Eddis, Attolia, Sounis

I suspect Eddis might die sooner than later. We now know that she is the last Eddis, like Gen is the last Thief-- so Eddis as a country is probably going to cease to exist. It could be absorbed by Attolia, Sounis, or a combination of the two. Eddis (the woman) could remain as the ruler of a principality under either of the other monarchs, but I don't see her nobles accepting that unless something dire happened. She could lay down her queenship to become queen of Sounis-- but if she died, Gen and his brothers are probably pretty close to being heirs to the throne. And then Eddis could be absorbed into Attolia under an Eddisian monarch.

Maybe Nahuseresh kills her.

From:

And I was a little disappointed by two things. One was the ending. "Because the gods said so" is deus ex machina for the name issue unless it becomes significant later. The other was the identity of the goddess-- I'd forgotten that Eugenides is Hephestia's sister (right?) and thought that the woman in the temple was the Great Goddess. Since Attolia is linked to the Great Goddess so often, it would have been like their marriage reflected by the gods.

But I did like Eugenides. He and Gen are a lot alike. Snark! I also liked the little moment where Eddis was unsure who to get to bless the wine.

From:

9mil.livejournal.com

Since I can't afford anything right now, I was wondering if anyone could post it or something.

I feel rotten asking about that. Maybe if I, too offer cookies it won't be so bad...

*ALSO OFFERS COOKIES!!!*

From:

karatelunch.livejournal.com

Er, I second that. I'm jobless and skint.

*chocolate pudding to supplement the cookies*

From:

You could always follow Willow's excellent example and read it in the bookstore!

From:

I had a slightly different reaction. It seemed to me to indicate that Eddis was going to be a more important character in the next book. The way the gods talk about her and to her -- it's a reminder that Eugenides isn't the only one who's seen them face to face. She is obviously meant to be a very significant player in whatever the ultimate fate of the three countries is. Not that she hasn't been already, but somehow I think she's going to do more.

I wondered briefly if the goddess with Eugenides was, you know, the mystery goddess. But I don't think so. The imagery around the mystery goddess is all water and rain -- this was the goddess of the wind.

From:

Points to consider:

* Writers publish books to earn a living. Buying the book supports the author, and encourages them to publish more stories.

* Publishers like writers who earn money for the publishing company and/or have a documented demand for their book.

* If we want to keep having stories about Gen, there needs to be documented value to the publisher for paying the author to keep writing them.

These books are deliberately kept inexpensive. Less than the cost of two coffee drinks, three rolls of 3M duct tape, a pair of greeting cards, or even one waffle ice cream cone with topping. Reading them in the bookstore, without buying them, does not count in the publisher tally marks. Buying them used does not count in the publisher tally marks. Begging people to send you a copy of the story so you don't need to buy the paperback not only doesn't count as a tally mark, it may discourage "Extras" in future books.

If you really don't want to/can't afford to buy them, please consider going to the library where your interest can be tracked. Even better, pester the library to have multiple copies available. Having to wait until your library gets the book may simply be the price you need to pay in order to read the story while supporting the author.

From: (Anonymous)

Kidding, Peggy, kidding!

Though, to be fair, I'm guessing most of these folks already own the hardback of KoA.

From: (Anonymous)

Sorry, forgot to log on!
Philia

From:

except then what is the value - to the author - of including the Extras, if not to get folks who already have the book go out and buy another one?

From:

emerald-happy.livejournal.com

*shuts eyes against spoilers*

Peggy, you forgot: WE LOVE THESE BOOKS SO MUCH THAT THEY WEAR OUT FAST. MULTIPLE COPIES=GOOD INVESTMENT! Plus, short story.

*is buying a lending copy anyway!*

From:

karatelunch.livejournal.com

I live in a town with a population of 5,000. We have one extremely small and outdated library, and there's a good chance that paperback KoA won't reach it for many, many months, if at all.

I lack a valid driver's licence as well as a job, so getting myself to a bookstore means begging a parent/friend to take me, waiting until they have an available hour, and paying for a portion of the gas as well as the book.

I love Ms. Turner's work to pieces and I support her in every way I can, but hardback KoA took some serous finagling to acquire. I'm not sure that I'm up for the challenge again, and it sucks that I won't get to read the story for months thereof.

