So this week, surprising no one, I am still reading the “Sword of Shannara” trilogy omnibus. In fact I’m still on the first volume. For something a little different, I thought I would scrounge up the original cover from this book, courtesy of Goodreads:
Where I’m currently at in the book is that our band of heroes, unable to travel over the mountains to reach their destination, is about to travel under them, through a long-abandoned series of tombs, inhabited by various hideous traps, monsters, and dangers. Any resemblance to a certain long-abandoned kingdom of the dwarves is completely intentional.
“Beyond this entrance, there are a number of passages and chambers, a maze to one who does not know the way. Some of these are dangerous, some are not. Soon after we enter, we will reach the tunnel of the Sphinxes, giant statues like these sentries, but carved as half man, half beast. If you look into their eyes, you will be turned to stone instantly. So you must be blindfolded. In addition you will be roped to one another. You must concentrate on me, think only of me, for their will, their mental command, is strong enough to force you to tear off the blindfolds and gaze into their eyes.”
The seven men looked at one another doubtfully. Already they were beginning to question the soundness of this whole approach.
As one might.
Meanwhile, over in the land of editing, I’m currently in just about the last section of the last scene of Father’s Books (not including the epilogue; long-time readers may remember how fond I am of epilogues), which makes it pretty hard to dig out a teaser without including spoilers. But here’s one that’s not too spoilerific, with a little bit of judicious snipping here and there:
“His exchange still waits for him, you see. His old trading partners slept for decades, but when he returned, they woke up, like faithful hounds hearing a friendly step in the hall.”
“Those things I saw weren’t faithful hounds.”
“Not all hounds are docile pets.”
No, indeed, they are not.
Viscosity 