The Wurms of Blearmouth is the fifth published novella in the Bauchelain & Korbal Broach series by Steven Erikson. Chronologically it is set directly after The Lees of Laughter's End.[1]
The novella is also included in The Second Collected Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach.
Publisher's summary[]
Tyranny comes in many guises, and tyrants will thrive in palaces and one room hovels, in back alleys and playgrounds. Tyrants abound on the verges of civilization, where disorder frays the rule of civil conduct, and all propriety surrenders to brutal imposition. Millions are made to kneel and yet more millions die horrible deaths in a welter of suffering and misery.
But we'll leave all that behind as we plunge into escapist fantasy of the most irrelevant kind, and in the ragged wake of the tale told in Lees of Laughter’s End, our most civil adventurers, Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, along with their suitably phlegmatic manservant, Emancipor Reese, make gentle landing upon a peaceful beach, beneath a quaint village above the strand and lying at the foot of a majestic castle, and therein make acquaintance with the soft-hearted and generous folk of Spendrugle, which lies at the mouth of the Blear River and falls under the benign rule of the Lord of Wurms in his lovely keep.
Make welcome, then, to Spendrugle’s memorable residents, including the man who should have stayed dead, the woman whose prayers should never have been answered, the tax collector everyone ignores, the ex-husband town militiaman who never married, the beachcomber who lives in his own beard, and the now singular lizard cat who used to be plural, and the girl who likes to pee in your lap. And of course, hovering over all, the denizen of the castle keep, Lord –
Ah, but there lies this tale, and so endeth this blurb, with one last observation: when tyrants collide, they have dinner.
And a good time is had by all.
Dramatis Personae[]
A
B
- Bauchelain, necromancer and partner of Korbal Broach[3]
- Birds Mottle, sailor and ex-Chanter garrison soldier[4]
- Bisk Flatter, ex-Chanter garrison soldier[5]
- Blecker, owner of Blecker's Livery (Mentioned only)[6]
- Bluegrin the Wifestealer, pirate of Elingarth (Mentioned only)[4]
- Briv the carpenter's helper, sailor and assistant carpenter[7]
- Briv the cook's helper, sailor and assistant cook[7]
- Briv the rope braider, sailor[7]
C
D
- Dead Chanter sailor, undead crewmember of the Unreasoning Vengeance[9]
E
- Emancipor Reese, manservant to Bauchelain and Korbal Broach[3]
F
- Lord Fangatooth Claw, the Render, sorcerer-tyrant of Spendrugle[8]
- Fangatooth's cook, servant at Wurm's Keep (First mentioned)[10] (First appearance)[11]
- Felittle Generous, daughter of Feloovil[12]
- Feloovil Generous, innkeeper and owner of the King's Heel (First mentioned)[12] (First appearance)[2]
- Flea Chanter, Chanter brother[13]
- Fren Chanter, Chanter brother[13]
G
- Gil Chanter, Chanter brother[13]
- Gorebelly, golem peace enforcer (First mentioned)[6] (First appearance)[14]
- Gravedigger, cemetery worker[15]
- Grimled, golem peace enforcer[2]
- Grinbone, golem peace enforcer (First mentioned)[6] (First appearance)[16]
- Gust Hubb, sailor and ex-Chanter garrison soldier[4]
H
- Hallig, pig trencher (Mentioned only)[15]
- Heck Urse, sailor and ex-Chanter garrison soldier[4]
- Hordilo Stinq, ex-pirate and Spendrugle constable[2]
- Hurta Stinq, wife of Hordilo Stinq (Mentioned only)[6]
K
- Kabber the Slaughterer, pirate of Elingarth (Mentioned only)[4]
- Korbal Broach, necromancer and partner of Bauchelain[3]
L
- Lesser Chanter, Chanter brother[13]
M
- Midge Chanter, Chanter brother[13]
P
- Puny Chanter, Chanter brother[13]
R
- Red, Felittle's pet lizard cat[17]
- Relish Chanter, Chanter sister[13]
- Rimlee, prostitute at the King's Heel (Mentioned only)[2]
S
- Captain Sater, captain of the Suncurl (Mentioned only)[5]
- Scant Chanter, Chanter brother[13]
- Slormo the Sly, pirate of Elingarth (Mentioned only)[4]
- Sordid, ex-Chanter garrison soldier[5]
- Spilgit Purrble, Factor and tax collector[12]
- Stint Chanter, Chanter brother[13]
- Subly, wife of Emancipor Reese (Mentioned only)[18]
T
- Tiny Chanter, eldest member of the Chanter family (First mentioned)[9] (First appearance)[13]
- Tortured man, an inhabitant of Fangatooth's dungeon[19]
W
- Warmet Humble, former ruler of Spendrugle (First mentioned)[8] (First appearance)[19]
- Whuffine Gaggs, beachcomber and scavenger[20]
- Witch Hurl, former ruler of Spendrugle (First mentioned)[20] (First appearance)[17]
- Wormlick, ex-Chanter garrison soldier[5]
Plot Summary[]
Trivia[]
- In 2010, Erikson began work on a Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novella called Excesses of Youth.[21] But by 2011, he mentioned that work on the novella "was not grabbing me", and so instead he began writing The Wurms of Blearmouth.[22]
- Erikson says the novella is partly inspired by the film adaptation of The Raven starring Boris Karloff and Vincent Price as two wizards. He "lifted" a scene featuring a sorcerous duel between the two actors for a similar scene with Bauchelain and Fangatooth Claw.[23]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ http://www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.ca/2012/07/wurms-of-blearmouth.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 4
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 11
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 18
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 6
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 39
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 1
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 29
- ↑ The Healthy Dead, Section 20
- ↑ The Healthy Dead, Section 26
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 2
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 13.9 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 30
- ↑ The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 12
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 28
- ↑ The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 40
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 10
- ↑ The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 27
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 7
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 The Wurms of Blearmouth, Section 5
- ↑ New Bauchelain and Korbal Broach Novella on the Way
- ↑ Steven Erikson Answers Your House of Chain Questions
- ↑ Novellas (and more) with Steven Erikson - Smiley's Podcast - See 42:25