Alt.fan.eddings Frequently Asked Questions List
29 August, 1994 (alpha version)
originally created by Anthony Chan
respectfully maintained and flushed out by Mike Loux
Howdy all! This is my first version of the FAQ since taking it
over from Anthony Chan (who at this point in time is far too swamped
with schoolwork, and gratefully turned it over to me for continuation).
At this point, since the title says "Alpha," I am just releasing what
Anthony had at this point, which is actually quite good, when you look
at it. He also sent me a TON of extra information, including detailed
files on pretty much all of the Eddings books, as well as blurbs on some
of them.
Now, I'm not sure about copyright laws and all that, but I think I
need to get permission from Ellen Key Harris at Del Rey before I can add
jacket blurbs to the FAQ. In the mean time, enjoy what's here! I've
only skimmed the information, so I'm not entirely sure what's in here,
but I felt I should get SOMETHING out the door to tide all you hungry
people over until I can do something more permanent.
On the topic of mistakes, please feel free to send me:-
- corrections
- opinions
- suggestions
- thank you mail
- additional questions
- answers to FAQ.
This FAQ is edited and maintained using Microsoft Word for Windows
6.0a on either a Gateway 2000 486 DX-2/66 connected to a Novell NetWare
3.11 network, or at home on my 386/40 home-brew PC connected to itself.
FAQ files are saved to a text file with Line Breaks, and posted to
alt.fan.eddings using Trumpet for WinSock on said pc, or mailed to the
FAQList using Pegasus Mail for Windows (Shameless plug! Shameless
plug!).
I just fired Microsoft as official Word Processor of the FAQ.
Whenever I save the file as DOS text, I lose all my indents, which I have
come to love and all that. Looks like it's just plain DOS Edit for now.
The writer of this FAQ is Mike Loux .
Send him mail! He's lonely! And starved for affection, especially
female affection! And he loves to chat. See the "About the FAQMaster"
section at the end of this doc for details.
ASCII heading wanted for Eddings FAQ
------------------------------------
Anthony mentioned wanting ASCII art for the FAQ heading. This is
a good idea! If you want your work to be immortalized (at least for
this FAQ, at any rate), send me ASCII art! I'll decide which one suits
me & the FAQ community the best by the time I'm ready to release the
FULL 1.0 version of the FAQ. I probably won't use version numbers,
preferring dates, but you get the idea.
Introduction
------------
This FAQ is, like most FAQs here to help cut down on questions
that are asked all the time esp by the typical newbie. (I take it that
there are some newbies out there right?)
I consider myself to be something of an experienced Eddingsman,
having read the Belgariad and Malloreon several times, and the Elenium
and Tamuli a few times. I've only read High Hunt and The Losers once
each, but I plan to remedy that in the near future. However, having
been a newbie once, I can certainly sympathize with you, so this FAQ's
for you...
I haven't decided on a format yet, but this is what Anthony wanted
to use, and it certainly makes sense to go with this. We'll see when I
do the full rewrite.
Q. (Yes, the question)
A. (That's right the answer)
S. (S is for SOURCE, please include details about where you get this
info from if you can)
I realise that much of this stuff at the moment is not really
"Hard Facts" that can be proven beyound doubt but if many people agree
with the statements, I will consider putting them in this FAQ.
Evil Comments from the FAQMaster:
--------------------------------
Occasionally, I won't be able to resist adding little remarks in
of my own, especially regarding other people's info. You'll know them
by the brackets in which they are encased, and my initials at the end.
[Kinda like this one. Heh heh heh. -ML]
MISC things and wants for this FAQ, including:
---------------------------------------------
1. Contact someone from the Elenium MUSH for a FAQ entry.
2. I would like a full address to Eddings if possible.
3. Site or list of places where Eddings related GIF/JPEGs can be found.
As I have mentioned on a.f.e, I may have an ftp site to store the
FAQ on, and I definitely have a place that you can get the FAQ using
mail. I will add this information to the FAQ as I get more details.
