic abilities and unit traits can hopefully avoid needing to remember who has the word Light in their ability name and whether Flight counts for that trigger.
I’m hopeful that this is almost a guarantee as well. Crystal Clans and Ashes had these necessary core elements. Crystal Clans hardly tapped into its trait system as it died on the vine a little early. But I’d rather the system in place than the questionable grammar we got from Summoner Wars.
Also, consistent wording and formatting on cards would be a lovely little bonus cherry.
7. The Filth
I want to see the Filth return. That’s it. I just liked the weird demon cult and how their basic unit was body horror’d into all those delightfully weird mutations. But please leave the pink demon clutches in the past, if you would be so kind.
Well, it’s been a little quiet from me, but I have finalised my draft for the reading beta. If you are interested in helping me out with my next release, code name Cinderborn, please sign up for the beta reading list and get an early draft of the novel. Only you can prevent forest fires!
So, I thought I would write about something that I haven’t discussed on this blog in a long time. You see, I recently was graciously given access to the final second summoners for Summoner Wars! Yes, it’s been over a year but, you see, the cards have been out of print and I never got my grubby hands on most of them. So it was a pleasure to finally give these elusive decks a try.
Now, I would normally like to write an indepth review of the decks. Partly because it would give me far more content to post on the blog but largely because I enjoyed analysing the product. Alas, my time with these releases was too short to get a really good understanding of them. But I was able to get a general impression.
And I have to say, it’s a real shame that Summoner Wars ended. Though it was just several brief games, I found these last six decks to be an absolute blast to play and I think they are some of the best design Plaid Hat Games put out for this system. Now, I say last six decks because I do own two of the final summoners: Farrah Oathbreaker and Saturos. So those I have played on my own time. But the remaining ones (Brath, Scraven, Little Meda, Shiva, Natazga and Melanatar) were all fantastic.
Granted, these are hardly the simplest decks released. But though they can kind of get wordy, I am not certain I found them any more complex than the Alliance decks. I also had the misfortune of playing against Oldin as well, and the stark contrast not just in design but in balance was remarkable. Summoner Wars is a weird little game, and I don’t want to slag its early design too much, but given all its mechanical quirks it is so great to see that it ended on such a high note. Even if some of the later releases pale in performance to the first decks, they are all pretty balanced and – more importantly – enormously fun (barring Hogar)!
I am humbled how you can take a fairly simple system and continually add greater strategical complexity. For example, Shiva gives a player the chance to forego an entire turn phase in order to have unprecedented control of the battlefield. Lessons were certainly learned and, had the game been predominately the releases from the Master Set and on, I think it would have been in a fantastic state. It would possibly be even more loved than it was. These last releases actually renewed my interest and love for the game, which is remarkable because I think after two years of following its product line, I got a bit disillusioned with its glaring flaws.
I won’t rehash its issues here, but seeing Oldin in play and the dreaded “defensive playstyle” I can see where the product line got a bad reputation. And what’s fascinating is the interplay between these final summoners and those early releases. You see, Oldin’s gameplan is to play about eight of its thirty-three card deck. Everything else goes to the magic pile. Playing Oldin looks to be a real drag. Most turns seem to be “draw five cards, kill your starting units, build your five cards for magic, pass.” Repeat until you get a hand of champions and Heroic Feats, throw out Magic Drains to nettle your opponent then summon a beefy champion and kill your enemy with all the extra attack dice your Heroic Feats grant.
But despite how drab that plan is, there was still excitement in the matches against these new summoners who almost all are designed to fight Oldin with this game plan. In fact, some of the summoners just outright destroy Oldin if he does this, forcing the Oldin player to actually play the game the way it was intended. And it was glorious.
Granted, the best games I played were ones between two of these final summoners. All of them have a brawling, fast and active play style and those games were really interesting and engaging.
I’ll give my impressions of the decks. Though, as I said, it have too little experience to really get a grip on their strengths, I’ll roughly organise them by my initial sense of their power from weakest to strongest.
Shiva – Benders
I think my favourite thing about Shiva is how she really captured the Bender feeling without anywhere near the aggravation of playing against Tacullu. Shiva can skip her movement phase to move three of her enemies one space each. This sounds like an awful trade, except Shiva’s deck revolves around Puppets – units that can’t move during her movement phase in the first place. Between them and Sirens (who can move a unit one space as well), you really get a strong sense of controlling the battlefield.
Unfortunately, because of her immobility, Shiva doesn’t make for a really strong attacking deck. And the one thing I noted about most of these last summoners is that they are very strong on the attack. Her events are far less impactful and I found that she got overwhelmed rather quickly when she tried to apply pressure that she sort of fizzled out. She’s probably the deck I played the least, however. I only got one of her champions on the board (Puppetmaster both games but he does seem really good) and I never had an opportunity to play with the Shifter at all which allows you to steal your enemy’s units! So I certainly missed out on some of her shenanigans and power.
Scraven – Sand Goblins
I really like Scraven. However, his base commons leave something to be desired. However, his ability to give three commons a free move at the start of his turn plus guaranteed blockers at the end is so great. I certainly found myself constantly thinking about distances and angles. And it is really hard to get your opponent in a tough position with your army ping-ponging back and forth during your turn. You feel crafty but it is difficult to wield. I’d like to try him some more so I could wrap my head around his battle flow, especially after being told that Wraiths make for fantastic vanguards. I personally had trouble getting him to do anything and he folded pretty fast beneath the other summoners’ pressure. I wanted to get Dinky to the board but was always dead before I got a chance to throw nine dice!
Natazga – Swamp Orcs
Wow, Natazga is crazy. I don’t remember how I ranked her when she was previewed but I know I had a lukewarm impression. I know I thought that she would struggle since she was throwing her attention at walls instead of the enemy’s units. However, most people like to play passive, so there isn’t a big downside to that. Plus, her Skulltakers don’t generate magic on kills so are better for hitting walls. And with Erosion, those walls go fast. My favourite game was between her and Brath, where Brath lost her starting wall and her other two were in the last four cards of her deck! Needless to say, Natazga won though it was a nailbiter game despite this huge advantage!
