Vanished Conjecture

[Sakutian]

Since most of us won't get to read Vanished until august I thought that it might be fun for everyone to make some guesses about what might happen in the new book. Plus it gives me a chance to use the word conjecture. All that we really know so far is it's set in london and Harper is in it so that leaves some room for theory.

I'm excited to see the difference in the grey between Seattle and London, I mean it's going to have to be pretty drastic. London is more than a few centuries older so it's only logical to assume there are going to be a great many more ghosts hanging around. On top of that, and more interesting in my opinion, is the way that these spirits wound up among the deceased.

London has been witness to some really terrible moments in humanity the black plague, the great fire, the blitz, the killing spree of Jack the Ripper, and any number of other rather unpleasant deaths. Poor Harper I have a feeling she's going to be seeing ghosts unlike anything that has ever crossed her path before.

[BlueNinja]

If Harper runs into the replay of Jack the Ripper, I suspect I'll find it almost a little anti-climactic. I will enjoy seeing her take on any of the more famous places in London - Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower - as well as the sites of more recent tragedies, like the subway bombings.

[Thing One]

Good point Sakutian!
There have been settlements of people in the general area of London since pre=history.
Seattle is a really young place.

I think Harper would have gone insane if she had started into the Grey in London.

In the Mean Streets novella, she goes to Mexico and sees a TON of older layers,
but still, London may just send her to a new place. I could feel the age just
standing in the graveyards. What you say about the Plague - and what about WWII bombings? And the Great Fire? If I were Harper, I would totally take old maps with me, or I would expect to get terribly lost.

And more conjecture - wasn't Will last in London? Do you think she is going off to help him with something? What would happen with him back in her life? It wouldn't be safe for Quinton to travel....

And what will happen to Harper when new vampires enter her life? I bet London is chock full of them - bad stuff!

[Sakutian]

I'm holding out some hopes that Will will make an appearance in London, I'd be sad if he was just totally out of the series forever. Plus it might be fun to toss some doubt onto Harper's relationship with Quinton mwahaha!

English vampires would probably have a good deal over there, it seems to always be dark or overcast so they could stay out more.

*Gasp* What about Chaos?! I wonder if Harper will be able to bring her dear little ferret sidekick across the pond with her?

[Harper]

Oh... I'm so staying out of this one....

[Sakutian]

Darn I was hoping for a slip of the tongue.

[Hagelrat]

:jump::
London has masses of mythology from various time speriods and is a really rich setting for a book. I love the City so much I don't even care what happens, I just want to know what Harper thinks of the place.

[Sakutian]

So I peered into British mythology a bit, not really my area of expertise, and have come up with three possible culprits for the role of monster in london. The prime suspects are revenants which according to legend are a visible ghost or an animated corpse that returns fromt eh dead to attack living people. Secondly are the Sceadugenga who are neithe rliving or dead and can shape shift, although they apprently prefer forests. I'm guessing they may have been forced to make do with cities in these modern times, they're like pigeons haha. Lastly Wariths which are supposedly apparitions of living or dead people, sometimes with sharp fingernails, they are seen as omens and spirits of vengeance.

All three sound neat to me, I'm kind of hoping one will find their way into the new book.

[Sakutian]

I just had a thought of something that might come up in the next book, or one in the series anyway. Most other urban fantasy books have some sort of rule that normal people aren't allowed to learn about the fantasy/magical elements except under a very limited list of circumstances. Usually there happens to be a council or governing bodies that enforce this rule. Greywalker doesn't really seem to have one though or at least there hasn't been any mention of them up until now. The only thing that prevents Harper from telling everyone about vampires, ghosts, and magic is that most people would think she is insane or just ignore her.

Now I was thinking since she's going to London that England is a pretty likely spot for some sort of Greywalker/Magic control board to exist if ever there was one. It's a very old city in a a country with an exceedingly lenghty history, that has had dealings with pretty much every other group of people in tehw rold at one point or another. At one point or another Brtian pretty much ruled the regular world so whose to say they wouldn't make a try for the magical as well?

Now if such a thing exists I'd imagine they tightly control who is allowed to have abilities like Harper and what they're allowed to do with them. I don't think they'd like some of what she's chosen to do in the least, and there would probably be a confrontation.

Just a thought though.

[Maryd_2_explosives]

That would make sence, they are more apt to believing in psycics and the paraormal than we are here in the states. Also, I wonder what, if any, pary Ben, will play in this one. This would be a perfect venue for his expertiise.

[Sakutian]

I've been thinkign that after Ben's little accident in Underground Harper's relationship with him and Mara might change. I'd be surprised if Mara is as willing to help Harper as she has been in the past and she might put herself between her and Ben to sort of shield her husband. There's been some pressure building between Harper and Mara for a while now I'm thinking that recent events might have been another serious blow for them.