Common a.f.e Acronyms:
---------------------
{all the ones used in articles currently active on my system, in sure
the other books won't be hard to fill in...}{spellings from memory}
Bel/Belg The Belgariad
Mal The Malloreon
PoP Pawn of Prophecy
QoS Queen of Sorcery
MG Magician's Gambit
CoW Castle of Wizardry
EEG Enchanter's End Game
GoTW/GoW Guardians of the West
KotM/KoM King of the Murgos
DLoK Demon Lord of Karanda
SoD Sorceress of Darshiva
SoK Seeress of Kell
TL The Losers
HH High Hunt
DE David Eddings
CoL Child of Light
PoL Prophecy of Light
CoD Child of Dark
PoD Prophecy of Dark/Dark Prophecy
- Joe
========================================================================
Here is where things start to change :)
1.x = Stuff about Mr David Eddings himself
2.x = Details about up and comming Eddings books
3.x = Stuff about High_Hunt (Eddings' first book)
4.x = Stuff about The_Losers (another contemporary book by Eddings)
5.x = Stuff about the five book series The Belgariad
6.x = Stuff about the five book series The Malloreon
7.x = Stuff about The Elenium
8.x = Stuff about The Tamuli
9.x = Miscellaneous stuff (might be where we put speculative threads and
such).
10.x = About the FAQMaster (for idle prying minds)
========================================================================
Part the First - David Eddings: The Man Himself
========================================================================
(1.0)
Q. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT DAVID EDDINGS?
A. Here's the Eddings bio from "Contemporary Authors - New Revision
Series, Volume 35"
Eddings, David:
--------------
PERSONAL: Born July 7, 1931 in Spokane, Washington; son of George
Wayne and Theone (Berge) Eddings; married Judith Leigh Schall,
October 27, 1962. Education: Attended Everett Junior College, 1950-52;
Reed College, B.A., 1954; University of Washington, Seattle, M.A.,
1961. Politics: "Unaffiliated" Religion: "Unaffiliated"
CAREER: Writer. Has worked as a buyer for Boeing Co., as a grocery
clerk, and as a college English teacher. Military service: U.S. Army
1954-56.
SIDELIGHTS: With the publication of his epic fantasy cycles the
"Belgariad" and the "Malloreon", David Eddings has emerged as one of
the most popular writers in the field, with his last four novels
hitting national bestseller lists. While the plots of his novels
follow the conventions of contemporary fantasy, what distinguishes
Eddings' work are his interesting characters and his irreverent
wit. Calling _Pawn of Prophecy_ "a promising start" to his Belgariad
series, a "Publishers Weekly" critic states that "this work
demonstrates that Eddings is a good storyteller who never gets bogged
down in the cliches and archaic language that often plague contemporary
sword and sorcery." In the magazine "Fantasy Review", Dale F. Martin
says of _Guardians of the West_: "The plot is not new to anyone who has
read much fantasy, but then it doesn't need to be: the real interest
is in the characters, who are skillfully presented and deftly
developed. Along with sorcery and derring-do, there is wry humor
and loving domesticity and credible dialogue."
David Eddings himself writes, "My current excursion into
fantasy has given me an opportunity to test my technical theories
[on writing]. I made a world that never was, with an unlikely
theology splattered against an improbable geology. My magic is
at best a kind of pragmatic cop-out. Many of my explanations of
how magic is supposed to work are absurdities - *but* my
characters all accept these explanations as if there was no
quibbling about them, and if the characters believe, then the
readers seem also to believe. Maybe that's the *real* magic. That's
the basic formula for fantasy. Take a bit of magic, mix well with
a few open-ended Jungian archetypal myths, make your people sweat
and smell and get hungry at inopportune moments, throw in a
ponderous prehistory, and let nature take it's course."
Apparently Eddings doesn't have any children (at least, none
that he's willing to admit to). He also doesn't list any contact
address, which means that anyone who wants to write should
respect his wishes NOT to be contacted directly. Letters should
be sent care of Del Rey, his publisher.
(Thanks Amy I. Sheldon)
Eddings currently resides with his wife, Leigh, in the Southwest.
(taken from Jacket cover of The_Losers)
(1.1)
Q. WHAT IS DAVID EDDINGS' ADDRESS?
A. David Eddings
c/o Del Rey Books
[NYC address from books.]
Always contact authors through their publishers.
