by J. M. Lee
Sifan Coast: A long series of rocky shorelines along the north and western sides of the Claw Mountains. Inhabited by the Sifa clan.
Silver Sea: The frosty, fog-enshrouded sea north of the Skarith Land.
Skarith Basin: The land that lies between the Claw Mountains to the west and the Grottan Mountains to the east. The region within includes the Crystal Sea, the Dark Wood, and the Spriton Plains.
Smerth-Staba, Great Smerth the Glenfoot Tree: An ancient tree growing in the heart of the Swamp of Sog.
Spriton Plains: A vast series of rolling plains and meadows south of the Dark Wood. Home to the Spriton clan.
Stone-in-the-Wood: Home of the Stonewood Gelfling, this village nestled deep in the Dark Wood is large and fortified with stones and rocks. Some say it was the first Gelfling village.
Swamp of Sog: A lush, dense jungle in the southernmost part of the Skarith Basin.
Tomb of Relics: A cloistered hall in the Grottan Mountains where ancient artifacts are kept safe by the Grottan Gelfling.
Vliste-Staba, the Sanctuary Tree: A pink-petaled tree growing on the mountains near the Grottan Sanctuary. Its roots are made of glittering stone and penetrate deep into the mountains.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I remember exactly what I was doing five years ago, to the day. I was sitting in an empty room with my laptop balanced precariously on an old bench I’d found in the garage. We’d just closed on a house and I wanted to take advantage of the unfurnished place to focus on writing. It was just me, my laptop, and Trevor Jones playing in my earbuds.
I was working on cleaning up my revised entry to the Dark Crystal Author Quest. I had learned I was a finalist (one of five) in February 2014, and had until May to submit my updated manuscript. I had no idea what my chances were. The only thing I could do was write the best story I could. And now, five years and four novels later, I’m writing different words—these ones of gratitude:
Thank you to Rob and Francesco, and everyone at PRH, for believing in me and my work, for helping me become a better writer, and for making me feel so welcome in publishing. Thank you, Erzsi—for all you do, but especially for always being there to listen to me freak out on the phone (about both amazing and not amazing things). Thank you to Cory for bringing the text to life in ways more lovely than I pictured in my own imagination.
Thank you to all of the Dark Crystal fans. You’re the ones whose songs have kept Thra alive. Thank you to my friends and family who have supported me.
Thank you to Jeff, Will, Javi, Viv, and the rest of the AOR writers' room for being such kind and magnificent song tellers—to Louis, Halle, Blanca, Rita, and everyone else in the Jim Henson Company/Age of Resistance family for welcoming me so warmly and genuinely.
Thank you to Claire—obviously for being the best partner that ever was, but in this context specifically for willingly learning everything there is to know about the Dark Crystal over the past five years without complaining or calling me a nerd (except that one time).
Thank you to Brian and Wendy for showing me where the magic comes from. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Lisa and Cheryl for trusting me with this magical, important world. You have made me feel as though I belong here.
And finally, my deepest gratitude to Jim Henson. For without him this would not be, and surely, I would not be who I am today.
Until next time.
Joe
April 11, 2019
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
J. M. (Joseph) Lee is a staff writer and creative consultant on The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a 10-episode Netflix prequel series scheduled for 2019. He is a novelist, writing mentor, illustrator, and graphic designer with a background in linguistics and film. As a writer, he finds the most rewarding stories in fusion genre, from nostalgic historical fantasies to gritty sci-fi westerns. On the side, he enjoys dabbling in experimental short fiction and drinking a lot of coffee.
Cory Godbey creates fanciful illustrations for picture books, covers, comics, editorial, advertising, animated shorts, and films.
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