Hello! Welcome! For any newcomers to the site, it’s traditional for me to post a spoiler thread for readers to discuss/debate/argue/or ask questions about elements in the novel. From time to time, I might drop by and comment as well. So here’s one for RAMPANT.
Here you go. Comment here to your heart’s content about how weird it was when that Pegasus showed up in chapter 12*, to share your surprise that unicorns were actually an alien life form sent to Earth by the despotic sentient octupi rulers of Alpha Centauri,** or debate over the various merits of killing unicorns with jellybeans or ranch dressing.***
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* Because he thought a book without winged horses was kinda lame.
** And here you thought you were reading fantasy, not sci-fi!
*** It’s snackicide!
August 26th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Well, I was suspecting that you would give us a “Lost Son” moment, and I was pretty certain that Phillipa was going to be the Speedle.
August 26th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
No, no, no. You kill them with jellyBABIES, not jellyBEANS.
August 28th, 2009 at 4:19 am
KILLER PEGASUS!!!
August 28th, 2009 at 11:36 am
PR and ER are amusing as always, if off-topic ditto ditto. Well, perhaps not, since we don’t seem to have a topic yet.
I *lurved* Rampant, and as with the SSG series found myself craving more. Which led me to wondering about the sequel and some of the unresolved issues from Rampant I, e.g.:
1) What of the Remedy? None of the killer unicorns in the final battle scene were regenerating themselves. Had their self-healing abilities been somehow drained off to recreate the Remedy?
2) How many ku’s are still left standing after the last battle? Enough to continue the theme of the Reemrgence in R II?
3) Bucephalus clearly has more of a role to play. Will he and Astrid continue to join forces to combat the renegade ku’s?
I have a gazillion other questions, but wanted to raise the issue of what others, and perhaps Diana herself, think about the future course of the Rampant saga.
August 28th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Okay, my second comment was silly, but I was trying to match Diana’s silliness. (And Tom Baker’s Doctor did once threaten to kill someone with a jellybaby.)
My first comment, though, is on topic. If you understand the references, it does make sense. (I might have been even more vague that I planned; Diana did not get the reference, and I had to explain it to her.)
August 31st, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I absolutely loved the book. Except my one main issue was Astrid’s mother up until the end. No parent should act that way and I’m not sure she should have put up with it, but that’s just me.
In response to Bill Clark’s first question, I thought the unicorns at the end weren’t regenerating due to the fact that the hunters were using the old weapons made from alicorns. I could have misread it though.
August 31st, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Ashley, that’s interesting and a topic that has come up a lot. Certainly no parent should act the way that Astrid’s mother behaves, but then again, I didn’t write her to be a responsible parent. In my head, Lilith is halfway between Mrs. Coulter from the Pullman books and Dina Lohan. Her own interests come before those of her child, and the idea of her child achieving glory is of utmost importance, no matter what the price might be.
I’ve been interested to see the reactions to her, and I actually had a long convo with my own mother about it (who would like me to point out, incidentally,t hat she is nothing like Lilitha nd would I please write a nice mom for a change!)
August 31st, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Bill, there are many different kinds of killer unicorns. The hunters just fought one rogue pack of kirin, specifically, in Rome, specifically, the climax of Rampant.
September 1st, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Unless I’m mistaken, Lilith is the first mother that have had as a major character in one of your books. Amy’s mom shows up only briefly at the end of TAP & GOWN, and maybe makes a couple of cameo appearances on the phone during the other R&G books. It is more often that she is talked about during the series.
September 1st, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Well, I’m not going to say I’m as bad as Disney with the Dead Moms, but I haven’t had a lot of great ones.
Jenny’s Mom: overprotective bitch
Poe’s Mom: Dead
Amy’s Mom: prude
Darren’s Mom: drug addict
Astrid’s Mom: irrsponsible nutjob
Cory’s Mom: Dead
Grace’s Mom: adulterer…
September 1st, 2009 at 3:47 pm
George’s Mom: Still getting it on with her ex.
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:16 am
Just finished last night and I LOVED it. Astrid’s such a great character, I loved her growth through the novel and her relationships with Phil, Cory and of course Giovanni (that scene after Astrid got gored both sweet and hot!). I have to say my reaction to Lilith was the same as Ashley’s. I suppose if I’m generous I can see how after being ridiculed all her life, losing her funding and living over her brother’s garage she may be a bit obsessed with Astrid achieving glory but on an emotional level I just really disliked her.
