Before I disappear...

For about a year, I have been toying with the idea of a three-part essay set on what I see happening to the netroots and to Left politics in general. It was kicked off several years ago by a combination of events.

First, someone I know who had been a staunch conservative became a full bore "netizen", but the curious thing was that she still hated liberal democrats such as myself. If anything, she hated them more. The target of her anger remained the same but the reasons provided were different. Looking into those reasons, I realized that they were structurally the same as a conservative opponent's argumens, and so I began to ponder the parallels of the extremes of thought.

Second, I was taken with Mark Schmidt's writings about the political realignment of the nation after Goldwater's abortive presidential run and the passage of the Civil Rights Act. It went with similar arguments coming from Paul Krugman and Rick Perlstein on how and why the electorate moved so suddenly and dramatically to right, leaving conservative values and becoming radical fundamentalists. I was also struck by the (ultimately reductionistic and counter-productive) arguments of Tom Schaller about the need for Democrats to abandon the South.

Finally, I watched the debacle of the Ned Lamont campaign, championed by the leading bloggers of the Left blogosphere. To this day, they seem blind, deaf and dumb to the impact they had on the 2006 election. Or perhaps they understand only too well.

All of this had more or less coalesced into a set of three essays: one on the difference between liberal democrats and Jacobins, one on "The South" in American politics, and a final one on the netroots as power brokers in elections.

I wrote up the first essay before Iowa. The other two have not been set down, but exist as notes and blog posts. I'm going to post the first essay to give people something to chew on while I'm involved in other things. The other two may or may not get written.

Anglachel

Is it True?

This is a fascinating (and well written) tale of deception. Is it true? I really don't know and it doesn't matter. The telling is everything.

Wanted: Gullible Lawyers

I've been in a position like this, down and with no prospects, so it has a certain attraction. I do know of scams this big in the IT industry, though none inspired by quite this odd of a motive. So read and enjoy.

No More HotK

(Edited to be less whiny)

With the most recent chapter, Due, I'm done with public posting of Hands of the King.

I've completed my writing, which is a good feeling. I have put in five years of work on this novel; researching Tolkien, interrogating conventions of fanon, trying to think with and against Tolkien's own meta-narrative of politics, religion, and society, developing plot and characterization, and going over and over the work to catch inconsistencies and errors. I think I've managed to do this and write an engaging tale. What I wanted to get from that endeavor, I have received.

I know I have readers on this story. I get between 600 and 800 page views a week on average. However, aside from my two friends Agape and Fergus, HotK readers have basically stopped providing any substantive responses. Only four people besides Agape and Fergus have posted a comment or sent an author email since January this year, and many of those have been private "You have a typo" in nature. The lack of substantive response aggravates me after having done all of that work. It may not be a reasonable reaction, but it is how I feel.

Maybe the story just isn't as good or engaging as it used to be. Whatever the reason, readers don't want to comment, I can't make readers comment, and I have deal with my frustration over that situation. My way to deal with it is to stop creating the situation in the first place. I have said myself in times past that the author's satisfaction with the work has to be with the work itself, and not done for the sake of squees. I'm happy with the story I have written and I'm not going to blackmail for comments.

Anglachel

HotK - Ch. 66 - Speculation

For the fanfiction readers, I just posted a chapter for Hands of the King, Ch. 66 - Speculation. Click on the story title to go to the overview, click on the chapter name to go to the chapter.

2 of 2 Finduilas POVs. Warning for explicit sex scene.

This is an introspective chapter. Finduilas has had a series of shocks, and is now having to ask what is going to become of her, Denethor and those she loves. She will be thinking more explicitly about the fact that she is a ringer for two other women, and how that plays out as being one of the losers in the drama of Arda. It also is a play on "speculum" and the invasion of her mental and physical integrity by various others - Sauron, Denethor, the mariner, Mithrandir, Boromir, and Thorongil, to name the most obvious. There limits to how much control she has over the use of mind and body by others.

