Talk:The Death Gate Cycle

Sourcing

I've been slowly working on sourcing comments made by other users and removing those that seemed to be individual speculation. However, I can't (and shouldn't have to) do this alone, so please assist with sourcing where in the novels your information comes from, or what researcher/essayist presented the theory you're referring to, or where Weis/Hickman commented on their intentions, etc. -- Immora 07:44, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Trivia Section

Information in the Trivia section can be integrated into this article or into the separate book articles; for instance, the information about Zifnab's character function could be explored in a characters section on the Elven Star article. Information about the name origins might belong in a Linguistics or other section, and would include the background to names and terms such as mensch, Xar, tytans, and so on. The musical score reference in the "Trivia" section is currently irrelevant.

Please do not delete the information in the Trivia section without allowing editors the opportunity to discuss and better integrate the details there. -- Immora 07:44, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Broken Links?

It seems as though the first two links are broken --previously unsigned comment by 65.189.214.222 13:42, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I presume you refer to the external links. The first link works for me, the second doesn't. It could be a temporary problem. I suggest we wait a week to see if it gets back, if not it can be deleted. --Fogeltje 14:05, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

The second link is broken, I removed it. - JNighthawk 03:51, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

DGCO has been down for several months, unfortunately. I'll re-add them if they return. If the link to my site (The Gate Will Open) ever doesn't work, it's because I'm having server troubles. No intentions to close the site. - User:Immora 01:34, 15 November 2006 (UTC)

Appendices

there needs to be a refrence to the use of appendices in the books and the allusions of rune magic and quantum mechanics and the uncertinty princliples. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.208.69.68 (talk) 03:12, 15 December 2006 (UTC).

In the Future

Many years ago, the powerful Sartan ended a war by sundering the world into four elemental worlds

Didn't this turn out to have happened in our future after a nuclear war that gave the Sartan and Patryns their power and mutated humans into dwarves and elves? --previously unsigned comment by 142.35.144.2 00:48, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

As far as I recall you are corrected as far as the Sartan and Patryn go. I can't remember exactly how dwarves and elves came to be. The article itself states now that elves and dwarves went into hiding during our Renaissance, but I can't recall if this is correct. I assume it is, it has been a long time since I read the books. The books indeed happens in our future. But the text 'Many years ago' refers to the book's current time, which is many years after the sundering and thus further in our future. But from the books' POV, the sundering is in their history. --Fogeltje 15:04, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Fire Sea revealed that the elves and dwarves went into hiding during our Renaissance. Time references in the article are from the standpoint of the books, rather than our present (which is in their distant past) --User:Immora 01:36, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

The assumption that the pre-sundering war between the Patryns and Sartan was nuclear oversteps what it stated in the books. Johnrpack (talk) 17:09, 22 June 2023 (UTC)

Before the Books

It's my understanding the Lord Xar was the first Patryn to set foot in the Nexus.. not the first person... I believe it is eluded that Zifnab is the first person, and it is he who wrote the tomes of books that Xar studied.... am I wrong in this? and if I'm right, I can't figure the best way to reword the paragraph containing the error... --Graatz 12:51, 17 October 2005 (UTC)

If I remember correctly, weren't all non-Sartans and non-Patryns considered mensch? --Yodaj007 04:12, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

The mensch are what the Sartan and Patryn regard as the lesser races: humans, elves and dwarves. --Fogeltje 15:04, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

The Books - Article too long?

When I was editting today, I got a notice that the article is over 62 kb. That's not a problem for me, but I read through the descriptions of why this can be an issue for some browsers and slower modems. Should we keep the article as large as it is? Or should the book sections be turned into their own separate articles for each individual book? It's definitely gotten lengthy with this book-based versus character/world-based overhaul! -- Immora 19:54, 24 October 2005 (UTC)

I was thinking the same when I found the page today.. not sure what the best way of doing it would be. It might also make the content a little more accessible; perhaps ten screens of unbroken text (on my monitor) can be daunting! -- Mithent 01:12, 1 November 2005 (UTC)

Sounds like it's probably an issue if someone else is noticing it. I haven't had time to do my edits of "The Seventh Gate" yet since I got busier with school, but I should be able to think more on this once those are done (unless someone has a good idea before then!) That's quite a lot of text for you to deal with! What resolution are you running? -- Immora 03:49, 2 November 2005 (UTC)

I noticed the same thing. I should have some time later this week (if I'm ambitious) and I'll see if I can either pare the article down, or create new pages for each of the books. Beatdown 20:11, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Vague

The article doens't explain very much about how this fantasy world works. For example it says: "Haplo is sent to this world and discovers, much to his alarm, that Alfred has somehow infiltrated the Nexus and stowed away on his ship. Before he can do anything, however, the vessel passes through Death's Gate, and their consciousnesses switch" why? What happens when someone goes through the gate? And why does it have such an omnious name ("DEATH's Gate")? --previously unsigned comment by 82.76.30.78 19:02, 7 November 2005 (UTC)

The Tytans?

