Liner Notes for Soulless
Liner Notes for my story Soulless
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Does an elf have a soul? I can, of course, simply answer
that in my own fantasy setting. But the question – the nature of the soul – is one
that has occupied Christian thinkers for as long as they have existed. Other
thinkers too. If they don't have all the answers, do I need to?
The setting is loosely 18th century Earth with a whole bunch of changes. See Tapping The Admiral for more details. Cat Step Walker has been wandering around the equivalent of the Germanies. The Church of Providence maps more or less onto the Christian Church. Except…
Elves might worship or not. Some of them were there in earlier ages, when things were different. And they will have encountered other immortals, some with strange powers. In Tapping The Admiral Antipodea, the goddess of the far side of the world makes an appearance on page, explaining that the driving force of the series is from the gift/blessing/geas of her sister.
SPOILERS for Tapping The Admiral by the way.
Maisie May, the immortal sailor’s lover is another one. And The Lord Of The World, by convention, is immortal. The point being; this is complicated. What is a soul in a world where there are definitely major supernatural beings/ minor gods walking around. Where do they fit in the theology of Providence?
This is much more interesting to me as a question within the setting than in just answering it, possibly by creating a relationship chart of divinities. Okay, not much more interesting. Still, the world-building serves the stories, not the other way round. Really.
Cat Step Walker has had his encounter with the forest queen, and burned out his magic. Lost, hurt, he finds himself taken advantage of, and so falls in with the Poor Brothers. He’s trying to find himself and now he’s found… something. As the Abbess learns, he’s not entirely without resource, even as a stranger, and not without faith.
This isn’t his ending. Something will happen to break him loose. But that’s another story.
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