From Wyverns to Dragons to Worms

Posted on May 7, 2013 by hermit

In the background of the Northern Arcadian novels is the threat of invasion from another world, from creatures I have variously dubbed ‘wyverns,’ ‘worms’ and ‘dragons.’ Today, though, the affair is settled, thanks to an extremely interesting (and dubious) article about a proto-language dubbed ‘Eurasiatic.’ The hypothesis is based mostly upon the discovery of multiple cognates (words that sound the same in different languages) for a core vocabulary that includes… ‘worm.’

If you’re trying to sell the notion that, once upon a time, all of mankind had a shared enemy in the great and terrible ~~wyverns~~ ~~dragons~~ worms, this is the kind of thing that makes your story stronger. (And also makes your day.)

Michael Wood’s Legacy Online

Posted on May 7, 2013 by hermit

This documentary series isn’t current, doesn’t boast fancy graphics or cater to a bored audience. Instead, Michael Wood’s Legacy: the Origins of Civilization delivers a nuanced narrative. Agree or disagree with (for example) Wood’s contention that the Mayan conception of time contributed to their success and ultimate failure, at least there’s something of substance here with which to engage.

Gone Fishing

Posted on May 6, 2013 by hermit

Once upon a time in America, people (mostly men) could take an afternoon or even a full day off from work with only the declaration (usually scrawled on a strategically placed note) ‘Gone Fishing!’ I don’t know anyone who’s ever ‘Gone Fishing!’ on impulse, dusty Stuckee’s merchandise and Cracker Barrel t-shirts to the contrary.

I missed my Friday post. Consider this my ‘Gone Fishing’ sign, scrawled in magic marker and stuck to the door of this web site.

(Be back on Monday.)

One Measure of Desperation

Posted on May 2, 2013 by hermit

The Washington Post reports we now have conclusive proof that Jamestown settlers resorted to cannibalism to survive. Dark times force desperate measures:

The first chops, to the forehead, did not go through the bone and are perhaps evidence of hesitancy about the task.

From our perspective in the 21st century, the European colonists’ success in North America is a foregone conclusion. But it wasn’t always so.

Coin of the Realms (Part I)

Posted on April 30, 2013 by hermit

In the earliest incarnation of WITCH I tried to avoid naming the currency, opting instead for ‘gold,’ ‘silver,’ and ‘copper.’ One of my first (and best) readers objected. ‘Too generic,’ he told me. ‘Call them pounds, francs or dollars, but call them something.’

I thought about what he’d said. I struggled to differentiate the word ‘franc’ from the history of the French peoples. Pounds, likewise, tilted my thoughts towards the United Kingdom. If I wanted to create a plausible new world, I realized, I needed to learn the history of currency.

Which, you know, thank heavens for wikipedia. But another problem nagged at me. How many different varieties of currency were in play in the American colonies in the 16th century? The British, Spanish, and French (to name just three) all had influence in the New World. I didn’t need to develop a single currency system; I needed three or four.

And I needed to preserve that information so I could refer to it later.

(to be continued.)

Past Predictive?

Posted on April 26, 2013 by hermit

io9 shares a new thesis about the origins of the Ancient Mayan civilization:

What Triadan, Inomata and their colleagues’ new discoveries suggest is that great civilizations don’t grow out of previous dominant groups like the Olmec, nor do they arise in isolation. They are the result of hybridization. The Maya came to dominate Mexico, Guatemala and Belize because they were able to incorporate the innovations of the Olmec along with the discoveries and beliefs of many peoples in the area whose lives we are just now beginning to learn about. The ancient Maya were, in other words, a multiculture.

I’d like to propose one of the great strengths of the American people has always been hybrid vigor. If we hope to flower throughout the 21st century, we might be better served worrying less about how to drive people away from this country, and more about how to attract the best and brightest from across the globe.

Call of Lovecraft, Revisited

Posted on April 24, 2013 by hermit

I should have pointed out in my previous post on the Dunwich Horror and H.P. Lovecraft that there are better adaptations of the author’s work for the screen.

Indeed, folks in Portland, Oregon (May 3rd through 5th) and San Pedro, California (September 27 through 29) can attend a film festival dedicated to the works of HPL.

Online, a short-ish (44 minute) silent piece does a particularly notable job with The Call of Cthulhu. Visit the promo site or (thanks, Hulu!) watch the video online right now.

On the Role of Imaginative Fiction, etc, etc. (Part II)

Posted on April 22, 2013 by hermit

I don’t suspect anyone would argue with the notion that one role of imaginative fiction is to provide readers with an opportunity to escape the everyday. Professors might sniff at escapist fiction, but there is good and not-so-good escapist stuff. The good stuff…

Features relatable, sympathetic characters

Provides a consistently and imaginatively detailed setting

J.R.R. Tolkien famously crafted his own languages and myths. His chum C.S. Lewis cobbled together Narnia out of bits borrowed from hither, thither, and Christianity. Narnia fascinated me as a child but lost my interest long before Middle-Earth. I attribute that in part to more vividly drawn characters (with Eustace the principal exception in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.) Tolkien also offered a more disturbing villain and heroes without access to a (lionesque) deus ex machina.

He also offered a haunting vision of a utopia under threat. I’m not sure it’s fair to say good imaginative fiction is to required to present a vision of a world we think superior to our own. But that notion has never been far from my mind all these years I’ve been thinking about the world of Northern Arcadia.

Dunwich Horror Show (circa 1970)

Posted on April 21, 2013 by hermit

Until the end of April, Netflix will offer subscribers an opportunity to instantly download and watch the 1970 film version of the Dunwich Horror. It’s goofy, and mildly amusing in a campy seventies way, but it has little to do with the original story from which it derives its name. I find that to be unfortunate.

H.P. Lovecraft is a uniquely American author, with a flair for horrifying imaginative fiction. His portrayal of early New England society excited my interest as a kid growing up in Rhode Island. The imaginative power of his cosmology excites my interest and admiration as a grown-up type writer.

You wouldn’t guess from his legacy, but in his lifetime Lovecraft was not a great commercial success.

On the Role of Imaginative Fiction at the Present Time (Part I)

Posted on April 18, 2013 by hermit

The complexion of the world is as troubled as I can remember. Here in the US, the people are divided into two badly drawn groups. A large number of our elected officials are too craven and corrupt to support any legislation that threatens the revenue streams of our corporate overlords. I ask myself:

Shouldn’t I be doing something more important than writing books about made-up people in a make-believe world?

A couple of questions bubble up as I try to figure an answer. First, what do I mean by important? Second, what purpose do books of fiction serve, if any? Is my stubborn quest for publication a purely selfish enterprise (or just mostly selfish)?

The first question daunts me with its scope. The third is too easy to bother answering. But the second question? A provisional answer for that will be forthcoming in short order.