Generating vine walls immediately at the most valuable locations is a very strong ability. And all of her units hit really hard. It feels like a fast tide of green flowing over your opponents side. Is it fun? You bet. Powerful? Perhaps not. I think she may be the weakest of the swamp orc summoners due to her low vine wall generation (you really take notice of all the unit wall generating powers). On the flip side, she did beat Oldin despite the threat of Besiege the Walls due to the heavy wall pressure she applies plus the small wall generation by her units discouraging the event play to set her back. Also, she totally got lucky on a Gror whiff but that’s neither here nor there.
I like playing her, though, even if she isn’t the most effective. I think she does well against the opponents which are strong against Mugglugg but she certainly struggles with everyone else. Though there’s lots of fun tactical considerations in those struggles. And who knew using Erosion on your own walls would be a good idea!
Brath – Deep Dwarves
Here’s where we get to the meat of the releases. I think Brath, Little Meda and Malenatar are very competitive out of the box and can only get better with deck building if that is your kind of thing. Brath in particular is rather interesting because she sports the lowest average attack value in likely the entire game! Her deck is built around the zero attack Gem Golems, continuing a recurrent theme that most of the second summers kind of minimize their deck building potential by making them reliant on certain commons for their abilities. This concept isn’t new but the integration of these units feels better designed and more cohesive.
Brath, for example, gets around her low attack options by having several ways to make the Gem Golems better. First, she can take a card off the top of her deck to give them an additional die. Second, whenever her Gem Archers attack near a golem, the archers give the golem a free attack. Third, Brath has two events that increase the golem’s attack and she has two more events that allow her to recycle any card she has (and I generally chose those attack increasing ones).
Now, my feelings towards Brath are a little limited as she’s the second deck I played the least. She stomped Oldin, however, even if she lost to Natazga. I found her very fun and very aggressive as she throws her strong golems and supporting army at the walls of her foes. Even trying to wall yourself in doesn’t help as those tricky golems can even attack diagonally! I love them.
Little Meda – Filth
If I was hard on Natazga, I know I was lacklustre towards Little Meda. I really wish I bought her now that I got to give her deck a go. I don’t know how, but the second Filth summoner I think is better than the first. And that’s saying something since I think the Demagogue was one of the best. Now, I’m feeling he’s the worst of his faction!
That said, Demagogue is easier to play and far more defensive so there is a certain amount of play style preference at work. I thought Little Meda would be unwieldy because she needs to keep to her Nanny’s side if she wants to survive. But, in the end, I feel that she’s almost more survivable than the Warden! And she hits three times as hard too!
Granted, she has a bit of a learning curve. She has some magic economy but it is reliant on her Amoeba mutant. Though she has two events to pull it out, my first game with Meda I failed to get the Amoeba until the last couple of turns of the game and by then it was too late for it to have any impact. In later games, it kept getting Magic Drained so mileage on that will vary. Her mutations are a mixed bag too. I think her best ones are worse than Demagogue’s best but her worst aren’t as bad as Demagogue’s worst. She’s more levelled the usefulness distribution. Her events are, much like her forebearer, where she shines.
Probably her best event is her most innocuous. Daddy I’m Scared allows her to move at the end of an opponent’s movement or attack phase, either setting her up in a good position for an attack next turn or (more often) getting her our of harm’s way. I dodged a Heroic Feat bomb doing just that and if you snatch Oldin’s Heroic Feat threat, you nearly defang him. Ironically enough, I find that you are spending more time trying to protect Nanny than you are Meda. Also, their immunity to events and abilities is straight up aces.
That said, she does struggle on a traditional offensive front. Since she’s largely the source of consistent damage and you spend so much time manoeuvring her and her nanny, you can’t rush down your opponent like the other decks. In that sense, she’s more of a traditional deck though she has some measure of applying defensive pressure to force a confrontation even if that pressure is somewhat easily countered.
Very fun though and I feel less complex than the Demagogue because she’s not nearly as reliant on her mutations. The ones she uses are generally ones that you have already drawn so you don’t need to memorize your deck either.
Malenatar – Mountain Vargath
Malenatar has the distinction of having the most hilariously one-sided fight against Oldin. And that’s considering that Brath chased him into a corner and punched him between walls.
Malenatar is a juggernaut. He comes so fast out of the gate and he just does not let up the pressure. He could crowd the walls of all his opponents in the games I played by round two which gives little time for an effective defence. And he hits so hard that the wall is unlikely to stand for very long. Assuming you want to go for that wall. Generally the summoner is waiting just behind it and given a turn, Malenatar has a decent chance to just end the game against a number of summoners.
Funnily enough, his commander common is fantastic yet I find I never used more than the starting one. The guard can keep it alive for so long, is cheaper and also can protect aspirants who were pitching most of my dice.
Malenatar did make clear that the biggest thing holding aggressive decks back was the restriction on moving units. When pushing across the board, you have to choose whether to keep up your attack or replenish your line. But if you weren’t going to commit to the attack, why did you go into it in the first place? So aggressive pushes traditionally were more like assassination attempts. You throw a lot of resources on a single attack and hope it gets you the game.
But Malenatar alone can move five other cards when he moves! Will he? Of course not! But you will likely be moving an additional one for free (with Battle Procurement) and that alone helps maintain a continuous assault. Aspirants, of course, help things shimmy along.
Guards, of course, help things keep going since (with some Unity), they can help protect Malenatar from being in poor positions when the enemy walls start to come down. And talk to a Moyra player about how big keep a well placed unit around for an extra turn or two can be.
I have to say, I was really impressed with Summoner Wars last hurrah. It was such a good note to end on and refreshing to see such variability in design. My favourite games were the ones between these last summoners. They were fast, frenetic affairs that felt like they could go either way. That the game was balanced on the edge of a die roll. And now I’m sad to know that these great decks are out of print and impossible to find.
