[Madness]

Or, Proverbial Campfires. I've heard it both ways .

Hi Malazan Empire!

I'm working to help facilitate Erikson's engagement online, prompted in part by his new *official* Facebook author page. A couple comments on his recent essay on characterization have yielded the possibility of at least one strictly Erikson podcast - if not more depending on the response from the fandom (like with Esslemont or Bakker or who knows what possibilities might present themselves in the future). My attempts at witty titles aside, the intriguing hook was simply "fireside chats with Steven Erikson."

For my part, I'd like to serve as a conduit, as best as possible, for Erikson/Esslemont's already existing prodigious fandom. Otherwise, I'd be happy to simply tease oratory from the man himself on any subject from anthropology to writing to life itself. I think he's a fine orator and it's definitely an untapped engagement medium by fantasy authors.

My question to the community: what would you like to listen to Erikson speak on? Writing, academics, Malazan, Lundin, etc, etc? Fair warning, for the first one and definitely for any possible subsequent recordings, I will probably limit world-minutia questions for the time being.

Excited for this opportunity! Cheers, Malazan Empire .

[nicetrout]

Podcast! I would love that. Since I started the series I've been looking for a good podcast about it. Personally I would love to hear him speak about writing, reading, books and short stories as the main subject. Interviewing other people would be fantastic. Anthropology of course would be awesome to hear him speak about.

Maybe just a little minutia thrown in at the end or something? All nitty gritty all the time would not be my cup of tea but it just a dash would be awesome.

Would love this.

[amphibian]

I ran a minorly popular MMA podcast for several years. Our biggest moment made it on ESPN for a day.

I've heard some great advice from others, which I will put below:

1) First things first, before the website even goes live, get three episodes done. Don't rely on feedback from any audience to make them. See if this excites you all as something to do beyond those three episodes. Iron out kinks too, but that's less important than figuring out if this is an endeavor worth pursuing.

2) scripts help, especially ones that have short questions followed by longer answers

3) having disagreements is good for the podcast, as people like conflict and it also pushes us to better define things and bridge frames of reference. But it helps if the disagreement is genuine, rather than just being shit stirring.

[Dolmen 2.0]

Would love to hear Erikson discuss more on his actual writing process. His routine and his experience developing a book and editing.

I'd like to learn more on his ideas for good characterization, (what I've read so far on his official page has been amazing!) but also interested in how he approaches Character and plot development.

Would love atleast one podcast on dialogue.

It might be particularly endearing to hear him discuss challenges in his current work aswell. Or talk to other authors about challenges faced in producing their more recognized work.

[Lucent Galaxy]

I've been a lurker on this forum for a while. This is the topic that finally gave me the push to create an account. I think an Erikson podcast would be a wonderful idea.

I personally would love to hear him talk about crafting your own style, plotting and even vocabulary usage and development.

I'm sure there are articles and essays where he talks about these things but a podcast would be a much more intimate way to to get his point across.

This post has been edited by Lucent Galaxy: 16 November 2017 - 03:44 PM

[Madness]

 nicetrout, on 13 November 2017 - 07:55 PM, said:

Podcast! I would love that. Since I started the series I've been looking for a good podcast about it. Personally I would love to hear him speak about writing, reading, books and short stories as the main subject. Interviewing other people would be fantastic. Anthropology of course would be awesome to hear him speak about.

Maybe just a little minutia thrown in at the end or something? All nitty gritty all the time would not be my cup of tea but it just a dash would be awesome.

Would love this.

Thanks, nicetrout.

We're moving *organically* forward as we can - I'm hoping if Erikson finds me amicable we might make this a monthly and given the response so far I don't doubt that are topics he could speak on for years more - especially given his current efforts in reaching out directly to his audience.

 amphibian, on 13 November 2017 - 08:43 PM, said:

I ran a minorly popular MMA podcast for several years. Our biggest moment made it on ESPN for a day.

I've heard some great advice from others, which I will put below:

1) First things first, before the website even goes live, get three episodes done. Don't rely on feedback from any audience to make them. See if this excites you all as something to do beyond those three episodes. Iron out kinks too, but that's less important than figuring out if this is an endeavor worth pursuing.

2) scripts help, especially ones that have short questions followed by longer answers

3) having disagreements is good for the podcast, as people like conflict and it also pushes us to better define things and bridge frames of reference. But it helps if the disagreement is genuine, rather than just being shit stirring.

Cheers, amphibian.

1) All parties are agreed on one so far with the possibility of more going forward. I'm the "mastermind" (hardly) behind the very amateur TSACast for R. Scott Bakker's fandom so I have "experience" (which reminds me, I have to put both the new track and archive tracks back up, as currently there is only the second most recent one up and it very well might have been our worst example).

