D. T. Kane reads chapter 32, the final chapter of his epic fantasy fiction novel, The Acktus Trials. D. T. also discusses chapters 30-32, previews Part II of The Spoken Books Uprising, Declaimer’s Discovery, and shares his fantasy quote of the week.

New! Support D. T. Kane on Patreon: www.patreon.con/dtkane

http://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:

https://dtkane.com/books/the-acktus-trials/

https://books2read.com/theacktustrials

Parts II and III of The Spoken Books Uprising also now available!

Part II, Declaimer’s Discovery: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09R18NZ5G/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

Other Retailers- https://books2read.com/declaimersdiscovery  

Part III, Declaimer’s Flight (out now!):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09XKGDYFM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

Other Retailers- https://books2read.com/declaimersflight

Map of Oration: https://dtkane.com/resources/map-of-oration/

Characters in this Chapter:

Baztian (Baz): Our main character

Leanna: Torchsire’s Librarian

Tax: Baz’s brother

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 July 17, 2022 as I record this, episode 27, and the final episode of The Acktus Trials. We made it through Part I. Woo! Lots more on that soon.

As for my personal update, I continue to work through my edits to Part IV, Declaimer’s Stand. I anticipate having that ready to go to my editor and advance readers at the beginning of August. I was getting a bit bogged down for a couple weeks with (fun) personal events that were limiting my editing time. Those also occurred at sort of the 30-45% point through the book, which is often where I need to do the most editing because that’s where I need to add setup for ideas I had in the latter half of the book, which I tend not to do while I’m drafting. But I’m back chugging away now and really getting excited once again about the story and sharing it with all my readers.

Pre-Order Part IV, Declaimer’s Stand (out September 16, 2022): https://books2read.com/declaimersstand

On the non-writing front, as I noted in my newsletter this week (www.dtkane.com/email-signup), I’ve started training for my next half marathon. As regular listeners will recall, I ran one back in May and finished just under 2:10. This time, I’ll be aiming for 2:04.

And for those of you listening who think running that far sounds ridiculous, perhaps I can give you just a bit of inspiration by saying that about 4 years ago I weighed about 60 more pounds than I do now and would have had trouble running down the driveway to the mailbox. If you start in small chunks and don’t let your pride get in the way of frequent walk breaks, you could run a half marathon too! I was an overweight kid all through my school years and really most of my life. Now, to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with that so long as you’re happy. But in my case, I felt unhealthy and needed a change, and running was one thing that helped me out.

*Mandatory disclaimer: I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before starting any sort of exercise regimen or diet.

Finally, as you’ve also seen if you subscribe to the newsletter, I’ve been getting into photography lately and sharing some of my photos each week. I recently watched a YouTube video that compared photos to short fiction, and I love that. Telling stories with a single image. So, while we’re obviously not a photography-centered show here, I’ll keep sharing photos that I think tell interesting stories, since I figure all of you listening are into stories. I’d love to hear what you think of the photos I share: email me dtkane@dtkane.com.

ANALYSIS CH. 30-32

OK, so it’s been a few weeks since I recorded an analysis section–I just didn’t think I had enough to say about Ch 30 for it to have its own analysis section, and then Chapter 31 was a long one and I didn’t have time to record the narration and analysis, so here we are, finished with the book!

Listen to the show to hear D. T. Kane’s take on the following:

• The  Small Spoken Book Ehma gives Baz, and the tension between them.

• Rox keeps Baz’s hat

• Del betrays Baz; Rox reluctantly goes along with Del

• The Book Baz got from Tessa

• What did Baz ask Eromer to do?

• Reunion with Leanna and then Tax

• “Read it to me.”

Declaimer’s Discovery Preview

Loose ends at the end of Book 1:

• Will Baz reconcile with Del and Rox, or are they back to being enemies?
• Baz’s secret–will Del actually keep it safe?
• Is Leanna going to grow suspicious over what really happened at the Trials? Just how much did Eromer reveal to her?
• The Declaimer’s Transcendence? How is Baz going to get to Fortune, on the other side of Oration, to fulfill his promise to Tessa?

Listen to the episode to hear D. T. Kane read the blurb for Part II of The Spoken Books Uprising, Declaimer’s Discovery, which we’ll start reading together on the podcast next week!

Are there any other questions you have that you hope are answered in Part II? Let me know: dtkane@dtkane.com.