Boursse, Esais. Interior with a Woman at a Spinning Wheel. 1661.
History of the House: Act 1
Chapter 2
1668, Ezekiel Gravenhurst
My memoirs have proven to be a most unexpected boon. They have provided me clarity to that which I most assuredly would have fallen victim otherwise. I have perused my prior entries numerous times. I have gone over older passages only to discover attempts to alter or deface them. I have no recollection of these sabotages but the handwriting is unmistakably my own. The effect is unnerving. But it also proved to be the key.
Perhaps those of duller mind would have not pieced together these disparate elements. I can already imagine how the prior owners of this home were little more than mewling babes abandoned in the woods awaiting the wolves. But I am not one to be so easily defeated.
While some of the passages were defaced beyond legibility, I was able to still use them to decode the pattern. The changes fell upon entries which aligned with the passage of the moon. Consulting the old farmer’s almanac, I was able to notice my sleep most disturbed upon certain phases of that heavenly body. I know those of simpler intellect would think this witchcraft. But mine is far more sharply honed. It was during this period that my sleep and, consequently, my thoughts were most disturbed. This was not the first stages of madness: this was some otherly force bent on my ruination.
It is clear to me that I must learn more. Something wishes me ill. My prior knowledge and understanding of the world is incomplete. In order to guard myself, I have to uncover the roots of this malignant power. Even now, recognizing when I am most vulnerable, bolsters both my spirit and my resolve.
Whosoever chose to entangle themselves with Ezekiel Gravenhurst will soon discover the great folly of their hubris!
1668, Ezekiel Gravenhurst
Through careful experimentation, I have localized the source of the problem on the house itself. Awaiting the arrival of the full moon each month, I endeavoured to spend my evenings in different locals then examine the effect it had upon my slumber and my diary. The effect was most pronounced during twilights spent at the estate. I believe it drew weaker if I were to camp in the woods. It still touched me in the village. But I can only describe its influence as negligible the farther I get from Silvercreek.
This has not been my only avenue of research, however. I have felt a growing curiosity towards the prior inhabitants. There is scant details on the Williams. The locals are most reluctant to speak of them as though they had hoped my occupation would expunge the family from their recollection. But while these simpletons may offer tight lips, the village records at least provided some small measure of illumination. I am unconvinced of the argument that they built the homestead. I believe they came into possession of it much like I had. They were strangers to the area as well and there appears to be a similar reluctance of these villagers’ ancestors towards the estate as the current generation hold.
This superstition has, peculiarly, worked to my advantage. There was some concern over the disappearance of a pastor Jebediah Harrows and Miss Lilias Lammermora. I had but only a brief conversation with the reeve, asking if I had known this pair. I queried whether they were married and the answer was a most assured denial. Thus it was with a clear conscience that I said I had never seen them. That seemed to resolve the matter and while there was consternation in the village that still lingers, none truly have an explanation worth persisting.
I feared to press the matter too deeply but I think I have come to identify them as the intruders whom I spied upon my arrival. While I am certain it would bring some measure of peace to their families for them to learn their true fate, I find myself unable to educate them on the means of their passing. Suspicion has already been cast between the two families and I have no desire to make things more tense by informing them that the man and woman were the cause of each other’s demise.
Best to let sleeping dogs lie, as they say.
1676, Ezekiel Gravenhurst
There is no wholesome end to this, I fear.
Ten years have passed since I have come into possession of this house. Ten years I have carried this burden with me. My efforts move at an agonizing pace. My enemy’s, however, are unperturbed by the passage of time. There are more nights I feel no closer to an answer than the day I first arrived compared to the brief breakthroughs that inevitably lead to more questions.
I am hampered by my own reason. Of that, I am certain. I keep looking for a rational explanation to this damnable vexation which works upon my mind every day. I used to find relief far from Silvercreek’s perimeters. But I am starting to sense it reaching beyond now. I think… I believe I carry a piece of it. Somehow. Like a rotted seed has been planted in my heart and begins its slow germination.
I have begun to cast my net wider, so to speak.
I now feel the presence of others in the home. I thought, perhaps, this was conjurations of my own guilt. I entertained the notion that the locals’ own superstitions were chipping away at my rationality. I have begun to remold the house into my image, believing I can banish the remembrances through turning each room wholly into my own. By taking true ownership of this place I hope to purge these ephemeral hauntings that so plague my unwaking hours.
I have considered leaving this place.
Truth be told, this route has always been on my mind. My diary confirms as such. From the very first night, flight seemed the most reasonable direction. But anytime the notion takes firm grip, I awake the next day rejuvenated. I discover the homestead more agreeable and so I push my former misgivings away. I let down my guard and it creeps in ever slowly once more.
Now? I am convinced I am forever bound to this place until some dreadful recourse occurs.
In part, I recognize I am nothing without this home. It has provided for me far more than I could have ever hoped. The grounds are surprisingly fertile. More fertile than any earth in my inexperienced hands should be. There have been numerous treasures as well that have helped build a fortune I could scarcely imagine as I pawn the trappings of former generations to foolish peddlers lacking in proper sense.
Such fortune could have been used to secure a sanctuary far from here. Instead, I have poured those sums into exposing its secrets.
It started with consulting the locals. Silvercreek is hardly a repository of knowledge and wisdom. But through the years, I have gained a sense for the community’s heartbeat. The faithful scorn the less pious, believing them to be in league with the devil. What foolishness. I have listened to members of the Harrows preach in the rectory of passages of uncertain origin. They are surely not of the King’s bible.
I have also endeavoured to entreat the Lammermora ladies with fine dinners and pleasant company. They are a most reserved bunch. But wine works on the fairer sex just as well as it does on the other. My greatest tool, however, is the grounds themselves. These women are near mesmerized by the woods and fields. I have found them skulking about the lands on far too many eves. At first, I resented the intrusion, chasing them away for concern over what they may discover.