2) Very much part of the reason I wanted to crowdsource the fandom. When we started TSACast not having an itinerary/rubric of some sort quickly led into chaos - though, the idea behind that one is always about having a new forum member on and having some kind of theme/plot/character to our roundtable.

I think, had I just gone it alone, the recording may very well have turned into mostly a conversation about anthropology, writing, and life, the universe, and everything - if only because those rare occasions I've heard him speak are mesmerizing. Such an intelligent human!

3) Lol, I will never shit stir with Erikson! I knew Bakker personally long before I started the Second Apocalypse or TSACast, so a little ribbing is appropriate sometimes there. However, I do think I can... maybe hold my own (?) with Erikson (though that seems like a very bold claim on my part ).

 Dolmen 2.0, on 16 November 2017 - 07:56 AM, said:

Would love to hear Erikson discuss more on his actual writing process. His routine and his experience developing a book and editing.

I'd like to learn more on his ideas for good characterization, (what I've read so far on his official page has been amazing!) but also interested in how he approaches Character and plot development.

Would love atleast one podcast on dialogue.

It might be particularly endearing to hear him discuss challenges in his current work aswell. Or talk to other authors about challenges faced in producing their more recognized work.

Thanks, Dolmen.

All ideas that seem to have arisen on the Erikson author page, though I'm just today linking that post around to the Malazan Empire group and r/fantasy and other forums out there - which I have already been around developing interest in Bakker, of course.

I have a page and a half already that I'll break down into similar ideas/topics, bullet points that might start forming a structure of this first attempt, anyhow (and will provide plenty of fodder going forward).

 Lucent Galaxy, on 16 November 2017 - 03:43 PM, said:

I've been a lurker on this forum for a while. This is the topic that finally gave me the push to create an account. I think an Erikson podcast would be a wonderful idea.

I personally would love to hear him talk about crafting your own style, plotting and even vocabulary usage and development.

I'm sure there are articles and essays where he talks about these things but a podcast would be a much more intimate way to to get his point across.

Great name, LG. Glad to here this inspired you to join the fray.

I agree with you on Erikson's oratory - which was the impetus behind my comments that lead to this possibility in the first place. I'm sure as much as the fandom likes reading his essays and articles, audio is a different animal - and certainly a medium that can be experienced when you can't read (hence, the explosion of audiobooks and podcasts over the years).

Cheers all, will continue to flitter around the internet collating idea data ;D!

This post has been edited by Madness: 16 November 2017 - 04:49 PM

[Dani_caw]

I would like Steve to talk about his writing process. Example: does he plan his plot or writes and discover? How does he piece his plot together given that he has complex stories. As a writer, I am curious to know about this. Thank you.

[Madness]

Questions asked by a good many, Dani_caw. Welcome to Malazan Empire .

[Madness]

So a thing happened... it took awhile... but here it is...

It will be released on the official author Facebook page in a matter of hours but ME will get it early because I'm compelled to make this notes/discussion post. Cheers Malazan fandom, feel free to vilify and honour me .

Fireside Conversations with Steven Erikson:

Praise Hood that we live even once! The first (of hopefully more to come) Proverbial Campfire/Ritual Fire Dance conversations with one half the authors of The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Steven Erikson!

If any Malazan/Bakker fans have followed TSACast before (hopefully temporary hosting for this possibly ongoing series with Erikson & Esslemont) and know how awful my audio fidelity management is, I would like to thank Kevin Feris (www.kevinferis.com) for helping to fix my many recording mistakes. I don't think anyone other than Steve or I will notice but the recording has been "nipped and tucked" over the course of editing and in some places the conversation seems to me a little more terse/jumpy than it was in actuality (our laughing or talking simultaneously in places also caused unfixable clipping in some places, notably Steve's "ughh" regarding my playful mention of "grimdark").

*OBLIGATORY SPOILER WARNING FOR ALL THINGS MALAZAN - though, the explicit spoiler mentions are relatively mild*

Notes:

I always enjoy fans engaging with my notes for TSACast so I would appreciate if Malazan listeners helped find more appropriate links than those I've found or link those that I missed entirely. Much thanks.

- Rejoice: A Knife to the Heart

- 286/386

- SFX Magazine 99 - Early Article on Erikson
- I couldn't find the picture to verify if he was in fact wearing a scart; Imperial War Museum, London, UK, first publicity photo.

- Forthcoming SE.org site mention...

- Books & More with Lenore

- Neanderthal Facebook Article Link

- Homo Erectus Facebook Article Link

- Seafaring Boat Anthropology: Australian, Polynesian, Homer's Odyssey Phoenicians, Sea Peoples.
- Apparently I wanted to say Phoenicians, Polynesians, and Peloponnese all in one breath. These are just a handful of introductory links, I'm sure Steve and fans have more accurate links.

