The following discussion notes do contain spoilers for the fantasy novel The Dark Glory War. It is heartily recommended you do not read the discussion notes until after reading the book.
The Dark Glory War is the first novel in the DragonCrown War Cycle of novels. It was published in March of 2000. The book follows four friends on the eve of their becoming adults within their society. This transition from youth to adulthood is supposed to be a light and joyful one, but events quickly conspire to change that. The young men are launched on a grand adventure that will take them far from home and change their lives forever--and not necessarily for the better.
As an epic fantasy, The Dark Glory War contains many of the elements familiar from the works of other authors like J. R. R. Tolkien, Dennis L. McKiernan, Stephen R. Donaldson and Robert Jordan. The author successfully mines the trove of mythic archetypes and motifs common in the epic fantasy field and also adds new elements that provide some unique flavor to the work. This book is very much a prequel to those which follow, taking place a generation earlier than the subsequent books.
Discussion notes:
Masks: Masks play an important part in the lives of the main characters of this novel. Oriosa is a nation in which a class of individuals are permitted to wear masks and decorate them with symbols and trophies to mark the accomplishments and events in their lives.
1) Wearing a mask is considered a great honor. How is this represented in the novel?
The presentation of masks is highly regulated and ritualized. Hawkins is admonished by his father to keep with the tradition of only baring his face to members of his own family, regardless of what others might do. Masks of the deceased are kept by their families, and while not worshipped, are venerated and treated with great respect.
2) In what ways is the society changed by the wearing of masks?
All homes have an alcove near the doors which is curtained off, allowing the door to be answered while preserving the privacy of the home, and those within who might be caught without their masks. In using communal baths, Oriosan bathers are provided with bathing masks to wear. At one point in the novel our heroes discover a dead man who is without a mask, and it is commented that without his mask, he was impossible to identify.
3) What would other societal accommodations to the wearing of masks be?
This is an open question, but some likely answers are that thieves would likely not wear a mask when committing crimes, or adopt other masks to do so, the wearing of a false mask would be criminalized, craftsmen of the best masks would be highly prized and the likelihood that "courtesy masks" for non-Oriosan guests invited to a formal dinner would be available.
4) Would a society where people are allowed to wear masks be one that is more or less likely to harbor secrets?
This is an open question. Because the masks and their decorations tell a lot about the wearer, it could be argued that, in fact, there are less secrets to hide. On the other hand, Lord Norrington very clearly has a secret, and secret societies operate within Oriosa.
5) Hawkins opens the story by noting that the day he was given his mask was the one on which he felt truly alive, and when his mask was stripped from him, he said that was the day he died. Discuss the significance wearing a mask has for Hawkins, as well as the significance of the masks he acquires through the novel.
Hawkins' identity is tied both to his being worthy of wearing a mask and, by extension, upholding his family's honor. He sees his role in life being to serve Leigh Norrington much as his own father served Leigh's father and grandfather. At the end of the Moon Month, when he is supposed to receive his first truly adult mask, he is away from home. That adult mask is supposed to be given to him by his eldest available male relative, but in Hawkins' case, he is given the mask by Lord Norrington, which gratifies him. When told he can ask for a reward, as per custom, Hawkins asks that he be allowed to continue in Lord Norrington's service, showing his full commitment to his family's role.
6) What are the equivalent of the Oriosan masks that we wear in our society? Is having these contemporary masks a good thing?
The masks, today, tend to be commercial, not personal. Corporate logowear predominates, as do brand preferences for all manner of consumer products. We chose what we will eat, drink, drive and wear by the way they help us project the image we want to be judged by. Likewise group affiliations, from schools and clubs, religions, political parties and service organizations tell the world more about us.
Gunpowder: Gunpowder and cannons are introduced into this world in the form of the dragonnel which Chytrine brings to Fortress Draconis. It is shown to have great destructive power and is used to devastating effect in the siege.
1) As the dragonnel was being rolled into place and loaded, did you have any inkling as to what would follow? Did you know that it was a cannon and what it would do?
This is a set of open questions.
2) Hawkins, nor anyone else in Fortress Draconis, had seen, heard or experienced the power of a dragonnel before. Did their reaction to it seem reasonable? Did Hawkins' reaction allow you to see firearms and more modern weapons from a different perspective?
These open questions have no correct answers.
3) Gunpowder weapons are seldom found in fantasy novels. Does gunpowder's presence here feel like an intrusion, or somehow sully the nature of the fantasy? Does it make too strong a link between our world and the fantasy world?
Yet more open questions to encourage discussion.
Tone and Tenor: The author has been quoted as describing The Dark Glory War as a "World War One" novel. This is because it begins with a very hopeful tone. It is a grand adventure into which our heroes go, confident that they will save the world and emerge as legends. All too quickly the entire situation goes to pieces and our heroes' adventure ends tragically.
1) Discuss the shifts in mood in the story. Where were the points where it began to get darker?
The points were the story began its slide to darkness are:
a) the battle at Atval
b) the fleet action in the Crescent Sea
c) the destruction of the bridge
d) the loss of Svarskya
e) the Ghost March raid
f) the siege of Fortress Draconis
g) at Boragul
2) It could be argued that Leigh's discovery of Temmer and his growing dependence upon it parallel's the descent of the novel into darkness. Is this a valid viewpoint?
It is valid up to a point, for the novel continues to get darker even after the destruction of Temmer and Leigh's dissolution.
