Post by lionsbloodfan on Sept 12, 2007 12:18:13 GMT -5
Dear Steven Barnes:
I hope you and your family are doing well. Thank you for creating such powerful and relevant stories, and for having this forum.
What a book Lion's Blood[/u] is!! I feel as if your work changed my life somehow, and the way in which I think, somehow. This is the first book of yours I have ever read. I also read Tananarive Due's book, Joplin's Ghost[/u] and was equally impressed by her work.
I remember many years ago on Mike Sargent's WBAI program, you stated you could have made many scenes more graphic (like the one in the slave ship) but chose not to. After reading this...I'm just awed at the vivid nature of the text. I hope Kai and Aidan don't age too quickly in your future stories so I can further enjoy their mental transformations.
Please don't take any of my questions in the wrong way, this is just my way of saying thank you and my attempt to further understand your story.
***
My Lion's Blood/Zulu Heart Questions:
The Lion's Blood Website:
Why hasn't more information from the website gotten transcribed in any of the books?
Why hasn't the website been updated?
CD's and soundtracks:
Why isn't there a Zulu Heart[/u] soundtrack? I've never heard of a book having a soundtrack and was quite pleased in purchasing this one. What a collaboration!! Will Bronze Nile[/u] have a soundtrack?
Naqsh Kabir/The Enneagram:
Your use of the Enneagram in Lion's Blood[/u] seems to parallel the use of the Spanish Mysterious Circle, as both a fighting and personality tool. What made you use it in these books? Why does it seem that other people in Bilalistan aren't as familiar with it? Who taught the Naqsh Kabir to Malik?
Will all of its systems get named and mentioned in future books?
Where do you think the main characters' personalities fit along the Enneagram?
Why use it as a fighting tool/tool of war, when it is mostly known as a personality diagram?
Why hasn't the Enneagram or the Spanish Mysterious Circle been mentioned in the Lifewriting workbook and lectures?
Bilalistan and the world of Lion's Blood (The In'Shallah Universe):
What kind of world is this as far as beauty standards go, for instance? Are all beauty standards upheld as long as they're not European?
How do Arabs or non-Muslim people of color fit in such a predominantly African Muslim world?
Why don't the Africans in this world make deals with the Aztecs instead of just taking their land and warring against them?
Where are the Chinese? What are they doing in Bilalistan?
New Alexandrians:
Why are the New Alexandrians (the Northerners) seen as stereotype of Ancient Greeks and Romans (and the actual Alexandrians, perhaps): genius inventors, debauched, tolerant of homosexuality and liking arena fighting, while the New Djiboutians (the Southerners) are shown as perhaps harder working and more industrial? I know it's stated that the Ancient Egyptians invented boxing and that they wrestled.
Why are the New Alexandrians also shown as religious hypocrites and/or less faithful to Islam than the New Djiboutians?
Will you ever write a novel based in Ancient Egypt?
Real life Abyssinians, Sudanese and Kunutses:
Why pick Ethiopians (Abyssinians) not Sudanese (Nubians) to portray Kunutses in this series, especially when Sudan is more known as a Muslim country while Ethiopia is famous as being a Christian country?
Alexander the Great and Kai of Egypt:
Since Greece is a European country, why is Alexander, of all rulers, thought to be African?
Why of all rulers, is he revered?
Why is his being white unknown or kept secret?
Why would Babatunde keep this secret? How is he sure it's true?
What's the point of his not telling Lamiya?
Will there ever be a telling of Alexander's story as well as the story of the Egyptian Kai, who is the ancestor of Kessie and Kai Jallaleddin ibn Rashid al Kushi?
Kessie/Fatima:
Will their story or past be told?
Abu Ali's harem:
How is it in such a society you created, Abu Ali chose to have a harem made up of white and black women?
Was this harem made before or after Kessie died?
What are the white women's statuses in this harem? Are they to be considered equals to their black counterparts? If so, why?
Why would a self-respecting black woman in this world you created, share any title with a white woman, especially as the companion of such a powerful man like Abu Ali?
Does Kai think of them all as equals and surrogate mothers?
Where are they all now that Abu Ali is dead?
Abu Ali and Djedade Behar, Malik, Shaka and Cetshwayo:
Is Abu Ali's first name Wakim?
Will there be a story about Abu Ali and Djedade's youth as wrestlers and friends?
Will the story of Abu Ali's battle against the Aztecs with Shaka, Cetshwayo and Malik get told?
Babatunde:
Why in such a world, would Ganne speak to a Shaykh like himself so suggestively and directly like she did in Zulu Heart[/u]?
