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Thursday 2 June 2022

Theme tune

John Whitbourn remarked to me not so long ago that it was a pity we had to drop the comments on this blog for a while, because without them a spark had gone. I know exactly what he means. One of the main reasons I was a Marvel rather than DC fan was the sense of community that Stan Lee brought to the former, and a big part of that came from the lively exchanges on the letters pages.

But even while comments here were shut down I was still getting some feedback -- some of it bubbling up out of the moronic inferno of social media, and other communications (much more civilized) in real life, in emails, and on my Patreon page. John Jones, gamebook expert, valued consigliere and frequent correspondent, made an interesting point about themes in books and roleplaying games. He was talking about how White Wolf's World of Darkness used settings to convey themes and moods, for example Detroit in the '90s, with its theme of decayed grandeur and loneliness. "Detroit," John went on to explain, "was a city built for two million that at that time had 400,000 people or so living in it."

We discussed the themes of the Vulcanverse books, and John made some interesting observations:

"The Houses of the Dead is a little rough because it was the first book, but even there I can see a theme/mood of indifference. Charon knows the living aren't supposed to be in Hades, but the gods are asleep, so what does it matter? The philosophers debate endlessly at their foodless dinner until your character provides the picnic hamper. One of the Fates will give your character a favour for... a honey cake, because why not? 
 
"The Hammer of the Sun's general theme/mood seems to be withering. Without the waters of the rivers, Iskandria is little more than a largish village. The Amazons are basically a largish bandit gang. Even the Sphinxes of the pyramids mostly just slumber in the heat, too weakened or indifferent to guard their homes, for the most part. Heck, Loutro, who knows the rituals of Tethys, will only accompany the character, not actually do the rituals himself.
 
"The Wild Woods' theme seems to be ruin, whether through specific actions (suppressing the rivers) or just general neglect. The bridge-nets for the catapult travel system are in disrepair. Fort Blackgate is a ruin, home to a vile giant. The Summer Palace, home of a powerless king, is in bad shape. Even the Great Green Ones are slowly dying, just like the child of the truffle hunter who is unwittingly killing them.

"The Pillars of the Sky's theme seems to be isolation. One of the few surviving minotaurs roams his labyrinth alone. The bosgyns live away from their men. Stuck in their Great Sinkhole city the Gargareans dwell on their own perceived superiority, which allows them to brutally mistreat their captives and attack others as lesser beings. Even Boreas, the north wind himself, is isolated and trapped in a frozen moment of time by the Uroboros Ring."

I like thinking about things like this, and John and I got to talking about the fifth book in the series, Workshop of the Gods. The theme there would be secrets – the hidden social traps, the societies and gangs, scheming individuals weaving plans, and the ultimate secret being: what’s behind the curtain?

Well, that's my notion of it, anyway. The actual answer might turn out to be be completely different from that. The mood/tone is yet another question. I’m not sure how well my and Jamie's styles mesh these days, and would readers find that jarring if we each wrote half a book? The join might show in both style and theme. Every memorable IP in books, comics, TV, games, you name it, has a unifying theme that is the soul of the story, whether planned or otherwise. Take a look at your own favourites. Even if you haven't consciously dug down into the themes before, you'll probably find they've influenced you profoundly all the same.

32 comments:

  1. I for one missed the comments bit, Dave. But then again, I’m not on social media and probably just need to get out more! It’s always interesting to hear what the Pauls, Nigels and Johns of the world have to say in any case. I should go on Patreon a lot more, and possibly would do if I didn’t keep forgetting and having to reset my password.

    A joint gamebook effort between yourself and Jamie would be most welcome. My personal preference would be to go as experimental as possible. Perhaps rather than half each, trade paragraph by paragraph like co-authors sometimes do chapter by chapter. That could yield some interesting results.

    … so you have no choice but to fight. “Die Weasel Brain” you yell, as you draw your sword and prepare for battle (go to 147). 147. At the last moment you decide not to engage in battle, if you have the codeword “GetstuffedThomson” or have ticked the box “howdoyoulikethemapples” then go to 155…

    On the subject of John Whitbourn, have you read his Amy-Faith books yet, Dave? Or are you still recovering from his books of Farouk?! I mention as your unifying theme comment resonated. Although young-adult fiction, I think they’re bona fide classics (although I do have a very marginal preference for your original placeholder cover on the first!).

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    1. I couldn't remember the placeholder cover at first, Andy, but after looking it up I quite like it myself. You mean the tessellated/stained-glass type one, right? I can't remember now how I even did that. One of the buttons in Photoshop that I'll never find again. Anyway, no, I haven't read the Amy Faith books yet but I am sure they are classics. John is, after all, one of the top three or four British fantasy writers alive today.

