The Touch of Death
The death of a minor character named Zervan is conveyed entirely through imagery. Even the culprit remains in the act. “There were no footprints in the snow ahead of him. Somewhat reassured, he rounded the corner at the back of the house. He had time to see what it was…and to know why there were no footsteps in the snow. He had no time to shout or scream or give any kind of warning at all. A long finger reached out. It touched him and he died.” The power of the imagery in this death scene actually likes in the absence of specific detail. Along with the lack of context, the shock also arrives from the juxtaposition of its viciousness and bloodless swiftness. At heart, the imagery presented is a portrait of overconfidence. No footprints in the snow equals the assumption of safety and that misassumption equals being struck down in the cold of night without warning.
Tapestry
A character named Ivor is trying to find positivity in the overwhelming negativity of battle. He finally succeeds. “Old friends, thought Ivor. If there was a single bright thread in the weaving of war it was this: that sometimes paths crossed again, as of warp and weft, that had not done so for years and would not have done, save in darkness.” The reference to “warp and weft” is imagery that applies to the threading of fabric. They are terms for the threads that interlace vertically and horizontally, respectively, within woven fabric. This reference is in keeping with theme of tapestry running throughout the trilogy. The comparison to fog of war being like darkness is imagery that foreshadows the central imagery of the sequel, The Darkest Road.
World-Building with Word-Building
Imagery always comes in handy for describing a place where it seems as if romance almost grows there naturally. “In the young grass he spread his cloak, green as a vellin stone, and she sat down with him upon it, her arms full of sylvain. Her eyes were a soft gold like the setting sun, her hair burnished bronze by its rays.” This use of imagery is a bit of a cheat, however. There are no such things as a “vellin stone” or “aum tree” in our world. Likewise, there is no opportunity to gather up a bouquet of sylvain. This is an example of world-building through the process of word-building as it is constructed of imagery that is heavily dependent upon references to things only existing in the Fionavar.
The Face of Death
The character of Paul is a Christ-like figure who literally spent three days hanging from a tree. That experience brings him briefly face to face with the face of death. “It was a human face, but only just. Skin so white it was almost blue; one sensed it would be freezing to the touch. She had no hair at all and her eyes were the color of moon on ice, glacial ice, and cold enough to bring winter into the heart of those who looked at them.” She whose face is not a face also has a scream that is not a scream. She is the literally the Ice Queen, Fordaetha of Rük. Legend has it that she can reach out and strike a man dead before he even feels her touch. This example is another demonstrating how imagery is often more essential in composing fantasy fiction taking place in imagined worlds than it is for mainstream fiction taking place within family settings.
