In
editing Enchanter lost 99,550 words ... yes, that's not
a typo. Enchanter was a huge manuscript to begin with
- it would have worked out to some 1,069 pages long (all of
it utterly worthwhile, I hasten to add!), but with paper prices
the way they are ... well ... Most of the wordage lost was minor
action in scenes (side action, almost) and one or two scenes
that we really didn't need, or scenes were rewritten from another
character's perspective which cut things down considerably.
(The reason why it was so long was because, like the other two
books, I wrote it entirely for myself ... something to do in
the evenings ... and I had a long cold winter to fill in! It
just dragged on ... and on ... and on ...) Now it runs to some
740 pages and it reads really quite well (Enchanter has
always been, for very personal reasons, my favourite book in
the trilogy).
By
the way, if you haven't listened to Pachelbel's Canon in D Major
yet, then make sure you do soon. It provided much of the inspiration
for Enchanter.
Enchanter
chiefly concerns the battle between Axis and his half-brother,
Borneheld. Axis knows he must unite the three races of Tencendor
in order to face Gorgrael, yet Borneheld is just as determined
to see that he does not get the chance. StarDrifter, together
with his mother MorningStar, turns Axis into one of the most
powerful Enchanters the Icarii have ever seen - yet in doing
so, they discover a fearful secret in his past. Gorgrael plays
a much larger role in Enchanter, as does the threatening
figure of the Dark Man; together they create a creature that
will wreak havoc from the skies. Much of Gorgrael's background
will be revealed - just how did those silly wraiths manage to
raise him, anyway? Azhure, already something of a puzzle, sinks
even deeper into mysteriousness, but eventually some of the
elements from her lost past will begin to fall into place. Faraday
learns more of her mission to help the trees but also, as does
Axis, learns how dreadfully the Prophecy can both lie and manipulate.
Talking
of both the Prophecy and lies and manipulations, in Enchanter
the Prophet himself makes his sinister presence felt, and some
of his relationship with the Sentinels will be revealed.
Axis
becomes more and more obsessed by the traitor in the third verse
of the Prophecy ... with all but tragic consequences.
The
Icarii lifestyle and culture (and especially use of the Star
Dance to weave enchantments) is explained is some detail; Talon
Spike itself is explored ... and with the Icarii we spend a
wild and tumultuous Beltide night.
And
yes, to all those who have asked, the donkeys continue to plod
through the plot. Whatever cataclysm envelops other characters,
those donkeys are going to continue to come through with sweet-tempered
serenity.
Read
an excerpt.
