“We are not always what we seem, and hardly ever what we dream.”
Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn
Like unicorns, people are complex creatures. First impressions might be important, but they rarely give us the full story of a person, of what’s truly inside of them. People have many hopes and dreams and the sad reality is that many go through life never realizing them, or even attempting to realize them, instead opting for the comfort of the average and mundane. Remember that the next time a stranger is rude to you–it likely has nothing to do with you and everything about what’s going on in that stranger’s own life. Instead, focus on what you can control, namely putting yourself in position to achieve your dreams. If you do, you’ll be the rare unicorn in a sea of missed opportunities.
Note to readers: Each week, I share a fantasy quote and indulge my inner philosopher with a brief essay based on said quote. Share your favorite quote with me and I might feature it in a future newsletter! Email: dtkane@dtkane.com.
If you’re enjoying the Acktus Trials, or have already read it, please consider taking a minute to leave a review. Reviews help authors by increasing the visibility of their books, which helps get them into the hands of more readers. Thank you for your support! Follow this link to leave a review: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=B09QZ8MQ38
The Acktus Trials, an epic fantasy novel, available now:
Deliritous: Baz’s master, heir to Torchsire Library
Below are my notes/script for the episode, not an exact transcription:
PERSONAL UPDATE
Welcome back to D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club. Today is Saturday, April 23, 2022 as I record this, Episode 15.
With release week behind us, it was back to writing and making good progress on Part IV of the Spoken Books Uprising. My first draft broke 50,000 words and I think I’m on track to have it finished before May 20. That’s my goal because May 21 I’m flying to Europe for two weeks, and don’t plan to be doing much work then! Ireland, Paris, and Brussels. It’s going to be awesome and I plan to be sharing lots of photos with all of you upon my return. I’m sure I’ll find some new inspiration for things to put in future novels as well.
I’ve also got my half marathon in two weeks that I’ve mentioned several times on here before. Just got back from an 11 mile run before recording today, so my legs are barking a bit. If those of you watching on YouTube see me fidgeting around more than usual, you know why!
ANAYLIS CHs. 19-20
Chapter 19
Who did Deliritous think he was?
We start just as we left off last week, with Baz in shock over Deliritous sacrificing himself to save Baz. Baz is actually angry: “Who did Deliritous think he was, putting Baz in his debt like that?” Why do we think Baz feels like this? Could it be because he sees that Deliritous is actually the better man than him? That he was willing to change where Baz hasn’t been so far? Tough way to learn that lesson.
Then Rox shows up, having pulled himself out of the bog. And we get some contrast here, first Rox cradling Deliritous like a child—once again, we see how much Deliritous appears to mean to Rox, despite the fact that Rox is essentially another of Deliritous’s slaves.
Then he punches Deliritous square in the chest. Baz laughs when Deliritous curses, showing he isn’t dead.
The tender moment quickly passes, though, when we realize Deliritous is severely burned and all the medicine they had with them was in his saddle bags, which have been cooked by the dragon. But even in his dire state, Deliritous isn’t willing to give up on his dream. We see even more growth here—recall back just about 10 chapters ago, Deliritous wanted to turn back with a broken leg. Now he’s suffered likely mortal burns and he still wants to press on.
Baz sees the impossibility of Deliritous going on and offers to finish the Trials for him on his own while Rox takes Delirious back to Hamlet. “He owed it to Deliritous now.” It continues to be unclear whether Baz has actually truly changed, or if he’s making this offer solely out of obligation. He’s certainly having an internal battle with himself.
He wanted to be furious at Deliritous for even suggesting that he be grateful to the man who had robbed him of his brother. That Baz knew he owed Deliritous his life only worsened the resentment he felt. But would he have rather died than be in Deliritous’s debt? The answer to that question seemed like it should be obvious, but in Baz’s mind it was clear as smudged ink.
Regardless, Deliritous won’t accept the offer. Instead, he suggests they go find some Citiless. Maybe they’ll help him, though Baz points out they’re just as likely to murder them and rob them of all the Spoken Books they have.
