Archive-name: sf/david-eddings-faq/ Posting-Frequency: bi-monthly Last-modified: 2001/04/17 Version: 3.60 URL: http://www.tolhoneth.org/faqs/ Changes: Eliminated Section 1.5; it no longer applies. Updated Section 1.4. Updated Section 1.2. Incidentally, I seem to remember a rather extended discussion regarding some minor point in the FAQ from about a month ago. Anything come of that? The alt.fan.eddings David Eddings Frequently Asked Questions List CONTENTS 1) About David Eddings 1.1) Biographical Information 1.2) Bibliography (includes U.S. and U.K. ISBNs, and U.S. Publishers) 1.3) Miscellaneous Publishing Information 1.4) What are D&LE working on currently? 1.5) Are there any interviews with David Eddings on the Internet? 1.6) Where to write to David Eddings 2) Frequently Asked Questions GENERAL QUESTIONS 2.1) The systems of magic and worlds that David Eddings have created don't always seem very logical. Why? 2.2) I've got this great idea about who should be in a movie. 2.3) Will there be a movie/CD-ROM game based on the Belgariad/Elenium? 2.4) Gee, has anyone noticed that the plots of Eddings' fantasies are all kind of similar? 2.5) Will the Eddings' be writing any more novels set in either the Belgariad or Elenium worlds? BELGARIAD/MALLOREON 2.6) Inconsistencies 2.6.1) Editing errors 2.6.1.1) The infamous Chaldan/Chamdar misprint 2.6.1.2) The wandering L's 2.6.2) Boneheaded errors 2.6.2.1) The name of Brand's oldest son 2.6.2.2) Gared/Geran 2.6.2.3) Beldin's first act of sorcery 2.6.3) Illogical/inconsistent actions 2.6.3.1) Durnik vs. Brill 2.6.3.2) Asharak/Chamdar 2.7) Dryads (a.k.a. The Thread That Will Not Die) 2.8) Immortality (a.k.a. The Other Thread That Will Not Die) 2.9) What, precisely, does the mark on Garion's hand signify? 2.10) So, what exactly *is* on Garion's amulet? 2.11) The meaning of 'Bel' and 'Pol'. 2.12) Why isn't 'Durnik' called 'Beldurnik'? 2.13) Has anyone noticed the chess analogy in the titles of the Belgariad? 2.14) Why can't Zedar get out of that hole Belgarath put him in? 2.15) Speaking of Zedar, don't you think his punishment was a bit too harsh? 2.16) What is the sex of Polgara's twins? 2.17) Who is the Wolf? 2.18) How did Polgara and Poledra merging help them remain unseen by Torak? 2.19) Why are there so many differences between BtS and PtS? 2.20) What order should I read the books in? ELENIUM/TAMULI 2.21) Inconsistencies 2.21.1) Terms that can be confused 2.22.1.1) Elene/Elenian 2.22.1.2) Patriarch/primate 2.21.2) Illogical gaps in the story 2.22.2.1) Who exactly has touched the Bhelliom? 2.22.2.2) Sephrenia and Aphrael's flying 2.22.2.3) Kalten's swimming ability 2.22) Do the Elenium or Tamuli titles have any connections to the stories? 2.23) What God is supporting Zalasta's spells when he crashes Sephrenia and Vanion's wedding? 2.24) Where do the renegade Styrics get their power? 2.25) Why couldn't Sparhawk let King Wargun know that he was looking for Bhelliom? 2.26) Immortality (The Elenium Derivative) THE ALT.FAN.EDDINGS NEWSGROUP 2.27) alt.fan.eddings newsgroup; what is it, who created it, and when? 2.28) Why does everyone have an Eddings alias, and how can I get one? 2.29) What are the Silver Suggestions? 2.30) Who runs the Trivia quiz, and when is it posted to the newsgroup? 2.31) What exactly is Klæls Army? 2.32) Where can a new user find information about this newsgroup? 2.33) Are there any rules on this newsgroup? 2.34) What are the letters that I see before some thread names? 2.35) What is afec? 2.36) Where in the books are the worlds called Eriondia and Sparhawkia? 3) Eddings Resources 3.1) IRC #eddings 3.2) Web pages 3.3) Other sites of interest 4) Credits and Thanks ------------------------------------ 1) ABOUT DAVID EDDINGS 1.1) Biographical Information From _Contemporary Authors: New Revision Series_, Volume 35. PERSONAL: Born July 7, 1931, in Spokane, Washington; son of George Wayne and Theone (Berge) Eddings; married Judith Leigh Schall, October 27, 1962. Education: Attended Everett Junior College, 1950-52; Reed College, B.A., 1954; University of Washington, Seattle, M.A., 1961. Politics: "Unaffiliated." Religion: "Unaffiliated." CAREER: Writer. Has worked as a buyer for Boeing Co., as a grocery clerk, and as a college English teacher. Military Service: U.S. Army, 1954-56. From the back dust jacket flap of _Belgarath the Sorcerer_ (published 1995). David Eddings was born in Spokane, Washington in 1931 and was raised in the Puget Sound area north of Seattle. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Reed College in Portland, Oregon, in 1954 and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Washington in 1961. He has served in the United State Army, has worked as a buyer for the Boeing Company, has been a grocery clerk, and has taught college English. He has lived in many parts of the United States. His first novel, _High Hunt_ (published by Putnam in 1973), was a contemporary adventure story. The field of fantasy has always been of interest to him, however, and he turned to The Belgariad in an effort to develop certain technical and philosophical ideas concerning the genre. Eddings and his wife Leigh currently reside in the Southwest, where they work together on their best-selling fantasy epics. 1.2) Bibliography: Titles (includes U.S. and U.K. ISBNs and publishers) "hc" = hardcover, "pb" = paperback. "The Belgariad" Pawn of Prophecy (1982) U.S. ISBN 0-345-30997-9 (pb) Del Rey U.K. ISBN 0-593-02616-0 (hc) 0-552-12284-X (pb) Corgi 0-552-14807-5 (pb) Transworld Queen of Sorcery (1982) U.S. ISBN 0-345-30079-3 (pb) Del Rey U.K. ISBN 0-593-02629-2 (hc) 0-552-12348-X (pb) Corgi 0-552-14808-3 (pb) Transworld Magician's Gambit (1983) U.S. ISBN 0-345-33545-7 (pb) Del Rey U.K. ISBN 0-593-02632-2 (hc) 0-552-12382-X (pb) Corgi 0-552-14809-1 (pb) Transworld Castle of Wizardry (1984) U.S. ISBN 0-345-33570-8 (pb) Del Rey U.K. ISBN 0-593-02635-7 (hc) 0-552-12435-4 (pb) Corgi 0-552-14810-5 (pb) Transworld Enchanters' End Game (1984) U.S. ISBN 0-345-33871-5 (pb) Del Rey U.K. ISBN 0-593-02638-1 (hc) 0-552-12447-8 (pb) Corgi 0-552-14811-3 (pb) Transworld Eddings' first fantasy series. Chronicles the adventures of a young boy, Garion, as he grows to realize his amazing destiny. With his Aunt Pol and Grandfather, he must travel through the Kingdoms of the Alorns and Angaraks, making new friends and overcoming deadly enemies. The Belgariad: Part 1 (c)1982, 83 - published 1995, Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-40004-6 (hc) The Belgariad: Part 2 (c)1984 - Published by Nelson Doubleday Inc., by an arrangement with Del Rey. U.S. ISBN 1-56865-038-8 (hc) Two-volume hardcover omnibus reprint of the five volumes of the Belgariad. Part One contains the first three books, Part Two contains the final two. "The Malloreon" Guardians of the West (1987) U.S. ISBN 0-345-33000-5 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-35266-1 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-593-01195-3 (hc) Corgi 0-593-01561-4 (pb) 0-552-14802-4 (pb) Transworld King of the Murgos (1988) U.S. ISBN 0-345-33002-1 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-35880-5 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-593-01562-2 (hc) Corgi 0-552-13018-4 (pb) 0-552-14803-2 (pb) Transworld Demon Lord of Karanda (1988) U.S. ISBN 0-345-33004-8 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-36331-0 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-593-01210-1 (hc) Corgi 0-593-01563-0 (pb) 0-552-14804-0 (pb) Transworld The Sorceress of Darshiva (1989) U.S. ISBN 0-345-33005-6 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-36935-1 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-593-01204-6 (hc) Corgi 0-552-13020-6 (pb) 0-552-14805-9 (pb) Transworld The Seeress of Kell (1991) U.S. ISBN 0-345-33006-4 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-37759-1 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-593-01207-0 (hc) Corgi 0-552-13021-4 (pb) 0-552-14806-7 (pb) Transworld Sequel to the Belgariad. Takes place ten years after the events of the Belgariad, King Belgarion's son is abducted by dark forces. Belgarion and his companions must recover the child before disaster occurs. Belgarath the Sorcerer (1995) U.S. ISBN 0-345-37324-3 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-40395-9 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-246-13845-9 (hc) HarperCollins 0-586-21315-5 (pb) Polgara the Sorceress (1997) U.S. ISBN 0-345-41662-7 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-42255-4 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-246-13844-0 (hc) HarperCollins 0-586-21314-7 (pb) 0-002-24321-0 (trade pb) A pair of prequels to the Belgariad and Malloreon series. The books are presented as narratives by the title characters. As a side note of interest, the trade paperback version of PtS was given a new illustration, probably in response to the dislike expressed by so many fans when the book was first released. The Rivan Codex (1998) U.S. ISBN 0-345-42402-6 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-43586-9 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-002-24677-5 (hc) HarperCollins 0-00-648349-6 (pb) 0-00-224696-1 (trade pb) De Luxe Edition 0-00-224702-X (hc) A compilation of the notes written by David and Leigh Eddings before they began work on "The Belgariad". The De Luxe edition was limited to 250 copies and signed by D&LE and Geoff Taylor, among other notable features. A number of readers of afe own a copy, thanks to Castellan. If you want more details regarding the book, visit his website at . "The Elenium" The Diamond Throne (1989) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-35691-8 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-36769-3 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-246-13345-7 (hc) HarperCollins 0-586-20372-9 (pb) The Ruby Knight (1990) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-37043-0 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-37352-9 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-246-13731-2 (hc) HarperCollins 0-586-20373-7 (pb) 0-586-21503-4 (trade pb) The Sapphire Rose (1991) Del Rey U.S. ISBN 0-345-37474-6 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-37472-X (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-246-13347-3 (hc) HarperCollins 0-586-20374-5 (pb) Fantasy series set in a new world. The church knight, Sparhawk, returns to his home to find his Queen dying, and sets out to save her life, and overcome the evil plots of a corrupt and powerful church Primate. The Elenium (1993) Grafton (division of HarperCollins) U.K. ISBN 0-586-21867-X (pb) Omnibus edition of the three book Elenium series. "The Tamuli" Domes of Fire (1992) U.S. ISBN 0-345-38327-3 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-37321-9 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-586-21313-9 (hc) HarperCollins 0-586-21858-0 (pb) The Shining Ones (1993) U.S. ISBN 0-345-37322-7 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-38866-6 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-246-13846-7 (hc) HarperCollins 0-586-21316-3 (pb) The Hidden City (1994) U.S. ISBN 0-345-37323-5 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-39040-7 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-246-13847-5 (hc) HarperCollins 0-586-21317-1 (pb) Sequel series to the Elenium. Prince Sparhawk answers a plea from the Tamul Empire to help them oppose dark magic and learns more about his unique connection to the Bhelliom. The Tamuli (1999) U.K. ISBN 0-006-48384-4 (pb) Omnibus edition of the three book Tamuli series. The Redemption of Althalus (2000) U.S. ISBN 0-345-44077-3 (hc) Del Rey _-___-_____-_ (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-002-24754-2 (hc) Voyager/HarperCollins 0-006-51483-9 (pb) (5th Oct. 2001) 0-002-26184-7 (trade pb) De Luxe Edition 0-007-10352-2 (hc) A standalone novel. Chronicles the journey of Althalus as he attempts to stop the mysterious Ghend. Novels (non-fantasy) High Hunt (1973) Putnam The original hardcover is long out of print. In 1992, Del Rey reprinted it in paperback - U.S. ISBN 0-345-32887-6 In 1994, HarperCollins reprinted also reprinted it in paperback - U.K. ISBN 0-00-647593-0 (pb) A sort of middle-aged rite of passage novel. GI returns from Germany and goes on a mountain hunting trip with his older brother and a group of mismatched guys. Tensions arise. The Losers (1992) Fawcett Columbine U.S. ISBN 0-449-90719-8 (hc) Del Rey 0-345-38520-9 (pb) U.K. ISBN 0-002-24138-2 (hc) HarperCollins 0-586-21759-2 (pb) Dark tale of Raphael, the college football star who, after a tragic accident takes up residence in 'Welfare City' in Spokane. He observes the activities of his 'loser' neighbors and fights off predatory social workers, until the arrival of his college roommate puts a match to the powder keg. 1.3) Miscellaneous Publishing Information "The Belgariad" was published in the U.S. as a set of original paperbacks - the only hardcover edition available prior to 1995 was a two-volume omnibus from the Science Fiction Book Club. In 1995, _The Belgariad Part One_, was published by Del Rey in hardcover. _The Belgariad Part Two_, though difficult to find, has also been belatedly released and can be found through the Science Fiction Book Club. All of the U.K. editions of Eddings' work have come out in both hardcover and paperback versions. Eddings' two non-fantasy novels, _High Hunt_ and _The Losers_, came out in a hardcover omnibus edition titled _Two Complete Novels_ from Wings Publishing in 1993 (ISBN 0-517-11908-0). Despite the 1992 copyright date, _The Losers_ is actually David Eddings' second book; it was written right after _High Hunt_ in the mid-1970's. He wasn't able to get it published until he became a best- selling author of fantasies. 1.4) What are D&LE working on currently? They are currently working on a "contemporary thriller" set in Seattle to be titled Regina's Song. DE says that he and Leigh decided to create a "sympathetic serial killer" as a switch from their normal fare. It involves "Joan the Ripper (a descendant of Jack the Ripper)." Del Rey describes the novel as a "supernatural thriller." In addition to this, in June '97, DE was quoted in the Polgara Scrapbook saying "Right now, I'm working on a darkly comic political novel about the President's mistress, who goes missing one day in possession of quite a few state secrets. Though I may wait to publish it posthumously, because it offends everyone - which was of course my intention." Whether this work is complete or not is unknown as nothing more has been heard about it since. The political novel may well have been abandoned, for now it would be seen in a slightly different light than it would have been in June of '97. In addition, we have witnessed the appearance and subsequent publication of tRoA and now word on Regina's Song. Neither of these were so much as mentioned during the '97 interview. This is, of course, pure speculation. 1.5) Are there any interviews with David Eddings on the Internet? Del Rey's Polgara Scrapbook is an excellent source of information about David Eddings, and each month leading up to the US publication of Polgara the Sorceress, David sent a "letter" to the web page. It is well worth a read. In addition, the main Del Rey page at may contain future information about any new novel or series. David's most recent online interview was conducted in early December 2000. It can be found at http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=0345440773&view=qa On Wednesday 29th October 1997, David conducted an online interview on AOL. It can be found on the Del Rey site, and can also be found on Kamion's web page. David also did an interview with Stan Nicholls for Interzone and Starlog magazines, which can be found in various places on the Internet. It is from some time ago, but contains lots of useful information. A copy can be found at A more recent interview, where Eddings discusses his new work can be found at 1.6) Contacting David Eddings David Eddings does not have an e-mail address and, according to everyone who has asked, has no intention of getting one. If you want to contact him, you need to write a genuine, pen-and-paper letter, and send it care of his publisher, Del Rey Books. Address is as follows: David Eddings c/o Del Rey Books 201 E. 50th St. New York, NY 10022 U.S.A. It is recommended one use the two-envelope method: Write your letter, seal it into a stamped envelope with "David Eddings" written on the front, BUT NO ADDRESS. Then insert that into another envelope and mail it off to Del Rey Books. They'll forward it. If you want a reply, you'll be a lot more likely to get one if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. 2) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS GENERAL QUESTIONS 2.1) The systems of magic and the worlds that David Eddings created don't always seem very sensible. In fact, sometimes they're kind of silly, and it's hard to think up logical explanations for how they work. Why? Following is a quote from David Eddings, found in _Contemporary Authors: New Revision Series_, volume 35. "My current excursion into fantasy has given me an opportunity to test my technical theories [of writing]. I made a world that never was, with an unlikely theology splattered against an improbable geology. My magic is at best a kind of pragmatic cop-out. Many of my explanations of how magic is supposed to work are absurdities - _but_ my characters all accept these explanations as if there was no possibility of quibbling about them, and if the characters believe, then the readers seem also to believe." In other words, creating a logical, internally consistent fantasy world was not part of David Eddings' agenda. 2.2) I've got this great idea about who should be in a movie... Every newsgroup that covers any literary character or characters inevitably gives birth to Casting threads, and alt.fan.eddings is no exception. There are some things you should know before you suggest that Sean Connery should play Belgarath. First, there are no plans to film ANY of Eddings' works. Second, anyone that you can think of to cast in an imaginary film of Eddings' works has already been suggested by someone else. Third, that knowledge hasn't stopped anyone else from posting THEIR casting suggestions, so why should it stop you? Just don't be surprised at the moans of dismay from the old-timers. It's also been suggested by one or two old-timers that it's a good idea if you do want to restart the casting thread to give it a subject header that is easily identified, such as "The Belgariad: the movie!" That way those who have seen it 958 times before can spot it quickly and avoid it. 2.3) Will there be a movie/CD-ROM game based on the Belgariad/Elenium? On the Polgara Scrapbook, David quite clearly states his position. There will be no spin-offs of any sort, as he will not allow anyone to touch something he spent twenty years writing. 2.4) Gee, has anyone noticed that the plots of Eddings' fantasies are all kind of similar? [sarcasm alert] Gosh, you're kidding! Wow, what an insight! We'd have never noticed if you hadn't mentioned it! David Eddings has obviously developed what he considers to be a very serviceable plot, well suited to the type of fantasies that he writes. And since his many fans (i.e., us) continue to buy his books, he doesn't feel any pressing need to develop a new plot. That Eddings is capable of coming up with _different_ plots is evident from his two non-fantasy novels, neither of which involves a quest for a blue stone. In addition, while the plots of Eddings' two fantasy series are similar on the surface, there are many differences to be found in terms of themes, character development, etc. There has been much discussion of this on the newsgroup, and most people seem to agree that the Elenium is darker than the Bel/Mal, in terms of theme, issues dealt with and the general mood of the story. And as Rumor often pointed out there is more adventure in the Bel/Mal and more political intrigue in the Elen/Tam. The difference is, in fact, radical enough that a number of people have admitted to being initially put off by the Elenium because it was different from the Bel/Mal. For this reason, some have advised a 1-2 month waiting period after finishing one series before starting the other. 2.5) Will the Eddings' be writing any more novels set in either the Belgariad or Elenium worlds? Absolutely not. BELGARIAD/MALLOREON 2.6) Inconsistencies Inconsistencies come in three flavors: 1) Editing mistakes, 2) Sheer boneheaded errors, and 3) Illogical actions. Editing mistakes are those errors that crept in during the printing process. These generally consist of misspellings or incorrect character identifications. Boneheaded errors are those where the writer simply forgot that he has already named (or described) something, and later gives it a completely different name (or description). Illogical actions are things that happen that, based on other information in the story, seem REALLY stupid. 2.6.1) Editing Mistakes 2.6.1.1) Chaldan/Chamdar At more than one point in _The Seeress of Kell_, the "bull- god of the Arends" is identified as "Chamdar" rather than "Chaldan." 2.6.1.2) The Wandering L's Gethell/Gethel (the King of the Thulls) and Xbel/Xbell (a dryad) appear at various times with their names spelled either with one 'L' or two 'L's. In the case of Gethell, the two 'L' version is used most frequently, and appears to be the proper spelling. Xbel appears an equal number of times spelled both ways, but since no other dryads have double letters in their names, I'm willing to assume that Xbel is the correct spelling. 2.6.2) Boneheaded Errors 2.6.2.1) The name of Brand's oldest son Brand's oldest son is identified twice during the course of the Belgariad as "Bralon." He reappears in the Malloreon as "Verdan." 2.6.2.2) The name of the young prince who survived the slaughter of the rest of the Rivan line by Salmissra. In the Belgariad, when Polgara tells Garion the story of the young prince's escape, she gives his name as "Gared." When Belgarath tells an expanded version of the story in _Belgarath the Sorcerer_, the prince's name is "Geran." 2.6.2.3) In SoD Beldin says he was angry with Belgarath but turned his will onto a tree instead. In BtS, soon after they meet, Belgarath asks Beldin to move a rock to his tower and Beldin translocates it instead. It's made clear that this wasn't the first time he had used his Will, but rather the ability was something he had picked up during his years of wandering from place to place. 2.6.3) Illogical Actions 2.6.3.1) In _Pawn of Prophecy_, Durnik easily dispatches Brill when he finds him spying on the others. Later, we find that Brill is actually an incredibly skilled fighter and assassin, and there really shouldn't have been any way that a simple blacksmith (even one with two lives) could have caught him off guard. Of course, the fun part about illogical action inconsistencies is that the True Fan can come up with explanations for them. Two possibilities that have been discussed in a.f.e. are: 1) Brill didn't want to blow his cover, so he allowed Durnik to catch him. 2) The Prophecy of Light interfered. 2.6.3.2) In the Belgariad, it comes as a complete surprise to everyone that Asharak, the Murgo merchant, is actually Chamdar, the Grolim almost-disciple of Torak. In _Belgarath the Sorcerer_, both Silk and Belgarath are aware that Chamdar uses the name Asharak. 2.7) Dryads (a.k.a. The Thread That Will Not Die) Donal Fellows has a fairly comprehensive compilation of the endless Dryad threads. To take a look, check out his homepage. (URL given at the end of this FAQ). Although to date three possible explanations for this have been offered, below is Rumor's explanation. Another possible explanation can be found in the nvFAQ. Keep in mind that PtS was discarded when considering this question. The general consensus is that Eddings wasn't thinking clearly when he wrote the section where Polgara briefly writes about this subject. Why daughters of dryads are always dryad, and sons are always human: When dealing with gender-based issues of genetics, it is simplest to assume that the "sex chromosomes" X and Y are involved. To recap: humans have 23 chromosome pairs, or 46 chromosomes. One of those pairs is either XX (a female) or XY (a male). Unlike all the other pairs in you, the X and Y are very different from each other, which is why girls are made of sugar and spice and Boys Will Be Boys. Occam's Razor demands the simplest explanation, and it is this: there is a fundamental difference between the X that human girl recieves (hX) and that a dryad recieves (dX). When a dryad and a human male mate, one gets a child with either a dX-hX combination (dryad girl) or dX-Y (human boy). Let's deal with the girl first. The dryad X has some differences from the human X, and these must be in the form of different gene expression. This could mean different genes on dX, or extra genes, or simply a different pattern of expression; I have decided on the third case: dryad X chromosomes are inherently no different from human X chromosomes. In fact, they