Is there to be a future with Babatunde and Ganne?
What of Babatunde's first wife?
How did Kokossa fool him so utterly when it came to inventions?
Kai Jallaleddin ibn Rashid al Kushi:
The fact that Malik let Kai live and really won their battle is a fact that still stays with me. I'm still getting over the fact that although Kai showed character and certainly honor, in a way he is only the Wakil because Malik let him live.
Will Kai and his children ever go to Africa? Will Kai ever see the Pillars of the Nile in person?
Why didn't Kai ever receive advanced studies abroad?
Just why did Kai feel depressed in the later part of Lion's Blood[/u]? Although the death of Abu Ali undoubtedly played a part in this, Kai's depression never seemed explained. Was he depressed because he slept with Lamiya? How come Kai never seemed too bothered by the fact that he slept with his brother's fiancée, especially since their wedding seemed inevitable? Lamiya didn't seem very worried about this, either.
Why did Kai let Olaf live, when Olaf directly caused the death of Abu Ali?
How come Lion's Blood (the jambaya) didn't really play a part in Zulu Heart[/u], where it was just the name of a company? In Lion's Blood[/u], Kai mostly trains with swords, but killed Malik with the jambaya Lion's Blood while in Zulu Heart[/u], Kai only uses the sword.
Kai used to act very irresponsibly, but he always took his faith very seriously. Therefore, will there ever be a scene dealing with how Aidan "conned" Kai into thinking he converted to Islam?? Kai seemed hurt very deeply about this particular betrayal, but that wasn't dealt with later in Lion's Blood[/u] or Zulu Heart[/u].
When will there be a war/conflict between Dar Kush and Cetshwayo's kraal?
When will Kai and Omar Pavlavi battle each other?
Elenya bint Jallaleddin ibn Rashid al Kushi:
Her kidnapping seems parallel to Verdi's opera, Aïda. Will she fall in love with an Egyptian prince?
What of her time away from Dar Kush??
Lamiya Mesgana:
Who does she really trust or love? She doesn't really seem to love Kai -- she married him out of duty. Although "Zulu Heart" as an emotion is mentioned in Book 2, does Lamiya really have that quality more than Nandi? She doesn't know Kai and only wants his love for the protection of their child. Why are they both so afraid of speaking to each other? Zulu Heart[/u] showed how if one doesn't know their friends from their enemies, disaster may happen. A disaster seems inevitable between Lamiya and Kai, unless they are both more honest with each other.
The poetry Lamiya and Kai recited to each other was quite beautiful, as well.
Will Kai ever tell Lamiya that he killed Shaka?
Maybe Lamiya even married Kai lest she bear his child out of wedlock? As much as Kai cares for her, they don't seem to have a "love match". And as what happened to Nandi, that can lead to death.
What about her siblings?
Nandi:
Nandi is one of the best characters I've read in literature and her sensual scenes with Kai were quite stunning and well written. It disappointed me a bit to see Nandi's power get lessened once she moved to Dar Kush.
What was the purpose of her family secretly keeping the blueprints of the Pillars of the Nile?
Was her secret meeting with Kai by the fireplace her plan or her parent's idea? Zulu Heart[/u] seems to imply that Nandi's parents possibly knew of that episode.
Aidan O'Dere:
What are the next religious steps he will take?
Was Morgan, the slave woman killed by her husband Olalye, Aidan's first lover in Dar Kush? Was she the same girl from the O'Dere crannog? If so, what does he think about her death?
Will he tell Sophia that he slept with the Calipha?
Sophia de Meroc:
Is her father still alive? If so, is he looking for her?
Does Sophia have siblings?
Who sold her? Was it her father?
Does she ever wish to return home and/or shut down Dar Hudu?
What was daily life like in Dar Hudu or Andalus?
Why didn't Malik kill her once he surely knew she betrayed him during the slave revolt?
Sophia and Aidan's love for each other doesn't seem "real" to me since it seems based on revenge and escape: Sophia's revenge against Kai for insulting her and escape from her station of servitude and a lack of choices. On the other hand, Aidan wished to contact Kai who was distant due to his relationship with Sophia. To get close to Kai, he would have to get close to Sophia, which he did.
Allahbas:
Is she subtly poisoning her husband to get his land?
Since she is half Persian, did that affect her role in Djedade's house?
Personally, I'd like to see Fodjour become Kai's friend again. Could Allahbas be poisoning Fodjour to get him to act the way she wants?
The Calipha:
Is she pregnant with a "mystery baby"? If so, what a twist to the story!
