Sunday, March 18, 2007
Debate!
Shawn Speakman, a friend of mine and the webmaster at TerryBrooks.net, read and enjoyed my novel, but had issues with the ending (he is a talented reader). I've decided to reprint our discussion of his issues, which was initially posted on the Terry Brooks forum, hoping that our analytical debate will give readers insight into the end of my novel.
Shawn's Critique:
The climax of the book -- something Drew and I talked a lot about after I had finished it -- didn't hit my reading sensibilities as well as it should have. Cade got his brother's blood, the spell was done, the door was opening to allow Apollyon as was supposed to happen if Cade got what he needed from Corin, but then it suddenly all changed and reversed. The door that Apollyon was supposed to emerge from started to close. Why? Because at the end, when all heckfire is breaking loose, Corin made a choice to not kill his brother. Even Adriel says it. "Your sacrifice, Corin. It has undone the spell!" But Corin didn't sacrifice anything. He made a choice not to fight his brother, but can a choice like that -- which to me isn't a very hard choice to make if one is honorable anyway -- have power enough to reverse the entire climax of the story? To reverse a spell that powerful, just my a thought? To me, I don't think it can.
Now, if Corin had died after his sacrifice -- like Jesus did to save sinners (don't think I didn't see the correlation between Corin and Jesus both being wounded in their sides, Drew ) -- I'd be more willing to give my suspension of disbelief a shot of steroids. As a literary device, I see what Drew wanted to accomplish with choice being the driving force of the book, but to me that choice had to be bigger and far outmatch that of an ancient, destructive demon coming through a doorway into the world where everything has been aligned up perfectly for said demon to enter.
My Response:
Choices have power. At the right time, in the right place, a choice can make all the difference in the world. Think how history would have changed if Alexander the Great had named an heir, if Hitler had refrained from invading Poland, or if Rosie Odonnell had never landed a seat on The View! From a historical viewpoint, the power of choice does not need further explanation. But in a fictional world built partially on metaphysics and magic, where the power of choice seems, at least in the scene revolving around Corin and Cade, to be a concrete force capable of reversing great diabolical sorcery, perhaps it does. Consider:
First, Corin's choice is, as Adriel suggests, a sacrifice. This for several reasons. Corin sacrifices his chance to gain revenge for the murder of his parents, which his brother offers to him (Corin never met Dale; his views of Cade's inferiority to Apollyon were based completely on hearsay; and for a moment he wavers, wondering if his brother really can take down the demon). Corin sacrifices his chance to gain revenge for Dusty's death, which was brought about by events that Cade set in motion. And Corin sacrifices his own safety by turning the other cheek and refusing to strike his brother dead. I linked this sacrifice to Jesus' death on the cross (see *** below). From a Christian perspective both sacrifices accomplish similar things, resulting in defeats for hell. But why does Corin's sacrifice have power, the power to undo his brother's sorcery and close the very doors to Apollyon's realm, especially given that Jesus' sacrifice was greater, and that Corin is not the Son of God (unlike Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia)? Corin is an average Joe, not the epicenter of a prophecy. There is no prophecy in my book (which is intentional, because prophecies are usually fulfilled in fantasies, sometimes at the expense of suspense), and because I wanted to show that choice, as I stated above, really does matter--that doing the right thing counts, and not only for history's mighty names.
For the record, I did seed the story with dialogue indicating the power of choice/sacrifice, and those seeds were planted when I first began writing. A few quick examples:
Page 61: "Dale's voice came to him as if from across a chasm. 'In the days ahead we all will need to make sacrifices.'"
Page 66: "'This sacrifice, smeared on the blade of the dagger, is what we must prevent.'"
Page 68: "'And I hope for the sake of the world that you have the strength to choose what's right.'"
Page 175: "Wren stood. 'Then we are indeed bound to our fate.' 'So are we all,' said Marian, 'but the important choices are ours to make.'"
"But still," Shawn might ask, "Why does Corin's sacrifice have that much power? In your story I understand that you want to invest choice/sacrifice with what might be misconstrued as excessive power so it can serve as a vivid metaphor for the importance of choice/sacrifice in the real world, and that this artistic license is your right as a literary stylist. But couldn't you have made it more convincing, at least for my sake?"
