Kronder! Crydee! Rillanon!

Call me Arutha. Call me Tomas. Call me Jimmy the Hand.

There is a certain joy in revisiting old books, even books I've read twice before, saying hello to old
friends and characters, and taking solace in knowing how the plot turns while letting the details fill
themselves out.

Every so often, a landmark work of fantasy comes along. And defines the genre and what comes after it.

1 such work is "The Magician", by Raymond E Feist. His Riftwar Saga was good, but he 
has lost the special juice after that, esp. post his collabs with Wurts.

Been in my room the whoolle day due to a twisted ankle. No work, so my wish of lazing around the house became 
true albeit in an unfortunate way. So I've been reading. And boy, is it FUN to discover old companions.

The beautiful Carline. Arutha the born warrior Prince. The magical, forest elves of Elvandar with Aglaranna the
hauntingly beautiful elf queen. Tomas, the boy who became a man, who became a legendary slayer, who became 
the man-king to Aglaranna. When he wore his tabard, and held his ivory finished sword aloft, he struck fear into
the legions and hordes of invaders. The Brotherhood. And Pug, our protaganist.

I suspect why Magician became such a hit is because many of us boys can identify with the characters. There's
Pug, a simpleton, sometimes a loser, in every sense of the word. I see myself in him. Yet I see myself in Tomas.
And I can relate to their games. And the boyish codes of honour. Who has never dreamed of being the hero, who
uses magic, warcraft, sorcery and pure unadulterated combat to save his peoples? And how in the face of alien invasion, each boy grows up within himself and finds his place in the grand scheme of Midkemia, defending its
turn against Kelewan invaders. And how each boy's relationships and friendship with each other develops and
turns, as they push aside feelings and past sentiments to perform their duties.

I like the fighting, the battles, Sgt Gardan's take down of the dark moredhel while escaping through the Green Heart to the Greystone Towers. I like imagining the visions of Tomas laying waste to all around him with his sword, Dolgan with Tholin's hammer, Calin the Elf Prince leading his band across the woods, running, restringing and felling the Tsurani in 1 swift motion. Tales of heroism, of sacrifice, of honor, of courage. They arouse the bloodlust in me. I can imagine [capability aside] if we ever had a war, I could so easily be one of those described:
bloodlusty, crazed, in a trance, just kill kill kill, lay waste, draw blood, end lives, create widows. Just caught up in
the moment, every man a foe to be defeated, strike, shield, strike, shield.

I love how the elves move, how they track, and their skill at the bow and arrows. They remind me of Legolas in
LOTR. Dolgan our dwarf king too. Ahh...to get lost in my fantasy worlds again. I can't wait for Silverthorn, Darkness @ Sethanon, to be revisited too, esp once Jimmy the Hand becomes introduced to the story.

This is bloody fantastic. 

And sorry to bore you if I have. For just a while, I'm allowing a glimpse into my demented joys.