A final note, I’m going to tweak the episode format for when we read Part II. I’m thinking maybe only one or two analysis episodes/month. I’m doing this for a couple reasons:

1. Some weeks, I’ve felt that there hasn’t been that much to talk about, but I nonetheless put out an analysis section just for the sake of it. I think we can have some more meaningful discussion if I don’t feel the need to dissect every little bit of each chapter just for the sake of content.
2. Just to be totally honest, the podcast takes up a lot of time for me. Which is totally fine, because I love how it gives me a more personal connection with all of you out there. That said, my top priority remains writing new books, so I need to make sure I have enough time each week to do that, and there have been weeks where I’ve found it to be a bit of a struggle to balance all the podcast recording and writing I want to do, so something needs to give, and it can’t be the writing, because without the writing, there is no D. T. Kane!

CONCLUSION

Patreon Announcement!

With the conclusion of reading Part I, I have an announcement: I’m starting a Patreon page! Now, before we talk about that, let me be clear: This podcast will remain 100% free. One of the reasons I started this show was to get my stories into the ears of folks who maybe aren’t in a position right now to spend money on my books. If that’s you, don’t worry: I’ll still be coming to you each week free of charge.

That said, there are upfront costs to both my writing and podcasting. To be completely transparent with all of you: Cover designs costs me around $500/book; editing is around 2 cents/word, which when you consider my novels are between 90,000 and 130,000 words, that adds up quick; and hosting for the podcast is a few hundred bucks a year.

Now, don’t misunderstand, I’m not complaining. All these costs are well worth it so that I can get quality and interesting content out to all of you. That said, I have had a few folks ask if there was a way they could support me beyond just buying my books, so I thought perhaps now was the time to start a Patreon.

What is Patreon? For those who don’t know, it’s a website that exists to give an artist’s fans a way to support them on a monthly basis. Essentially, you “subscribe” to me, and in exchange you get some special Patron perks. What are those perks, I hear you ask? Well, there are three tiers*:

1. Keeper: $2.99/month
   1. Receive free copies of every eBook I’ve released to date upon signing up (files will be sent to you one month after signing up)
   2. Receive a free copy of each new eBook I release after you sign up for as long as you’re a Patron
   3. Your name displayed in the “Keepers” section of my weekly email newsletter
   4. Access to an exclusive Patrons-only monthly podcast episode (coming end of 2022)
   5. Knowledge that you are helping ensure that I can continue to produce the content you love for a long time to come!
2. Orator $9.99/month
   1. All the perks of the “Keeper” tier, plus:
   2. Free autographed copies of all the physical books I have released as of the date you sign up (one book will ship as soon as you sign up, with the others shipping 90 days after you sign up)*
   3. A free autographed copy of each physical book I release after the date you sign up for as long as you’re a Patron
   4. Your name in the “Orators” section of my weekly email newsletter
   5. Your name in the Acknowledgements section of each book I release after the date you sign up
   6. *Non-U.S. residents: Due to the cost of shipping, I reserve the right to instead ship you a non-autographed copy that instead has a personalized typed page added to the binding. If you have any questions, please contact me before signing up.
3. Declaimer $14.99/month
   1. All the perks of the “Keeper” and “Orator” tiers, plus:
   2. A unique opportunity to participate in my drafting process: Get live access to drafts of my new works through a shared (read only) Google doc. This is a unique opportunity for “super fans” to watch me publicly write new material and share feedback and suggestions in (almost) real time.
   3. One free plug or message in my newsletter or podcast per quarter: This could be anything from asking me to wish you or a friend happy birthday on the show/in the newsletter, to sharing a personal story with my listeners, to advertising a piece of your writing to my audience. Whatever you want, within reason. (I, of course, reserve the right to deny requests if I deem them inappropriate).
   4. Your name in the “Declaimers” section of my weekly email newsletter
   5. Your name read aloud at the end of each podcast episode after the date you sign up.

If you have the means and are interested in doing something extra to support my work, or just looking for a way to let me know you appreciate all the content I’ve created thus far, please consider signing up. Visit www.patreon.com/dtkane. If not, or you don’t have the means to do so, no problem! We’ll continue meeting here each week free of charge!

*Caveat: As of recording this, I’m still in the process of finalizing my Patreon page, so these tiers are subject to change. I’ll try to add an update to this episode if things change at a later date, but please review the Patreon page’s description of the membership tiers before signing up, as that will be the definitive source, not what I’ve said here.

Homework: Read the prologue to Declaimer’s Discovery. Who the heck is this Stephan character? Where is he? And who are the visitors he reluctantly greets?

