Coldfire trilogy

[winter]

I don't think I'm up to a coherent review of C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy. Not yet, not now. But - if you haven't read it, do it. Please. You won't regret it.

I think I've found my Ultimate OTP, too. Though Andrys+Narilka are running a close second, simply because he's cute and she's kickass.



Damn :S The main problem about writing any potential Coldfire fic is the timeframe. There's just too much action packed into too few months and years. Anything set pre-Lema would have to be very one-sided, since IMHO it wasn't until Damien pulled him out of the fire that Gerald got the first knock on the head that had him seeing a little bit straighter and establishing the OMG!OTP. I'm not saying that I don't like twisted forbidden liaisons, mind you, and I definitely see a possibility for Gerald/Damien in the rakhlands. Surprisingly, the scene that draws me most is not the opening of the bond, but the similarly glossed-over coldfire mock-healing that Tarrant performs on Damien in the rakhene camp after pulling him out of the river.

The end of Black Sun Rising would be in some ways perfect for friendly-ish G/D, but there's just no time - all of Tarrant's moves are annoyingly accounted for. The voyage east would be a good opportunity, especially after Rasya kicks Damien out of bed, and I'll have to consider that. Too much canon character development going on in the east for much fic leeway, but I'm willing to let that slip simply because especially after Jenseny the duo are just so unconsciously married best friends. I'd say the voyage home, eleven months that we don't see, would be good too, but there's Sisa to consider, and I have a very, very bad feeling that Damien spent all of this time sulking mightily. Unless he slipped and started considering her presence as something normal until he was shaken out of it by her death, which would go aways to explaining how angry he is with Gerald at the beginning of Crown of Shadows.

Crown of Shadows - again, too fast and too packed, too full of despair perhaps, but oh, so easy to twist. Why'd you walk away, anyway, you dumb ox? Since when did you do what Gerald told you to? But realistically, unless I consider reworking a canon scene or two (not impossible, since Gerald's breaking his compact right and left as it is - what's a bit of emotional attachment and shagging on the side?), I'm left with post-Trilogy.

Which is damn easy. Gerald renounced and sacrificed part of his identity - the Hunter, the legend, the undying evil sorcerer bastard. No-one said anything about Gerald Tarrant the scientist, the Prophet, the careful manipulator of his line of descent, finally Gerald Tarrant the best friend of Damien Vryce. No reason for Damien not to follow him, tell him he's being an ass again, and tag along wherever fate and fancy takes them.

No reason, in fact, for there not to be a covert Tarrant family reunion at, say, the christening of the newest scion of the Tarrant line, with Gerald Garret critiquing everything from the cradle's design to the new draperies, Narilka having to beat Riven Forrest over the head with a frying pan to stop him from trying to cop a feel, and Andrys and Damien liberating a bottle of brandy to get drunk somewhere together and commiserate >:)

Mmmm. This would be very fun to write.

Oh, and I identified two distinct behavioural patterns between Gerald and Damien that prove they're so married:

Damien: *says something short-sighted*
Gerald: Wrong. Do as I say.
Damien: Grrr.
Gerald: *shadow of a smile*
Damien: *melts*

and

Gerald: *does something OOC for an evil vampire sorceror* *slams the door and runs*
Damien: *sigh* *follows*
Gerald: *is waiting and tapping his foot brooding. In the DARK. In the RAIN*
Damien: You're being an ass.
Gerald: I know.

Honestly. Those two need to go shopping for curtains already.

Comments

[winter]

One of the keys to Friedman's style is that it's very fragmented and visual - one of the images that I've retained is Damien watching Gerald in the rain during WTNF and the way a drop of water hangs on a strand of Gerald's hair. I sometimes write like that, but for some reason I'm in a nineteenth-century phase right now, with long sentences and lots of semicolons. Narilka's narration is especially bad that way, which I'm trying to blame on her maturing and changing in the two years that have passed.

Plus, not so much with the native speaker here either, though I've been learning for close to 20 years now :)

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Good point on the visual aspect. Still she manages to not go overboard with descriptions - it's a tricky balance to strike.

Then we're in the same situation, as far as language goes. ;-)

[winter]

That's why I'm not even attempting to strike it. Urgh. Maybe I should just write this and keep it on the harddrive :S