Honey
Here's another one of my odd notions - Hambly's characters seem to like to watch honey dripping from a spoon. I only have a few of the references so far, but,(with your help?) I think I can find more. Here we go...
- Page 277, Traveling With the Dead.
Ysidro lifted the lid of the honey pot, brought up a spoonful, and let it run down again in a column of shining amber. - Page 277, Traveling With the Dead.
"Frankly, I've always wondered how they do that," remarked Lydia, spooning honey onto a chunk of bread. - Page 145, The Rainbow Abyss
She held the spoon high above the bread for the sheer joy of watching that lucid amber curtain flow to its destiny. - Page 169, The Silent Tower
"Very useful stuff, honey," Antryg was saying...He cocked his head a little, considering the thick, liquid-amber stream dripping from the spoon.
The Way of the Sasenna
ie, from the Windrose Chronicles. Caris (from the Windrose Chronicles) is always saying that it's "The Way of the Sasenna to do..." or "It is the Way of the Sasenna not to do...."(this is now a complete list...maybe) Not to: ask questions, but to perform one's task | fear | pat even a loved and toothless old dog on the head without one's hand on one's knife | cry | weep | feel pity | strike in anger | take chances | strike without command of a master | eat on duty | feel love | to acknowledge leadership, other than that of one's master | ask for proof | decide right from wrong | show rage | mourn even the passing of one's parents | give comfort | need comfort | take exhaustion into consideration Is to: be ready to fight at all times | rise and go on | to ask questions | serve | automatically seek the deepest shadows | be ready to die at the will of the one to whom you have sworn your vows | leave someone to die without a backward glance Also (this is handy, and a few people mention it), "The best place to hide is in plain sight."
Nit-Picking
A listing of the mistakes I have found...others, feel free to e-mail me. I am no longer including obvious typos and spelling mistakes, since I get such interesting letters from people. As always, this is not meant to be an insult....
"I see 'em."
"... and two for thirty-one". 31 is an impossible hand. AND ... if she counted only what was printed, her hand would have been 12 (13 if the turn up card was the same suit as the flush). -Rick Anderson Thanks, Rick, for sending this one in. I don't play the game myself, so this was not something I was ever going to pick up.
Sorry I don't have any more profound thoughts, but I had to pass this on... --Doug
Moon(?) is female, and killed when they invade the nest at Gae.
It mentions only being able to identify her by the scorched, bone-decorated
braids. In Mother of Winter, one bit mentions the male Raider shaman Shadow
of whatever who is very much alive, and also has bone-decorated braids.
While granted, probably most Raiders had bones in their respective braids,
I still wonder if she neglected to double check that one." I have double-checked this, and she's quite right, there are two Shadow of the Moons. On purpose or accidental? Your call. Maybe I'll ask her someday.
Trivia Questions and Answers
Try your hand on these questions, now arranged in reverse chronological order. (Answers are below the questions).
New Question (11/14/97)
-If it weren't for riding the bus to classes every day, this one would never have been thought up. I'd love to recieve your answers to this one! (note, 12/19/97 - I have received exactly one answer to this. No one else is bored out there? If I get one more, I'll start posting them.)Can you name a Hambly character for every letter of the alphabet?