I can’t wait for the sequel and for some of those unresolved questions to be answered.
I’m expecting Brandt and maybe Seth to turn up in a lab somewhere. I’m assuming B didn’t run away but was kidnapped? Also I think Marten wasn’t the brains behind the operation, that there will be someone else.
Right I’ll shut up now
Congrats Diana it’s a unique and engrossing tale.
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:19 am
ooh no I won’t actually, I completely forgot my darling Bonegrinder - best animal in a book ever! And I liked Bucephalus too
September 4th, 2009 at 4:01 am
Hi! I really enjoyed Rampant. Now that I’ve read your blog and realize that a sequel is in the works, I don’t really have any *real* questions any more. But just for fun, here are the things I wondered about for most of the book that weren’t really answered:
1, Was Brandt kidnapped? Is he still alive?
2, Was Marten really sincere when he said, in the end, that he was trying to “save” Astrid and Pippa by disvirgining them?
3, Is Seth still alive? Or is he a lab rat somewhere?
Then some feedback:
Pippa’s rape - pretty sticky incident. I’m not sure I was comfortable/satisfied with the way it was handled but then again, I’m not sure if there’s anyway that kind of issue can be broached. For one, I thought it was awesome that Astrid had a cousin who was so much more awesome than her, and I couldn’t help feeling that the rape was a very plot convenient way to remove the competition?
Then there was the fact that Pippa was still confused about the rape - whether it was rape or not - that she still thought Seth was a nice guy - even after she realized that he had planned to force her, and again, after realizing that he had been paid to even go out with her.
September 4th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Moonspinner, the word is “deflowering.”
And I really hope that Seth is alive. I would love for one of Philippa’s lines in KU2 to be something along the lines of this:
“Seth, I have someone I would like for you to meet. This is Bonegrinder.”
I wonder how delicious Bonegrinder would think Seth’s calves are . . .
And Diana, I think you have a few good moms in your books. George doesn’t seem to have any problems with his stepmother, outside of health worries over her pregnancy. Philippa seems to have more issues with her dad than her mom, especially after the rape.
And Clarissa’s mom seems to have been pretty outraged over the way her husband treated Clarissa vis a vis Clarissa’s initiation into Rose & Grave. As I recall, the Cuthberts may have already had marital problems, but it was Mr. Cuthbert’s treatment of Clarissa that was the proverbial last straw.
September 4th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Just finished it, though I don’t know if I’ll have time to review it before the weekend (sniffle). AWESOME BOOK!
Can I tell my Lilith theory that didn’t pan out? Early on I thought, “If that woman is so rabid for unicorns, why on earth did she sleep with someone once and lose her virginity just in case they came back?” So my theory was that Lilith had been raped. Nope. Yeah, she’s awful, but I did appreciate how at the end she realized that this wasn’t about glory-seeking, it was sending kids to their deaths.
I love how there’s this huge conspiracy going on. Awesome. Epic.
I think Brandt is a lab rat somewhere, probably Seth too, and Marten’s intentions weren’t sincere.
I wondered about the rape too, but I am glad Diana covered the issue of well, how some women didn’t get to choose what happened to their virginity and made it a plot point. And the mental mindfuck it was on Phil that someone she wouldn’t have thought would do that, did. Something she had to mentally readjust to. And Phil’s still awesome (donna at age 18!), just…in a different way. Anyone think she and Neil might get involved later?
I think Astrid was probably going to end up being “the superior Llewellyn” in the end due to her double heritage, though. Phil just had age as an edge.
September 6th, 2009 at 6:53 am
(Checking in from Dragon*Con)
Hey, Alexa, thanks for reading!
Yeah, Lilith’s pretty despicable, eh? I don’t like her much myself, either. (Actually, I love writing her. It’s always fun to write characters like that. And we’re not done with her yet.)
Right, no spoilers.
Evil!Diana Your speculation is very interesting, though, and I’m glad that you have those questions, going on to book2. As a writer, I’m always thinking to myself “will a reader care/remember about this when they read the next one?”
I love Bonegrinder too. In fact, my friend Scott kept trying to get me to call the BOOK Bonegrinder. LOL
September 6th, 2009 at 7:15 am
Hey, moonspinner!