But I have come around now to their evening gatherings. With my permission, they have less need to lurk in the dark. Curiously, their interests peak in accordance with the phases of the moon. I have found some comfort in their torches outside my windows on those nights I cannot arrange distant lodgings. The presence of others soothes me. For my kindness and confidence, they have shared some of their beliefs.
Both of these houses have opened my mind to possibilities previously ignored. I now seek tomes of unspoken origins. Texts of which few willingly speak. My answers await on moldy shelves, in locked cabinets and secured behind unwavering vows. And as the shadow follows me in my journeys, I know the answer isn’t merely to save this inhospitable spit of land: it is to save my very soul.
Dark and all associated images and whatnot belong to Netflix, Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese.
It is, without a doubt, my favourite television series of the year. It is also quickly becoming my favourite television series, period. When people mention how well the medium has developed over the last decade, I hardly believed them. But Dark presents a very compelling argument for how services like Netflix allow a maturation of content for television that would never have been realized otherwise.
I recall now that I have not done my “favourite things” series for this year. I had plans to do so. As I always do, however, I became busy over the months where I generally list things that I love. So, let’s count Dark as a much belated entry to that list. Though, Dark would argue that it is not late – it arrived exactly when it needed to.
I’ve been trying to consider how to write a review for this series’ first season for the last couple of days and, overall, have miserably failed. It’s hard to talk about the show in any great depth without spoiling it. It’s also hard to talk about the show without rambling because there’s so much to discuss and organizing one’s thoughts on Dark requires the attention normally reserved for a paper than a quick blog review.
So let’s address the easier portion. What is Dark?
Dark is a German language Netflix original series. It is set during 2019 in the small, fictional village of Winden. It ostensibly follows the young Jonas Kahnwald whose father has recently committed suicide after writing a letter that is not meant to be opened until months later and on a specific day at a specific time.
I say ostensibly because Dark is an ensemble piece that truly follows what feels like the entire village of Winden. You are quickly introduced to a whole host of characters – all of whom are important and have their own entwining relationships and character arcs. Part of the brilliance of Dark is how it both navigates these numerous threads but also utilizes them to maintain its perfect pacing. This ensemble, however, is probably my only complaint. You’re thrown so many faces and names that it is hard keeping track of them all. It’s made even more complicated because their relationships – both familial and romantic – are important to their motivations and behaviours so it’s a constant exercise of trying to remember one round German face from another and why who hates who for what reason.
The acting in the show is absolutely top notch. I struggle to think of a weak link in a cast well into the double digits.
Dark is hardly an easy show to follow. But it is also a show fully aware of its difficulty. It introduces its various twists, turns and drama deliberately. It affords enough time for you to become familiar with the current issue before layering on another. Then another. And then another.
For Dark has multiple layers. Its story spans over three generations of these families in this sick town. And once the series starts showing you scenes from different generations, you’re left floundering while relearning the faces to names you’ve become intimately familiar with. However, Dark also uses your familiarity with these families to reveal further secrets and revelations as you understand that the issues facing these characters have quite deep roots.
But there is a greater mystery to Winden than Jonas’ father’s death. In fact, very few people seem rather affected by his suicide outside of his son. No, the crux of the show revolves around another family – the Nielsen’s. Jonas has a tie to them, naturally, as their daughter Martha and Jonas are friends/brief lovers. Things are made overly dramatic when Jonas returns from a brief therapeutic break from school to learn that his best friend Bartosz has moved in on Martha in his absence and the two are evidently dating. While trying to adjust to this unspoken betrayal, the three teenagers decide to go out into the woods surrounding Winden in search of a hidden stash of drugs rumoured to belong to a missing contemporary of theirs (Erik Obendorf) whose disappearance has gone unsolved for the last couple of weeks.
Unfortunately, the Nielsen parents leave Mikkel, the youngest of the Nielsen brood, in the care of Magnus, the eldest, and Martha while they have a townhall about Erik’s disappearance. The gaggle of teenagers’ misguided midnight adventure is interrupted when they arrive at Erik’s secret wooden hideout and find Franziska (I told you there were a lot of people) had already beaten them to the drug stash and claimed it as their own. There is a brief conflict over the weed before the children get startled by a noise in the caves behind them.
Frightened, they run for the safety of the village. In their fright, they get separated and only once they convene on the bridge beneath the streetlights do they realize that young Mikkel is missing. Frantic, they retrace their steps hoping to find him.
When that proves futile, they contact their parents – interrupting the townhall. Worried, the adults of Winden hurry out to the woods but are unable to locate the young Nielsen child. Katharina and Ulrich Nielsen are inconsolable, partly because Ulrich’s younger brother disappeared under similar circumstances thirty-three years earlier. Strange things begin to happen around the town of Winden and, chief of police Charlotte Doppel, warns Ulrich that things are “happening again.”
Phew. That should give enough of a tangled overview of how complicated the story of Dark is. Fortunately, the weave is even more knotted but I wouldn’t want to spoil any of the delightful twists and turns. The great thing about Dark is both its predictability and ability to keep me guessing where it’s going. It balances perfectly its mystery with audience expectations. Each element is a struggle to understand and just as you begin to wrap your head around the disparate elements and get a grasp of the situation, Dark throws several more twists your way. But these never feel contrived or forced. In fact, a number of them are hinted earlier in prior incongruities that largely get lost in the cavalcade of issues facing the families of Winden. It perfectly replicates the confusion and building dread of its residence in the audience.
And given its premise, it’s hard not to draw comparisons between Dark and Stranger Things. For me, personally, Dark exceeded Stranger Things on all fronts. I can see where others may prefer the latter. Stranger Things is like comfort food. It’s so steeped in nostalgia and genre cliches that you pretty much know its plot and pacing from the start. It almost never strays far from expectations since, largely, Stranger Things is an homage to the horror genre of the eighties and the influential authors and creators of that time.
