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rhodrymavelyne(Warning, these contains spoilers for Tanith Lee’s Night’s Master. I’m no longer sure if it’s in print. I found my copy at Logo’s used bookstore back in 1990.)
Often, I’ve gotten upset at the way a favorite book of mine has been altered in a movie or a TV show.
At the same time, I’ve had some crazy ideas for alterations myself.
Night’s Master by Tanith Lee is one of my favorite books. I absolutely love it. It’s one of the many works of fantasy which inspired me in my own retelling of fairy tales and legends.
I’ve been getting the what ifs with regards to that story. What if Sivesh had lived? What if Azhrarn had stalked and pursued his former beloved across the Flat Earth?
What if Sivesh fought back with all the wonderful powers at his disposal?
What if Azhrarn and Sivesh never truly stopped loving each other, in spite of their estrangement?
These questions gave me an idea for a truly bizarre alternate universe with these characters.
Sivesh is going to a high school or university with Kazir and Ferazhin, two other characters from Night’s Master. In fact, he’s formed a menage a trois with them.
A number of magical mishaps occur at the school, instigated by Azhrarn and his agents. Azhrarn wants Sivesh back. For Sivesh, as in the canon, was raised in the underworld as Azhrarn’s brother, son, beloved.
Sivesh still has all of the gifts and trainining he received from Azhrarn. All of this would come into play as he protect Ferazhin and Kazir from Azhrarn.
He understands Azhrarn better than anyone, the way his wickedness unfolds.
He also still loves him. This would allow him to fall into Azhrarn’s hands more than once, who’s quite the masterful seducer of unparalleled beauty he is in the canon. Sivesh wouldn’t be able to keep from yielding to the temptation of these seduction. There would be hot m/m demon/human encounters whenever this happened.
Often the seduction would contain a trap, a snare, a way to bend Sivesh to his Azharn’s will. To lure Sivesh back to Azhrarn’s world.
Sivesh finds it impossible to ignore the call of the sun, or the warmth of new friends’s love. He can’t ignore Azhrarn either.
One change would be in Azhrarn. He’d still be capable of great wickedness, but Sivesh has softened him a little. This softness makes him reluctant to destroy his boy…yet.
For Sivesh is his boy. It causes Azhrarn a certain measure of pride when his boy is able to outwit him, or foil one of his schemes.
The boy is too interesting to destroy. Not only is their pride, but there’s interest generated by Sivesh’s willingness to yield to him, mingled with his unwillingness. This maddens, frustrates, and intrigues Azhrarn. He’s not willing to give up on Sivesh, not as long as his boy amuses him. Or so he tells himself.
Azhrarn wouldn’t be so solicitous towards Sivesh’s companions.
Yes, Ferazhin is Azhrarn’s creation, like in the canon. He created her for Sivesh. She chose to leave the underworld and go to school with him. She’s now learning all sorts of tricks to fight his minions.
Azhrarn would happily crush her, replacing her with a more compliant flower.
Ferazhin is no longer so easy to crush. She’s discovering that she has powers at the school. A mysterious mentor is coaxing them forward, teaching her how to use them.
She’s getting strong enough to fight at Sivesh’s side. Plus, she encourages Sivesh at every instant to appreciate the sunlit world.
Yes, Azhrarn would happily crush her. She’s not the one Night’s Master truly hates, though.
That honor is reserved for Kazir.
Much as he was in the canon, Kazir has been blind from birth, yet sings like an angel. Yes, he was drawn to the underworld by Ferazhin’s tears.
Only she cried because Sivesh was reluctant to leave the underworld, even though he yearned for the sun. She wept for its light.
Kazir found the cursed necklace made of her tears as in the canon. He also saw a vision of Sivesh as well as Ferazhin.
In this version, he comes to the underworld for both of them. He sings his song to Azhrarn, which reminds the demon prince of his need for mortality. He lures both Ferazhin and Sivesh to follow him up into the light.
Azhrarn never forgave him for this. Nor for singing that song.
He plots his revenge against Kazir, Ferazhin, and the school, while Sivesh does his best to protect them from his former lover’s wrath.
Other denizens from Tales of the Flat Earth might show up at the school. I’ve often wondered if Chuz didn’t run it. Scions of the gods might be there, who take more of an interest in things than the actual gods themselves.
The school might be an experiment these scions are running.
I’ve also played with the idea that Sivesh’s father might have been a Prince of Amber. Yes, a cross over with Roger Zelazny’s Amber books. It particularly works with the Amber roleplaying game. The idea playing Sivesh or a character very like him is very attractive. Perhaps the world I described would be Sivesh’s Shadow which he lives in.
A happy ending for this alternate universe would be if Sivesh chose a Persephone type of solution. He spends half of the year in the underworld with Azhrarn and the other half with Ferazhin and Kazir.
This would quell much of Azhrarn’s malice at the school.
It’s a story which has never made its way into a fan fiction, but plays around in my head, popping up when I least expect it.