Listener Questions:

Listen to the show to hear about D. T. Kane’s:

1. Day job
2. How he created the map of Oration

Quote:

“Wise words are like arrows flung at your forehead. What do you do? Why, you duck of course.”

-Steven Erikson, House of Chains

Advice. Everyone seems to have some. It’s not bad in and of itself, but too often we forget that what may work well for someone else might not be right for us.

Only a fool doesn’t consider what one more experienced than him or herself has to say. But it is equally foolish to blindly take a course just because it worked in another time and place for an individual’s own particular circumstances. Accept advice, but use it as a tool to forge your own path, rather than a rigid track from which you never stray.

Until next time, this has been D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

D. T. Kane reads chapter 31 of his epic fantasy fiction novel, The Acktus Trials.

http://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:

https://dtkane.com/books/the-acktus-trials/

https://books2read.com/theacktustrials

Parts II and III of The Spoken Books Uprising also now available!

Part II, Declaimer’s Discovery: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09R18NZ5G/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

Other Retailers- https://books2read.com/declaimersdiscovery  

Part III, Declaimer’s Flight (out now!):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09XKGDYFM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

Other Retailers- https://books2read.com/declaimersflight

Map of Oration: https://dtkane.com/resources/map-of-oration/

Characters in this Chapter:

Baztian (Baz): Our main character

Rox: Deliritous’s Harbour (bodyguard)

Deliritous: Baz’s master

Eromer: The Book Dragon!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

D. T. Kane reads chapter 30 of his epic fantasy fiction novel, The Acktus Trials.

http://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:

https://dtkane.com/books/the-acktus-trials/

https://books2read.com/theacktustrials

Parts II and III of The Spoken Books Uprising also now available!

Part II, Declaimer’s Discovery: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09R18NZ5G/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

Other Retailers- https://books2read.com/declaimersdiscovery  

Part III, Declaimer’s Flight (out now!):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09XKGDYFM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

Other Retailers- https://books2read.com/declaimersflight

Map of Oration: https://dtkane.com/resources/map-of-oration/

Characters in this Chapter:

Baztian (Baz): Our main character

Madame Scrivener Tessa: Leader of the Citiless (Keepers)

Rox: Deliritous’s Harbour (bodyguard)

Ehma: Tessa’s daughter

Eromer: The Book Dragon!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

D. T. Kane reads chapter 29 of his epic fantasy fiction novel, The Acktus Trials, and discusses the chapter with his audience.

http://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:

https://dtkane.com/books/the-acktus-trials/

https://books2read.com/theacktustrials

Parts II and III of The Spoken Books Uprising also now available!

Part II, Declaimer’s Discovery: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09R18NZ5G/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

Other Retailers- https://books2read.com/declaimersdiscovery  

Part III, Declaimer’s Flight (out now!):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09XKGDYFM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

Other Retailers- https://books2read.com/declaimersflight

Map of Oration: https://dtkane.com/resources/map-of-oration/

Characters in this Chapter:

Baztian (Baz): Our main character

Madame Scrivener Tessa: Leader of the Citiless (Keepers)

Rox: Deliritous’s Harbour (bodyguard)

Ehma: Tessa’s daughter

Trunnel: Hellar’s Speaker

Below is a copy of my script/notes for the episode, not a verbatim transcription:

PERSONAL UPDATE

Welcome back to the Book Club. Today is Monday, June 27, 2022 as I record this, Episode 24. A rare morning recording, as I’m just back from a weekend trip visiting family and want to make sure this episode gets out as usual on Monday.

Not too much in the way of a personal update this week. I’m slowly working my way through the manuscript of Part IV of The Spoken Books Uprising, Declaimer’s Stand. Aiming to have it ready for ARC readers by beginning of August, with a release date of September 16, 2022. Stay tuned for more details!

ANAYLIS CH. 29

Little Baz

So Baz wakes up laying on one of the tables in the Sanctum, safe once again from the darkness of the peninsula. Rox is there with him, telling him to take it easy because he was “in the Dark Ones’ own grasp.” Interesting that Rox grasps exactly what happened to Baz even though he hadn’t been present for Tessa’s story about the Dark Ones being imprisoned in Under Tome.

Did you get all warm and fuzzy when Baz tells Rox that he can call him Baz? Finally, the change we’ve been waiting for in our hero here–it took a near-death experience, but finally he’s warmed up to Rox. And that’s before we learn that Rox was the one who saved Baz; as Tessa says “he sprinted onto the platform and brought you back.”

