An Acceptance

I received a note from Lyn Perry at ResAliens informing me that "The Master and the Miller's Daughter" has been accepted. According to the editor, "ResAliens Press (short for Residential Aliens) is a publisher of spiritually infused speculative fiction. . . , engaging stories that are truthful to the human experience while offering the reader something of the eternal."  The story is tentatively scheduled to be online in September and October. I sent this story out last fall and received a couple rejections. One of the editors kindly provided some feedback, which I used in the rewrite. I guess I finally got it right.

Summary:
Asha, the Miller's daughter, lives with her widowed father in a village on the shore of a great river. A sparkling market town occupies the opposite bank but the river is treacherous. Dangerous currents and man-eating fish lurk beneath the calm surface. A clan known as the Ferrymen take goods back and forth. They guard their secrets and their master, Caiphas, drives hard bargains. After an ill-fated attempt to cross the river herself on a homemade raft, Asha concedes crossing the river to the Ferrymen, but then a stranger comes to town, known only as the Master, offering to build a bridge. 

Word of the Week: Halcyon

What comes to mind when you encounter the word halcyon? Images of a golden time of peace and prosperity flood my mind. In particular I recall the chapters from Brideshead Revisited when Charles Ryder and Sebastian Flyte are at Oxford together in the early 1920s. While peaceful, happy, and prosperous are part of the word's definition, its roots are ornithological and mythic.

According to the Wikipedia entry on halcyon:

A halcyon (pronounced /ˈhælsiən/) is a mythical bird—often identified as a kingfisher—said to breed in a floating nest at sea during the winter solstice, during which time it charms the wind and waves into calm. The term originates from the Greek myth of Alcyone. In popular use, can also mean to harken back to an earlier (usually fond) time.

Two Greek myths feature a character named Halcyone, sometimes spelled Alcyone.

The first tells the story of seven nymphs--one of whom is called Halcyone--known collectively as the Pleiades. They are the daughters of the Titan Atlas and the sea-nymph Pleione. Following the defeat of the Titans in their war with the Olympians, Zeus condems Atlas to support the heavens on his shoulders. In the wake of Atlas's punishment, Orion, the giant huntsman, pursues the Pleiades. Zeus intervenes to give some comfort to Atlas, transforming the sisters first into doves and later into a constellation. Orion also becomes a constellation and continues to chase the sisters across the night sky. (Is it a good thing to be transformed into a constellation?)

The second myth identifies Halcyone as the daughter of Aeolus, the ruler of the winds. She is married to Ceyx, the king of Thessaly. In some versions of the story, the pair compare themselves to Zeus and Hera, angering Zeus. During a sea voyage, Ceyx drowns in a storm and appears to Halcyone in a dream to tell her of his death. Overcome with grief, Halcyone throws herself into the sea. As an act of compassion, the gods transform Ceyx and Halcyone into kingfishers. The phrase "halcyon days" refers to seven days in winter that are free of storms. According to myth, Halcyone makes a nest on a beach for seven days each winter. Her father Aeolus calms the winds and waves, allowing the kingfisher Halcyone to tend her eggs in safety.  (The engraving depicts Ceyx's death in the storm.)

Picture Credit: Sacred kingfisher; attributed to Fir0002/Flagstaffotos; used under the GFDL license which can be viewed at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_License,_version_1.2.

Thoughts on Reactions to Starlighter

Thomas Booher has posted some interesting thoughts on his Yellow House News - Christian Fantasy blog  concerning the state of Christian fantasy for young adults. His remarks prompted a mini-debate with Rebecca LuElla Miller in the comments. You may not agree with everything Booher has to say, particularly if you liked Starlighter, but his remarks are worth a read for the alternative perspective.

In short, Booher does not like the writing in Bryan Davis's Starlighter although I believe he finds parts of the story compelling. Some of his criticisms are valid. He finds the pacing too fast and argues that it detracts from character development. I agree that the pacing, particularly in respect to the Jason narrative line, is too fast. As I stated in a previous post, we do not often see Jason in situations that are not fraught with danger. However, I think Davis is trying to explore Jason's character as he reacts to adversity. Putting someone in a stressful situation often brings our their true character. We need more of a balance with Jason. I want to see him reflecting on recent events, especially in conversation with other characters. Perhaps in the  next volume we'll see a lot of Jason and Koren talking as their raft drifts down the river. We also could use some more reflection on Randall's change from foe to friend. The transition is sketched but the rush of events do not leave much time for exploration. Both Jason's and Randall's characters could have been explored to more depth if the search for the portal spanned multiple days and provided opportunities to talk around the campfire. The pacing of the Koren narrative is slower and that may be why I found her the most compelling character. I think I would have been happy to read a book just about Koren and the dragons. Booher finds Tibalt Blackstone the most compelling character. I agree he is memorable but he's missing for much of the story, particularly the later chapters where he is  literally stuck holding the door.