are the same chromosome except that they express genes differently. This different pattern predisposes a girl to becoming dryad. Now, in human females, in every cell of the body, one of the X's randomly condenses so that most of it is not used by the body. We only need one X for most things. So, in the dryad body, it is _always_ the human X that condenses. There is precedence for this occurring in several animal species, where either the maternal or paternal X is chemically changed in the fetus and marked for condensation. This also happens in discrete parts of non-sex chromosomes in humans. The point is that in all the cells of a dryad, the dryad X is the only one being used, so her entire body develops according to the dryad X chromosome. Now, we have a problem with dryad daughters. If you recall what I said above, a dryad has two XX's from her parents. One is a dX, and one is an hX. But a dryad _always_ passes on a dX to her children, because all her daughters are always dryads. The explanation for this comes from recent genetic studies on imprinting. Imprinting is what I described above, where a physical alteration of the DNA causes certain patterns of expression to occur. Imprinting usually turns certain genes on or off, but may alter their regulation in other, subtler ways. It is typically used to distinguish maternal chromosomes from paternal chromosomes in the cell (so that the two chromosomes express genes differently). These imprinted changes can be passed on through generations, and this does occur in humans. Think of it this way: when a human boy is born from human parents, half his chromosomes are maternal and half are paternal. His body knows that, and it turns out that's a very important thing to know, even though the chromosomes pairs are exactly the same. But when that boy has kids, _any and all_ of the chromosomes he passes on must be seen as paternal by the child. So his reproductive organs can _imprint_ his maleness onto all the chromosomes. Now I will get to the point. A female dryad can do the same thing. Listen closely to this part: the human X and dryad X are the same. The only difference is that they express some different genes, depending on their imprinting pattern. This is why a dryad mom can make both her Xs into dryad Xs; just by altering the imprinting pattern. Dryad Xs therefore express different genes than a human X, because of their imprinting pattern. The astonishing corollary of this deduction is that all human X chromosomes have the capacity to produce dryads buried within them. Now, the boys. Boys of a dryad/human mating have a human Y from their father, and an X from their dryad mother, which has been previously determined to be a dryad X in all cases. So all boys of these two parents have the dryad X. Why aren't they dryads? Well, they're boys, you say. Excellent deduction! Something about boys prevents them from becoming dryads, just like something about boys prevents them from becoming girls (this is an accurate statement - the default state of a fetus is female, and it is not until testosterone produced primarily due to the Y chromosome alters the body that a fetus becomes male). So obviously there is a gene (or genes) on the Y that blocks the female-specific effects of the dryad X, probably in the same way it blocks female characteristics from the human X. In fact, since 'dryadness' is a female thing, it's possible the Y doesn't have any extra genes than us Earthian creatures, but just blocks dryadness through the same mechanism that it blocks femaleness. No need to get into the details, then. However, we run into a potential problem down the road. Assuming these boys make it back into Tolnedran society, they'll be walking around with a dryad X. We know it happens in some cases, because the Borune males mate with dryads, and they must have had sons in order for their line to continue. So when these sons of drayds mate with a human female and have a daughter, the daughter will be dX-hX, just like any dryad. The simplest explanation why the dryad line seems to disappear in males is that males probably re-imprint the X they carry so that it becomes hX. Why "half-dryads" are full dryads: Forgetting any genetic explanation I've made, we still have the unshakeable truth that half of a dryads genes are from a human male. Therefore all _full_ dryads, which are the product of a human male and dryad female, are actually half-dryads, genetically. "Full-dryad" is the same as "half-dryad." You cannot have a dryad with all dryad genes and no human genes, because fathers will always be male. This means that, 'lo and behold, Polgara doesn't know what she's talking about. A _dryad,_ no matter how you cut it, is a full dryad. For realism's sake, I would guess that for the 'dryadness' to appear some environmental influence must also be present to make a small girl become a dryad. In realistic molecular genetics terms, the dX cannot be all that different from hX, or the embryos will not be viable and if they are, dryads would not resemble humans nearly as much as they do. So the chromosomes can only be different up to a threshold; but although dryads _look_ like humans, they're still pretty different in other ways. So we need something else to cause more change. Two ideas come to mind for an environmental trigger. One or both may be necessary. First, bonding to a tree. Perhaps this has some biochemical effect on the child that completes the dryad change. Secondly, developing specifically in a dryad womb. It is very likely that certain chemicals/steroids/proteins that can only be produced by a dryad mother are passed into the womb to affect fetus development. Without one or both of these influences, the female fetus/child becomes a normal human (or close enough to one that no one knows the difference). If this occurs, then a son of a dryad may not necessarily have to reimprint his dX chromosome, since the child's "dryadness" would be quelled by the lack of appropriate environmental triggers. 2.8) Immortality (a.k.a. The Other Thread That Will Not Die) We've already witnessed that Belgarath, Polgara, Beldin and the other sorcerers have lived for centuries. So doesn't this mean that Garion will have the same life span? What will happen to the Rivan line? Will Garion abdicate when Geran is old enough to take over? And what about Ce'Nedra, won't she live a long time, too, at least until her tree dies? Everybody seems to have an opinion on this one. First of all, we never learn if the sorcerers are, in fact, immortal or if they just have a very long life span. And secondly, we never know if long life is part of the natural order of sorcerers or if Belgarath was allowed to live for 7000 years because the Prophecy needed him. There are two major schools of thought on this one. The first is that the sorcerers are, in fact, immortal and will live forever. The second is that the Prophecy's work is done and things will resume their natural order, and the sorcerers will die in the normal course of time now. Take your pick, because there doesn't seem to be enough evidence to prove either theory. As for the Rivan line, most people seem to agree that if Garion is, in fact, going to live for a long, long time, he will hand over the crown to Geran when Geran reaches a suitable age. Garion was never that thrilled to be a king in the first place, and there doesn't seem to be any reason why he would want to extend that role for several centuries. And with regard to Ce'Nedra, there are two major schools of thought on that as well. Some people believe that she will live as long as her tree (how long her tree will live is a whole other tangent thread), while others believe that the Prophecy tweaked things a bit so that Ce'Nedra will live as long as Garion does. 2.9) The mark on Garion's hand -- is it symbolic of the Rivan line or the mark of his being a sorcerer? As with most of these questions, there are two schools of thought on this one. Some people believe that the mark signifies Garion's place in the Rivan line, and point to the fact that all the Rivan kings had the mark, even after they went into hiding and never touched the Orb. Others believe it is the mark of Garion's sorcery, and point to the facts that 1) we are told that all the sorcerers had some sort of mark signifying their talent -- Polgara has her white lock, Belgarath has a mark over his heart, etc. and 2) the mark on Garion's hand throbs, itches or burns when he uses sorcery, and also has some sort of connection with Polgara's white lock. It's also been suggested that the mark simply served both purposes. 