Question about Jimmy the Hand

In article <HBaqj.20137$Ou1.3690@trnddc07>, <Mike.RemoveThis@nowhere.com> wrote:

> Just finished reading Jimmy the Hand. One thing bugged me. Wasn't Locky the
> youngest son of the Baron of Land's End?

Ya. It was something Steve Stirling handed me, and I had to toss in a
quick line at the end that foreshadowed it, but I really didn't do
justice to that question.

In short, the Baron's son didn't inherit, and Locky's family did.
Without reaching too far back into my memory, I think we reasoned the
crown wouldn't give an office that critical to a kid without much of an
education and instead gave it to a first cousin or something along those
lines.

Of all the collaborations, that was the one that has caused me the most
problems, because Steve really likes to work hard against the deadline,
which is OK if you're going solo. Steve's written some of my all time
favorite alternate history style science fantasy, his "Island" series
which I think is bloody brilliant, but when you're working with a
collaborator and you hand off a draft that's nothing much like the
agreed upon outline . . . it's a challenge. <g>

So, I rewrote "on the fly" and some things got overlooked. Originally,
the story was supposed to take place in Sarth, but that got changed, and
it was supposed to be about Jimmy and some local thieves working for the
Keshians as spys, and that went away. I did like the evil magician, and
turned him into our old friend Sidi/Leso, so I could give the readers a
glimpse into what sort of things the lunatic was doing along the way.

Anyway, the official answer is hinted at when Coe and Jimmy are talking
about Brans chances of getting the office and Coe mentions that the King
and the Congress of Lords have to come to some kind of agreement on the
mater.

Best, R.E.F.

--
Never attribute to malice what can
satisfactorily be explained away by stupidity.