Bec is a
young orphan
living in a
small ring fort
in Celtic
Ireland. She is
studying to be a
priestess. She's
not especially
powerful, but
she has an
extraordinary
memory and her
teacher, Banba,
believes she can
one day prove
herself useful
to the clan they
live with. It is
a time of great
change --
Christians have
come to the
country and many
clans have
already
converted to the
new religion.
Bec's clan still
cling to the old
ways, but they
know they cannot
stand against
the tide of
Christianity for
much longer. Bec
is worried --
where will a
priestess of
ancient magic
like her fit
into the new
world? But then
her people are
faced with a far
greater threat
-- demons invade
and take over
much of the
country. Night
becomes a time
of fighting and
bloodshed. The
world seems
poised to fall
to the demon
invaders.
In
the middle of
the nightmarish
war, a strange
boy comes to
Bec's village.
He's a
simple-minded
youth who can
run very fast
but can't even
tell them his
name. As addled
in the head as
he is, he
carries a
message -- his
kinsmen are in
trouble and need
help. The
warriors of
Bec's village
are suspicious
of the boy, but,
for reasons she
doesn't fully
understand, she
persuades them
to help him. A
small band of
warriors are
sent with the
boy, to brave
the
demon-ravaged
lands beyond the
village. It will
be a journey of
great danger,
savage fighting,
stunning
revelations and
lots of
bloodshed.
And
Bec is going
with them.
AUTHOR
NOTES -- PART
ONE -- "THE
BIRTH OF BEC"
"Bec" was
actually the
second
demon-based book
that I wrote, a
couple of years
after I finished
the first draft
of "Lord Loss".
As I've said
elsewhere, "Lord
Loss" was never
intended to be
the start of a
new series -- it
was meant to be
a one-off book,
with no sequels.
But I'd been
thinking about
demons quite a
bit in late 2002
and early 2003.
I was drawing
near to the end
of my work on
"The Saga of
Darren Shan" and
had pretty much
decided I wanted
to follow the
series with
"Lord Loss". I
liked the
character of
Lord Loss and I
wondered if
there was
anything else I
could do with
him, or with
other demons. I
didn't plan to
write a
connected
series, just to
maybe do a few
stand-alone
books about Lord
Loss or demons
in general.
In
February 2002, I
first met Bas,
who would
swiftly become
my girlfriend.
Most of our
early courting
took place in
London, where
she was living.
But as our
relationship
developed, she
began to visit
me in Ireland.
At first we'd
stay close to
home, so she
could get to
know my family
and friends.
But, as she
spent more time
here, we began
to explore the
area around
Limerick. I took
her to places I
hadn't been
since I was a
child, like
Bunratty folk
park, the Cliffs
of Moher,
Killarney and so
on. I liked
showing her the
sights and
places of
interest, and
telling her what
I could recall
about Ireland's
mystical past.
It was also
interesting for
me to revisit
these places as
an adult, to
think about my
Irish history
and what life
was like in the
past, to reflect
on where we'd
come from and
what the country
must have been
like many
centuries ago.
As we travelled
around, I began
to piece the
Irish
countryside
together with
demons. For
instance, the
Cliffs of Moher
are a
spectacular
sight -- you can
crawl to the
edge and look
straight down
onto the
crashing waters
below. A
beautiful,
tourist-friendly
landmark. But
imagine how much
more
breathtaking
they would have
looked if you
lived in an age
when most people
didn't travel
outside the
village where
they were born,
if you'd never
seen the sea
before, and
walked for days
on end, only to
find yourself at
this awesome
place. And
imagine how
terrifying such
a place would be
if demons
attacked and you
had to fight on
the edge of the
cliffs, a deadly
drop at your
back.
I'm not
sure of the
chronology of
the story, of
the order in
which I visited
the various
sights, or how
long exactly it
took for the
plot of "Bec" to
fall into place.
From what I
recall, it came
together
gradually, over
the space of
many months. I
didn't visit
sights to get
ideas -- I'd
simply pick
things up during
the course of
our travels, and
those notions
and story scraps
were gradually
woven together
by the
story-weaver
inside my head
who is the real
creative force
behind
everything I
write!!
(Whenever people
ask me where my
ideas come from,
I never mention
the fact that I
have a
"story-weaver"
inside my head
who works in
ways I can't
fathom -- I
think I'd be
locked up if I
did!!!!!!!)
What I DO
recall perfectly
is the key
visit, the place
which really
kicked the story
into life. Bas
and I were doing
a short tour of
Cork and Kerry.
