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| Shades |
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| In
the Shades books, 'Shades' is the name given to teenagers
who have been taken to the Shadow Realm (Tenebra) at the moment
of death, but have now returned to our world. These teenagers
have been changed in ways that are gradually revealed, and
the books explore what happened to them in Tenebra and why. |
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| The
name is a direct reference to several meanings of the word
'shade'. |
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| Basically,
'shade' is defined as 'partial or comparative darkness; absence
of complete illumination' (Oxford English Dictionary), just
as the Shades characters are partial forms of what they once
were. 'Shade' is also the basis of the word 'shadow'. As a
shadow is an image cast by a body that is standing against
the light, so the Shades are like an image of themselves formed
out of Tenebran dark matter and cast back into our world. |
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| The
word 'shade' also has a related meaning that refers to protection
or covering. For example, we place a shade over a verandah
or a lamp to 'shade' us from the glare. I like this meaning
in reference to the Shades, as they have a protective function:
they help to protect ordinary humans from the Shadow creatures.
They stand between humans and Tenebra, in some small way covering
them against the darkness. |
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| 'The
shades' in Roman mythology was a term referring to the darkness
of the nether world, or Hades, the land of the dead. As a
result, the word 'shade' can refer to a ghost, 'the visible
but impalpable form of a dead person, a disembodied spirit'
(OED). This is an important meaning in reference to the Shades. |
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| And
then there's the modern meaning of 'shades', as in 'sunglasses',
which the Shades have to wear all the time because they are
so sensitive to light. |
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| Tenebra |
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| In
the Shades books, Tenebra (which I pronounce "Ten-e [as in
'pet']-bra [as in 'rough']) is the name of the Shadow Realm,
a dark, primeval space composed of solid darkness and filled
with… well, lots of shadowy monstrous things that are gradually
revealed as the books progress. Tenebra exists beyond our
world, yet intersects with it wherever there are shadows. |
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| The
name comes from a Latin word 'tenebrae', meaning 'darkness'.
We have several English words which derive from it, the most
common being 'tenebrous', which means 'full of darkness, dark'
and 'obscure, gloomy' (Oxford English Dictionary). |
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| In
religious terms, 'Tenebrae' refers to an important ceremony
within the Catholic church - the service of Matins and Lauds,
which takes place during the last three days of Holy Week
(Easter). During this time candles throughout the church are
extinguished, leaving the place in darkness. This represents
the darkness which came upon the world when Christ was crucified.
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| Shadows |
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| In
the Shades books, there are two types of shadows. There are
ordinary, everyday shadows, which are cast by an object blocking
the light coming from a lamp or the sun. These shadows (which
are everywhere, of course) represent places where the Shadow
Realm rubs up against our world. These shadows are not harmful,
though the Shades (and other Shadow creatures) can blend into
them and disappear if they want to (see 'The
Shadowedge'). |
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| The
other type of Shadows (usually written with a capital S) are
made up of matter from Tenebra, mixed with the ordinary matter
of our world perhaps, but mostly formed from Tenebran dark
matter (for more information on 'dark matter' see "Book 3:
Ancient Light"). They are dangerous and monstrous, and have
come into our world for their own sinister purposes. |
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| The
Shadowedge |
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| The
Shadowedge is a vast, thin, and perhaps infinite space connecting
all shadows everywhere throughout the world and even the universe.
It is like a thin barrier between our world and Tenebra -
a layer of 'fat' under the skin of the world, separating it
from the Shadow Realm proper. |
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| Entering
into it allows the Shades (and other Shadow creatures) to
move between points very quickly, though it can be dangerous
to use and extreme care must be taken. Technically speaking
a Shade entering into the Shadowedge (through an ordinary
shadow) could re-emerge in any shadow anywhere in the world.
But it takes a lot of energy and a lot of concentration to
go where you want to go. Generally it is safer to have your
destination within sight so that you don't end up zooming
off into an unexpected, and nasty, darkness somewhere you
don't want to go. |
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