Fantasy Book Club Series discussion

The wrenching scene at the Havens - some say it had less impact than the total shock (at the end of Mistwraith) of the campaign at Tal Quorin.

What did you think?

An inspirational note on the writing of the scene for The Havens: there was a song written (in this world, :) ) called the Fires of Calais - about British fishermen picking up soldiers stranded on the beach being torn to shreds by the guns of Calais....the first time I heard the ballad, it just gave me the shivers. Definitely, I wanted that 'feeling' in the scene where the crews from Merior attempted to pick up the wounded; but with a whole other facet added.

The scene at the Havens was one very bloody, terrible mess. I just wish that Lysaer had actually heard about it so it may have done what Arithon wanted it to do. I think this is one that Arithon really hold close to his heart in terms of blaming himself. He knew he was very responsible for these deaths, unlike some of the other events which have been ascribed to him.

War is a terrible thing no matter why it started, who wins, who loses, etc. I think it's very interesting that former soldiers in our own world have a very hard time talking about their experiences with war. My Grandpa served in World War II, but he never talked about it until about a year before he died, but even then he never said too much about it.

Janny wrote: "The wrenching scene at the Havens - some say it had less impact than the total shock (at the end of Mistwraith) of the campaign at Tal Quorin.

What did you think?

An inspirational note on the..."

I think the difference for Arithon is that he planned it as a cold blooded strategy to try and stop the bigger bloodshed. As far as shock for me, I think I was horrified the first time I read it and then in anguish because of what Diegan did to foil the strategy. However, the viciousness battle was more expected than the one at Tal Quorin and by this time I knew it was inevitable, so in that sense Tal Quorin was more horrendous, as well as the fact that women and children were slaughtered by Lysaer and the headhunters.

To Amelia - yes war is a brutal thing. It's sad that men have to carry those horrors with them alone through life. As a therapist, I have listened to a few men relate them and suffered secondary trauma just from hearing them. I think they don't talk about them in fear of the emotion they will engender in themselves and others.

Sandra: yes. Many returning vets are afraid to talk at all, too, because the brutalities they were involved in took them too far past the acceptable lines of social mores. They are not reconciled with what they took part in, saw, or endured, and the fear that what they experienced may outcast them from others can be very strong. Add in Post Traumatic Shock syndrome - very real - and you have a mess. Trust has been broken, on some level, and reintegrating back into society is a huge problem.

Any war in which there is a small force faced with a larger one - the tactic to survive has to involve mass slaughter - (Agincourt comes to mind, for one example of Earth correlation) - the aftermath of the Havens and Tal Quorin - would have to impact the participants in much the same way.

Even Caolle got queasy stomach when he saw that it was pure slaughter of men, and he just couldn't even handle it.

I think this one of the reason which makes him rethink about himself and his life.