Waste is a lie
So they will continue on. But how are they going to transport Deliritous? Well, leave it to Rox. He hacks up the dead horse with his razor and turns it into a sled they can put Deliritous on. Not the most pleasant of scenes here. You know those horse bones can’t be that clean, and Deliritous is also blistered with oozing sores. “The whole thing stank worse than Rox had after crawling out of the bog.”
And it’s not particularly comfortable, Deliritous whimpers over every bump, and Rox is despondent at his charge’s pain. Has to wipe his arm across his eyes several times. Baz puts together that Rox must feel like a big brother for Deliritous. Interesting that maybe Baz is coming around to Rox more than Deliritous, why do we think that is? Rox is, after all, the one who actually tore Tax’s eyes out. But he even recalls staring into his brother’s eyes once when he was sick without connecting the loss of those eyes back to Rox.
Twenty-Seven
That’s how many Readers have died on the Trials in the past 50 years. And it seems Deliritous is preparing to become number 28. “I never really considered it a possibility it could happen to me. But I do now.” Even Baz can’t remain dispassionate in the face of such an admission, eyes burning. Could he really continue to hate this man? He’s just afraid, like any other person in his situation would be. But yet, he’s also brave, still pushing toward what now seems an impossible goal. Baz is glad when Deliritous passes out. At least he’s spared from the agony he’s suffered on Baz’s account for a little while.
Chapter 20
I can carry him.
And now, friends, I invite you to remove your reading glasses, put on your cardigans, and join me this week’s installment of D. T. Kane’s Epic Philosophy Book Club.
Right. So Rox and Baz carry on, dragging poor Deliritous along. Baz is trying to convince Rox that this isn’t working, but Rox isn’t having it: “It is a great Truth, giving your life for a promise. I am ready.”
Baz counters, “There’s no Truth in pursuing a hopeless path…. Anything has to be better than this.”
Rox, growing angry, responds, “We could do worse. We could give up. I will not…. I am no surgeon. I cannot heal him. But I can carry him to someone who may be able to help.”
OK. Who’s got the winning side of the debate here, do you think? Is dying for a promise noble? Or forget noble, is it the right thing to do? I think most of us can agree with the premise that keeping promises is a good thing. But to what point? If it will hurt someone to keep a promise, should you still keep it? What if it will hurt yourself? It’s tough to give exact answers to such general questions. But here, you’ve promised to keep someone safe and now they’re at the brink of death with seemingly no way out. Is sacrificing yourself worth it?
Well, I’m very thankful that I’ve never personally been in such a situation. But I think the key thing here is hope. I think if there was a 100% chance that Deliritous wasn’t going to make it, Rox, and most people in a similar position, wouldn’t sacrifice themselves. But the thing is, almost nothing is 100% certain. Death and taxes, right? And maybe Chuck Norris. Besides that, there’s always some chance. And the thing is, when you care deeply enough about a promise, even the smallest sliver of hope is worth keeping that promise. At least, that’s my theory. And that seems to be Rox’s too. Baz perhaps is more of a realist, but I’d love to ask Baz what he’d do if it was Tax on that sled instead of Deliritous. And who knows, maybe I will ask him that question in another book. *raises eyebrows*
Freedom to Choose
But Rox understands that Baz needn’t bind himself to Rox’s oath. Baz gets angry at that, since Rox insinuated the other night that he’d sworn an oath to Deliritous, but is now suggesting Baz break it after just lecturing him on the virtue on sticking to oaths. But Rox explains that he doesn’t really believe Baz swore a bind oath: “You must be free to swear an oath.”
Again, Baz initially takes offense, thinking Rox is saying Speakers can’t keep oaths. But what Rox means is a slave can’t be bound to an oath given to his master, because there’s no free choice there.
“They could die,” Baz replies.
A paradox, Rox says, one even Enigmans like him apparently can’t solve. It’s true, a man can always choose death. But is an oath sworn where the only alternative is death–the proverbial gun held to the head–a true promise? Rox doesn’t think so. Do you?
This is sort of the same question as before. Maybe modified slightly. Is your own personal truth worth dying for? I guess it likely depends on what you’re being asked to do, though I suppose we can assume that if someone’s holding a gun to your head, it’s something you would never consent to otherwise. Maybe that answers the question right there. I mean, there’s a reason “duress” is a defense to most crimes.
