In the last blog post, I introduced you to Phalian, a mech bird-mouse shifter in my upcoming new book, A Knack for Metal and Bone. If you missed that introduction, you can see it on the BLOG. Today, I have another new sidekick mech to introduce. But first, I want to thank all the readers who reached out with questions and encouragement. I try to answer every comment, so feel free to reply in the comments below. Here are a few of the questions I received and my answers.
Does Rowan’s magic give the “mech” creatures an independent soul?
There are two kinds of mechs in Rowan’s world. One is a robot or device that uses magic “resonance” to work. The resonance is etched onto a special mineral called thera by mech mages. In some mechs, it works by mirroring two thera chips, such as for the graphium, which is their long-distance communication method. The mechs are always elaborately etched with much artistic detail because the very act of creating them imbues them with the magic. But in the end, these mechs are tools and no more soulful than our microwaves or telephones.
But there is a second kind of mech that doesn’t use thera. These are older mechs, and the art of making them has been lost. Nobody (at the beginning of the story) truly understands how they work. They are highly prized by collectors. Phalian is one such mech. Do these mechs have souls? You will have to read the books to find out.
Can Rowan understand Phalian’s chirps and squeaks?
Though Phalian’s vocabulary is limited to SQUEAK, CHIRP or SQUAWK, Rowan understands him the way I can decipher my cat’s vocalizations. She may sound crazy to others when she responds to him, but she doesn’t really care.
Is Rowan's world the same as Kyra's Terra world, or whole new world?
While I’m not strictly saying that this new world is Kyra’s Terra, to me it feels like that same world but several hundred years in the future. Rowan’s people experienced the same shift of tech to magic, but reacted to it in a much different way. And 600 years later, this magic surge has reshaped their lives and landscape. For hundreds of years, they were without electricity and have devolved to a gas-lamp society with wind-powered vehicles and coal/wood for fuel. But a new power source has become available in the last twenty years or so—thera. It is a miracle mineral that seems to solve all their problems.
So, what differentiates a Golem (in your universe) from Mech?
I don’t have any golems (yet) in this story, but in my mind, a golem is a homunculus sparked to life by ritual magic or rune magic, originally in the Hebrew tradition. It is usually a clay construction. Of course I took liberties on that tradition with the Valkyrie Bestiary golems, but I took liberties with a whole bunch of mythologies. That’s an author’s prerogative.
The mechs in the Knack world are not based on golems, but more on Ancient Greek traditions. Did you know the ancients had rudimentary computers? Rowan's giant automaton, Talos, was named for a similar robot that used to walk the walls of ancient Crete.
So, instead of clay constructions (golems), Rowan's mechs are mechanical. You might describe them as clockwork or steampunk.
I found a typo…
That’s great! Don’t worry about it though. These excerpts are unedited drafts. They will go through extensive editing before the final publication.
And now, as promised, meet the next mech in Rowan’s squad: Roger, the valet. Here's an (unedited) excerpt.
With nothing else to do, Rowan pulled out the mech valet they’d found wandering in the Meadows and started to clean it. Phalian perched on her shoulder, chirping out his opinions about the shabby mech and her efforts to clean it.
The valet was an antique, built in a style Rowan had never seen. It was vaguely humanoid with a boxy frame and an over-large rectangular head. Stubby arms protruded from its torso. She suspected they were meant for attaching extension, but one had been broken off and replaced with a rusty bolt. Its legs were little more than metal sheaths for the wheels that were too clogged with gunk to turn. Large copper eyes had oxidized and turned green. They were ringed in another metal that was chipped and rusting. Adjustment knobs were cleverly disguised as ears and antenna stuck up like horns from its head.
She rubbed one of the horns with an oiled cloth.
“You’re just too cute for a mech, aren’t you?” The oxidized eyes stared at her. It was as if someone had built the mech to deliberately tap into the protective emotions one felt when confronted by a stray puppy.
She continued to wipe off grime, then took out a chisel to pry a particularly stubborn bit of moss from its torso. The green fuzz fell away to reveal something amazing underneath.
“Hello.” She scraped some more to uncover a tiny etching on its chest—an anvil and hammer circled in vines. The metal bowed outward here, making the logo a sort of button. She laid a finger on it and felt the metal warm under her touch.
“Roger that!” The valet said as it came to life. The antenna on its head waggled.
Phalian said, “SQUAWK!” and launched into the air to flap around the valet.
Conall approached. The valet swiveled to greet him.
“Roger that!” he chirped.
“You got it working. Did you get a thera chip from Murdoch?”
Murdoch hoarded their chips like gold. He’d need some hard persuading to give one up for an antique mech found rambling around the Meadows.
“Didn’t need one,” Rowan said. “He’s still got power.” In fact, she hadn’t found a thera chip port yet, but she still had a lot of grime to clean off.
“I’m calling him Roger.”
“Roger that!” said Roger.