How about you, dear reader? Got any fanfic ideas which haven’t made it into story form, but continue to haunt you?
Often, I’ve gotten upset at the way a favorite book of mine has been altered in a movie or a TV show.
At the same time, I’ve had some crazy ideas for alterations myself.
Night’s Master by Tanith Lee is one of my favorite books. I absolutely love it. It’s one of the many works of fantasy which inspired me in my own retelling of fairy tales and legends.
I’ve been getting the what ifs with regards to that story. What if Sivesh had lived? What if Azhrarn had stalked and pursued his former beloved across the Flat Earth?
What if Sivesh fought back with all the wonderful powers at his disposal?
What if Azhrarn and Sivesh never truly stopped loving each other, in spite of their estrangement?
These questions gave me an idea for a truly bizarre alternate universe with these characters.
Sivesh is going to a high school or university with Kazir and Ferazhin, two other characters from Night’s Master. In fact, he’s formed a menage a trois with them.
A number of magical mishaps occur at the school, instigated by Azhrarn and his agents. Azhrarn wants Sivesh back. For Sivesh, as in the canon, was raised in the underworld as Azhrarn’s brother, son, beloved.
Sivesh still has all of the gifts and trainining he received from Azhrarn. All of this would come into play as he protect Ferazhin and Kazir from Azhrarn.
He understands Azhrarn better than anyone, the way his wickedness unfolds.
He also still loves him. This would allow him to fall into Azhrarn’s hands more than once, who’s quite the masterful seducer of unparalleled beauty he is in the canon. Sivesh wouldn’t be able to keep from yielding to the temptation of these seduction. There would be hot m/m demon/human encounters whenever this happened.
Often the seduction would contain a trap, a snare, a way to bend Sivesh to his Azharn’s will. To lure Sivesh back to Azhrarn’s world.
Sivesh finds it impossible to ignore the call of the sun, or the warmth of new friends’s love. He can’t ignore Azhrarn either.
One change would be in Azhrarn. He’d still be capable of great wickedness, but Sivesh has softened him a little. This softness makes him reluctant to destroy his boy…yet.
For Sivesh is his boy. It causes Azhrarn a certain measure of pride when his boy is able to outwit him, or foil one of his schemes.
The boy is too interesting to destroy. Not only is their pride, but there’s interest generated by Sivesh’s willingness to yield to him, mingled with his unwillingness. This maddens, frustrates, and intrigues Azhrarn. He’s not willing to give up on Sivesh, not as long as his boy amuses him. Or so he tells himself.
Azhrarn wouldn’t be so solicitous towards Sivesh’s companions.
Yes, Ferazhin is Azhrarn’s creation, like in the canon. He created her for Sivesh. She chose to leave the underworld and go to school with him. She’s now learning all sorts of tricks to fight his minions.
Azhrarn would happily crush her, replacing her with a more compliant flower.
Ferazhin is no longer so easy to crush. She’s discovering that she has powers at the school. A mysterious mentor is coaxing them forward, teaching her how to use them.
She’s getting strong enough to fight at Sivesh’s side. Plus, she encourages Sivesh at every instant to appreciate the sunlit world.
Yes, Azhrarn would happily crush her. She’s not the one Night’s Master truly hates, though.
That honor is reserved for Kazir.
Much as he was in the canon, Kazir has been blind from birth, yet sings like an angel. Yes, he was drawn to the underworld by Ferazhin’s tears.
Only she cried because Sivesh was reluctant to leave the underworld, even though he yearned for the sun. She wept for its light.
Kazir found the cursed necklace made of her tears as in the canon. He also saw a vision of Sivesh as well as Ferazhin.
In this version, he comes to the underworld for both of them. He sings his song to Azhrarn, which reminds the demon prince of his need for mortality. He lures both Ferazhin and Sivesh to follow him up into the light.
Azhrarn never forgave him for this. Nor for singing that song.
He plots his revenge against Kazir, Ferazhin, and the school, while Sivesh does his best to protect them from his former lover’s wrath.
Other denizens from Tales of the Flat Earth might show up at the school. I’ve often wondered if Chuz didn’t run it. Scions of the gods might be there, who take more of an interest in things than the actual gods themselves.
The school might be an experiment these scions are running.
I’ve also played with the idea that Sivesh’s father might have been a Prince of Amber. Yes, a cross over with Roger Zelazny’s Amber books. It particularly works with the Amber roleplaying game. The idea playing Sivesh or a character very like him is very attractive. Perhaps the world I described would be Sivesh’s Shadow which he lives in.
A happy ending for this alternate universe would be if Sivesh chose a Persephone type of solution. He spends half of the year in the underworld with Azhrarn and the other half with Ferazhin and Kazir.
This would quell much of Azhrarn’s malice at the school.
It’s a story which has never made its way into a fan fiction, but plays around in my head, popping up when I least expect it.
How about you, dear reader? Got any fanfic ideas which haven’t made it into story form, but continue to haunt you?
