The in-depth look at The Medusa Coin continues! SPOILERS AHEAD!
Rise of the Luminaries
The Luminaries was a concept that caught my attention early on in the development process for The Medusa Coin. I knew Soriya needed to lead Loren somewhere for answers. This is Portents we’re talking about so the place had to have some secrecy surrounding it, something hidden beneath the surface to dazzle Loren as Soriya likes to do.
So the library came first.
But who were the Luminaries? This is where things were tricky. In the original draft, the Luminaries were immortals.
An offshoot of humanity that somehow managed to rid themselves of the threat of dying – by natural means, of course. I have a scene tucked away in the recesses of my mind of two factions within the Luminaries meeting at the Treaty of Versailles and discussing the huge mistake it made starting World War I.
That scene actually would have been the prologue to a spin-off novel about the rest of the enigmatic group.
I am so glad I was able to keep the bit about the war in the book but the immortal angle? In a book where the main conceit is a coin that can grant immortality to its user?
Didn’t work. Couldn’t work.
Too many immortal beings out there already. Two personas of Death, Henry Erikson and a whole group of people able to live forever?
Something had to change.
From immortals to a society of secret librarians…
I love Loren’s crack about the super secret librarians. It fits so well with the tone of the scene and sets up the purpose behind the group. Losing the immortal vibe helped keep them grounded. With myths and monsters running rampant in the city there was a need for a more human element and a hint that not everyone is in the dark about what is actually going on in Portents.
Having them be at odds with Mentor came later and that exchange was reworked from every possible angle to give some hints as to what is coming for the series. It is extremely vague and had to be – which I play as Mentor keeping secrets from Soriya when really it’s all about keeping you, dear reader, in the dark for a bit longer…
What I will say is this:
The Luminaries play a big role in the events of Greystone and their story is far from over.
And the potential spin-off?
I want to write it still. I do. Not having the immortal angle makes it a little more difficult in terms of finding the right story but I have an inkling of what I want to do with the group.
Secret hunters just sounds too cool to ignore forever, you know?
Setting the book in the same world as Greystone has its own challenges as well but I think it would be cool to see what happens beyond Portents.
Writing this blog has definitely introduced new ideas of where to go with the concept…
Next time
The face of evil – Henry Erikson!!!
Thanks for reading.