Thanks for reading! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
You’re right, the topic of rape in a book is a very sticky one, particularly because it can be a bit of a cliche to include rape in a book as a way of “knocking a female character down”. In fact, during development of the story, the suggestion did come up to have Phil not be raped, but to have consensual sex, even if it ended up being a mistake (an immediately realized mistake), as unfortunately, it often is in real life. However, in the end, I felt that wouldn’t be true to her character. I couldn’t see Phil abandoning Astrid, even in the heat of the moment. Also, I’d pretty well established that Phil wasn’t serious about Seth, and she isn’t the type of girl to sleep with someone she’s not serious about.
I also wanted to address the kind of assault Phil experienced. I think often in books, rape is treated as a binary system — there’s an extremely violent, painful assault, often by a stranger/acquaintance. Alternately, something more like what happens to Phil happens, and the characters *don’t* treat it like rape.
SPOILER FOR HOLLY BLACK’S VALIANT
SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER
In Valiant, Val wakes up out of a drugged stupor to find herself having sex with one of the characters. But no one ever talks about there being a rape in that book.
END SPOILER
END SPOILER
END SPOILER
I wanted to talk about the type of rape that I think is much more common and prevalent — one that I am personally more familiar with because I have way too many friends who have experienced it. It’s really confusing and difficult, especially because we have these terms like “date rape” and “acquaintance rape” that don’t really seem to cover — I don’t know what to call it, “boyfriend rape?” — a situation where you really care about someone and things move beyond your control and where you are comfortable.
And I think the confusion you mention on Phil’s part is very much a part of that. In Phil’s case, we’re talking about a confusion that occurred the MORNING after — Phil is understandably upset and confused because it JUST happened and she has had no time to process her experience. However, I know people who had the same experience as Phil and went on to date their rapists. It is something that happens and it’s something I wanted to explore and think about and, hopefully, promote discussion just like this about it as well.
September 6th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Of course, what makes Phil’s rape especially despicable is that Seth is essentially a hitman. He was *hired* to rape her. Well, I’m guessing that seduction was the original intent, but when she refused to budge, things got . . . just a little nasty.
And on a slightly different subject, a girl just walked into the coffeehouse where I’m sitting wearing a T-shirt that says, “I’m a virgin, but this is an old T-sahirt.”
September 7th, 2009 at 8:02 am
Regarding the topic of Phil as “competition,” do you mean her character is so awesome it outshines Astrid’s? Because I don’t think that’s going away. Phil is still Phil, still really gregarious and fun and etc.
I adore Phil. She’s one of my favorite characters I’ve ever written. So I’m biased when it comes to her general awesomeness.
If it’s about her skill as a hunter, is she really very awesome at all? You only see her on that one hunt, and NONE of them are particularly good then. Is Phil Astrid’s competition? Is Astrid even competition herself?
September 7th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Jennifer, that’s LOL about Lilith. I never thought about that. Partially, I think the issue is that Lilith didn’t even know about the unicorn stuff until she was in graduate school. I don’t think she just had sex once in her life.
I think she had a perfectly normal love life until her growing aura of crazy probably drove most eligible men away.
In fact, that’s the life for all the unicorn hunting families. Take Sybil Bartoli. She knew about her family’s heritage, but she didn’t have the obsession, and she lived a perfectly normal life — or as normal as a disgustingly wealthy single mom also raising her younger brother can live. We never hear about Sybil’s boyfriends, but I’m reasonably sure she had them. Most of the other hunters come from completely normal nuclear families.
If there aren’t any unicorns, there’s no need for them to adjust their lifestyles for unicorn hunting. There’s no need to keep around old documents that explain how unicorn hunting works. It’s all just a lost art and a lost culture at the start of the books.
September 8th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Wow, great book. I loved the honest discussion of a lot of issues oftentimes ignored or skimmed over. What great topics to bring into question, virginity and rape. Was Phil raped? Yes. Was she violated in the manor that we associate with rape, by physical, painful force? No. I think as women we discredit ourselves by saying that a ‘Phil situation’ is ok, or is a gray area. It isn’t. If there is not a yes on both sides, it is rape. And what’s up with Seth not being considered wrong by some people until they found out he was paid? He was in the wrong on every level.
Also, I loved the open, honest discussion of virginity. When is the right time? Who is the right person? I love that Astrid herself goes through varying opinions on this topic. At first she considers Brandt as an option so she won’t lose him to an easier girl. Then in an attempt to remove her unicorn hunting powers, tries to have sex with Giovanni. At the end she decides to wait in order to fulfill her unicorn hunter obligations. So interesting and real.