The even harder question is whether it’s actually the right choice to choose death instead of carrying out the coerced promise. You shoot her or I’ll shoot you. What’s the right choice there? I’d like to think I’d take the bullet, but man, I get nervous just thinking about it in the hypothetical.
Baz then modifies the facts a little: “What if it isn’t your own death that’s coercing you, but the loss of another? I’d never see Tax again if I ran.”
To me, this is almost an easier question. If the life of someone I care about is being threatened, there’s probably little I wouldn’t be willing to do to prevent it from happening. But again, tough, tough choices. Even Rox, who has proved to be our surprising moral compass on this journey doesn’t have an answer. But Rox does admit that he sees the injustice of Baz’s situation: Deliritous is better than most, but he still oppresses Baz. Man, Rox really is the best of the three–he cares for Deliritous despite knowing he’s deeply flawed.
OK, you can take your cardigan off now. Baz and Rox continue onward after that rousing debate and come to a blockage in the road. Rox dismounts to see what’s going on. There’s a bright flash! And when Baz’s vision clears, what does he see?
Another dragon.
CONCLUSION
Homework: We’ll read Chs 21 and 22. Baz’s last encounter with a dragon ended poorly. But we’ll see there’s something a bit different about this one. Then Baz makes a surprising deal. And lots of words get repeated. Repeated. What’s going on with that? Tune in next week to find out!
Listener Question:
Quest: What is the name of the dragon we met in the prologue?
Quote:
“We are not always what we seem, and hardly ever what we dream.”
― Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn
Until next time, this has been D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club.
If you’re enjoying the Acktus Trials, or have already read it, please consider taking a minute to leave a review. Reviews help authors by increasing the visibility of their books, which helps get them into the hands of more readers. Thank you for your support! Follow this link to leave a review: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=B09QZ8MQ38
The Acktus Trials, an epic fantasy novel, available now:
Deliritous: Baz’s master, heir to Torchsire Library
Hellar Xavier: One of the competitors in the Acktus Trials
Trunnel: Hellar’s Influencer (Speaker)
Below are my notes/script for the episode, not a verbatim transcription:
PERSONAL UPDATE
Welcome back to D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club. Today is Saturday, April 16, 2022 as a record this, episode 14.
It’s release weekend for Declaimer’s Discovery and it’s been a success so far. The Acktus Trials has hit the top 20 of classic fantasy eBooks on Amazon and Declaimer’s Discovery is selling well too. If you’ve been waiting to grab an eBook copy of The Acktus Trials now is a good time because it’s currently only 99 cents!
My work also continues on new writing. After a down week getting everything ready for the Declaimer’s Discovery launch, I’m back into full writing mode now and plugging away at Part IV of the Spoken Books Uprising. Part III, Declaimer’s Flight, is also now officially with my editor and on track for its June 17 release date. It’s officially available for pre-order, so get your order in now if you’re eagerly awaiting the third installment of the story.
I had a nice birthday last weekend and thank you to all of those who wished me a happy birthday. I spent the day in Buffalo, NY with my parents, sister, her boyfriend, and Mrs. Kane. We went to the Botanical Gardens, which was lovely, then visited a couple breweries and then had a nice dinner. And I did get my new pair of running shoes! And they’re orange, which is awesome.
ANAYLIS CH. 18
Careful what you wish for
We open with our trio traveling on through the Reach, a rather uneventful journey for them. Rox spends his nights creating a necklace from the teeth of the wyrm he killed, which forces Baz and Deliritous to talk to one another. And Deliritous really seems to be coming around to Baz, admitting that even if they don’t win, he’s going to start using Baz more than he was in the past. Deliritous seems to have overcome his fear of Baz, even if he is still a bit nervous around him.
This troubles Baz–he wonders if he can really trust himself if Deliritous starts putting all this trust in him. He hasn’t forgotten what Deliritous did to his brother. But just the fact that Baz is troubled by this and uncertain shows change, right? At the beginning of the story, Baz certainly wouldn’t have been troubled by the prospect of being in a position to carry out revenge on Deliritous.
