Week 11 - Part XI's - Battle's Road (to the end)

[Edward C. Patterson]

Well, most of the faithful readers have already finished the book, which made me feel good 'cause you didn't want to wait for me.   Hoorah!

Here's so general discussion questions, not necessarily ties to specific chapters.

1 - Where are the relics? If you intend to go on, that's important.

a - Han Lin's Ring
b - Thunderer
c - The dragon pin
d - heWorld Egg
e - The red stone
f - The books
g - The raptor claws
h - The Jade Owl
i - The Seven Sisters
j - Tao-de Tau-tze
k - The Myroalens

2 - What book inspired the character of Lin Lig-po?

3 - What transformation has taken place with Tadzio and Silky?

4 - How dya like that Pelesar scene and good old Simone?

5 - I mentioned above that the epilog shattered me as an author. Can you see the panning shot of Simone and Silky and the fire that can be seen in Sienna in the film version? (Author's need to imagine a film version or how else can they sweep a reader off their feet).

6 -And now for the simple translation of Wewoka's lullaby, as promised:

“U-tsu-li-tsi tsa-du-li-a
Se-lu ga-du
Se-lu u-ga-ma,
Ni-di-di wa ni ni-gi-sdi
A-wu-du-li

A-wu-du-li tsa-lu-yi
A-ge-ya di-ni u-ni-tsi
Ni-di-di wa o-sda u-sti.
Se-lu ga-du
Se-lu u-ga-ma
I-nu-hi-yu A-la-ba-ma.”

"Before you lay you head down
Cornbread and
Corn soup dreams
You shall want to have
within you as you close your eyes.

You'll want it from
Your mother's spoon,
Sweet dreams my little baby
Cornbread and
Corn soup dreams
And a breeze from Alabama."

It's my own creation, but echos from the trail of Tears, where the Tsa-la-gi were forced marched through Alabama to the place beyond the great water, in the plains of the Indian Territory, whch the Chocktaw called, Red Man's Land (in Chocktaw, Og-a-la-ho-ma).

Thanks all who took this journey with me. The fourth book in in full flight and I shall apply when it is released to have another Book Klub. If anyone wants to continue reading about the Jade Owl, the Southern Swallow series, which begins with The Academician and continues to The nan Tu (there are 2 more in the series to be ublished), takes up the life and career of Li K'ai-men in 12th Century China, and thus dovetails into the Jade Owl series.

This has been a Hoot.

Ed P

[dnagirl]

1 - Where are the relics? If you intend to go on, that's important.

a - Han Lin's Ring – in the Hall of Fire
b – Thunderer – Pelesar’s banner room, but broken (?)
c - The dragon pin – on Nick’s banner
d - heWorld Egg – hatched and is a dragon in the Hall of Fire
e - The red stone – hatched and is a dragon in the Hall of Fire
f - The books – Pelesar’s banner room
g - The raptor claws – one is at the museum in San Francisco, one…or at least one is in the cave at the Dragon’s Pool.  By the way, we have a live dragon there, don’t we?  In modern times?  The boys had two around their necks, and I assume they were left behind in the Hall of Fire.
h - The Jade Owl – buried still in Campo Caldura
i - The Seven Sisters – the museum in San Francisco
j - Tao-de Tau-tze – in Nick’s banner
k - The Myroalens – in the Dragon’s Pool

2 - What book inspired the character of Lin Lig-po?  Probably one I haven’t read.

3 - What transformation has taken place with Tadzio and Silky?  They are very close, as close as brothers.  They are also more sure of themselves, more confident.  Empowered.

4 - How dya like that Pelesar scene and good old Simone?  You gotta love Simone.  Thinks quick on her feet.

5 - I mentioned above that the epilog shattered me as an author. Can you see the panning shot of Simone and Silky and the fire that can be seen in Sienna in the film version? (Author's need to imagine a film version or how else can they sweep a reader off their feet).  Yep, I can definitely see it.


This has been a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to the next book!

[Edward C. Patterson]

DNAGirl you go most of the locations correct, except 2. The books were left at Lao Mo-t'ien Monastery, and Thunderer was snatched by Liu Pang and brought through the portal (some how - next book) along with the Dragon Rider's who alsocome through fully clothed and with another relic I didn;t mention (next book). There's another set of myrabalens, if you recall in Shang-hai.

The Lin Ling-po's aging was inspired by The Lost Horizon and Shangri-la.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, and of course, I have nearly 80,000 words of The People's Treasure in a pre-proof condition, and estimate that I'll have a full manuscript completed by mid-Summer for an early fall elease. Besides some revision work on earlier novels, no other novel is planned until The People's Treasure is launched. Then I will turn to one of two shorter works, and then to the 3rd Southern Swallow Book - Swan Cloud.

Ed P

[dnagirl]

Ed, I'm confused then.  I thought that Thunderer and the books were used in Pelesar's banner room, and Thunderer split and the books flew apart.  Or were those different books?  I'm going to have to go back and read again.

[Edward C. Patterson]

Thunderer split, but wasn't destroyed. Liu Pang gets it through the portal, and it's repaired in transit. (Next book). BTW Thunderer and the Dau de dau-tze have a way of showing up unexpectedly. In the Nan Tu, it shows up on Fu Li-t'o's bed unanounced, just as the Dao de dau-tze shows up for Nick. You right about the books. I, for some reason had in my head that the books went back to the monastary (that's wha comes from writing epic novels without an outline). But it doesn't matter, because they play no role in the next book.

Ed P