The IBDoF LE Modesitt Jr FAQ

[KiltanneN]

OK - I have observed a little bit of a pattern here - and in the hopes of reducing the demands on Mr Modesitt's time - I will begin an FAQ here. Anyone is welcome to post - But I will edit any post which needs it to conform to the standard, which will be:

A single post - using the quote BBcode to identify question & answer. This post recording both a question someone has asked Mr Modesitt, and the reply.

kilt

[KiltanneN]

Question:

Which of the non-modern poets have you found have had the most inflence on your own thoughts?

Answer:

As I've said before, the poets who have most influenced me are Wallace Stevens, T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, and especially William Butler Yeats.

Older poets -- that's another question. I suppose John Donne and Shakespeare have most influenced me, plus, of course, the scholars who crafted the words of the King James Bible, which I still find one of the great works of literature.


L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

[KiltanneN]

Question:

Is the "meteorological station" completely fictional?

Answer:

No.. the station is not fictional. It's on top of Mt. Washington in present day New Hampshire. There's been one for years because Mt. Washington is the highest point in the eastern USA and has the most extreme weather east of the Rockies.

A number of the other references come out of present day New England, including the "Caldron."


L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

[KiltanneN]

Question:

What's the 13th Recluce about? setting? timeframe?

Answer:

Wellspring of Chaos is the twelfth book in the Saga of Recluce and takes place some 60 years after The Order War. It is set largely in Nordla and Austra, and the main character is Kharl, a cooper in Brysta. The thirteenth book is entitled Ordermaster and takes place several years after Wellspring of Chaos. It opens in Austra.


L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Thanks. So Kharl is in Ordermaster too?

I didn't say who was in the book. At the moment, that's all I'd like to say about Ordermaster, sinceWellspring of Chaos isn't even published yet.

L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

[KiltanneN]

How do you pronounce your last name. I know it seems irrelevant, but as I am often walking around reading one of you books, and I regularly get the question...who is the author? I would rather not butcher your last name.

It's pronounced MODD-ess-it, with the emphasis on the first syllable.


L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Modd as in Modern or Modd as in Mode?

Under the standard rules of English/American punctuation, a vowel followed by a double consonant is short, not long. Therefore, MODD is rhymes with ODD. Unhappily, "Modesitt" does not follow the standard rules, which is why people think that the Mod part rhymes with mode or ode, but it doesn't.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

[KiltanneN]

Question:

One thing I am not clear on; does Recluce have months? I don't believe Recluce has a moon.

The world of the Spellsong novels has two moons, so I wonder how months would be reckoned there--or do they bother?

Answer:

Erde does not have months, only seasons, each of twelve weeks.

Recluce does not have months, either, only seasons.


L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

[KiltanneN]

Question

has anyone figured out where Cyad (the capital of Cyador) was supposed to be?

I'm thinking it was either where 'modern' Summerdock is located, OR (more likely) Dellash. I have a sneaking suspicion that the fact Dellash is an island represents when Cyad was split and rent from the unleashing of the Forest by Nylan...

Answer

Actually, Southport sits on the ruins of Cyad [or part of them, since Cyad was far larger than Southport is].

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

[KiltanneN]

Question

Okay, I've reread the Death of Chaos, and I have a bit of a question...
As we know, order and chaos must balance... although it appears through the books there can be a *lag* before the balance applies. For example, the Demons of Light came and terraformed the western part of Candar, but it was centuries later that the balance 'snapped' back (thanks to Nylan) and equaled out.
It also appears that the balance in the world is centered in Candar... for example, Hamor uses machining to produce weapons and ordered steel that causes excess Chaos in Candar (The Death of Chaos).
Lerris and friends unleash most of the Order under Recluce, the bay, and possibly as far into the Eastern Ocean as Afrit... but have done NOTHING to reduce the ability of Hamor to put order into their machines...

SO, at the end of the Death of Chaos, Lerris explains to Tamara that they've 'reset' the order chaos balance to (probably) before Creslin's time...
BUT, with Hamor pushing out machines, wouldn't their monopoly of Order just increase rapidly how much free chaos would exist?