On one of the
days, we meant
to drive around
the Ring of
Kerry, a famous
tourist route.
But the weather
was awful that
day, rain
lashing down --
we weren't even
able to see mountains
at the sides of
the roads!!! We
decided there
was no point
doing a scenic
drive, so we
started thinking
of other places
we could go. We
both love caves,
and had been to
an intesting
place called
Crag Cave some
months before.
On this day we
were close to
Mitchelstown
Caves, and since
the weather
doesn't matter
underground, we
opted to go
there.
We
adored the Caves
as soon as we
arrived. Unlike
other caves,
there was no
tourist centre
-- the caves are
located in a
field at the
back of a normal
farmer's house,
and you have to
knock on the
door of the
house and buy
your tickets
from the people
who live there!!
It was a wet
day, off-season,
so there weren't
many people with
us, maybe 4 or 6
at most. A very
friendly and
knowledgable
guide took us
down, and the
caves were
AMAZING!!!
They're probably
the best caves
I've yet to see.
They haven't
been
over-developed
... the features
are incredible
... and they
just have a
magical feel. We
came away
buzzing, really
excited and
impressed.
But
I was buzzing a
bit more than
Bas. Because
while I was down
there, I'd had a
thought, a flash
of an action
scene. That's
how a lot of my
stories begin
life -- I think
of a certain
scene, maybe a
fight, or a
conversation,
something
dramatic or
intriguing. It's
like seeing a
clip from a
movie inside my
head. The "movie
clip" I saw on
this day was of
demons breaking
through into the
cave. Imagine
what that would
be like ...
trapped
underground ...
a window open
between our
universe and the
Demonata's ...
having to fight
in this
beautiful but
deadly,
claustrophobic
trap.
The
scene followed
me from the
Caves like a
hound. Over the
coming weeks, it
echoed through
my thoughts,
tormenting me.
It was a scene I
hungered to
write. I could
tell it would
work great on
paper, a small
band of heroes
trapped in a
cave, up against
demonic forces,
maybe the future
of the world at
stake. It would
be like fighting
in a massive
coffin -- if you
died here, it
would serve as
your grave. I
could feel the
tension every
time I played
the scene out in
my thoughts.
The trouble was,
I didn't have a
story to go with
it!!! I
approached the
scene from a
number of
different
angles. I think
initially, I
wasn't going to
link it to Lord
Loss. But then I
began to realise
that I wanted
him there, that
this was the
sort of place
and situation
he'd love and
perfectly suit.
That moved me
forward a bit on
the plot front.
But did I want
to set the story
in the past or
present? My
first idea was
to set it
hundreds of
years ago. I had
a few ideas,
based on other
places I'd
visited in
Ireland, and I
could sense the
cave becoming
the focal point
for those vague
story-lines. But
I also had some
ideas for a more
modern story.
Which to go
with?!?
In the
end I opted to
go with the
story set in the
past. I was
interested in
exploring a new
avenue of
writing (new for
me, at least) --
HISTORICAL
HORROR!!!! I've
always been
interested in
history, but
most historical
stories are
quite dry,
especially for
someone who
loves fantasy
and horror. What
if I could tell
a story that was
like the myths
of ancient
races, that
combined
historical fact
with a strong
dose of
fantastical
adventure?
That's how
people used to
record history
before the
advent of
writing --
they'd make up
tales of gods
and magicians
and witches, and
use them to make
a story
memorable. For
instance, if
they wanted
their children
to learn the
names of
mountains,
they'd invent
stories in which
gods battled on
those mountains.
The kids would
remember the
stories because
of the exciting
fight scenes --
but they'd also
learn the names
at the same
time!! Learning
through
enjoyment --
it's something a
lot of teachers
today seem to
have
forgotten!!!!!!!
Once I'd made
that decision,
"all" that was
left for me was
to put together
a solid
storyline,
figure out a way
to work Lord
Loss into it,
undertake
research to find
out what Celtic
Ireland was
really like,
invent a
realistic excuse
to introduce
demons into that
world, and get
on with the
writing.
Easy!!!!!!!!!
NOTES --
PART TWO -- "THE
RESEARCH"
Apart from
Mitchelstown
Caves, the other
place in Ireland
which played a
key part in the
conception and
writing of "Bec"
was the
Craggaunowen
Project.
This is a Celtic
theme park in
County Clare,
where they have
recreated as
much of ancient
Ireland as they
can. For
instance,
they've built a
wooden ring
fort, which is
similar to the
enclosed
villages where
many of the
people in Celtic
times lived.