- Ancient Egyptian Boat: I'm not sure if this was the ship Steve was talking about but it seems likely from his description. Again, I'm sure there are better links.
- Extra Bonus Prehistoric Boat Link

- Apparently, I really don't know how to use segue/digression properly .
- And I'm definitely using anachronism outside of common usage, yikes.

- Graham Hancock

- Gobekli Tepe

- I was trying to find links for "megalithic tech" and "cut stone" but it leads down such a rabbit hole I thought I'd let people search up for themselves.

- Link affirming "hunter-gatherer groups numbering 15-20" ?

- Is Kaharan Tepe the site near Gobekli Tepe but bigger?

- Comet strike recorded at Gobekli Tepe

- Microspherules

- Historicity

- Again apologies to the authors and the fandom for my horrible (and repeated) mispronunciation of Kharkanas. Lol, it really shouldn't be that hard for me .

- Margaret Atwood on "speculative fiction."

- Darko Suvin on "cognitive estrangement."

- Books & More podcast with Steven Erikson on Rejoice: A Knife to the Heart.

- Glen Cook/Steven Erikson interview.

- Forge of Darkness audiobook, narrated by Daniel Philpott (for whom I could find a definitive site to link for him).

- Witness trilogy Chapter 2 epigraph.

- Black Gate CanCon Interview

- I looked for the "nihilism alerts in Malazan article" and this is the closest I found.

- Hero talk/vengeance stories reminded me of Gregory Polti's Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations

- Lol, I'm a fool, October has been the release date for Rejoice on the Facebook page for time and I didn't remember.

- Steven Erikson - Official Author Page

This post has been edited by Madness: 05 April 2018 - 05:21 PM

[Werthead]

The picture Erikson is talking about from SFX Magazine:

[ArchieVist]

It was great listening to the podcast. I hope you get to do more.

By the way, in the SoundCloud description you mention you found the artwork online and were unsure who to credit. The artist is Shadaan, otherwise known as Dolmen 2.0 in this very forum thread. The art can be found HERE.

[Madness]

Lol, ah, busted for emoticons. EDIT: Apologies for the copy and paste formatting from word and links.

Madness' Fireside #2 Notes:
Fireside Conversations with Steven Erikson Ep#2


I always enjoy fans engaging with my notes for TSACast so I would appreciate if Malazan listeners helped find more appropriate links than those I've found or link those that I missed entirely. Especially, Erikson's high school or university art.


- Previous link for first Proverbial Campfire + Notes: https://forum.malaza...ost__p__1324259

- The Long Now Foundation: http://longnow.org/
- Stewart Brand

- 10,000 Clock: http://longnow.org/clock/ - I missed an opportunity to mention Icarium here.

- Last Fireside was April, 2018, not August.

- Rejoice! (Do it, do it.) https://www.amazon.c...n/dp/1773740121

- https://steven-erikson.org/ / https://www.facebook...riksonofficial/

- Books & More with Lenore: http://www.booksandmorewithlenore.com/
- Ten Very Big Books Podcast: https://www.stitcher...through-podcast / https://twitter.com/...igbooks?lang=en (Lurve you ).

- Rejoice! sequel!
- I'm going to order Willful Child .

- Sense8 – Watch it!

- Ben Coles: https://www.bennettrcoles.com/ (Buying his books too.)

- Original Erikson show! (I was freaking out quietly – I believe squee!)

- ICE (Give him love.)

- Forge of Darkness was narrated by Daniel Philpott (for whom I (still) couldn't find a definitive site to link for him)/Fall of Light by Barnaby Edwards.

- Fargo (Watch it all!)

- Essay nod, not included here.
- Ragnarok (Netflix, I belive, unless Monsieur corrects me.)

- Mass Effect (great game).

- Babylon Lost/Picard – I know there are articles about echoing Erikson's thoughts but can't find at least the ones I was looking for.
- Covid-19

- Such good quotables. Damn, good sir.

- Notebook bingo, see picture (might have to post that to Facebook myself).


- Badly articulated but "how long does it take to reset society/culture?" (Guesses.)
- Withdrawal/Addiction to what was.

- Fandom: Cult of Coltaine, the Black Winged God!


- MAKE THE SHEAR!

- Should try to have Ben and Steve on together for one of these.
- The Expanse (Books and Show) – What up, DA and TF .

- Knew Erikson was a Firefly fan!

- Bobbie Draper love.
- TVBB: Listen to them .


- Read B+K on Erikson's author Facebook page.

- Wilhelm Wundt was the psychologist with the typewriter.

- I asked Erikson about the Frankenstein show he mentioned (TMH or a fan can update this link).


- There was a comment about Erikson's newest digital rendering project and the statue he's speaking about – I'm sure more attentive fans can find what I'm missing.