Set Three (6/6/97)
- Thanks to Kelly Peterson for co-writing this set of questions - 1. What is the name of the poison that is the Great Trial for mages in The Ladies of Mandrygn? 2. What nicknames do Rudy and Gil give each other in the Darwath Trilogy? 3. In The Rainbow Abyss, why couldn't Jaldis call fog when they were escaping from the inn via the roofway? 4. Name Christine's three dogs (Bride of the Rat God). 5. What does the Icefalcon have braided in his hair? 6. Who was Kyra's original teacher, the dog wizard from Angelshand (Stranger at the Wedding)? 7. What was Starhawk's previous occupation? 8. One Hambly character has been mentioned in another series. Name this crossover character and the book the character was mentioned in. 9. Name the last girl to be married in Ishmael. 10. Where is the Citadel (The Windrose Chronicles) located?The Second Set (5/22/97)
1. Who does Sixtus rescue at Priscus Quindarvis' banquet after she dances (The Quirinal Hill Affair)? 2. What jobs do Sun-Wolf and Starhawk take in Tandieras at the beginning of The Witches of Wenshar? 3. Where do James Asher and Ysidro meet for the final time in Traveling With the Dead? 4. Who is the swordmaster of the Guards in the Darwath Trilogy? 5. What subset of mages do Rhion and Jaldis belong to (The Rainbow Abyss)? 6. Name the Hutt Jedi who figures in Leia's kidnapping in Planet of Twilight. 7. What is Rudy's staff topped with, and who originally owned it (The Walls of Air)? 8. Where is Joanna imprisoned in Dog Wizard, and who does she meet there? 9. Name the ship Callista was part of in Children of the Jedi. 10. Who was the evil wizard in The Ladies of Mandigryn?For now (5/18/97), 10 questions
1. What was the name of the girl with black-and-red hair in The Magicians of Night? 2. To whose house in the Empire of Ferruth did Joanna first go for help in The Silicon Mage? 3. What was Aunt Min's occupation before she began training as a mage? 4. What weapon does Lydia bring with her to Ysidro's house at the very beginning of Traveling With the Dead? 5. What does Kyra summon to the church to delay her sister's wedding in Stranger at the Wedding? 6. Who caused the Moving Gate in Dog Wizard? 7. Joanna's downstairs neighbor, Ruth, has what occupation (The Windrose Chronicles)? 8. What job does Antryg originally tell Joanna he can get in California (The Silicon Mage)? What two jobs does he end up working (Dog Wizard)? 9. What is the cause of the curse on the mercenary camp in The Dark Hand of Magic? 10. What does Rudy name the pack mule he and Ingold take with them to Quo? (The Walls of Air)And the answers...
Set three
1. What is the name of the poison that is the Great Trial for mages in The Ladies of Mandrygn?Anzid 2. What nicknames do Rudy and Gil give each other in the Darwath Trilogy?
Spook (Gil), and Punk (Rudy). 3. In The Rainbow Abyss, why couldn't Jaldis call fog when they were escaping from the inn via the roofway?
I think there are several viable answers to this one - he was laying the spells of return on their books, he was exhausted from calling the Dark Well into existence, and he was using his power on spells of sight. Bonus points for all three! 4. Name Christine's three dogs (Bride of the Rat God).
Buttercreme, Black Jasmine, and Chang Ming. 5. What does the Icefalcon have braided in his hair?
Bones (handbones, at one point). 6. Who was Kyra's original teacher, the dog wizard from Angelshand (Stranger at the Wedding)?
Tibbeth of Hale. 7. What was Starhawk's previous occupation?
A nun (go figure). 8. One Hambly character has been mentioned in another series. Name this crossover character and the book the character was mentioned in.
The character was Ingold Inglorion (whose name, at least the Ingold part, also appears in the Lord of the Rings trilogy), and the book was The Magicians of Night. 9. Name the last girl to be married in Ishmael.
Biddy Cloom. 10. Where is the Citadel (The Windrose Chronicles) located?
In the Sykerst.
The Second Set - from 5/22
1. Who does Sixtus rescue at Priscus Quindarvis' banquet after she dances (The Quirinal Hill Affair)?Octavia 2. What jobs do Sun-Wolf and Starhawk take in Tandieras at the beginning of The Witches of Wenshar?
Starhawk becomes a guard, Sun-Wolf trains the son of the King in swordwork. 3. Where do James Asher and Ysidro meet for the final time in Traveling With the Dead?
Aya Sofia 4. Who is the swordmaster of the Guards in the Darwath Trilogy?
Gnift 5. What subset of mages do Rhion and Jaldis belong to (The Rainbow Abyss)?
