Show notes
D. T. Kane reads chapter 7 of his epic fantasy fiction novel, The Acktus Trials, and discusses the chapter with his audience.
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The Acktus Trials, an epic fantasy novel, available now: https://dtkane.com/books/the-acktus-trials/
Map of Oration: https://dtkane.com/resources/map-of-oration/
Characters in this Chapter: Baztian (Baz): Our main character Leanna: Torchsire Library’s Librarian Gar: Old Retiree
For those interested in the history of written language I brought up in this episode, check out the following Wikipedia articles: Linear B Syllabary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_B. “Linear B consists of around 87 syllabic signs and over 100 ideographic signs. These ideograms or “signifying” signs symbolize objects or commodities. They have no phonetic value and are never used as word signs in writing a sentence.” Phoenician Alphabet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenician_alphabet#Spread_and_adaptations. “The alphabet’s attractive innovation was its phonetic nature, in which one sound was represented by one symbol, which meant only a few dozen symbols to learn. The other scripts of the time, cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs, employed many complex characters and required long professional training to achieve proficiency; which had restricted literacy to a small elite.”
What I’m reading this week: Vlad Taltos, The Book of Jhereg, By Steven Brust (Audio: https://amzn.to/3sTCZCz eBook: https://amzn.to/3sv3q10) Silence of the Lambs, By Thomas Harris (Audio: https://amzn.to/3gIhdM4 eBook: https://amzn.to/3szeomi) (Narrated by Frank Muller, 1951-2008 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Muller)
Disclosure: The links above are affiliate links. If you make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. I use these commissions to pay for overhead such as hosting and editing costs. Thank you for supporting my show!
Below are my notes/script for the episode, not a verbatim transcription.
PERSONAL UPDATE
February 17, 2022 as I record this.
Nearly done with edits for Book 3 and Book 2, Declaimer’s Discovery cover is almost ready! Release date April 15 for Book 2.
Started training for a half marathon in May
Still reading same books as last week
Names on screen during analysis
Submit quest answers. There’s still time!
ANAYLIS CH. 7
Leanna’s workshop
Baz feels better just seeing her.
Power of the Conservators–no new Books can be made because Speakers can’t write. Conservators hold power because they’re the next best thing to writing new Books, and they also have the secret to elemental ink.
Leanna shows concern for Baz, which he appreciates. Obviously he doesn’t get that too often. But there’s clear conflict between them too. As Baz says, she’s “nestled into her place in society like everyone else.” When Baz suggests trying to get out of the Trials, she criticizes him for shirking his duty.
We learn Leanna’s mother was a Speaker, which apparently isn’t uncommon. We haven’t seen how Speakers are discovered, but Baz notes that children are tested at a young age: those who prove to be Bound become Speakers, those who aren’t go to the Conservatory.
Once again, we see a statue of a Book Dragon,
