A U T H O R ' S L A S T R A
M B L I N G S
A N D A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
Hmm... where to begin? First, let me say a big thank you to the readers who stuck by with the fic throughout the entire year that it took to finish it. I know that this type of fic is not everyone's cup of tea, just as Simon R Green, although New York Bestseller, still registers a blank in the minds of many fantasy readers. Heck, I mean, who in the right mind likes to read about an epic that contains heavy elements of nationalism, patriotism, violence and Stalinist communist propaganda? Why can't you write humorous and happy novels like everyone else? If you wrote like nikki or Cherrie or lynlyn, and on topics that people can relate to, then perhaps more people would know about this story even though you started it in late 2002. Unfortunately, due to circumstances in real life, I haven't felt happy or humorous for a long time and my mind cluttered with twisted thoughts and ideas which ultimately become translated into themes of my stories (like Hunter Works is heading down a better track!) - so things such as violence, death, war, duty, honour - I think that's just my element. Incidentally, that's where I want to make my first acknowledgement:
The first acknowledgement is also a tribute to my high school lessons on Russian history - the 1917 revolution, the Civil War between the Reds and the Whites, but most importantly, my Extended Essay that I did on the Battle of Stalingrad - the battle that turned the tide of history. As much as the American allied forces would like to pat themselves on the back and congratulate themselves for the job of saving Europe, I would just like to make some space and point out that: The Soviet Union killed off bloody two thirds of the Nazi elite! France capitulated in six weeks of battle, England is hard to invade because it's an island - Russia spent the lives of twenty million people to drive out Nazis and lost millions of acres of farmland that they had to scorch as they continuously retreated in the first stages of war. The Decade Long War in my fic is centered roughly around the Russia's circumstances during WWII as well as the devastating human loss suffered. Urgh...the ranting. Anyhow, if you have read Rudy's long and rambling speeches (much like my own really), you'll realize that it is all very Romantic. I know, people don't actually think that kind of stuff when they're in the middle of the battlefield, but as a leader, Rudy produced a lot of that wonderfully Romantic propaganda highly reminiscent to the ones I stumbled across in my research on the Battle of Stalingrad. If anyone's interested - find this book: The Year Of Stalingrad : An Historical Record Of A Study Of Russian Mentality, Methods And Policies by Alexander Werth, a journalist during WWII who published this book about a year after the Battle of Stalingrad concluded. It includes extensive excerpts of the propaganda and other material circulating around Russia at that time and by gods, that stuff is powerful - really makes me want to take up a gun and join in the defence of the country. Yes, I've been brainwashed, but in my delusion, I'm an extremely happy patriot.
The next acknowledgement therefore goes to Chinese author Jing Yong's novel Lu Ding Ji - which also runs along similar themes, except it's from the Emperor Kangxi's perspective. Kangxi, Yongzhen and Qianglong were the Qing's dynasty's strongest and finest emperors, and I think I modeled a lot of Rudy's on Kangxi. In the end of Lu Ding Ji, Kangxi was alone because politics, duty and necessity didn't allow him to have any. Xiao Bao knew that accompanying the Emperor was like sharing the same bed with a tiger - you never know when it'll hurt you, but you know that it will. Much the same with Rudy and Illumi...perhaps. Kangxi ordered his men to kill a lot of Xiao Bao's friends - who weren't necessarily villains. They were just loyal to the Ming dynasty and Kangxi did what he had to do to stabilize Qing reign in order to prevent another civil war. Civil wars in China never fails to knock off a few million people and displace a couple more. So whilst Kangxi did what he had to, he was also killing off people who were Xiao Bao's friends. Ah, more's the tragedy, but when you're an Emperor, perhaps duty comes before your own friendship.
And this leads nicely onto my tribute to Simon R Green's books. The characters are always ranting on about duty and honour, loyalty to the throne, sacrificing your life for duty rather than being free to do what you want. Again, that's another strong streak in Rudy, but it's also more intergrated with the above idea as well. Anyhow, it's just Green's style of writing is so fluid and fast paced that I think I'm hooked onto all his books and have read them over three times at least. Anyhow, he was mainly the inspiration for giving Alluka those ESP abilities and those juicy descriptions of blood and violence. Cheers sir, I salute thee!
P R O F I L E S O F T H E O R I G I N A L C H A R A C T E R S
Well, I think there are as many as ten original characters in this fic. I'll be posting up their process of creation after I've finished editing all the chapters. Keep a lookout for updates on this page then!