By: Stephen Zimmer
Stephen Zimmer
Born in Denver Colorado in 1974, Stephen Zimmer is an author and filmmaker currently residing in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Exodus Gate, the first book in the Rising Dawn Saga, was Stephen's debut novel, published through Seventh Star Press.
Stephen's independent films as a writer/director include the indie feature Shadows Light (Modern Fantasy/Supernatural Thriller) and the horror short film The Sirens (on the Indie Movie Masters Festival of Horrors Vol. 1 DVD)"
Thank you for joining us on the Book and Movie Dimension blog for this interview. Cassandra was kind enough to let me pick the questions to ask, but I am glad that you agreed to spend a moment here. I know that you have been very busy in Ave.
Wanderer: You are welcome. My tasks have been many as of late. A great darkness is deepening across all of Ave at the moment, and it is moving fast. I have been going to and fro as I seek to do what I can to stave it off.
What kind of darkness?
Wanderer: The Unifier is but the tip of a great spear, wielded by Powers that are difficult for a human to comprehend. Even a Wizard like myself finds it difficult to grasp the enormity of these Powers sometimes.
People might not understand that you are not human, as you certainly have a human appearance. A man skilled in art by the name of Matthew Perry in my world has drawn two images of you for the books that I have written about the story of what is happening in Ave, and I have described you pretty well.
Wanderer: Someday I will have to see if this Matthew Perry you speak of did a proper rendition of my appearance! I am not given to vanity, but I am curious. No, I am not human. I am of a race of immortals that were the first to set foot upon the surface of Ave, at the dawn of the First Age. There were a few immortal races created, the Wizards, the Elves, the Elder, and another that I cannot speak of.
Why not? I know who they are, should I talk about them instead?
Wanderer: It is too early to reveal them to the ones learning this story in your world. I believe they will have a great part to play in the story too.
I’ll trust you on that. You haven’t let me down yet. But it seems that the Wizards take a low profile in Ave, except for some that are committed to the Unifier, like Ahriman and Morrigan. Tell our readers why that is, in your own words.
Wanderer: It was not always that way. In earlier times, we were more visible, and we used our power more openly. In time, people began to see us as gods, and even came to worship us. For those of us loyal to the All-Father, we had to step away from this path. For those who have given allegiance to the Enemy, it is simply a matter of being able to work better from within shadows. Of course, they don’t want too much attention, unless they are supremely confident like the two you mentioned who sit on the Unifier’s High Council now. We are immortal, but other than the spirit within our physical form we are not eternal.
So let’s turn to what you are up to now. I know you have been seen a few times in the Five Realms lately.
Wanderer: I have been in many lands recently. But I have a grave concern that brings me into the forests of the tribal lands. It is something that involves troubling matter of my own kind, and something that has much to do with the absence of the Wizards that have shown favor to the tribal lands, such as the Light Brother. The Dark Brother, who is with the Enemy, has done some great mischief that needs to be undone. I am going to try and find a way.
And the tribal lands are being invaded too. It is a powerful force built from many areas.
Wanderer: A large army from Gallea, along with sizeable contingents of Atagar and Trogens, and even many Gigans. They have brought in Darroks, using them to reduce the hill-top villages of the tribal people to splinters in the rain of stones they can drop from the skies.
There are also several Anishin tribes that have joined with them, seeing a chance to strike at the Five Realms. Among the Anishin tribes, the Wendaton have been harboring the greatest hatred for the Five Realms, ever since they were soundly beaten back after the last war between the two. The warriors of the five tribes resist the invaders bravely, and a large number of Midragardans have come to stand by their side, but the power marshaled against them is overwhelming in strength.
What is happening to the elderly, the young men, the women, and the children of the tribes?
Wanderer: It is a great tragedy. They are being driven eastward. They will come to the shores of the sea, and there will be nowhere else they can flee to. This is exactly what the Avanoran commanders are counting upon. They are wanting to trap all of the people of the Five Realms with their backs to the water.
Many have already died in the hardship of the eastward journey, as there are many who are too infirm or weak of body to endure. The march east is unavoidable, as if they remained all would be slaughtered. This is not a war for territory. The Unifier seeks to wipe out those who will not bend their knee.
Can anything be done for them?