- Joe
========================================================================
Part the Second - Up and Coming Eddings Works
========================================================================
(2.0)
Q. WHEN IS THE NEXT EDDINGS BOOK DUE OUT?
A. According to the "Locus" Forthcoming Books listing, "The Hidden
City" is due out in hardcover from Ballantine/Del Rey in
September, 1994. My experience has been that books normally
start showing up in stores the month before the official
release, so people in the U.S. should start looking for it
in mid-August. I have NO idea when it will trickle out to
the rest of the world.
(Apparently The_Hidden_City has already been released - in the UK anyway
- see below for spoiler!)
[And at the time of this FAQ release, it's out world-wide, so this needs
to be updated. Look for it in the beta FAQ. -ML]
(2.1)
Q: What are these next two books David Eddings plans to write?
From Newsletter # 9 (October 1993) DEL REY BOOK Internet Newsletter
A: _Belgarath_ and _Polgara_. Both are stand-alone stories of these
two characters. It is set thousands of years before the Belgariad.
_Belgarath_ covers the story of how the sorcerer Belgarath became
a disciple of the God Aldur, his romance with Poledra, and the birth of
his daughter Polgara-- a saga of seven thousand years in duration.
_Polgara_ will tell the story of the sorceress Polgara, her lives,
her loves, her adventures, and her crucial role in the epic war of men
and Kings and Gods.
(Look for these sometime in '95)
(2.2)
Q. WILL THE FIRST SERIES EVER BE RELEASED IN HARDBACK?
A. Del Rey will be issuing them right after _Belgarath_ and _Polgara_
are finished.
[Info from David Eddings via a birthday letter to a fan]
-Scrufcat
========================================================================
Part the Third - _High Hunt_
========================================================================
(Taken from a copy of High Hunt)
High Hunt
Harpers Collins Publishers 1993
(Hardcover)
First Published in the USA by
G.P.Putnam's Sons 1973
Copyright David Eddings 1973
ISBN 0 00 224281 8
Book Entitled
"For Jufelee"
The more things change
The more they remain the same.
A group of friends from Tacoma, Washington State, have set off on
a hunting trip in the high country. Going along were Dan Alders, an ex-
GI recently returned from Germany, and his big brother Jack, a loser
staggering through life between jobs and marriages; McKlearey, a tough
ex-Marine sergeant with a deadly secret; Cal, a big-shot wheeler-dealer
who bankrolled the parties, booze and women; and finally mild,
henpecked, easygoing Stan.
In town they had been held together by a mutual taste for beer,
spirits and endless arguements - with a little lying and wife-stealing
on the side. But now, high in the mountains on a test of endurance to
see who could bag the biggest deer, everythings was falling apart. Old
jealousies were dusted off and forgotten hatreds revived. Rifles seemed
more likely to be turned on men than on deer.
Everyone knew an explosion was coming. No one knew who or what
would survive. But the tattered shreds of their pride kept them from
giving up and returning. It was up to Dan Alders to save them - if he
could...
David Eddings is known to millions as the author of international
fantasy bestsellers such as Domes_of_Fire and The_Shining_Ones, but he
has also written highly acclaimed mainstream novels, including
The_Losers and High_Hunt, his first novel, which was originally
published in the USA in 1973 and is now published in the UK for the
first time.
========================================================================
Part the Fourth - _The Losers_
========================================================================
The following is information taken from DEL REY BOOK Internet
Newsletter. From Newsletter # 7 (August 1993)
THE LOSERS by David Eddings. Paperback version.
Contemporary novel about a gifted young man who loses his lower
limbs. While recuperating in Spokane (Washington) he fends off the
welfare system and a good friend gone bad as he falls in (of necessity
chaste) love with a disadvantaged young woman.
On another level, THE LOSERS is a reflection in the "real" world
and the struggle between forces of good and evil, angle and devil.
Not like any other novel written by Eddings.
(Taken from Anthony's personal copy)
The Losers
Ballantine Books
(Hardcover)
Copyright 1992 by David Eddings
ISBN 0-449-90719-8
Raphael Taylor was a golden boy - blond, handsome, charming, a
gifted athlete and a serious student. Damon Flood was a scoundrel - a
smooth, smiling, cynical devil, as devious and corrupt as Raphael was
open an innocent. The day Raphael met Damon was the day he began his
mysterious fall from grace. And the golden boy fell very fast and very
low.
So begins the mesmerizing, compulsively readable story of
_The_Losers_, a tense elemental drama of the struggle between good and
evil by David Eddings, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller,
_The_Seeress_of_Kell_.
