A Matter of Horror by Robert Moriyama

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Megawatts
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A Matter of Horror by Robert Moriyama

Post by Megawatts »

Different magic art forms in a contest, and politics mixed together with busness friendships, set the stage for a concerted effort to win. And win they do! Al was quick on his feet, so to speak, and used his wits to win. <br><br>The description and dialogue made the characters come alive, and the 'loincloth' added another touch of realism. ( I'm sure even demon and vampires and wizard are irritated by their attire sometimes.)<br><br>"Light was provided by a mixture of candes, torches, captive fire elementals, and the occasional enchanted mirror, with the result that it felt like everything was in constant motion, including the stone walls and intricately-worked pillars." Very nice flow of words that mold themselves into a feeling of constant, shadow like movement all around. I like that description.<br><br>Mortals against the un-dead, magic against wits, and good dialogue on stage with a running description as the events unfold, make this one very entertaining. And the politics add a favor of realism.<br><br>
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Re: A Matter of Honor by Robert Moriyama

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

George, George ... flattery will get you everywhere, er, nowhere. (Since I already put 'Albino Alligator' online, I guess you're building up credit for 'ATM' ... sly fellow).<br><br>Robert M.
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Re: A Matter of Horror by Robert Moriyama

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

But. . . ahm. . . wasn't it called, "A Matter of Honor"?
Though considering the countess, Horror works too.
<br><br>If you saw the Countess (especially in a low-cut gown), horror would NOT be your first reaction. Now, the Wallachian Elder -- he would make the Tall Man from the Phantasm flicks, the Gentlemen from the Buffy TV series, and the aliens from Dark City look ... like Santa Claus by comparison.<br><br>Robert M.
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Re: A Matter of Horror by Robert Moriyama

Post by Daniel_Sosa »

I usually don't have time to read much of the website but this one sucked me in. I haven't read any other stories in the Al Majius series, now I'm very tempted to.<br><br>It reminded me a little of Terry Pratchett. Sharp wit and the switch in POV from Al to his wife during the contest was very effective.<br><br>"To the Final Death? That’s nasty."
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Re: A Matter of Horror by Robert Moriyama

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

...Robert, I couldn't help but wonder if A Matter of Honor might not have been inspired by my Al Rice story, The Mind Robbers (Issue 90 of Aphelion), where Al duels Breaha the Gorojinh in a battle of psychic powers.

Donald
<br><br>Um, not consciously. The 'matter of honor' title and dueling idea had been floating around in my head for a while; the Conlegium Magistris has Magister Blackstone as its Master of Combat Magic (introduced back in the June 2004 Aphelion, which predates Issue 90), so the idea of magical duels isn't a new one.<br><br>Actually, I was ripping off the Harry Potter and Harry Dresden books, both of which have the idea of formal duels. (Copyright lawyers note: I'm joking, and you'll never prove that I'm not. Neener neener neener.) Then there are the 'Scanners' movies based on David Cronenberg's original ideas, in which high-powered psychics usually end up duking it out in a less formal way ...)<br><br>That the Countess Lamia represented a centuries-old aristocracy (hell, SHE'S centuries old herself) made the Wallachian hierarchy seem like a natural place for 'a matter of honor' to be important.<br><br>In other words, I'm NOT giving you a share of the vast earnings that this story will bring in.<br><br>Robert "What? Me plagiarize?" M.<br>
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Re: A Matter of Horror by Robert Moriyama

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

"Githros shuffled his feet, his foot-talons carving gouges in the carpet, and whistled a few notes of an old demon pop song. A bird flying by the open window burst into flames and crash-landed on the pavement outside."

That is one of the most priceless 'throwaway' lines I've ever read! :)

Also, it's one of the most telling. Githros can do that just by singing a song? I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley when he's in a bad mood...


--Jeff Williams
<br><br>Well, in "A Matter of Urgency", Githros used some coarse language (actually, demonic 'coarse' language could better be described as downright chunky) when Al told me he couldn't go to Al's house to help Janine and Billy due to the presence of a box of encapsulated mana sinks (exposure to a similar box at the office had already weakened him). This had the unfortunate effect of causing said box of mana sinks to fall to the floor, shattering the water-filled glass globes and subjecting both Al and Githros to their full magic-draining effect.<br><br>When demons hold the demonic equivalent of a Friars' Club Roast, actually roasting has been known to occur.<br><br>Robert M.
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Re: A Matter of Horror by Robert Moriyama

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

A pleasant story... Robert has proven to be quite witty and downright funny, and I've always enjoyed these sort of supernatural race war stories. He also provided enough backstory to set the proper context for someone who has not read any of this series without drowning the principal action, and as been amply illustrated by other commentators delivered a well-written piece.

However, there really was no sense of menace here. If we were to be concerned in the least of Al not defeating the Baldie, such effect was lost on me. Was that by design? If so, what then was the purpose of this short tale? How does it move the series forward? I didn't get the sense that Al grew in some way from beginning to end. Remember I ask this without having read the rest of the stories, but it strikes me that any vehicle could've been used to set up a showdown with Morgenstern. Why this one?

Dan E.
<br><br>As it turns out, Al was correct and Lamia was wrong to assume that one of the highest-ranking Baldies would turn out to be Not Much of A Threat. All this really did in terms of the Big Story Arc was establish that Lamia and the Wallachians would help Al in any way they could when the big throwdown with Morgenstern occurs. I considered making the duel more dangerous, but basically ran out of time ... Maybe in the book version ::)<br><br>Al's cockiness here may a sign of trouble -- if he, like the Baldie leader, is overconfident, he may end up experiencing a nasty surprise or two. If he's lucky, it WON'T be Morgenstern delivering the surprise (since a Morgenstern surprise would likely be fatal).<br><br>Robert M.
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

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