Bog Bubbles
A few days pass and out travelers reach the Inkwell River. Baz had been hoping for a bath, but it seems “inkwell” is actually a pretty apt name for the water, as it’s brackish and discolored, certainly not something one wants to swim in.
The Firelands certainly don’t sound like a pleasant place. “A boggy wasteland” and bubbles of gas that pop into gouts of flame. You have to stick to the road or worry about being sucked under to your death, and there’s a constant sound of swishing water, pulsing like a heartbeat. Baz even tells us a legend that the gas is caused by all the dead bodies beneath the bog left over from the Burning. It’s a decaying, dead place.
This area is definitely inspired by the Dead Marshes in The Lord of the Rings. I wish my prose was a tenth as good a Tolkien’s. Here’s a quick passage from Two Towers describing the Dead Marshes:
“Dreary and wearisome. Cold, clammy winter still held sway in this forsaken country. The only green was the scum of livid weed on the dark greasy surfaces of the sullen waters. Dead grasses and rotting reeds loomed up in the mists like ragged shadows of long forgotten summers.“
Man, what description. You can see the similarities, if not in the writing, at least in the image it’s portraying.
I knew there was a problem when I heard the roars
So they travel on through the Firelands. Not much problem initially, other than a gas bubble popping and covering them all in slime, which sends Baz into a laughing fit, and even Deliritous and Rox join in with him.
They reach a rock formation that Deliritous calls Torchsire Roost, apparently a famous landmark where his ancestor rested on his way to Tome to begin the Second Burning, which we previously learned was when he either destroyed or confiscated all the Books he could find to consolidate their power amongst the Readers of the three remaining cities of Oration.
Deliritous goes off to do some sightseeing and Baz tries to catch some z’s, but Baz, never the one to accept a good thing, worries that perhaps he’s being lulled into a false sense of security. Which actually turns out to be entirely accurate, because what does he find perched on the giant rock formation when he turns around? A BIG dragon. And not just a dragon, but a dragon with two men riding it–Hellar and Trunnel, his Influencer Speaker. So we see the great power of having an Influencer on the Trials now. No Harbour or Speaker is going to stand up to a dragon! Apparently they saw smoke from their fire and Hellar decided he needed to properly take Deliritous out of the Trials, or at least get back at him. An eye-for-an-eye so to speak. Hellar reveals that he believes Deliritous somehow Read a spell to Baz and that’s what killed his Harbour, so now he’s going to repay the favor by killing Baz.
But all the change we’ve seen in Deliritous comes to a head here. He isn’t just going to stand by and watch Baz get fried. Obviously Rox tries to stop him, but Deliritous isn’t having it. He has Rox help him onto his mount and gallops to try to save Baz, shouting out a spell for Baz to cast as he does so. It’s that spell he’s mentioned before, the one that sucks the oxygen from the air. Baz uses it and it’s semi successful, deflecting some of the dragon’s fiery breath, but it’s not nearly enough. But Deliritous reaches Baz just in time, shielding him from the blast. Except, that means Deliritous instead takes the brunt of it. Baz is knocked down and plays dead until the dragon flies away with Hellar and Trunnel still on its back.
Baz crawls over to Deliritous. He’s burned all over, his clothing melted into his skin. And his chest isn’t moving. Baz sort of goes into shock. Deliritous sacrificed himself for a Speaker?
CONCLUSION
Homework: Next week we’ll read chapters 19 and 20. Is Deliritous really dead? Rox hits us with some deep Enigman philosophy. And our heroes run into yet another obstacle. Man, it just gets better and better for them. Tune in next week!
Listener Question:
Quest: What’s your favorite book 2 or sequel? Could be a book or a movie. Send your answers to dtkane@dtkane.com and I’ll share some of your answers next week.
Quote:
“People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader and the Imagination
Until next time, this has been D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club.
“People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader and the Imagination
This quote is of particular relevance to this week’s podcast episode, but you’ll have to tune in to find out why!
