Filed Away

Chapter 14 is up at 3500years.com. This chapter is a bit incongruous, given where it’s located and what happens in it, but both Dean and I liked it too much to cut it. It’s the first point in the book where the reader learns there’s more to Zsallia than just arrogance and fear- she’s a barbarian at heart, she’s just learned to be civilized for sake of convenience. She recognizes the benefits of civilization and would never suggest a return to what some might call a more ‘natural’ human state, but when confronted with aggression she prefers to respond in kind.

There’s actually a follow-up to this chapter on the blog, titled “Why do you carry a gun?”. I’m thinking of working it into the third edition of the book because it puts much of her attitude towards the modern world, and her notions of personal responsibility, into perspective.

Methuselah’s Daughter, A Novel