And I can see why you love Phil so much. She was my favorite character by far (even more so than Astrid! I know!). Thanks for writing such strong, intrigueing, real women. And thanks for writing the weak and crazy ones as well! Lilith gave me a new appreciation for my own crazy mom!
September 10th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
I am completely fascinated by your choices of character names in this novel. Can you talk a little about how you made some of those choices?
September 10th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Thanks, Lisa!
I’m glad those things worked for you, including Lilith. Lilith is a very challenging character to write because she is so inconsistent. I’m not always sure I succeeded with what I’m trying to do with her. I see some reviews that say “I had a problem with the mother.” Yeah, well, you’re supposed to. I say she’s crazy on page one, but it turns out that her belief in unicorns is not what makes her so. Some people are just poisonous. Some people (true cowards) are full of bravado until they realize what they are facing. And that’s her.
September 10th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Sure, Darby! Talking about character names is one of my very favorite past-times.
Luckily, when I was plotting out this novel, I worked for a large, multi-national organization, where I constantly came across names from all over the world. Whenever I ran by one I thought would be perfect for the book, I jotted it down.
One of the guidelines I went by was that many of the characters, coming as they did from unicorn hunting families, would have names that reflected their heritage. Others would have names that reflected royalty. Maybe they are family names, or whatever.
So Philippa = “horse lover” and Cornelia/Cornelius = “horn.” Dorcas = “deer” and Rosamunde, contrary to what you might think, means “horse protector.”
The problem with a lot of “horse” names is that they tend to sound the same, so some of the other girls got more vague “strength” names, like Ursula and Melissende.
A lot of the unicorn hunting family names specifically mean lion, since the reason it’s called the Order of the Lioness is because Lions were the only animal who could traditionally vanquish a unicorn. Llewelyn, Leandrus, etc. There are problems with using too many “lion” names as well, so some people got names like Jaeger (”king”) (”Marten” of course, is derived from Mars, the god of war) and Vasilunas, which probably means something else entirely but on the page, to me, it looks like it has roots for both “vaciliate” and “luna” so I thought “changing moon” was very appropriate to Valerija’s character. (Valerija slso means “strong”.)
Astrid, as is mentioned in the text, is a name of a Valkyrie, a female warrior. Additionally, I was quite inspired by the interactions between Michelle Pfeiffer and Alison Lohman in the film WHITE OLEANDER, and Alison Lohman’s character is named Astrid in that film. (And yes, in the book, too, which I haven’t read on purpose). I had a still from that movie up over my desk for a long time while conceiving of the story, and I’m pretty sure the reason I landed on Astrid in my head is because I picture Alison Lohman from that film whenever I picture my Astrid.
Zelda is derived from another Valkyrie name, Griselda. I also think it sounds very elegant. Grace, is self-explanatory, and Ilesha… no particular reason. Just thought it fit and I didn’t have another name like that.
Seth means darkness.
Giovanni was not his original name. He wasn’t the name I sold the book as, nor was he the name I tried afterwards. I change his name and his character three times before I thought he was right for what I wanted to do with him, I think it’s a pretty sexy name. I like how it sounds very exotic and Italian, but means “John.” I think that’s Giovanni to a T, and also really resonates in the book itself (or would to some people). And I’m not going to say anything more about his name.
September 10th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Oh, and Brandt was not the name I sold him as either (Grant), but when we changed Giovanni’s name, I thought it was weird for Astrid to have two G-name boyfriends in a row, so I changed his name. I was so glad to have landed on it because it “sounds” the same AND it’s much more meaningful in the text (containing, as it does, the root of “Brand” since he’s the first person branded in the book with an alicorn mark).
September 10th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Aw Diana not just even one tiny spoiler?
Bonegrinder should so get his own spin off series. Or at least a secret story
Lisa - I liked the virginity discussion too especially as it was between the girls. A few books I’ve read lately have taken the “get it over with” approach so it was interesting to see something different.
To me Phil’s reaction was completely understandable because it wasn’t how the media presents rape and how most of us think of it. I can see how she’d be confused and even want to believe it wasn’t rape, who wants to remember that as their first time. But I’m really glad we got Astrid’s commentary of hell yes it was rape.
September 11th, 2009 at 1:14 am
Wow just finished Rampant a few minutes ago. LOVED it.
