Remedy was my first complete novel shared with the public (though not the first novel-length thing I had written). I wrote it with the intent of making for myself what I couldn't find on the library shelves: I wanted to see less world-shattering stakes. Less cruelty and grimdark. Less politics. Less assumption that humans are the only species that matters. More good intentions, and questions of identity, and moments of growth and quiet wonder. More of the most delicate sorts of magic a sapient being can experience.
This was an unpopular take in the mainstream publishing atmosphere of 2010. Lots of people told me I "had" to rewrite Remedy into something more like Game of Thrones, or more like Redwall (both series I intensely dislike). I thought that was a narrow-minded attitude to have in a genre that's supposed to be speculative. So I self-published Remedy in February 2011. There were some rough journeys after that decision. But I'm grateful that I've always let this story be its weird, gentle-hearted self.
Blurb/summary:
After a century of mining, Peregrine is tired. He is an aging dragon who can't hear a simple conversation for himself: he relies on the help of keen-eared weasel assistants, whom he raises like his own children. But with his two hundred year lifespan, Peregrine has buried four of his dear companions and he will outlive Tillian as well. Convinced that he is robbing Tillian of her short life, Peregrine resolves to change his profession. He promises himself that he'll set his earferrin free.
The same day Peregrine takes wing for a messenger job, Rose's village faces an epidemic. Dozens of insect-like people are showing symptoms of gripthia -- and without enough healing magic, they will die. Young and recently hurried into her mage position, Rose can't save her village alone. She sends out a plea for other races to lend their hands. And because Tillian wants to help, Peregrine leaves his other half behind sooner than he ever planned. While innocent people grow sicker, Peregrine wonders whether he can live for himself, whether Tillian wants to live without him, and whether Rose and her villagers will live at all.
Remedy is a character-driven drama with scenes of medical crisis. If it had a standardized rating, it'd probably be PG-13.
For more detailed content advisory, click here.
Image ID: Line drawings of the three Aligare peoplekinds. They are nude, neutral figures drawn in a simplified diagram style. Korvi are tall feathered dragons that stand on two feet, with bird-like wings on their backs and lizard-like tails that touch the ground for balance. They have crocodile-like faces and a pair of smooth horns with an S-shaped bend in them. Ferrin are small, weasel-like mammals with large triangular ears. They sit upright like a squirrel, albeit their tails are only bushy at the tip. Aemets are mid-sized, human-like people with some insect attributes: shell plates on their backs, two antennae protruding from their foreheads, and multiple fingernails per finger in a way that resembles spined insect feet.
Go where sixteen winds whistle
The sky is a festival attended by light
Fly until your wings blaze vigorous
Enjoy falling – air or earth will catch you
-Song of the Skywager dance, translated from korvitongue
The story:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
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