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Jul 4, 2012 -- 12:31AM, Fenix. wrote:

Actually the main reason I liked this one better than last weeks was the change in settings. Innistrad was cool and all, but reading about it again and again got tedious for me.

I understand if you're tired of Innistrad, my point wasn't that we should stick to Innistrad, because it's definitely time to leave that behind for a while.  My point was that short stories have a strong tendency to fall victim to their own brevity.  This was a good scene in a longer story, but on its own, it lacks the tension a good fight fight scene needs, because we aren't given anything to latch onto as being of consequence.

Don't get me wrong, I love the writing.  But it isn't a story yet.  Liliana's quest to kill demons is a story with almost no scenes: we have a character, a goal, and enough background understanding to comprehend her place in the setting and her motives, and a reasonable expectation of possible consequences, but almost no prose describing the events beyond what you might find in Cliff's Notes.  This article was a scene with no story: we have an interesting event involving unfamiliar characters with unclear goals in an unfamiliar setting and no comprehension of the consequences, but some great prose that goes far beyond the Cliff's Notes (which would basically read "A Gorgon mistook a greedy executioner for a righteous man and tried to steal his eyes, but accidentally turned him to stone first.")

I still want to know how they decided to create a completely original plane named "Shandalar" which bears absolutely not the slightest trace of resemblance to the plane of that name where the Microprose game was set.  In particular, I want to know how they decided Thune, Xathrid and Kalonia were in Shandalar, when those names have been floating around since M11 and Shandalar wasn't mentioned once in connection with any of them.

All of which does nothing to undermine the excellence of Jenna's writing.  I like this story better than last week's because it has nothing to do with satifying anyone's continuity fetish; it's just a neat self-contained scenario that was a lot of fun to read (although I feel really bad for the gorgon, who is just trying to free herself of the curse, and people keep spiting her with their last split-second of conscious thought).

Jenna, you do the author's pen proud and I anticipate this column more and more every week.  I know the next will be more about Garruk, but could we also get a story around another of our M13 Legends, Talrand?  Just a thought.  Keep up the great work!

Jul 5, 2012 -- 10:48AM, Dragon_Nut wrote:

I'm still curious where Sorin was during Avacyn Restored. He was the focus for Dark Ascension, and didn't show up at all in AVR. He has two flavor text quotes ( Barter in Blood and Bloodflow Connoisseur , neither of which actually involves Avacyn Restored story) but other than that has made no appearance.

I'd like to know what happened when he finally met up with Avacyn, especially since that was what Dark Ascension seemed to be building up to.

Relax, dude. I'm sure it'll come. This is the second article, remember? Jenna seems to be paying attention to what people are interested, so I wouldn't be surprised if we see this relatively soon.

@carrionpidgeons:

The implications of the story are there if you pay close attention. I think you're misreading the purpose of this story. It's not a part of a longer novel; it isn't going to function the same way.

@Willpell:

The plane is described as "vast." Oh, and it's been a few millenia since the game. Do you think a few things may have changed in that time, or that perhaps this is a side of Shandalar that we hadn't seen before?


Another very good story. Well done. Interesting that An Karras is, in fact, on Shandalar. I was wondering that after we got our second namedrop in M13.

Well... except... this is exactly how planes were built in the past. The most important plane in the Multiverse--Dominaria--grew in this way, with bits added here and there over time. The complaint simply makes no sense unless every plane is a miniscule little ball like Mirrodin was. And again--second article, first time we've actually known where these locations are. People desperately need to chill out.