I’m a bit confused though (sorry my brain isn’t working well and I’m kind of sick) I still don’t know HOW Astrid is related to Alexander the Great. Why is she Daughter of Alexander? I might have missed it because I was reading very fast to get to the ending.
BIG SPOILER AHEAD
How did Clothilde get away with faking her death? So does it mean she went home and died in her bed? But it said she got married and had kids. I’m kind of confused sorry.
Just wanted to say that I loved Rampant! It was very addicting.
September 11th, 2009 at 1:44 am
Ohhh I suddenly remember something about Diana sacrificing her virgin nuns for Alexander. *trying to piece everything together*
September 11th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Two thoughts on Astrid’s father:
First, when are we going to see him? That interesting little b it of information about him made him the equivalent of Chekhov’s gun. When will it be fired?
Second, does Astrid have any half-siblings that she hasn’t met yet?
September 11th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Alexa: I think Bonegrinder should get her own Saturday morning cartoon series. But that’s just me. Can’t you see it? “Bonegrinder the Killer Unicorn, and her Carnivorous Monster Pals!”
Kate at Read This Book: They are all related to Alexander. Every hunter has to have Alexander somewhere back there in their family tree. So Astrid would be Alexander the Great’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter (or thereabouts). Some people have asked me how that can be b/c general knowledge maintains hat Alexander had no heirs. But having no heirs is different than having no *children*. There are several stories of Alexander having sired children.
As for Clothilde, it’s never explained exactly how she faked her own death. All the modern hunters know is that hunter lore says she died killing Bucephalus and Bucephalus is not only, well, not dead, but also claims that Clothilde never died either.
Lilith believes this as well, and also believes that Astrid’s father is descended from Clothilde.
To quote CS Lewis, if I ever hear this story and it’s at all interesting, I’ll put it in a later book.
September 11th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
I see! Thanks for the explanation Diana. My review will be up soon. =D
September 16th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Coming really late to the party. Sorry about that — I just bought the book this weekend. So I agree with everybody else about Bonegrinder, but the thing that struck me about her was that she reminds me of my parents’ new puppy. Especially since my left ear still hurts from when she decided to *play* yesterday.
But the playfulness, the absolute adoration, the love of outsiders’ body-parts like calves (or in Nikki’s case, my ears)…it all rang a bell.
In fact, I think your next project would be to befriend somebody who designs flash games, and add “What Will Bonegrinder Eat?” to your website. I could happily lose a few hours of editing time every day trying to convince Bonegrinder to eat asparagus and Turkish Delight (just to Narnia it up a little).
I did love the book, and the questions it raised about sex/rape, all of that. The names were brilliant, but I think my favorite name was Marten’s. Not for his first name, but his last name — Jaeger, which is German for “Hunter.” I wonder if the German names for the unicorn hunter would be Jaegerin or Kriegerin (Krieger meaning warrior, not hunter). I mean, since you do have einhorn and all.
By the way, can I just rave about how awesome Cory and Phil are? I mean, Phil, it goes without saying. She had me at “Asteroid.” But Cory–now there’s some character development. She really came into her own by the end. I love it when a serious, intense character can see the humor in themselves.
Anyway, I will stop gushing now. Thank for another awesome book and another great couple to ship. Whee, they’re better than Buffy and Angel! (And added benefit — he isn’t dead!)
October 26th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
First of all…amazing book! Amazing. Love love love it.
I agree with a lot of what has been said so far (esp the stuff about Phil’s rape and liking the way it was handled due to it being unusual in fiction, but sadly all too common in real life). I know a girl who was raped and lost her virginity because of it, something that for religious reasons she was saving for marriage before being gang raped. She is married now, but prior it was very hard for her to learn to trust men again…so I did like the way that it had an effect on Phil (the loss of her hunterness for lack of a better word) that would cause her to never really return to the way she was prior. She will survive it, and still have a place among the hunters, but she won’t be the *same* as she was before.
Another thing that sticks with me is the historical hunters. While I know they were not allowed to go and get married, have kids, etc, that kind of strikes me as surprising. After all, being a hunter is bloodline based. One would think that it would be acceptable for some ladies to leave after a while (yet with some time left on their biological clocks) in order to continue the bloodline. Rather like, for lack of a better example, racehorses who are retired to stud. Why was it a capital offense to do something that is needed for the survival of the bloodline? Why not instead have something rather like what the girls attempted to work out? Something where they could hunt for a time, and then, at the agreed upon time, marry and produce more hunters?
