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Perilous Realms

Well met, Traveller into Perilous Realms. I am your guide Bryan Rye, Game Master and Author. Stay awhile and let us speak of many things.

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Let Us Speak of Playing with Wolves

In which the author speaks of childhood beasts of war. A pack of books, bristling with arms... Let Us Speak of Playing with Wolves We begin with two words: “Wolf Packs” It was one of those phrases that captured my imagination as a child. Yes, I drew wolves and worgs growing up – they joined falcons, snakes, and sharks as the animals that fascinated me most. And my older sister even painted a little picture of a wolf howling at the moon that I still have (somewhere). But I’m not talking about...

Fortresses we shall raise.

In which the author speaks of childhood castles. Fortresses we shall raise... Let Us Speak of Building Blocks I built castles when I was younger. And so I dreamt of becoming an architect – for that was the profession that was allowed to “play with blocks” when you grow up. At first, I largely raised the same castle – over and over again – as I did not have a great variety of blocks to work with. And endless repetition to children is not the terrible burden that adults feel. Later on, when I...

The quick brown fox jumping.

In which the author addresses a particular jumping fox. "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," by Lauren Alane Design. Let us Speak of the Quick Brown Fox “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” There are four things that interest me about the preceding sentence. First, I like foxes jumping over dogs, and so am pleased by the substance of the sentence. Second, the sentence is a pangram, meaning it contains all the letters of the English alphabet. I am interested in that...

Optimus Prime: "One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall."

In which the author reflects on two impactful quotes from childhood films. "One shall stand. One shall fall." An Author’s Notebook Welcome, Dear Reader, to An Author’s Notebook, where I share various notes from my week in reading and writing. Today I take a cursory journey down the well of memory. Our subject arises out of two quotes from Hasbro movies: “One shall stand. One shall fall.” - Optimus Prime. “I was once a man.” - Cobra Commander. Both of these lines are the most poignant and...

A shining beacon in space, all alone in the night.

In which the author shares musings on episodic stories and metanarrative. An Author’s Notebook "A shining beacon in space...all alone in the night." Welcome, Dear Reader, to An Author’s Notebook, where I share various notes from my week in reading and writing. This week some thinking out loud on some favorites in the realm of episodic storytelling. A Brief and Episodic History I think it was Babylon 5 where I first encountered a show that combined episodic storytelling with a governing...

Master and Commander

In which the author shares reflections on the watery wilderness in Master and Commander. An Author’s Notebook Welcome, Dear Reader, to An Author’s Notebook, where I share notes from my week in reading and writing. Today, thinking in writing as I work on the Wilderness Essay. The Wilderness of the Waves “And though we be on the far side of the world, this ship is our home.” - Captain Jack Aubrey I recently rewatched the Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany movie, Master and Commander: The Far Side of...

The Author's Notebooks

In which the author shares various notes from his regular reading and writing. Notebooks of the Author conspiring An Author’s Notebook Welcome, Dear Reader, to this first edition of An Author’s Notebook. In the last letter, I experimented with the microblog format. This week I'm trying out a collection of curiosities using materials drawn from my notebooks. I hope you find them interesting. In the Wilderness I made a start (500+ words) on the Wilderness essay I’m working on. Along the way I...

A wizard brooding over Forgotten Realms

In which the author shares a fragment of magic from the Forgotten Realms. A Glimpse into Magical and Forgotten Realms I’m still recovering from the the neck injury, Dear Reader, so I’ll just be sharing a fragment this week – let’s call it a bit of an experiment in microblogging. Now for something light. I have heard it said that in the Forgotten Realms you can find a demigod in every town. And while the jest is not entirely accurate of Ed Greenwood’s creation, it is illustrative of the feel...

Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser settling matters with steel.

In which the author speaks of Swords and Sorcery. Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser settling matters with steel. Painting by Tom Kidd. Let Us Speak of Swords & Sorcery Dear Reader, I am working on something I call my Sword & Sorcery Project. When I’ve got enough prepared and written, I’m planning to publish it weekly on the serial fiction platform Royal Road. There’s a community of readers on Royal Road that is well-inclined towards Sword & Sorcery stories, so hopefully I’ll meet more readers like...

Geography triumphant over the Emperor.

In which the author discusses the power of map-making in storytelling. "I am a monarch of God's creation, and you reptiles of the earth dare not oppose me." - Napoleon. Let Us Speak of Geography La géographie c’est le destin - Napoleon Bonaparte Dear Reader, “Geography is Destiny.” Napoleon said that, or at least he is reported to have said the French that I quoted above. (Perhaps he didn’t apply the concept carefully to his invasion of Russia.) As a statement goes it makes for great military...