Questions for Eric Van Lustbader on The Veil of A Thousand Tears The Veil of A Thousand Tears is the second volume of The Pearl Saga. Do you find it easier to write sequels, or more difficult? Sequels are always more difficult, because to be consistent you inevitably start painting yourself into a corner. This is, ultimately, what led me to take a break in writing about Nicholas Linnear. That said, writing The Pearl saga is different inasmuch as I planned the series from the beginning. So, for me, planting seeds in each volume that will come to fruition in later volumes is a tremendous pleasure. It is like looking at a life in all its stages and being able to savor each one. Early in the new book there's a big shock for Giyan, one of your most sympathetic characters. Do you enjoy doing nasty things to your characters? Oh, yes, indeed. I think that is one of a writer's greatest pleasures, because characters cannot grow unless they are thrown into adversity. And, to me, there is no point in writing characters otherwise. Seeing them evolve in front of your eyes is one of the great joys of writing - and of reading! We find out a lot more about the Korrush and its Five Tribes in this instalment of the tale. Did you undertake any research in order to create their fascinating culture? A lot of the Korrush tribes' culture came from my own head, but I did speak to some Arabists who have spent many years in the Middle East. I did not take anything word-for-word from what they said. Instead, I let it filter through my thoughts and color what came out on the page. The theme of male-female relationships seems to be central to this book. What made you want to write about that? I have been fascinated by male-female relationships ever since I can remember. It always struck me how much time men and women waste misunderstanding one another. Relationships between the sexes are a struggle; you've got to constantly work at it. And by working I mean talking honestly to one another. But the series, at heart, is also about love, the power love has to transcend gender and species. This is a very comforting thought for me. The use of sorcery is very important in The Veil of A Thousand Tears. Is magic something you have a personal interest in, or any experience of? Ever since college, I have done an enormous amount of research on world shamanism. Did you know that shamanistic rituals from the Ural steppes to Polynesia to Southeast Asia all contain the same themes and beliefs? This I find fascinating, because it means that in some distant pre-history, we were all one culture. At bedrock, we are all moved by the same elemental forces, such as the hero who arises, is taught by the wise old soul, who eventually dies so that the hero can that his (or her!) rightful place as savior. Even today, this basic story has great power for everyone. On the personal front, I became a second-level Reiki master some years ago. I cannot tell you how Reiki works, I simply know that it does. Perhaps this is the ultimate definition of sorcery! The Gyrgon are masters of technology and have invented many amazing gadgets, but are, for the most part, seen as a sinister power in the books. Do you see technology as a bad thing? On the contrary. But because of its great power, technology, like sorcery, has the potential to be misused. After all, technology and sorcery are only things - they must be wielded by people in order to work. In that sense, they are pure and innocent. It is the flaws in people - greed, ambition, envy, the thirst for revenge - that lead to the great suffering and disaster that both technology and sorcery can engender. This is, in part, what the books are about. If you could possess any supernatural talent, such as the ability to Thrip, what would it be? Since I travel a lot, being able to Trip would be very nice. Being invisible could be kind of cool, as well. Think of the conversations you could overhear. But, maybe, that wouldn't be such a good thing, after all. Which only goes to prove, be careful what you wish for. As my characters learn in the books, corruption is the handmaiden to power. What great technological advance do you think will be made this century, and will it improve our lives? When you think about it, there have been so many technological advances just in the last five year it's quite dizzying. And still we're set on killing each other. I often wish someone would invent something that would free people from intolerance, but I think that's too much to ask of science. What I do hope for - and what I think is just around the corner - are important breakthroughs in the field of bioscience. Ridding the world of AIDS and cancer would be my fondest wish. The Ring of Five Dragons questions for discussion 1. This is the story of two societies, one technologically advanced, militaristic, and patriarchal; the other spiritually-based, nature-oriented, and based on a partnership of males and females. Where does power reside, for better and for worse, in each society? 2. V'ornn society is based entirely on an iron-clad system of caste and hierarchy. Is there a caste system in Kundalan society? Are some societal hierarchies necessary or useful? 3. Is there a Gyrgon spirituality? What does it consist of? 4. In what ways are Gyrgon technomancy and Kundalan magic similar, and in what ways are they different? What do those differences say about the priorities of each society? 5. Are there weaknesses in Kundalan society that the V'ornn have exposed and exploited? What does it say about the Kundalans that so many of them have turned away from Miina and their Goddess-based religion? How do people and cultures maintain their faith when terrible circumstances befall them? How much time and suffering are required for faith to be tested? 6. By the book's end, Riane has become the point of intersection of two genders and two very different cultures. What influences do you feel emerge as stronger? What psychological forces battle within her? What will become of Annon's desire to avenge his family's deaths, in the face of what Riane is learning as the Dar Sala-at? 7. Kundalan women are portrayed in many ways as powerless, as victims, as prisoners, as slaves. Who are the powerful Kundalan women in the story? By what means do they achieve their power? What forms of power do V'ornn women possess? 8. What are the most important lessons that the V'ornn can learn from the Kundalan? Would the V'ornn ever be willing to learn from a society that they have conquered? Is there anything constructive or positive that the Kundalan can learn from the V'ornn? 9. Although they are twins, Bartta and Giyan could scarcely be more different. What do their differences symbolize about the rifts in Kundalan society? 10. How do you feel about Eleana's decision to keep a child conceived as the result of a rape, and about her reasons for doing so? 11. Four of the book's most crucial characters, including the Dar Sala-at himself, are teenagers. In what ways is this a story about coming of age?