2.10) So, what exactly is on Garion's amulet? (Thanks to Jonathan Yen for this answer) We have no clue. Eddings only made one comment on what was on the amulet. In _Queen of Sorcery_, Garion looks at his amulet and notices that it has a strange geometric design. That's it. For some reason, Garion never bothers to look at his amulet ever again. Why? Don't ask me. So, of course, there has been speculation on what is on the amulet Various things have been said, like a wolf, the orb, the Rivan sword going through a crown, and a circle. Because Garion ain't that dumb, I think he would have noticed that his amulet had a design of one of these rather than think of it as a strange geometric design. Aphrael posed the idea that the design on Garion's amulet was in fact a moebius strip. "Something about two things becoming one or maybe it was one thing becoming two. I don't know...I was feeling weird that day." Amy Sheldon thought it might have been a rune; a character that stands for an entire word (like in the Chinese language). Of course, this started up a whole lot of speculation of what the word was... Finally, Adara suggested that it was a Celtic knot design. The pattern is described as being "Based on a design from the Book of Kells, an 8th Century illuminated manuscript kept at Trinity College in Dublin". 2.11) What is this Bel/Pol prefix business? -cont. by Donal Fellows with parenthetical commentary by Amy Sheldon `Bel' and `Pol' both mean beloved and nothing more. It's just that `Bel' is the male form and `Pol' is the female form. Beldaran is an anomaly, but languages (especially English) are full of them, so you'd better get used to it... (NOWHERE in either the Belgariad or Malloreon does it state that 'Bel' or 'Pol' means disciple. Aldur added it to his original disciples' names, presumably as a sign that they were his "beloved disciples", but simply adding 'Bel' to a name no more makes a character Aldur's disciple then adding 'Fido' to your name would make you into a dog.) 2.12) Why isn't 'Durnik' called 'Beldurnik'? How do you know he isn't? Everyone is used to calling him 'Durnik' (and he's used to being called Durnik), so just because he's a disciple now, and officially entitled to add 'Bel' to his name doesn't mean everyone is going to start calling him a totally different name. 2.13) Has anyone noticed the chess analogy in the titles of the Belgariad? The titles of the Belgariad all have two parts to them. One part refers to a chess piece or move (e.g. Pawn, Gambit) and the other part is a reference to some form of magic, or magical person. There is quite a strong connection with chess throughout the Belgariad. The game between the LP and the DP can be seen as a complicated game of chess involving the characters (some people have gone as far as associating each character with a type of chess piece). It has also been speculated that the strange geometric design on Garion's amulet is in fact a chessboard. The Mallorean titles are slightly more obscure. They use the title of an individual and the place where they are located. (e.g. Seeress of Kell) 2.14) Why can't Zedar get out of that hole Belgarath put him in? (By Jonathan Yen, with parenthetical commentary by Amy Sheldon) Well, Belgarath mentions that sorcerers can't undo what another sorcerer does because everyone thinks differently. But Zedar ain't stupid, and so, should be able to think of another way to get out, right? So, Belgarath must have thought of a pretty elaborate way to keep Zedar down there. However, one should remember that Zedar is stuck in rock for all eternity, which means that he has sufficient oxygen and food for all eternity also. Or, it means that Belgarath made provisions for his well-being for throughout eternity. Two possible solutions have been proposed. a) Zedar is stuck in rock like how Relg goes through it. b) Zedar is in suspended animation. (It should be noted that this is unlikely, as it wouldn't be that awful a punishment if Zedar didn't know he was trapped.) 2.15) Speaking of Zedar, don't you think his punishment was too harsh? No. 2.16) What is the sex of Polgara's twins? It is never said. In the prologue and epilogue of PtS, the twins are mentioned many times, and are quite clearly not referred to by name or sex. This is quite deliberate. The reason given is that no one can now come up with any suggestion for stories about the twins, because absolutely nothing is known about them. 2.17) Who is the Wolf? This is thought to be, as with the twins, an attempt to keep a few loose ends lying around in the world of the Belgariad. The wolf refered to is the one found by Poledra in the Mallorean. He is now Geran's pet/friend, and in the epilogue of PtS he is described as having rather more intelligence than your average wolf. Some of the various explanations are: he is just an ordinary wolf, it's just that wolves are very intelligent creatures, he is an embodiment of the Light Prophecy, enjoying his retirement, or finally, he is David Eddings himself. 2.18) How did Polgara and Poledra merging help them remain unseen by Torak? The first time Polgara and Poledra merge form into the SuperOwl(tm), Polgara remarks that it was the inward turning of themselves that made them invisible. But that cannot be the whole reason, for it should be possible for someone to turn their thoughts inward without merging with someone else. The turning of thought can be seen as creating a shield against searching thoughts. The merging process in combination with turning inward enables them to remain unseen by Torak. It is possible that the merging means they can create the shield and be aware of events happening outside of their merged form. Whereas the shield Garion and Polgara made was imperfect at the join, a combined form could create a perfect shield. 2.19) Why are there so many differences between BtS and PtS? It seems to be on purpose. In one of the letters to the Polgara scrapbook, David speaks about this, and says not to bother pointing them out. In the book, Polgara says that she has a different viewpoint and remembers things differently to Belgarath. Now, given the fact David has put this in, it means he knows there are differences and doesn't want to change them. It is more realistic to think that Polgara and Belgarath cannot remember something exactly when it's something that occurred 3000 years ago. 2.20) What order should the novels be read in? The books were meant to be read in the order in which they were written. The Belgariad, followed by the Malloreon, followed by the two prequels. The Rivan Codex should be read after the two series, but it could be read before the prequels. However, a large segment of the book is an earlier version of a chapter in BtS, so it's generally a good idea to read the Codex last. If you read them in any other order, what suspense and surprise there is will be eliminated. ELENIUM/TAMULI 2.21) Inconsistencies 2.21.1) Some terms that may be confused and are occasionally mixed up by the editors. 2.21.1.1) Elene/Elenian The difference is pretty simple. "Elene" refers to an ethnic/racial group, that group which dominates all of western Eosia, in the nations of Elenia, Arcium, Deira, Thalesia, Pelosia, Lamorkand, Cammoria and Rendor, as opposed to the Styric or Tamul races. "Elenian" refers to the citizens of a particular Elene nation, Elenia. Not all Elenes are Elenian, nor are all Elenians necessarily Elene, since a rural Styric living in Elenia could also be classified as "Elenian." 2.21.1.2) Patriarch/primate A patriarch is one of the 168 members of the upper level of the Hierocracy of the Elene Church. A primate, from all indications, is one rank below a patriarch. If the patriarch of a particular city or district is incapacitated, the primate acts in his stead. They have been compared to the Roman Catholic ranks of cardinal vs. Bishop. The major difference is that patriarchs can vote with the Hierocracy and primates can't. This is why it was so important for Annias to buy support among the patriarchs. 