There are pits
for cooking food
and an
explanation of
how food was
cooked in the
past. There's a
crannog, which
is a fenced
village built on
an island in the
middle of a
small lake. They
have dolmens --
tombs where the
bodies or ashes
of the dead were
laid to rest. An
old wooden road
which has been
dug up from a
bog, upon which
carts used to
trundle. And
lots, lots more.
Craggaunowen was
exactly what I
needed to
kickstart the
book into life.
From what I
recall, I had
most of the plot
worked out by
the time I
visited -- I
realised I
wanted to set
the story around
the time of
Saint Patrick,
when the country
was converting
from paganism to
Christianity.
That must have
been a time of
upheval and
mixed emotions
-- people were
being asked to
abandon gods and
beliefs that
they'd respected
for countless
generations. A
time of chaos
and change. The
perfect time for
demons.
I got more ideas
from
Craggaunowen,
but also the
confidence to
undertake the
research
necessary for
the book. I'm
not a natural
researcher -- I
prefer to let
stories flow
naturally,
smoothly,
without worrying
too much about
making sure all
the minor
details are
correct. For
instance, in
"Cirque Du
Freak", I
describe Madam
Octa's body
bulging out and
deflating as she
breathes. In
reality,
spiders' bodies
don't act that
way, but it was
a great image,
so what the
hell!!!! But in
this case, I
knew I'd have to
pin the facts
down. I couldn't
just set my
imagination
loose and hope
for the best. I
was going to be
setting the
story in a
specific place,
at a specific
time, and if
people were
going to believe
in the world I
was writing
about, it would
have to be an
accurate
recreation. I'd
be adding demons
to the mix, so
it was obviously
going to be a
work of fantasy,
but apart from
that I wanted it
to be a totally
true depiction
of Celtic
Ireland, so that
even historical
scholars
couldn't find
fault with the
framework.
At Craggaunowen,
I felt for the
first time that
I could really
pull this off.
Walking around
the structures
and monuments, I
began to get a
feel for what
Celtic life was
like, and a
belief that I
could put myself
into that
mindset and
write a story
that was both
true to the time
and place in
which it was
set, but which
would also be
pacy and
involving enough
to excite
modern-day
readers. I went
to Craggaunowen
wondering if I
should make an
attempt to write
"Bec" or if I
should just
forget about it
and dismiss it
as a fanciful
but impractical
idea. I came
away determined
to conclude my
research and
push on with all
guns blazing.
That research
involved a lot
of reading. I
went to
Limerick, bought
several books
about Celtic
Ireland, and
ploughed through
them, one after
another. I
learnt a lot
about the Celts
that I'd never
known before,
how they lived,
their customs,
their beliefs,
their power
structures. They
lived in small
kingdoms known
as tuatha (we'd
call them
counties today).
They arrived in
Ireland about
400BC. Some were
sailors and they
captured and
kept slaves from
Britain and Gaul
(France). Druids
knew about gods,
history, the
measurement of
the Earth and
stars, and were
not subject to
the laws of
normal people.
Divorce was
common, as was
fostering for
children of a
certain age.
Women had legal
rights -- they
held onto
property if they
divorced. Many
warriors fought
naked. There
were four social
classes --
kings, noblemen,
freemen, slaves.
Wedge tombs
(long,
rectangular
burial chambers)
were more common
in the southeast
-- where the
story is set --
than the smaller
dolmens, and
almost all of
the dead were
cremated. (I
made this a part
of the story
when I came to
write it.) Etc.
Etc. Etc.
I knew I
wouldn't use
everything that
I noted -- I
didn't want to
bog readers down
with an overload
of facts. But I
needed to know
as much about
Celtic Ireland
as I could find
out, so that I
could create as
natural an
effect as
possible. In a
weird way, it's
a bit like the
world of "Star
Trek". On the
original show,
they never
explained about
weapons or how
the ship worked
or the history
of space travel
-- the logic
being, the
people who lived
in this place
and time would
have a natural
understanding of
such things, and
so wouldn't talk
about them in
their day to day
lives. But the
people who wrote
the show had a
"show bible",
which listed all
the facts about
the universe in
which the
stories took
place. A lot of
fantasy writers
like to create
similar "bibles"
for their books,
but I usually
prefer not to --
I think it can
be a
distraction, and
a lot of writers
get so involved
in the creation
of their world,
they lose sight
of the power of
the story!! But
in this case I
broke one of my
own rules and
put together a
rough "bible"
that I could
refer to during
the writing of
my book.
