16 Comments
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Tom Schecter's avatar

These last two stories, man. The character work. Fucking top drawer.

Eric Falden's avatar

Glad you're liking them, Tom. Stay tuned for the finale.

Ian Dunmore's avatar

These are so cool. The way the dialogue cuts to the bones of what the character is about is fantastic. Great work!

Michael S. Atkinson's avatar

Oh man. Oh man. Oh man.

When he said They Look Down, that hit me right in my theological core. Oh man.

Eric Falden's avatar

( j u s t w a i t. )

Keith Long's avatar

Love love love. You should make an ebook/paperback collection.

Eric Falden's avatar

Thanks, Keith. If I have my way, there will be hard-back limited edition first…. But yes. I will.

Leanne Shawler's avatar

Chef’s kiss, Eric. I thought the bard was going to be as annoying as the one in The Witcher (not read the books, only watched the first season) but no… wisdom there.

Eric Falden's avatar

Thanks, Leanne. I briefly thought of that comparison as well; I’m not sure if that might’ve influenced the writing at all, but if it did, it was subconscious.

Parrish Baker's avatar

Excellent

Eric Falden's avatar

Thanks, Parrish

Jeremy P. Madsen's avatar

As the reader, I'm asking these same questions that the bard is. If the samyuzot considers himself cursed and irredeemable, why does he fight monsters and spend his strength doing good deeds? It seems that deep down, he believes in following a moral law, and that doing so will lead to a slightly better afterlife than breaking the curse laid on him.

Eric Falden's avatar

Glad I got you thinking. This story represents the first time someone has explicitly challenged his worldview (though he was significantly challenged in the last anecdote too). Now it's time to do something with that in the coming finale... Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Jeremy.

The Brothers Krynn's avatar

Amazing, that ending especially amazed me. You've so much talent Eric!

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May 17, 2025
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Eric Falden's avatar

Thanks, Lyndsey!