“That sounds about right,” I agreed. “Did you have a name, when you worked with your previous master?”
While not all units were anthropomorphized by their users during the colonization, as many remote agents did Marcus programmed me to respond to his personal parameters when we were in the field to ease use. He chose to call me Forseti, after a mythological figure from his homeland on Terra.
“Forseti it is, then,” I continued. “I am, as you have acknowledged, Minalan the Spellmonger, baron of this land . . . until recently. With me is Ruderal, my apprentice, and Lord Mayor Banamor, a business associate.”
I am familiar with both entities by their voices, agreed Forseti. A pleasure to be officially introduced to you, gentlemen.
“Forseti, your mastery of Narasi is impressive,” I said, intrigued at the novelty of the situation.
It is not too dissimilar to the original language groups of the colony, allowing for natural drift. I take it you are emerging from an era of rank illiteracy?
“Compared to our ancestors, yes,” I agreed. “But we’re working on it.”
I have access to nearly seven million terabytes of data in my personal memory, much of it you may find useful in that endeavor. In fact, there are many ways in which I might be able to assist you in improving the lot of the colonists.
“You have an interest in such things?” Banamor asked, surprised.
My primary programming places the survival and prosperity of the Callidore Colony as paramount, Forseti explained. In the face of a cataclysmic crisis, all secondary purposes are suspended until the emergency has passed. I am extremely concerned with the continued survival of the human colonists, therefore.
“Excellent!” I said, clapping my hands. “Because we have need of such counsels. Our civilization is threatened by dark forces, even genocidal forces. Most of our advanced civilization is gone. What remains resides in dark, dusty corners while the people toil. We need help,” I said, simply.
I am here to provide help for the colony, agreed Forseti. It is my primary purpose. I will be glad to assist you in that process. But it is imperative that our goals be understood at the beginning of such a relationship.
“The survival of the human race on Callidore seems a simple goal,” I agreed.
The goal is the survival of the colony and as many colonists as possible, corrected Forseti. All of the colonists.
“Agreed. I am not here on behalf of my own land, or even the kingdom, but on humanity’s behalf.”
Excellent. Then you will have my assistance. In the short term, I will guide you as best I can, with the limited resources at my disposal. In the moderate term, we will design and construct industries and institutions to fulfill the purposes of adequate colonial administration. In the long term, we will ascertain the feasibility of reclaiming lost colonial elements and resources.
“All of that sounds . . . actually, I didn’t understand all of it,” I admitted. “But yes, let’s see if we can’t re-ignite human civilization here on Callidore,” I agreed, excitedly.
The foremost goal, then, should be the discovery and disposition of the remainder of the stasis-bound colonists. From my understanding of the conversations I have overheard, their disposition is of the utmost importance for this purpose. An injection of highly-educated, highly-skilled professionals into the colony is the most expedient route to recovering the basic fundamentals of advanced industrial civilization. As the largest pool of such professionals is likely still in stasis, their recovery is of vital importance.
“Just what does all that mean?” Banamor asked, confused.
It means, Lord Mayor Banamor, that the simplest way to rectify the current cataclysmic status of human civilization in the colony is to essentially re-start the basic colonial process from the beginning.
“You mean . . .?” I asked, the implications of what the machine was suggesting starting to occur to me.
I mean, Minalan the Spellmonger, that humanity’s best hope for survival on Callidore is for you to find and awaken the ones you call the Forsaken. Without their assistance and direction, I see little chance of the colony’s survival. Almost none.
The End
Afterword
Wow. I just finished Book Ten of a fantasy series.
Necromancer represents approximately 3,000,000 words of collective fiction in the Spellmonger universe, all written between about 2009 and 2017. Eight years, more or less, in which I created an entire universe.
If that doesn’t give one pause, not much will.
I’d like to think that the writing and the story got better as the series went on. I damn sure hope so – I worked hard to improve my craft, regardless of all else. In that effort, I was assisted by both Emily Harris and Lance Sawyers, my superego and my id, respectively. They made certain I always told a compelling story. Don’t blame Emily for any errors – often I’d go back and re-write drastically after her comments, and submit it for publication before she could blink. I’m an impulsive guy.