Damon introduces Raphael to liquor, wealth and a seductive woman,
and then he sends him out to his doom. After losing his left leg in an
automobile accident while drunk, Raphael goes to recuperate on a seedy
backstree in Spokan, Washington. There he finds himself surrounded by
"the losers", a nightmarish subculture of violence and despair that is
kept going - and kept out of sight - by a band of incompetent social
workers. It is a world that horrifies and fascinates Raphael, yet one
that he comes to understand. It is a world in which he even finds love.
Then Damon turns up on his doorstep, and the world of the losers
explodes....
In _The_Losers_, David Eddings enters deeply, sympathetically into
the lives of America's outcasts - their fantasies and fears, the daily
grind of defeat, the bursts of violence that function as a form of
entertainment. Spellbinding in its narrative and profound in its
insights into human nature. _The_Losers_ reveals a new and brilliant
sie to the storytelling genius of David Eddings.
(4.0)
Q. WHAT DO THE LATIN CHAPTER TITLES IN THE LOSERS MEAN?
A. They just happen to be the titles of the sections of Carl Orff's
Carmina Burana. These are rough translations, but you should
get the general idea...
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi
Fortune, Empress of the World
("Fortuna" meaning luck as well as the goddess of luck or
fate)
Fortuna plango vulnera stillantibus ocellis
I weep for the wounds of luck with brimming eyes.
Fortune's blows cause lamentations, with wet eyes I view my
fate. With wet eyes I lament the wounds Fortuna caused.
Omnia Sol temperat puris et subtilis
Soothes all things the sun, pure and fine
The sun tempers everything, its rays are tender, rare
The pure and tender sun relieves everything.
In taberna quando sumus
When we gather in the tavern.
Ave formosissima, gemma pretiosa, ave decus virginum, virgo
gloriosa
Hail, most beautiful, precious jewel; hail, glory of
maidens, radiant maiden.
Hail, women most beautiful, precious most prized of gems;
Hail, virgins the most treasured, virgins of the glory.
Hail to thee most lovely, most precious jewel; hail pride of
virgins! Most glorious virgin!
Estuans interius ira vehementi in amaritudine loquor me menti
Burning inwardly with mighty anger, in my bitterness I speak
to my own mind.
Raging within, and angry, fired with vehemence, now my
bitterness mounts high, I ask my mind for sense. Ardent
with anger I speak with bitterness to my heart.
O Furtuna, velut Luna statu variabilis.
O Fortune, like the moon, changeable in state
O, thou Fortune, so like the moon, every changing, varying
O Fortune, like the moon everchanging
[Thanks to Tami Kimmel and Alexander Biller to the translations.]
- Joe
========================================================================
Part the Fifth - The Belgariad
========================================================================
(5.0) - Book Titles [Beta FAQ - I've got the info and everything -ML]
(5.1)
Q. HEY, WOULDN'T IT BE NEAT IF THEY MADE "BELGARIAD THE MOVIE"? WHO
DO YOU THINK SHOULD PLAY WHOM? I CAN'T BELIEVE NO ONE HAS ASKED
THIS BEFORE!
A. It _has_ been asked before. So many times, in fact, that lots of
a.f.e-ers are quite sick of the thread. You'll always find people
who are willing to discuss it, of course, if you really want to
talk about it. Just don't be surprised to see people scream
"NO!!! Not this &%$# casting thread AGAIN!!!"
[If someone is really masochistic, and wants to compile a list of possible
picks for movie actors for the parts for The Belgariad/Malloreon or
Elenium/Tamuli, they're welcome to do so. Don't expect it to show up
in the FAQ, but I could put an address in here that POINTS to a location
where it can be found. -ML]
========================================================================
Part the Sixth - The Malloreon
========================================================================
(6.0) - Book Titles [see 5.0 -ML]
========================================================================
Part the Seventh - The Elenium
========================================================================
(7.0) - Book Titles [you get the idea -ML]
========================================================================
Part the Eighth - The Tamuli
========================================================================
The following is information taken from DEL REY BOOK Internet
Newsletter. [I believe Dey Rey happens to be David Edding's Publisher
and so information about his comming books and _ANY_ other book from Del
Rey is published in this newsletter. Information concerning how you can
abtain the full version of the newsletter below ie at the VERY BOTTOM of
this document]
Once again I've been told to STRESS that this is a general Del Rey
newsletter, not one devoted only to David Eddings.