Dark, to my knowledge, stands on its own. If it is a pastiche of anything then its of works unfamiliar to me. Thus, I am more enthralled with its mystery. I also found the characters a lot more compelling. For one, they are interwoven more tightly to the narrative even as Dark has a larger ensemble than Stranger Things. However, the characters of Dark are more complicated than Stranger Things. I can understand if people struggle to identify with them since they don’t represent stock personalities or generic roles like those in the American thriller show. I would think the number of people who could, say, identify with Ulrich who as a child had his brother go missing then, as an adult, had his youngest son face the same fate. That’s a pretty niche slice of the audience population that can probably understand his turmoil on a personal level. Contrasted with Jim Hopper whose child died and wife left him leaving him to spiral into an alcoholic depression and you have a more standard individual who, even if his personal circumstances aren’t relatable, has certainly been seen in various other forms of media to at least be familiar.
Course, outside of some superficial similarities, Dark never truly invites comparisons between itself and Stranger Things. It doesn’t take long into the series for it to be apparent that the show is striving for a different tone and effect. It stands on its own merits. Its plot keeps you guessing and riveted for the next revelation. If I had any other criticism of it, it would be that its premise makes it rather difficult to account for flaws in the plot. I can’t tell if some things are clues for further reveals or plot gaffes which, surely, must crop up with something as complex as Dark’s theme and narrative. Certainly, the show has already taken some elements that didn’t seem to fit with its story and later reveal that they were done purposefully. Which makes it hard to review at this junction as there are two more seasons of the show left to address all the little foibles and quirks. Course, the premise of the show always gives an easy explanation for anything that isn’t directly covered. But whether that’s a flaw or clever arrangement by its creator I suppose is up for debate. Either way, it makes for compelling television. And why I am absolutely glued to this series.
I simply love Dark.
It is, without a doubt, my favourite television series of the year. It is also quickly becoming my favourite television series, period…
Well, the International 2019 has come to an end. I was quite excited with the outcome and overjoyed to see the performance of my favourite team. They’ve really come into their own.
Wait, why am I worried about spoilers here. People who read this blog likely don’t follow the game anyway.
OG took a second championship! Back to back! It was incredible. Not sure it was worth staying up all-night to watch, however. I’m relieved to hear that next year’s tournament will be in Stockholm.
Anywho, onto business.
I’ve been pretty quiet around the blog recently since I’ve been hard at work penning (or typing) the sequel to The Clockwork Caterpillar. Well, the good news is that I may finally have something approaching readability. But I need your help.
Yes, your help. Picture Uncle Sam pointing directly to you through your screen – preferably a big one for extra effect. For this release we’re doing something a little different.
We are testing what Kait is tentatively calling “Beta Readers.” I suppose it’s much like beta testers for software or games. How it’ll work is that you can fill out this survey. You will get your choice of digital format and we will send you an early draft of the novel along with a questionnaire. For your gracious participation, you may be featured in the acknowledgement section – with your permission of course – upon release of the novel in 2020. You can also proudly boast of your creative genius in bringing a story to fruition!
We’re looking to start this process around mid-October. More information will follow to those who send us their contact information. We shall not keep your information for any advertising purposes and you’re welcome to not append your name if you so wish.
I’m sure there will be some legal notifications attached when this rolls out but that falls a little out of my wheelhouse. I’d like to hear your thoughts and this is kind of the best way to engage a bit more directly with readers themselves to hear what they think. We’ll see how this process goes and, if it is successful, I know Kait has it in her mind to try this on future releases as well.
So grab a friend and get your name down! We’ve a goal of around twelve or fourteen but the more the merrier! Here’s the link for one last easy click.
I feel like I have been sharing only the good books I have read of late – mostly because I have only been sharing the good books I have read of late. There have been other books. Some that don’t deserve mention and others that I have nothing interesting to write about because they were not so bad as to be comment worthy (or they are later books in a series I have already talked about).
Book Cover for Secrets Bound by Sand – book 4 in the Dragon Ridden series.
However, today I am going to discuss Secrets Bound by Sand by T. A. White. This is also found in a series. Secrets Bound by Sand is book four in the Dragon-Ridden series by T. A. White. And after thinking about it for a couple of days I would give the book a 2 out of 5 stars. Which is low I know. First, I want to say that I like this series, especially book one – Dragon Ridden. Second, it is possible the author could salvage the series, so even though this book is ranked low, I would still likely try a fifth book if one was written.
The important question becomes, why such a low rating if I like the series? Well, I didn’t like this book is the short answer.
Book Cover of the third book in the Dragon Ridden series.
The book spent too much time with the main character, Tate, internally monologuing. Not only was much of the book internal thoughts, but they were rather boring thoughts of would she or wouldn’t she hook up with Ryu. It was a dumb point to try and create tension around, because T. A. White has spent the previous three books setting up this relationship. It was hardly a surprise. And the multiple monologues about Tate feeling anxiety about trusting Ryu seemed more forced. They have already been through some intense situations. Trust has already been built – or as much as was going to be built before these two hooked up. All this indecision seemed pointless and meandering. But this was not the biggest complaint I have for the book.
Book cover of the second book in the Dragon Ridden series.
My key criticism stems from the big reveal at the end of the story. In a pre-recorded message from a former friend, Tate finally learns … some of her background. Finally, this is what we, the audience, have been waiting. This is what the previous three books have teased. This is also where things start to come apart, because now we are faced with some significant inconsistencies.
So, in book four, we learn that Tate was betrayed into becoming a sleeper. Meaning, through a betrayal of those she held as friends, Tate was forced/coerced into a thousand year (or more) cryogenic sleep. Only, this does not seem to mesh with the flashback in book one, where Tate, enters the room with the put-you-to-sleep tube when she goes to rescue a dragon. A dragon that she holds in her arms and becomes a tattoo by the time she awakens a couple thousand years later. Unless Ilith was also in her own body, this seems highly inconsistent with what we know of the dragon-ridden. Besides, the whole going-to-sleep-thing supposedly happened because the building Tate was in was attacked.