Booher also finds fault with Davis's method of exploring a character's thoughts through a series of rhetorical questions. I too find the method obtrusive. It's difficult to insert that type of question in a narrative without it sounding unnatural. The questions do not suggest anything surprising but summarize what I already suspect the character is thinking. I had forgotten about them by the time I wrote my reviews. They are a blemish on the narrative but not enough to spoil the story's strengths.

In the comments to his second day post, Booher states that "Bryan is simply not a very good writer." I think that is unfair. Davis has published several novels with an established publisher. That is not an easy thing to do. His work is "peer reviewed" in that it must pass muster with at least an agent and the editors at the publishing house. It's important to review the book the author has written and not the one you want the author to write. You can't fault a carpenter for not building a desk when he set out to build a coffee table. To be fair, all you can do is remark on the merits and flaws of the coffee table and suggest he next set his sights on the desk you're hoping for. You wouldn't approach a book by John Gardner, author of the James Bond series, with the same expectations you would approach the work of John Champlin Gardner, author of Grendel. After reading Jill Williamson's interview with Bryan Davis, I believe Davis knows exactly what kind of book he wants to write and I think he's achieving it within the boundaries he has set. Would I like to see him expand his boundaries, slow down the pace, and spend more time on character development? Yes, but that may not be what interests Davis the writer.

CSFF Blog Tour: Starlighter Day Three

So far I've touched on genre, plot, and characters. Today I'll take a look at some interesting thematic questions that Starlighter raises. Natalla and her brother Stephan fail when they try to escape. A dragon incinerates Stephan on the spot, but thanks to Koren's foreknowledge, Arxad intervenes to save Natalla from a similar fate. The next morning she is tried at the bascilica. We see the trial through Koren's eyes, who by chance and unknown to the dragons stumbles on the proceedings as they begin. Arxad agrees to defend Natalla and speak for her. This allows him to say things that would ordinarily call into question his loyalty to the dragon species. Arxad presents the situation from Natalla's perspective, noting her fear of promotion. However, he also suggests that humans are not like other animals, that they have a soul. This argument startles the dragons in attendance and angers Magnar. Arxad must do some deft legal maneuvering at this point to reiterate that he is speaking as if he is Natalla, a human slave, and not as himself, a dragon. It appears that officially, dragons believe that only they have souls and that part of the justification for enslaving the humans is their lack of souls. The dragons believe they occupy a higher rung on the ladder of being. The debate raises an interesting question. How does one know if something possesses a soul? Arxad never states his opinion on the matter of souls for humans, but his subsequent actions suggest he does not fully agree with the official dragon policy.

Davis records several conversations between Koren and the unhatched prince in the black egg. For some of these conversations Koren is chained to the floor next to the egg. The prince argues that if she stays with him long enough, she will learn to love him and desire above all else to serve him. Koren imagines herself becoming like Zena, a pale shell of a human with eyes like the black egg she serves. The prince argues that it would be better for her future for her to love him and that if necessary, the chains will bind her to him and ultimately lead her to love him. Koren notes that Zena's wrists bare the old scars from manacles. Koren rejects the prince, arguing that being forced to love someone is not loving them. Instead, Koren claims to serve the Code, an ancient book of wisdom and proverbs. The prince argues that Koren is unable to keep the Code, that calamity ensues whenever she works against the prince and attempts to follow the Code. The prince's logic is very persuasive but Koren holds to her beliefs. This debate raises the question of free will and can be read allegorically. The prince in the black egg represents Satan. The chains are sin. The Code is the Bible. Like the story in Genesis, Satan is again tempting a woman. I don't know if Davis intends readers to interpret the situation this way but it certainly elevates the debate between Koren and the prince.

As one would expect from the first book in a series, neither of these themes is resolved in Starlighter. I assume Davis is planting seeds that will grow and flower in the upcoming volumes.

Starlighter is a page-turner. It has many minor characters that are as compelling as Jason, Koren, and Arxad. Some complex themes are simmering beneath the surface narrative. The ending is surprising, not what I expected at least, but not a resolution. As with the breaking of the fellowship at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, the ending of Starlighter casts groups of characters in three directions. It's not the end but the end of the beginning. I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series.

For more information on Bryan Davis and Starlighter, visit the author's blog or website.

