introduction to the introduction to the zombie
Brooks
with this idea of writing a small book about zombies. Describing what
they are, how they can be used, and how to defend against them. Also,
I have had this idea of writing a series of stories 'in character,'
where I the author am also a character (although only a bit player).
I will also attach this as a pdf file in the files section.
Let me know what you think.
==================================================================
Introduction to the Zombie
Introduction by the Translator
Thank you for choosing to read this translated copy of the
Introduction to the Zombie, Fourth Edition, written by the Necromancer
Sho Levine. This small book is a staple within the Daele(1), and can
be seen in almost every home library. It is also the title to one of
the first classes that future Necromancer's must take when attending
the University of the Dead. However this simple book is not unique to
only one Universe; it is a staple for U-Scout's and Ranger's in the
field, and is considered required reading if you wish to become either
of these prestigious classes. This book has also helped to solve some
of the misconceptions concerning Zombies, and along with them, the
Necromancer.
I first learned of this book during an instant message session with my
contact, Rale Sot, a semi-retired U-Scout living in the hub Universe,
Star. His job is to communicate with me, and several other individuals
from class A worlds and provide us with information regarding events,
the culture and information about the rest of the multi-verse. When I
learned about Daele, I immediately requested information regarding it.
This is the first book that I received from Rale, and is currently the
only piece of writing that I have translated from U-Common(2) (from
now on to be called common) to American English. Currently my
knowledge of Earth languages is limited to only a few words in Spanish
and French, with most of my studying going to the languages not native
to this world.
The politics behind my being chosen for this duty is beyond this book,
although I will say that I am the only one from this world who is
officially being contacted by the Order of the Stars. My job,
according to Rale is to translate works of both fiction and non-
fiction and display them in this world as fiction. They are meant to
inspire people to think about the future of this world, and prepare us
for a day, in the future, when The Order may approach us openly and
invite us to join them. I know that I am biased, but I truly hope that
this day will come within my lifetime.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Daele roughly translates to The Land of the Dead. In this book I
will refer to this world as Daele because it incorprrates easier into
the text.
(2) U-Common is the common language employed across over sixty percent
of the multiverse. In this text I will refer to this language as
common.
Nicholas DeVivo
On Jul 17, 11:04 pm, Brooks <scgryp...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
> I first learned of this book during an instant message session with my
> contact, Rale Sot, a semi-retired U-Scout living in the hub Universe,
> Star. His job is to communicate with me, and several other individuals
> from class A worlds and provide us with information regarding events,
> the culture and information about the rest of the multi-verse. When I
> learned about Daele, I immediately requested information regarding it.
> This is the first book that I received from Rale, and is currently the
> only piece of writing that I have translated from U-Common(2) (from
> now on to be called common) to American English. Currently my
> knowledge of Earth languages is limited to only a few words in Spanish
> and French, with most of my studying going to the languages not native
> to this world.
>
While I find the idea of a book on necromancy zombies interesting (I
happen to have a book on bio-zombies), I think that the multi-verse
thing is going a bit far. It just seems like two completely different
elements to me. Necromancy brings to mind epic fantasy with swords
and sorcery, while alternate realities strike me as being firmly
entrenched in the realm of speculative fiction with pseudo-scientific
pop-jargon arranged to confuse the reader into plausibility. Also, it
seems to me like you'd have to establish the nature of the multi-verse
for the reader, which would be beside the point of a book about
zombies. I would think most people would grasp a "sword and sorcery"
fantasy setting more easily with fewer direct inferences, as many
people were brought up listening to fairy tales and the like.
Brooks
> happen to have a book on bio-zombies), I think that the multi-verse
> thing is going a bit far.
In general I agree with you whole-heartedly, and in retrospect this is
not the best introduction to the realm that I am creating. My vision
is to create a series that has both science fiction and fantasy
elements working together. Most people consider them to be the same
thing, but never at the same time. In my mind, it is possible, but is
going to take some time to explain it all. My first series, Daniel's
Pack is an introduction to this idea. The problem with the
Introduction to the Zombie is that it expects the reader to be ready
to except this idea from the outset.
Thanks for pointing this out, I'll have to work on some good
introductions to this topic and meld them in with this idea.
