For Dad.

A Note to Readers

Think of The Curious Tale as a work translated into English from the original languages of Relance. This brings a few inconveniences with it, such as new metaphors and units of measurement, that can only be assimilated with exposure, repetition, and the unimpeachable patience of an explorer.

In particular, the Relancii year is 72 percent as long as the Terran one, and years in the story are given from a Relancii perspective. For example, Galavar is sixty-nine years old by the Relancii year but only fifty by the Terran one, and Silence is forty-four by Relancii years but only thirty-two years old by ours. It’s especially an issue for younger characters; those “eighteen-year-olds” whom Diva commends to battle are actually thirteen-year-olds by our standards—hence her disgust.

As a rule of thumb, whenever you see a character’s age in the story, you can knock off one-quarter of it to get a rough sense of how old they “actually” are.

* * *

“The strength of a nation, therefore, depends upon its material wealth, supported by the character and abilities of the people who compose it—their intelligence, sense of justice and responsibility, physical fitness, and moral stamina. When the people possess these qualities in high degree, they will make the nation, which they compose, a strong one.”

Studies in Citizenship for the Recruit,
US Army Training Manual No. 1
1922

* * *

“The trouble is that once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And once you’ve seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There’s no innocence. Either way, you’re accountable.”

Arundhati Roy
2001

  Enter Relance