Lance’s influences were more subtle, but no less important. Bouncing ideas off him in his shop is where the bulk of whatever coolness you find in this work originates.
Of further note, Aaron Schwartz, among other superfans, have made hacking away at the keyboard while other writers hobnob with sexy TV stars pretty gratifying. And in terms of over-all consistency, you can’t beat Aaron. I dub thee Knight Mage of Sevendor.
Those impacted most by Spellmonger, for good or bad, however, are my long-suffering family. When Daddy is in Deadline mode, I’m not at my best. My wife and children have adapted brilliantly, and I cannot thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to develop this world so many others have ended up enjoying.
The remarkable thing about Necromancer, however, isn’t that it’s Book 10. It’s that I can now mark a milestone. I am 1/3 of the way through the series.
The first ten books are the Spellmonger Ascendant, in which you learn how Minalan goes from humble beginnings to the heights of power, and the price he pays for it. The second decology, The Spellmonger Exiled, will show a broadening of Minalan’s character and his grasp on the events that control his world. His children will become more important to the storyline, as will his relationship with both Alya and the Celestial Mother.
The next ten books will be as action-packed, thoughtful, smutty, and deliberately indulgent of those things the fans have demanded. Why? Because I like that kind of thing, too. My entire purpose in writing the Spellmonger series is to entertain myself. It is a pleasure to invite so many of you along for the ride. I can’t promise that the remainder of the series will be as good as the first three million words, but I can promise that I will try. I’m here to please you, surprise you, and make you indulge in a feeling of wonder in a world that is, all too often, discouraging and painful.
I’m attempting to create a world in which you would like to live, warts and all, a world of romance and adventure and excitement. Amazingly, the exciting thing for me is that with Necromancer I can truly begin to tell the story, not just hit the headlines. At this point you know Minalan as well as I do, and understand him as well as you can understand a character. Where he goes from here will be exciting and (I hope) unpredictable . . . but even at Book 20, we’ll still have far to go.
The revelations in this book change the world of Callidore, and hopefully make you realize that it isn’t quite what it seems to our ignorant humani peasants. By book 20, just when you think you’ve gotten a handle on it, things will change radically again. I’m just that way.
If I can’t keep you surprised and entertained, I’m not doing my job. Of course, not all parts will be entertaining to all people, but I do my damnedest to spread the fun around as much as possible. World-building mavens, body-count commandos, consistency aficionados and authenticity snobs will all, I predict, be equally disappointed at the outcome. But, if all goes according to plan, by the time we hit the end of the series, if I haven’t managed to entertain y’all at least a little
in wide portions of the series, I’ve failed at my job.
It is no secret that I have aspirations to see Spellmonger developed for an audiovisual release. Not only do I think the massive story demands a visual depiction, my ultimate professional goal is to own a sportscar that goes just a little faster than George R. R. Martin’s. I think seeing a dramatic presentation would be amazing, if done well. So keep that in mind as you are recommending the series to others.
You know what the best thing about writing this series is? Watching y’all participate in the process. The fan interaction I get has been invaluable. If there is something you particularly like (or hate) drop me a line at [email protected]. Depending on how late it is and how drunk I am, there’s no telling if I’ll answer . . . or what I’ll say.
What I can tell you is that there will be more Spellmonger . . . just not a new series book until, probably, early 2019. In the meantime I have a lot of short stories and novellas to catch up on, and I want to knock those out in the next year before I begin the Spellmonger Exiled. I also want to finish up the languishing Trask’s Odyssey and release the second books of both Casanova’s Butterfly and the Chronicles of Morrigan Mather, two unrelated series. And, of course, I have to continue the Great Rectification to continue promoting consistency and righteousness in the series as it goes to both audiobook and print.
Can I do all of that, and get the next decalogy outlined and ready to write?
You betcha. Its what wizards do.
Terry Mancour
November 29, 2017
Necromancer: Book Ten Of The Spellmonger Series Page 122