      That idea of tag-teaming the fifth VV book reminded me of "The Challenge From Beyond", the round-robin story by Lovecraft, Howard, Moore, Merritt and Long. (Hmm, sounds like a prog rock reunion group.)

      https://skullsinthestars.com/2013/09/02/the-challenge-from-beyond-with-moore-merritt-lovecraft-howard-and-long/

      But Jamie is now fully occupied writing quests and NFT card text for the Vulcanverse online game, so I expect I'll write the final book on my tod. A bit tricky, as I have no idea about the underlying story of the VV world, but if that means a discrepancy between my version and the online game then people can always headcanon it.

      And don't miss yourself off that list of the folks we like to hear from regularly. I probably have more time to put into replies on Patreon (it's for paying customers, after all) but I'm glad that there's some stimulating discussion going on here on the FL blog too.

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    2. That's very kind of you to say, Dave.

      Re the Amy Faith cover, yes that's the one. I just thought it perfectly suited the style and mood of the book, which given you hadn't even read it beforehand, Bravo!

      I'll take a closer look at The Challenge From Beyond as I didn't know that existed, thanks.

      Now, where's that Patreon password...

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  2. As it is always nice to engage with you and Andy, Dave, and as Mr Whitbourn's name has already been invoked, I thought I would share with you an idea I had this weekend. We all need a British version of "Stranger Things" - bringing to life the adventures of a group of 80s teenagers whose favourite game is not the sickly vanilla of "D&D" but the magical darkness of Dragon Warriors - scripted by Dave Morris and John Whitbourn, supernaturally!

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    1. A capital idea, John, though even before that I think we need a TV adaptation of Binscombe Tales. Or I'd settle for a radio version, in fact. (The pictures are better, as my dad used to say.)

      Btw I can't believe nobody has yet spotted the time-warp weirdness in this week's post. There's a No-Prize on offer, true believers!

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    2. That is weird, Dave! I can liken that to my favourite music band in the early 90s being Depeche Mode, yet only clocking a few years later they had a namesake keyboardist! Sadly he passed away a week or two back, just to end on a downbeat note.

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    3. Maybe we've all got doppelgangers out there somewhere, Andy. There's another Dave Morris who fell out with McDonald's, and yet another who I think is (gasp) a Tory MP. But I do agree with my Marvel counterpart when it comes to too many gadgets in ol' hornhead's billy club.

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    4. There was a historical Andrew Fletcher in one of Mr Whitbourn's works that I'd not come across before (I think it was The Royal Changeling). On the Doppleganger front, someone from where I work retired last year. As she's an avid horror/fantasy fan I brought her The Binscombe Tales as a leaving present. A few weeks later when I went on a trip I saw her and her husband there, just not quite close enough to say hello to. A few weeks later I bumped into her and mentioned that I'd seen her. Anyway, it wasn't them, although I'd have sworn to it. "Sounds like something out of The Binscombe Tales" she said, "oh, and they're absolutely brilliant".

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    5. It's the perfect Binscombe Tales vignette, Andy -- the doppelgangers who go on holiday while the real person stays at home. Those stories are such perfect gems of English fantasy, it really is a shame that they haven't been adapted for radio or TV.

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    6. Where/who do we petition to make that happen, Dave?! The two of us is a good start. Sounds like John's a fan, so I'm sure he's in. The person from my work, that's four (or five). I got her Altered Englands as well actually, so I'll have to find out how she got on with that. I noticed re reading some of my Amazon reviews, I started calling it Alternate Englands. I'd like to claim that was deliberate, but it was a brain slip. The cleverest thing I've written, and I didn't even mean to do it. Typical.

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    7. Don't knock serendipity, Andy. Many of the great ideas in history have come about that way.

      As for getting Binscombe Tales on the Beeb -- somewhere in our network of contacts there must be a radio producer we could start bombarding with letters?

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    8. I know Jon Hamm and Billy Crystal?

      Mmmm, should have left it at Alternate Englands.

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    9. I might know the Radio 4 tea lady's nephew... I think. Between us we can swing it.

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    10. The best I can offer is that my Dad occasionally crosses paths on the West Lancs golf course with the actor David Morrissey; perhaps he could slip a copy of Binscombe Tales into David's golf bag next time! (And, weirdly, there's another 'Dave Morris'- for us, almost - it's clearly meant to be!)

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    11. He's a little old for Mr Oakley. Interesting casting for Mr Disvan, perhaps? Or if it's just read on the radio (Jackanory style rather than a drama) then he has a good voice for it.