October 31st, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Just finished the book and was once again blown away by your prose. Really an aweasome and intense read from start to finish, and I can’t wait for more.
I was really appalled by Lillith and her “donna” role. I think she was she channeling Michael Corleone.
I like Astrid and it was difficult to remember that she is only 16. In the cloister she is so grown up but then she calls home to mom. Both signs of a burgeoning adult.
As for the pharmaceutical company I kept thinking about that evil company from Fringe.
Having finally read the book, I think the cover change was prefect and really fit the tone of the book so it was a good change.
November 1st, 2009 at 11:18 am
I am a mom who is ’slightly’ older than Lilith. I have just finished your book, loved it and recommended it right away to my teenage daughter who is devouring the book and ignoring all her homework and other important things to do.
I loved your main character Astrid of course, but I also loved how you gave complexity to all your characters including those who might be deemed as “unlikable” such Lilith or Grace.
As a parent, I sort of understood where Lillith was coming from although I did not agree with some of her choices she had made. As a reader with Asian background ( I am a first generation Korean American), I found Grace and her family very intriguing and so I was a little bit disappointed that there was not anything more substantial about them in this book. Maybe you will give us a Grace’s book in upcoming Rampant series?
Thank you for your wonderful book. I and my daughter will be impatiently waiting for your next book.
November 1st, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I, too, am a mom who just finished reading this book. My teenaged daughter read the book and accidentally left it in the car. A few days ago, while I was bored and waiting for my son to finish soccer practice, I decided to read a bit of the book just to pass time. The first chapter got me totally hooked! I could barely put it down. My daughter couldn’t believe I was actually reading one of her books. (I’m not as avid a novel reader as she is.) However, I finished it in just a few days and loved every minute of it. Great read! I love the combination of history and fiction, real-life locales and fictitious places. Glad to have a book that I can discuss with my daughter.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Thanks, Lell! I agree with you, that flash game would be AWESOME! I should figure out how to make it happen!
I’m glad you liked the names. I admit, you’re already farther than me on the German. My editor, however, is excellent at it, so she fixes all my wonky German.
I swear, next book, they all speak English.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:24 pm
OH, Rosie, that’s such a sad story. I hope the girl in question has been able to move past it.
Regarding the issue of hunter bloodlines, they always had the males in the family to carry on the bloodlines. Because you also have to take into account that for many upper class cultures in Europe, daughters were a DRAIN on the family resources, good only for being sold into marriage. Nunneries were a relatively cheap way to “dispose” of them and they weren’t ALLOWED to get married and have kids, hunter bloodlines or not.
It’s an interesting conundrum, and one that I think speaks to the horrible system that women were once subjected to, whereby they were properties of their family and never allowed to make choices for themselves.
Actually, I’m writing s short story set in the killer unicorn world, in Renaissance Italy, that’s about exactly this subject. It’ll be out in an anthology next year called FIRST KISS, LAST RITES.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Thank you so much, Heather! I’m glad you like the new cover, too. I think it’s my favorite cover to date.
You know, I really need to watch Fringe. Just get past my “pacey” thing and go for it.
I admit that Astrid is in some ways mature for her age, but there’s a downside to being as jaded as she is, too. She never expects the good things to happen to her and can be kind of fatalistic. On the other hand, in many ways she’s really naive and sheltered. She doesn’t see a way out of her situation. I’ve seen a lot of criticism about this, but I don’t know many 16 year old girls who would be like “I don’t want this life, I’m going to run away” to their moms. Astrid’s rebellion is trying to stay in school and be scientific, not take to the streets. She doesn’t see that as a way to achieve her goals.
Valerija on the other hand — well, we don’t see much of her backstory yet, but that was how she escaped HER life.
I digress. So yeah, Astrid’s brainy, but I’m not sure how far that’s gonna get her.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:50 pm
dear amy,
Thanks so much for reading! I’m glad it’s a book you and your daughter can share (though I apologize about the homework).
I am glad you like Grace! I really enjoyed writing her and am sorry that you don’t get to see more of her in the book. Though all the planned books are told from Astrid’s perspective, Grace remains a character in the story and will play an interesting role in future books.
I’m actually doing two anthologies next year with short stories about other hunters. But neither of them are Grace, I’m sorry to say.
It’s tough because all the hunters have these great stories, but there are only so many tangents I can take from the main storyline of Astrid. If I don’t get to write their “origin stories” in anthologies, I’ll do something here on the website, the way I did with the “secret stories” on my other series.