The Morkensik Order 6. Name the Hutt Jedi who figures in Leia's kidnapping in Planet of Twilight.
Beldorian 7. What is Rudy's staff topped with, and who originally owned it (The Walls of Air)?
A crescent (with witchlight between the points), and Lohiro 8. Where is Joanna imprisoned in Dog Wizard, and who does she meet there?
The Brown Star, and Magister Magus 9. Name the ship Callista was part of in Children of the Jedi.
The Eye of Palpatine (I hope I spelled that right) 10. Who was the evil wizard in The Ladies of Mandigryn?
Altiokis Back to the Trivia Page
The first ten, from 5/18
1. What was the name of the girl with black-and-red hair in The Magicians of Night?Sara 2. To whose house in the Empire of Ferruth did Joanna first go for help in The Silicon Mage?
Magister Magus's 3. What was Aunt Min's occupation before she began training as a mage?
She was a dancer
In the town where I was born4. What weapon does Lydia bring with her to Ysidro's house at the very beginning of Traveling With the Dead?
There's ladies fair and sweet,
Like roses in the taverns
On Algoswiving Street.
But out of all these lovelies
There's just one all seek to win,
She'd raise the dead, she's a witch in bed -
She's the dancer they call Min.
A dancer or a vixen
Or an angel made for sin,
A fallen child or demon wild
Is the lady they call Min.
-Old Angelshand broadside,
(Dog Wizard, pg.91, copyright 1992, Barbara Hambly)
A bug-sprayer filled with silver nitrate (as well as silver chains, so you can count them, too). 5. What does Kyra summon to the church to delay her sister's wedding in Stranger at the Wedding?
Water (a pipe in the baths next-door bursts) 6. Who caused the Moving Gate in Dog Wizard?
Seldes Katne 7. Joanna's downstairs neighbor, Ruth, has what occupation (The Windrose Chronicles)?
She's an artist 8. What job does Antryg originally tell Joanna he can get in California (The Silicon Mage)? What two jobs does he end up working (Dog Wizard)?
A coal-heaver; a fortune-teller and bartender (which, incidentally, are the other two things he tells Joanna he can do - tend bar or read tea leaves). 9. What is the cause of the curse on the mercenary camp in The Dark Hand of Magic?
Gold coins with a curse on them 10. What does Rudy name the pack mule he and Ingold take with them to Quo? (The Walls of Air)
Che
Who Comes to this Page?
An annual musing on the recent tracker-data.
Happy new year!
And welcome to the annual, semi-irreverent reflection on the past year of Hambly page operation!
Starting with the standard items for reflection upon: the page tracker now stands at 104,973, and has been counting since May, 1998 (2456 days, if you're interested). Monday still holds the title of Most Popular Day of the Week. In fact, on the whole, the tracker data say pretty much the same things as last year, except that a few more people per month are showing up. Again, there have been some new countries popping up on the GeoTracker. My favorite is definitely Brunei Darussalam, although Montserrat and Kyrgyzstan run a close pair of seconds.
In the not-so-standard category, I'm really pleased to report that in 2004, Barbara and I finally met one another. I can now confidently report to anyone who asks that we are not the same person (I'm taller, for one), and that she's a really cool person. I greatly enjoyed the chance to chat with her; it was a highlight of the year (and someday I'll go back to that restaurant and not be too excited to taste anything).
As always, best wishes for the new year, welcome to the page, and I hope to hear from you in the year to come.
Deb
January, 2005
Happy 2004!
The annual round-up of the tracker statistics continues apace this year. To date, the count stands at 81,521. For the fourth year in a row (fitting, as it’s 2004), Monday is the most popular day for visitors, and Saturday the least. The “hour-by-hour” time frame of visitor numbers follows a sort of Poisson curve, with the highest number visiting nearer the noon hour, suggesting a number of people are spending their lunch breaks at their desks. Get out and get some fresh air!
