The Big Idea

Today, Christopher's over at Scalzi's posting about The Big Idea behind Sandstorm*. Check it out:

Well, not to sound too flip, but it’s about characters. Or as I call them—as I think about them—people. Pretty strange people some of them; there’s a bibliophile assassin with the head of a crow and a pair of mute twins, sisters less than four feet high, who act as circus acrobats when they’re not acting as agents for that assassin. There are genies and minotaurs and evil priests, not to mention a jackal-headed woman who is a terrible bartender but (it’s hinted, anyway) a creditable poet in the epic vein. There’s a creature called a wyvern that looks like a two-legged dragon and acts like my dog Emma. There are powerful wizards, and clowns with crossbows. There’s an extraordinarily mean old woman who might have been a natural philosopher if she wasn’t a gladiator, and speaking of gladiators, there’s the hero of the book, a young man who’s been terribly used by the world named Cephas.

And if you're in the Lexington or greater Bluegrass area, come out to tomorrow night's launch party at the Morris Book Shop at 6 p.m.** I promise you cake! (And a fun time, and a good reading.)

See also: Dave Schwartz's fabulous reaction, which was very much the same as my own, minus the gaming impulse due to our different backgrounds. But, boy, do I love these characters.

*The Sandstorm promo is just about wrapped up, I promise. But I really do want you all to read this book so we can talk about it, gamers or not. ::g::

**It'll be the best event in town. Local first! *wink*

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