From Newsletter # 15 (April 1994)
August books:
_The Shining Ones_ by David Eddings (Paperback)
Second book of The Tamuli; 345-38866-6
Paperback, 480 pp; cover art by Keith Parkinson
(8.0) - Book Titles [yeah, it's me again. -ML]
========================================================================
Part the Ninth - Everything that wasn't in Parts the First to Eighth.
========================================================================
>From Mike Bahr (garion@indirect.com)
My collection of text relating to David Eddings...
Often in talking about the Belgariad or the Malloreon, or
reading through them, one thinks "What do these regional names and words
mean? What is there here to understand, and why is the
in the book?"
The obvious answer is that Eddings says so. More so than that,
however, Eddings has left copious quantities of information on the
subject.
First of all, it's easy to tell that the various nations in
Belgarearth (henceforth known as the world) go by one of two different
city and regional naming customs, as follows:
Predominantly historical nation
--------------------------------
Aloria
Mallorea Antiqua
Ulgoland
Maragor
Dalasia
Nyissa
Karanda
Melcene
Sendaria
Gar Og Nadrak
Mishrak Ac Thull
Named for houses/families
-------------------------
Arendia
Perivor
Tolnedra
Cthol Murgos
This can easily be proven just by checking out the cities in the
lands Eddings has created for us as such:
Arendia:
-------
* The houses of the Wacites, Asturians, and Mimbrates
* The cities of Vo Wacune, Vo Astur, Vo Mimbre
* The baronies Vo Mandor and Vo Ebor
Perivor:
-------
* The baronies of Dal Perivor and Vo Astellig
Tolnedra:
--------
* The houses of the Vordues, Ranites, Honeths, Horbites, and
Borunes
* The cities Tol Vordue, Tol Rane, Tol Honeth, Tol Horb, and Tol
Borune
Cthol Murgos:
------------
* The houses of Goska, Hagga, Gorut, Cthan, Cthaka, Morcth,
Araga, Urga, and Verkat.
* The cities of Rak (as above).
Whereas in the other lands:
Aloria:
------
* Riva - named for Iron Grip
* Boktor, Kotu, Jarviksholm, Aldurford - named for historical
beings.
Ulgoland:
--------
* Prolgu, Ulgo for "Holy Place"
Maragor:
-------
* Mar Amon, Mar Terrin, who's to say what they mean.
[I'm assuming all the cities are called "Mar-whatever" in homage
to the God Mara. -ML]
Sendaria:
--------
* Camaar, Muros, Darine (the Codex?) - named historically
Nyissa:
------
* Sthiss Tor - the major questionmark
[Perhaps the hissy-sounding name derives from their fascination with
snakes? Maybe they only named the city that on the grounds that: "It
sounded snakey?" -ML]
Mallorea:
--------
1. Kell, Melcena, Mal Zeth. Quite a variety.
[Bear in mind that Mallorea wasn't always a united land. -ML]
The problem here comes with the cities that have nothing
whatsoever to do with the other cities in their regions. It's
interesting to note that these cities are rather important in the books.
When you take a look at their names and meanings, Eddings seems to have
done a VERY good job on this...
Rak Cthol, Cthol Mishrak, Mishrak Ac Thull, Val Alorn...
Well, we see Rak in all the Murgo city names, and it can very
likely translate to "City", making names like Cthan City and Araga City.
This makes perfect sense. But what about Cthol? Well, it's used in
"Cthol Murgos". It does NOT mean "country" because the idea of a city
called "Country City" is preposterous. However, used with both Cthol
Murgos and Cthol Mishrak, Cthol could mean Land in a broader sense than
city or region. To call Rak Cthol "City of the Lands" not only makes
sense, but the placing of the center of the Angarak religion there makes
sense as well. And since Cthol Mishrak is called "City of Endless Night"
by the Alorns, it's clear the true literal meaning is "Land of Endless
Night".
Now we have to figure out what the hell Endless Night is doing
in the name of the country of the Thulls! "Mishrak" Ac Thull. Endless
Night of the Thulls? Something's not quite right about this. Cthol
Murgos = "Land of the Murgos". Rak Cthol = "City of the Lands". Cthol
Mishrak = "Land of Endless Night". It's clear using Mishrak with Ac
Thull must be a misnomer...
