Hello all,

I know, it's been a long, loooong time. So much so that some of you have wondered whether your names have dropped off the list and you've missed a newsletter. You haven't. And you're still there on the list too. It's just that I've been rather busy with my salaried work recently, and haven't had a chance to put finger to keyboard to compose a newsletter - that and the fact that although there's been a flurry of activity on the site recently, it was lying somewhat fallow for a while. But now I'm pleased to tell you all that there is a veritable bonanza of new stuff on the site, and some very important GGK news to report. And I had the added impetus of vacation looming - I wanted to get this out to you all before I go away on a holiday that will include Torcon! My very first convention... I'm looking forward to it. There will be some Bright Weavings denizens attending, I know, but if anyone else reading this is going to be there - and you spot me - do introduce yourselves! And now, without further ado, to the news...

GGK News
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> Completion!

It is my very great pleasure to announce that a few weeks ago, GGK completed his latest novel. It is my even greater pleasure to tell you that the confirmed title of the new book is The Last Light of the Sun. The novel will be published around March/April of next year. Other details we know are that it is a single-volume work, and that it takes place in the same world as that of The Lions of Al-Rassan and The Sarantine Mosaic. And we now have only around six months to wait!

> Appearances

GGK will be attending Torcon, which takes place over the last weekend in August, in Toronto. I don't have any more details yet of whether he will be doing readings/signings etc, but if I do get them, I'll put them on the website in the news/readings section, so do check back there. Meanwhile, he will be reading at the Hart House Library of the University of Toronto on September 30th, at an evening on behalf of the Editors' Association of Canada. Two authors will read prior to GGK. The evening will run from 7 to 9 pm. The second evening of the reading series will occur on October 7th, a Tuesday.

Bright Weavings News
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> Wooden Rocket Awards

This is more of a thank you than a news item, really, but in the 2003 Wooden Rocket Awards celebrating excellence in online sf and fantasy, an award conducted by SFCrowsnest.com, Bright Weavings was one of the two runners-up in the 'Best Author Site' category. More than 12,000 people voted in the awards, and I'm thrilled to have achieved runner-up, particularly since the winning site and the other runner-up were both professionally designed sites commissioned by the author rather than the amateur authorized fan site that Bright Weavings is. So for any of you that voted for Bright Weavings, thank you! And to see the winners in all the categories, you can see the awards home at: http://www.computercrowsnest.com/wooden/index.shtml.

What's New on Bright Weavings
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> Beyond this Dark House reviews

"The opening poem, "Night Drive: Elegy," which follows an autumn drive through Winnipeg neighbourhoods and into the narrator's past, sets the mood of the collection - twilit, solitary, and infused with longing."

"Kay clearly attempted to select pieces that would appeal to readers of his novels, illuminating some of the same motifs and themes that appear in his prose work - notably a preoccupation with the past, and a tendency to ring changes on well-known myths and legends. It's excellent poetry on its own terms, too, however, with no direct connection to his novels."

"Kay's images are translucent, his poetry modern in form and yet with an instinctive and innate classicism which speaks to me."

These are just a few quotes from the three reviews of GGK's new book of poetry that we have on the site. Worth reading in their entirety (the reviews, and the poetry!), you can read them here:

http://www.brightweavings.com/reviews/revbeyonddarkhouse.htm

And to remind you, it is also possible for you to order a signed copy of the book via the Toronto bookshop 'Book City' - or you can always order it from Amazon.ca - and if you click through to Amazon.ca from the Bright Weavings website then I'll get a small percentage, for which you will have my thanks! Here is the link to the page on the website that gives you Book City's number and details, and allows you to click through to amazon.ca:

http://www.brightweavings.com/buyingbooks.htm

> Sailing to Sarantium review

Eventually there will be a Lord of Emperors review to complement this one, but it's still well worth reading this review by Thomas Wagner of SF Reviews.Net. Here's the beginning of the review...

"In truest Kay fashion, the 40-page prologue to Sailing to Sarantium—this modern master's first foray into series fiction since The Fionavar Tapestry over a decade earlier—could stand alone as a story in its own right. It is a shining example of how backstory should be handled; Kay builds the foundation of his new series through talespinning rather than dry exposition. It is one of the reasons why Kay is so much more satisfying than most of the wannabees who rule the bestseller lists in fantasy today."

And you can continue reading here: http://www.brightweavings.com/reviews/revsarantium.htm#sfreview

> A Question of Character

Another interview for the site, fairly brief, but with some interesting tidbits in it, this one by Sandy Auden for the UK SF channel website. Read it here:

http://www.brightweavings.com/ggkswords/sfchannel.htm

> More Cover Art...