Book cover for the first book in the Dragon Ridden series.
And then we learn that Tate has been genetically manipulated – while she remained in her stasis-sleep in an isolated area of the world. This manipulation supposedly has made her into the ultimate weapon. I am already struggling with the level of magic in a world that is supposed to be explained through advanced science. For me, there are just too many things that don’t seem to add up. And that was extremely disappointing. However, to be fair, there are some ways the author could explain these discrepancies. So, maybe this series can be saved. But I a little worried things are starting to roll sideways and I am not a fan.
So in summary, while I enjoyed the first three books in the series I found Secrets Bound by Sand to be a rambling mess with an unsatisfactory conclusion. The blend of magic and science-tech is leaning too far to the magic and the science-tech is making far less sense than I would like to see.
So I have been very busy with work and getting ready for the exciting International just a few days away! How exciting is that! I’ve finished up a draft of my novel and hopefully it is coming together. I don’t know how other authors do theirs but my writing process is, oftentimes, a slog. I write a first draft then I revise, revise, revise. I would say that about 80% of a novel is created through editing.
Which should be encouraging to any beginning authors out there. If you first pass doesn’t feel good then congratulations! You’re in good company.
I have something a little fun and different today. A few weeks back, I played Betrayal at House on the Hill Legacy with a few friends of mine. We had such a blast with the game. I’m not a huge fan of the Betrayal boardgame but throwing legacy elements on it naturally lent to a organic cooperative story-telling experience.
And for some reason I decided to start writing ours up. So here is a peek into the history of our bloody house on the hill.
Hoogstraten, Samuel van. Portrait of Johan Cornelisz. Vijgeboom and his Wife. 1647.
History of the House
Act 1 : Beneath Ezekiel’s Pale
Prologue – 1666, Jebediah Harrows
I write this from need: not desire.
There is evil in this world. Of that, my son, I am certain. It is with heavy heart that I witness it come to Silvercreek. It has settled most foul upon our tiny village. I fear that – alone – I cannot stop it. It has already struck the poor Williams family. We say it was the pox but I know better. I know the pox does not blight nought but a single household. It does not kill the father, mother and brother leaving the daughter missing and unexplained. No, this was no disease. Our village has lost the favour of the Lord for we have broken his covenant.
It is witchcraft and devilry. And we have done nothing to quell it. I will not let its rot spread further. I intend to stop it.
My suspicions have settled upon the Lammermora clan. I can see now that they were none too subtle. The Williams’ deaths lie on my conscience. The signs were clear.
Firstly is their blasphemous matriarchy. While life is never easy, theirs is not for want of a male figure. Second, they bear the mark of the beast with their fiery hair. Third, I have seen them interacting with the slaves. They have abandoned the noble pursuit of educating them in the civilized English language. Instead, I have witnessed their efforts to learn that barbaric speech. Each black word they utter leads them ever further astray from God’s holy light. Now they whisper of the negroes being equal. Of them being men and women like us. Of knowing them biblically.
It is blasphemous. They are assuredly witches.
Most telling, however, is their obsession with Hill House. I have spied them going alone or as couples to its peak beneath the cover of darkness. Surely it is there they work their profane curses. Curses that slew the Williams.
I cannot allow any other innocents fall victim to their predations. I have singled out Lilias, the most eager of the lot. In whispered tones I have heard the unclean call her Ayizan. She wears the appellation with pride. I shall await the time when she is alone at the Hill House and I will confront her. God have mercy on me for I fear I may already be too late. Their power may be too strong.
But I steel myself with the scriptures and know my quest to be righteous. Should the worst befall me, let these immortal words bear my knowledge longer lasting than my fleeting time on this earth.
Your ever faithful servant,
Jebediah Harrows
Chapter 1 – 1667, Ezekiel Gravenhurst
There is something not right here. These past months have been unsettling. Did I strike first? No, that is not right. My dreams would betray me. They would lead me astray.
I commit to this diary for a reason. I worry about my power of recollection. I awake wondering if still, perchance, I dream. Too often have the sheets been soaked from my cold sweats. And this home, it settles too much in the dead of the night.
I get ahead of myself. I should start from the beginning.
I am Ezekiel Gravenhurst.
Life is brutal. I do not wish to diminish the struggles of my common man. I am aware of how trying this existence can be. I carry much the same burdens plus many more of my own. I am reviled by family. I know this. They claim otherwise but a child knows when their mother looks upon them not with love but revulsion. I have caught my brothers and sisters making a mockery of me. I will not pretend that it did not leave scars. My father, perhaps the only one to show some measure of kindness, I would best describe as tolerant if nothing else.
This is to say, I expected little from them as I grew and, in turn, was faced with little disappointment when my prognostications came true. Do I resent them? Most definitely. They would suckle at the teat of father’s stipends knowing little of the hardships for which they demean me and others. But I have been strengthened by experiences they could only imagine. And this strength is of great benefit to one of my stature.
I should thank them, however. For their cruelty prepared me for the rest of the world. There are few who would love a dwarf. I can safely claim that all I made, I made myself. I had no need to rely upon the Gravenhurst name or connections. In fact, they would shun me had I tried.
It was under these auspices that I arrived in Silvercreek. I was led by nought other than serendipity. I actually heard about the village while down the river in Galt. The stories had spread there while I finished my term at the lumber mill. Word was that the village had a homestead for those looking. Rumours were in bold supply; the most enticing suggested the village would pay for anyone willing to take it off their hands. Rational men dismissed this as the ebb-waters it was.
But my prospects were bleak. The thought of my own roof, something which had eluded me all these years, was too enticing. I set for Silvercreek, expending much of my wages in doing so. I had enough for food and the inevitable transport out. Twenty years of leading your own life teaches some measure of practicality to the senses.