“Of course.” Conall hid his amusement behind a scowl, but Rowan saw it shining in his eyes. The gruff old wolf had a funny bone under there somewhere and she was determined to find it.
Does Rowan’s magic give the “mech” creatures an independent soul?
There are two kinds of mechs in Rowan’s world. One is a robot or device that uses magic “resonance” to work. The resonance is etched onto a special mineral called thera by mech mages. In some mechs, it works by mirroring two thera chips, such as for the graphium, which is their long-distance communication method. The mechs are always elaborately etched with much artistic detail because the very act of creating them imbues them with the magic. But in the end, these mechs are tools and no more soulful than our microwaves or telephones.
But there is a second kind of mech that doesn’t use thera. These are older mechs, and the art of making them has been lost. Nobody (at the beginning of the story) truly understands how they work. They are highly prized by collectors. Phalian is one such mech. Do these mechs have souls? You will have to read the books to find out.
Can Rowan understand Phalian’s chirps and squeaks?
Though Phalian’s vocabulary is limited to SQUEAK, CHIRP or SQUAWK, Rowan understands him the way I can decipher my cat’s vocalizations. She may sound crazy to others when she responds to him, but she doesn’t really care.
Is Rowan's world the same as Kyra's Terra world, or whole new world?
While I’m not strictly saying that this new world is Kyra’s Terra, to me it feels like that same world but several hundred years in the future. Rowan’s people experienced the same shift of tech to magic, but reacted to it in a much different way. And 600 years later, this magic surge has reshaped their lives and landscape. For hundreds of years, they were without electricity and have devolved to a gas-lamp society with wind-powered vehicles and coal/wood for fuel. But a new power source has become available in the last twenty years or so—thera. It is a miracle mineral that seems to solve all their problems.
So, what differentiates a Golem (in your universe) from Mech?
I don’t have any golems (yet) in this story, but in my mind, a golem is a homunculus sparked to life by ritual magic or rune magic, originally in the Hebrew tradition. It is usually a clay construction. Of course I took liberties on that tradition with the Valkyrie Bestiary golems, but I took liberties with a whole bunch of mythologies. That’s an author’s prerogative.
The mechs in the Knack world are not based on golems, but more on Ancient Greek traditions. Did you know the ancients had rudimentary computers? Rowan's giant automaton, Talos, was named for a similar robot that used to walk the walls of ancient Crete.
So, instead of clay constructions (golems), Rowan's mechs are mechanical. You might describe them as clockwork or steampunk.
I found a typo…
That’s great! Don’t worry about it though. These excerpts are unedited drafts. They will go through extensive editing before the final publication.
And now, as promised, meet the next mech in Rowan’s squad: Roger, the valet. Here's an (unedited) excerpt.
With nothing else to do, Rowan pulled out the mech valet they’d found wandering in the Meadows and started to clean it. Phalian perched on her shoulder, chirping out his opinions about the shabby mech and her efforts to clean it.
The valet was an antique, built in a style Rowan had never seen. It was vaguely humanoid with a boxy frame and an over-large rectangular head. Stubby arms protruded from its torso. She suspected they were meant for attaching extension, but one had been broken off and replaced with a rusty bolt. Its legs were little more than metal sheaths for the wheels that were too clogged with gunk to turn. Large copper eyes had oxidized and turned green. They were ringed in another metal that was chipped and rusting. Adjustment knobs were cleverly disguised as ears and antenna stuck up like horns from its head.
She rubbed one of the horns with an oiled cloth.
“You’re just too cute for a mech, aren’t you?” The oxidized eyes stared at her. It was as if someone had built the mech to deliberately tap into the protective emotions one felt when confronted by a stray puppy.
She continued to wipe off grime, then took out a chisel to pry a particularly stubborn bit of moss from its torso. The green fuzz fell away to reveal something amazing underneath.
“Hello.” She scraped some more to uncover a tiny etching on its chest—an anvil and hammer circled in vines. The metal bowed outward here, making the logo a sort of button. She laid a finger on it and felt the metal warm under her touch.
“Roger that!” The valet said as it came to life. The antenna on its head waggled.
Phalian said, “SQUAWK!” and launched into the air to flap around the valet.
Conall approached. The valet swiveled to greet him.
“Roger that!” he chirped.
“You got it working. Did you get a thera chip from Murdoch?”
Murdoch hoarded their chips like gold. He’d need some hard persuading to give one up for an antique mech found rambling around the Meadows.
“Didn’t need one,” Rowan said. “He’s still got power.” In fact, she hadn’t found a thera chip port yet, but she still had a lot of grime to clean off.
“I’m calling him Roger.”
“Roger that!” said Roger.
“Of course.” Conall hid his amusement behind a scowl, but Rowan saw it shining in his eyes. The gruff old wolf had a funny bone under there somewhere and she was determined to find it.
Book Fairs & Events
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Spotlight Books
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