As part of my
reasearch, I
needed to find
out what people
were actually
called in Celtic
Ireland. I love
coming up with
weird, unusual
names for the
characters in my
books, but in
this case I'd
need to use real
names -- or at
least modern
equivalents
which readers
would be able to
decipher and
pronounce
easily. I found
a book that
listed loads of
Celtic names,
and went through
it, drawing up a
longlist, which
I then narrowed
down. At that
time, I had no
title for the
book, and no
idea what my
main character
was going to be
called. But as
soon as I came
across the name
Bec --
which is derived
from the word
beag
(pronounced
byug), which
means little
one -- I
knew that was
the name of my
girl. I also
decided to use
it as the title.
I figured I'd
work out a
better title
later -- but,
the more I lived
with the book,
the more I grew
to like the
simplicity of
calling it after
the lead
character -- and
so "Bec"
stood.
NOTES --
PART THREE -- "Making
it fit"
As I said
already, "Bec"
was the second
demon-based book
that I wrote,
after "Lord
Loss". At the
time, I had no
plans to write a
lengthy series
about demons. I
knew I wanted to
include the
character of
Lord Loss in
this book, but I
didn't mean to
link it to the
story of Grubbs
Grady. The first
draft differed
substantially
from the
finished book.
The overall
structure was
the same, but
I've added to it
since then,
tying it in with
the other
stories of the
series.
It wasn't until
some time after
I'd finished
"Bec" that I
realised it was
going to be part
of a series. I
had an idea for
another demon
book, set in
modern times, in
which a cave
like the cave in
"Bec" would
feature. In the
early days,
before the story
had fully come
together, I
thought maybe I
would connect it
to either of my
other demon
books, i.e.
"Lord Loss" or
"Bec", but
instead make it
a stand-alone
book, in which
the demon
master, Lord
Loss, was the
only connecting
link -- I
thought I could
maybe write a
few books which
were linked by
Lord Loss, but
where were
otherwise
unrelated. But
the more I
thought about
it, the more I
knew I wanted to
tie these
various story
strands
together. I
wanted the cave
in "Bec" to be
the same cave in
my new story,
and I wanted
Grubbs Grady to
be the
modern-day boy
who discovered
the cave, and I
wanted to find
some way to make
Grubbs' story
link up with
Bec's.
But how??? Bec
was a girl who
lived sixteen
hundred years in
the past. Grubbs
was a 21st
century boy.
They come from
different times,
and their lives
-- and the
stories I'd told
about them --
were completely
unconnected. It
was impossible
...
... or was it?!?
Thankfully, over
a number of
months, I began
to see ways to
weave together
the stories of
the three books.
I went ahead and
wrote the new
book (which
actually became
2 books -- the
two-part story
of what will be
Books 5 and 6 of
the series),
then went back
and rewrote
"Bec", adding
new layers and
finding ways to
sow seeds which
I could reap
later. "Bec"
might seem, on
first read, to
be only
marginally
linked to the
story of Grubbs
(and Kernel,
whose story came
even later), but
as you read on
through the
series, you'll
see how the
little girl from
Celtic Ireland
has more to do
with Grubbs and
Kernel than
anyone could
possibly
imagine.
The most
enjoyable part
of writing "The
Demonata", for
me, has been
finding ways to
twist structure
and people's
anticipations
around. It's not
a
straightforward
storyline like
"The Saga" was,
and it's only as
you read "Bec"
and the books
which follow
that you'll
start to see
just how twisted
yet
interconnected
all these
stories and
characters are.
A lot of the
mystery will
reveal itself
when you read
book 6, which is
when you'll see
all the knots
which bind these
stories in
place. Until
then, my advice
is to just go
along for the
ride. By all
means look for
clues and
construe some
theories while
reading "Bec",
but don't worry
about it TOO
much. Everything
will be made
crystal clear in
the end ...
NOTES --
PART FOUR --
Celtic terms and
how to say those
awkward Celtic
names
To make "Bec" as
authentic as
possible, I
needed to use
certain terms
and words which
people in Celtic
Ireland would
have used on a
regular basis. I
tried to
minimise the use
of Celticisms,
in order not to
confuse readers
too much, but
incorporated
them wherever I
felt I could
comfortably fit
them in. I also
used Celtic
names (or more
modern-day,
Anglicized
derivations of
them) for all
the characters.