To my surprise, however, the reeve confirmed the hearsay. At least he confirmed some measure of their tale. There indeed was an empty homestead. The locals called it Hill House. Its location, thusly, was easy enough to navigate. The reeve explained to me that they were willing to hand over the deed, for a rather meagre stipend to any interested party. The cost? Less than the fare I spent getting to the village.
There lay one wrinkle. The reeve insisted that the transaction would only proceed should I stay a solitary night in the home. It was a most curious request and made me suspicious of what should have already been a highly suspect offering. I questioned him over the integrity of the structure and, he confessed, it had seen some manner of neglect that could be a deterrent to his stipulation. When pressed about this peculiarity in the deal, he was evasive. His only explanation, that the village had little desire for an absentee landlord, rang hollow. My greater senses on guard, I requested to see a contract. At the very least, one night would give me a chance to evaluate the integrity of the structure and I was by no means bound to take it if I determined it to be too great an investment.
Truth be told, I merely wanted assurance that there would be no reneging the deal. Though as I departed having put name to ink, I had no idea how I would afford extensive renovations if it were truly uninhabitable. I had learned some carpentry skills, however, and at least the land should have some inherent value.
I made my way to the location, too elated to consider how no soul in the village itself had snatched upon this terrific deal. As I drew near, however, I felt my first misgivings. The homestead lay a peculiar distance from its neighbours and the life of the settlement. A wicked wood which, by my estimate, lay partially on the grounds itself, formed a barrier that segregated the outside world from this remote perch. These are all, on first blush, positive qualities for a plot. But the barrenness of the wood touched upon something instinctual in my mind. The setting sun amplified those worries. I felt a repulsion for my path, as fleeting as it was.
I convinced myself there was no harm in taking a look. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I broke through the dying foliage to find a house most handsome. Truly, I could scarcely believe the size of the estate. I knew nothing of its previous inhabitants but these were no mere potato farmers. I approached with much excitement. I had expected near ruins and from my cursory glance, it seemed fortune had finally – after all these many years – smiled upon me.
My jubilations would not last. I had scarcely made it to the porch, gazing upon the expansive foyer, when I heard movement inside. I froze, fearing I had inadvertently trespassed upon the wrong lot. I listened intently, assured that there were multiple souls within.
As always, I leveraged the advantages of this form with which God has cursed me. I was able to skulk about the perimeter. Peering through the windows – most intact despite the home’s abandonment – and spotted only two individuals. An old priest and his young wife were sorting through the rooms separately. It was clear to me that others had taken up the reeve’s offer. I was deflated.
Experience had taught me to never expect equitable treatment. I knew, should they choose and claim otherwise, their word would outweigh my own. Regardless of having signed a contract, this couple would have claim to the prize. Crestfallen, I turned away from the prospect.
And I fear my nature got the better of me.
I thought, given the state of the house, that there may be some keepsake I could find in the exterior which would make the journey worthwhile. I had no desire to leave Silvercreek empty handed. Curiously, I had not far to look. Beneath a most twisted and queer tree, I found something remarkable. A plain cup of wood composition lay soiled amongst the gnarled roots. Despite the elements, it looked unweathered. Surely it would fetch for a few pennies – possibly even a warm meal.
Thusly, I picked it up. And I swear to God, the world itself exhaled a sullen sigh. I felt the cold wind prick my skin. The hairs upon my neck stood at their ends. Scattered leaves curled back in fright.
The chalice itself was warm, however. I can picture it now as though I still stand before that horrific tree. I can see its smooth surface. I can detect the coppery scent of its bowl. Despite its size, it was heavy in my hand. I dare say, I could almost hear it whisper.
A scream distracted me. It was young, frightful and from the house. I don’t know what propelled me there, chalice in hand. Thoughts streamed through my head yet I can no longer recall what I thought. I know I arrived upon the stoop. There, I saw the priest attack his wife. The poor thing stood no chance. I had to intervene. I knew this. I brandished the chalice, hurrying forward. I interposed myself, my attack both sudden and brutal enough to knock the holy man back into the hall. That is what happened. I am sure of it. I defended the woman. It was an act of heroic guardianship.
But yet, even as the ink stains my page, I can see the priest beneath me. I can feel the weight of the chalice in my hands. Did I strike first? Did she scream later? No, that cannot be. She tried to interpose, to wrestle the chalice from my hand. I know now that she meant me harm. What else could I do? I held her back, pulling the chalice from her grip. She fell of her own teetering balance. It was her momentum that sent her into the foyer’s wall. Of that I am certain. It was all an accident: a horrible, twisted accident.
The priest and his wife lay dead for no reason. I shall never know the cause of their quarrel nor how he went after her in such viciousness. It was truly his fault, you see. So, I struck again. The look in his eyes was one of bloodlust. I struck again. I can remember that baleful glare so full of hatred and loathing. I struck again. The simple act of recalling the event shakes me even now after all this time. I struck again. The fact of the matter was, I struck again I could not explain this to the reeve. I struck again. Nor to the village. I struck again. They would think me a murderer. And again. I cannot say how long I stood in that hall stricken by the horror of those two bloody forms. And again. It was the priest’s fault. And again. Had he not attacked her I would have departed. And again. Had he but waited and I would have been long gone. And again. It was him. And again. It was not my fault. And again.
What would I tell the reeve?
I recall the shadows deepening in the hall. They swallowed the girl as if they had become her grave. Surely, there would be no others coming to the house that night. The dread in the reeve’s voice as he spoke of it was testament enough to its reputation. And it was far too late for me to depart now. I could stay just one evening. I could offer a proper burial for these two. Then I would leave and the reeve would know the place was not to my liking.
Yet curiously, the house had not been ransacked. It took little effort to find the lantern. I recall thinking it lay exactly where I would keep it – the shovel too. I was exhausted. I simply needed to rest and collect my wits. That was all.
