Beyond Reality discussion

Anthony Ryan has agreed to answer questions or comments concerning our BOTM The Waking Fire. Thanks Anthony!

Please feel free to ask away in this thread!

Hi Anthony, this is very interesting new world you developed. I wonder if you have deliberately planned to include the theme of animal abuse and conservation (a much sought after species in the brink of extinction) in the story from the start?

Hi Silvana,
I did want to include themes of unbridled corporatism, which inevitably leads to over exploitation of resources, e.g. the fate of the North American buffalo. The callousness with which the drakes are treated has all too many parallels with human history, just take a look at how horses were treated during the Victorian era.
Thanks for reading.
Anthony

And boy I am glad I read this just when the second book is out!

Another question while we are waiting for the others, are you using James Bond and Q as inspiration for Lizanne and Jermayah?

Plus, I love the naval stuff in this book because it is still pretty rare in fantasy (or at least my usual books) so do you have commissioned any pictures on those awesome ships? or maybe there are fanarts?

Yes, there's a definite Bond & Q influence for Lizanne and Jermayah.
Glad you like the naval stuff - check out Robin Hobb's Liveship books for more martime fantasy. No commisioned or fan art yet, but you never know.

Hi Anthony.

I really enjoyed The Waking Fire and the 3 POV characters. My questions are mainly related to an economy revolving around dragon blood. It may have been mentioned, but what percentage of people are blood blessed and how much blood would one normally go through? Of course, the usage probably varies significantly, but I'm just trying to get a better feel for the demand. Maybe there are typical uses that we haven't been exposed to yet? I'm also a little uncertain as to the extent which Green can be used on non blood blessed and how much of a demand that creates. Is it just for healing?

This is not related to the economic questions, but I was curious if the different products (Green, Red, and Black) are visually distinct or have different tastes.

Thanks

Hi Bob,
One in a thousand people have the Blood-blessing. How much they use varies depending on how much they need to perform a given task, e.g. Corporate Blood-blessed get through a lot of Blue because they use it every day for communication. Green works as a curative and healing accelerant for the non-Blessed so demand for it is constant. As for how the different products look, Red is the darkest and Black, paradoxically, the lightest with an amber hue. They colour results from the diluting agents added to the product.
Thanks for reading.