Within the archipelagos the islands differ from one another in shape and size, the largest as much as eighteen times the size of the smallest. Some possess natural harbors, some do not. All are within a day of hard paddling from at least one other, and most have a neighbor close enough that ferries transit back and forth from dawn to dusk. Beyond minor patches of beach, all are covered with rain forests representing several dozen types of meta-trees that could easily be considered the dominant native life form. On every island, the Fant have built their homes high in these trees, in a section that is always referred to as the Civilized Wood.
Belp—a central island of the eastern archipelago, famous for having a shape like a Lox’s left ear.
Emmt—a popular destination for young bachelors traveling from Keslo.
Gerd—a smallish, nearly circular island that is considered the central island of the western archipelago. Fant often refer to other islands in the chain with respect to their position relative to Gerd.
Kelpry—an island south and west of Gerd in the western archipelago.
Keslo—an island located near the northeastern portion of the western archipelago. It is home to Jorl ben Tral.
Phran—an island north of Gerd but still a good ways south and west of Keslo. On an eastern beach of Phran, Pizlo believes he will see his fifth moon in the near future.
Relfa—the westernmost island of the eastern archipelago, it is a popular destination for groups of young men crossing over from the other island chain.
Telba—an island to the north of Keslo. A Speaker there published a book of imramha after interviewing various adventurers.
Yargo—a tiny island in the southeastern section of the eastern archipelago, it is famous nowadays as the birthplace of Margda, the Matriarch of Barsk. Her childhood dwelling, once home to nearly a hundred children, mothers, aunts, and female cousins, is now a vast museum, complete with research library and gift shop. Tours are given twice daily.
Zlorka—a part of the western archipelago, it is considered the most cosmopolitan of islands. Zlorka is the only land mass on the planet to touch the equator. It is home to the premiere university on Barsk, as well as the anchor point for the space elevator that transports goods to an automated station in orbit.
APPENDIX THREE: THE MOONS OF BARSK
Barsk has seven natural moons orbiting it (eight if you count the artificial station that serves as the planet’s export facility and hovers at the top of the space elevator high above the only island situated on the equator). Every schoolchild knows that rain is the greatest constant on the planet, and regardless of the season the skies are always filled with clouds. That said, weather is by definition a dynamic system, and the only true constant is that now and then you have to expect inconstancy. So it is that at times a small patch of cloud will clear and a view of the sky occurs for anyone lucky enough to be there to enjoy it. On exceptionally rare and unpredictable occasions, that brief opening will align with a particular orbit and allow a glimpse of one of the moons. Of course, living within their islands’ respective Civilized Woods, most Fant are not out and about with a view of the sky when such providence occurs. Most females go their entire lives without seeing a moon, and though males are more apt to be in the right time and place while traveling between islands, even so it is considered a moment of profound portents to see a moon.
Pemma—the second smallest of Barsk’s seven moons. It was the third one Pizlo saw, and the moon which (he claims) instructed him to stowaway aboard a cargo pod and travel up to the orbiting space station.
Telko—the largest of the moons. This was Pizlo’s fourth moon, seen from the viewport of the orbiting station.
Wella—the smallest of the moons, it has a more oblate shape, heavier in its bottom half than top. Pizlo believes he will see this moon during the season of dark in the next year. For reasons that are unknown to this author, Wella is always referred to as having a masculine aspect.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LAWRENCE M. SCHOEN holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics, and is a certified hypnotherapist. He’s one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Klingon language, and the publisher behind the speculative fiction small press Paper Golem. He’s been a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award, the Hugo Award, and the Nebula Award. Lawrence lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
www.lawrencemschoen.com, or sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Epigraph
1. A Death Detoured
2. Possibilities and Myths
3. Airy Glyphs
4. Solutions in Memory
5. Reciprocal Reference
6. Orders and Choices
7. Parental Disappointment
8. Venue and Vision
9. A Voice of Silence
10. Moonlight
11. Problematic Probability
12. Ancestral Lands
13. Leaving Home
14. Improper Implications
15. Meeting Silence
16. Unexamined Corners
17. Dead Voices
18. One-sided Conversation
19. Degrees of Wrong
20. Violations
21. Contact
22. Expediency
23. Far from Home
24. Dead to Dead
25. Near and Soon
26. Concurrence of Vision
27. Blind Endgame Beginning
28. Levels of Difference
29. Choice and Sacrifice
30. Lock and Key
31. Unwelcome Houseguests
32. Ghost in the Machine
33. Legion
34. Ill Met by Moonlight
35. The Face of God
36. Lethe
37. Forgotten Sins
38. Loose Ends
Epilogue: Proper Goodbyes
Appendix One: Races of the Alliance
Appendix Two: The Islands of Barsk
Appendix Three: The Moons of Barsk
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
BARSK: THE ELEPHANTS’ GRAVEYARD
Copyright © 2015 by Lawrence M. Schoen
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Victo Ngai
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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New York, NY 10010
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Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Schoen, Lawrence M.
Barsk: the elephants’ graveyard: an anthropomorphic novel / by Lawrence M. Schoen.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-7653-7702-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-5339-3 (e-book)
1. Imaginary wars and battles—Fiction. 2. Space warfare—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3619.C44927B38 2015
813'.6—dc23
2015023323
e-ISBN 9781466853393
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First Edition: December 2015
Lawrence M. Schoen, Barsk
Barsk Page 33