[Well, no one said Thulls were noted for their intelligence. -ML]
As for Val Alorn, it's the only example of the Alorns naming a
city the way the Tolnedrans and Arends do, thus, Val is "Old Alorn" for
"City".
-Thanks to Mike
================
What about sorcery? And why isn't there a Beldurnik? Well,
besides having Beldurnik sound stupid, it's possible he just isn't ready
for it. Sendars are notoriously stubborn. Why not shorten that and call
him "Beldur" in both fealty to Aldur and the tradition of the irrepressible
Beldin? It's a thought... but until Poldaran comes back to life, why worry.
And the orb on the shield? Naturally, they put the shield on the
orb. Of course, we'll know exactly what happened when _Polgara_ comes
out after _Belgarath_, sometime in mid-1995.
Back to Beldaran just briefly... Bel means Beloved in
Belgarath's original tongue... Belgarath says Pol is the female version
of it... perhaps Belgarath didn't have very good eyesight when he made
it back to the vale after stealing the Orb? The sensible explanation is
that Polgara's white lock revealed her potential to Belgarath, and he
gave her a prefix accordingly, while the Bel in Beldaran means 'beloved'
and nothing more.
=================
Questions to ponder...
1. Is Hettar the heir to the "throne" of Algaria?
2. Will Belgarion abdicate? Kith-Kanan did in the TSR Elven Nations
trilogy...
[What the hell does THAT have to do with anything? -ML]
3. Who was that flute boy? I thought he was a cousin of Lelldorin but
for the life of me I cannot remember where I read that.
[My personal opinion was that he was originally put in there to prove
a point to Lelldorin, and then he was used again to prove a point to us
as the reader, in showing that was is truly hell by having a Murgo kill
him in cold blood. -ML]
4. Who will rule Gar Og Nadrak when the childless Drosta dies?
[Does anyone in the book seemed bothered by that fact? -ML]
5. What about Cherek? What the hell happened to Anheg's sons (if any)?
[Hey! That's not fair, putting two questions in one like that! -ML]
6. Will Belgarath and Poledra pull a Belsambar/Belmakor on us?
[Well, considering that Belgarath's carousing days are over with Poledra
back in the tower, I'd say he might want to after a few hundred years.
Polgara, I imagine, will be around for quite some time to come, probably
with a ton of kids, too. -ML]
7. Will Beldin, Vella, Belgarath, or Poledra ever morph to humans again
for good?
8. What will the immortal Belgarion do when Ce'Nedra dies at ~1000?
Remember, the dryad Xantha lived a millenia, then her tree began to
die.
9. Do the dryads have satyrs to mate with, as in typical lore?
[I think it's explained somewhere that they use human men for that. -
ML]
10. Am I the only one who thinks Tolnedra was rather overrated?
[Make that "Is Anthony the only one who thinks Tolnedra was rather
overrated?" For the record, I agree with him. -ML]
11. With only one city, how does the Nyissan border stay sovereign, and
for that matter, how does their economy stay afloat?
12. The vast land of Aloria only has five major cities, while Cthol
Murgos and Mallorea Antiqua have dozens. Why? And to complete the
question: WHY THEN were they thought to be evenly matched
adversaries? The "endless armies of Mallorea" could smash the Alorns
in a fair fight. They proved it at Thull Mardu.
[Better strategy, perhaps? Technology, maybe? With the exception of
the Melcenes, the Malloreans seem to be a bit on the backwards side.
Look at the Karandans, for example. -ML]
13. What of Perivor? Will Arendia learn to build ships after all?
14. Instead of messing around in the middle of the map we see in the
books, couldn't Belgarion or Zakath visit each other via a relatively
short hop from Melcena to Riva by boat? How big IS the world?
[Or, how about having Garion transform into an Albatross and *glide*
to Mal Zeth? Things that make you go "hmmm." -ML]
15. Is there a North Pole and if so, is there ice there or sea?
[And a Morindim version of Santa Claus? **shudder** -ML]
16. Is there anywhere the heroes (tm) failed to go in their journeys? :)
Like Dal Finda or something?
