Re: Kings of Heortland

From: Jeff Richard <richaje_at_...>
Date: Sun, 05 Jun 2005 22:36:03 -0000

> > Another thing, after Andrin the Zombie King, the later
Heortlending
> > kings seem a pretty colorless lot.
> So we're going to be swapping the colourful and heroic Owain for
someone
> boring and colourless? This is a good idea how, exactly? Come, on
at least
> swap him for someone equally fun!

Jane - this is a stylistic complaint that I have about a lot of fantasy writers. Writers tend to want to tie everything together, and give deep significance or heroic meaning to every historical event. I think that tendency needs to be tempered with a little literary discipline. The death of Orngerin probably would have been a complete non-event had (1) the Pharaoh been around to recognize a successor, and (2) there had not been an ambitious Seshnegi adventurer in the position to seize power.

Without the Pharaoh, a normal event like the death of another nondescript Heortlending figurehead king becomes a major crisis and a trigger for the Hero Wars. What's wrong with that?

Jeff