originally posted by Trys
My copy of Masters and Fantasy has been shipped and will likely be delivered tomorrow.
Kam,
I had to do a double-take on your date. That's July 1, 2004, yes? (We Americans format dates mm/dd/yy and try not to post dates as numbers as a result.
)
That is the same date as it comes out in the US.
originally posted by Auna
I'm all set to stalk the stores July 1
originally posted by demi
Well I read the story Janny. Nicely done. Gives some insight into the world of Athera. I really, really liked it. For those who haven't read it it will alleviate part of your thirst for "traitor's knot".
originally posted by Susan
I'm so jealous!! Mine isn't supposed to ship until tomorrow. This site makes the wait harder. It would be easier to just forget for the year or so between books, but not nearly as much fun!!
Whoop - yippie, first report (and a nice one)
Happy dance…(and thank you Demi)
Got to see some stuff you didn't expect, eh?
It was fun, how this story strung itself into the existing material and even, bounced threads of itself into Stormed Fortress…absolutely, the series reads fine, without it. But with it, you get another facet of insight, hindsight, and foreshadowing.
originally posted by Auna
I'm stalking the store after work… can't wait! Just a few … more… hours…
originally posted by Demi
I do have to say that when I got to the last page of the story I was stunned not to find extra pages. It could so easily be an amazing book all by itself. Aww man… it's alright just five more months.
originally posted by Auna
Woot, off to nab it!
originally posted by Auna
I started off with good intentions and read the first two stories before willpower crumbled and I skipped to read Child of Prophecy, and wow, what a breathtaker! That was a very awesome story and very moving. You might want to save it for last so you can enjoy the other stories more since this one will really grab you emotionally.
I'm very thankful this book was mentioned here since Borders only had one copy stuffed in their compilation section instead of front and center as a new release. Pttthttt!
originally posted by Hannah
I plonked down and read it before I could even get it out of Barnes and Noble. It rocked. Verily.
SPOILERS AHOY
Seriously, ahoy!
Okay, it took every iota of willpower I posessed (which is why I'm sitting here eating french fries right now–demned carbs)to not skip to the end of the story and see what the import of it all was. I'm glad that I just let it flow. When I opened the book to the proper place, I was expecting that kind of newness of when you first start a new story, but as I read further, and places were mentioned that were so familiar (Innish, Selkwood, Sanpashir), it was just really comfortable and happifying. Though I still kept wanting to flip to the map in the front of the book or the glossary that was not there.
Fascinating stuff. Really could be a sweet book of its own merit. The exploits of Dari s'Ahelas would be an awesome prequel. The mentions of Ciladis' six colleagues being… colleagues, was the ultimate tempting tease. I'd give up a month of Internet to read a single scene with the F7 gathered in one room interacting. And maybe with a few royal lines thrown in there, too, for color. Well, that's neither here nor there.
Ciladis himself, woot! Janny, do you realize that in the version I was reading, when Ciladis appears and we realize that it is a Fellowship Sorcerer, the layout of the book is such that at the bottom of one page it pretty much says "You can call me…" and then I had to curse and fumble and very near tear the page out trying to turn it fast enough to confirm who it was. "…Ciladis."
Well, while reading the book I was able to forget I was sitting in the middle of a busy book store. Halfway through I realized I was experiencing this sense of dread that stemmed from the urgency of the characters as the Mistwraith crawled across the continent, and this feeling that I was going to walk outside and see this horrible looming mist bank on the horizon. I really picked up this vibe of impending doom, it made the story that much more important.
I liked the ending, because I was allowed to remember what else we knew about Dari. Going to Althain to learn a bit. And eventually she does go through the Gate, and just the import of those characters' lives at that time.
Random aside, because someone had mentioned about the Sunchildren being gone from Selkwood (I think). We know next to nothing about Sunchildren, except that they're smaller than humans. At least that's all I can remember reading, and that just from Sethvir drinking from a wee-ish teacup that had been turned for a Sunchildren's proportions. I don't remember much other than that (but I know vaguely recall maybe something further that Asandir recounted in CotM). Anyhow, my point is that I can't wait to learn more. They seem so mysterious and unique to Athera.
It was very very satisfying. I may survive a few more months closer to Traitors Knot after all.
Hannah
/fangirl euphoria
originally posted by Auna
I've reread it twice more now. I know exactly how you feel Hannah, I would love to read more stories in this time period. I was aching for more!
originally posted by Izzy
I've done some ringing around…
A&R (Angus and Robertson) have it listed as a new release, but don't have an Australian distributor listed. And their website mentions that it will be shipped from the US.
Janny, do you know if the book was supposed to be published in Australia at the same time as the UK? And if so, who by? I believe most of your work comes via Harper and Collins, but seeing as this is a compilation… /shrug
Either way, I'm ordering it via Amazaon, so it should arrive in a few days.
Regards,
CJ
This book was published in the US by Baen Books, has many authors in it - and is distrubuted to the UK, not published there.
Therefore it should be "available" but not necessarily shelved.
Listed under Bulletins/Releases is the distribution information, if you need it.
originally posted by Tamas
Great story! Well done!
originally posted by Mark Timmony
Izzy, Galaxy Bookshop in Sydney have it in stock.
We do mail order.
The book is retailing (Aussie dollars) at $54.00, postage and handling is another $5.00 (within Australia).
You can order it online at www.galaxybooks.com.au or over the phone (business hours) 02-9267-7222
originally posted by Izzy
Unfortunately I had already ordered it via Amazon Mark. However, I'll definitely look you up for any other bits and pieces I might want to buy.
At around US$33 for the book and postage, that puts your price in the same area, and it would also have meant I would have had it quicker
Regards,
CJ
originally posted by Kam
Spoilerific:
Mark: you work in Galaxy in Sydney? This is the one in the city, no? I was there the other day. 
Like everyone else, I thought it could've been a lot longer. But it's still perfect the way it is.
I really loved how we learnt more about Dari - from the way the story ended, it sorta sounds like she grew up in Althain Tower. Now that would be super cute. The Fellowship and this rather cheeky little girl (if I recall what Sethvir said about her)…
originally posted by Auna
Not longer… just need to beg Janny to write more stories and flesh that all out! 
originally posted by Mark Timmony
Hey Kam,
Yep I work in Galaxy Bookshop in the city - the one and only!
originally posted by skeoke
Finally read the story.
[What took me so long? What was I thinking? –
Oh, yeah. To do list was so long I stopped looking at it…]
Great story. Raised more questions than it answered. A good thing.
- Is Davien still a colleague at this time?
- What does 'battling' the Mistwraith look like? How are people dying? Why are all the Sorcerers, Kings, heirs, and Paravians not able to handle what two miscreants, a Sorcerer (or three), and a Paravian tower able to handle(ish) 500 years later?
- Who are the desert folk? Where did the Mother Dark religion come from? Where do they sit in the scheme of things vis-a-vis clans and Paravians?
- So what happens when a cathdein's line and a royal line are joined (aside from our two miscreants)? And, I forgot, did that cathdein go with that king?
Just about to begin my pre-TK reread, maybe some of my questions are already answered and I just don't realize it yet. What are your opinions?
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Aside - Loved the St. Vidicon story, too.