participants … and derned if he hadn’t made just that his letterhead!
Next, John Brunner, with the character sketches of his Enas Yorl and Jarveena,
sent over a treatise on magic. It told us how it had to be in Thieves’ World; a
sort of logical system of rules of magic that has been ignored ever since. Then
Boss Asprin was looking for a name for that first book, and I suggested Tales
From the Vulgar Unicorn. Thank all gods he decided to call the first one simply
Thieves’ World! My title went on the second volume.
(Send your proposed title for the next one; Bob and Lynn just adore mail and if
your title is chosen, you will receive a genuine certified Thing. Maybe a no
prize for you if you’re one of my fellow comics fans…. If you’re runner-up,
your prize is a date-nocturnal only-with either Tarkle or Roxane, Zip or Ouleh
the Man-killer; your choice.
(Send to me that detailed list of all the characters in all the books, with
however brief ID for each-and whether still alive, KlA-and-dead, or Undead. I
like to remember and include all those little people, such as Thumpfoot and
Mungo and Shive the Changer and Frax, former Palace night-sentinel who’s been
out of work since the arrival of the Beysibs, and Weasel, and … you know.
Spear-bearers, many of whom don’t even have speaking roles or are only referred
to. Seems to me I haven’t referred to York or Jubal and various other big-ikes
for several stories.)
Oh, here’s an Inside tip for you, Insider: go and look again at the cover of the
original TW. Asprin long ago came up with a caption for it, and you’ll love it.