2.21.2) Illogical gaps in the story 2.21.2.1) When Ehlana coaxes the Bhelliom to let her touch it, Bhelliom flatly refuses and states that it has _only once_ allowed a non-divine, non-Anakha creature to touch it, and that was when Ghwerig first lifted it from the earth. Yet we know that Adian must have touched the stone when he stole it from Ghwerig's cave, and it's likely that the Thalesian kings who followed him touched it as well. Aside from concluding that the ancient stone of power was developing Alzheimer's, the only explanation seemed to be that Bhelliom deliberately lied. There has been much debate about why. We know, of course, that the story about instant death if one touched Bhelliom was false and that Bhelliom itself could decide who got to touch it. Rumor believes that Bhelliom was very proud and egotistical, and didn't want to admit that so many people had been allowed to touch it. Others agree and add that Bhelliom was afraid that this would be seen as a sign of weakness and as its alliance with Anakha was still relatively new, it still didn't trust even its own creature. 2.21.2.2) In Domes of Fire, Sparhawk mentions to Sephrenia that Aphrael can fly, and Sephrenia replies that she never actually saw Aphrael do it, but she assumed that her sister could fly. But later, we learn that not only has Sephrenia seen Aphrael fly, but she's even been brought along on about four or five flights in the last three centuries. Someone jokingly suggested that Sephrenia had never "seen" Aphrael fly because she always had her eyes closed in terror. But otherwise, there has not yet been a logical explanation for this one. 2.21.2.3) In The Ruby Knight, Sparhawk calls out to Kalten "That's it." as his "head had just popped up out of the water." This scene occurs when they are busy fishing around in Lake Venne for Bhelliom. This is somewhat inconsistent with Sparhawk's assertion in "The Hidden City" as they are preparing to swim through the water supply to Cyrga that "As soon as Kalten's head goes under water, he starts screaming." 2.22) Do the Elenium or Tamuli titles have any connections to the stories? The Elenium titles are all related to types of precious stones. The Tamuli is the hardest. The closest anyone has come up with is that they refer to cities. The only problem is "The Shining Ones" but that could refer to the city of Delphaeus, as Delphaeus means both the city and The Shining Ones. 2.23) What God is supporting Zalasta's spells when he crashes Sephrenia and Vanion's wedding? At the end of the Tamuli, Cyrgon is dead and Klæl is banished. If Styric spells are nothing more than requests to a God, how do Zalasta's spells work at Sephrenia and Vanion's wedding when he has no God left to appeal to? This one was argued back and forth a bit. The one solution that was given stems from the apparent relationship between Edæmus and the Delphae. Before he departed to prepare the way for their eventual journey, he seems to have granted the Delphae the power to act on their own without requesting his assistance. It seems logical to conclude, then, that a God or other source of power could just as easily have given Zalasta the power to act on his own. Where he got that power from is another matter entirely. Rumor and Aphrael concluded that it was Klæl. As Rumor pointed out, a God is of this (i.e., Sparhawk's) world and has reason to feel threatened by a human with the power to act on his own. But for Klæl, Zalasta was little more than a tiny speck who meant nothing. He would never be able to destroy or contend with Klæl. The only two entities from whom Klæl had anything to fear were Bhelliom and Anakha. So it would be no loss for Klæl to grant Zalasta the power to act on his own. It is also possible that Zalasta's staff was actually an object of power. This is however rather unlikely, as it doesn't seem as if these objects were exactly plentiful in the world, and someone would probably wonder where such a powerful one had gotten to. 2.24) If the Elder Gods were all confined and the Younger Gods were all good guys, where did the renegade Styrics get their power? This is one of those cases of not enough information. There are two possibilities here. Either the renegades somehow found another Elder God besides Azash who still had power despite his confinement, or else not all of the Younger Gods were as lily-white as we're led to believe. In the first scenario, it could be that the Elder Gods could still grant spells to individuals in their confined state, but because of their lack of worshippers they were somehow cut off from being powerful enough to command Bhelliom. On the other hand, it's been proposed that it's entirely possible that there was resentment among the Younger Gods, and, that there were one or two who would actually grant spells to renegades. It's doubtful, however that the resentment extended so far as to go along with Zalasta's plot to destroy Aphrael, therefore necessitating Zalasta's alliances with Azash and Cyrgon. It has also been suggested that the younger Gods produce something of a "pool" of magic that their followers can dip into for non-major spells so that the Gods don't have to grant every single one. If this were the case, Zalasta and company may have been able to tap into that pool with Cyrgon's help. It should be noted that such a pool was never even remotely mentioned in the books and we've seen Aphrael take a direct hand in what would seem to be some rather mundane spells, so such a theory is pure speculation at best. 2.25) Why was Sparhawk so afraid to let Wargun know that they were looking for Bhelliom when they ran into Wargun in Pelosia? Wouldn't Wargun have agreed to at least let Sparhawk borrow the stone if he knew it was their only hope? And even if not, wouldn't it be easier to steal the stone from Wargun after he and his army captured it from Ghwerig than to fight the Troll himself? It seems that we have to go on the assumption that Wargun was an erratic drunk who was not thinking rationally. Add to that the fact that he probably wouldn't have believed that the Bhelliom had magical powers and could cure Ehlana, and chances are, he wouldn't believe that Sparhawk had a valid reason for wanting the stone. As for the question of letting Wargun help capture the stone and then stealing it from him, it's important to note that time was of the essence. Half the knights whose lives were supporting Ehlana's had already died. And, as Rumor pointed out, it would take a while just to move an army from Pelosia to Thalesia. Besides, chances are that Wargun would have taken his own soldiers with him and sent Sparhawk to Arcium. Considering that the most important thing in Sparhawk's mind was restoring Ehlana, he couldn't afford to gamble on the whims of an erratic, drunken king. 2.26) Immortality (The Elenium Derivative) If Danae is going to be Queen of Elenia and she is immortal, will she have to grow old and die like a normal person? Aphrael makes it clear at the end of the Elenium that she knows she will have to play by the normal rules in her incarnation as Danae. As much as she may be tempted, she isn't about to upset the Elene population of Eosia by remaining a child for several centuries. So it's likely that at the appropriate time, Danae will fake a nice, peaceful, painless death and move on to her next incarnation. THE ALT.FAN.EDDINGS NEWSGROUP 2.27) alt.fan.eddings newsgroup; what is it, who created it, and when? -Cont. by Aquarius a.f.e. is the home of Eddings fanatics worldwide. The newsgroup has a high level of traffic, several hundred posts a day, up from only a couple dozen only a few years ago. The control message sent to alt.config came from Bob Snyder, on behalf of Lydia Leong. The date was 17 May 1992. The reasons given for the creation of the new group was that the existing place for discussion about Eddings, rec.arts.sf.written, had a lot of flame wars about whether Eddings was a good writer or not. It was felt that fans' questions were being lost as a result of these flame wars. Interestingly, alt.fan.eddings was created with the idea that it should also be a home for discussion about the Belgariad MUSH as well. A fuller history of the newsgroup, and a full copy of the control message can be seen at 2.28) Why does everyone have an Eddings alias, and how can I get one? This popular habit was started around the summer of 97. There had always been a few people using aliases, but more and more people started using them until it was decided that some sort of system was needed to ensure that no two people took the same alias. Teut monitors who has what alias and any questions regarding aliases should be directed to alias@tolhoneth.org. Teut maintains a site listing all aliases currently in use. It can be found at 2.30) Who runs the Trivia quiz, and when is it posted to the newsgroup? The Trivia Quiz is posted every third Sunday by Doroon. Two and a half weeks are allowed for replies. The current quiz as well as archived records of previous quizzes can be found at http://www.mines-a-pint.freeserve.co.uk along with an online entry form as well as contact details for subscribing to the quiz via an e-mail list. 2.31) What exactly is Klæl's Army? Klæl's Army was a rather innocuous looking thread about how the Arcerans (aliens that Klæl brought over to fight in the Tamuli) could forge weapons in the highly explosive atmosphere they lived in. It developed into a highly complex and incomprehensible discussion about biology. Very quickly, it became an in-joke to refer to it when any complicated thread was started, no matter the subject. Klæl's Army has now joined the Dryad and Immortality threads in the history of alt.fan.eddings. 