For more commentary on Starlighter from other tour members, visit their blogs listed below.
Brandon Barr
Beckie Burnham
R. L. Copple
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Jane Maritz
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
SarahFlan
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

CSFF Blog Tour: Starlighter Day Two

Davis tells his story, primarily through the eyes of Jason and Koren, with two parallel plot lines that converge in Starlighter's last chapters. The pacing of the novel is very fast. Aside from memories and stories from the past, the action takes place over two days.

In the case of Jason, we rarely see him in situations that are not fraught with danger and stress. We do not get many opportunities to see him musing over his situation at leisure. The exceptions are in the early chapters. On his return from the tournament, Jason considers the relative boredom and monotony of his life. While he doesn't believe in the story of the Lost Ones as his brother Adrian does, Jason thinks rescuing slaves would be an exciting and welcome change to his life of military training. In another instance, Jason discovers his brother Adrian's Courier tube and considers reading the message. At the last moment he decides against it, wishing to honor his brother's privacy over his curiosity. Jason's worldview undergoes a radical change after he has viewed the message which his brother has given him permission to watch. His oldest brother Frederic, feared dead, appears at the end with proof that the old stories about dragons and slaves are true. After that revelation, events pile up. Jason is accused of murdering Governor Prescott; he frees two prisoners--his childhood friend Elyssa and Tibalt Blackstone, the son of the escaped Lost One--from the castle dungeon. Jason, Elyssa, and Tibalt elude some castle guards and it becomes clear that Jason and Elyssa cannot hope to live if they are captured. Finding the portal seems the only reasonable course of action.

After a dizzying series of double-crosses--it's not clear on whose side some of the castle guards are fighting--Randall agrees to join Jason and the others in their quest. Randall initially appears to be a bully, spoiled and eager to put others beneath him. When Randall is shot in the back with an arrow, Jason decides to help him rather than leave him to die. Jason evinces a strong sense of compassion and sacrifice throughout the story. At the time, Jason wonders why he is helping Randall, but ultimately his decision proves wise as Randall becomes invaluable in the fights with the dragons. The punishment that Randall endures stretches the story's verisimilitude to the breaking point. Within a twenty-four hour period, the poor guy sees his father's murdered body, is shot in the back with an arrow, nearly drowns, and then has most of the life squeezed out of him by a bear. To his credit, he bounces back for more punishment each time.

I expected the search for the portal to occupy much of Jason's story but after walking for a few hours, Jason and Elyssa literally fall into it. The portal is located at the bottom of an underground river that reverses course when the portal or various levers are activated. The four members of the quest endure some harrowing moments on the river and Jason all but drowns, preferring to sacrifice his own life rather than endanger Elyssa who has gone back to get Randall and Tibalt. They find that only Tibalt can open the portal, once more proving the value of compassion for someone who does not initially appear all that useful.

Koren's story moves at a slower pace but does not lack for dramatic events. We see her in the home of her master, the dragon Arxad. She gathers honey, sneaks a bit of bread to the orphan children in a camp, serves food to Arxad and his family, and tells the dragons a story to entertain them. We see her studying--the dragons educate the humans in the hope of making use of the intelligent ones. We see her interacting with her fellow slaves in Arxad's household. The three orphan children (Koren, Natalla, and Petra) and Madame Orley form a family unit. Most of what the reader learns about the dragons comes through Koren's eyes, and her green eyes and red hair are a mark of distinction and intelligence from the dragons' perspective. Koren considers her assignment under Arxad to be the best of her life. Other dragons are cruel to their slaves. Petra's former owner had the girl's tongue cut out. Arxad seems to be an exception, and as events unfold, one wonders if Arxad bought Koren with a specific purpose in mind, something more than domestic chores.

As with Jason, compassion and sacrifice motivate Koren. She learns one night that Natalla is to be "promoted." The dragons tell the slaves that this is a good thing, that the promoted slave will go to the more hospitable climate of the Northlands. The slaves are not so sure because they never hear more from promoted slaves than a single letter. Natalla fears that she will be eaten and plans to escape with her brother Stephan. Koren implores her not to take such a drastic step and offers to sneak into the dragons' basilica and discover the truth about promotions. Koren uses her skills as a storyteller to hypnotize the guard dragon. Although she explores the basilica, she never learns what happens to promoted slaves. (I guess we'll have to wait for the next book.) Arxad rescues her from the guard, who has awoken from his hypnotic slumber, and takes her to meet Zena--a human tasked with caring for a black dragon egg containing the crown prince. Zena's loyalty is to the prince in the egg. Zena and Arxad agree that if Koren is a starlighter--a kind of visionary who can see the past and future--she will serve under Zena as a slave to the unhatched prince. At the Zodiac, the dragons' temple where Arxad is a prominent priest, Koren passes the test to prove she is a starlighter. In her vision, she tells Arxad what really happened between Magnar, the ruling dragon, and the Lost Ones. Arxad's reaction suggests that Koren's vision differs from the story Magnar has told. Arxad takes Koren back to Zena who places Koren in chains next to the egg. To Zena's consternation, Koren discovers that she can talk to the prince directly and that he can talk through her. Zena does not have those talents.  