All that aside he would come in handy for a london trip there's no doubt about that.

Oh I think Ifigured out Quinton's ghost detcting device that is going to appear in Vanished! Basically he asks Harper to sit in a big box with some electircla tape slapped on it and a hole cut out so she can see,. When there's a ghost nearby she says "beep" the more times she says it the closer the ghost is.

[Maryd_2_explosives]

Hahaha. Thats gotta be a pretty kickass machine. I wonder if Quinton sets up on-site or if he just carries it around everywhere? Although, technically, I think he could be considered as carrying a consealed weapon.



I wonder how Quinton would turn on said machine? :love031:
Bow-chicka-wow-wow.

[Sakutian]

I'd imagine he sets it up on site, that isn't the sort of thing you leave laying around for enemies to stumble upon. It probably turns itself on whenever he's within range of it's vision but I'm sure he gives the power source a thorough going over after every use. There's probably even a checklist.

[Thing One]

I think that Harper may have a rude awakening in London.
The First thing that comes to mind (like the comment about a governing board)
is that there are probably REALLY old and REALLY nasty things in London.

Harper is going to be a baby Greywalker in a very old and HUGE pond of Grey.
I think it will take everything out of her just to walk the streets full of layers of the dead and the past.

Add some power mad vamps or anything - hell a Grendel could kick her butt.

So many possibilities YEAH!

[Sakutian]

I wonder if being a Greywalker would make a person live longer? Assuming they aren't killed by vampires, ghosts, or some horrible grey mosnter that is.

[Sakutian]

It'd be interesting if Vanished introduces Greywalker hunters. I mean everything supernatural has a group of people devoted to finding new ways to kill it or blow it up so why not Harper too?

[Mr Orange Monkey]

I'm kind of hoping Harper makes an unscheduled guest appearance on an edition of 'Most Haunted Live', and brings the ghost-botherers into closer contact with the wierd than they really want...

[Harper]

Ahhh... good ol' Most Haunted. Mwahahaha...

[Sakutian]

Most Haunted?

[Hagelrat]

Sakutian, it's a series that started int he Uk about 10 years ago and has since travelled across the pond. A bunch of numpty's hang around in dark, reputedly haunted places and scream like girls everytime something moves. Also, they take mediums with them who sometimes have fits and in one memorable live episode channelled an alien. :laughing:
It's silly but kind of addictive.

[Sakutian]

Sakutian, it's a series that started int he Uk about 10 years ago and has since travelled across the pond. A bunch of numpty's hang around in dark, reputedly haunted places and scream like girls everytime something moves. Also, they take mediums with them who sometimes have fits and in one memorable live episode channelled an alien. :laughing:
It's silly but kind of addictive.


Oh neat, I don't watch much tv these days sorry.

...ghost aliens ahhhhh!

[Harper]

I'm not sure "silly" quite goes far enough... it's downright goofy. But, yes, it's too much fun.

[Sakutian]

So apprently there will be some sort of a clockwork machine in Vanished and I'm thinking it will somehow be tied to the puzzle that WIll gave Harper in Underground. Maybe a power source for it or something like that? I'm sort of wondering how big this thing will be, it'd be too much fun if Harper had to fight a giant clockwork robot but it will probably just be normal person sized.

[Harper]

Umm... no. I'm not saying. But it's not that.

(Yes, I am evil... why do you ask?)

[Mr Orange Monkey]

Okay, I read that as "giant clockwork rabbit".

I like misreading things.

[BlueNinja]

Okay, I read that as "giant clockwork rabbit". Sounds like you've been reading Girl Genius. :)

[Sakutian]

No way that it'll turn out to be a rabbit. It's gotta be a ferret knowing the source it's coming from, giant ferret playing with buildings like cardboard tubes and rubber toys.

[ImzadiDragonfly]

That sound like what Chaos probably dreams about. You know, when she's all snuggled in and a twitchin' those little piddy-paws. She looks all sweet and inocent but the dreams tell another story.

[Sakutian]

All ferrets dream of being bigger I bet then they could get to the good food and toys people put up out of their little ferrety clutches.

[Harper]

If only their big cousins the wolverines were a little less aggressive...

Next time I'll have to have a steampowered bunny I guess... no wait... too Jules Verne-does-Holy Grail.

[AnotherSKip]

re Jack the Ripper, wife is fairly serious serial Killer amature expert. one of her 10th grade papers was a timeline showing how Jack the Ripper could be another famous serial killer in the US after his spree in London including steamer transport times...


