Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Update and a Sorcerer

School is in session again, which explains why I haven’t been posting much or even visiting a lot of blogs. I should be back to normal next week. In the meantime, I did have an interesting dream last night. I was a young man, apparently held in thrall by an evil sorcerer. I was joined in that slavery by a young woman (probably Lana although neither of us looked like we do these days). We were “helping” the evil one hunt down another sorcerer who he had injured in a battle. The young woman and I found the injured sorcerer, who was in dog form, and while my friend called out to the bad guy that she’d found blood, I pulled the wounded guy away and hid him, then marked out the tracks I’d left.

The evil sorcerer came up to us and he was in the form of a giant black wolf, but he bought our statement that we’d only found blood. He led us down a hill to the injured sorcerer’s abode, which was a glass cabin in the woods full of all kinds of plants and strange objects. While there, I spotted a set of keys, and when the evil one ordered us to go and hunt the wounded man again, I took the keys, and then locked the evil sorcerer in the cabin, knowing that the spells on the place would keep him imprisoned for a while. Then the young woman and I fled into the woods to escape.

We later wandered into a village that was abandoned, but it turns out the evil sorcerer was waiting for us. When he faced us, it was clear he meant to torture us slowly before killing us, and so in desperation I challenged him to a duel with swords. He laughed but agreed to my condition that if I merely cut him with the blade we would be free to go. At first as we fought it was clear he was toying with me, but then I began to become faster and faster with the blade. I noticed suddenly that on a hill to one side of the village stood the injured sorcerer we’d helped, and he had friends. I realized they were helping me. The fight became desperate, with the blades moving with incredible speeds until they seemed only flashes of light. And then I cut the wizard across the stomach and stepped back. The wound wasn’t serious but it counted toward our bet, and as the young woman and I strode away in freedom, we heard the good sorcerer comment to the evil one about how his time was up. The End.

I’ve also been remiss in reviewing my friends’ works of late. I finished Discount Noir and reviewed it on Goodreads. Here’s what I had to say:
A really fun collection of short flash fictions all involving "MegaMart," which you can probably guess is meant to represent another "Mart." There's a little bit of everything here, serial killers, vampires, losers, drug addicts, sad sacks and more. I couldn't quite decide on my favorite story in the collection and will call it a tie between "House Names" by James Reasoner, and "Thirty-one Hundred" by Loren Eaton. Loved 'em both. I enjoyed the whole work, though, and particularly the fine stories from Sandra Seamans, Kathleen Ryan, Evan Lewis, Ed Gorman, Bill Crider, Patti Abbott, and more.

Probably based on my “Discount Noir” experience, I also had a dream involving searching for something in a Megamart last night, and finding everything but what I wanted.
----
----

29 comments:

writtenwyrdd said...

I often have dreams where I'm doing magic or flying or telekenesis or some such, but rarely where I do magic. Those are really fun ones.

I dreamed about Bengal kitten last night. Over and over I was trying to move a litter of kittens to a car, box, shipping container...and couldn't. I can't even remember why!

pattinase (abbott) said...

I have that dream a lot, Charles, and thanks!

Charles Gramlich said...

Writtenwyrd I haven't had a flying dream in a while, though I greatly enjoy them.

Patti, no prob!

BernardL said...

I enjoyed the dream recap but my first thought was lay off the anchovies, my friend. :)

David Cranmer said...

I wish to hell I had dreams that fun. I was wandering around work last night in my dream. That's it. Nothing more.

j said...

You have wonderful vivid dreams! It made for an interesting story.

Last night, I dreamed that I called my mother to bring my coat to me before I left on a bus for a football game. I was so crushed when she didn't show up with the jacket but managed to find some warm things ALL BY MYSELF. I don't have to be Freud to understand that one.

Have a great day Charles!

Lana Gramlich said...

Very cool, baby. Wish I could have such adventurous dreams!

Deka Black said...