I can't shake the feeling that Lerris 'reset' the balance, but with Hamor producing ordered machines, and Chaos wizards getting the benefit, that would leave Recluce with not ONLY less order-apt people, but simply less free order to work with.... I could see a time when Hamor DOES take over Recluce, and you end up with a similar situtation as they had in the First Chaos Empire where chaos and order existed together.

Thoughts? Where are my flaws in the logic?
Jon

Answer

Lerris effectively eliminated all free Order and Chaos in the world of Recluce. This won't stop Hamor from building ships, or cannon, but it will stop them from enhancing them with order, which will reduce their strength. More important, it will reduce the power of steam engines and range and throw weight of cannon/naval guns. It will also destroy the internal chaos-powered disciplinary structure that keeps the emperor of Hamor in power.


L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

[KiltanneN]

Question

So...in the Hammer of Darkness...Holly makes reference to the fact that she is sure that the Duke does not have a daughter...and she clearly speaks from some personal experience.

The question is....is she an Alicia of days gone by?

Answer

It's the question of where a paradox begins. Kryn and Emily are in fact the same person, and initially the Duke has no daughter. Martel moves back through time, and Emily "becomes" Kryn -- the Duke's daughter.

Because, at the time Martel arrives to make the insertion, it has not occurred, of course Alicia has no knowledge of the Duke's daughter because Kryn as the daughter does not "exist" at that point -- at least in that identity.

Time paradox issues are always involuted.


L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

[KiltanneN]

Question

Have you decided how many Recluce novels there will be?

Answer

No. I haven't decided how many Recluce novels there will be -- not in terms of numbers, at least. What I said earlier still holds: I will only write Recluce books so long as I can do something new, interesting, and different in each additional book.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

[Hunter B]

I thought I'd take the liberty of adding another.

Question:

Mr. Modesitt,

I've often wondered, what are the correct pronunciations of the following words:

Recluce
Cyad
Cyador
dangergeld(er)
Corean

Thanks.

Answer:

I'll do my best, but unlike my wife, I'm no expert in the IPA.


Recluce = Wreck-loose

Cyad = Sigh-add

Cyador = Sigh -add - door

Dangergeld = danger -geld [as both words are pronounced in English
[American style]

Corean = Core-ee-an


L. E. Modesitt, Jr

[Kvetch]

I've got the job ot trying to keep this up to date. lucky me . The Q&As below range from the significant to the nearly irrelevent. It is in no way exhaustive (I just went back though the last couple of pages of questions)

Question:

Why do you choose a certain tense, point of view etc. in your books

Answer:

Actually, most of what I would have said has been said for me, but I will reiterate that I choose the tense and POV that I believe will best tell the story, and that's not always the traditional third person past tense.

Question:

When you write, do you plan out ahead of time exactly what will happen throughout the story or novel, or do things just happen as your characters go along? How do these incredible ideas come to you?

Answer:

I generally have a good solid idea of where the plot is going, but not of all of the internal specifics. Some of those arise from the interaction of the characters, the culture, and the environment. I have a very good idea of the society I'm portraying.

As for the "ideas"... I couldn't explain exactly where they come from, except from the combination of a devious subconscious and a lifetime of wide and voracious reading.

Question:

Was it difficult for you to get started? I've heard horror stories of failed attempts at being published, and it makes me a little nervous to even try.

Answer:

Difficult is a relative term. I wrote close to seventy-five stories in the first five years. Six were published.

On the other hand, once I started writing novels, I've had every one I wrote published.

Question

[in reference to unpublished early works - see Q above] Any chance we'll ever see the unpublished works?

Answer:

No. Anything which I -- or a large number of editors -- didn't feel was professional enough to be published was destroyed. I've seen too many heirs of writers dig out early and less professional work and publish it for financial or other reasons. The only way to stop this is to make sure there's nothing there.

On black and white:

First, the choice of black for order and white for chaos was most deliberate and planned from the very beginning of writing The Magic of Recluce

.

Question:

How exactly does one pronounce 'lamaial'?

Answer:

LAMM A ELL

on ryalls:

A ryall is a flower, usually depected graphically on banners in black, although the flower is not black. I never did describe it in any great detail, although I have a mental image. It's neither a sprawling blossom that always appears overripe -- like a rose just before it loses its petals -- nor is it one of those tiny little blooms.

on the connection between Lornth and Lorn:

Lornth is named after Lorn. I postulated that he did expand Cyador somewhat -- he wanted the copper mines in that area -- but his successors were unable to hold the area to the northwest of the mines proper, and this lapsed into "barbarianism."

