Fantasy also needs to be realistic, odd as that may seem. If you write a story about a contemporary man living in a contemporary house in a contemporary town, you can skimp on details because your readers are familiar with the setting and find it believable. But if you write about folk living in colored volcanic magical zones, red, green, blue etc., becoming those colors themselves, and able to do only their own colors of magic, you had better labor to make them believable. What about when these magic folk get involved in a galactic space battle? The idea of spaceships getting into individual dogfights and shooting each other down in flames—when they are light seconds apart, in deep space, with no gravity, where no fire can exist? So my space battle is not quite like that. I was unwilling to sacrifice realism for drama.
Did I write myself into these novels? No. I love the realm and characters and envy Havoc, but obviously I am not Havoc. Oh, I have noticed how writers who get old and sexually fading tend to write increasingly sexy fiction about immortal characters. Yes, I seem to be following that route. But I hope it is nevertheless a good story, and that those characters come alive for the reader. Come on, admit it: if you're a female reader, wouldn't you like to spend an hour no fault with Havoc? If you're male, how about a walk between villages with Opaline?
This is I think the final ChroMagic novel. If by some mischance someone makes a movie from the series, and the novels all become super bestsellers, and there is demand for more, well, I suppose there could be some interaction with Andromeda galaxy. Something about an anti-matter bomb that annoyed the folk there. But why should we yank Havoc from his well-earned retirement as a traveling minstrel? That wouldn't be kind.
—Piers Anthony, June 23, 2007
About the Author
Piers Anthony is one of the world's most prolific and popular authors. His fantasy Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list 21
times.
Although Piers is mostly known for fantasy and science fiction, he has written novels in other genres as well, including historical fiction, martial arts, and horror.
Piers Anthony's official website is HI PIERS at www.hipiers.com, where he publishes his bimonthly online newsletter. Piers lives with his wife in Central Florida.
Reference Appendix
"The Colors of ChroMagic"
What follows are the writer's notes that Piers Anthony used for reference for the ChroMagic series while writing the novels. This information is presented as is from his notes file.
COLORS OF THE VOLCANOES:
(these are apparent specialties; actually all Chroma can do all types of magic.)
White = science Green = plants Yellow = fire Invisible = air, illusion
Brown = earth, conjuring, golems
Translucent = water, mind reading; The sieges of emotion: Disgust Fear Rage Love Agape
Black = void, death
Red = blood, demonic, healing, ectoplasm
Silver = electrical
Blue = animals
Gray = immunity to magic, or nullifying it—anywhere, not limited to Gray zone
Purple = between Red and Blue Chroma as colors merge—demonic animals
Orange = conjuration: jumping from one spot to another, to any Orange zone
nonChroma = all area between Chroma zones
TYPES OF VOLCANOES:
Earth = Lava/rocks/dust, cools hardens, settles; ash
Fire = ignites surroundings, but ashes imbued with magic.
Water = steam/snow/water, carries colors via rivers to lakes
Air = explosive outdraft with color
Void = huge crater, bottomless hole. When active, sucks surroundings in, like a tornado. That's Black Chroma, really, but could be that it's not fixed and there can be otherChroma voids. All can be hot or cold, all deadly at close range, all magical
PREDATORS:
Fire = project microwave heat to cook from inside
Water = project liquefaction to dissolve innards
Earth = solidify innards so they can't function
Air = vaporize tissues without heat so body is inflated with gas
Void = innards disappear from center, feeding into maw
DEFENSES:
Fire = becomes too hot to handle or eat
Water = becomes liquid and flows out of clutches
Earth = becomes too heavy to carry or hold
Air = becomes diffuse and drifts away like mist
Void = conjures self away Dragon Seeds: buzz in ear when there is danger, or something amiss, or a lie being told
SEASONS:
Basically two, as planet circles star or black hole: warm, cold. But complications:
Fire = burning hot, from Hole flares, but generally brief, sporadic; changeable super Summer
Water = heavy rains, flooding, from atmospheric disturbances Spring
Earth = quakes Summer
Air = wind, sand, thunder, snow storms, depending on conditions Fall
Void = barren, killingly cold when there are no flares Winter
SOCIAL CONVENTIONS:
Young folk can marry at ages 15-16, must marry by 18, unless receiving a waver, such as a king's mistress.
Each woman must bear at least 4 children, one, the "fourth," by a man not her husband. Fourths can come in any order, however. With mer folk, they are "seconds" for faster connections to the rest of the species. Adoption counts, or bearing a changeling by Temple implantation. Men are not so obliged, except that they can not reasonably refuse a woman who asks for a fourth. They are never responsible for its care, except the ones their own wives get.
"How were you named?"
"Say my name."
OATHS;
Of friendship
Of secrecy
Of brotherhood
GAMES/REFERENCES:
Tickle & Peek, Touch & Touch, Ask & Show, and variants; Guess & Penalty, Poke & Tell (actual sex) No Fault-social and sexual interaction while traveling, for duration of the travel only.
A person's Vivid and Void: complete love. Also Between Vivid and Void-awful alternatives.
Truth: each person must answer the questions of the other with complete candor.
Question & Strip—the game Symbol first plays with Havoc, like strip poker. Statue game
SINGLE-WORD STATEMENTS OF FEELING OR INTENT, SAMPLES:
"Greeting" "Acknowledged" "Parting" "Admiration" "Envy" "Anger" "Joy" "Desire" "Aversion" "Apology"
"Love" "Wonder" "Contrition" "Pain" "Satiation" "Secret" "Belief" "Adoration" "Appreciation" "Expletive!" "Insult"
"Compliment" "Empathy" "Obscenity" "Confusion" "Grief" "Respect" "Contempt" "Awe" "Comprehension"
"Obliteration" "Longing" "Attraction" "Relief" "Embarrassment" "Amazement" "Gratitude" "Request" "Considered"