Week 4 - Puzzle

[vicki]

Dang, this puzzle is a bear! I have only 11 things circled and keep trying to convince myself that there was a Swelf Thwarkt in one of the books somewhere!

[LaideeMarjorie]

Dang, this puzzle is a bear! I have only 11 things circled and keep trying to convince myself that there was a Swelf Thwarkt in one of the books somewhere!

Vicki,

You are too funny! I do believe that Swelf Thwarks was the Cockney snitch in MREG. No??? Oh well. :rolleyes:

I have started and it's fun but tough. There is only one of Laurie's books that I have been saving to read, "Keeping Watch", so I won't get anyone from that one.

Good work, puzzler who made this puzzle-iscious puzzle.

--Marjorie

[Millie]

My printer's out of ink and there's no way I can complete it from the screen - my retinas would be bleeding! What does it say about me that I can only find the ones going horizontally, left to right???

[Strawberry Curls]

My eyes crossed after about an hour on this conundrum. I can't find the simplest of the titles, the ones with double letters, you would think they would leap out, but oh no. I don't think I will be able to finish this one, my eyes are too strained already. Oh, well there is always something new to try next week. LOL :D

Kudos to you, Sheri, getting that many so quickly. It is quite the accomplishment.

[LaideeMarjorie]

Come up with some ideas, you can help me finish mine.... :)

I need 6 names and 1 book. Getting there.

Wow! And I was happy to be over 20 so far. That is very impressive.

--Marjorie

[Sara McClelland]

AUGH! I need 7 names! This is frustrating- but fun!

[Sara McClelland]

No wait- 5 names now. Found two more! HA!

(Also, is it possible an 'e' got left off a character name? I double-checked the spelling on LRK's site, and there's an 'e' on the end....)

I want to finish so badly- but I really need to sleep in order to function. Who made this puzzle?!? IT'S A DOOZY! Thanks!!

[DBK]

I stayed up way too late working on it, & I haven't produced much real work this morning b/c of it. But it's helping to pass time before God of the Hive comes out. So close!

[jtb1951]

For all of you industrious puzzle-solvers out there, a brief hint before Laurie releases the clues on Thursday: of the 24 character names, one of them is a single word name and the rest are two-word names; happy searching!

The Puzzlemaster.

[Strawberry Curls]

John, you devious man!! Thank you for including what Sheri refers to as an obscure name, that was all to familiar to me. :D

[LaideeMarjorie]

For all of you industrious puzzle-solvers out there, a brief hint before Laurie releases the clues on Thursday: of the 24 character names, one of them is a single word name and the rest are two-word names; happy searching!

The Puzzlemaster.

John,

Congratulations on creating a wonderful puzzle. You are the master, indeed!

--Marjorie (who still can't find at least a dozen of the answers!)

[KarenB]

four more characters . . . only four more characters . . . if I wasn't all foggy brained from coming back from San Francisco yesterday I might have them! You are indeed a devious puzzle-maker, John!

[Elizabeth Cornwall]

Good work John! I took one look at it and I could feel my brain spinning. I don't do well with crosswords with WORDBANKS let alone pulling stuff out of my brain! Well done, but I think I'll save my frustration for a puzzle less likely to make me pull my hair out. :p

[Sara McClelland]

SO frustrated. I haven't read all the books (please don't throw things! I already have shame!) and I feel that I'm paying for it now.

TWO MORE TO GO!

John, well done, sir.

[vicki]

I just feel certain there was a Norse Orrme in the books somewhere. Or maybe a Nonsh Lumrsee? *Whimpers*

[vicki]

Oh, and Hi and Welcome to DBK! You're a heck of a lot closer than I am--John you are one diabolical puzzlemaster!

Does Thol Mesar sound familiar to anyone? (she asked hopefully)

[vicki]

Ha! I found the one-name character. Thank dog! Some degree of sanity has returned.

[jtb1951]

Does Thol Mesar sound familiar to anyone? (she asked hopefully)

For any fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars series, I think Thol Mesar would be a great Martian name:p!

John.