Brooks
Nicholas DeVivo
On Jul 18, 9:40 pm, Brooks <scgryp...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> > While I find the idea of a book on necromancy zombies interesting (I
> > happen to have a book on bio-zombies), I think that the multi-verse
> > thing is going a bit far.
>
> In general I agree with you whole-heartedly, and in retrospect this is
> not the best introduction to the realm that I am creating. My vision
> is to create a series that has both science fiction and fantasy
> elements working together. Most people consider them to be the same
> thing, but never at the same time. In my mind, it is possible, but is
> going to take some time to explain it all.
Sort of a "magi-punk" setting, eh? The Final Fantasy games seem kinda
like that. The setting is more or less sword-and-sorcery, but there
are also airships and the occasional robot. They're mechanical in
nature, although the materials they're made from are sometimes
mystical in nature and they may run on fantastical energy sources,
like Crystallized Dragonfire. In general, magi-punk would be like
steam-punk, except magic can be used to make the technology more
"advanced." Then there's the cyber-punk setting of Shadow Run, which
takes place in a high-tech dystopian future in which magic has been
loosed upon the world. And, of course, there's the old saying,
"Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
-- Nicholas DeVivo
Brooks
> Sort of a "magi-punk" setting, eh? The Final Fantasy games seem kinda
> like that. The setting is more or less sword-and-sorcery, but there
> are also airships and the occasional robot. They're mechanical in
> nature, although the materials they're made from are sometimes
> mystical in nature and they may run on fantastical energy sources,
> like Crystallized Dragonfire. In general, magi-punk would be like
> steam-punk, except magic can be used to make the technology more
> "advanced." Then there's the cyber-punk setting of Shadow Run, which
> takes place in a high-tech dystopian future in which magic has been
> loosed upon the world. And, of course, there's the old saying,
> "Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
>
> -- Nicholas DeVivo
Yeah, although I must say that the last sentence was the main reason
that I started.
I have gotten tired of people claiming that one thing or another is
impossible because our science says so. Or better yet, people saying
that it has to be this certain way because of science. I am of the
firm belief that our scientific level is basic at the best, and that
there are ways to explain everything via science, just maybe not by
our science.
So the main characters in my stories are going to be the Space Elves,
a race that relies on technology to do everything, even things that
the mages would do. And the Traditional Elves, who do everything based
on what we call magic. They both have the same level of doing things,
but both do them in very different ways.
Here is an example of how I would write a relatively simple spell as
both technology and magic (a version of the D&D spell light).
Traditional Mage - Elf Bard
I take out my flute and close my eyes as the first notes float through
the air like sparrows in the spring. I can feel the pull and push of
the ocean that is the magical current, the tides that flow around and
through me. I can sense the rhythm, and I adjust my music accordingly.
The tune of the music doesn't really matter, I can form the spell with
any kind of song, even one with my head. But I am first and foremost a
bard and if I am going to create any kind of music, it is going to be
my best. The energies flow around me like a whirlwind, causing strong
ripples to flow outward for many miles, a beacon for the source of the
disturbance, for me. With a mental twist I focus on my lute and a
tendril of energy is pulled into it, charging like a battery until it
glows to the few who have the gift of sight. Then, as the last note
dies, I whisper a thanks, and instruct the energy to begin a violent
transformation into photons, spreading out in every way like a bright
star. Opening my eyes I look at my handiwork, a small mithril lute
glowing a bright blue I glance over at my husband and give him a
smirk, lets see technology beat that.
Technology - Space Elf (I haven't figured out a class yet, but the
equivalent of mage)
I look over at my wife and smile, but inside sigh. I don't understand
why she feels the need to constantly pit her skills against mine, we
both know we're comparable. The only real magic is the way that she
plays that lute anyway, I remember when I first heard it I had Phoenix
try to emulate it for hours. It was more like days. And are you going
to create a lite? Or should I teleport a flashlight to you instead?
Another sigh, now Phoenix is getting on my case. Oh well. With a
mental trigger, a mental screen pops up in my vision, a interface
between me and all of the devices attached to me. I briefly consider
writing a new program to create the light, but decide against it,
instead I activate one that does all that I need to do. I hold my arm
up about head high, palm facing me and parallel to the ground. My
armband ejects several thousand nanites, tiny computers that are
around the size of an atom each. They form a loose ball above my hand
and begin to form into groups that collect a small amount of energy
from their surroundings and share it to the rest. Then several of them
begin to vibrate, giving this energy in sudden bursts the the atoms
within the sphere, which in turn shed photons. When the ball of light
is stable, it moves as a unit to float slightly behind and above my
head, several hundred nanites folding through the layers of dimensions
to keep themselves in position. I glance back over to my wife who is
glaring at me. Sigh.
