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27/12/2012

Well, the world didn't end... not that the last year hasn't left me wondering if it wouldn't be a good idea if it DID... my dislike of the vast mass of humanity is quickly mutating into outright, unmitigated hatred - most especially of the increasingly annoying sheeple I'm surrounded by on a daily basis. Here's a tip: if you think suits and ties are cool, marriage and families matter and money and a "career" are important, and you DON'T have the saving graces of either a) being an SF/Fantasy fan, b)think horses are the best thing on the planet, closely followed by c)an undying appreciation of Japanese speaking space pirates and super-robot pilots, then the chances are I regard you as a total tosser who should have been strangled at birth. (Rio, Brad, Finn, Tetsuo, Babs J, Babs W - you guys are ok, for the record. Most of the rest of you can take a running jump.)

The sharp-eyed might note a change of title... Given that I only ever wrote the Taliesin stories to a) order and b)take the piss out of certain people, BBC/Virgin books and long-running rants on radw and Jade Pagoda, I'm sidelining the Taliesin stories. In a few (months/years/decades/delete as applicable) I'll move that part of the Thirteen Worlds off to one side, to concentrate on the non-pop culture side of things.

In a way, this amounts to "doing the same job of filing the serial numbers off established tropes and mythological cycles, only without the potentially actionable references to a certain classic British TV series". Which is quite honestly what I started out doing in the first place until Brax side-tracked me...

Hence the title. Which should give you a hint as to my attitude towards my source material...

So in saying a fond "farewell" to the Book of Taliesin, I'd like to thank the army of little helpers (knowing and unwitting...) who made it all possible.

The Ravens:

The unwitting muses (real and unreal): The wonderful, late and much missed Elisabeth Sladen, Tom Baker, Paul McGann, Eric Roberts, Eric Stoltz, Hugh Jackman, The Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith, Northwest Smith, Eric John Stark, Conan, Corwin and Merlin, Captain Harlock, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Roger Zelazny, Julian May, CL Moore, William Morris, Ken Slater (who gave me part of the orginal idea, and who will always be missed)

The Owls: Paul, Kate, Jon, Lance, Mags, and most of Jade Pagoda. With thanks for more raw material than ANYONE could ever use.

Just in case anyone actually still reads this, the only other news is that I still have Ben (above!) and he's as gorgeous and full of himself as ever.

Not that I'm a great one to keep in touch, but on the off chance Will Rea from Wilsthorpe 6th Form ever comes across this page - drop me a line mate! It's been years but I'd love to get in touch again!

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"Standing Stones" image (c) Mags L. Halliday 2001