What’s the deeper meaning here, though? Our deepest desires can become deadly dragons when we deny them. It’s too hard. I don’t have enough money, time, energy, ability, whatever. But you never forget that one thing you truly wish to do, and if you continue to deny it, the regret will build until you’re dissatisfied and jaded. Change is hard, but is comfort really what we live for? Or do we live for our dreams? Choose to fly with the dragons!
Note to readers: I plan to share a quote each week from a fantasy book. If you have any you’d like to suggest for a future newsletter and blog, let me know! Email: dtkane@dtkane.com.
If you’re enjoying the Acktus Trials, or have already read it, please consider taking a minute to leave a review. Reviews help authors by increasing the visibility of their books, which helps get them into the hands of more readers. Thank you for your support! Follow this link to leave a review: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=B09QZ8MQ38
PRE-ORDER Part II of The Spoken Books Uprising, Declaimer’s Discovery, available April 15!
Deliritous: Baz’s master, heir to Torchsire Library
Below is a copy of my script/notes for the episode, not a verbatim transcription:
PERSONAL UPDATE
Welcome back to D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club. Today is Thursday, April 7, 2022, as I record this, episode 13.
Busy busy over here. Declaimer’s Discovery comes out next week! Hard to believe, I still have so much more to do it for. Live of a self-published author! Have to update the front and back matter in the first book, get the preorder for the third book setup so I can put a link in the second book, finish formatting the second book. Ah! But it will get done.
On top of that, I’m plugging away at Part IV as well. Not going as fast as I want, but I knew that was going to happen with the book release and podcast taking away from some of my writing time. And I have to keep reminding myself that’s all right. I’ve only got so many hours in the day, and I have a day job too! Deep breaths.
Not a ton to report on the personal front this week, though this week is my birthday. Woo! Man, 35 years old, tough to believe. I’m looking forward to a fun weekend in Buffalo, meeting up with my parents, sister, and her boyfriend. And hoping for a new pair of running shoes that I can use for my half marathon next month. We’ll see!
If you’d like to give me some last minute help to make my release next week a success, consider leaving a review of Book 1 of the series, The Acktus Trials, which of course we’re reading here on the podcast together. Thank you!
ANAYLIS CHS 16-17
CH 16
There’s a what down there with him?
So right off the bat our cliffhanger from last week is answered. Rox has fallen into a pit with a wyrm! A big one, according to Baz. Luckily, Rox didn’t fall on top of it, and it’s asleep, so there’s a chance to rescue him.
Initially, Deliritous doesn’t actually believe Baz there’s wyrm down there with Rox, looking skeptical. And Baz actually understands. Deliritous is vulnerable without Rox and his injury, and he’s worried for ten years that Baz will seek revenge on him. Baz even admits a few weeks ago, he’d have relished this situation. But now it doesn’t seem to appealing to him. Baz is changing!
So is Deliritous, apparently, since he ultimately decides to trust Baz, basically leaves it up to Baz to figure out how to get Rox out.
An Iridescent Halo
So what does this thing look like? Well, not the most creative monster you’ve ever read about, I’m sure. It’s basically just a giant snake, right? A long length of body with green scales, no limbs, sharp teeth, yellow eyes. It does have this odd glow to it, though. Almost as if the shadows themselves were afraid to get too near it. Hold that thought, it will be important in a minute.
So Baz assesses the situation and realizes he’s not going to be able to use spells to get them out of this. The wyrm breaths fire, so fire spells won’t work. And Baz isn’t great with the other spells Deliritous brought, so the wyrm would just eat Rox while Baz was trying to figure them out. I really like this. I’ve mentioned before, magic is generally more interesting for what it can’t do, than what it can. Blasting yourself out of a tight spot with fireballs might be exciting once or twice, but it gets boring fast. But figuring out how to save yourself without magic? That takes you on twists you might not have expected.
And how many of you expected this? Baz runs back to Deliritous and asks for the “metal hook thingy”–really a grappling hook. Any of you catch that we saw this getting loaded onto the horses back in chapter 8 and Baz wondered what use it could possibly have? Tricky tricky foreshadowing! And what’s the plan? Not to have Rox climb out, there’s no trees close enough to hold his weight, and he’d likely wake the wyrm besides. No, the plan is to give Rox the hook so he can retrieve his razor. Meanwhile, Baz is going to trust Rox to get his weapon while Baz distracts the wyrm. Woah! Baz still might now admit it to himself, but man, times they are a changin’! No way he would have trusted Rox at the beginning of the book.
