Post by ashurathecomic on May 11, 2004 22:49:40 GMT
Here's what Nigel Kitching (the author) had to say when I asked him the following question:
> Sorry to bother you, Mr. Kitching, but...
Hey, a polite STC reader, who'd have thought...
> "I can still remember that latest 'Nameless Zone' story. Yes, they
> were discussing peace. But something just told me that King Roubal
> was lying about that promise/agreement...
> Too bad Nigel could never got the chance to show how that story
> concludes"
>
> So I thought I'd ask you, since you wrote the story, you're probably
> the best person to ask.
>
> What would have happened?
Well, it's partly that I can't remember now and it's partly because exactly
what happens in a story tends to get decided when you sit down to actually
write it.
But what I wanted to do was a story about what happens to a country when
they make a deal with a more powerful one. So even though the Goblins (it
was Goblins, wasn't it?) made peace they made sure they had good terms. They
would economically dominate the Foxy-guys force them to accept their goods
at over the top prices - whatever. Basically use cultural domination to get
control. This would have been tough to write and make interesting and I'd
have had to find a strong action centre to it. I can tell you that some of
my ideas were inspired by a Phillip K [censored] book called Man In The High
Castle.
Sorry I can't give you a better response. But King Roubal was happy with the
agreement because it was going to put him in a powerful position which was
going to be better than winning by warfare.
Okay, I'll admit that this was a bit of a pop at the Americans ...
Nigel
Now wasn't that enlightening?
--Ray
(PS the bits with the > before them were what I originally asked.)
> Sorry to bother you, Mr. Kitching, but...
Hey, a polite STC reader, who'd have thought...
> "I can still remember that latest 'Nameless Zone' story. Yes, they
> were discussing peace. But something just told me that King Roubal
> was lying about that promise/agreement...
> Too bad Nigel could never got the chance to show how that story
> concludes"
>
> So I thought I'd ask you, since you wrote the story, you're probably
> the best person to ask.
>
> What would have happened?
Well, it's partly that I can't remember now and it's partly because exactly
what happens in a story tends to get decided when you sit down to actually
write it.
But what I wanted to do was a story about what happens to a country when
they make a deal with a more powerful one. So even though the Goblins (it
was Goblins, wasn't it?) made peace they made sure they had good terms. They
would economically dominate the Foxy-guys force them to accept their goods
at over the top prices - whatever. Basically use cultural domination to get
control. This would have been tough to write and make interesting and I'd
have had to find a strong action centre to it. I can tell you that some of
my ideas were inspired by a Phillip K [censored] book called Man In The High
Castle.
Sorry I can't give you a better response. But King Roubal was happy with the
agreement because it was going to put him in a powerful position which was
going to be better than winning by warfare.
Okay, I'll admit that this was a bit of a pop at the Americans ...
Nigel
Now wasn't that enlightening?
--Ray
(PS the bits with the > before them were what I originally asked.)