We've got two new sets of covers to enhance the Art Gallery - the new Canadian paperback covers of The Sarantine Mosaic, similar to the hardbacks but with some noteworthy differences, and the set of two covers for the two-volume Finnish edition of Tigana, together with some comments from the artist as to how and why he came to create the covers as he did. Some lovely work...

Canadian paperback covers of The Sarantine Mosaic http://www.brightweavings.com/artgallery/covsarantium.htm#canpb
Finnish covers for Tigana http://www.brightweavings.com/artgallery/covtigana.htm#finn

> A Song for Arbonne: De-romanticised fantasy

We have a new article for the scholarship section of the site; not a formal academic work, but worthy of inclusion there; it is an incisive look at the play of power and politics and much more in Arbonne. Originally written in French, it was translated into English by our very own denizen Francois Vincent (thank you!) and is available to read in both the original French and the English translation:

http://www.brightweavings.com/scholarship/nath_arbonne_french.htm - French
http://www.brightweavings.com/scholarship/nath_arbonne.htm - English

> Dianora

Martin Springett writes: "Dianora has touched me more than any other character in Guy's novels, I must confess. Her character is defined by war and loss and tempered by love. Her anguish as a woman in a male world, her love of the man who placed the knife in her soul, and the vengful act that she knows will finally extinguish her soul if she acts upon it. All these thoughts were with me when I felt I had to write something..."

And write he did, or rather, compose - I am proud to announce the addition of a beautiful, haunting instrumental piece on guitar and cello, composed by Martin, inspired by Dianora:

http://www.brightweavings.com/music/index.htm#dianora

In the Forums
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We've had some activity in the forums recently - but since I haven't written a newsletter in a few months, I'd like to take a moment to revisit an older thread on the boards, but one that occasioned much creativity and amusement (and got one lucky denizen a signed copy of Beyond this Dark House!)

> The Winning Limerick

Well, it was a long time ago, and it was announced months ago on the forums, but I thought I'd still announce 'officially' in the newsletter the winner of the Limerick competition that took place in March. It was Tamara, and the winning limerick was:

Embracing the dark fate that sought him,
(And the amorous goddess who caught him)
Kevin found his long fall,
Was no trouble at all,
In the end t'was the bottom that got him.

Neil Randall, professor of literature at the University of Waterloo, was the judge, and he gave us a detailed explanation of limerick rules and why he chose that one in particular, as well as a list of runners-up, both from that thread and from the 'rejected limericks' thread that had limericks somewhat more outrageous than the official thread - plus gave people a chance to pen more than the two they were allowed for the contest. Some very clever, moving and/or funny limericks to be found:

http://www.brightweavings.com/scgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?2/142012 - Limerick contest thread
http://www.brightweavings.com/scgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?2/142015 - Rejected Limericks Thread

In the last week there have been seventeen active threads in the forums, let alone what must have been going on over the past few months. It's never a bad thing to go back and have a wander round the threads and find topics that interest you, whether serious or hilarious. There's only one I'm going to focus on here, as I wind this newsletter to its close, and that is a great discussion started by Irene on the topic of Galadan's pardon at the end of The Fionavar Tapestry (obvious spoilers here!)

> Galadan's Pardon

Irene begins the thread with "Why on Earth or Fionavar or wherever is Galadan pardoned??? I really can't understand it and it, frankly, irritates me. Why is he considered a part of the Light "forces"? The whole point is to make the right choices. Metran lost his place in the Light. Dar gained it. So, which act of Galadan balanced with the hideous acts he made consciously, in favour of the Dark? Even his cry, "if only she had loved me etc" shows actually -to my mind- that he still hasn't admitted how wrong his pride is. It's actually one of the most irritating phrases I can think right now. Don't get me wrong. Galadan is depicted in a light that makes him quite likeable no matter what monstrosities he has committed and how awfully wrong he has acted. One cannot help liking him in these days where dark "heroes-antiheroes" are so common. Maybe it's the fact that the "morale" of the Greek tragedies and their tradition is too far ingrained in me, but I cannot understand, why, no matter how much one may like him, he is pardoned."

And so begins an intense discussion of the nature of forgiveness, the nature of andain, the nature of Galadan... and plenty more. I won't add what other people said - you can read that for yourself, and contribute your own opinions and thoughts at:

http://www.brightweavings.com/scgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?177/142085

Well, as I promised, it's been a bumper newsletter to make up for its tardiness. But I'm sure you'll agree that it's better to send out newsletters when there is actually news! I hope you enjoy all the new stuff on the site, and get going on those forums and talk...

And that's all from me for now,

Till next time,

Deborah