I have to admit to spending most of this year with my thoughts somewhere else; as many of you know, I was writing my PhD thesis during the latter half of 2003. As a result, I was firmly convinced that it was August/September until a few days before I went home for Christmas. Thanks to everyone who wrote with good wishes, and to all for your patience as I took longer than usual to return the mail.
This year’s new visitors hailed from such places as Peru, Oman, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Micronesia. Welcome! Hopefully you didn’t just accidentally land here and then leave again! Also, there was a large number of people hailing from the .mil sector, which hopefully does not mean that the military is interested in this page for any reason other than entertainment.
If you’re new to the page, welcome, and I hope you find something of interest here. If you’re a frequent flier, then welcome back. Tilt your chairs to a comfy position and enjoy. Happy new year!
Deb, 2003
Another year! As always, best wishes for the new year to all!
This year, instead of regurgitating numbers from the tracker page (yep, it's still there, and Monday is again the most popular day), I'm focusing on growth. Several months in 2002 saw over 2000 people visiting the page, and on a score of days, over a hundred people showed up. The first time we hit 100, I jumped out of my chair (this no longer surprises my office-mates; they just ascribe it to the 'odd American'). Needless to say, I'm thrilled by the increase in numbers, and hope the trend continues.
One of the best "growths" is the mail - the past year has been the best one yet. A couple years back, the most obscure/funny question was about a typeface; this year's was definitely the one about Toadsuck (see the letters page if you're curious). I love finding Hambly-mail in the box in the morning; be it from someone with historical expertise and suggestions (hi, Matt!), a student wanting information for a project, someone searching for a book, sending funny bits about running water in England, or artwork based on the books; they're part of the reason that the page is so much fun to run. And although I reiterate this all over the page, Barbara DOES see the mail. I send her a compiled batch of mail every month; this forms the basis of the Monthly Updates.
So, the response to the question of "Who Comes to the Page?" is: YOU. Come back again! Write and let me know what you liked, or didn't, or ask that question that you're always wanted Barbara to answer. I look forward to hearing from you this year.
Deb
January, 2003
Happy New Year and welcome to the Barbara Hambly page!
As in the year past, this blurb focuses mostly on the visitors to this page: in general and then more personally. Over all, it's been another record year for the page; I love going to the tracker at the end of the week or month and seeing how many people have come to visit. The counter now stands at 41,055. Of the non-US countries, Canada and the UK rank second and third, with Finland (go Auri!) in the top ten. I don't know if this visitor ranking corresponds with Hambly translations and book sales in these countries, and probably will never take the time to find out. Oman, Bolivia, and Georgia were my three favorite newcomers this year, mostly because I like to think of people from everywhere coming to the page.
This year, the focus is on the under-dog day for visitors: Saturday. (Monday, in case you wondered, is the most popular). If it happens to be Monday, why don't you stop reading and come back on Saturday (just kidding)? Seriously, though, many people write me every year to say that they happened to stop by on whatever day. How did you find the page and why on this day? I've had some very interesting answers to that question ('searching for Streib-Griebling' was the most recent good one).
Speaking of which, the mail this past year has been better than ever. I sincerely hope this trend continues. I enjoy the mail, and do my best to answer everyone within a few days, barring huge complications or vacations! At the end of the month, the e-mails are compiled and sent on to Barbara; her responses to many of your questions and comments are included in the Updates she writes for the site. Although it seems like a very short time ago when Barbara suggested doing the updates, I've just posted number thirty-one.
However you found your way here, I hope you enjoyed the journey and the site. Come again soon!
Deb
February, 2002
Happy new year yet again!
The Hambly page enters its sixth year at the beginning of this new millennium. When I started this page, as something semi-unique to do with my brand-new Web space (about three server changes ago), I never thought that it would be at the point that it is now. In this first full year of being an official page, there has been a fairly exciting (to me, at least!) increase in visitor numbers. The counter is up to 21,993 unique hits, with every month bringing a new "highest" total. My favorite counter datum is that every month since July, 2000 has brought over 1000 people to the site. Although this pales beside the enormous records of very popular sites, it certainly makes me (and Barbara) happy.