Major scenes with Denethor, Luinil, and Laanga.

Anglachel

HotK - Ch. 65 - Recovery

For the fanfiction readers, I just posted a chapter for Hands of the King, Ch. 65 - Recovery. Click on the story title to go to the overview, click on the chapter name to go to the chapter.

1 of 2 Finduilas POV. Small warning for discussion of uncomfortable topics.

The story picks up from Finduilas's POV on the same afternoon as the previous chapter ended with Denethor.

There is a lot of recovery going on. Recovering from a season of war, from Thorongil's departure, and from the threat of civil war. There is also recovering lost ground, usurped territory, and over-extended expectations. Most of all, there is recovering from the damage that this has inflicted on the hearts and psyches of the survivors.

The story within the story, of the downfall of Numenor, makes a significant reappearance. Finduilas's horror of the east has a deep foundation.

Major scenes with Brandir, Laanga, Denethor, Luinil, Adrahil, and Ecthelion. Minor appearances by many others.

HotK - Ch. 64 - Forgive

HotKFor the fanfiction readers, I just posted a chapter for Hands of the King, Ch. 64 - Forgive. Click on the story title to go to the overview, click on the chapter name to go to the chapter.

2 of 2 Denethor POV. No warnings.

The shock of Umbar and Thorongil's departure are receding, while civil war has been averted. Denethor has time to reflect. How do you know if you love the right thing?

This is a quieter chapter than the previous few. It answers the question of what is in the last letter Thorongil sent to Denethor. It also puts in place a layer in Denethor's psychological foundation to create the person we meet in LotR. Both Laanga and the mariner have tried to warn him, but Denethor refuses to hear.

Significant scenes with Beregar, Laanga, Aiavale, Imrahil, Halmir and Ecthelion.

HotK - Ch. 63 - Abandoned

HotKFor the fanfiction readers, I just posted a chapter for Hands of the King, Ch. 63 - Abandoned. Click on the story title to go to the overview, click on the chapter name to go to the chapter.

1 of 2 Denethor POV. Warnings: Not work safe. Violence, threats of violence, graphic sexual content, several distrubing scenes.

Denethor tries to come to terms with Thorongil's departure.

Anglachel

HotK - Ch. 62: Steal

HotKFor the fanfiction readers, I just posted a chapter for Hands of the King, Ch. 62 - Steal. Click on the story title to go to the overview, click on the chapter name to go to the chapter.

1 of 1 Finduilas POV. No warnings.

Tensions rise as Minas Tirith awaits news of the attack. Maiaberiel makes her first move. Denethor has knowledge of things he cannot speak of. Finduilas takes several matters into her own hands. Sometimes victory is the wost possible outcome.

Major scenes with Denethor, Ecthelion, Borondir, Laanga and Imrahil. Major scenes with other characters that would be spoilers to mention.

Ang

HotK - Ch. 60: Time

HotKFor the fanfiction readers, I just posted a chapter for Hands of the King, Ch. 60 - Time. Click on the story title to go to the overview, click on the chapter name to go to the chapter.

1 of 1 Finduilas POV. Mild warnings for grief and a little gore.

All of the signs and portents of the last six years are coming to a head. Thengel had died, Umbar looms, and choices must be made. Time is all that remains, but it is going quickly, and Doom is at hand.

I have wrapped up my alpha writing and completed most of my beta edits. I hope to publish one chapter per week from now until October.

Anglachel

Five Years in the Making

Last night, I posted the last alpha chapter of Hands of the King for my betas to start taking a whack at. It was a strangely deflating feeling. This is something I've been writing for about five years, having begun it in September 2002.

I'm not done yet. I still have rewrites and edits to do on the last twenty or so chapters which are pretty rough, then I will post one chapter per week until they are all out there. That should take me until sometime in late September/early October.

But it is odd to wrap up a work that has been a part of my life for so long.

Anglachel