[I don't think they made it to Hemil, although Zandramas hung out there
a great deal. And come to think of it, I don't think they went to the
Thull capital, either, although Agachak did. So those sort of count. -ML]
================
Q. WOW! HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED THAT THIS COUNTRY FROM THE BELGARIAD
SEEMS TO BE JUST LIKE THIS OTHER COUNTRY FROM OUR WORLD?!
A. Yes, we have. The following list of equivilencies was compiled by
Donal Fellowes, with input from Jon Brater (among others) in
February, 1994, and seems to be the general consensus of opinion
among a.f.e. readers.
CHEREK - Norway/Sweden
DRASNIA - Hanseatic League/Dutch Netherlands
RIVA - Iceland
ALGARIA - American Indians / Mongols
SENDARIA - England/Ireland/Canada/America/South Germany
ASTURIANS - Robin Hood
MIMBRATES - Feudal Knights
TOLNEDRA - Roman and Byzantine Empires
MARAGOR - Carthage (sacked by Tolnedran Rome) or
Aztecs/Incas
ULGO - Hebrews (Chosen People of the Almighty God)
GAR OG NADRAK - Central and Northern Canada
MORINDLAND - Klondike/Alaska/Western Canada/Gold Rush
California
MISHRAK AK THULL - Poland or Lebanon (Sovereignty Violated)
CTHOL MURGOS - Arabia and Persia
MALLOREA - Russia
MELCENA - China
[Or perhaps Japan, due to the Island bit]
DARSHIVA - Japan/Taiwan/Singapore
[Korea? Laos? Vietnam? -ML]
DALS/KELL - Dalai Lama/Himalayas/Tibet/Mt. Everest
[Nepal. -ML]
GANDAHAR - India (Elephants)
KARANDA - Siberia
========================================================================
The following is from: Number 15 (April 1994)
I will tell you how you can obtain the full version on the DRIN
(newsletter). I cannot print the full details (about 10-15 lines) of
each book by Eddings because I have not been granted permission to
reproduce portions of the newsletter.
DRIN Availability (Lots of ways to get the DRIN online)
1. read it the first few days of the month on rec.arts.sf.written,
GEnie's Del Rey topic on the SFRT, or CompuServe's SF Library 5*;
2. send your e-mail address to ekh@panix.com to be added to the
subscriber list and have the DRIN delivered to your mailbox the
first or second working day of the month;
3. get a copy from the Del Rey fileserver* (delrey@tachyon.com) by
sending e-mail with "SENDME newsletter.current" as the body of the
message (or send "HELP" for full instructions);
4. read it on the Panix gopher* (gopher.panix.com; choose the Del Rey
Books directory);
5. read it at the Internet Book Information Center (WWW address:
hhtp://sunsite.unc.edu/ibic/IBIC-homepage.html)
*Back issues also available
[The Del Rey Internet Newsletter is (c)1994 by Del Rey Books, except
for the IN DEPTH section, which is (c) by the author. The DRIN may be
reproduced only in its entirety, and not for profit.]
========================================================================
Received From Ellen Harris (editor of the Del Rey newsletter)
I think that below is part of the HELP document that you would receive
in step 3. of the above instructions.
The Del Rey Internet Newsletter is a monthy electronic publication for
science-fiction and fantasy readers. It includes publication data on
Del Rey books, hype-less descriptions of books new in the stores,
selected Del Rey bibliographies, special publishing announcements, a Q
& A section, a behind-the-scenes editorial about some aspect of sf/f
publishing, and an "In Depth" section written by authors, cover
artists, designers, and other people in different parts of the
publishing industry, who talk about their jobs in an entertaining,
interesting, and/or witty way.
The DRIN is _not_ a promotional tool devised by marketing and publicity
departments, but an editorial project designed to make contact with
readers, share information, and provide a forum for two-way dialogue.
As such, it doesn't list prices, avoids hype and marketing language,
and tells the truth.
You may redistribute the DRIN in its entirety, and may wish to post it
on the Eddings newsgroup in months when it covers Eddings books.
However, please don't quote bits of the newsletter (though of course
you can pass along the information those bits contain) as I'm trying
to keep it an integral publication. Thanks.)
Fileserver info:
To get back issues of the Del Rey Internet Newsletter, send a request
to the Del Rey file server: delrey@tachyon.com
All you need is e-mail capability to use the file server. Commands
are sent in the body of the message you send to the file server.
