Jeffrey’s Comments (group member since Jan 14, 2018)

Jeffrey’s comments from the Lost Lore Readalong! group.

Travis wrote: "Jennifer hit the nail on the head with comparing this to Forgotten Realms dungeon crawls. That's exactly what this reminded me of, and I loved it. The jungle setting and totem magic and crazy monst..."

Thanks for reading, Travis! I am glad you enjoyed it! Tama and Scrap were definitely my favorite of the 5 adventurers to write about. It was difficult to make Tama go the way he did, but that was going to be the only way that Scrap learned from their journey together.

Kathryn wrote: "Once again, sorry for chiming in so late. I'm trying to keep my comments brief at this point!

This was an engaging story, particularly the setting and the unique types of magic. I'd have loved to ..."

Hey, Kathryn! Thanks so much for reading and glad you enjoyed the unique world of Chilongua. It was difficult to try and give each character their time to shine in this one, but thus is the challenge with short stories. I would really like to explore each of these characters more further down the road with their own short stories as they are not featured in the current novels. However, the Flaw and one of its creatures are.

Timy wrote: "I quite enjoyed this story and liked the totem magic system was indeed an interesting concept. I would like to learn more about that and what can be achieved with it.

I pictured Hathis like the l..."

Hi Timy and thanks for reading! I am so glad that you enjoyed the story.

You are spot on with your observations. The name the Flaw actually has dual meaning in Chilongua. It is called that because of the jagged wound its created on the all-encompassing jungle that rules the continent, but also because of what it's unleashed upon civilization... a place that incites horror, both externally and internally for anyone that goes there.

I think Baji was definitely given an unfavorable light (in the jungle... sorry, couldn't resist) in this story. I wanted to create as much turmoil as I could between her and Laughs, and Baji's tough background made her have little tolerance for Laughs's constant banter and terrible jokes. I may explore Baji's background in a future short, as I think she has a better side that needs to be shown. Though she meets her end pretty terribly here, I think her beginning is worth investigating.

The characters themselves are a mixed bag of races. All of the non-human races are sentient, bipedal versions of creatures found through out the jungle/forest.

Thanks again for the joining us on this read-along!

Mike wrote: "I'm tearing into this tonight, Jeff! I loves me some dungeon crawls, so I'm quite looking forward to it. I'm very interested in your concept of Totem Magic and wondering how else this ties into the..."

Thanks for reading, Mike!! As a dungeon crawl extraordinaire I'd love your thoughts after you're done. Great question. The Light in the Jungle explores the Flaw and Old Hathis, both places are frequently mentioned in the book as the main villain is a jungle-diver (a term used for rangers crazy enough to enter the deep jungle like Trinka) who has been there, survived, and captured a pet from the ruined city's depths (one of the creatures mentioned in this short story). I wanted to explore the place ever since it was first mentioned in the novel. The characters themselves do not pop up in the first few novels, but some will show their faces in later sequels/prequels.

Also, I am woefully behind on the read-along, but I am psyched to journey into the Barrowlands!

Thanks to all the kick-arse readers who participated. I'm happy to offer up a copy of The City of a Thousand Faces: Book One of the Welkin Duology, the first full-length novel set in Chilongua.

Sandy wrote: "I found this story a very easy read. I kept thinking though that Scrape was going to wake up outside the city and have all his friends still there.

I had a hard time picturing the characters but ..."

Hey Sandy! Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed it! You are not the only one to have commented on the dark turns the story takes at the end. It's definitely something I went back and forth on, but the way I saw it, Scrap was so determined and single-minded on finding his family's totem that he was only ever going to understand that he was surrounded by his true family if he lost them all. A brutal way to learn a lesson, but it was one he needed.

The intention of Laughs baiting Baji into getting killed wasn't necessarily to ease Laughs's own death later on, but rather to serve as a reminder to Scrap of the dangers he put his friends in weren't just from the Flaw and Old Hathis.

I am glad that you liked the totem magic too! Like I mentioned above, it's a fun system to explore, and with so many different trees found across Chilongua, it makes for some cool possibilities when putting the carvings on weapons, armor, and anything else with wood.

Bryan wrote: "Cool little adventure. "Be careful what you wish, you just might get it" comes to mind. A few editing issues here and there, but an enjoyable read. I liked most of the little group and enjoyed the ..."

Thanks for the read, Bryan! I am glad that you enjoyed the story.
In an effort to introduce the world of Chilongua I wanted to make the story itself familiar (a dungeon crawl) as the world itself is rather different. Totem magic depends on unlocking the power found in the hundreds of types of wood found across the world with the right carving. Screw up the carving and try to use the item and the totems can have disastrous results. That system, along with botamancy, have been a blast to play with, and are both something I try to explore further in other stories set in the universe.

Jennifer wrote: "This reminded me of some of the old Forgotten Realms stuff with its monster infested lost city and a treasure hunt that goes all wrong. I thought the world was pretty cool with the totems, and the ..."

Hey Jennifer!

Funny that you mentioned Outer Limits, my friend actually told me about that show just this week and said that I would really enjoy it. I think I'll have to get my hands on it based on yours and his recommendation. I love anthology TV and am glad to see it returning to mainstream again.

To answer your question, I would say that not all of my stories make the protagonist pay such a high cost, but I definitely feel like anytime a character achieves their dreams they should have to lose/give up something to do it as I feel like the old quote stands true, "Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring." The inspiration for the ending happened from the idea of the Flaw itself. It's supposed to be a terrible place, and I didn't think many would survive it no matter how experienced and prepared they were. Plus I wanted Scrap to have a poignant reminder of his purpose there, and losing the people closest to him seemed the best way to get that message through to him.

Oh, and glad you liked the creatures. One of them is actually a pet of a villain in the novels that was a ton of fun to write.

Thanks again for reading!

What Benedict said! I'll be dropping in throughout the day, in between chasing a 2 year old and rocking a newborn. Thanks for reading!

This was my first foray into Ben's world and writing (as it will be for some of the other authors within this book), but right from the first few pages I was captivated if not by the language alone (as mentioned by others here.) Silky smooth writing.

Hereni is such an interesting character, and I agree with previous comments that I'd love to read more about her. Excellent way to kick-off the anthology and excellent introduction to your world, Ben!

I'm excited to read Alec Hutson's! I can't wait to dive back into the world of the Crimson Queen and see what he has in store.

Hey, Fellow Creatures! I'm Jeff. I've been writing in my world of Chilongua for sometime now, trying to mash together fantasy with the jungle for some fun results. I feel so fortunate to be apart of this anthology with so many great authors that have inspired me to publish.

I'm currently reading The Blood Meridian for the umpteenth time, but can't wait to switch and read the rest of the stories within LL with the read-along.