Long, long ago I was standing in the book store staring at the science-fiction/fantasy section with uncertainty. I had a gift card, a desire to read something knew and no idea what to get. I kind patron pointed me in the direction of George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. So I bought it, got maybe two chapters in and decided this was not for me. Thus it cannot surprise that when the series came out I did not immediately watch it. That and I don’t have HBO. Anyway, after many strong recommendations, I finally decided to give the series a try. Though I did wait until the Library had a copy.
Cover for the DVD of season one. I like the power of this image. It is dark and brooding and the character is fully clothed. It is also Sean Bean – so guess what happens by the end of the season?
And thus I have come to Game of Thrones, the TV series, after the entire projected has finished. In fact, knowing that they had completed the series was one of the selling features for me. In many ways it is the only selling feature, because I don’t like Game of Thrones.
While I found the caste of millions not as off putting as others, it does make it hard to connect with the series. Entire episodes pass without spending even a minute with some characters. Further, it is confusing to track all the names, lineages, and locations – and this is with me watching the entire first season over the course of a week.
The biggest complaint I have is the gratuitous nature of the visuals. There is a great deal of explicit sex and violence scenes which do little or nothing to forward the plot or character development. In fact, the sex (in particular) seems added for shock value or titillation only. And quite frankly, it is more than I care to see. Besides the graphic presentation of sex, it is also unrealistic to the time they are trying to imitate and also demeaning. Show me one character (over the age of 13) that is not demonstrated to be a whore. And don’t tell me this is reflective of the times. Because so much of this show is most definitely NOT reflective of the times (assuming the times are a pseudo-medieval period).
Welcome to the North, where the Starks reign. It is cold, grey and ominously close to the Wall. Here everyone wears a cape. Sometimes two. Except the prostitutes who continue to run around naked – is this because they were too poor to own clothing?
In terms of violence, wow do those bodies bleed in ways I am sure most modern coroners would find extremely odd and unrealistic. Also, the swordsmanship of these people (who in theory have spent their lives learning the art) is comically bad. I will say this for the violence, those who are dead stay dead – unless they die on the other side of the Wall.
One thing I do like is the way that large battles are dealt with off camera. I thought that was a clever way of dealing with a limited budget and time. Unfortunately important dialogue is also dealt with off screen, which is not good. How do two men go from supporting Ned to betraying Ned in the 6th or 7th episode? Well, that is a question that was never answered and does make me wonder: Did the writers not know why these characters suddenly had a change of heart? OR Did the producers cut this important bit of dialogue so they could show two naked people having sex instead?
So the Dire Wolves were supposed to be a thing, right? I mean each Stark child was given a wolf. And occasionally, the wolf appears on screen. But then is conveniently absent the next time something terrible happens. This is the sort of inconsistency that I find frustrating. Cute puppy though.
What could be an interesting story, even with all its multitude of factions and questionable characters, is destroyed by a focus on something I hope is not in the source material. Too much sex and not nearly enough substance makes for a tedious series. There is too much political plotting going on to be sidetracked constantly by boobs. Also, is there not even one strong female character in this world whose plot does not focus on her reproductive organs?
The Benighted by A. M. Dunnewin is already six years old and the sequel, which is promised in the subtitle “The Benighted Saga – Book 1” has yet to be released. Needless to say, I will only be reviewing the first book in this series.
Book cover for The Benighted, book 1 in the Benighted Saga – image from the internet.
The Benighted is about the Royal Princess of Correnth, Skylar Mandolyn. As we learn in the opening chapter, Skylar has been imprisoned. The story is told through a series of flashbacks covering the events that have lead to her current abuse and torture. Memories of her family, court ladies and of course her personal knight, are interspersed with the dark, cold cell, the beatings and pressure to sign a mysterious document.
I really appreciated the out of order telling of Skylar’s life from her brother’s death, meeting Sir Harlin Brien (her personal guard), through the estrangement with her father, the mecanations of the evil court advisor Cross Lutherus, to Skylar eventually being locked in the prison tower. I think the tension that was woven through this tail of reflection would have been lost if everything had been presented chronologically.
It also keeps some of the surprises, those important dangling threads needed for any sequels, nicely hidden until the end of the book. The reader can than look back over the course of events leading to our protagonist being locked up and start to understand some of the rational used to come to this point.
The other aspect that I liked was the level of technology. The world is not deeply discussed in the book. Really, it sits there as a backdrop, more obscured, as Skylar is focussed on her personal grief than the welfare of the Kingdom. Established early on, Skylar’s brother was heir to the throne before his death. And many of her first revealed memories circle around the sense of loss she feels because of her brother’s absence.
Book cover for The Illusory, book 2 in the Benighted Saga – image from the internet.
While sword wielding knights exist in this world – as is epitomized by Sir Brien’s summoning to court to become Skylar’s personal guard – they also have guns! And steamships. So, the feel of the world is not medieval, though not actually modern either. There is electricity and firearms. There are large metal boats in the harbour and by the end of the novel this is the promise of a threat from a more advanced enemy. However, shortswords are still heavily used in the book. And guns are accepted to be in constant danger of exploding (if not well cared for).
The caste of named characters is also small. Again, we meet Skylar as she is grieving (and locked up). Her thoughts focus on those incidents most relevant to her current imprisoned situation so there is not a lot of names to learn in the story. I suppose in many ways it is more of a character study with its very tight focus on our heroine.
While we learn the actual time of the book spans only a few days, the memories span months. Time is easily distorted in this format.
Overall, I thought it was an interesting read and I would give this book a solid 4 (maybe even a 4.5) out of 5 stars. That said, I have a difficult time imagining how the series can continue forward. Yes, there is a world you could explore. But the real draw of this book was that personal story of a deeply wounded character fighting for sanity in a time when her life was descending into madness. The same format would not work a second time. So the story will have to move in a completely different direction, but to what success? I suppose the only way to know would be to read the sequel – if it ever releases.