Wanderer: Other forces are on the move. Nothing in Ave, or your world, is for certain. But there is not much time to act.
Do you have some help in your tasks?
Wanderer: We all have help in our tasks. We may not recognize it, but we all do.
You are being enigmatic again.
Wanderer: You should know my ways by now, Stephen.
Yes, and I do understand Dragol’s ongoing frustrations with you. How is that hardy Trogen warrior doing by the way?
Wanderer: Trogens are a tough race of beings. They have endured much hardship, perhaps more than most groups of people on Ave have experienced. It is one of the terrible ironies that the Trogens felt compelled to serve the Unifier to remove a bloody persecution of their own kind, conducted by a realm of Elves living to the north of Trogen lands on a large island. Now the Trogens are participating in a bloody persecution of a people that had no quarrel with them.
Dragol has a strong heart, and he is not afraid to face the possibility that he and his kind may be wrong about their decision to join the Unifier. It takes courage to admit wrongdoing. Dragol cannot be coerced on his path, he must be allowed to come to his own discoveries. He has been separated from his kind, and this has given him time for reflection. I have great confidence that he will find his way.
And what about the otherworlders? You were the one who gave them the gemstone pendants that helped them with the languages of Ave.
Wanderer: Yes, the stone pendants, the children of Drauenir. I carry the father gemstone upon my own person. The otherworlders are on their own journeys in Ave, and they will have their own choices to make. But I felt inspiration to help them with the languages of Ave. Merely being able to speak languages does not intervene in their free will, as I see it.
Do you believe they will make the right ones? I know you can look deeper into a person than a human can.
Wanderer: They are all capable of making the right choices. Whether they do or not remains to be seen. Temptations will be strong, and each individual has weaknesses. There are some among them that I fear for. But free will is most important in the case of the eleven who have come into Ave.
Are there not prophecies that speak of twelve?
Wanderer: Again, this is not the time for that part of the story. I am sure you will reveal more about that later.
It makes one a little nervous knowing that the prophecies involve paths where either side comes out victorious. Could Jebaalos triumph?
Wanderer: Sadly, Jebaalos could take full dominion of the world. The ways of the All-father are a mystery, and my hope will rest there if Jebaalos takes control of Ave entirely. As things stand now, people are making their choices, and things are not encouraging to my eyes. Whether they bend their knee, or choose not to resist what is happening all around them, the result is the same in helping evil come to power.
But Jebaalos hasn’t taken control of Ave yet.
Wanderer: No, He has not. Some lands still resist, and the reach of the servants of Jebaalos has not grasped some others, but momentum is with Him. This is why I must press forward with all haste.
On a lighter note, it is rumored that you have one of the deadly Firaken as a pet. Or at least that is what one of the art images created by Matthew Perry seems to indicate. I may know more about the situation, but many people have seen Matthew’s art by now.
Wanderer: I am wondering if this Matthew Perry is someone I should be more concerned about! Tell him that Wizards might not be so confined to Ave as he thinks! I may decide to shift his form into that of a big chicken for a moment as a warning.
The Firaken is not a pet, but I get along very well with animals that some might find dangerous. You should meet my two great wolves sometime. That Firaken was an amiable fellow, if you know the right way to approach him!
I am only going to try to pet one if you are there with me. Well, I have taken up far too much of your precious time. Thank you for joining us, and may the All-Father guide your path in Ave.
Thank you, Stephen. And thank you for telling the story of our world, as it may contain some wisdom that you can benefit from in your world. Free will must thrive to have a life worth living, and tyranny must be resisted, in all its forms. It cannot be tolerated, or it will eventually rise to master you.
The Spirit of Fire Online Book Tour Stops and Participants!
Stephen Zimmer
The Exodus Gate, the first book in the Rising Dawn Saga, was Stephen's debut novel, published through Seventh Star Press.
Stephen's independent films as a writer/director include the indie feature Shadows Light (Modern Fantasy/Supernatural Thriller) and the horror short film The Sirens (on the Indie Movie Masters Festival of Horrors Vol. 1 DVD)"
Thank you for joining us on the Book and Movie Dimension blog for this interview. Cassandra was kind enough to let me pick the questions to ask, but I am glad that you agreed to spend a moment here. I know that you have been very busy in Ave.