Tessa can’t believe Baz is alive and well, as she says she’s seen ten people go out onto the platform over the years, and they’ve all either been annihilated like Marla was or come back raving mad, speaking in a multitude of different voices. Tessa’s also flummoxed as to how Rox survived, but Rox tells us it’s because he’s from Enigma: “The Dark Ones speak in Lies. Lies hold no power over a true Enigman.”

Two interesting points here: (1) Again, Rox seems familiar with the Dark Ones, not surprised at all that they’re present here in Under Tome; (2) Does he actually have some sort of special powers that make him immune to the Dark Ones’ touch?

How did Rox get free of Marla’s spell? Well, Ehma released him, apparently. So she’s not all bad–she recognized that Baz was trying to help her and freed Rox because she heard the Stop Rune to the spell. Baz is actually embarrassed because Ehma says he was trying to save “all of us,” whereas Baz says he was just trying to keep Ryle from slitting Ehma’s throat. Maybe that’s true, but it still seems Baz isn’t giving himself enough credit here.

Speaking of the roots that had held Rox, what happened to Retch, Marla’s Speaker? Well, apparently Trunnel cast an Influencing spell on him, causing him to run after Marla and leap into the dark abyss. It seems Trunnel drew some inspiration from Baz earlier, when Baz told him to stop licking Hellar’s boots–he took that as a wakeup call to start respecting himself. This isn’t the last time we’ll see this–Baz has an effect on people that even he doesn’t grasp, but despite his abrasiveness, he nonetheless draws people to him. We’ve seen that with Rox, Ehma, and now Trunnel.

Trunnel has accepted Tessa’s offer to stay in Tome and help her, the same offer she proposed to Baz before Marla and Hellar showed up. Baz briefly considers accepting it as well, as it would free him from Torchsire’s slavery. But, he realizes he’d just be trading one master for another.

We need to talk

So Baz and Tessa go off to Tessa’s study to negotiate. Tessa might not admit it, but she knows Baz is right when he tells her that she owes him. He did just save her daughter, after all, and potentially all of Under Tome from being exposed.

They enter her study which is full of a multitude of Spoken Books, along with a desk and only one chair–Baz has to stand. Before Baz can say anything, Tessa reveals that she knows Baz can Read, because it’s only ever been individuals skilled in both Speaking and Reading (i.e., Orators) who come back from beyond the peninsula. Raving mad, but they come back. Notice how Tessa looks upset here for a moment speaking of individuals who have gone out onto the peninsula? It seems that’s a sore subject for her, but we won’t learn any more about that until Book 2.

Also implicit here is that Baz should be raving mad now, but somehow he isn’t. Why? For now, we don’t get any explanation.

Next we get some explanation from Tessa: The Citiless obviously don’t call themselves that–they are “The Keepers of What Remains, protecting what’s left of the Great Library and continuing the Scribes’ great work.”

There’s also a subset of the Keepers called “The Seekers of Transcendence.” The Citiless who was caught and tortured at the beginning of the novel was one of these Seekers. What are they seeking? A prophecy that will tell how the Speakers will rise up against the Readers (Hoarders of Words). This prophecy is called the Declaimer’s Transcendence, and all but the last line of it was lost during the Second Burning: “He’ll speak the words to set us free.”

Baz laughs, because that is the same line the tortured Citiless cried out, and we later learned from Tax that it’s a line from a children’s bedtime story, the tale of the girl who ripped out that scrap from the Enigma’s book of prophecies before fleeing the Second Burning. But Tessa tells us it is no story–that little girl was her ancestor, and she is carrying on the work of searching for the Transcendence.

Would you really keep a promise to the Oppressed who owns you?

Tessa then immediately shifts topics, asking Baz if he really intends to keep his promise to Deliritous. Why is she asking this? Well, she appears to be testing him, because she wants a promise out of him too and wants to see how trustworthy he is (apparently saving her daughter wasn’t enough). Baz says he does, and when pressed as to why, we get this rather eloquent response from him:

I guess it’s just my own little piece of rebellion. I can’t have freedom, but that doesn’t mean I can’t choose to do what’s right. That’s what makes me different from them. I choose to be better.

That seems to satisfy Tessa, as she makes Baz an offer: He goes free and in exchange, he agrees to become a Seeker and carry out a quest for her. Baz groans, of course: he’s not interested in going on any more adventures, but he has to get out of Tome.

