Annals: Year 25
A Dustsong story fragment and codex entry—and recommended reading
From the Annals of the Vaporous Realms
Around this time, the creeper-folk grew restless on their isle. They agreed amongst themselves that they would brave the Sea of Livyat once more. Whichever of their number was first to reach the northern shore, whether by raft or other means, would become their chieftain. So it was that Sharkin Blessed-with-Hair-Everywhere-But-His-Crown rode the waves in a dugout and became the first hegemon of the creeper-folk.
The beast-folk observed this from the shadows beyond the frostbitten shoreline, and they bided their time.
Codex: Beast-folk
Beast-folk was the common name for sundry sorts of earthly beings indigenous to the Elder and Fledgling Worlds. The folk of the Lost Kingdom called them savages, as distinct from barbarians, or foreign folk. These savages inhabited many corners of the earthly realm before the arrival of human-folk. They roamed the land with their near kin, or sometimes on their lonesome, but seldom in proper clans or tribes.
Settlement by the Redeemed, the Waveborne, or the Westerlings often brought ruin upon the beast-folk. Whether as cause or consequence, these simple-minded beings proved especially vulnerable to the manipulations of Livyat and the Accursed. The creeper-folk viewed the beast-folk as their mortal foes and hunted them with a vengeance.
It has been much disputed whether the beast-folk were more human or critterish—and whether they had souls, spirits, both, or neither.
Author Note
The Kickstarter crowdfund (sponsored by the Brothers Krynn) continues apace for the Steelhearts fantasy anthology I've been editing. Incredibly, we've passed the 200 percent funding mark. (Mind you, this doesn't mean all of the Brothers Krynn's related expenses are covered, but y'all have made a huge dent.) I got to commission a bonus sketch for the book from my favorite indie illustrator, Ekaterina Glazkova! The next stretch goal, at 300 percent, would mean I add a reimagined version of the Zshurii novella to the end of the anthology. So I suppose I'd better finish up the formatting and proofreading and get to rewriting.
On a related note, my posting here and on the M.B. Heywood editorial Substack will continue to be lighter than I’d like until the anthology is all ready for publication in late July. (And whether or not it makes it into the anthology, that new version of the Zshurii story will ultimately make its way here, for all paid and complimentary subscribers.)
Because I'm on a (working) vacation this week, my customary list of reading recommendations is abbreviated—but they're good ones, y’all!
Other than that, I wish my countrymen and -women a happy, safe Fourth on the morrow. And bless our cousins in Canada and the U.K., whose forebears tried their honorable darnedest to make us pay our taxes.
Now, my recommendations:
M. D. Boncher's serialized Akiniwazasaga novel, a dark Christian historical fantasy
Harold Ember's delightful Conquest and Glory serial—a Redwall for ancient Rome
Redd Oscar's The Mage Hunter serial, if you want the feel of a Sherlockian mystery but the aesthetic of a DnD adventure
Kathrine Elaine's One Hundred Refusals serial, for lighthearted shenanigans and cheekiness with a moral compass
Victoria Jensen's promising start to No More Than a Legend
Patrick Lawrence new Two Towers read-through
Eric Falden's insightful essay, "The Moment I Learned to Love Fantasy"
Stephanie Loomis's ongoing "Goodness of God" devotional series
And for the cartoon aficionados, I wanted to share that David Perlmutter is significantly discounting subscriptions to his Substack this summer.
Happy reading, folks!
Thank you for the plug, M.B.