[Dragaera] Dragaeran Publication Date of _Five Hundred Years After_

[Davdi Silverrock]

On 10/25/06, Scott Schultz wrote:

> _The Phoenix Guards_ is published sometime during the reign of Zerika. _The
> Viscount of Adrilankha_ is published at or shortly after the ascenscion of
> Norathar.
>
> Do we know when _Five Hundred Years After_ was published?

I believe you've become confused.  As the excellent Dragaeran timeline
shows, it was FHYA that was published shortly after Norathar's
ascension.  Viscount was published about ~150 years (very roughly)
after that.

[begin cite]

Norathar II assumes the Orb (FH 9, 315-316). [This obviously happens
sometime after 309 PI, but we've had no clear indication yet how much
after, hence the designation "NR" for "Norathar's Reign", which I will
happily excise as soon as Brust establishes the data. Incidentally,
Vlad would be 88 years old in 309 PI, so he (and Cawti) might not have
lived to see Norathar's coronation. Of course, with sorcery, who
knows?]

11 NR

Five Hundred Years After submitted to the Imperial Library (FH 9).
[The long date given leaves out Cycle, Reign, Phase, and Turn.]

46 NR

Preface to Five Hundred Years After written "2:1/2:1/2/12" (FH 17).
[The first four digits parse as "Great Cycle of the Dragon, Cycle of
the Phoenix, Reign of the Dragon, Phase of the Phoenix". The last two
would logically be "Turn of the Lyorn, Year of the Chreotha", but that
places this preface as being written 35 years after the book was
published! But perhaps "submitted to the Imperial Library" is
something distinct from (and prior to) actual publication. Some
alternative explanations (though I think them less likely): The 2/12
may indicate Month and Day. It might have been intended to be 11 NR,
but there were two typos in the date (which should have read
"2:1/2:1/0/11").]

~169 NR

The Paths of the Dead first due to be published (PD 18). Lawsuits are
threatened (PD 20).

179 NR

The Viscount of Adrilankha submitted to the Imperial Library on the
third day of the month of Athyra (PD 11).

181 NR

Preface of The Viscount of Adrilankha written "2/2/10/11 (Norath. II:
181)" (PD 24). [This date (like so many) is problematic. If it's the
least signifigant digits (as the introduction date to The Phoenix
Guards was), then it must represent either 19 NR or 308 NR, neither of
which seem reasonable. If it is the most signifigant digits, then it's
in the Cycle of the Dragon, which is even less reasonable. But! If we
look at the curious form of the Preface to Five Hundred Years After
("2:1/2:1/2/12"), there is some support for the theory that the
numbers after the colons (Cycle and Phase) might be left out. If so,
then this date parses to "Great Cycle of the Dragon, (Cycle of the
Phoenix), Reign of the Dragon, (Phase of the Phoenix,) Turn of the
Iorich, Year of the Iorich". This yields the correct date of 181. Note
that this is another instance of a Preface being written after the
book is submitted to the Imperial Library, lending credence to the
notes on Five Hundred Years After, above.]

[end cite]

Something to add to your bookmarks/favorites:

   http://www.panix.com/~alexx/dragtime.html


> The talk about
> Paarfi has got me wondering whether he might actually have interviewed
> Aliera (post-rebirth) and been misled by her deliberately on several counts.
>

Hm.  Certainly a possibility.  Althought I suspect that would not
mitigate Aliera's anger at her portrayal in FHYA.