Tessa points out that Baz seems pretty good at staying alive. Baz calls it “pure luck,” but maybe his seeming innate ability to gather allies to him has something to do with it?

Why does Tessa want Baz as a Seeker? Well, he’s a rare opportunity–a Speaker from a Triumvirate city. He can go places Tessa’s other Seekers can’t. He can get into a Library, and she has on good authority–Eromer the Book Dragon–that a copy of the lost prophecy is in a Library. Leamina Library, in the city of Fortune. Go to Fortune, find the prophecy, bring it back to Tome.

Baz loses it a bit here–he’ll surely die if he tries to do all that. But what choice does he have? He agrees, after insisting that she free Rox as well. Baz looking out for his new buddy.

What’s a Declaimer?

Naturally, Baz asks what a Declaimer is. It’s a person who can draw on the power of the elements without a Spoken Book. They’re very rare, but not a fiction. That’s what the prophecy will tell: How to find such a person who will lead the Speakers to freedom.

I’ll need one of these Spoken Books

Baz nearly forgets arguably the most important part of his bargain, but salvages it at the last moment, tell Tessa he’ll need to add one of her Spoken Books to the bargain. Initially she refuses, but then Baz offers to let her keep the Book Dragon blood in exchange for a Book. He guesses–correctly–that it can be used as ink for writing Books. And this perhaps suggests why some hunt Book Dragons–their blood is a valuable resource.

And with that, the deal is struck: Baz gets out of Tome with a Book in exchange for the blood and going on Tessa’s quest. One adventure has come to its conclusion, but Baz has already been thrust into another.

CONCLUSION

Homework: Next week we’ll read Chapter 30 and that will be the entire episode. A short one, as I have a wedding to attend. We’ll discuss it the following week.  

Listener Question: What is your day job?

Quote:

“Aslan is a lion―the Lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he―quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Many of us trick ourselves into thinking it’s safety we want. Safety is status quo. Safety is comfort. Safety is security. We’re all told we want these things, and that we’re “successful” if we achieve them.

But undertake some self-reflection. What is it you really want? How far are you from it? What will it take to get there? If you’re like most people, the answers to those latter two questions are likely “far” and “a lot.”

Well, you won’t get to that distant horizon by playing it safe in secure comfort. Instead, subject yourself to some purposeful discomfort and watch as you grow!

Until next time, this has been D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

D. T. Kane reads chapter 28 of his epic fantasy fiction novel, The Acktus Trials, and discusses the chapter with his audience.

http://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:

https://dtkane.com/books/the-acktus-trials/

https://books2read.com/theacktustrials

Parts II and III of The Spoken Books Uprising also now available!

Part II, Declaimer’s Discovery: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09R18NZ5G/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

Other Retailers- https://books2read.com/declaimersdiscovery  

Part III, Declaimer’s Flight (out now!):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09XKGDYFM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

Other Retailers- https://books2read.com/declaimersflight

Map of Oration: https://dtkane.com/resources/map-of-oration/

Characters in this Chapter:

Baztian (Baz): Our main character

Rox: Deliritous’s Harbour (bodyguard)

Ehma: Leader of Citiless Patrol

Madame Scrivener Tessa: Leader of all the Citiless

Marla: Trials competitor from Kolnar Library

Hellar: Trials competitor from Xavier Library

Ryle: Marla’s Harbour

Retch: Marla’s Speaker

Trunnel: Hellar’s Speaker

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 Sunday, June 19, 2022 as I record this, Episode 23.

I spent a lot of the week busy on last-minute admin for the Declaimer’s Flight launch, but it’s now out and available in eBook and paperback most places where you buy books online. The eBook should also be available to borrow from many libraries, so feel free to check out your local library as well. And if you prefer physical copies, you should be able to ask your librarian to order a copy for your local library as well. I still receive compensation for library borrows, so don’t feel like you’re doing me wrong by utilizing your local library. I encourage it!

And now that Declaimer’s Flight is officially out, I’m back working on Book 4, which will be called Declaimer’s Stand, which picks up a couple weeks after the conclusion of Book 3 with Baz and his friends once more on the run. I won’t say more so as not to give any spoilers, but I think it’s lining up to be one of my best books yet! As I mentioned before my vacation, I’m done with the first draft and now I’m editing and addressing all the comments I left for myself in the margins… go back and foreshadow this, fact check that, etc. Rather than go back and make small (or in some cases, large) fixes while drafting, I’ll just leave notes to myself and continue drafting as if I’ve already included whatever it is earlier. Then when I go through my second pass I address all these comments, so that hopefully by the end of my second pass most content issues have been addressed and it’s just a matter of cleaning up small things.

