P.C. Hodgell

Photo Gallery >> P.C. Book Covers >> Child of Darkness; Artist: Robert Courtney; Berkley Showcase Vol. 2, 1980


Child of Darkness; Artist: Robert Courtney; Berkley Showcase Vol. 2, 1980
Child of Darkness; Artist: Robert Courtney; Berkley Showcase Vol. 2, 1980


"Child of Darkness" was my first story to see print, also (I think) the first I wrote in that year between college and graduate school when I finally sat down and started committing my childhood daydreams to paper.  At that point, I realized how disorganized said dreams had been.  In those early days, I could only see Jame as others did, not from her own point of view, and I didn't understand her whole back-story.  My own included the Vietnam War, Kent State, guerilla theater, and semi-clueless protests.  The general idea in the story was that Jame had been thrown into a future where the Kencyrath had lost Rathillien (presumably, because she wasn't there) and were trying to cope on the next threshold world with no support at all from their fickle god and no temples from which to draw power.


 Rimmon is an early version of Bane.


 As I recall, the whole story grew out of its last lines:


    "B-but St. John is dead!"


    "Of course," she said, and smiled.


In a way, everything about Jame grew out of that chilling smile.


Added on 07/05/08   Views: 3,263