Wanderer: You are welcome. My tasks have been many as of late. A great darkness is deepening across all of Ave at the moment, and it is moving fast. I have been going to and fro as I seek to do what I can to stave it off.
What kind of darkness?
Wanderer: The Unifier is but the tip of a great spear, wielded by Powers that are difficult for a human to comprehend. Even a Wizard like myself finds it difficult to grasp the enormity of these Powers sometimes.
People might not understand that you are not human, as you certainly have a human appearance. A man skilled in art by the name of Matthew Perry in my world has drawn two images of you for the books that I have written about the story of what is happening in Ave, and I have described you pretty well.
Wanderer: Someday I will have to see if this Matthew Perry you speak of did a proper rendition of my appearance! I am not given to vanity, but I am curious. No, I am not human. I am of a race of immortals that were the first to set foot upon the surface of Ave, at the dawn of the First Age. There were a few immortal races created, the Wizards, the Elves, the Elder, and another that I cannot speak of.
Why not? I know who they are, should I talk about them instead?
Wanderer: It is too early to reveal them to the ones learning this story in your world. I believe they will have a great part to play in the story too.
I’ll trust you on that. You haven’t let me down yet. But it seems that the Wizards take a low profile in Ave, except for some that are committed to the Unifier, like Ahriman and Morrigan. Tell our readers why that is, in your own words.
 |
| Morrigan |
So let’s turn to what you are up to now. I know you have been seen a few times in the Five Realms lately.
Wanderer: I have been in many lands recently. But I have a grave concern that brings me into the forests of the tribal lands. It is something that involves troubling matter of my own kind, and something that has much to do with the absence of the Wizards that have shown favor to the tribal lands, such as the Light Brother. The Dark Brother, who is with the Enemy, has done some great mischief that needs to be undone. I am going to try and find a way.
And the tribal lands are being invaded too. It is a powerful force built from many areas.
Wanderer: A large army from Gallea, along with sizeable contingents of Atagar and Trogens, and even many Gigans. They have brought in Darroks, using them to reduce the hill-top villages of the tribal people to splinters in the rain of stones they can drop from the skies.
There are also several Anishin tribes that have joined with them, seeing a chance to strike at the Five Realms. Among the Anishin tribes, the Wendaton have been harboring the greatest hatred for the Five Realms, ever since they were soundly beaten back after the last war between the two. The warriors of the five tribes resist the invaders bravely, and a large number of Midragardans have come to stand by their side, but the power marshaled against them is overwhelming in strength.
What is happening to the elderly, the young men, the women, and the children of the tribes?
 |
| Wanderer |
Many have already died in the hardship of the eastward journey, as there are many who are too infirm or weak of body to endure. The march east is unavoidable, as if they remained all would be slaughtered. This is not a war for territory. The Unifier seeks to wipe out those who will not bend their knee.
Can anything be done for them?
Wanderer: Other forces are on the move. Nothing in Ave, or your world, is for certain. But there is not much time to act.
Do you have some help in your tasks?
Wanderer: We all have help in our tasks. We may not recognize it, but we all do.
You are being enigmatic again.
Wanderer: You should know my ways by now, Stephen.
Yes, and I do understand Dragol’s ongoing frustrations with you. How is that hardy Trogen warrior doing by the way?
Wanderer: Trogens are a tough race of beings. They have endured much hardship, perhaps more than most groups of people on Ave have experienced. It is one of the terrible ironies that the Trogens felt compelled to serve the Unifier to remove a bloody persecution of their own kind, conducted by a realm of Elves living to the north of Trogen lands on a large island. Now the Trogens are participating in a bloody persecution of a people that had no quarrel with them.
Dragol has a strong heart, and he is not afraid to face the possibility that he and his kind may be wrong about their decision to join the Unifier. It takes courage to admit wrongdoing. Dragol cannot be coerced on his path, he must be allowed to come to his own discoveries. He has been separated from his kind, and this has given him time for reflection. I have great confidence that he will find his way.
And what about the otherworlders? You were the one who gave them the gemstone pendants that helped them with the languages of Ave.
Wanderer: Yes, the stone pendants, the children of Drauenir. I carry the father gemstone upon my own person. The otherworlders are on their own journeys in Ave, and they will have their own choices to make. But I felt inspiration to help them with the languages of Ave. Merely being able to speak languages does not intervene in their free will, as I see it.