Words of Import
So Baz throws a rock at the wyrm, draws its attention. The thing rises up, proving to be even larger than Baz thought: ten horses, nose to tail. That’s like 80 feet. I Googled it 🙂 Then the wyrm begins to Speak. Uh, who saw that coming? Well, maybe some of you. The dragon back in the prologue could talk, right? So maybe it’s not so incredible that this wyrm can too. Though it’s not speaking common tongue, but the language of Destruction. Interesting, Baz does get some sense of what it means. “Telling him to be gone, to leave its home.”
Idea from Tax that words are important even if they’re not fully understood. Welcome to D. T. Kane’s Epic Philosophy Book Club! What do you think? Is this sentiment true? I mean, in the context of the book, it seems there’s some truth to this. After all, Baz at least hinted earlier that Tax continued Baz’s education by having him listen to all the Retirees’ songs, and Baz seems to have learned something, even if he didn’t fully grasp it at the time.
What about real life? Well, let me pose this question: Ever read a book, then return to it years later and find all these new meanings you totally missed the first time? Well, does that mean it didn’t have any value the first time you read it? I don’t think so. We’re all constantly changing, and sometimes books and the meanings behind them can change for us too in different chapters of our lives. Should we simply not read something because we can’t fully understand it? I don’t think so. How would we ever learn anything?
OK, philosophy lesson over. So, I hope you think I did a decent job of building some tension here. But obviously, Baz doesn’t die. The wyrm almost breathes fire on him, but Rox gets his razor first and chops the wyrm up. Phew!
Chapter 17
Good Eats
OK, so we go from the Epic Philosophy Book Club to Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. Rox cuts off the wyrm’s head and brings it with him and cooks it for dinner! Man! They’re a delicacy in Enigma, he says. Remember, that’s where he’s from. So initially, this seems like just the typical big brute eating a MAN’S MEAL. But come on guys, you ought to know by now I’m a little deeper than that. (Well, mostly. I did joke about throwing a rock at Rox last chapter!)
We learn that Enigmans actually sort of worship wyrms. Rox tells this quick story that all of them descend from a single mother, the All Truth. While all things are made of the five elements, the All Truth had no shadow in her, which is the element of conceit and uncertainty, says Rox. And we already know Enigmans place a high value on truth, so you can see the appeal of such a creature. Deliritous goes so far as to say that the Enigmans don’t really worship the Scribes. Their religion is Truth.
Isn’t Rox eating his god? Sure, but what else can you do when your gods are constantly trying to kill you? You fight back. And if you kill something it must be put to use. Death for no reason is a Lie! Rox, love it or hate it, he has his code and sticks to it.
Also, an interesting bit about the magic system here, that all living things are made up of the five elements. Don’t think that was explicitly stated before this point, but just a nice tidbit explaining the five elements a bit more.
A relatively ordinary man
Another significant thing that happens here: Baz sees Rox without his mask on for the first time while he’s eat and is struck by how ordinary he looks. If you didn’t notice how big he was, you’d think him just a normal man of thirty. Well, perhaps slightly more grizzled than average.
And the changes continue. We see Rox actually call Deliritous to task for failing to recognize that Baz saved him. He “deserves gratitude.” Baz can’t believe Rox thanked him, but are we really so surprised? Rox has been showing us for many chapters now he’s not just a dumb brute. In some ways, he’s the most moral of our characters. Baz is just in denial because of his brother.
Still, Rox isn’t all rainbows. While they’re talking about Rox’s obsession with Truth, Deliritous notes how there’s no bigger lie than breaking an oath. Or, Rox adds, “permitting another to go back on an oath.” A veiled threat here, just to remind Baz that Rox is keeping an eye on him. His moral code is both good and bad for Baz.
