[Marie]

A thread dedicated to the TES Novels penned by Greg Keyes. Here are the previous threads:

http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=983446
http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=983631
http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=984032
http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1013535&st=0&start=0
http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1046946tp://
http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1051731


be aware, the first chapter of the book is posted http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345508010&view=excerpt

Remember everyone, this is for civil discussion only. Simply put: Liking/Not liking the book, fine. Saying you like/don't like the book, fine. Flaming someone for their opinion? No.

[Alexx Peace]

Do we have any timeframe on when the second novel is to be released?

[lisa nuttall]

None yet. They'll probably give out some info a few weeks after Nov. 24.

[KiiSsez jdgaf Benzler]

Pure speculation, but I'm betting the second book is going to tie in closely with the next game.

[Claire Lynham]

Pure speculation, but I'm betting the second book is going to tie in closely with the next game.

Probably, since that's how Keyes wrote in the four-book series "The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone" and in the series "The Age of Unreason". Like the writer Harry Turtledove, he continues his plots for several books.

[Marine x]

I am hoping that the second book will be set fairly close in time to the first novel, though, so that a significant amount of time will still be passing between the plot of the novels and TES:V. Whether they turn out good or bad, distance would be much appreciated.

[Alex Vincent]

Pure speculation, but I'm betting the second book is going to tie in closely with the next game.

Most likely and we haven't heard a dang thing about the 2nd one . Also, writing books take time so we might have to wait another year which I think is the max we can wait for TESV announcement .

[Talitha Kukk]

There is a bigger sample at Barnes&Noble site
(see http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?isbn=9780345516978&ourl=infernal%2dcity%2fgreg%2dkeyes&tabname=custreview&rv=1 )
It containes Acknowledgements, Prologue, First Chapter (with an ending which was absent in RandomHouse's excerpt).
Quote from Acknowledgements:
"I would first like to thank everyone involved in The Elder Scrolls for such rich material to work with. Specifically, thanks to Kurt Kuhlmann, Bruce Nesmith, Pete Hines, and Todd Howard for their input and guidance. I would be remiss to neglect mentioning the Imperial Library website, which was also an invaluable resource in writing this book.", [Greg Keys, Sample of The Infernal City: An Elder Scrolls Novel]

The site states that eBook is available for purchase now. Unfortunately they ship to U.S. addresses only and they require the billing address to be in the United States also. I'm from Russia myself, so I cannot check if the book is really available now.

[Marguerite Dabrin]

There is a bigger sample at Barnes&Noble site
(see http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?isbn=9780345516978&ourl=infernal%2dcity%2fgreg%2dkeyes&tabname=custreview&rv=1 )
It containes Acknowledgements, Prologue, First Chapter (with an ending which was absent in RandomHouse's excerpt).
Quote from Acknowledgements:
"I would first like to thank everyone involved in The Elder Scrolls for such rich material to work with. Specifically, thanks to Kurt Kuhlmann, Bruce Nesmith, Pete Hines, and Todd Howard for their input and guidance. I would be remiss to neglect mentioning the Imperial Library website, which was also an invaluable resource in writing this book.", [Greg Keys, Sample of The Infernal City: An Elder Scrolls Novel]

They say that eBook is available for purchase now. Unfortunately they ship to U.S. addresses only and they require the billing address to be in the United States also. I'm from Russia myself, so I cannot check if the book is really available now.

Thanks, I'm downloading free sample now. I'll edit this post for a full close-reading of the excerpt soon.

EDIT PS: as for Imperial Library, that was also mentioned in the GI article about the book, and made me happy. Imperial Library is a reliable source both for in-game lore and in-character dev supplements.

EDIT PPS: The download will not work for me at all for the free sample. For some reason just plain text is too old-fashioned, so they had to replace it with some fancy new thing that doesn't work.

Pah, anyone who wants to post it in a better file type (or just in copy/pasted text) please do so, it's a free sample so it should be fine.

[Stay-C]

You'll need Barnes & Noble's http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks/download-reader.asp to access it.
I'll try to get it into a PDF later.

Let me just say... Based on an open-to-interpretation sentence in the second half of the prologue... I'm thinking Landfall may have happened.
Could be wrong, of course. Will have to read more.
Here's the quote; it doesn't mean very much out of context, but:

He had last seen Ilzheven as he last saw her, pale and lifeless, and the smoking shatterlands that had once been Morrowind.

Now, to be fair, this is being seen through the medium of dreams (with minor Azuran interference), so maybe it's just a premonition. Or maybe it's describing Morrowind as it already is. But I can't think the latter holds much water.

[Dragonz Dancer]

landfall would have done a whole lot more to the place, as well as all of Tamriel. or so i would hope.

[Ysabelle]

That's true. I'm likely underestimating the effect that Baar Dau smashing into Vivec City would have on the continent as a whole, let alone Morrowind. But the style of the sentence sure makes it seem as though something has happened to shatter the physical landscape of Morrowind as we last saw it, at least in this character's dream.

EDIT: Something else to add, though it doesn't mean very much at all by itself. Just an interesting observation: The Loveletter is written by a member of a House Sul. And the character who is having this dream is named Sul.

[Frank Firefly]

Aarrgh...i can't seem to get the sample, anybody got any instructions (oblivion damaged my logical reasoning :nope: )

[Noely Ulloa]

go to the barns&noble website, click the button to get the free sample (will prompt to register, do so). sample will appear in your e-books folder on the profile, alongside a few other free books. download file. download and instal the free reader linked above. use reader to open downloaded file, read.