2.32) Where can a new user find information about this newsgroup? Kamion (kamion@earthling.net) runs the AFE Dispatch Daemon which can automatically send you various information packs about this newsgroup. To get the Newbie pack send a blank email to mordja@tolhoneth.org with a subject of "get newbie". For a catalogue of all the documents send an e-mail to the same address as above with a subject of "get cat". Please ensure that your return email address is *NOT* disguised as you will not get a reply. The catalogue can be found at one of Kamion's afe related sites, along with a variety of other files that the new user (or a returning old user who never read the documents in the first place) might find of interest. 2.33) Are there any rules for this newsgroup? There are no formal rules. Most people seem to agree that this is a pretty pleasant newsgroup with friendly people and low spam and troll ratios. But there are three things we can all do to make sure things stay friendly and relaxed. They are called the Three Commandments. 1.) Thou shalt not flame without malicious provocation. Pretty self-explanatory. If someone says something that upsets you or that you disagree with, tell them calmly, in polite language, and without resorting to name-calling or personal attacks. 2.) Thou shalt not profane the works of thy authors David and Leigh Eddings. So maybe you didn't like _all_ of Eddings' books. Not everybody does. But don't come out with belligerent statements like "This book sucks!" Instead, state in intelligent, mature language that you had problems with this particular book or series and explain why. Maybe there is even someone else here who can offer you a new perspective on it that will make you appreciate it more. 3.) Thou shalt not utilize foul or offensive language. This one follows pretty logically from the other two. What is meant by "foul or offensive language?" Basically, if you wouldn't say it in front of your parents or other respected adults, or in the presence of particular racial, ethnic or gender groups, don't say it here. 2.34) What are the letters that I see before some thread names? The letters before thread names are a voluntary tagging method started to help readers of afe who don't have the time and/or the inclination to read every post keep up with what they're most interested in. The tags that are currently in use consist of: [B]anter [C]ouncil (relating to meets) [E]ddings [M]eta (relating to the newsgroup itself) [O]ff-topic [T]echnical 2.35) What is afec? afec stands for alt.fan.eddings.creative. It is essentially a fanfic newsgroup, and an offshoot of afe. The afec FAQ can be obtained from the afe dispatch daemon or from Aquarius' website at . 2.36) Where in the books are the worlds called Eriondia and Sparhawkia? They aren't. These are simply names created on this newsgroup to make it easier to discuss the two worlds. 3) EDDINGS RESOURCES 3.1) IRC #eddings Thanks in large part to the efforts of Ian Hutcherson and Rumor, afe has its own channel on IRC. There are #Eddings channels on several IRC networks, including IRCNet and Dalnet, but the channel on Espernet has become the unofficially official afe channel. The following information describing how to connect was contributed by Kamion and describes how to connect to #eddings on Espernet. First, you need an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) client. This enables you to access IRC servers, which operate like your news server in distributing messages among all the people using it, but in a matter of seconds rather than minutes or hours so that it's possible to chat more or less at random without the bandwidth restrictions on the newsgroup. The most popular IRC clients by computer seem to be: Windows: "mIRC" can be downloaded from: UK: http://www.mirc.co.uk/ USA: http://www.geocities.com/~mirc/ South Africa: http://www.mirc.co.za/ Australia: http://mirc.eon.net.au/ among others. Macintosh: "IRCle" can be downloaded from: USA: http://www.ircle.com/ Australia: http://www.ozmac.com/ among others. UNIX/Linux: "ircII EPIC" (sources/binaries) can be downloaded from: USA: http://www.min.net/~douglas/ircii/ Germany: http://www.snafu.de/~kl/epic/ among others. "sirc" (sources) can be downloaded from: us: http://www.iagora.com/~espel/sirc/ among others, but this is the official site. "Zircon" (for X) can be downloaded from: UK: http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Programs/Zircon/ RISC OS: "LIRC" can be downloaded from: Denmark: http://isa.dknet.dk/~tolsson/files/lirc.zip "IRClient" can be downloaded from: UK: http://willothewisp.demon.co.uk/software.html "iXRC" (commerical), see: UK: http://www.quadworks.co.uk/sub/products/ixrc/ There are lots of others. If none of the above suit your tastes, then http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/Chat/IRC/Software/ has a fairly good selection of IRC clients for various systems. Once you've downloaded and installed your client, you need to configure it to connect to Espernet, which is a group of IRC servers that all co-operate to allow anyone using one of them to talk to anyone using any of the others. The way you add a server depends on your client; if it's not mentioned here, check your client's documentation for details. mIRC: In mIRC you click on File / Setup / Add. You will then be prompted for some information. The only important and/or obscure bits of this will be the server and port number. You should ideally choose the server that's geographically closest to you; you may pick a port number at random from those that are available (or your client may allow you to enter several ports between which it will choose each time you connect - check your help files for more details). sirc: Having chosen your server from the list below, invoke sirc with the command: sirc -i "" : (this assumes that the sirc binary is on your $PATH). should be your real name and your chosen nickname. LIRC: Select 'Choices' from the iconbar menu; type the name of your chosen server in the 'Server' writable icon, followed by a colon, followed by your chosen port (all the esper servers use 5555). You should enter your chosen nickname in the 'Nick' field and your name in the 'Real Name' field. The remaining fields can safely be left blank for the moment. The official list of Espernet servers, geographical locations, and ports can be found at http://www.esper.net/servers.html and at the time of writing runs as follows: adastra.esper.net Location: Falls Church, Virginia Server Administrator: Catlin Operators: C`leton Selestra Ports: 5555, 6667, 7000 - Bots: Allowed Hosted by: BocanerNet bean.esper.net Location: Perth, Australia Server Administrator: Ender Operators: None Ports: 5555, 6667 - Bots: Not Allowed Hosted by: Connect chocobo.esper.net Location: Fresno, California Server Administrators: IJ & Delirium Operator: Neko Ports: 5555, 6666 - 6669, 7000 - Bots: Not allowed Hosted by: ChocoboNet cosmos.esper.net Location: San Diego, California Server Administrator: Data Operators: Faris Gin-Irochi Zero Ports: 5555, 6660-6670, 7000 Hosted by: Amity Institute damocles.esper.net Location: Helsinki, Finland Server Administrator: matti Operators: Ender Miravlix RoboBob Ports: 5555, 6660-6670, 7000 - Bots: Allowed