Thank you for your work,
-- Lionsbloodfan
I hope you and your family are doing well. Thank you for creating such powerful and relevant stories, and for having this forum.
What a book Lion's Blood[/u] is!! I feel as if your work changed my life somehow, and the way in which I think, somehow. This is the first book of yours I have ever read. I also read Tananarive Due's book, Joplin's Ghost[/u] and was equally impressed by her work.
I remember many years ago on Mike Sargent's WBAI program, you stated you could have made many scenes more graphic (like the one in the slave ship) but chose not to. After reading this...I'm just awed at the vivid nature of the text. I hope Kai and Aidan don't age too quickly in your future stories so I can further enjoy their mental transformations.
Please don't take any of my questions in the wrong way, this is just my way of saying thank you and my attempt to further understand your story.
***
My Lion's Blood/Zulu Heart Questions:
The Lion's Blood Website:
Why hasn't more information from the website gotten transcribed in any of the books?
Why hasn't the website been updated?
CD's and soundtracks:
Why isn't there a Zulu Heart[/u] soundtrack? I've never heard of a book having a soundtrack and was quite pleased in purchasing this one. What a collaboration!! Will Bronze Nile[/u] have a soundtrack?
Naqsh Kabir/The Enneagram:
Your use of the Enneagram in Lion's Blood[/u] seems to parallel the use of the Spanish Mysterious Circle, as both a fighting and personality tool. What made you use it in these books? Why does it seem that other people in Bilalistan aren't as familiar with it? Who taught the Naqsh Kabir to Malik?
Will all of its systems get named and mentioned in future books?
Where do you think the main characters' personalities fit along the Enneagram?
Why use it as a fighting tool/tool of war, when it is mostly known as a personality diagram?
Why hasn't the Enneagram or the Spanish Mysterious Circle been mentioned in the Lifewriting workbook and lectures?
Bilalistan and the world of Lion's Blood (The In'Shallah Universe):
What kind of world is this as far as beauty standards go, for instance? Are all beauty standards upheld as long as they're not European?
How do Arabs or non-Muslim people of color fit in such a predominantly African Muslim world?
Why don't the Africans in this world make deals with the Aztecs instead of just taking their land and warring against them?
Where are the Chinese? What are they doing in Bilalistan?
New Alexandrians:
Why are the New Alexandrians (the Northerners) seen as stereotype of Ancient Greeks and Romans (and the actual Alexandrians, perhaps): genius inventors, debauched, tolerant of homosexuality and liking arena fighting, while the New Djiboutians (the Southerners) are shown as perhaps harder working and more industrial? I know it's stated that the Ancient Egyptians invented boxing and that they wrestled.
Why are the New Alexandrians also shown as religious hypocrites and/or less faithful to Islam than the New Djiboutians?
Will you ever write a novel based in Ancient Egypt?
Real life Abyssinians, Sudanese and Kunutses:
Why pick Ethiopians (Abyssinians) not Sudanese (Nubians) to portray Kunutses in this series, especially when Sudan is more known as a Muslim country while Ethiopia is famous as being a Christian country?
Alexander the Great and Kai of Egypt:
Since Greece is a European country, why is Alexander, of all rulers, thought to be African?
Why of all rulers, is he revered?
Why is his being white unknown or kept secret?
Why would Babatunde keep this secret? How is he sure it's true?
What's the point of his not telling Lamiya?
Will there ever be a telling of Alexander's story as well as the story of the Egyptian Kai, who is the ancestor of Kessie and Kai Jallaleddin ibn Rashid al Kushi?
Kessie/Fatima:
Will their story or past be told?
Abu Ali's harem:
How is it in such a society you created, Abu Ali chose to have a harem made up of white and black women?
Was this harem made before or after Kessie died?
What are the white women's statuses in this harem? Are they to be considered equals to their black counterparts? If so, why?
Why would a self-respecting black woman in this world you created, share any title with a white woman, especially as the companion of such a powerful man like Abu Ali?
Does Kai think of them all as equals and surrogate mothers?
Where are they all now that Abu Ali is dead?
Abu Ali and Djedade Behar, Malik, Shaka and Cetshwayo:
Is Abu Ali's first name Wakim?
Will there be a story about Abu Ali and Djedade's youth as wrestlers and friends?
Will the story of Abu Ali's battle against the Aztecs with Shaka, Cetshwayo and Malik get told?
Babatunde:
Why in such a world, would Ganne speak to a Shaykh like himself so suggestively and directly like she did in Zulu Heart[/u]?
Is there to be a future with Babatunde and Ganne?
What of Babatunde's first wife?
How did Kokossa fool him so utterly when it came to inventions?