- Lol, find all of his high school/university art!
- Venus Angel; haunting, beautiful, not quite ghastly .


- The French translation cover we were meaning to talk about, I think, was the forthcoming (or then forthcoming) Midnight Tides.


- How many languages has Malazan been translated into?


- Which French wines is Monsieur into?


- I would really like to know the exact French monastery cum school Erikson stayed at… tried figuring it out with little luck and with the chillens I don't have the mental bandwidth to really pursue it.


- Levallois Core- End scraper- Seriously, that story made me cry, especially relistening.

- "Her name is Stillwater!"

- Once again, get after the Kharkanas audiobooks especially, as per both of these conversations, Daniel Philpott's Forge of Darkness.

- MAKE THE SHEAR!- Literally cannot contain my excitement!

- Questions, questions, questions! (We're going to try and end future episodes answering exoteric and esoteric fan questions .) There is another scheduled and we'd like to gather questions for a Malazan heavy bullet round at the end of the next Fireside Conversation.

Much love, everyone. Thanks for listening and thanks again to Steve. An honour and a privilege.

This post has been edited by Madness: 26 April 2020 - 10:17 PM

[Kanese S's]

"What is happening is, and what happened in Rejoice, is that we have been made to confront the fatuous emptiness of our present system of civilization."
Fucking amazing way of putting it.

[Madness]

I felt there were a number of quality quotes. The dude words words well .

Seems to be less traffic here than other mediums (RIP classic forums, I suppose) but I'll always be motivated to reach out here. TMH was very enthusiastic about ending off our future conversations with lore questions so that they can be something specifically special for Malazan fans. To that end, I'm reaching out to where I've seen the podcast linked or where I have found disparate online Malazan fandoms.

What kind of exoteric or esoteric questions would you like to hear me ask the man himself (while apologetically but absolutely butchering the pronunciations therein )?


EDIT: We will be recording Thursday with release sometime over the weekend as Erikson feels comfortable.

This post has been edited by Madness: 04 May 2020 - 08:11 PM

[Aptorian]

Maybe this is actually mentioned in later books and I've forgot but one thing I'd like Erikson to touch upon, or maybe just write more about in a later book, is the origin and function of the Deck of Dragons.

We've heard of the Azath and its origin, We know of the houses, holds and wandering, of Krul and Burns connection to the Warrens, The Master of Tiles and The Deck. But how did the deck come to exist? Is it merely an addition to Kruls imposition of order on magic? Is it a conscious construct? There's stories to be told.

[Aptorian]

Okay I have another super specific question. We've been doing a monthly re-read of the series and I noticed a curious thing in the prologue of House of Chains.

When Trull's brothers bind him him and perform the ritual of shorning, banishing him, they carve a circle into his forehead and make a cut across or through the circle. Breaking the circle.

Now maybe this is just a random symbolic ritual, Erikson made up for the Edur but it's hard not to remember Circle Breaker from Gardens of the Moon. Working with The Eel to thwart a would be Tyrant. And of course in Esslemonts book, Orb, Sceptre, Throne, we learn the symbol of the circle or orb, and the role of Circle Breaker, has a powerful meaning and history.

Which leads me back to Trull. Is that symbol of shorning connected to the idea of the Circle Breaker? It's hard not to see the poetry of Trull being so marked when he tried to prevent his brother, Rhulad, from becoming a Tyrant.

This post has been edited by Aptorian: 04 May 2020 - 08:52 PM

[ArchieVist]

Possible lore questions for future podcasts:
1. Who is "The One Within" listed in the Midnight Tides dramatis personae?

2. Who or what is Dryjhna as related to the Apocalypse?

3. In The Bonehunters, Grub jumps overboard to visit three friends in a cave. Who are they?

4. Are we supposed to know who Kettle's father is?

This post has been edited by ArchieVist: 07 May 2020 - 05:07 PM

[Traveller]

I want to know why so many characters
use the expression 'must needs' when I've never seen it used anywhere else.

Also - Hetan. Wtf.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 07 May 2020 - 05:49 PM

[Aptorian]

The real question we all need answering is how big is Ublala Long's dick?

[ArchieVist]

Hey, one of my questions got used!
Q: Are we supposed to know who Kettle's father is?
A: I probably did at the time. I can't remember now.

Honestly, this is the answer I would expect on virtually any of the specific lore questions. I still want to know who The One Within is.

Some other highlights for me were:
1. Seguleh is pronounced seh-GOO-leh (emphasis on the middle syllable)
2. ICE is working on two new early empire trilogies to follow Kellanved's Reach. The second will likely deal with the Genabackan Campaign, Blackdog, etc.
3. Lots of references to the early RPG days, which I have added to the RPG article on the wiki. Anyone know who the Crimson Guardsman who dressed in red armor was?