If only I could get her to run a Dexter campaign....

[Sakutian]

Next time I'll have to have a steampowered bunny I guess... no wait... too Jules Verne-does-Holy Grail.

...I bet the easter bunny is steam powered that's how it can get around to hide all of those eggs every year. It was probably designed and built by Thomas Eddison or maybe Ben Franklin.

[Sakutian]

I was just thinking since Harper's trip to Mexico in Mean Streets involved a lawyer and estates maybe her London jaunt will take place under similar circumsatnces. Why does any of that matter? Because it means we might get another encounter with Nanette Grover which would be just great in my opinion. She's all manner of fun!

[Sakutian]

Sooooo apprently there's some vampire killing, or info about it, in Vanished. Any bets on who might be getting a Van Helsing delux? Maybe some new vampire makes the scene and Harper is forced to kill him in London? I'm sort of hoping it'll be Edward since you know he's evil.

[Harper]

Mwahahaha...

[ImzadiDragonfly]

Wygan seems a wee bit more evil than Edward. So I'm guessing Wygan will be back in the picture. So I'm betting I'll need to take a few showers during this book and wash the ickyness of Wygan from my mind's eye. *shudder*

Okay, I've tried to stay away from the speculating what's happening next. I figure what will happen will happen. I'll probably be far more pleased with how the book turns out than with anything we come up with here. With that said, I do have some theories about what's going to happen in Vanished and I can't wait to find out if I'm right or even a little close.

[Harper]

My editors (I have one primary editor, but since Vanished takes place largely in London, the UK editor was on board from the beginning) both had a lot of notes on the first draft of Vanished. The original draft felt to them too much like it was just a setup for Book 5, but while it does setup the problems of Book 5, Vanished is it's own story. A lot of Harper's background and explanations about why she is the way she is and so on come out in Vanished.

I've been laying information and hints about the vampires ever since Book 1, which is funny since I never think of the books as " a vampire series"--a point of debate with my agent.

[Sakutian]

Greywalker should never be called a vampire series, it really isn't one at all, that's one of the things I like about it.

[ImzadiDragonfly]

Oh cool. I love background on characters. I don't recall if you ever said if we're going to meet Harper's mother. Are we?

Silly agent, this isn't a vampire series and Trix are for kids.

[Harper]

Oh yeah. Harper's mom shows up in Vanished and has a lot to say.

[ImzadiDragonfly]

Sounds promising.

Wish it was already August 4th.

[Harper]

hrm... something odd: the listing for Vanished has vanished from the Barnes & Noble website. It's still on Amazon of course, but I'm kind of wondering it this means they've decided not to take the book...

[Sakutian]

Their website is really weird, stuff pops on and off of it all the time. It's poorly designed apparently and nobody really keeps on top of it too well so don't worry.

Wow Harper's mom? I always thought she just burst from her dad's head fully clothed and armed like Athena.

[Harper]

It's a little unsettling since I've always been treated very well by B&N, but I know they are cutting back on their hardcover orders for financial reasons. So... when it went away I got a bit of that "WTF?" feeling. I'm sure it's nothing--my agent seems to think I'm being silly--but with economics being kind of screwy right now, having no listing at my favorite online chain is disconcerting. It also makes it hard to point people at the listing....

[Sakutian]

Didn't they have a special cardboard cutout shelving unit on their site for Vanished at some point recently?

[Harper]

They have a "dump bin" for the small format of Greywalker listed. I don't know if they'll get up to anything with the hardcover. They have in the past, but finances may be tight this time around.

[BlueNinja]

Since reading the earlier Anita Blake books, I've always thought that a pyrokinetic would make an excellent vampire hunter.

[Sakutian]

The episode of Angel featuring a Necromancer who could pretty much control Angel totally with ease was pretty good, it'd be fun to see one of those guys as a vampire hunter. A pyrokinetic would be entertainign though there can be no doubt about that.

[Sakutian]

I just thought of something Harper is going to be ing London. You can't go to england and not fight a dragon...unless you happen to be me and I really looked for one too. So maybe she's going to fight a clockwork dragon of some manner.

[Harper]

Clockwork dragon... hmmm....

[Sakutian]

And the seed is planted mwahahahaha!

[Sakutian]

Since Harper encountered individuals with mystical/grey abilities during her trip down to mexico it'd be fair to guess that she may encounter more of those in England. I'm just wondering what sorts of powers these individuals might have and how they will appear to Harper in grey-vision.

[Harper]

Now that would be a spoiler on my part so I leave it to you guys to discuss that.

(sorry I've been absent: deadlines, a convention, taxes, and a cold kind of knocked me out and I cut down on my online reading.)