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    12. Yes, I like the idea of Dave Morrissey as Disvan! On "The Walking Dead" he famously played a character with only one eye, so he's already got a bit of Wotan-ish magic going on... I'll have to offer to caddy for my Dad next time he's out (Though personally I'm of the "Golf is a good walk spoilt" persuasion!)

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    13. The one eye also makes a connection with Ian McShane (I think I'm right in saying he played Odin in a TV adaptation of a Neil Gaiman thing?) who I thought would make a good Disvan, though I seem to remember Mr Whitbourn had other ideas.

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    14. Bizarrely, there's a David Morrissey quote (of sorts) in my Amazon review of Mr Whitbourn's Popes and Phantoms Redux. If you can work that out, I know you're not just paying lip service.

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    15. I've scrutinized that review, Andy, but I can't spot it. I'll take this week's dunce's cap.

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    16. Sorry, Dave. I realised as soon as I hit the send button I'd made the cryptic clue too obscure I didn't even give you The Walking Dead to work with! If you go on You Tube - Bad Lip Reading of The The Walking Dead, during the last minute, it's in his song. Apparently David Morrissey did see the funny side at the time and is apparently on record as saying "People kept coming up to me singing La-Bibbada-Bibba-Dum. I thought, what is wrong with these people!"

      Well, after all that weirdness, we've got our Mr Disvan sorted, after John's had a word on the Links that is. We just need to figure out Mr Oakley now and we're good to go.

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    17. Lordy lord, that's weirder than anything that ever happened in Binscombe by a long chalk (giant). All I can say, Andy, is that The Walking Dead TV show is a lot different from the comic book!

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    18. I've not read the comic book, Dave. My participation in that genre has been limited to your Mirabilis. I hope The Walking Dead comic book hasn't got the pacing of the TV show, which is more filler than thriller!

      How about Mathew Baynton from Ghosts/Yonderland for Mr Oakley?

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    19. The comic started well, Andy, but I gave up after a while as it began to become a bit repetitive. (Inevitable with zombie apocalypse stories, perhaps.)

      I'm not familiar with Mathew Baynton's work, but I used to visit our neighbour Mrs Baynton when I was a very tiny nipper, because she had an actual log fire and I liked imagining stories as I stared into the flames. He might be a bit too tall, though. Isn't Mr Disvan quite a slight figure physically? Or is that just my impression?

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    20. The TV series started out well too, Dave. Then Frank Darabont departed/the series length increased and it was downhill from there.

      I had thought Mathew Baynton for Mr Oakley rather than Mr Disvan, although he's older than I thought actually. I was looking for an excuse to read the books again, and you've just given me one! In the meantime, I'll check my reviews for any other pseudo comments that may inform our Mr Oakley decision making.

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    21. I did see the first season, Andy. Sounds like I got the best of it. These days there are so many shows that I can't keep up. Jamie sent me Doom Patrol (I used to enjoy the comic) and I still haven't found time to watch it.

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    22. Further casting thoughts... How about Robert Carlyle as Mr Disvan? He's getting to the right sort of age and he is good at portraying sinister characters with a sense of danger about them. I have a feeling the Beeb would want to make Oakley a woman, but if not what about Adeel Akhtar? He might be a bit short for Oakley, but he is great at that decent and slightly bewildered everyman thing.

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    23. I must admit, Dave, I'm equally unfamiliar with Adeel Akhtar's work as you were with Mathew Baynton. Decent and slightly bewildered everyman was exactly the vibe I was going for though, albeit I couldn't immediately articulate it and was too lazy to then try! I had perhaps thought Martin Freeman, but it would need to be someone less famous, otherwise it would spoil the everyman effect. Hark at me on the casting couch!

      Yes, Robert Carlyle could perhaps pull it off. We'd some years back discounted Oliver Reed on account of being slightly too big for the role (and dead). Being dead no longer being the obstacle it used to be what with CGI, the size obstacle could be easily overcome, and it was also lend itself to the uncanny element if done properly. When reading the books first time around, his face (from Gladiator) just popped into my noggin and I couldn't then get it out!

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    24. If we're going to allow dead actors, Andy (and how's that for diversity casting?) I want to put in a vote for Richard Harris as Disvan, though I suspect John W would veto that as he was Celtic rather than Anglo-Saxon.

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    25. And we'll get Ridley to direct the pilot while we're still in Gladiator territory, Dave!

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    26. My last comment on this one, Dave (honest!), co-incidentally my work colleague got in touch yesterday about something else so I couldn't help but enquire how she got on with Altered Englands. "I absolutely love both books" she said. "My husband loves them too, so perhaps it'll stop those Dopplegangers". I've promised to buy her another one. So that's 6 (or 8).

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  3. And the biggest compliment I can give your blog, Dave, is my wife saying to me, most weekends "You fell asleep while reading La La Lands again last night".

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