With the new traffic has come a slight change in the most popular day to visit; this year, Monday has come from behind, upsetting Tuesday's two-year reign. Many people e-mailed last year to tell me that they had first come on a Tuesday - this year's request for new visitors is to let me know why Monday is so popular!
The mail coming in continues to be both abundant and enjoyable, as well as from near and far. For both old and new guests, I will say here that Barbara does get to see the mail that comes to the site, and, as anyone who has written with a question will know, the responses to your e-mails make up a good bit of the Monthly Updates she writes for the site.
I also will take up a few lines to thank everyone for bearing with me during my move across the ocean, and for all the good wishes. It's been a fun few months, but also a very hectic time. Now that things have settled down a little, I look forward to playing with the page a bit more.
Whether this is your first visit, or one of many, welcome, enjoy, and come again soon!
Best wishes for the new year-
Deb
January, 2001
I wrote the first of these little page-info blurbs last January, and have decided to continue as if it's a tradition. The same counter/tracker is still on the page (since May of 1988), and attendance has been very good for the past year - the counter now reads nearly 9000, and that's only the unique visitors. Trust me, if the e-mail I receive is any example, you're all unique. I get wonderful e-mails - from people who went to high school with Hambly and want to track her down again, to people who have had (this was from a letter which arrived today) dreams about the Winterlands. Mail comes in from all over - South Africa, Germany, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, England and America.
This year the site "went official," as Barbara puts it, which certainly threw the counter numbers through the roof, as someone affiliated with her publicist registered the page all over the place.
Last year I gave a little run-down on the demographics behind who has been here. Things have remained very much the same - Tuesday is still the most popular day, although for a month or so, Wednesday was edging ahead (I still want to know - why Tuesday? If you're reading this, and it's Tuesday, why not send me an e-mail? Tell me why you picked Tuesday to come visit.) The majority of people are still from "Unknown," with North America and Europe next on the list. Of the search engines out there, Altavista seems to send more people to my site than any other. However, if you go to Google, which is a great search engine, enter "Barbara Hambly," and push the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button, you will come straight here.
While poking around at the tracker site, I found that one can look at the list of keyword searches from the engines that send people to this page. Interesting ones include maquillage, bald lady, courthouse, smegmatis, on-purpose, and my ever-favored chiaroscuro.
However you happened to find your way here (and whether or not it's Tuesday), enjoy, and come visit again.
Happy new year-
Deb
January, 2000
In May, 1998 I put a counter/tracker on the page. I hadn't done this earlier because I figured that the number would be depressingly low. Happily, the number (from May until now, the first of January, 1999), has totaled 2408 unique visitors.
The tracker service includes some nifty facts, which I will share with you. If you don't want them shared with you, feel free to go to another page.
This page is most popular on Tuesdays; slightly more people come to visit on Tuesdays than on any other day. What's special about Tuesdays?? I don't know. Tuesday used to be Kid's Night at McDonalds in my hometown, and I used to go to the library every Tuesday (now it's Thursday). My lab goes to mouse meeting every Tuesday.
Most visitors hail from the United States, although a significant portion of you seem to be coming from outer space, because you are marked as "unknown." There have been visitors from Australia (some of you have e-mailed me), and Canada, but also from places like Latvia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. I think this is very cool. If you're from another country, I'd love to hear from you, and also to hear what language you're reading Hambly's books in.
The visitors to this page seem to like both Netscape and Internet Explorer, although I'm pleased to report that Netscape seems to have the edge on IE. Haha! Most people have Windows-based operating systems. So do I, although I am excited about Unix and am in the process of putting that on my system, too.
No matter where you come from, or how many times you visit, I hope you find something of interest on this page. Happy New Year!
Deb
January, 1999
Excerpts
The Silent Tower
Sligtly paraphrased from pages 168-170
From their escape from the House of the Mages, Antryg had led, them, illogically enough, to an all-night public bathhouse. "Who'd think of looking for fugitives from the Witchfinders in the public baths?" - an argument Joanna found cogent and Caris dismissed as utterly frivolous.
"You're aware, of course, that the guards at the city gates will be looking for the Archmage's sasennan who slew the abomination in the swamp? And they'll certainly be looking for that."Caris shied back from the touch of Antryg's finger as the mage flicked the purpling bruise on his cheek. "My cloak has a hood."
"And terribly convincing in midsummer it is, too." The mage sighed, sliding a few spare rolls into the capacious pockets of his coat.
"Did you really?" Joanna looked a little shyly up at Caris, remembering the mottled, hideous bruises she had seen on his chest and arms through the torn cloth of his jacket. "Slay it?" It felt strange to say. Nobody she had ever known had ever killed anything larger than a cockroach - or admitted to doing so, anyway.
"Not really," the sasennan said, pausing in his rapid and efficient consumption of a hunk of beef. "My grandfather slew it. He caused lightning to strike the water of the swamp - lightning that is in truth electricity. Do you have electricity, in your world?"
"Sure," Joanna dished herself out a second platter of stew and picked the trailing ends of her bodice lacing out of the gravy. Copyright Barbara Hambly, 1986.
The Ladies of Mandrigyn
From pages 281-282
"DUCK, YOU OAF!"He ducked as an axe splintered into the wood of the door where his head had been. He saw the advancing forces of the Dark Eagle's mercenaries pouring down from the other side of the causeway to meet the miners in battle in the ditch. With a great scraping of bolts, the doors behind him were thrown open, and reinforcements poured through in a mixed tide of mercenaries, regulars, and nuuwa. The battle was joined on the corpse-strewn steps around him.
Somehow, Starhawk was there, where he knew she always should be, fighting like a demon at his side.
"I thought I told you to go back!" he yelled at her over the general chaos. His chain smashed the helmet and skull of a mercenary before him.
"Rot that!" she yelled back. "I've quit the troops and I'll look for you as long as I bloody well please! Here..." She stooped to wrench a sword free from the dead fingers that still grasped it and thrust the bloody hilt at him. "This will get you farther than that silly chain."
"Cheap, rotten, general-army issue," he grumbled, testing the edge on the neck of an advancing nuuwa. "If you were going to get me a sword, you might at least have made it a decent one."
"Gripe, gripe, gripe, all you ever do is gripe," she retorted, and he laughed, teeth gleaming white through the filthy stubble of his beard, joyful only to be with her again. Copyright Barbara Hambly, 1984
Those Who Hunt the Night
Slightly paraphrased from pages 7-8
The divan had been deliberately dragged around to a position in which it would be visible from the hall. Lydia lay on the worn green cushions, her hair unraveled in a great pottery-red coil to the floor. Only the faint movement of her small breasts beneath the smoky lace of a trailing tea gown showed him she lived at all.The room was set up as a trap, he thought with the business portion of his mind. Someone waited inside for him to go rushing in at first sight of her, as indeed his every instinct cried out to him to do…
"Come in, Dr. Asher," a quiet voice said from within that glowing amber chamber of books. "I am alone - there is in fact no one else in the house."
Spanish, the field agent in him noted - flawless and unaccented, but Spanish all the same.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside. The young man sitting at Asher's desk looked up from the dismantled pieces of the revolver and inclined his head in greeting.
"Good evening," he said politely. "For reasons which shall shortly become obvious, let us pass the formality of explanations and proceed to the introductions."
The young man went on, "My name is Don Simon Xavier Christian Morado de la Cadena-Ysidro, and I am what you call a vampire."
Asher said nothing. An unformed thought aborted itself, leaving white stillness behind.
"Do you believe me?" Copyright Barbara Hambly, 1988
Traveling With the Dead
Ysidro's sonnet, from 342-343.
Weary of dark, I asked to see the day,And Jesus, jesting, to a mountain's height
Upbore me, and spread before my sight
The Kingdoms of earth in morning's bright array.