Hosted by: Fishpool Creations, Ltd. dream.esper.net Location: San Diego, California Server Administrator: Rand Operators: BlueChocobo CharlesV Kelmar Rasis Port: 5555 - Bots: Allowed Hosted by: DreamHaven Internet Services excalibur.esper.net Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland Server Administrator: Rakoth Ports: 5555, 6666 - 6669, 7000, 8000 - Bots: Not allowed Hosted by: GPL Internet Services phoenix.esper.net Location: Squamish, British Columbia, Canada Server Administrator: _Cyan_ Operators: Karinu Pteryx Ports: 5555, 6660-6669, 7000 - Bots: Allowed Hosted by: Weyland-Yutani weyr.esper.net Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Server Administrator: FireMyst & Ragnarok Operators: AndrewK Chiapet Dominick Googleshng Ryo-ohki Port: 5555 - Bots: Allowed Hosted by: Mediabang! If you want, you can also connect to irc.esper.net, port 5555 (and possibly others); this will connect you to a random server. However, I recommend choosing one manually because, while you presumably know your geographical location, irc.esper.net does not. You will not necessarily be connected to the most appropriate server this way. After you've filled in the nickname you want (and, if you want, an alternative should your first choice be taken) press "Connect", or the equivalent on your client, and you will (I hope) be connected to your chosen server. You'll see a welcome message of some description, and then either you will be presented with a list of channels (the IRC jargon for a chat forum) or you will see a vaguely unfriendly-looking command prompt. In the first case, look for #eddings in the list with which you are presented. Click on it, and press "Join" (or similar). In the second case, or if you can't find #eddings in the channel list (in which case you can probably press something like "Cancel" to get you to a command prompt), you will need to issue an IRC command. These can be recognized by the fact that they start with a slash (/). The particular command you need in this case is "/join #eddings" (without the quotes). There may not necessarily be anybody on the channel when you arrive. This is quite normal. Just wait a while, or try a different time of day. The best times tend to be from 23.00 GMT onwards, which is popular with UK users, and 12.00 GMT onwards, which is popular with Australian users. Given that there are afe posters and lurkers all around the world, there may well be other times that are popular. If you need any further help, you should be able to get it from #eddings itself, or the #dragonweyr or #irchelp channels on Espernet. 3.2) Web pages EDDINGS HOME PAGES: Donal Fellow's Eddings Page Eddings trivia, voting on items of interest to Eddings fans, and links to other sites. His site also contains a copy of the a.f.e. Recommended Fantasy Author List. Paul Farris' Eddings Page - "The Vale" Contains Paul Farris' original Eddings FAQ, and well as links to other sites and lots of other useful stuff. Guardians of The West Maintained by Kamion, this contains many excellent features, including Eddings in the Real World. It also has some good links to other Eddings web sites. Be warned this contains many advanced HTML features and may only be used with some of the later browsers. Aphrael's Isle This site concentrates on the Elenium and Tamuli series, which makes it unique in itself. It has a very good character list. The AFE Codex More about alt.fan.eddings rather than Eddings' himself. It has descriptions of many of the regulars on AFE and also contains a history of the newsgroup. The Happy Bunny Sanctuary Contains a graphical display of the Rivan line family tree. The Eddings Web Ring This collection of web sites is a link to 18 different sites. Aquarius' Site This site contains the fanfic archive, the nvFAQ and the AFE Code decoder and creator. It also gives an explanation of afec, and contains a copy of the afec FAQ. The AFE ICQ Site This site contains the ICQ numbers of various regulars to AFE Jakob Persson's Site A large site about Eddings and their work mainly focused on the Belgariad/Malloreon series. There are also a message board for discussions, a chat, and a lot of fun facts and info for the Eddings fan such as the YKYRTMEW list and several interviews. 3.3) Other sites of interest: The Recommended Fantasy Author List Listing of fantasy authors recommended by readers of the alt.fan.eddings newsgroup. Contains descriptive listings on more than 150 authors, forthcoming titles, book news, and numbers of recommendations. Del Rey homepage Del Rey is Eddings' publisher in the U.S., and their site often has news about his upcoming work. They also publish quite a few other fantasy authors, and you can find a number of sample chapters as well as a variety of other options there. 4) CREDITS AND THANKS (Amy Sheldon) Special thanks and my eternal gratitude to Paul Farris, Donal Fellows, and Jonathan Yen, who let me use information that they had already gathered and pounded into useable form. I am grateful for their hard work, and their graciousness in allowing me to swipe^H^H^H^H^H utilize their efforts. And, of course, I could never forgive myself if I forgot to thank Anthony Chan, who 'waaaay back in 1994 began the grim task of hacking together an Eddings FAQ (he eventually gave it up and decided to do something a bit easier - complete his medical degree.) Thanks also to: Daniel Peters, for the original list of German titles, and Denis Aumueller, who sent the titles of Eddings' other works and added ISBNs. Raul de Vincenzi, Geoff Hunter and Ginger941, who provided help with ISBNs, as well as a few encouraging words. Joy Green, who provided the descriptions for _High Hunt_ and _The Losers_ Arto Repola, who provided the Finnish version of the titles. Francis Cornet, who provided the French titles and ISBNs. Patrik Montgomery, who provided the Swedish titles. Marcello Manicardi, who provided the Italian titles. And, of course, Kalten, who provided the best commentary I've received on this FAQ since it came out (unfortunately, much of it isn't suitable for a family publication...) Aphrael's thanks: Amy Sheldon, for entrusting me to take over the maintenance of the FAQ and for having it so well written to begin with so that all I had to do was add a few things. Rumor and Peta Young, for their parts in hammering out some of the theories I've added to the FAQ. Ian Hutcherson, for all his work organizing the #eddings channel. Sarabian's thanks: Aphrael and Amy Sheldon, the previous two FAQ maintainers, for making the job of doing an update so easy. Having such an excellent base to work with made the job so much easier. Vanan, for getting the whole update moving and also for setting up the IRC channel for discussion about the FAQ. Kamion, for provided some excellent information especially regarding the foreign titles. Both Vanan and Kamion had HTML versions of the FAQ, but special thanks must also go to Ian Hutcherson for creating the original version and setting up the Geocities site. Aquarius, Rumor, Charles Meigh, Simon Nickerson, Itagne, Daniel Peters, Dominic Wynn, Aslade, Ce'Nedra, Bernadette Crumb (aka Taiba), Anna Davies and Kalten, all for providing valuable information, being excellent reviewers and finding all my mistakes. And many, many more people on alt.fan.eddings for thinking of the questions and making my job simple by providing the answers. Dave's thanks Amy Sheldon, for putting in all the work towards creating the document in the first place and for maintaining it for so many years. Aphrael, for writing the majority of the Elenium/Tamuli section herself. Sarabian, for creating the FAQ addendum and thus making this a great deal easier as well as for helping review and edit the final document. Kamion, for contributing the IRC helper section, among many others, and for going a long way towards recovering the FAQ from its MIT autoposting status, and for reviewing and editing the final document. Itagne, for contributing various additions and corrections to the FAQ, especially additions to the foreign titles section, and for continuing to find the most blatant mistakes that the rest of us missed. Jaycey, for helping fix some spacing problems in the document (a more boring task, I have trouble imagining) and for further editing the document by fixing grammatical errors and removing personalizations that had been missed by the earlier editors.