Wednesday 5 January 2022

Jack Birnam And Stormgate

"Rescue on Avalon."

Might Jack Birnam become the first human member of Stormgate Choth? He and any guests of his will always be welcome in the Weathermother. The choth will pay to cure his allergy. He becomes proud to call the Wyvan his friend. But this is speculation. To read about human members of Stormgate and Highsky, we must turn to Christopher Holm/Arinnian and to Tabitha Falkayn/Hrill in The People Of The Wind but that is another narrative and another day of rereading. (Also, it has been posted about a lot before.)

What better symbol of Avalonian unity than the tall trees outside Ayan's hospital window?

"...- Avalonian king's crown, Ythrian windnest, Earthly oak - ..." (p. 321)

- especially when, as we are told, light spills from heaven and the air sings.

Avalon has no natives so the name, "king's crown," must have been bestowed by human settlers.

This story is followed by Hloch's single-page AFTERWORD to the Earth Book, ending:

"Fair winds forever." (p. 323)

After that, we are plunged into a later period of the Technic History that is so discordantly violent that I  do not want to go back there right now.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

While possible, it's not necessarily the case that Jack Birnam enrolled as a member of Stormgate Choth. Simply no longer resenting or being hostile to Ythrians and now proud to call the Stormgate Wyvan his friend does not have to mean joining that choth.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

Of course not but it could be a step in that direction. This is a potential connecting story.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

That I do agree with.

Ad astra! Sean