The Death of Light
Posted by Peter Crowther on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Gosh, it seems so long ago that I was last here that it’s like . . . it’s like it’s a brand new house I’m walking into. Oh, sure, I recognise the dimensions and so on—same front door, same window, all that stuff (and I think those are my cuff-links)—but it’s like somebody sneaked in and did some plastering and painting. So, bravo! Looks good, whoever you are.
The reason I am here and, indeed, the reason why I haven’t been around for so long are, in fact, one and the same: the long promised/threatened second volume of the Forever Twilight sequence. The good news (if you enjoyed the first book) is that the new one is fast approaching (well, maybe best just to say ‘approaching’) a first draft stage . . . and much later than was agreed with those wonderful folks at Angry Robot. Their patience and their support and encouragement have been epic and generous to a fault. I’ve kept them posted, of course, and they’re taken the occasional disappointment with a calm stoicism. I’m hopeful that they’ll like what’s been happening.
So, what has been happening?
Well, you should be able to see for yourself from a series of two- or three-thousand-word slices—each one pretty much self-contained, and a fresh one replacing the old one every two weeks or so—lifted fairly arbitrarily from different parts of the book and presented here for your amusement and interest. One of the lifted quotes at the very beginning of the entire volume will give away some of the game, but not much. Other tiny revelations will follow . . . perhaps: because, face it . . . I’m not gonna promise you anything—and, frankly, there are changes that could still take place to any or all of these sections. It’s been that kind of a book and I’m betting “The Big Reveal” which will be volume 3 (when many of us will be convening in New York’s Central Park—though which particular version is not yet certain—and others on a pretty hostile and unnamed planet a long way away) will make this outing look like a Janet and John primer.
So, I guess all that’s left to say is have fun. Enjoy yourself. Drop me a line. Let me know what you think. There’ll be another piece in a couple of weeks either from before the one that’s going up to today or from after it. Time and space hold no sway here. As Vonnegut said many years ago: welcome to the monkey house.
Uh uh . . . waartt!
The reason I am here and, indeed, the reason why I haven’t been around for so long are, in fact, one and the same: the long promised/threatened second volume of the Forever Twilight sequence. The good news (if you enjoyed the first book) is that the new one is fast approaching (well, maybe best just to say ‘approaching’) a first draft stage . . . and much later than was agreed with those wonderful folks at Angry Robot. Their patience and their support and encouragement have been epic and generous to a fault. I’ve kept them posted, of course, and they’re taken the occasional disappointment with a calm stoicism. I’m hopeful that they’ll like what’s been happening.
So, what has been happening?
Well, you should be able to see for yourself from a series of two- or three-thousand-word slices—each one pretty much self-contained, and a fresh one replacing the old one every two weeks or so—lifted fairly arbitrarily from different parts of the book and presented here for your amusement and interest. One of the lifted quotes at the very beginning of the entire volume will give away some of the game, but not much. Other tiny revelations will follow . . . perhaps: because, face it . . . I’m not gonna promise you anything—and, frankly, there are changes that could still take place to any or all of these sections. It’s been that kind of a book and I’m betting “The Big Reveal” which will be volume 3 (when many of us will be convening in New York’s Central Park—though which particular version is not yet certain—and others on a pretty hostile and unnamed planet a long way away) will make this outing look like a Janet and John primer.
So, I guess all that’s left to say is have fun. Enjoy yourself. Drop me a line. Let me know what you think. There’ll be another piece in a couple of weeks either from before the one that’s going up to today or from after it. Time and space hold no sway here. As Vonnegut said many years ago: welcome to the monkey house.
Uh uh . . . waartt!