ANAYLIS CH. 28

So here we are at the climax of the story!

Marla and Hellar

So Hellar and Marla have found Under Tome, likely having seen Ehma reveal the door earlier when Hellar exposed Baz to the Citiless. They’ve taken Ehma hostage and Trunnel (Hellar’s Speaker) is Influencing Rox, keeping him from attacking.

Both Hellar and Marla are obviously interested, more than interested, in all the Books they see beyond the dark peninsula. Marla wants the room cleared, and when Tessa doesn’t comply, she kills one of Tessa’s scriveners, having her Speaker squeeze him to a pulp with roots. It would seem that despite her gruff exterior, Tessa does care about her daughter, because after that she orders everyone away, rather than risk Ehma further. But there’s a problem here. Tessa can’t give any of these Books to Marla even if she wants to.

Why can’t Baz just keep his eyes down and mouth shut?

Baz sees the lust in Marla’s eyes when she looks at the books out beyond the dark peninsula, and that she’s not going to believe Tessa that she can’t reach them. Likely, she’ll kill Ehma next, so Baz acts, because as we’ve seen by now, Baz deep down wants to do the right thing and he can’t stand by and watch Ehma get killed. So he pretends to be a subservient Speaker, saying he’ll show Marla how to get to the Books. He tricks her into coming down there by saying a Reader and Speaker are needed to access the Books.

What’s Baz doing, Tessa asks? He’s actually trusting her! Baz has changed, actually willing to trust someone like Tessa, who he really has no reason to put any faith in. But he’s grown, knows he can’t do this by himself.

Hellar, of course, wants to come with Marla to get his Books as well. Well, it seems Marla sees her chance to solidify her Trials victory, as instead of taking Hellar with her, she kills him instead. She’s still ruthless. She has her Speaker root Rox to the ground since Trunnel is no longer Influencing him, then goes down to the Sanctum floor. A rather inauspicious end for Hellar, but as Baz insinuated a while back, that’s what he gets for making alliance with a rabid dog he couldn’t control.

Now you die.

So Baz leads Marla out onto the platform, and initially it looks like he’s erred. Nothing happens and Marla gets pissed, realizing Baz never intended to help her. She’s about to kill him when this odd, black mist puffs up from the abyss and floats into Marla. She begins to convulse and starts screaming. Her Harbour rushes to help her, but they’ve made a mistake–they left Rox’s hands free, and he throws his razor at Ryle. Bye bye Ryle, her head is split in two.

Marla continues to scream. Then she speaks, but not in her voice. Several different voices come out of her instead, each different, like she’s possessed: crazed man, mature woman lecturing, arrogant aristocrat, seductive woman, gleeful child, deep basso, and the horrifying, placid man. And what does Baz tell us? It reminds him of the voices he heard when he cast the shadow spell earlier in the Book. And where else have we heard strange voices? Back in the prologue, which we now know was when Pront vi Lextor was imprisoning the Dark Ones in Tome. So, is this the Dark Ones speaking through Marla’s body?

But interesting, as the Dark Ones ultimately conclude that Marla is of “no use” to them because she hasn’t mastered the powers of the elements. In other words, she isn’t a Speaker. Moments later, she disintegrates into dust, the Dark Ones apparently leaving her body. Where do they go?

Into Baz.

“This one is much better… he has great power,” they say, now through Baz’s mouth. He’s been possessed! Again, what are they talking about here? What do they mean, Baz is much better. What do they need him for? It seems they’re trying to take him over, like a parasite taking a host. Frightening thought–can the Dark Ones take over another’s body? What happens if they do? You can’t have me, Baz thinks to them, but it’s useless. He loses control of his body, can’t run away, and he passes out. Have the Dark Ones gotten him?

CONCLUSION

 Homework: Next week we’ll read Ch. 29 and see what happened to Baz!

Listener Question: No listener question this week, but I did get a nice comment on Twitter from Jan that she’s been enjoying listening to the post-narration analysis each week. Thanks, Jan! That’s nice to hear, because every once in a while the self-doubt creeps in and I wonder if anyone cares about what I’m speaking into a microphone alone in my tiny home office. Good to know I’m not just speaking into the void!

Quote:

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

― Neil Gaiman, Coraline

Until next time, this has been D. T. Kane’s Epic Fantasy Book Club.

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