I just finished another Aubrey/Maturin novel (The Nutmeg of Consolation). There are a couple of battle scenes in there that got me thinking about narrative pacing in a battle. First a quick summary of the battles, then a couple of observations.
An early battle takes place between the crew of the ship and a war band of South Seas warriors. The crew is shipwrecked, but they have managed to save some gunpowder, plus they have their swords. The locals have blades plus spears and arrows (I think; not important here). The warriors have taken the beach but the crew is ensconced behind breastworks. But they're also outnumbered. They have one cannon.
The warriors loot supplies down on the beach. After a while and after much shouting and posturing, they launch an attack, which the sailors drive back
The crew has been building a ship to get off the island from the wreckage of their big ship, and the warriors set that on fire. This really forces the issue and there's a second engagement. The warriors are driven off, but their boat is sunk at the last minute by a cannon shot.
The second engagement takes place at sea. The British have acquired a new ship and are in pursuit of a larger French frigate. Aubrey dares to attack the ship while it's in harbor at a remote island. His intent is to draw the ship out, lose it at night among other islands, then attack by surprise at dawn. It requires careful timing.
The details and mechanics of these fights are secondary. What struck me about both is how the stories are told. In the first, our heroes have time to dine before the initial fighting even begins. This happens in a different way in the second. There follows an engagement, then another period in which not much happens in a martial sense.
O'Brian is a master at this. By not making the battle non-stop (think how the movie Master and Commander handles this), we're drawn further into the scene. And of course the author does this because he's done his homework. He knows this is how early 19thc battles were fought and, more particularly, how different kinds of battles unfolded in different situations.
Now consider fantasy battles. They tend to be non-stop. Worse, they tend to proceed as if they were fought by more or less modern armies instead of being fought according to the logic of their times.
Now add in magic. This surely would change the dynamic. So often it unfolds like a kind of heavy artillery, swooping in on command and causing massive damage. Rarely is there room for the well-timed cannon shot, the artful timing of resources, use of deception, the element of chance.
And always I keep in mind the experiences of Prince Andrey and of Pierre at the Battle of Borodino. There the author takes us down into the confusion, into the odd moments of peace in the midst of battle, into courage that sometimes cannot even find an outlet.
We miss so many opportunities when we approach our battles as if they were all tank battles or storming the Normandy beaches or nuking the field (looking at you, dragons). It's all special effects.
I think this post is a kind of missive to myself. If it's of value to others, all the better.
An early battle takes place between the crew of the ship and a war band of South Seas warriors. The crew is shipwrecked, but they have managed to save some gunpowder, plus they have their swords. The locals have blades plus spears and arrows (I think; not important here). The warriors have taken the beach but the crew is ensconced behind breastworks. But they're also outnumbered. They have one cannon.
The warriors loot supplies down on the beach. After a while and after much shouting and posturing, they launch an attack, which the sailors drive back
The crew has been building a ship to get off the island from the wreckage of their big ship, and the warriors set that on fire. This really forces the issue and there's a second engagement. The warriors are driven off, but their boat is sunk at the last minute by a cannon shot.
The second engagement takes place at sea. The British have acquired a new ship and are in pursuit of a larger French frigate. Aubrey dares to attack the ship while it's in harbor at a remote island. His intent is to draw the ship out, lose it at night among other islands, then attack by surprise at dawn. It requires careful timing.
The details and mechanics of these fights are secondary. What struck me about both is how the stories are told. In the first, our heroes have time to dine before the initial fighting even begins. This happens in a different way in the second. There follows an engagement, then another period in which not much happens in a martial sense.
O'Brian is a master at this. By not making the battle non-stop (think how the movie Master and Commander handles this), we're drawn further into the scene. And of course the author does this because he's done his homework. He knows this is how early 19thc battles were fought and, more particularly, how different kinds of battles unfolded in different situations.
Now consider fantasy battles. They tend to be non-stop. Worse, they tend to proceed as if they were fought by more or less modern armies instead of being fought according to the logic of their times.
Now add in magic. This surely would change the dynamic. So often it unfolds like a kind of heavy artillery, swooping in on command and causing massive damage. Rarely is there room for the well-timed cannon shot, the artful timing of resources, use of deception, the element of chance.
And always I keep in mind the experiences of Prince Andrey and of Pierre at the Battle of Borodino. There the author takes us down into the confusion, into the odd moments of peace in the midst of battle, into courage that sometimes cannot even find an outlet.
We miss so many opportunities when we approach our battles as if they were all tank battles or storming the Normandy beaches or nuking the field (looking at you, dragons). It's all special effects.
I think this post is a kind of missive to myself. If it's of value to others, all the better.