It’s more like they’re trying to keep people away
They briefly discuss the Citiless again in this chapter, because Deliritous confirms for us that the pit was likely a Citiless trap, though he says the Citiless do it so they can pillage valuables off the corpses after the wyrms kill them. Baz points out, though, that out in the wilds, most valuables like aren’t of much use. More like, they’re trying to keep people away from Tome.
Baz recalls that the Citiless who was captured back in Chapter 5 went on about learning to Read at Tome. Baz muses whether there might actually be something at Tome they’re trying to keep them from. Deliritous brushes this off, he thinks they’re just uncivilized heathens. Notice, though, how he evades Baz’s question about what a Declaimer is? “Mindless fiction.” Hmm, what’s going on here? Stay tuned!
No Stop Rune Required
Finally, we get to the end of the chapter, and Deliritous shocks Baz by doing what? He lets him memorize a spell. Just a simple one, to start a small fire. But what a huge step from even just a few chapters ago where Deliritous made Baz stand on the other side of the clearing before Reading to him. Also, a nice bit of parallelism here, the first spell Deliritous trusts Baz with is also the first spell Tax taught Baz. Coming full circle here. Now, is Baz going to grow to trust Deliritous as much as he does his own brother? Well, that seems unlikely. But certainly mountains are moving, if slowly.
CONCLUSION
Homework: Next week we’ll read Chapter 18. We head into the Firelands! Our merry band will face another challenge, and Deliritous shows us just how much he’s changed from that entitled young man we saw at the beginning of the novel.
Listener Question:
Quest: Share your favorite fantasy quote with me and I’ll feature it in a future episode.
Quote: When you don’t know what to do, do what’s right and do what’s in front of you. But not necessarily what’s right in front of you.
-Brent Weeks, The Black Prism
Until next time, this has been D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club.
If you’re enjoying the Acktus Trials, or have already read it, please consider taking a minute to leave a review. Reviews help authors by increasing the visibility of their books, which helps get it into the hands of more readers. Thank you for your support! Follow this link to leave a review: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=B09QZ8MQ38
Baztian (Baz): Our main character Rox: Deliritous’s Harbour (bodyguard) Deliritous: Baz’s master, heir to Torchsire Library
Below is a copy of my script/notes for the episode, not a verbatim transcription.
PERSONAL UPDATE
Welcome to another episode of D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club. Today is Sunday, April 3, 2022 as I record this.
Drafting of Part 4 of the Spoken Books Uprising is in full swing. I’m currently 26,000 words into my first draft and picking up steam! It’s amazing to see how the characters have grown and changed and I can’t wait to keep sharing their journey with all of you!
I’ve also been continuing my half marathon training. Been tough the past few weeks with poor weather and obligations on the weekends, haven’t gotten in as many long runs as I’d like. But I did get a 7.5 miler in yesterday. That’s about 12K for my non US listeners. Not sure I’m going to be in good enough shape to hit my goal of 2:10, but I do need to keep in perspective how incredible it is that I’m even at the point I’m at, talking about a time goal for a half marathon. A few years ago I couldn’t even run down the driveway. That’s one reason I like running, it’s sort of like an analogy for my writing. Slow, steady work over a long period and you’ll see improvement. That’s how running works and also writing—if you think about writing the whole book or whole series, you’ll be crushed under the overwhelmingness of it. But just focus on the one run or one writing session, then repeat day after day.
Finally, we’re less than two weeks away from the release of Declaimer’s Discovery, Part II of the Spoken Books Uprising! If you’d like to help me out, please take a minute and leave a review of Part I, The Acktus Trials. If you’ve been keeping up with the podcast, I think you’re qualified to leave a review. Part I is the gateway that will get readers into Part II and beyond, so having the social proof of reviews on Part I is really important to convince readers to start reading and discovery the world of Oration. Thank you!
ANAYLIS CHS. 14-15
CHAPTER 14
Reality is behind an opaque window
So we pick up pretty much right where we left off last week. Baz, Deliritous, and Rox have camped just outside Hamlet. Baz laments not having a roof over his head, but after learning that Marla was offering a reward to anyone who would give info about Baz’s whereabouts, he can’t stay in town. Also, this ruins their plan: They can’t stay in town if there’s a chance one of the townsfolk reveals to Marla that Deliritous has dark, shaved hair, and his “speaker” has long blond hair.