Nicholas DeVivo
actual name of the race. I mean, when Space is normal to someone,
adding "Space" to a name is just silly. It's like calling a Buffalo a
Land Cow.
The thought also occurs that the difference between science and magic
is that magic is mysterious while science can be understood by
anyone. It's been argued that the phrase I gave you before should
instead be read "Insufficiently explained technology is
indistinguishable from magic." Once you start explaining how magic
works, it ceases to be magic and becomes a science. Take for example,
the movie "The Prestige." (I think that was the name) It's about two
rival magicians, one of which is played by Hugh Jackman. Hugh Jackman
becomes so obsessed with one of his rival's illusions, which turned
out to have an entirely plausible explanation, that he has Nikolai
Tesla build him a machine that pretty much breaks the laws of physics
just to replicate it. Since I don't understand how the machine could
possibly do what it does, it's like magic, and since the actual trick
had a simple procedure that could be understood by anyone, it isn't
magical at all.
When you say "Traditional Elves," religion suddenly comes to mind. In
a way, faith is magic, although the term "magic" could be replaced
with "miracle" or "God's will." Turning water into wine is magic. It
happens because it was God's will, and you don't question God's will.
End of story. Either elf could be religious, at least in that zealous
"I'm right and you're a heathen" way, but magic would probably work
best on faith. You have to believe it works, and it's probably more
powerful when you (and maybe your target) don't understand how.
Technology, meanwhile, works exactly same regardless of how well you
understand the science behind it, assuming you keep the machine well
maintained. Not understanding it just makes it seem magical. Is that
camera stealing your soul? Or is it just chemicals reacting to light
waves? Or is there a tiny demon inside the paints really, really
fast?
You could've had the Bard and the Technician (my suggestion, by the
way) do the trick exactly the same way with similar equipment, but use
minimal (or avoidant) explanation vs. in-depth explanation to make one
seem more magical than the other.
Brooks
> "Space Elf" sounds kinda corny. I imagine that's not going to be the
> actual name of the race. I mean, when Space is normal to someone,
> adding "Space" to a name is just silly. It's like calling a Buffalo a
> Land Cow.
Absoulutely. The truth is that no name that I have thought up for them
has stuck. However I am planning on having that name stick around as a
derogatory way of referring to this race.
> When you say "Traditional Elves," religion suddenly comes to mind.
Now that I actually look at it, I agree with you. Initially I was just
trying to make a quick distinction between the two classes of Elves.
In the stories, they will never be referred to as traditional, or at
least I'm not planning on having them be.
> You could've had the Bard and the Technician (my suggestion, by the
> way) do the trick exactly the same way with similar equipment, but use
> minimal (or avoidant) explanation vs. in-depth explanation to make one
> seem more magical than the other.
That is a good idea. I let my science fiction skills go and they ended
up explaining what I didn't want explained. I do have ideas about the
differences between magic and science, but they could probably fill
several encyclopedias.
Thanks for your thoughts. I'll post more stuff when I write it.
Brooks
Nicholas DeVivo
On Jul 20, 6:45 pm, Brooks <scgryp...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> On Jul 20, 2:12 pm, Nicholas DeVivo <zeroo...@aim.com> wrote:
>
> > When you say "Traditional Elves," religion suddenly comes to mind.
>
> Now that I actually look at it, I agree with you. Initially I was just
> trying to make a quick distinction between the two classes of Elves.
> In the stories, they will never be referred to as traditional, or at
> least I'm not planning on having them be.
>
I wasn't actually complaining about that designation, although that
argument had sprung to mind. I really just wanted to further point
out that your stereotypical "Traditional Elf" would have an entirely
non-scientific approach to magic. In fact, the stereotype might stick
unquestioningly to traditional, millennium-old spell-casting methods
and become quite irate with people who want to know how it "really
works."
-- Nicholas DeVivo.