[Kvetch]

Question:

I'm curious as to your writing atmosphere. When you sit down to write, do you have a favorite desk, a particular lighting needed, or a locked room in the house with a sign on the door reading Do Not Disturb? How do you write without distraction?

Answer:

I write in an office on the lower floor of the house. I need lots of light, so despite the window and glass door, many of the lamps are 200W, and all are at full power. I have two computers, side by side. The one where I write is set into an oak roll-top desk. The maps of the book on which I am working are on the wall to my right.

I don't write without distraction. Although the children are long gone, we have four dogs. Usually, they're quiet, but not always. I think I may have created inadvertently a misperception. While I endeavor to write from 9:00 or 9:30 in the morning, it doesn't always work that way. I'm the one who fixes lunch, which is the big meal of the day, and I generally only write from 30-60 minutes at a stretch, after which I take a 5-10 minute break. I still may be interrupted by the dogs or the telephone.

Question:

In another thread you wrote that you can write as long as 12 hours(9am to 10pm), and that this is your current practice. When you were younger, perhaps without childen, or young children, how long did you have to write?

Answer:

My wife works very long hours 9-10 months out of the year, sometimes not getting home until very late at night, and with the children out of the house -- and with children of their own -- familiy disruptions are minimal.

When I did have children at home, I squeezed in writing where and when I could, usually after they went to bed. My first book was written on an electric typewriter in the corner of the small dining room of an earlier house.


I wrote on the side for almost 20 years while holding down more than full-time jobs. All that time, there were children around. I only began writing full time 15 years ago.

As mentioned above, I do take breaks. I know few writers who don't.

Question:

Did you start out writing short stories first, or did you leap into writing novels?

Answer:

I wrote poetry first, for more than ten years, then short SF stories for about seven, and then novels, although I still write stories occasionally.

Question:

Can you suggest any magazines that accept new writer's work in the fantasy or scifi genre?

Answer:

Virtually all the magazines in the F&SF field will look at new writers, whether the writer has an agent or not.

Question:

Lastly: Who reads your finished work first, family or friends, fan community like this one, or your agent and/or publisher?

Answer:

Depending on the book, either my wife [if it's music related] or my editor are the first people to see a book of mine when it's finished.

[Jax]

I hope this is the right place to ask this question, I would have thought this would be part of a FAQ though

What book would you reccomend someone like me, who has not read any of your books, to start with, and where to go on from there?

[Ghost]

By the way, which of you Sci-Fi books would you suggest I pick up?

I've asked a number of my readers which S.F. books they prefer, and they all prefer different ones. So...

Military S.F. -- The Parafaith War

Lit/politics/culture -- Archform:Beauty and Flash


Far future Earth -- Adiamante


Space Opera [of sorts] -- The Forever Hero


Ecological SF -- The Ecolitan books


alternate history -- The "Ghost" books


That's the best I can do; but I'm sure other readers will have their suggestions.


L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

[Jax]

Thankee Ghost, Now I need some more help. I'm more into fantasy than a lot of sci fi, though I do like it, I'm nore sure how much I've really read. It looks like L.E. writes in several genres, what should I start with?

[Ghost]

If you like fantasy Mr. Modesitt has three series:

The Saga of Recluce – Mr. Modesitt recommends reading in the published order so start with Magic of Recluce (I really like this entire series, I’ve read 11 out of the 13 books if it matters)

The Spellsong Cycle – The Soprano Sorceress is the first book in this series of five. (I haven’t read any of these yet, though I do have one on my bookshelf)

The Corean Chronicles – Legacies it the first in the series of three books with another on the way (I like these as well – fantasy, magic and guns)

IMHO

[Jax]

Thanks for that Ghost, I'll keep my eyes out for them, now that I know kinda what to look for!

[jweb]

...you mentioned not writing fantasy before the Magic of Recluce--what do you call the Time God books and Hammer of Darkness? ...

I've always thought of The Timegod/Fires of Paratime/Timediver's Dawn and The Hammer of Darkness as science fantasy, although I don't think I've ever actually said that.