I saw a man betray two dames who wept;
Saw a mother cripple her child with love;
Saw priests flay Jews their piety to prove,
And brother sell his brother while he slept.
A man gave up his dreams, a child to save.
A woman bound a beggar's bleeding sores.
A youth pursued war's summons to his grave
While th'king for whom he died gave gold to whores.
And all died frightened, weeping, and in pain.
I left the mount and sought the dark again. Copyright Barbara Hambly, 1995
The Time of the Dark
Slightly paraphrased from pages 148-149.
Strong hands slipped over her shoulders from behind. A colorless voice purred, "Gil-shalos?" She glanced at the hands, close by her cheek, long and thin, the fingers calloused and knotted from the discipline of the sword. In a flanking maneuver, two other forms appeared and made themselves at home on either side of her.The swordmaster Gnift took her hand and pressed it to his breast in a good imitation of passion. "O Pearl of my Heart," he greeted her, and she laughed and pulled her hand away. On her other side, Seya was silent, but the woman's thin, lined face smiled. She was evidently long familiar with Gnift's mock flirtations.
"What do you want?" Gil asked, still grinning, shy with them and yet feeling strangely at home. In the brief time she had known them, Seya and the Icefalcon - and now, evidently, Gnift as well - had accepted her for what she was. She had rarely felt so comfortable, even among the other scholars at the university.
Distant firelight reddened the smooth dome of Gnift's head. Under the overhanging jut of his brows, his brown eyes were bright, quick, very alive. He said quietly in answer, "You."
And with a flourish he produced the bundle he'd been half-hiding at his side. Unwrapping it, Gil found a faded black tunic, homespun shirt and breeches, a surcoat, and a belt with a dagger. All were marked with the white quatrefoil sign of the Guards. Copyright Barbara Hambly, 1982
Dedications
The Windrose Chronicles
The Silent Tower
To the memory ofJudy-Lynn
The Silicon Mage
For Bill the Time Lordand the Bionic Gimp,
Two trusted friends. My special thanks to Sam Pahalnuk, Diana Paxson,
Carrie Dougherty, Adrian Butterfield, and Byrne
Stevens for technical advice on a variety of subjects
about which I knew nothing, This story could not
have achieved its present shape without the wisdom
and skill which they so generously shared.
Dog Wizard
For J,P,G, & RWho kept me from killing myself
once upon a time Thanks and Love.
The Darwath Trilogy
The Time of the Dark
For LaurieThe Walls of Air
Doesn't appear to have one.The Armies of Daylight
Doesn't appear to have one.Mother of Winter
For RobinIcefalcon's Quest
For Neil GaimanSun Wolf and Starhawk
The Ladies of Mandrigyn
To my fellow members of the West Coast Karate Association BROAD SQUADAnne
Gayle
Helen
Sherrie
Janet
Georgia With love.
The Witches of Wenshar
For LesterThe Dark Hand of Magic
For SenseiSun-Cross
The Rainbow Abyss
For Mary AnnThe Magicians of Night
Special thanks to Donald Frew, Diana Paxson, StevenJacobsen, and Adrian Butterfield, for letting me raid their
libraries and pick their brains. Thanks also to John Hertz,
Allan Rothstein, Aaron Blechman, and Betty Himes for
details great and small, and especially to Lester Del Rey.
Benjamin January
A Free Man of Color
ForBrother Ed All my thanks and humble gratitude go to Octavia
Butler for her time and consideration in reading the
original of this manuscript and for her invaluable
comments; to George Alec Effinger for his support
and advice about local New Orleans customs;
to Leslie Johnson and the rest of the research
staff at the Historic New Orleans Collection
for all their help.
Fever Season
ForLaurie Special thanks to the staff of
the Historic New Orleans Collection
for all their help; to Kate Miciak for her
assistance and advice in redirecting
the story; to O'Neil deNoux;
and, of course, to George.
