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Amara (Stone trilogy)
Encyclopedia
Amara, also known as Stone, is the fictional world
in British fantasy author Graham Edwards
' Stone trilogy. To the series' protagonists Jonah Lightfoot and Annie West, Amara first seems to be a giant, never-ending stone wall, stretching on into the imperceptible distance in all directions. The wall is tilted approximately ten degrees from vertical. It is so large that many civilisations, both alive and dead, are constructed precariously along its surface.
Magic is evident everywhere in Amara. It is in the air, allowing speech, vastly different between races, to be understood by all. It nourishes the inhabitants of Amara, and somehow holds giant oceans in place on its surface.
Jonah, with the help of Gerent, discovers the true nature of Amara early in the second novel of the trilogy, Stone and Sea
. Noticing that the sun
sets behind the vertical horizon, Jonah postulates that Amara is curved, and proves this is true when he and Gerent make simultaneous measurements of shadows at different points on the face of the wall. Considering that the wall is also sloped at a ten degree angle, they realise that the true shape of Amara is conical, and that the inhabitable, horizontal ledges and cave
s run around the face of Amara in a screw
-like thread, spiralling around thousands of times towards the very tip, unimaginable heights above.
s who became mortal in Dragonstorm
after the dragon
Archan stole their immortality
. Amara's purpose is to store the history
and memories of the world; relics (including living beings) from all periods of Earth's past and future are, in a way, catalogued there.
in the year 1980. Immediately Downstone are the ancestors of the human race, then dragons, then a point of decay which marks the ancient Turning Of The World (which occurred in Dragoncharm
). Downstone from here are hundreds of strange civilisations and a massive ocean
.
rods called 'memory rods' are embedded deep inside the stone of Amara, running unbroken like vein
s and sometimes breaking to the surface. They serve as a continuous current along which all the memories travel up around the thread towards the tip of Amara. Jonah is one of the few, along with Archan, who can tap into the memory rods and change the course of history or look into the future. At the very top of Amara, where future history ends, lies a garden. Here, all the rods merge into one thin string that reaches high into the endless sky, signifying hope for all that has come before it. It seems to Jonah that the entirety of Amara, in its infinite self, is hanging from this string.
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
in British fantasy author Graham Edwards
Graham Edwards (writer)
Graham Edwards is an English author of fantasy and crime novels. His most popular books have generally featured dragons as their central characters....
' Stone trilogy. To the series' protagonists Jonah Lightfoot and Annie West, Amara first seems to be a giant, never-ending stone wall, stretching on into the imperceptible distance in all directions. The wall is tilted approximately ten degrees from vertical. It is so large that many civilisations, both alive and dead, are constructed precariously along its surface.
Magic is evident everywhere in Amara. It is in the air, allowing speech, vastly different between races, to be understood by all. It nourishes the inhabitants of Amara, and somehow holds giant oceans in place on its surface.
Directions
Because the landscape of Amara is flipped, there are no compass points. Instead, six directions exist as follows:- Upstone (along the wall to the right, when facing the wall)
- Downstone (along the wall to the left, when facing the wall)
- Up (up the wall)
- Down (down the wall)
- In (towards the wall)
- Out (towards the sky)
True shape of Amara
Stone and Sea
Stone and Sea is a fantasy novel written by Graham Edwards. The novel was first published in 2000 by Voyager Books and HarperPrism . It is the second book in the Stone trilogy, which also includes Stone and Sky and Stone and Sun...
. Noticing that the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
sets behind the vertical horizon, Jonah postulates that Amara is curved, and proves this is true when he and Gerent make simultaneous measurements of shadows at different points on the face of the wall. Considering that the wall is also sloped at a ten degree angle, they realise that the true shape of Amara is conical, and that the inhabitable, horizontal ledges and cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s run around the face of Amara in a screw
Screw
A screw, or bolt, is a type of fastener characterized by a helical ridge, known as an external thread or just thread, wrapped around a cylinder. Some screw threads are designed to mate with a complementary thread, known as an internal thread, often in the form of a nut or an object that has the...
-like thread, spiralling around thousands of times towards the very tip, unimaginable heights above.
Purpose and features of Amara
Amara was built eons ago by the Deathless, the six immortal basiliskBasilisk
In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance...
s who became mortal in Dragonstorm
Dragonstorm
Dragonstorm is a fantasy novel written by Graham Edwards. The novel was first published in 1996 by Voyager Books and HarperPrism . It is the second book in the Ultimate Dragon Saga trilogy...
after the dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
Archan stole their immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
. Amara's purpose is to store the history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and memories of the world; relics (including living beings) from all periods of Earth's past and future are, in a way, catalogued there.
Into the future, into the past
As one moves Upstone along the thread, they move into Earth's future. A small way along the thread from where he first entered, Jonah encounters Tom Coyote, a man from the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the year 1980. Immediately Downstone are the ancestors of the human race, then dragons, then a point of decay which marks the ancient Turning Of The World (which occurred in Dragoncharm
Dragoncharm
Dragoncharm is a fantasy novel written by Graham Edwards. The novel was first published in 1995 by Voyager Books and HarperPrism . It is the first book in the Ultimate Dragon Saga trilogy, and its sequels are Dragonstorm and Dragonflame....
). Downstone from here are hundreds of strange civilisations and a massive ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
.
The memory rods and the tip
Pulsating eboniteEbonite
Ebonite is a brand name for very hard rubber first obtained by Charles Goodyear by vulcanizing rubber for prolonged periods. It is about 30% to 40% sulfur. Its name comes from its intended use as an artificial substitute for ebony wood...
rods called 'memory rods' are embedded deep inside the stone of Amara, running unbroken like vein
Vein
In the circulatory system, veins are blood vessels that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated blood to the heart...
s and sometimes breaking to the surface. They serve as a continuous current along which all the memories travel up around the thread towards the tip of Amara. Jonah is one of the few, along with Archan, who can tap into the memory rods and change the course of history or look into the future. At the very top of Amara, where future history ends, lies a garden. Here, all the rods merge into one thin string that reaches high into the endless sky, signifying hope for all that has come before it. It seems to Jonah that the entirety of Amara, in its infinite self, is hanging from this string.