September 24th, 2008
Do you have expertise in use of or history of Scimitars?
I have been contacted by someone working on a project for an A list media company. This is a for a film project and they are looking for someone who has scimitar expertise. They contacted me but I really don’t have that kind of expertise and I thought maybe someone out there might. So, if you have some expertise with them you can either submit a comment or send me a message and I will get put you in touch with the person who inquired.
Now I don’t think this is any kind of a paid gig but I really think it might be a nice opportunity to have some fun and who knows, depending on how much expertise they are looking for, maybe you would get a film credit 
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TelevisionPopularity: 7% [?]
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September 21st, 2008
Wizard’s First Rule (Sword of Truth, Book 1)
Wizard’s First Rule is the first Terry Goodkind book in the Sword of Truth series which is also the basis for the ABC television series Legend of the Seeker. This is a review of this remarkable book.
This isn’t your typical epic fantasy book. Yes, it has all of the normal trappings you would expect such as an epic sized quest, plenty of conflict, and of course a dragon or two. This book has all those things but it has significantly more. In Wizard’s First Rule Goodkind shows us more than just an epic adventure story where our hero attempts to save the world from ruin. Our hero is named Richard Cipher and we adventure with him on a journey to becoming a seeker. A seeker’s role is to find the truth in things and a seeker’s sword has the word “Truth” engraved on it. And it is in this journey to find truth that Goodkind takes this story from just a story to a real exploration of truth and the nature of good and evil. There are many conversations and situations that explore the bipolarity of good versus evil and the grey area that lies between the two. Doesn’t it make sense that even the evilest of men believes that what he is doing is righteous? Yes it does and Goodkind takes a good hard look at this. He raises questions in your mind about the whole nature of truth and the real commitment it takes to find the real truth. This is an intelligently written book that gives you more than just a story. It gives you lots of food for thought.
Unique Twist on the story
A typical and effective tool that a writer will use is to put our hero on a time limit -as time counts down the tension builds. It is very effective writer’s tool and in this novel Goodkind puts a nice spin on this. He puts the evil bad guy on a timer. Our protagonist (Darken Rahl) has a very specific time limit if he is to achieve his personal goals that will bring ruin down on the world. And our hero, along with a small group of companions can foil it all if they can just hold things off long enough for time to run out. It’s a wonderful reversal of the usual time limit based story. The Story and Writing
The story and writing are superb. There are some interesting and surprising plot twists and things that happen. In other words you go along for quite a wild and exciting ride. And there are some unique fantasy themes and ideas like the Boxes of Orden and the Book of Counted Shadows which are both central to the story and quite unique. Avoiding some of the Pitfalls of typical epic fantasy
One of the biggest problems I run across with epic fantasy series is the complexity they often contain. Many series of books have enormously complex worlds with a cast of characters that numbers in the scores if not hundreds. This complexity can get very confusing as various factions, lordships, families, and bloodlines partake in the story. In Wizards First Rule there is none of this. We are introduced to the central characters early in the book and as the story progresses we meet a small number of new characters that are central to the story. It all flows very smoothly and it all stays on target. You won’t have to take any notes to keep track of all the characters.
Theme and Reading level
This book is not for children or for the faint of heart. There is some graphic violence and an extended torture scene that you will find unsettling. I found it uncomfortable to read and this is exactly the point that Goodkind was trying to make. If you want to carefully study the ethics and morals of the battle between good and evil you have to fully show both sides of this coin – both the good in all its goodness and the evil in all its dark and unsettling reality. The only real way to defeat evil is to first see it and acknowledge it.
Wizard’s First Rule is an intelligently written and exciting epic fantasy story that goes beyond just a story. It is also an examination of ethics, values, morals, and the perpetual battle between good and evil. It will make you think about the nature of the struggle and the real purpose of the hero.
Resources
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September 19th, 2008
I ran into a blog post by Neal Stephenson which I found pretty interesting, and very applicable if you are a writer. He talks a little bit about his newly realeased book “Anathem
” and how he used music to get into a medieval frame of mind. I very much agree with his philosophy that choosing the right music can be an aid to your writing. I find it enormously helpful in my writing. And I would say that is not an earth shattering revelation I have made because we are all aware of the impact that music can have on our lives but I do think there is something to be said for exploring music of the past - some of it is just remarkable.
I am not a real big Stephenson fan and his earlier stuff is a bit too cyberpunk for me but his later stuff like the Baroque cycle, which takes place in 17th and 18th century Europe, is simply brilliant.
But even if you are not a writer there is much to be said about listening to some music from centuries gone by. Much of it is so very good and so very profound.
Anyway, if you are interested in what he recommends here is some of his music list:
His recommendations are a bit specialized because he very much wanted to evoke a specific mood of a monastery while he was writing so I thought I could add a little variety to the suggestions.
His recommendation of the Hildegard von Bingen is great but my favorite is Hildegard von Bingen: Canticles of Ecstasy
and if you don’t really listen to classical music this next collection is kind of fun because of the theme:Music for a Medieval Banquet
. Also, I am a classical guitarist and I listen to a lot of solo guitar works (I have a whole section of my website devoted to the Classical Guitar Here) so I can recommend a nice collection of classical guitar pieces for people not overly familiar with the classical guitar and its music: Essential Guitar: 33 Guitar Masterpieces
.
An Interesting Little discovery:
Reading up about Stephenson I found out that he worked on the Clock of the long now which is a 10,000 year clock that ticks once a year! Great Project! And this project was his inspiration for Anathem. This is pretty cool and it hauntingly relates to my earlier post about taking a long view look of things
Upcoming: I have finished reading Terry Goodkinds Wizard’s First Rule and I will be posting my review tomorrow,or later today.
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medieval. Medieval MusicPopularity: 7% [?]
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