[Nicole M]

That's true. I'm likely underestimating the effect that Baar Dau smashing into Vivec City would have on the continent as a whole, let alone Morrowind. But the style of the sentence sure makes it seem as though something has happened to shatter the physical landscape of Morrowind as we last saw it, at least in this character's dream.

If TES V is post-apocalyptic does that mean TES V will be Fallout 3 with swords?

[Sweet Blighty]

Oh hell, the only interesting place on the continent, and Keyes has it nuked.

[Robert Jr]

Some of it is as I figured. Back in the last thread someone noticed it seemed to cut from the rafters to Annaig's home without any changeover. There was a bar in the book, it was a flashforward.

If that dream means that Umbriel is Landfall, then great, it'll finally be done with and people can stop being bothered by that Loveletter at last, and IMO good riddance. Hell, it may never explicitly state that in the book, in fact Keyes may not even know about it, TIL or not. But if it happens to, by coincidence, fulfill the signs of landfall then I'll say "there, that's that. Let's go back to the Sword-meeting and other fun things."

@Turns: Don't you mean 'the only place fleshed out with a full game's worth of lore as of yet?" When other continents get full games of that quality, they'll actually probably be more interesting.

[Sara Lee]

Landfall is Baar Dau* crashing down on Vivec, not a floating city rising out of the southern sea. In fact, Umbriel is sounding Maomeri, which could be cool since they are totally undeveloped. Necromancy also fits quite well there, and Daedric influence (*groan*) can be made to fit.

There is one major objection i have with Landfall having happened: Tamriel would be totally [censored], not merely partly ruined. Landfall is not a simple natural disaster, it is a metaphysical turning point.

*most likely

[Rude_Bitch_420]

There is one major objection i have with Landfall having happened: Tamriel would be totally [censored], not merely partly ruined. Landfall is not a simple natural disaster, it is a metaphysical turning point.

Which is why I'm worried if it is the case. For something of that magnitude (no offense to Keyes), it needs proper display and handling. And proper display and handling for such a massive realignment of ideals and reality just can't be dealt with in two video game novels. Here's hoping that Morrowind simply experienced some lesser calamity, like Red Tower erupting again, and that Keyes has either never heard of landfall or is not including it into his works.

[daniel royle]

Landfall is Baar Dau* crashing down on Vivec, not a floating city rising out of the southern sea. In fact, Umbriel is sounding Maomeri, which could be cool since they are totally undeveloped. Necromancy also fits quite well there, and Daedric influence (*groan*) can be made to fit.

There is one major objection i have with Landfall having happened: Tamriel would be totally [censored], not merely partly ruined. Landfall is not a simple natural disaster, it is a metaphysical turning point.

*most likely

There are lots of easy ways of taking care of the rock. They could just ask someone else to move it. If they can't get a wizard to move it, they can mine it out and put the rock somewhere else. We already know they tunneled it to make the prison up there, just get a few elves and finish the job. You can open an oblivion gate right below it. Call up a Redguard to nuke it with his sword. So what if they lose Morrowind with that solution? It's gone to piss now anyway. Make a deal with a daedric lord. If you move this for us, we'll totally give you brownies.

But we all know what'll really happen. Nobody will write anything about it.

[[ becca ]]

Are we allowed to post the sample up?

Also, how to pronounce "Annaig"?
Is it:

A (Ah or Aye)
Neigh (like a horse sound)
G (G for Good or Jay)
?

And is she breton?

[Latino HeaT]

Are we allowed to post the sample up?

Well, it's publicly available so I don't see why not. Also it would be really appreciated and would save the time for others

[Carlos Vazquez]

Also, how to pronounce "Annaig"?
Is it:

A (Ah or Aye)
Neigh (like a horse sound)
G (G for Good or Jay)
?

And is she breton?

I suppose it's a French name. Greg Keyes says that the girl was named after his friend Anna?g Houesnard.
I googled and found only one http://arthur.jfmi.net/names/celtic-female.txt mentioning pronunciation of this name:

Celtic Female Names of Brittany
Annaic, Annaig (ah-NAH-eek).

Are we allowed to post the sample up?

I think it's better to ask moderators first. I recall B&N require registration to view their samples.

[Riky Carrasco]

But we all know what'll really happen. Nobody will write anything about it.

Fingers crossed.

I like to think of it as a mad preacher of an apocalypse. As in, even though the writings about it are lore, the event itself isn't necessarily true, and if it is it's not necessarily relevant. Personally, it's just that Morrowind is no longer important (even in comparison to before), people just like to say it is because A: There's an unreasonable and inexplicable hard-on for the false leech-god Vivec in the lore forum and B: it's the only province with a full game's worth of legit lore.

Not to mention, have you ever heard a prophecy with a proper sense of scale? I never have. Hell, a stone that size falling would likely only remove Vivec's now empty and defunct castle, and maybe the temple canton, with some flooded canolworks in St. Olms and St. Delyn cantons.

[Stat Wrecker]

Not to mention, have you ever heard a prophecy with a proper sense of scale? I never have. Hell, a stone that size falling would likely only remove Vivec's now empty and defunct castle, and maybe the temple canton, with some flooded canolworks in St. Olms and St. Delyn cantons.

Something to remember: When Vivec stopped the falling moon, it kept its impetus. If the power that holds it up ever stops, it will continue its flight at the speed it was going when he stopped it. Big boom ensues.