[Sara McClelland]

I am still stuck. This is driving me insane. The 'Manifest Destiny' part of me wants to do it myself without clues....but the part of me in charge of my eyesight might just wait for clues and hope that I can scan and send by the deadline!

:)

[KarenB]

Dangnabbit! I thought I had only 2 more names to go, but the powers that be inform me that I still have three. Grrrrrrr . . .

[Strawberry Curls]

John, I have to say I kicked myself this morning when the puzzle clues were posted. I can't tell you how much time I spent looking for "The Beekeepers Apprentice" I was just sure it was in that puzzle somewhere and I was just too dense to find it. LOL Also, a public thank you for including a very minor character in the puzzle. It tickled me no end to see "her" name. :D

[LaideeMarjorie]

The only one I'm missing is Dian.

I have to admit it... I'm VERY disappointed... I thought you were posting clues, not the answers.... So the point to spending all that time was????

Sheri

But, Sheri, you still get to send in your solution and have a chance to win!

I, for one, am amazed that the "Hard Ankle" isn't the name of some nefarious character in one of the 2 books I haven't read yet because it IS in the grid and I keep looking at it. Surely there must be someone by that name??? ;)

--Marjorie

[2bnallegory]

It seemed to me, as I was staying up late working on the puzzle, that the letters started to arrange themselves into secret messages.

[LaideeMarjorie]

It seemed to me, as I was staying up late working on the puzzle, that the letters started to arrange themselves into secret messages.

John the Puzzle Master,

Is it true? Are you trying to mass hynotize us and send us secret messages?

:D:D:D

--Marjorie

[jtb1951]

John the Puzzle Master,

Is it true? Are you trying to mass hynotize us and send us secret messages?

"You're traveling through another dimension -- a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's a signpost up ahead: your next stop: the Twilight Zone!":)

John.

[Strawberry Curls]

"You're traveling through another dimension -- a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's a signpost up ahead: your next stop: the Twilight Zone!":)

John.Do da do do, do da do do!! Dang!! Now I have that theme in my head.

[Sara McClelland]

AHA! DONE!!!!! WHEW! You have no idea how much this has been weighing on me! I *hate* not being able to finish things- crosswords, projects, I can count on one hand books I absolutely TRIED to finish but couldn't and still have guilt about....

Oh, such relief!

[Meredith47]

John: you are a Fiend in Human Form.

but that was fun.

Sheri/FW2: I'd say in regard to your efforts, the point is that YOU ARE AMAZINGLY good at this. I would have NEVER gotten about 90% of them without the clues. I bashed out my brains for about 2 hours and had gotten maybe seven of them. Of course, I didn't exactly figure out the right characters.

Who the heck is Dian, anyway? In the Kate-world? I know that one but not as well as the Russ or standalone worlds.

best to all//Meredith

p.s. Vicki, I want to meet some of those folks you discovered. And ASC, I figured you might be there, not that I found you pre-clue, though. aha!

[jtb1951]

Who the heck is Dian, anyway?

A main character in Califia's Daughters, Meredith, Laurie's science-fiction novel. It's worth a read, imho!

John.

[tangential1]

A main character in Califia's Daughters, Meredith, Laurie's science-fiction novel. It's worth a read, imho!

John.

Totally agreed!! I think I put it in my top three favorites of Laurie's books.:)

[tangential1]

Does Thol Mesar sound familiar to anyone? (she asked hopefully)

Sounds like you were trying to come up with your own character names, Vicki;)

I was completely hung up by "Jack Raynor" because I couldn't remember who he was, but felt that J-A-C-K couldn't possibly be a completely random grouping of letters.

[Meredith47]

Sheri: good strategy. It's not magic, it's sound thinking! (wouldn't Holmes love it!) I can add one tiddly other thought, though I had NOT thought of getting a source for character names. Brilliant!
Once I had a name from the clues I recalled the old deal that the roughly most common letters in English were ETAOINSHRDLU in order. So if I was hunting a name (such as Dian), I went for D next to A since D isn't all that common.

While folding the blanket at the foot of the bed I went "dang! Dian was in Califia's Daughter." at least the poor old brain replied before you guys. And what dire things now await us!? :D Meredith