To make life a
bit easier for
readers, I
produced a
glossary of the
Celtic words,
and a guide to
name
pronunciation,
which we have
included at the
back of the
book. (I'm
already
regretting not
putting the
glossary at the
front -- I think
a lot of readers
won't realise
it's there until
they've finished
the book and
it's too late!!!
Oh well, I can't
change that
now!) But for
those who want
to be one step
ahead of the
game, I'm
including the
glossary here
too, for your
enlightenment
and
entertainment
...
CELTIC TERMS
Rath
– Raff — a round
fort, surrounded
by a wooden
fence.
Coirm
– Kworm — an
alcoholic drink.
Fomorii
– Fuh-more-ee —
an ancient
tribe, reputed
to be part
demons.
Souterrain
– soo-tur-ane —
an underground
tunnel, often
used to store
food and drink,
or as an escape
route.
Tuath
– Chew-ah — a
county.
Tuatha
– Chew-ah —
counties.
Sionan’s river
– Sun-un’s river
— river Shannon.
Quern
– Kern — a bowl.
Cathair
– Ka-hair — a
round fort,
surrounded by a
stone wall.
Crannog
– Kran-ogue — a
fort built on an
island in the
middle of a
like.
Dolmens
– Dole-mens —
tombs made of
three upright
stones, set in a
pyramid type
shape, capped by
a flat stone.
Normally one
person would be
buried beneath
them, or their
ashes might be
left in them.
Wedge tombs
— tombs in which
lots of stones
are stacked side
by side, in the
shape of a
wedge, then
topped with
large flat
stones.
Seanachaidh
– Shan-ah-key —
a story-teller
or poet.
Brehons
– Breh-hons —
law-makers, an
early type of
judge.
Ana
– Ay(as in
“play” or
“way”)-nah — the
mother of all
the gods.
Nuada
– Noo-dah — the
goddess of war.
Cashel
– Cash-el — a
stone fort.
Neit
– Net — a god of
war.
Ogham stones
— owe-am stones.
Stones with
lines cut into
them — an early
form of writing.
Curragh
– cur-ah — a
small boat, like
a canoe.
Pict
– Pick-t — an
anicent tribe
from Britain.
Bricriu
– Brick-roo — a
trouble-maker.
Macha
– Mack-ah — a
female goddess
of war.
Tir na n’Og
– teer na nogue
(rhymes with
rogue) — a
mystical land
where people
never got sick
or grew old.
Leprechauns
— the Little
People if Irish
legends.
Banshees
— the souls of
dead women who
wail loudly when
somebody is
about to die.
Morrigan’s milk
— Morrigan
(More-ee-gan)
was a war
goddess.
Hurling
– Her-ling — a
traditional
Irish sport, the
fastest team
game in the
world. It’s
played on a
rugby-sized
pitch, 15
players per
side. Each
player has a
stick which ends
in a curved,
flat head. They
use it to hit a
small, hard
leather ball
about, and score
goals and points
by hitting it
into their
opponent’s goal
or over the bar.
Geis
– Gesh (rhymes
with mesh) — a
curse.
Balor’s eye
— Balor was a
one-eyed giant,
one of the
Fomorii.
NAMES
Banba
— Bon-bah.
Goll
— rhymes with
doll.
Conn
— Kon.
Connla
— Kon-lah.
Bec
— rhymes with
Deck or Heck.
Ninian
— Nin-ee-an.
Amargen
— Am-are-gen.
Lorcan
— Lor-can.
Ronan
— Row-nan.
Fiachna
— Feek(rhyme
with speak)-nah.
Ena
— Ee-nah.
Scota
— Scow(rhymes
with sow or
low)-tah.
Erc
— rhymes with
perk or work.
Nectan
— Neck-tan.
Cera
— Keerah.
MacCadan
— Mac-Cad-an.
Tiernan
— Teer-nan.
Bran
— rhymes with
man or ran.
Orna
— Or-nah.
Padraig
— Paw-drig. This
refers St
Patrick. (The
book is set in
Ireland in the
middle of the 5th
century AD, when
St Patrick was
converting
Ireland to
Christianity.)
Drust
— Jrust (hard D
sound, like in
dread or dry).
MacRoth
— MacRoff.
MacGrigor
— Mac-Grig-or.
Torin
— Tore-in.
Ert
— rhymes with
Hurt.
Fand
— Fond.
Aideen
— Aid-een.
Dara
— Darr-ah.
Aednat
— Aid-nat.
Fintan
— Finn-tan.
Struan
— Strew-an.
Brude
— rhymes with
crude.