Kai Jallaleddin ibn Rashid al Kushi:
The fact that Malik let Kai live and really won their battle is a fact that still stays with me. I'm still getting over the fact that although Kai showed character and certainly honor, in a way he is only the Wakil because Malik let him live.
Will Kai and his children ever go to Africa? Will Kai ever see the Pillars of the Nile in person?
Why didn't Kai ever receive advanced studies abroad?
Just why did Kai feel depressed in the later part of Lion's Blood[/u]? Although the death of Abu Ali undoubtedly played a part in this, Kai's depression never seemed explained. Was he depressed because he slept with Lamiya? How come Kai never seemed too bothered by the fact that he slept with his brother's fiancée, especially since their wedding seemed inevitable? Lamiya didn't seem very worried about this, either.
Why did Kai let Olaf live, when Olaf directly caused the death of Abu Ali?
How come Lion's Blood (the jambaya) didn't really play a part in Zulu Heart[/u], where it was just the name of a company? In Lion's Blood[/u], Kai mostly trains with swords, but killed Malik with the jambaya Lion's Blood while in Zulu Heart[/u], Kai only uses the sword.
Kai used to act very irresponsibly, but he always took his faith very seriously. Therefore, will there ever be a scene dealing with how Aidan "conned" Kai into thinking he converted to Islam?? Kai seemed hurt very deeply about this particular betrayal, but that wasn't dealt with later in Lion's Blood[/u] or Zulu Heart[/u].
When will there be a war/conflict between Dar Kush and Cetshwayo's kraal?
When will Kai and Omar Pavlavi battle each other?
Elenya bint Jallaleddin ibn Rashid al Kushi:
Her kidnapping seems parallel to Verdi's opera, Aïda. Will she fall in love with an Egyptian prince?
What of her time away from Dar Kush??
Lamiya Mesgana:
Who does she really trust or love? She doesn't really seem to love Kai -- she married him out of duty. Although "Zulu Heart" as an emotion is mentioned in Book 2, does Lamiya really have that quality more than Nandi? She doesn't know Kai and only wants his love for the protection of their child. Why are they both so afraid of speaking to each other? Zulu Heart[/u] showed how if one doesn't know their friends from their enemies, disaster may happen. A disaster seems inevitable between Lamiya and Kai, unless they are both more honest with each other.
The poetry Lamiya and Kai recited to each other was quite beautiful, as well.
Will Kai ever tell Lamiya that he killed Shaka?
Maybe Lamiya even married Kai lest she bear his child out of wedlock? As much as Kai cares for her, they don't seem to have a "love match". And as what happened to Nandi, that can lead to death.
What about her siblings?
Nandi:
Nandi is one of the best characters I've read in literature and her sensual scenes with Kai were quite stunning and well written. It disappointed me a bit to see Nandi's power get lessened once she moved to Dar Kush.
What was the purpose of her family secretly keeping the blueprints of the Pillars of the Nile?
Was her secret meeting with Kai by the fireplace her plan or her parent's idea? Zulu Heart[/u] seems to imply that Nandi's parents possibly knew of that episode.
Aidan O'Dere:
What are the next religious steps he will take?
Was Morgan, the slave woman killed by her husband Olalye, Aidan's first lover in Dar Kush? Was she the same girl from the O'Dere crannog? If so, what does he think about her death?
Will he tell Sophia that he slept with the Calipha?
Sophia de Meroc:
Is her father still alive? If so, is he looking for her?
Does Sophia have siblings?
Who sold her? Was it her father?
Does she ever wish to return home and/or shut down Dar Hudu?
What was daily life like in Dar Hudu or Andalus?
Why didn't Malik kill her once he surely knew she betrayed him during the slave revolt?
Sophia and Aidan's love for each other doesn't seem "real" to me since it seems based on revenge and escape: Sophia's revenge against Kai for insulting her and escape from her station of servitude and a lack of choices. On the other hand, Aidan wished to contact Kai who was distant due to his relationship with Sophia. To get close to Kai, he would have to get close to Sophia, which he did.
Allahbas:
Is she subtly poisoning her husband to get his land?
Since she is half Persian, did that affect her role in Djedade's house?
Personally, I'd like to see Fodjour become Kai's friend again. Could Allahbas be poisoning Fodjour to get him to act the way she wants?
The Calipha:
Is she pregnant with a "mystery baby"? If so, what a twist to the story!
Thank you for your work,
-- Lionsbloodfan
I just really love Lion's Blood. It's such a resonating book and it's quite amazing how you're able to make so many of your visions into a reality.