Preface to Thrice Born Collection

Last Updated: 2019-01-27

 

Preface

 

Thrice Born: The Valley of Regret, is the first account drawn from the Thrice Born series. Thrice Born is an introduction to the world of Siliar and at the same time, a tale about the struggles of a group of people who come together and embrace a common cause. Good battles evil as the binding events that lead the eventual friends over many miles and through many, many days.

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The Thrice Born series (beginning with The Valley of Regret) follows the third lifetime of one of the principle characters, Lansal, the Quiet. While Lansal initially propels the other characters into what ultimately becomes an event of major historical significance for Siliar, there are many times that his part in the adventures takes a backseat to what the other men, women, boys, and girls, are doing. The entire series begins in the year 4928, when Lansal begins his third lifetime. The narrative picks up on 4928, Midsummer Week Five, Day Four (5 weeks and 4 days after Siliar’s Summer Solstice) in The Valley of Regret and focuses on the events over the next few years, though the end of Lansal’s third lifetime emerges at the end of the series.

 

Thrice Born is an immersive experience, not a succinct synopsis of events rushing from one to another. In writing Thrice Born, reducing the details of a wonderfully complex and rich world to the length of a Tweet or photo caption was never a consideration. Though the story moves through numerous adventures, battles,  and conflicts, it also attends to details that will carry the willing reader into an exciting world of fantasy and adventure—a world that is founded on realistic rules, logical geopolitical arrangements, and rational explanations for why people do what they do. But also into a world that also accounts for and relies heavily upon the wonderful, though not unlimited, incorporation of magic.

 

Thrice Born allows the reader to join the characters as they set out on a life-changing adventure, for most, unforeseen and unsought. As the reader is immersed into the lives of the characters, their daily activities—at times mundane—are depicted with colorful detail. As the days go by, the reader is there at the characters’ sides, seeing how decisions on one day lead, at times, to unexpected turns later.

Not all events depicted in this account are epic—some events described tell of the characters as they cope with the burden of preparation and the frustration of waiting. Brothers and sisters argue and tease each other. Meals are shared. Camps are made. Matters of the heart appear. Doubts and fears are explored. It is through these scenes that much of the characters’ inner being is discovered and their relationships with one another are developed.

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Thrice Born is told through a variety of character points of view. Sections begin with an indication of place, time, and from whose eyes and ears the story is being told. If the time and place remain unchanged, but a shift in viewpoint takes place, this is also indicated more succinctly. The use of Apó (the Greek word meaning “out of” or “from”) and a character name indicates the viewpoint of the narrative and reveals the source of the thoughts and feelings within the section that follows. The employment of a variety of points of view will give the reader deep insight into the world of Siliar as it is experienced by characters, both young and old, male and female, experienced and naive, brave and fearful… The world is seen differently, and different characters highlight different things.

 

Significant attention is given to the people in the stories. Thrice Born acknowledges that people—even heroes—are imperfect and have the potential to make mistakes. It acknowledges that people change each other, and help each other grow. The reality of people becoming romantically interested in each other is accepted and explored. Thrice Born allows readers to find themselves wrestling through, not only the character’s encounters with the evils of Siliar, but also through the characters’ interactions with each other.

Along the way, the world of Siliar is revealed. Glimpses into its rich history and hints about its races—humans, elves, dwarves, baines, kobolds, and others—are provided. Along the journey and over the passing of time, the reader discovers that the world of Siliar reaches far beyond the borders of, and for many years prior to places and events of this story.

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As the story unfolds, details about the workings of magic, history, places, and events emerge. Yet, not all mysteries are revealed at once. Thrice Born asks the reader to patiently enjoy the journey while looking forward to ultimately reaching the final destination. As the characters teach each other things they have learned in their lives, the reader, too, learns about life in Siliar.

 

However, even at the conclusion of this tale, although each of the accounts come to completion, only a slice of the world will have been explored. Far more of Siliar remains to be described than is addressed by this writing. In the end, though, those who have willingly immersed themselves into the action and joined the characters in Thrice Born, who have walked many miles with them, fought grave battles at their side, and shared in their victories and loss will have developed the foundations for understanding the world of Siliar and will have enjoyed sharing the adventures with characters they have come to regard as friends.