The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince

[Farseer]

Jussi, as soon as I see your name and know that you have visited us, I smile. Thank you!

@ joost: Thanks for that. Not that I mind either way. I'd much rather pay more money straight up with SP and then know that I'm definitely not going to miss out...especially on this piece of the tale!

I am very much looking forward to hearing more about Princess/Queen-in-Waiting Caution and King Charger. I imagine we will find we sympathise with the latter, and I can't help but wonder if both their names are deliberate antonyms of each other. The mother cautious and the son bold? I get the feeling that it was not so much Sly o' the Wit's stealing her away, as her wishing to go.

I am also looking forward to learning more about Charger's 'powers' being weakest during the noon of the summer solstice. This makes me think on so many things at once, including the Skill, as it is a celestial magic, the Others' and Fool's reputed dislike of the sun and also what Redchild and I were chatting about in the The Skill and The Wit thread, with regard to the clock of Sayntanns and clocks being instruments that measure cosmic intervals .

http://forums.theplenty.net/showthread.php?tid=161

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Is that what a piebald horse would look like?

I'd not have thought so 'thul (this kind of marking makes me think more 'dappled' or even 'motley' than piebald) but, it is, of course, open to interpretation...as is any cover art or any illustration I suppose (Picasso anyone? ).

I may have been incorrectly labelling my horses all of my life (!) but, as far as I am aware, a piebald animal is an animal with black and white markings while a skewbald animal is an animal with any other colour besides black, with white markings. See the Jackie Morris UK cover art for 'The Golden Fool' for a piebald horse.

As an aside, I wonder if maybe it really *is* possible that Jackie Morris is also going to do a cover for this novella (see previous posts regarding this), with lino/block etc print, for the UK version only...which is the version that Amazon UK is possibly advertising and that joost is speaking of?

Or maybe Jackie has been commissioned to do the cover of some other Hobb novella? I doubt it *but* time will tell...

[joost]

As an aside, I wonder if maybe it really *is* possible that Jackie Morris is also going to do a cover for this novella (see previous posts regarding this), with lino/block etc print, for the UK version only...which is the version that Amazon UK is possibly advertising and that joost is speaking of?

Amazon is advertising the Subterranean version.

['thul]

Good. These beings could not get that appearance to compute correctly.

As for willful princess and all that... Its quite likely that it will be a strong-willed character... While not as common as with the Eddingses, RH does quite often have strong female characters, especially for key roles...

[Farseer]

Yes, indeedy, and I think the blurb even mentions that Princess Caution is strong-willed. It will be interesting to see how such a trait marries with her caution.

Amazon is advertising the Subterranean version.

Hmm. The plot thickens then re this novella cover art that Jackie is working on. Thank you!

Just had a look and so is The Book Depository UK.

[finella]

Do you think I could cancle my SP order to save the shipping costs and order at Amazon UK? Oh, forget it ! I think I already payed for it.

[Mervi]

Thanks for posting the cover Jussi!

It looks to me like an overo, although I'm in no way an expert on different pinto markings. Not what I have in my mind when someone says "piebald" (I imagine big, well defined splashes) but technically still within the definition and still very much a possible horse colour I believe. (I mean, not unrealistically "fantastic".)

['thul]

That is pretty much what these beings feel ought to be "piebald" as well. Big splashes of different colors.

[Farseer]

Not sure how many of you are Facebook users but you may like to check out, if you're able, the Jon Foster Studios FB page for a peak at one of the interior illustrations for 'The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince':

http://www.facebook.com/JonFosterArtist

Jon Foster did the illustration and, while I did ask for his permission to share it here, I haven't yet heard back...so am hoping you can acess the FB page as it wasn't added to his actual website gallery the last time I checked.

[Farseer]

I don't think we mentioned this previously but Amazon, Amazon.co.uk and TBD all have the publication date down as Feb 28th, even if SP still only has early 2013, so it would be likely that SP would ship a little earlier?

I have been keeping an eye out for the shipping notification via my SubPress email updates...

[Farseer]

This quote regarding The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince comes from Robin's site from way back in February of 2007:

In my spare time, off to the side of the novel I’m contracted for, I’m working on a piece about the Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince that will shed some light on what really happened there . . . that is, if we can trust the narrators to be be truthful! I’m having a lot of fun with this, but right now, it’s just a side project. No idea when (or if!) I will get it finished or published.

Exactly six years (soon! ) after this comment was posted, it will be in our hands. Just thought that a reminder re "if we can trust the narrators to be truthful" might be timely. She's a shifty one, our Tangle Leader. Truthful, but shifty.