...and while I remember...

[f4f3]

I finished the first five Amber books last week, and have started the second five again. For those of you who haven't read them, the first five books are concerned with the fellow on my user pic, Corwin, and his story from waking amnesiac in a mental asylum to the end of the war between (and amongst) his kin and the forces of Chaos. They are a lot of fun, more sardonic than your usual fantasy series, and Roger Zelazny finds the perfect voice for his hero - flawed, funny and, when the occasion demands, utterly ruthless. I read them a lot growing up, and I'd like to think the poetry of that voice infiltrated my own prose. God knows, I've tried hard enough. The second five books follow Corwin's son Merlin (no, not that Merlin. Look, it's a common enough name) coming to terms with his own mixed ancestry. Merlin is some way from being as cool as his dad - he's no great shakes with a blade, would rather run than fight, and would rather relax than either. He spends most of the books being acted on, and trying not to react in the extreme fashion of his father to any threats. A lot of the pleasure is in the supporting characters - I've just read the scene where he meets a peckish sphinx and matches riddles with it to a draw. Highly recommended stuff. The first five are available in a nicely reissued anthology in the Fantasy Masterworks series, or all ten in "The Great Book of Amber".
You can pick up the first, "Nine Princes in Amber" for pennies on Amazon marketplace I'm sure.

Fencing  continues to be fun. I bought my first lot of kit on Thursday. Jacket, glove, plastron (a sort of under vest which covers your left shoulder) and mask. It's all marvelous stuff. White, for a start, unlike the club equipment, and much more convenient to put on. Next Thursday I pick up my breeches, socks, lame (the foil jacket that you wear when fighting electric), the body wire that plugs into your sword, and my very own foil. I must remember that not everyone has seen Firefly, and stop calling it a sward. Or, possibly, name it Sward. Or Mal.

That might be a bit silly, though, and will hardly make my opponents quake in fear. And let's face it, I need the edge. So, any suggestions as to what I should call my very first sword?

Comments

[made-of-paradox.livejournal.com]

We got a couple of reasonably heavy swords, not much of an edge (but you can take care of that with appropriate power tools, and our friend helped us do that to one of them); one of them ended up with the name Catsbane, as going out and showing it to the strays that were being a pain in the back yard was enough to send some of them running, and the other was named Weedkiller, as it ended up hacking some in the yard (yes, we should have gotten a machete instead).

So, I'm probably not the best person to give advice for sword names. :)

[rparvaaz.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I kinda like the name weedkiller for a sword. I can just picture the kind of man who'd give his sword such a name...you do realise you have infected me with a story idea, don't you?

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

"The Gardens of Mars" - carnivorous, of course...

[made-of-paradox.livejournal.com]

And this is bad how? :)

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Bad unless you have a plant eating sword...

[rparvaaz.livejournal.com]

Basically because I'm still not 100% healed,and have to get back to work on Monday, and should be resting my neck muscles instead of typing out a sory that refuses to get out of my head...

[rparvaaz.livejournal.com]

Not that I am complaining, mind you... :)

But you asked...

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

That's a good thing to have going around your head...

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Anna has vetoed "Catsbane". She has no problem with "Dogslayer" though.

[made-of-paradox.livejournal.com]

And I bet Merlin would have something to say about that.

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

He's keeping his own counsel...

[deililly.livejournal.com]

One of the chaps I knew at a duelling society called a sword of his 'Dog's Bollocks' in...might have been latin or italian or sommat. He was rather proud of that thing. It was actually the same height as me when held upright.

Another chap names his after significant women who have passed through his life.

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Mine will be a foil - arms-length, no more. And thanks, but I'll pass on the idea of calling it after any old amour. Although Amour Propre sounds quite appealing...

[deililly.livejournal.com]

Verus Perturbatio? :P

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Don't make me get Latin on your ass...

[deililly.livejournal.com]

Kinky.

I reckon a latin name is the way to go though. It matches all the romance and swooshing.

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Hmm...

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Did you know that according to Wikipedia "Kusanagi (Grasscutter) - Is a sword of equivalent importance to Japan as Excalibur is to United Kingdom?"

[made-of-paradox.livejournal.com]

No. I'm going to have to share that info. Thanks!