3) Was Leigh's descent inevitable? Was there anything he could have done to save himself?
These are open questions with no true right answer. Given the nature of the sword and Leigh's desire to be a hero in the mold of his father, the sword's destroying him seems inescapable. It is possible to suggest that the sword just played on Leigh's hubris, thereby exploiting a moral defect to destroy him, but the scene in the stone garden with Hawkins suggests very strongly that Leigh harbored no illusions about his being able to escape his fate, which would argue against the very character defect that would have destroyed him.
4) Was Hawkins brave or foolish in taking Temmer?
An open question.
5) How did the level of violence depicted in the book affect the tone? How would you describe the level of violence? Is there any point where it went too far?
More open questions.
6) Is the employment of violence ever acceptable?
An open question which will be useful in filling out the last half hour of any discussion.
Magick: Magick is a vital part of any fantasy novel and setting. While magick is often limited to a "flash-bang" type of enchantment, magick and the supernatural should really feel like part of the world in which the adventure takes place. In The Dark Glory War magick manifests itself in terms of spells, enchanted weapons, enchanted creatures, gods and spirits.
1) It is noted that human mages can only handle spells dealing with inanimate objects because spells required to deal with living subjects require more learning than a Man has lifetime for. Does this make some sort of logical sense, or was the author just trying to limit the availability of magickal healing so lots of folks could die?
While the author hopes the former case is true, there is also a bit of the latter in there as well. The simple fact of the matter, however, is that the limitations placed on human magick was put into place to suggest that greater power required greater study. This differentiates humans from their companions from the other races. Moreover, the trick Chytrine uses to undo healings would have worked no matter who had the ability to cast healing spells, so the limitations argument is undone anyway.
2) Did the presence of the weirun raise the sense of magick in the world? What are they like?
Weirun are very much like the spirits of place that are common in the mythology of the world. These are usually lesser spirits of limited power. Knocking on wood to invoke good luck is actually a custom based on appeasing the spirits (dryads) once thought to inhabit trees. The weiruns' presence, in hills, lakes, rivers, oceans, mountains and a few created sites means there is magick everywhere.
The weirun vary in presentation. Tagothcha and Tsamoc are the only two dealt with in the novel. Tagothcha is very powerful, but very greedy and susceptible to bribery. Tsamoc is very young and honor bound. When it discovers that its existence has allowed people to be harmed, he willingly destroys himself. While it is very childlike in its thinking process, Tsamoc is very adult in its sense of duty.
3) What would you have offered to Tagothcha to earn safe passage over the sea?
This is an open question, which can be extended by asking, "And what do you think Tagothcha would do with [your gift]?"
4) The gods are relatively remote in this novel and never appear in the story per se. Do you think they actually had an effect on the events? More specifically, did Kedyn grant Hawkins the gift he asked for?
This is a fairly open question. The gods do not appear in the story, but there are points when their effect could be posited. Fesyin is the godling of pain, and our heroes employ a herb known as Fesyin Bane to help Rounce when he's wounded. Was that just a name for an analgesic herb, or something magickal that held a godling at bay--thereby implying she actively inflicts pain on people?
Hawkins asked for the gift of Control: the ability to keep his head straight while all chaos broke loose around him. The fact that he could recount his narrative after so much time with such clarity suggests he did have that gift. Whether or not Kedyn granted him that gift, or, like two other of the "six Martial Virtues" he already possessed it is open to debate.
5) The six Martial Virtues are discussed on pages 13-14. Which is the most important? Which do you think you possess? Which would you like to have most?
This is a set of open questions.
Assorted questions: Most of what follow are mostly open questions useful in spurring discussion.
1) The Vorquelves are unlike other elves, either in this novel or other fantasy fiction. How are they different? What is the significance of their names?
They differ in several ways. Physically then tend to have more bulk that other elves, having built themselves up. They also have eyes of a solid color because they have never been bound to their homeland, which was overrun a century before. Solid color eyes are seen as a sign of their being children by other elves. Many of them have covered themselves with tattoos of magickal and arcane symbols, through which they work magick. They also tend to be more emotional than the other elves.
For names they have chosen human concept words. They have done this, in part, to honor men for saving so many of them when Vorquellyn was overrun. More importantly, by choosing a name and letting it be publicly known, they leave themselves open to magickal attack, and give themselves access to very powerful magicks.
(Similar questions can be asked about the other races/creatures in the novel. Since names are not significant for these other races, though, asking what other creatures they are similar to is a good follow-up question.)
2) How did you feel about the ending of the book?
The most common comment the author received about the ending ran like this: "I hated how this book ended. When does the next one come out?" Most readers think, in the end, that Hawkins was treated very unfairly and they would love to see justice done for him.
3) What does Chytrine's turning the heroes into sullanciri hint at for the future of the world?
It ought to hint at really nasty stuff for the future, because there are now at least nine sullanciri, whereas our heroes only had to face four.
4) The book is clearly a memoir which Hawkins has written at some point in the future. How did that presentation of the book make you feel? Did that intrude in the story? Did you even notice?
The author decided on that sort of presentation after reading Kenneth Robeson's Arundel, which is a novel of the American Revolutionary War and was a favorite of the author's father. Robeson uses the technique of having the story being written as a memoir, which gives it some antiquity and even a hint of nostalgia.
5) Who is the character you like least in this book?
An open question, though Scrainwood would likely be at the top of the list. Chytrine is going to be up there as well.
(The reverse of this question is good for discussion.)