I should say something about the dragons. As a group, they are easily angered, perpetually grumpy, and quick to flog or incinerate any human that defies their authority. Any slave attempting to escape commits a capital offense and can expect a summary execution if caught. They place a high value on honesty, loyalty, and following their laws. They are not supposed to lie to the slaves or break bargains made with them, at least in theory. The dragons practice a religion based on astrology. Some dragons are cruel to their human slaves, others less so. Arxad is the most complicated of the dragons. A conflict between him and Magnar simmers beneath the story's surface, and while Arxad does things to preserve Koren's life, his motives are not clear. Is he helping Koren out of a sense of duty and honor? Does he see intrinsic value in humans beyond their worth as slaves? Or is Koren a pawn--more likely a queen--in his duel with Magnar?

For more information on Bryan Davis and Starlighter, visit the author's blog or website.

For more commentary on Starlighter from other tour members, visit their blogs listed below.
Brandon Barr
Beckie Burnham
R. L. Copple
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Jane Maritz
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
SarahFlan
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

CSFF Blog Tour: Starlighter Day One

This is my first post for the CSFF Blog Tour. I'm thrilled to be here. I average one to two posts a week so three posts in three days is going to be challenging, but Bryan Davis has provided some excellent material to work from. I have not read any of Davis's previous works so my evaluation of his writing is necessarily limited to this book. In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  Please note that spoilers loom dead ahead. Today's post will focus on genre. Where does the first installment in Davis's Dragons of Starlight series fall on the fantasy to science fiction continuum?

Marketed to young adults, Starlighter features a fast-paced narrative set on two planets--Starlight, where the dragons roam, and Darksphere, where the humans live. (The humans call the planets Dracon and Major Four, respectively.) The two worlds are connected by a portal which has long been in disuse. The people of Mesolantrum, the country from which the human characters on Darksphere hail, have forgotten the portal's location and most dismiss it as a figment of legend, although a few militants search for the portal and keep the stories alive through a newsletter called The Underground Gateway. The old stories say that a dragon once came through the portal and kidnapped some humans, known as the Lost Ones, to work as slaves in mines. One of the captives, Uriel Blackstone, escaped and locked the portal but the people in Mesolantrum thought the man insane. The authorities in Mesolantrum locked him up and work to suppress speculation about the the Lost Ones. The dragons on Starlight rely on a gas trapped deep underground to maintain their strength. The human slaves mine it and then release it into the atmosphere. The slaves on Starlight have stories about their origins that say they were brought to the dragon planet from another world. The dragons tell them different stories, leaving the slaves divided as to their origins. The novel alternates between Jason Masters, a resident of Darksphere who hopes to free the slaves, and Koren, a slave on Starlight with a special gift.

That's the story's premise, a conflict between dragons and humans. It sounds like standard fantasy, although the placement of the dragons and humans on different planets throws in an interesting twist. Portals and magic doorways to other worlds are nothing new and calling the homes of the dragons and humans planets as opposed to worlds is a matter of semantics. But Davis does not stop with multiple planets in his genre bending. In the novel's initial scene, Jason Masters and Randall Prescott are about to fight a duel with swords in the final round of a tournament. That sounds very medieval. Jason outsmarts his opponent and receives applause and a green laurel for a prize. We also learn that the society is divided into nobles who govern and common folk who know their place and do farming work. Jason comes from common stock and hopes to raise his status, like his brother Adrian, through his military skills. That also sounds like typical fantasy. But in the next scene with Jason, we find him holding a "Courier's tube" with a flashing message. In order to access the video message inside the tube, one has to provide genetic material, a piece of hair for instance, to prove one's identity. How did we go from swords to advanced electronics and chemistry? Davis does not explain it. Later in the scene, Jason and his brother Adrian talk about photo guns. These guns shoot balls of energy that incinerate their target. Unfortunately for the user, they take time to charge up between discharges and they don't work if they become wet. I thought of them as the blunderbuss of ray guns. Jason hopes to be trained to use a photo gun--the technology is limited to a privileged few--but considers his sword more reliable. There is no mention of guns based on gunpowder or any other type of explosive.