L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

[Kvetch]

What is the term: lamaial supposed to mean anyway?

It's my own derivation from "lamia", which were mythological creatures who lived off the blood and flesh of children. The Matrial believes that males with Talent live off the life force of women in particular, hence the justification [in my mind] for the adaptation of the term.

But, Mr. Modesitt, whether you have any new projects in mind or not, in Scepters, there were certain ways you seemed to treat/mention Alendra as if she had some sort of destiny to fulfill, though that could have merely been my hopeful imaginings--which are plentiful and often deflated by reality.

Alendra does have a destiny. That's not the question.

The question is whether that destiny is right for a novel and whether I can write it. And that's something that I haven't decided yet.

Will Mr. Modesitt ever write a full copy of each of the two books The Basis of Order and The Colors of Choas?

Probably not at least for a while.

[Kvetch]

1. Why do the whites hate the blacks?

The mutual dislike is based on a number of factors. First, the inherently greater stability of the black system, as exemplified by Recluce, as well as a clearly defined geopolitical scope, results in the ability of Recluce to gain and maintain over time a socio-political structure with a higher standard of living than that of a white-based system. While a ruler like Cerryl can match what Recluce does, the instability of the political structure mitigates against the whites producing many leaders such as Cerryl. Second, the black outlook reinforces personal discipline and order, which results in a productive society [if somewhat bureaucratic]. Third, even the Recluce "cast-offs" tend to be superior. Fourth, Recluce was founded by those who fled and rejected the whites. Fifth, in any confrontation over a thousand years, Recluce either forced a draw or came out on top. Sixth, Recluce is a self-satisfied, do-gooding, smugly superior outfit of the kind that makes almost anyone want to smack them. I could go on...


2. Why do societies perpetuate resource-intensive/destructive violence?

The principal reasons lie in either some form of illusion, in the need for a leader to re-direct internal tensions outside the society, or in response to a war begun by another nation for the first two reasons.

The most common illusions are that: (1) conflict will result in material or political gain; (2) that the war is necessary for either self-preservation or to instill or maintain necessary political/ethical/religious systems and beliefs in the nation being attacked; (3) war can be prosecuted on a limited basis; (4) that the nation being attacked will eventually "pay" for the costs of the war.


3. Do positive results justify unjust/unethical acts?

In the abstract... no. In the real world, that's another question, because it depends on the circumstances. It's an issues about which I've written a number of books exploring the issue, because there is no set, absolute, or simple answer.

[KiltanneN]

Cyador would have been all of western Candar then, from the south of the "hills of Endless grass" (ie, the Stone Hills after Nylan's wonderful help to the forest) to the westhorns and sourth to the ocean.


Then, where are Fyrad? It is mentioned several times that there are three Major cities in Cyador: Cyad, Fyrad, and a third city

Fyrad was located near Diehl.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

[KiltanneN]

Can someone explain the signifigance of Van's repeated dream visions of the jump countdowns. First, by the 'Fergus' and later Tristan's.
I can't see what Van is supposed to deduce or infer from them.
I keep having the feeling that I'm blind to the obvious - often the greatest pleasure of mr. modesitt's novels, discovering something I've missed.

The "dream visions" are (1) an attempt, if you will, by Van's subconscious to reveal to him what he missed at the time and (2) a reflection of guilt that he didn't act quickly enough and see what was coming.


L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

[ChrisCalip]

Hi all, first of all Id like to say the saga of recluce was one of the first scifi-fantasy books I have read and enjoyed. Kudos to LEM.

Id like to inquire if there are any plans to do a story about any timeline after Lerris. Its been a decade or so. How about a nice treat for fans waiting a decade

[lmodesitt]

I know everyone wants to know "more" -- particularly after a great disaster. BUT... the problem is that for the foreseeable future in the world of Recluce -- after the time of Lerris, that is -- there isn't going to be much in the way of magic. Lerris took care of that, and then some.

While I could certainly write such a novel, it wouldn't be the same as any of those preceding it -- and, frankly, I doubt that my publisher would want to publish it. Now... if I were like some writers, I'd come up with a "magical" reversal of what Lerris did, and we'd be off and running again... but since I don't operate that way, The Death of Chaos will remain as the last book, chronologically speaking, in the world of Recluce.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.