Graveyard Dust
For Mary Ann Special thanks to those, in New Orleans and else-where, who have helped me with this book: to Paul
Nevski of Le Monde Creole; to the staff of the His-
toric New Orleans Collection; to Tim Trahan of
Animal Arts in New Orleans; to Priestess Miriam of
the Voodoo Spirit Temple; to Greg Osborn of the
New Orleans Public Library; to Adrian and Victoria;
to Kate Miciak; to Diana Paxson; and always, to
George.
Sold Down the River
For Mom and Dad Special thanks are owed to Paul Nevski, Bill Coble, Norman and SandMarmillion, and the rest of the staff of Le Monde Creole in New
Orleans and Laura Plantation in St. John Parish, for unbelievable help,
inspiration, and friendship in putting together this book. Thanks also
to Pamela Arcineaux and the staff of the Historic New Orleans Collec-
tion for their patience, friendship, and help; to Laurie Perry for her
comments and help on early black music, and to Kate Miciak of
Bantam Books. Thank you also to Jill and Charles, to Neil and deb, to Michael, and,
of course, to George.
Die Upon a Kiss
For Adrian Special thanks, as always, are dueto Pamela Arceneaux and the staff
of the Historic New Orleans Collection;
to Paul, Bill, Sand, and Norman
at Le Mond Creole; to Emily Clark;
to Rebecca Witjas; to Kate Miciak;
to Laurie Perry; to Stephanie Hall;
to Bob Moraski for all his time and knowledge;
to Jill and Charles for helping me through
much awfulness; and to George.
Wet Grave
For Jill and Charles Special thanks are dueto Pamela Arceneaux and all the staff of
the Historic New Orleans Collection;
to Andy and Sue Galliano; to Jessica Harris;
to Mary-Lynn and Lou Costa; to all the folks
at Le Monde Creole and at Lucullus;
Kate Miciak and Kathleen Baldonado of Bantam Books; and
to all my friends for their patience with me.
James Asher/Vampire Series
Those Who Hunt The Night
For Adrian and VictoriaTraveling With The Dead
For GeorgeWith a prayer in the shadow
of the Aya Sofia
Winterlands
Dragonsbane
For AllanDragonshadow
ForJ.W.L.
Dragonstar
ForLester and Judy-Lynn
with love
Independent
Stranger at the Wedding
For George Alec Effinger Special thanks goes to Janus Daniels for his workshop onneurolinguistic programming, "Thinking Like a Writer,"
for the inception of the seed of this idea, and to Kathleen
Woodbury and her Salt Lake City Writer's Workshop.
Bride of the Rat-God
Dedicated, with all my love, toWhiskey,
Smudge,
Nicholas,
and the Eternally Beautiful Kismet, without whose love and company
it never would have even occured to me
to write this book. Special thanks are due Dawn Jacobsen and Marc
and Elaine Zicree, for the use of their libraries;
to Doug Heyes, for indulging my questions about old
times and his father's career; to Bob Birchardt, for
letting me pick his brains about antique cinematography;
to the staff of the Hollywood Studio Museum; to Margaret
Carey, for starting it all; and especially to Laurie Perry, for
all her help in shaping this book into what it is.
Search the Seven Hills/The Quirinal Hill Affair
For the Magic Christian-Dr. Jeffery Russell
Magic Time
For Elaine, of courseSisters of the Raven
For Marc and ElaineStar Wars
Children of the Jedi
For AnnePlanet of Twilight
For Ole and NedraStar Trek
Ishmael
For M. Shannon, Nedra, and TomGhost-Walker
For MelWho wears a red shirt
but survives it anyway
Crossroad
For ErinaWherever she may be
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Special thanks toAnn, Anne, Nancy, Robin, and Mimi
for assistance, information,
and expertise To the people without whom
I wouldn't know enough about love
to write about it:
My Parents
Song of Orpheus
For Ron Perlman, Linda Hamilton, and Roy Dotrice,whose extraordinary talents
brought it all to life