Madness and Reckoning: Stories of the Morrigan's Brood Series - Softcover

Heather Poinsett Dunbar; Christopher Dunbar

4.29

7 ratings by Goodreads

9781937341282: Madness and Reckoning: Stories of the Morrigan's Brood Series

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1937341283 ISBN 13: 9781937341282

Publisher: Triscelle Publishing, 2012

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From the authors of the Morrigan's Brood Series comes a pair of short-stories that take place between the conclusion of Crone of War, Morrigan's Brood Book II, and the beginning of Dark Alliance, Morrigan's Brood Book III. Madness: Following the events of 564 CE, madness strikes one of the Lamia’s most important personages. Can the Lamia march on, or will this insanity cast them into civil war? Reckoning: Following the events of 564 CE, the Deargh Du must come to grips with change or see old strife resurface, which could tear the Deargh Du apart.

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From the Author:

We authors sometimes look back on our older works and see things we wish we could change. Of course if you are writing series fiction, you make improvements to your new works... deepen characters, enhance the imagery, and so forth. If course we often come to the conclusion that the old work is done and I've moved on.

Heather and I had a moment, after finishing the manuscript of Shards of Light (the fifth novel of the Morrigan's Brood Series), when we realized we had written key characters in the newer manuscript (Dark Alliance, Curse of Venus, and Shards of Light) vastly different than the first manuscript, which contained Morrigan's Brood and Crone of War. We realized that we needed some way to bridge the gap, to address some of the questions readers would ask as to what happened to these characters during the 275 or so years between the end of Crone of War and the beginning of Dark Alliance.

We hashed together this idea of writing a small book of short-stories to tie the plots of the two manuscripts together and to explain how these key characters evolved from one story to another. We've also left the door open for additional works during this time period.

To avoid spoilers, I will say that in Madness & Reckoning, Marcus and Mandubratius separately must cope with the aftermath of the events at the end of Crone of War. Mandubratius finds himself in an impenetrable madness with only a figment of his imagination to keep him company, while Marcus is drawn into political intrigue and assassination, as S�erlaith seeks to unify the Deargh Du.

I hope you will enjoy this brief respite before you launch the next leg of your journey... Dark Alliance is 376 pages compared to the 72 pages of Madness & Reckoning. Have fun!

From the Inside Flap:

     "Are you quite enjoying yourself, Mandubratius, or are you using that loathsome name your barbaric parents gave you when you your mother squeezed you out of her often plowed loins?"
     Mandubratius shivered, but he hoped Felician had not witnessed his surprise. With as much nonchalance as he could muster, Mandubratius opened his eyes and watched the other Lamia slide into the bath, opposite of him.
     "Oh, this is quite wonderful," his sponsor purred.
     "This is indeed a surprise. I didn't expect you here, Sponsor." Mandubratius did his best to bury his surprise, as Felician would exploit any hint of weakness.
     Felician stretched in the water. "I didn't think that you liked hot water, as I seem to remember your preference for ice-covered streams."
     Mandubratius waited, since Felician still had not made eye contact with him. His sponsor then leaned back against the wall of the bath.
     Mandubratius concentrated his senses on the others within the building to see whether other Lamia had accompanied his sponsor, yet Mandubratius perceived nothing but mortals... for now, at least.
     "For some reason, I doubt you were expecting me. I think this is your attempt to hide your surprise. If you were expecting me, you would not be alone and naked in a bath house, would you?" Felician asked.
     Mandubratius attempted to steady himself without revealing his unsteadiness. "You make it sound as if I should fear you."
     "Fear me?" Felician asked, false incredulity in his tone.
     Mandubratius wondered whether he should risk asking his sponsor what was on his mind.
     Why is he here?
     Mandubratius continued to ask himself that question deep within the recesses of his mind, though fearful that Felician could eavesdrop on his more protected thoughts.
     "Have I done anything that would compel you to travel to Byzantium?" Mandubratius cringed inside, afraid that his sponsor would strike him, but instead, Felician smiled.
     "Awvarwy, Awvarwy, Awvarwy... Gods below, I hate that name. It's so ... clumsy and foreign. Awvarwy, when I first found you, I did not plan to sponsor you... I merely wanted to drain you dry, despite the fact that there was so little vitae left in you. Even if I had been seeking out new Lamia to sponsor, I simply would not have felt that any Briton could have risen to prominence in the Lamia, but Amata wanted a toy, and I owed her..."
     He wondered how Felician could be indebted to Amata.
     "... so I sponsored you and trained you. I spent centuries training you, and then you rewarded my charity with betrayal."
     Mandubratius noticed his sponsor's cold blue eyes begin to turn red. He felt like arguing with Felician, but Mandubratius knew it would be best to remain silent. Felician had beaten that fact into him many times over the years.
     Felician did not blink, and so Mandubratius' dread grew as he considered the possible reasons why his sponsor had come here.

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