Two cents, no offense meant.

From:

9mil.livejournal.com

Woah, thank you.

Despite the fact that I love books, reading, writing, and books, I always kind of forget about libraries. I'm so used to buying books that it seems a strange and foreign concept to actually borrow one, and then, when I'm done reading it, not actually own it. So I didn't think of a library.

Another point I hadn't thought of is keeping track of the books I borrow/buy/glance at. They do that? That's pretty interesting, and I wonder if it's at all like a search engine keeping track of items you search for in order to advertise more to your liking. It's almost a bit Big Brother. But still, fascinating.

Thank you again and cookies for keeping me from going astray!

From:

9mil.livejournal.com

wait wait, you lack a valid driver's license too?!?! NEW BEST FRIEND!!!! (kidding on the obnoxious. i got wrangled on MA junior operator penalties- how bout you?)

that must be horrid having a small library without new books. i question your ability to live. though my town has no bookstores, there's a big barnes & nobel about 20 minutes from where i live, so it's not THAT bad.

but it's still too far away.

From:

If this were the intent, I as reader would resent it! Why should readers be expected to buy multiple copies? I wouldn't run out and buy an extra copy of any other book but one of mwt's (well...okay, maybe Nancy Farmer's...Geraldine McCaughrean's...okay, never mind). And I think it's slightly obsessive of me to have done even that.

I like to think the extras are to entice new readers, and perhaps as a treat to those who read the book originally in the library and have been waiting for the paperback edition in order to buy it.

From:

There was an interesting post on Athanarel several days ago about how demand for books is tracked, and ways to use it to your advantage in order to support your favorite authors, without actually having to spend any money.

From:

Eddis's being the last ruler (that's so sad, in a way) made me think immediately of the volcanic explosion that is coming. Perhaps Eddis will become inhabitable. Since they have forwarning that it is coming, they should be able to save the Eddisian people, who will then need a place to live.

Of course, if Helen marries the king/heir of Sounis, that would all be oh-so-tidy.

From:

I need to reread but why, exactly, is Eugenides the God of Thieves? I remember that he stole the thunderbolts, but I never saw him as a Gen-type trickster with a crooked grin and sense of humor as we see him in the story. I liked seeing the similarities between him and Gen.

From:

alineadrklrdsis.livejournal.com

I'd like to echo Emerald's plee for someone to do a readaloud of it. *offers all the mock Sangria anyone could possibly ever want.

From:

Yes, but I got the impression that she's going to do more than just get married, didn't you? The way they said, "She'll do." It was like, "That'll do, Pig," from Farmer Hoggett. It seemed like high praise, as if Eddis is destined for greatness and legend just as Eugenides is.

Didn't anyone else see it that way?

From:

I agree. My impression was there was a monumental task to be done, and the gods were giving a vote of confidence that she would be able to handle it.

Keeping the race/culture from disappearing in the face of a massive volcanic eruption would count as a monumental task, from my perspective. Not to mention keeping the country intact in spite of unexpectedly inheriting it at a very young age.

From:

Yes, absolutely. It's obvious to me that Helen and Gen have been "chosen" by the Eddisian gods. I could see Gen ruling Attolia and Helen ruling Sounis, with Eddis no longer a seperate country. Eddis might be absorbed into the other two countries and the old gods would be worshipped throughout the lands.

From:

empmai.livejournal.com

Actually I resent it too - adding extra's to the paperback edition to make people go out and buy two editions. I did go out and buy the paper back edition, for the reasons above - (to give MWT monetary support so that she can write "Gen and Costis road trip to save Sopho” campaign) but it rubbed me the wrong way. Normally I don’t buy the hardcover edition because of the price, but because it was MWT I did. Now, if the extra’s had been in the hardcover edition but not the paperback that would have been fine, as that’s just extra incentive to shell out for the hardcover edition. When/if another author adds extras to a paperback edition as incentive to buy two editions I would consider the publisher greedy and wouldn’t buy anymore of the author’s books – but since it was MWT I did. Except if the extras were added to a new printing of an out of print book with a different cover and look to the old book – I’m fine with that.

I prefer it when authors publish extras in short story anthology’s, magazines or their website – in two of those the authors still get paid.