Readers of The Tower of Shadows are told that the Exilon is a divine dagger wrought by the three gods and infused with their power, given to humanity as a weapon against wicked angels who were cast from heaven, back when the world was young. When Cade overpowers Corin and stabs him with the dagger, completing the dark inversion he began with his spells, the doors to hell begin to open, showing that the dagger is indeed linked to supernatural forces, that readers were told the truth about its properties, which is important to understanding why Corin's sacrifice had so much power. Some readers might incorrectly guess that Corin's sacrifice, however noble, was really stupid, because it allowed Cade to complete his ritual, something that could have resulted in the destruction of Ellynrie, ushering in an age of apocalyptic ruin (as Dale correctly stated, Cade was not, in the end, powerful enough to defeat Apollyon). But Corin's honorable action would hardly be ignored by the gods who gave the Exilon the power that Cade was warping, dishonoring. Corin's sacrifice, then, caused the gods to intervene, to allow the dagger to do the job for which it was made, sealing away demons; their power worked through his sacrifice. Here, sacrifice does have power, but it is power given by the gods in conjunction with the misuse of their divine dagger, reacting against a strong, perverse sorcery thrust by Cade on said dagger.
Did I spell this out to the reader in a detailed monologue or theatrical soliloquy? No, but it is there all the same.
Remember, the world in The Tower of Shadows is nearly bereft of magic: It is a land where very few can wield true magic, or fully understand the magic they wield. The denizens of Ellynrie have largely forgotten the gods, and have ceased believing in their power. This loss of faith can mean different things for different readers--the importance of faith transcends religion--but in the context of the story, it means that the circumstances surrounding some metaphysical events remain mysterious to the characters, and hopefully to the reader, too. If you over explain magic, it ceases to be magic!
Adriel's explanation is correct, but he could not write this essay proving why; he is merely guessing.
***This link, established via the fact that Corin was stabbed in the side, has allegorical connotations, but my book, unlike the Chronicles of Narnia, is not an allegory. I am a Christian, and as a writer, my beliefs--both religious and otherwise--may sometimes surface in my fiction, regardless of my intentions. But this is the case with all writers and their books. You do not have to be a Christian to enjoy The Tower of Shadows; it is not a religious book per se, though it can be viewed through the lens of religion, as most things can.
Drew
Shawn Speakman, a friend of mine and the webmaster at TerryBrooks.net, read and enjoyed my novel, but had issues with the ending (he is a talented reader). I've decided to reprint our discussion of his issues, which was initially posted on the Terry Brooks forum, hoping that our analytical debate will give readers insight into the end of my novel.
Shawn's Critique:
The climax of the book -- something Drew and I talked a lot about after I had finished it -- didn't hit my reading sensibilities as well as it should have. Cade got his brother's blood, the spell was done, the door was opening to allow Apollyon as was supposed to happen if Cade got what he needed from Corin, but then it suddenly all changed and reversed. The door that Apollyon was supposed to emerge from started to close. Why? Because at the end, when all heckfire is breaking loose, Corin made a choice to not kill his brother. Even Adriel says it. "Your sacrifice, Corin. It has undone the spell!" But Corin didn't sacrifice anything. He made a choice not to fight his brother, but can a choice like that -- which to me isn't a very hard choice to make if one is honorable anyway -- have power enough to reverse the entire climax of the story? To reverse a spell that powerful, just my a thought? To me, I don't think it can.
Now, if Corin had died after his sacrifice -- like Jesus did to save sinners (don't think I didn't see the correlation between Corin and Jesus both being wounded in their sides, Drew ) -- I'd be more willing to give my suspension of disbelief a shot of steroids. As a literary device, I see what Drew wanted to accomplish with choice being the driving force of the book, but to me that choice had to be bigger and far outmatch that of an ancient, destructive demon coming through a doorway into the world where everything has been aligned up perfectly for said demon to enter.
My Response:
Choices have power. At the right time, in the right place, a choice can make all the difference in the world. Think how history would have changed if Alexander the Great had named an heir, if Hitler had refrained from invading Poland, or if Rosie Odonnell had never landed a seat on The View! From a historical viewpoint, the power of choice does not need further explanation. But in a fictional world built partially on metaphysics and magic, where the power of choice seems, at least in the scene revolving around Corin and Cade, to be a concrete force capable of reversing great diabolical sorcery, perhaps it does. Consider:
First, Corin's choice is, as Adriel suggests, a sacrifice. This for several reasons. Corin sacrifices his chance to gain revenge for the murder of his parents, which his brother offers to him (Corin never met Dale; his views of Cade's inferiority to Apollyon were based completely on hearsay; and for a moment he wavers, wondering if his brother really can take down the demon). Corin sacrifices his chance to gain revenge for Dusty's death, which was brought about by events that Cade set in motion. And Corin sacrifices his own safety by turning the other cheek and refusing to strike his brother dead. I linked this sacrifice to Jesus' death on the cross (see *** below). From a Christian perspective both sacrifices accomplish similar things, resulting in defeats for hell. But why does Corin's sacrifice have power, the power to undo his brother's sorcery and close the very doors to Apollyon's realm, especially given that Jesus' sacrifice was greater, and that Corin is not the Son of God (unlike Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia)? Corin is an average Joe, not the epicenter of a prophecy. There is no prophecy in my book (which is intentional, because prophecies are usually fulfilled in fantasies, sometimes at the expense of suspense), and because I wanted to show that choice, as I stated above, really does matter--that doing the right thing counts, and not only for history's mighty names.
For the record, I did seed the story with dialogue indicating the power of choice/sacrifice, and those seeds were planted when I first began writing. A few quick examples:
Page 61: "Dale's voice came to him as if from across a chasm. 'In the days ahead we all will need to make sacrifices.'"
Page 66: "'This sacrifice, smeared on the blade of the dagger, is what we must prevent.'"
Page 68: "'And I hope for the sake of the world that you have the strength to choose what's right.'"
Page 175: "Wren stood. 'Then we are indeed bound to our fate.' 'So are we all,' said Marian, 'but the important choices are ours to make.'"
"But still," Shawn might ask, "Why does Corin's sacrifice have that much power? In your story I understand that you want to invest choice/sacrifice with what might be misconstrued as excessive power so it can serve as a vivid metaphor for the importance of choice/sacrifice in the real world, and that this artistic license is your right as a literary stylist. But couldn't you have made it more convincing, at least for my sake?"
Readers of The Tower of Shadows are told that the Exilon is a divine dagger wrought by the three gods and infused with their power, given to humanity as a weapon against wicked angels who were cast from heaven, back when the world was young. When Cade overpowers Corin and stabs him with the dagger, completing the dark inversion he began with his spells, the doors to hell begin to open, showing that the dagger is indeed linked to supernatural forces, that readers were told the truth about its properties, which is important to understanding why Corin's sacrifice had so much power. Some readers might incorrectly guess that Corin's sacrifice, however noble, was really stupid, because it allowed Cade to complete his ritual, something that could have resulted in the destruction of Ellynrie, ushering in an age of apocalyptic ruin (as Dale correctly stated, Cade was not, in the end, powerful enough to defeat Apollyon). But Corin's honorable action would hardly be ignored by the gods who gave the Exilon the power that Cade was warping, dishonoring. Corin's sacrifice, then, caused the gods to intervene, to allow the dagger to do the job for which it was made, sealing away demons; their power worked through his sacrifice. Here, sacrifice does have power, but it is power given by the gods in conjunction with the misuse of their divine dagger, reacting against a strong, perverse sorcery thrust by Cade on said dagger.
Did I spell this out to the reader in a detailed monologue or theatrical soliloquy? No, but it is there all the same.
Remember, the world in The Tower of Shadows is nearly bereft of magic: It is a land where very few can wield true magic, or fully understand the magic they wield. The denizens of Ellynrie have largely forgotten the gods, and have ceased believing in their power. This loss of faith can mean different things for different readers--the importance of faith transcends religion--but in the context of the story, it means that the circumstances surrounding some metaphysical events remain mysterious to the characters, and hopefully to the reader, too. If you over explain magic, it ceases to be magic!
Adriel's explanation is correct, but he could not write this essay proving why; he is merely guessing.
***This link, established via the fact that Corin was stabbed in the side, has allegorical connotations, but my book, unlike the Chronicles of Narnia, is not an allegory. I am a Christian, and as a writer, my beliefs--both religious and otherwise--may sometimes surface in my fiction, regardless of my intentions. But this is the case with all writers and their books. You do not have to be a Christian to enjoy The Tower of Shadows; it is not a religious book per se, though it can be viewed through the lens of religion, as most things can.
Drew
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