I believe your dream could be happening right now in a few million yeras in the Dying Earth (theone from Jack Vance). Mostly, due tothe glass cabin. Maybe one of the sorcerers was Phandaal or Rhialto!

Deka Black said...

Oh, i almost forgot: The bad enemy is a fool: Swords? he's a sorcerer!

jodi said...

Charles-do you feel rested after a night of such detailed and physical dreams? I dream a little but it leaves me exhausted and I cannot remember detail like you do.

Cloudia said...

"Discount Noir" very cool title!


Your dream speaks of your amazing creativity, Charles.

Happy New Year & Aloha from Hawaii, Friend

Comfort Spiral

><}}(°>


<°)}}><

Charles Gramlich said...

BernardL, it might have been chocolate instead of anchovies, or else could be the excitement of returning to work.

David Cranmer, work?! That's sad, man. :)

jennifer, as Freud would say, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Lana Gramlich, you did. I'm sure it was you who was with me.

Deka Black, indeed the evil one was a fool, overconfident and arrogant, as is typical of his ilk it seems. At least in fiction and dreams.

jodi, Last night I only got about 5 hours of sleep anyway so I don't know if I can judge. I have had dreams that leave me pretty exhausted though.

Cloudia, "Discount Noir" was a pretty cool book, and a quick read.

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Awesome dream Charles, any chance you'll polish them up and put them in another collection?

Tyhitia Green said...

Very cool dream. Will you incorporate it into a story, perhaps? :-D

My dreams are all over the place.

Evan Lewis said...

A really terrifying dream would be going to a "Megamart" and finding everything you wanted.

sage said...

I often dream, but never like that, wow! That's a good story.

Steve Malley said...

Pretty cool... I'm jealous of your dreamtime. :)

Scott said...

Charles,

Cool dream! Thanks for sharing!

Charles Gramlich said...

David J. West, this is actually a pretty interesting idea so I may do something with it as time goes along.

Demon Hunter, I've saved it in my story notes so the possiblity is certainly there.

Evan Lewis, *shudder*

sage, It kind of reminds me of something but I'm not sure what.

Steve Malley, I love my sleep time, at least in part because of the dreams.

Scott, glad you enjoyed.

Aimlesswriter said...

You have amazing dreams.
I rarely remember my dreams.

Travis Cody said...

How do you dream in complete stories?

Harry Markov said...

This sounds like a fairy tale. Very, very folklorish. I hope you write this one up.

laughingwolf said...

neat dream, charles...

i'm on the last pages of 'Tigana', by Guy Gavriel Kay, all about swordplay, evil sorcerers, and more ...think you'd enjoy it... yup, another canuck author ;)

Charles Gramlich said...

Aimless Writer, I do enjoy my nighttime visitations.

Travis Cody, I think part of it is simply from writing stories for a long time. My mind just sort of naturally makes associations of stuff.

Harry Markov, thanks. I keep a file with dreams in it and I do mine it for stories and ideas at times.

laughingwolf, I've heard good things about him but haven't read anything by him yet. I will.

ivan said...

Dreams. Nightmares.

Was it St. Paul who said dreams often deceive us?

A lifetime ago I had a dream of sorcerers wearing Merlin hats.

The fantasy would not let me go until I wrote a novel called The Hat People.
The nightmare finally dissipated, but not until I lost tens of thousands of dollars on the novel.

Shee-et. What an expensive self- exorcism.

ArtSparker said...

Another well-plotted nocturnal adventure - congratulations on your victory and escape.

Charles Gramlich said...

Ivan, I'm hoping not to lose that much, man. I lose enough on my writing as it is.

artsparker, yeah, then I had to wake up. :)

X. Dell said...

So now I know where you get your material. You just sleep on it, and out it comes.

Apparently, people who live in glass cabins shoudn't throw boasts. But on a deeper level, does the dream make sense to you?

Charles Gramlich said...

X-Dell, I think it's a composite of ideas I've read, particularly from a writer named David Gemmell, and a series of dreams I had when I was much younger that had elements in common with this one.