Lol, I actually had to sneak it into the house so that my mom wouldn’t see that I went and bought the exact same book twice.

From:

empmai.livejournal.com

Except then all of Gen's and Eddis cousins are going to be out of work, and that's sad.

*Sings* "What do you do with a ~~General~~ MoW, that's no longer a ~~General~~ MoW?

From:

empmai.livejournal.com

Yea! We kind of know the difference between Gen and Eddis ages for sure now.

4, or 5 years depending on whether Gen and/or Eddis had their birthdays yet that year.

From:

Yay! White Christmas!

They'll need all those armies and soldiers to fight the Medes.

From:

E-publishing would work, too, and that would solve my personal objection to paper usage.

From:

My POV:

I don't mean to be argumentative here, but there are other factors that come into play for me, and different other factors that come into play for a bunch of other people.

Buying my books used isn't about money, it's a lifestyle choice. Since I read a lot of books, this is a way I can reduce my net paper consumption. The environment is something I worry a lot about these days, and honestly, rebuilding a 1,000-volume library with all new books would make a negative difference in my "footprint". I just want a world for my kids to grow up in! Like I said below, e-publishing would be a great alternative, but I don't think Firebird is going to adapt that any time soon.

Sitting in the bookstore and reading something is usually how I decide whether or not I want to buy it. I don't feel obligated to buy something sight unseen, even from a familiar author. Case in point: I also read the preview of Eclipse while I was there, and decided not to buy that when it comes out. If I don't read something in the bookstore, I often won't bother buying it at all. In this case, if I hadn't liked the story, I would be shopping for a version of KoA hardback, not paperback-- I really liked the hardback. I am really not fond of these paperbacks. I'd rather have my old set, and that means buying them used.

As for supporting the authors-- I had a full set of these books, all bought new, before the fire. KoA was probably the only book I have ever bought in hardback. In my new library, Thief and QoA are two of the less than ten, out of about 100 books, that were bought new.

As for reasons for other people-- some of us are just flat broke. I think that point's been adequately illustrated. I definitely know what it's like not to have the money for a book or access to it at the library, because the library is also flat broke.

So that's my viewpoint. :-)

From:

ladyfox.livejournal.com

Er... how does one volunteer/sign-up to be do a read aloud. I would love to read this chapter... and I have a microphone... or is it taken already?

From:

Go here: http://community.livejournal.com/sounis/39728.html (http://community.livejournal.com/sounis/39728.html)

There are three chapters left in Thief, and no one's officially called this short story yet. If you want, I'll give you my chapters in QoA.

From:

dh684.livejournal.com

I've got an extra copy of the KoA pbk. It has a prominent crease across the front cover because I forgot it was on the bed. (I wanted a nice matching set for my shelves). I'll be more than happy to send it to the first person who responds to this off-list provided that you have a mailing address in the U.S.

From:

All valid points. Thanks for making them. Life is always about trade-offs, and figuring out what works best for you, your personal philosophy, and your priorities. A balancing act, start to finish.

I find it is amazing how often reducing an environmental footprint in one area makes for a larger one elsewhere, or negatively impacts another personal priority.

From:

Jumping in here to say that I agree with you, to a point. but. There's more to it than paper use - publishing is a huge business and has to make a profit to survive. Epublishing seems a bit elitist to me. Epublishing would appeal to certain people but there are many more out there who don't have access to the internet or dislike ebooks or aren't capable of downloading books. Publishing brings books to the masses. Publishing creates jobs, and though books use a lot of paper, it is a renewable resource and I can't think of a better use of trees. Other than being destroyed in a fire, as yours sadly were, most books aren't disposed of until they are too old or worn out to read. As you say, there is a huge market for used books and I've taken advantage of that, too.

Now, the publishing field and how it is run - I won't comment on that.

I understand the money situation and it's very sad that not everyone has access to a well-stocked, up-to-date library. Until a few years ago I NEVER bought a book, hard or paper. I only read books from the library, and I'm fortunate I've always lived in places where I could get my hands on anything I wanted. I still don't own many books and most all are paperbacks. Now that I understand more about authors's profit and have more income, I do purchase hardbacks but only if I think I'll reread the book, which isn't often.