But don’t worry. I think Grace is awesome and can’t wait to show it!
November 19th, 2009 at 3:20 am
Diana-
Thanks for the reply. I hadn’t thought of the idea of males passing the gene down. For some reason, in my head, it had to be “tail female.”
November 24th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
[...] to use her superpowers. The sequel is about how superpowers don’t necessarily save the day. All those questions about what happens after the end of Rampant are kind of the point. If they weren’t there, [...]
November 26th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Diana,
Loved the book! Killer Unicorns will forever be my little insde joke!
Had lots of questions though…
1. I presumed that Zelda has Dark skin, but in the book I was very confused because it said “the most gorgeous skin I’ve ever seen, smooth and so black it was almost blue..” Was this part a typo, because I’ve never seen people with almost blue skin? Or was it talking about her hair. Zelda is one of my favorite characters thats why I was wondering.
2. How old are Cory and Valerija? Everone elses ages are mentioned. You say Cory is slightly older than Astrid, by how much? 6 Months? 1 Year? Is Val older than Phil, or older Than Zelda and Rosamund, or younger than all three?
The reason I ask these questions, is because I am pretty absorbed right now in drawing Rampant Fan Art, mostly concerning the Order of the Lioness girls, and some Unicorns. It helps to know things like Age, Ethnicity and Hair color when doing thus. You can check the first four out on my website.
Your so AWESOME!! Wish I could get my hands on some SSG books. Can’t WAIT till NEXT fall, and for Zombies vs. Unicorns to come out. What’s with the Zombies? I just got done with Pride and Predjudice and Zombies, and writing a short story about a Zombie Slayer…What is so awesome about things that wander aimlessly eating Brains? Unicorns goring people to death is much more interesting. Could this have something to do with Michael Jackson?
November 27th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Hey, Emilja,
Wow, thanks so much for reading and doing those drawings! They are awesome. I especially love the one with Phil — looks just like I picture her. I also love the Astrid one with the re’em, her skirt and her knife are so perfect!.
Yes, Zelda is black, and she has very very dark black skin, the kind that has blue, rather than yellow, undertones. Think Ataui Deng. Zelda is very tall and beautiful — she was a model before she came to the Cloisters. Her hair is short and natural.
Rosamund has red hair. Cory is actually YOUNGER than Astrid. She’s 15 at the story’s start. Val’s age is indeterminate on purpose. She’s younger than she looks, and she’s been through more than the other girls in the Cloisters. She looks older than Astrid, younger than Phil.
My friend Carrie Ryan has a lot to say on why zombies are as popular as they are. They’re such a great metaphor for death and all.
Thanks for hte drawings! Keep up the good work and let me know if I can put them on my website!
December 12th, 2009 at 5:55 am
Wow! I’ve got a lot to say concerning these books.
First off, excellent. Just like Tamora Pierce, I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Everything was so fast paced, and I liked the change in which the girls aren’t petty, trivial high schoolers with nothing but boys and fashion in their heads, but strong, independent, and fierce huntresses. I love the very concept of the virgin hunters, the neat tie with Alexander, Clothilde and Diana.
The story is fast paced, a very sensible mixture of romance, unicorns- what an excellent change from the fluffy little pink unicorns! - fighting, hunting…
I loved the concept brought up by Lino; are they actual huntresses, or fighters? Assassins?
Giovanni was, really, cute. As hot and sexy as you can get through books. And it’s a change to see that he actually wants her, instead of her begging at his feet, like in most romance books these days
However there were slight loopholes here and there. What about the Remedy? Could we know more about the different kinds of unicorn? I love the way you made it even more ‘real’ by backing it with actual facts. I’m sure that there are some kinds of remains that describe different kinds of unicorn?
Why don’t the kirin heal in the last battle?
Phil and the rape scene gave a nice sort of twist to the story, but I wish she could have stayed a bit longer.
I’m still slightly confused about the deal between Bucephalus x Clothilde x Kirin.
I don’t understand the bit where our young Astrid discovers that her father was from the Llewelyn line. ??
I love the last name, by the way. How do you pronounce it? Ye-weh-lyn? Fle-weh-lin?
I’m highly annoyed at Lilith, which is what makes her such an awesome character. She’s insane! Sort of annoyed at Astrid for forgiving her so fast. =P I like the subtle name thing. Lilith = vampire. xD
But would any parents actually act like Lilith? Would any of the other girl’s parents allow their daughters to go to a place far away and be put in life or death situations every day?