I find these jumps from relatively primitive to highly advanced technology disconcerting. In contrast to the advanced technical gadgets, the story contains what appear to be some magical objects. The dragons have a crystal sphere which can detect someone's honesty, giving its readings as clear, black, or shades of gray. A finger-shaped object is burned into Jason's chest. The object is sensitive to one's deeds of heroism and sacrifice, glowing different colors based on one's level of heroism. It also heightens one's senses and can guide the person bearing it to the portal. The glow also helps the bearer see in the dark.

In a recent post Fantasy or Science Fiction?, I discussed the differences between the genres. Fantasy features magic with very little explanation of how it works while science fiction tends toward explanations of the advanced science and its impact on society. While Starlighter includes elements that would normally be associated with science fiction, Davis does not focus on how the technology works or its impact on society. According to the definitions, Starlighter is on the fantasy end of the spectrum.

What I do not understand is the reason for including such items as the Courier tube and the photo gun. The message could have been delivered in other ways, perhaps a magical illustration that comes to life or an old-fashioned letter. The photo gun proves ineffective against the dragons.

For more information on Bryan Davis and Starlighter, visit the author's blog or website.

For more commentary on Starlighter from other tour members, visit their blogs listed below.
Brandon Barr
Beckie Burnham
R. L. Copple
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Jane Maritz
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
SarahFlan
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

Fantasy or Science Fiction?

Reading Bryan Davis's Starlighter for the July CSFF blog tour and then Ezra Steelman's post on Issac Asimov's Second Foundation led me to wonder about the formal differences between Fantasy and Science Fiction. In the past I've followed the "I know it when I see it" method, but that doesn't quite work for Davis's novel. So, how do we know in which genre a book should be placed? And what about books that seem to cross the boundaries? Will the person at the book store or the library shelve it where we would shelve it? The number of magazines that claim to publish Science Fiction and Fantasy should be a clue that there's a murky transition zone separating the two genres.

So I did some extensive research into the definitions of the genres (that is I looked them up in Wikipedia). Here's the description of Fantasy:

Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural  phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Many works within the genre take place in fictional worlds where magic is common. Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction in that it does not provide a logical (or pseudo logical) explanation for the scientifically impossible events that occur, though there is a great deal of overlap between the two (both are subgenres of speculative fiction).

Here's the description of Science Fiction:

Science fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically  established or scientifically postulated laws of nature (though some elements in a story might still be pure imaginative speculation). Exploring the consequences of such differences is the traditional purpose of science fiction, making it a "literature of ideas".  Science fiction is largely based on writing rationally about alternative possibilities.  The settings for science fiction are often contrary to known reality, but the majority of science fiction relies on a considerable degree of suspension of disbelief provided by potential scientific explanations to various fictional elements.

That should make everything clear. Fantasy has magic that is not scientifically explained. Science Fiction has story elements that are scientifically plausible. Now we turn to That Hideous Strength, the final book in C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy. The previous books in the series, Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, are respectively set on Mars and Venus and they both feature aliens and space travel. That Hideous Strength takes place on Earth. Some members of The National Institute of Coordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E.) believe they are keeping the head of an executed man alive. Toward the end of the novel, Merlin, the wizard from Arthurian legend, who has been "sleeping" in an underground vault, makes an appearance and uses some of his talents against the people at N.I.C.E. So what is That Hideous Strength? Fantastical Science Fiction? Like many other works, including the aforementioned Starlighter, That Hideous Strength falls somewhere in that murky space between the genres.

Sorry, I don't have a good answer for how to divide the genres. The poles of the continuum appear well-defined. Second Foundation is obviously Science Fiction. Lord of the Rings is obviously Fantasy. The question is what to call that big chunk in the middle of the continuum.

An Acceptance

My story "The Princess and the Vampire" has been accepted for publication in Coach's Midnight Diner, a print anthology from the publishers of Relief: A Christian Literary Expression. According to the editor, "The Midnight Diner is a hardboiled genre anthology with a Christian slant." No word yet on when the third issue will be out. I love that cover from the second edition on the right.

Summary:
A young, spoiled Princess commands her Chief Councilor to persuade the resident vampire to become her lover. The Chief Councilor has doubts and voices them, but the Princess is adamant. He oversees the extraction of the vampire's fangs in a dubious effort to render the vampire harmless. Promises are broken on all sides, and the vampire proves that a vampire is a vampire with or without fangs.