From:

Speaking of trade-offs-- another balancing act/compromise thing would be if more publishers started printing on recycled paper. I have a few books made with it and they're pretty nice.

From:

Other than being destroyed in a fire, as yours sadly were, most books aren't disposed of until they are too old or worn out to read.

Or when people decide they'd rather turn their brains to oatmeal watching TV shows and simply throw out books they never finished. >.< >.<

E-publishing is elitist at the moment. Cars were elitist when they first came out, too. Then Henry Ford came along gas-guzzling polluting technology available to the masses. Wait, that's not helping my metaphor... But in the paper today was something about how AT&T now offers DSL for $10/month. I think as technology advances, more and more people will have access to the Internet and it will change basically everything, even more than it has now.

They need to come out with a better e-book reader, though. What would be even better-- and something I can see coming because I think they've invented some sort of paper that would work for it-- would be something that looks like a book with pages, but has the technology to display the e-book on the electronic paper. So it would have pages you could turn, probably sort of plasticy, but then you could select another book and have it replace the first one. Does that make any sense? Chips are small enough that it probably could all be stored in a reinforced spine...

And, on a completely different tangent but speaking of used books, here's the Book Thing (http://csc.jhu.edu/involved.html#bookthing) in Baltimore which is basically a free book swap site. It's an interesting idea. Actually that whole page is full of interesting ideas.

From:

A "mock book" which takes a chip would be awesome. I do not like to read stories off a computer screen. I can just see an "e-book" which looks much like a regular book, but you put cards into it like a Game Boy.

The problem is, what happens when the technology changes and you can no longer get support for your "book cards/chips"? A print book can be read at any time, generations down the road (assuming the other generations still know how to read the written word). It seems as though anything electronic becomes obsolete, sooner rather than later these days.

From:

I would like to see the short story posted to the read aloud page, open to someone who doesn't already have a chapter to read, and who is willing to commit to reading it sooner rather than later.

From:

netslefj.livejournal.com

Economics of publishing aside, I'm already choosing print or audio for personal reading because all this lit-screen reading makes for constant eyestrain. Even a portable e-book wouldn't cut it for me.

I do consider adding new content to a paperback edition rather perverse. The people who already know the series are the most interested in Eddis' childhood. Also, librarians (I'm one) are going to order hardbacks shortly after publication, for the most part, unless their budgets also allow them to build a paperback collection.

Megan, would you comment on this via your Rowana channel?

Aside from these questions, don't you wonder how much back-story Megan has already written? Wouldn't that make a wonderful anthology?

From:

And we know how old Gen is in the books. Helen's father was sick in the Earrings story, when Gen is 10. If Helen took the throne of Eddis shortly after, she was about 15. In the middle of Queen of Attolia, she has ruled for 7 years. Looks like Gen is 17 then. That would make him 15 in Thief, 16 at the beginning of Queen, and around 18 at the end.

Wonder what the age difference is between Gen and Irene. At least 7 years, I'd say. Maybe 10?

From:

ladyfox.livejournal.com

I don't have a chapter to read yet, and I've been wanting to give it a shot... how soon is sooner? Last day of school is Friday... and I would make this my first priority after.

From:

ladyfox.livejournal.com

Are you sure you wouldn't mind Willow? I'd really really like that.

Thanks for the page link btw, I volunteered over there too.

From:

Yes, I'm sure I don't mind. :-)

From:

hershey-fan.livejournal.com

Do you think that the gods' chief aim is to be worshipped? And if so, why this time and these people to carry out their grand design?
Some other questions I have about the story: Why doesn't it matter if Helen is pretty? Why have the gods decreed that she be called 'Eddis' (some conjecture has already been applied to that question)? Does that have to do with her being chosen as last Eddis? Also, does her being last Eddis mean that the line of Eddis ends, or that the land of Eddis ends? (conjecture, again, has been applied).
You see, I have been hoping that Eddis will be happy. And I was hoping that she would be happy with a tested and tried Sophos, who escaped Nahusaresh's evil clutches, learned to fight and grew up to be honourable and trustworthy - a kind of Aragorn. Of all the characters, she is the most 'good' and I so wish for her to have a 'good' life.

From: