Got questions, especially about the Ravnica books or the Mirrodin cycle? Put 'em here, and I'll answer them if I can (as time allows). I'm starting this thread for myself, but I figure you can also put questions here for any other authors that might swing by. Note that answers given here are from the author(s) and not necessarily from the Magic story team or Wizards of the Coast.
Thanks for reading,
CJH
ETA: Before you waste valuable bandwidth, I'm afraid I can't tell you anything about future Magic storylines beyond Ravnica, and if it's Ravnica books 2 or 3 I will necessarily be sketchy at best until they're released. I also can't really answer questions about editorial decisions at Wizards (who writes which books, for example) 'cause that ain't my bailiwick.
Argus Kos. Samuel Vimes. I know you're a Discworld fan (from that interview on Magicthegathering.com & the Disc-reference in 5th Dawn), so I was wondering, did you make Kos a sort of hommage to Sam after you knew you where going to write about a police officer, or did Vimesish-traits just sort of sneak into Kos subcontiously?
I do love Terry Pratchett (or rather, his work, never met him in person), and it's probably painfully obvious that the Watch-oriented stories are personal favorites. But honestly, the initial inspiration for Kos (and the focus on the Wojeks) was Homicide: Life on the Street--Agrus is equal parts Bolander, Munch, Pembleton, Giardello, and, well, me (for example, I was drinking waaaay too much coffee while writing that book, which fed a lot of the "Kos feels his heart racing" moments. I also turned 33 and was diagnosed with arthritis, and started feeling old for the first time.)
While writing Ravnica book 1, I read and reread the original book on which the TV show Homicide was based (Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon), and there's a lot I drew from that too.
Other characters had other inspirations. There's a bit of Buffy in Fonn. There's a bit of Topper in Borca. There's a bit of Mr. Worf and Mr. Data in Feather. There's a lot of Quark in Pivlic. There's a bit of my old high school girlfriend in Savra, and the less said about that the better. Jarad's opinions on hunting come straight from my dad. And yeah, there's probably more than a bit of Sam Vimes in Kos, too, along with every cop movie and detective story cliche I could figure out how to fit into the Ravnica setting. (And I think that Sam Vimes himself is an amalgam of a lot of detective story archetypes, but there's no better series of books than Discworld when it comes to adapting and reimagining pop culture--the Mad Max and Priscilla homages in The Last Continent alone cracked me up to no end).
That said, the last thing I want to do is invite any kind of comparison of the two, because Terry Pratchett is a freakin' genius and will always come out on top in any direct comparison. I did my best to make sure that Ravnica is not just Ankh-Morpork or Baltimore with a paint job, and Kos isn't just Vimes (or Bolander or Columbo or even me) transplanted to the League of Wojek. Discworld is one of several inspirations, but it is not the only one. I'm too much of a pop-culture sponge to stick with just one.
Other characters had other inspirations. There's a bit of Buffy in Fonn. There's a bit of Topper in Borca. There's a bit of Mr. Worf and Mr. Data in Feather. There's a lot of Quark in Pivlic. There's a bit of my old high school girlfriend in Savra, and the less said about that the better. Jarad's opinions on hunting come straight from my dad. And yeah, there's probably more than a bit of Sam Vimes in Kos, too, along with every cop movie and detective story cliche I could figure out how to fit into the Ravnica setting. (And I think that Sam Vimes himself is an amalgam of a lot of detective story archetypes, but there's no better series of books than Discworld when it comes to adapting and reimagining pop culture--the Mad Max and Priscilla homages in The Last Continent alone cracked me up to no end).
Wow. Again I am wordless :D.
I have to say that I actually thought about the good ol' Ferengi bastarbartender, when I read about Pivlic:tongue3:. And as for Feather...It is interesting that my inner eye depicted her a bit like Seven of Nine. But your mention of Data and Worf makes also sense, especially when now I know what to look for
I guess that most of us have met their own Savras in our lives...:(
I have to say that I loved the Kos-Borca interaction. Borca was lovely as the rookie-cop.
And yeah, Terry Pratchett is a god
EDIT: BTW...I have a sneaking suspicion that alike me, you are also a pretty devoted trekkie
Feather...It is interesting that my inner eye depicted her a bit like Seven of Nine
Hey, I never said she *looked* like Worf or Data.
In the mental movie of the book that constantly runs through my mind while writing, she was portrayed by a freakish genetic combination of Claudia Black, Tricia Helfer, and Goldeneye-era Famke Janssen. With the physique of Power Girl by way of Big Barda.
I thought that Fifth Dawn was a good ending to the Mirroding cycle. The only thing that bothered me about the book was the part in which Glissa effectively travels forward in time. I just wondered if there was any particular reason you used this device, when to me, the storyline could have likely been advanced naturally.
What it ultimately boiled down to is that there were a lot of things I wanted to do story-wise that, to me, couldn't be accomplished in a short time frame. Slobad's imprisonment. Leyise's marriage. Raksha's downfall. Memnarch and his allies running rampant for a long time. Stuff like that. And I figured "hey, there's got to be some kind of 'time stop' magic that could accomplish that for me."
Logistically, it was also a way for me to do all that and still stay within my target word count.
Well if I could ask a question on your opinion, is there a specific character from Ravnica( I'm only talking book 1) that you would have liked to see a card of, but it was not printed?
Oh also I compliment you greatly on the gore and violence in Ravnica. In my school, I somtimes read out parts to my friends (such as when Fonn got her hand ripped off) and they look back at me in disgust, while I love those parts the best
"If I do go to heaven, I'll smack god across the face and tell him to get me a grilled-cheeses sandwhich and then say 'Yea what now god!? Say some'in! I dare you!' "
Well if I could ask a question on your opinion, is there a specific character from Ravnica( I'm only talking book 1) that you would have liked to see a card of, but it was not printed?
I don't even have to think about that one--the answer is Pivlic.
ETA:
Quote from Forgotten_hope »
the gore and violence in Ravnica.
I watch a lot of horror movies. You can expect that sort of thing to continue...and there's one chapter in Dissension, in particular, I think you're going to enjoy reading to your pals.
Just remember, don't try tearing your own hand off at home, kids. Winners don't dismember.
"If I do go to heaven, I'll smack god across the face and tell him to get me a grilled-cheeses sandwhich and then say 'Yea what now god!? Say some'in! I dare you!' "
I didnt like the Darksteel book and thus never read any of the other magic books. I think this was because the reading level was too low and it felt like a children's novel. Do wizards tell you to keep the level low?
Uh..... CJH didn't write Darksteel he wrote Fifth Dawn. Also Darksteel was a very bad book imo but don't stop reading just because of one bad book. I recommend picking up The Thran or The Brother's War or even Ravnica Those are all great books.
And Mr. Herdon, I have another question.
Because I read the book when it first hit shelves( back in uh... June I think it was... maybe July...) and haven't had the chance to re-read it, I have to ask. Did something really important happen on the decamalinial?
"If I do go to heaven, I'll smack god across the face and tell him to get me a grilled-cheeses sandwhich and then say 'Yea what now god!? Say some'in! I dare you!' "
I didnt like the Darksteel book and thus never read any of the other magic books. I think this was because the reading level was too low and it felt like a children's novel. Do wizards tell you to keep the level low?
The Darksteel Eye was the second book of a trilogy--I'd recommend checking out the first one, the Moons of Mirrodin, before you pass judgment on the second. Your call, of course.
And I'm not sure I grok your question. But if you're asking if I ever simplify the language in anything I write, the answer is most assuredly no. Trust me, if I was writing for children, I wouldn't have people getting their hands ripped off and so forth.
And if you're just trollin', well...I've probably said enough already.
I'm not trolling. I thought the book was poor because it was bad, not becuse it was the second book. I'm just asking if wizards asked you to dumb-down your books or not, because the darksteel book seemed like it was written for a 10 year old's reading ability.
Because I read the book when it first hit shelves( back in uh... June I think it was... maybe July...)
'Twas teh end of August, I believe.
Quote from Forgotten_hope »
and haven't had the chance to re-read it, I have to ask. Did something really important happen on the decamalinial?
The guildmaster of the Dimir appeared in public for the first time in ten thousand years and tried to eat the guildmaster of the Selesnya. The actual celebration was supposed to begin with the gathering at Vitu Ghazi, but then things got out of hand. Including, in some cases, actual hands.
As for anything *else* that might have happened around that time...I'm takin' the fifth for now.
Me and my friend were having an argument over that the other day and were both too lazy to look back in the book for the exact part(s). -goes to get his $5-
Yay Mr. Herdon just made me $5 richer
"If I do go to heaven, I'll smack god across the face and tell him to get me a grilled-cheeses sandwhich and then say 'Yea what now god!? Say some'in! I dare you!' "
Is there any reason that the Magic trilogies are sometimes one author (Kamigawa, Ravnica), and sometimes three (Mirrodin, most of the Weatherlight Saga)? And one question I know a lot of us here are concerned over: do you happen to know if J. Robert King will be writing for the Magic line any longer?
A quick question on Fifth Dawn's Cover:
Did you know Wizards of the Coast spelled your name differently for the cover and your Wizards of the Coast Author profile?
A link to the site: Wizard's Page
While reading your profile at the link, you have a list of the authors you enjoy reading. After the gore content in Fifth Dawn, I'm not too surprised that Stephen King is on your list. (Not to imply 'King is all gory or anything)
Being a 'King fan myself, I was wondering which other authors you enjoy in the horror genre?
In Mirrodin, it mentioned an oily substance thet penetrated Memnarch's mind. What was it, and what impacgt sis it have on the storyline, besides obviously influencing Memnarch to rename the plane as Mirrodin?
oooooo! this is so cool. i love questioning artists about their work...
anywho, as for Ravnica: what moment in the book are you most proud of? are there any that Wizards required you to put in or were you given (nearly) complete creative control?
Hello i just want to say i love your books but i have a few questions.
In the mirodin trilogy... what exactly were the blinkmoths i meen they kinda seemed like stars to me and i didnt understand the whole harvesting thing... o and were they living things?
as for Ravnica (i have to say its been one of my all time favorite books) will we be seeing any more of Argus Kos and the oros legion? and also what of the three was your favorite book?
"If I do go to heaven, I'll smack god across the face and tell him to get me a grilled-cheeses sandwhich and then say 'Yea what now god!? Say some'in! I dare you!' "
>Well, this is isn't exactly about your books, but I just finished "MTG: The Whispering Woods", What set is that frrom? And is the a book continueing the storie?
P.S. The only reason for not getting your books, is becuase my family is broke right know. ~ Edward Withers
Got questions, especially about the Ravnica books or the Mirrodin cycle? Put 'em here, and I'll answer them if I can (as time allows). I'm starting this thread for myself, but I figure you can also put questions here for any other authors that might swing by. Note that answers given here are from the author(s) and not necessarily from the Magic story team or Wizards of the Coast.
Thanks for reading,
CJH
ETA: Before you waste valuable bandwidth, I'm afraid I can't tell you anything about future Magic storylines beyond Ravnica, and if it's Ravnica books 2 or 3 I will necessarily be sketchy at best until they're released. I also can't really answer questions about editorial decisions at Wizards (who writes which books, for example) 'cause that ain't my bailiwick.
Trade Thread
I do love Terry Pratchett (or rather, his work, never met him in person), and it's probably painfully obvious that the Watch-oriented stories are personal favorites. But honestly, the initial inspiration for Kos (and the focus on the Wojeks) was Homicide: Life on the Street--Agrus is equal parts Bolander, Munch, Pembleton, Giardello, and, well, me (for example, I was drinking waaaay too much coffee while writing that book, which fed a lot of the "Kos feels his heart racing" moments. I also turned 33 and was diagnosed with arthritis, and started feeling old for the first time.)
While writing Ravnica book 1, I read and reread the original book on which the TV show Homicide was based (Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon), and there's a lot I drew from that too.
Other characters had other inspirations. There's a bit of Buffy in Fonn. There's a bit of Topper in Borca. There's a bit of Mr. Worf and Mr. Data in Feather. There's a lot of Quark in Pivlic. There's a bit of my old high school girlfriend in Savra, and the less said about that the better. Jarad's opinions on hunting come straight from my dad. And yeah, there's probably more than a bit of Sam Vimes in Kos, too, along with every cop movie and detective story cliche I could figure out how to fit into the Ravnica setting. (And I think that Sam Vimes himself is an amalgam of a lot of detective story archetypes, but there's no better series of books than Discworld when it comes to adapting and reimagining pop culture--the Mad Max and Priscilla homages in The Last Continent alone cracked me up to no end).
That said, the last thing I want to do is invite any kind of comparison of the two, because Terry Pratchett is a freakin' genius and will always come out on top in any direct comparison. I did my best to make sure that Ravnica is not just Ankh-Morpork or Baltimore with a paint job, and Kos isn't just Vimes (or Bolander or Columbo or even me) transplanted to the League of Wojek. Discworld is one of several inspirations, but it is not the only one. I'm too much of a pop-culture sponge to stick with just one.