Baz also has to point out to Deliritous that Erstwhile frequently sends scouts to Hamlet, so they’d likely hear about the description of Deliritous’s Speaker too and put together that Deliritous hadn’t actually gone to Tome. So their plan of leaving Deliritous in Hamlet has gone out the window.
What to do now?
I suppose this means our deal is off.
Deliritous tries to break off their deal, figuring they’ll need to go back to Erstwhile now. But Baz can’t let that happen, so he continues his manipulation of Deliritous–you’ve dreamed of this for as long as I’ve known you, stop crying about it! “Scolded by my own Speaker… You’d make my father proud.” Baz also got some painkillers from the shopkeeper, so Deliritous has those to help him keep going. And Baz points out that he’ll make Deliritous’s life exceedingly difficult if he tries to back out to the deal—“you need me to do your leg work for you.”
So Baz convinces Deliritous that he should go on, and they exchange cloaks again, Baz getting Leanna’s gift back. He keeps the hat, though, to Deliritous’s frustration. “I rather like it.” “Insolent page burner.”
Behind the curtain: I originally was going to leave Deliritous behind, but by the time I got to this point of the draft decided I didn’t want to spoil the dynamic between him and Baz and figured out a way to keep them together.
Little Del
So they begin to go over Deliritous’s plans for getting them to Tome. First, they decide to go the shorter, but more dangerous way, because that’s the way Hellar went and he no longer has a Harbour. Plus, it’s shorter and with Deliritous’s leg, they want to save as much travel as they can.
There’s then this light-hearted moment where all three of them are basically insulting how one another smell and they all laugh together, even Rox. Their relationship with one another is changing! We even learn that Rox has a pet name for Deliritous, “Little Del,” and he’s upset about failing his oath by letting Marla and Hellar successfully attack them. But Deliritous won’t have Rox feeling sorry for himself.
The plan:
The Reach: wyrm country, but wyrms generally keep to themselves. If encounter, deal with fire and water spells. Wyrms breath fire and eat charred wood–nod to Patrick Rothfuss here and his “draccus” creatures.
Firelands: dragons live here, “Fire Breathers.” Deliritous has brought camouflage for them to use, and also reveals that most dragons these days are small enough that Rox could fight them. Also has a spell that heats the air until it turns to water, which they can try and use to keep the dragon from breathing fire. How does this work? Well, basically it’s a spell that creates condensation, removing oxygen from the air to produce water. And if there’s no oxygen in the air, can’t have fire. Would this actually work? I’m not sure, but it sounds cool.
Weeping Plains–Avoid the Citiless
Your plan depends a lot on not encountering things that are dangerous.
CHAPTER 15
Plans never survive contact with the enemy
Baz has a bad feeling about this. He’s not used to things going right, listing off a litany of things that have gone wrong in his life. And once again he proves to be right. After a few hours of travel, they find the road blocked by felled trees, likely by Citiless that don’t want them coming to Tome.
The only way to continue on is to go off roading, into the trees. They follow a path they find there, until an odd assortment of sticks draws their attention. Rox goes to investigate, but falls into a hidden pit. Baz goes to investigate, rushes back to Deliritous. “We have a problem.” What could it be!?
I noticed an error on my part at the end of Chapter 15. When Deliritous is frantic over Rox, he calls Baz “Baz” several times. That’s a mistake, as I intentionally avoid having anyone but Tax call him Baz. I’ll have to fix that in a future edition. Life of an independent author!
CONCLUSION
Homework: Next week we’ll read chapters 16 and 17. Baz does something unexpected to get Rox out of a predicament, we learn some things about Rox, and Deliritous does an about face. Looking forward to discussing this and more with you next week!
Listener Question:
Quest:
Last week: My inspiration for Rox? Practical Frost from Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy and Snorri ver Snagason from Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence.
Share your favorite book reading experience with me!
Quote:
“Survival is the ability to swim in strange water.”
― Frank Herbert, Dune
Until next time, this has been D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club.