Do you believe they will make the right ones? I know you can look deeper into a person than a human can.
Wanderer: They are all capable of making the right choices. Whether they do or not remains to be seen. Temptations will be strong, and each individual has weaknesses. There are some among them that I fear for. But free will is most important in the case of the eleven who have come into Ave.
Are there not prophecies that speak of twelve?
Wanderer: Again, this is not the time for that part of the story. I am sure you will reveal more about that later.
It makes one a little nervous knowing that the prophecies involve paths where either side comes out victorious. Could Jebaalos triumph?
Wanderer: Sadly, Jebaalos could take full dominion of the world. The ways of the All-father are a mystery, and my hope will rest there if Jebaalos takes control of Ave entirely. As things stand now, people are making their choices, and things are not encouraging to my eyes. Whether they bend their knee, or choose not to resist what is happening all around them, the result is the same in helping evil come to power.
But Jebaalos hasn’t taken control of Ave yet.
Wanderer: No, He has not. Some lands still resist, and the reach of the servants of Jebaalos has not grasped some others, but momentum is with Him. This is why I must press forward with all haste.
 |
| Firaken |
Wanderer: I am wondering if this Matthew Perry is someone I should be more concerned about! Tell him that Wizards might not be so confined to Ave as he thinks! I may decide to shift his form into that of a big chicken for a moment as a warning.
The Firaken is not a pet, but I get along very well with animals that some might find dangerous. You should meet my two great wolves sometime. That Firaken was an amiable fellow, if you know the right way to approach him!
I am only going to try to pet one if you are there with me. Well, I have taken up far too much of your precious time. Thank you for joining us, and may the All-Father guide your path in Ave.
Thank you, Stephen. And thank you for telling the story of our world, as it may contain some wisdom that you can benefit from in your world. Free will must thrive to have a life worth living, and tyranny must be resisted, in all its forms. It cannot be tolerated, or it will eventually rise to master you.
The Spirit of Fire Online Book Tour Stops and Participants!
May 29 Fantasy Book Review
May 30 Ginger Nuts of Horror
May 31 Mom Cat's Gateway Book Blog
June 1 Splash of Our Worlds
June 2 Soliloquy
June 3 Ritesh Kala's Book Review
June 4 Jess Resides Here
June 5 Reading Away the Days
June 6 Vilutheril Reviews
June 7 A Daydreamer's Thoughts
June 8 Red Headed Bookworm
June 9 Lisa's World of Books
June 10 Kentucky Geek Girl
June 11 Goatfairy Review Blog
June 12 Book and Movie Dimension Blog
June 13 Full Moon Bites
June 14 Stuck in Books
June 15 The Independent Review
June 15 Alchemy of Scrawl
June 16 Watch Play Read
June 17 A Book Vacation
June 18 Eva's Sanctuary
June 19 That Book Place Blog
June 20 Edi's Book Lighthouse
June 21 SpecMusicMuse
June 22 Once Upon a Time
June 25 Eden Road Blog
June 25 Ali's Bookshelf (live podcast)
June 26 Workaday Reads
June 27 Bookishly Me
June 28 Earth's Book Nook
June 29 Darlene's Book Nook
June 30 The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
July 1 Evie Bookish
July 2 Urban Fantasy Reviews
July 3 The Cabin Goddess
July 4 TheSci-Fi Guys Book Review
July 5 The Speculative Salon
July 6 Ali's Bookshelf
July 7 Bunnys Review
July 8 Bee's Knees Reviews
July 10 Edin Road Radio (live podcast)
July 11 A Few Words
July 12 Bab's Book Bistro
July 13 Alchemy of Scrawl (live podcast)
July 14 Babs Book Bistro (live podcast)
3 comments:
The Wanderer is one of my favorite characters.
Therefore I read this character interview with great interest.
Thanks a lot for that.
Glad you liked the post!
actually reading Crown of Vengeance (Book 1 of the Fires of Eden series). Like it so far.
Can't wait to post a review later on.
Edi: You are very welcome! The Wanderer is one of my favorites too! Don't worry, he's in the new book as well! LOL
Cassandra: Thank you for having me on your site! Very glad to hear you are enjoying the new book as well!
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