I have to say that I actually thought about the good ol' Ferengi
bastarbartender, when I read about Pivlic:tongue3:. And as for Feather...It is interesting that my inner eye depicted her a bit like Seven of Nine. But your mention of Data and Worf makes also sense, especially when now I know what to look forI guess that most of us have met their own Savras in our lives...:(
I have to say that I loved the Kos-Borca interaction. Borca was lovely as the rookie-cop.
And yeah, Terry Pratchett is a god
EDIT: BTW...I have a sneaking suspicion that alike me, you are also a pretty devoted trekkie
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Hey, I never said she *looked* like Worf or Data.
In the mental movie of the book that constantly runs through my mind while writing, she was portrayed by a freakish genetic combination of Claudia Black, Tricia Helfer, and Goldeneye-era Famke Janssen. With the physique of Power Girl by way of Big Barda.
CJH
What it ultimately boiled down to is that there were a lot of things I wanted to do story-wise that, to me, couldn't be accomplished in a short time frame. Slobad's imprisonment. Leyise's marriage. Raksha's downfall. Memnarch and his allies running rampant for a long time. Stuff like that. And I figured "hey, there's got to be some kind of 'time stop' magic that could accomplish that for me."
Logistically, it was also a way for me to do all that and still stay within my target word count.
CJH
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Oh also I compliment you greatly on the gore and violence in Ravnica. In my school, I somtimes read out parts to my friends (such as when Fonn got her hand ripped off) and they look back at me in disgust, while I love those parts the best
MTG Rules Advisor
Winner of Weekly Contest Week 39.
I don't even have to think about that one--the answer is Pivlic.
ETA:
I watch a lot of horror movies. You can expect that sort of thing to continue...and there's one chapter in Dissension, in particular, I think you're going to enjoy reading to your pals.
Just remember, don't try tearing your own hand off at home, kids. Winners don't dismember.
CJH
Edit- Oh and thanks for answering.
MTG Rules Advisor
Winner of Weekly Contest Week 39.
And Mr. Herdon, I have another question.
Because I read the book when it first hit shelves( back in uh... June I think it was... maybe July...) and haven't had the chance to re-read it, I have to ask. Did something really important happen on the decamalinial?
MTG Rules Advisor
Winner of Weekly Contest Week 39.
The Darksteel Eye was the second book of a trilogy--I'd recommend checking out the first one, the Moons of Mirrodin, before you pass judgment on the second. Your call, of course.
And I'm not sure I grok your question. But if you're asking if I ever simplify the language in anything I write, the answer is most assuredly no. Trust me, if I was writing for children, I wouldn't have people getting their hands ripped off and so forth.
And if you're just trollin', well...I've probably said enough already.
CJH
'Twas teh end of August, I believe.
The guildmaster of the Dimir appeared in public for the first time in ten thousand years and tried to eat the guildmaster of the Selesnya. The actual celebration was supposed to begin with the gathering at Vitu Ghazi, but then things got out of hand. Including, in some cases, actual hands.
As for anything *else* that might have happened around that time...I'm takin' the fifth for now.
CJH
Nope.
CJH
Me and my friend were having an argument over that the other day and were both too lazy to look back in the book for the exact part(s). -goes to get his $5-
Yay Mr. Herdon just made me $5 richer
MTG Rules Advisor
Winner of Weekly Contest Week 39.
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A quick question on Fifth Dawn's Cover:
Did you know Wizards of the Coast spelled your name differently for the cover and your Wizards of the Coast Author profile?
A link to the site:
Wizard's Page
While reading your profile at the link, you have a list of the authors you enjoy reading. After the gore content in Fifth Dawn, I'm not too surprised that Stephen King is on your list. (Not to imply 'King is all gory or anything)
Being a 'King fan myself, I was wondering which other authors you enjoy in the horror genre?
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anywho, as for Ravnica: what moment in the book are you most proud of? are there any that Wizards required you to put in or were you given (nearly) complete creative control?
thanks for giving us this chance!
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In the mirodin trilogy... what exactly were the blinkmoths i meen they kinda seemed like stars to me and i didnt understand the whole harvesting thing... o and were they living things?
as for Ravnica (i have to say its been one of my all time favorite books) will we be seeing any more of Argus Kos and the oros legion? and also what of the three was your favorite book?
thanks!
Did you read the book at all?
MTG Rules Advisor
Winner of Weekly Contest Week 39.
P.S. The only reason for not getting your books, is becuase my family is broke right know. ~ Edward Withers