Several commands may be sent at one time; just use one command per
line.
File server commands:
SENDME newsletter.current
sends current issue of the DRIN
SENDME newsletter_yy
sends all issues of the DRIN for the year 19yy
SENDME newsletter_yy_zipped
sends all issues of the Del Rey newsletter for year 19yy as a
multipart uuencoded zip file. Requires unzip and uudecode.
SENDME newsletter_yy.month
sends a particular issue of the DRIn, where "month" is the month of
the issue you want and "yy" is the year in two-digit format (93).
Commands are not case-sensitive.
LIST
provides a listing of the issues available, with brief table of
contents
LIST newsletter_yy_zipped
same as LIST newsletter_yy, but includes decoding instructions.
ADDRESS
specifies an address that is to be used instead of the "From:" address
for any files requested below the ADDRESS command. Useful when
addresses arrive in an invalid format.
QUIT
tells the server all valid commands have been processed and that it
should stop scanning. This is useful for those who have
automatically-generated "signatures" appended to all mail messages.
Use of the QUIT command prevents the server from trying to process
the signature lines as commands.
HELP
sends a help file similar to this one.
A transaction log is sent to you for each request you make, indicating
the status of the request. Large files are sent only during off-peak
hours.
Problems, questions, and comments about the file server service on this
system should be directed to wayne@tachyon.com, with a copy to
ekh@panix.com.
File-server access to the DRIN is made possible by the kindness and
know-how of Wayne Sewell of Tachyon Software Consulting, who hereby
gets supplied with current Del Rey titles instead of having to buy
them in a store. Thanks, Wayne!
Back issues are also available on the Panix gopher (gopher.panix.com)
along with other cool Del Rey stuff.
Thanks for your interest!
============================================
For further information contact:-
Ellen Key Harris
Editor
Del Rey Books
ekh@panix.com/E.Harris on GEnie
============================================
========================================================================
Part the Tenth - About the FAQMaster
========================================================================
What? You're still here? Don't tell me you want to know a little
bit about ME? Well, you're in for it. Remember, you asked for it...You
can stop reading at any time...
Okay, that was your last warning. Here goes.
Michael John Loux Jr, was born one cold Christmas Eve in 1970
(that's 12/24/70 to be exact), in New London, CT. He was supposed to
arrive on Epiphany 1971, but he switched places with his southern
cousin, who was supposed to arrive by Christmas.
Mike grew up in East Lyme, CT, graduating 22nd in a class of 300
from East Lyme High school. He attended college first at Northeastern
University in Boston, which he soon discovered he couldn't afford, and
then later at the University of Connecticut, where he is now slowly
creeping towards a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, which he
should have earned two years ago, but seeing as there aren't any jobs
out there anyway, speed really isn't a problem.
Mike currently works as a Network Administrator for the University
of Connecticut Computer Center, where he devotes his time to Internet
Surfing, Novell Troubleshooting, and most recently, FAQMastering. He
enjoys reading fantasy, some science fiction, Tom Clancy, Sara Paretsky,
and tons of Spenser books (Robert Parker). He enjoys computer games
such as Links 386 Pro and Doom, and absolutely loves to sit down in
front of a James Bond flick, or any of the following series: Babylon 5,
Highlander, Star Trek, Larroquette, SeaQuest, and Walker: Texas Ranger
(believe it or not). He also enjoys camping, and the outdoors (although
he will admit to being horribly out of shape), and likes to write
fiction on the side, although he hasn't touched the story he was working
on for two years, and has by now forgotten most of it anyway.
Mike's other works include a really cool hacker's guide to
cheating on Eye of the Beholder II, and the fantasy "epic" (well, sort
of), LightHammer, which he has mostly forgotten, as mentioned before.
Mike's musical tastes run to progressive (Marillion, Genesis, IQ,
Pendragon, etc), but he'll listen to about anything, provided it isn't
Rap or Country (sorry guys), or anything by the Dentist Office Choir
(heard a Muzak rendition of "Beat It" once. That was enough to gray my
hair permanently...).
And he's damn good at Lurking on UseNet. Also, as you can see,
he's too prolific for his own good. Somebody help him cut down on his
message lengths!!!
That is all...
*end of line*