Hmm… oh, yes. What do males see when looking at unicorns? Why can’t they fight them? Same for all the other virgin girls that aren’t descendants from Alex.
On the whole you wrote an excellent book. Is all. There are no words better than marvelous to describe Rampant.
With love (and overflowing admiration!),
• F a l l e n
December 12th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Oh my effing God! I absolutely adored this book. I had a hard time getting it, since I am from Brazil and I had to import, the book got stuck at the customs and it took me almost eight weeks to receive it after I bought.
But I’m not gonna complaint about bureaucracy right now. I wanna say how much I loved the book! I really, really loved. i almost worship it. (just kidding, I’m no lunatic.)
All I have to say is: Diana, I think you are, by far, one of the best new novelists of our time. Your books are so much fun and thrill! I can’t describe how into I got in the Secret Society series. I read all of them over and over again, and I even lent to many of my friends and to my cousins. The next step is to convince my mom to read it.
But now I have discovered a brand new world in Rampant. The unicorns and the killers… it’s such an amazing plot! I have never thought I would be so crazy about a book with this topic. My family thinks I’m crazy when I wonder around saying “Oh my God, this evil unicorns are the best!”.
Enough of that… Let’s talk about the book. Phillipa is my favorite character. I like Astrid very much too, but I guess I kinda connected with Phil. Because she has my age, and I also played volleyball, and she’s all fun and all play. The way she keeps calling Astrid, like “Asteroid” and “Astroturf”… it’s amazing! I LOL’d all the time! And I really, really think she should (and will be) with Neil.
You see, I have a thing for british and his character is kinda lonely and all full of responsability with Cory. I think she’s a nice girl and all, but sometimes he just can’t handle it, because of his dead sister and everything. So, he’s one of my favorite characters too.
Other character I also loved was Bonegrinder. She’s such a doll and vivacious, even tough she’s a man-eating monster. I don’t care, I would play for our with her if I could. And I would pet it as well.
As for Astrid lovers, I can’t hate more Brandt. He reminds me of someone I know which is exactly the same. Full of himself and mean. I hate him. But Giovanni is a cute guy. He’s understandable and gorgeous. I just can’t make him my favorite male romantic lead because you already got me Poe. However it doesn’t exclude all his features.
Even with all my excitement with this book, I am also going nuts with all the waiting to Ascendant. I want to know more about Bucephalus and the Remedy and the hunters and everything else. I am really looking foward to this sequel and I want to know more and more about the Unicorns’ Universe.
You have certainly got yourself a fan for life, Diana. Thanks for being so creative and imaginative, I owe you one.
January 1st, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Was a great book cant wait for the sequal i started reading the book at 2pm mewyears eve and finished it at 10:20 new years day the most thrilling book ive read in a long time and their were actually some more scenes tilted toward my age group which is better then where they kiss and everyone thinks ewwww thanks for righting a great book thats intresting and has some aspects of teenage <3 phil
January 27th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I loved your book. I was going to ask if there would be a sequel but after reading the first few comments, and a few more after, I have no questions. Thanks for the awesome read. I never knew a book about … unicorns… could be so entertaining! Killer unicorns ftw!!
♥ Leah
March 11th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
I absolutely loved this book. I’ve read tons of books (1000+), and this is by FAR the best. And my last favorite had been my favorite for two years, so… yeah, this book is awesome. In addition to the great word usage, I really enjoyed the historical aspect of it (I am a HUGEEEE history buff), and the names! Astrid Llewelyn is, to me, one of the best names for a character EVER. I love the name Astrid (I first saw it in the White Oleander movie), and Llewelyn puts me in the mind of tall, willowy, blonde elven maidens. I can not wait for the sequel!
I do have some questions:
-How important are the other hunters going to be to the story? I mean, are they going to have as big of a part in the story developement as Astrid?
-Um… yeah, no other questions.
So basically: awesome book, absolutely love it!!!
March 12th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
I love this book. I read it like a month ago and I was hooked. I thought it was really going to be boring until I kept reading. I am doing a project on it right now and I need some help. If anyone, could give me any literary terms for this book besides a simile by commenting or sending this to my email(jaritza2005@yahoo.com) I would really appreciate this help because I only put simile’s but I need 2 other literary terms for this project. I would greatly appreciate this and thanx.