I have started the 3rd book, Fire Sea (I'm at when Haplo, Alfred, the Duke and the Duchess, and Pons have arrived at Necropolisa), and there issomething that still bothers me - Who are the Tytans? What significance do they have in the story? Why are they so bent on finding the Citadel? Why did the Sartan give them B-Grade rune magic? Why did they get really angry when Haplo mentioned "Sartan"? and so on, and so forth.

Perhaps it is because I didn't read carfully and missed some crucial info. (If that is the case, please enlighten me). If not, and more is to be revealed in the later books, please say so, so I know I just have to be patient and keep reading.

Thank You --presiously unsigned comment by 66.146.150.239 22:08, 9 July 2006 (UTC)

As far as I recall, the Tytans were created by the Sartan to operate the Citadel to provide power for the other world. They were giving rune magic for protection and to operate since they have no eyes if I'm correctly. It has been a while since I last read the books, so I might be mistaken. --Fogeltje 15:04, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Keep reading, the answer will come - but not in book 3. It may shock and surprise you! Sartan 07:05, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

Actually Book 2 explains alot of the Tytans. *Spolier warning*. Sartans created them to operate the Citadels, and gave them Rune magic to help with just that, Btw they are blind due to the massive amount of Light/Engery in the heart of the citadel. The Humans, Elves and Dwarwes started bickering. Sartans comissioned the Tytans to police them. Tytans was jelous of the Humans, Elves and Dwarwes cause they had eyes, or something similar. They ran away. Everything went bad, and the Humans, Elves and Dwarwes got sent out. 62.220.161.10 13:20, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

Ohh, and they (the Tytans) got lost and is now killing anyone that doesn't know where the Citadels are. 62.220.161.10 13:22, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

Existence of God

I'm currently rereading this series and I feel that one of the most important themes spanning the series is the existence of a higher power; a single diety described as "the One who guides the Wave". In fact, the discovery of "God" by the Sartans on earth divides the previously one-minded Sartans and is a major cause leading to the sundering of the world, in an attempt to restore order, while centuries later the (re)discovery in the Chamber of the Doomed on Abarrach leads to rise to power of the Kleitus dynasty.

This seems to contradict the article which states that "the existence of a god or gods in The Death Gate Cycle is unknown; a universal balance is the closest thing to divinity".

Note that this theme isn't introduced until the third book (Fire Sea) and is expanded upon in the fourth (Serpent Mage). Incidently this is where I currently am, so I'll probably come back here after I finished the series. It may be that the theme is abandoned in the later books (I honestly don't recall) but if it's not (and maybe even if it is) the article should be corrected to incorporate this important motive.

External links

I checked some of the external links at the bottom of the wiki, and one of them not even worth looking at, example "Book-A-Minute" link. Broken link would be the "Through the Gate" link, maybe the site was taken down, need confirmation for that —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.239.207.59 (talk) 15:50, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

I agree that the "Book-A-Minute" link is not useful; it's entertainment, but not useful for encyclopedic purposes. "Through the Gate" was the DGC fanlisting and I've confirmed that all of its owner's fanlistings were closed, so I'm sure it won't be returning. See this Archive.org link for confirmation. I think it's safe to remove both of those links. -- Immora 17:21, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:DeathGateCycle.gif

Image:DeathGateCycle.gif is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot 02:56, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

Spoiler metropolis

Guys, I am sure this intro can be written as NPOV without containing massive spoilers for plot elements not revealed until the sixth book of a seven book cycle. It's like someone wrote a precis of The Old Man And The Sea which starts "The story of a great meal had by sharks at the expense of an unlucky Cuban fisherman".

User:Conflatuman 218.186.12.201 (talk) 11:47, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

In my eyes, the introduction is fine, it does not give massive spoilers actually. It gives a short description of the series without giving away things like the ending.--Fogeltje (talk) 14:31, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

Ok, to spell it out -- The main conflict is between two powerful races, the Sartan and the Patryns (spoiler - 2nd or 3rd book), which branched off from humans following a nuclear holocaust (spoiler - 7th book). Centuries prior to the events of the series, the Sartan attempted to end the conflict by sundering the earth into four elemental realms, and imprisoning the Patryn in a fifth prison world, the Labyrinth (2nd or 3rd). The Sartan took up stewardship of the elemental realms, but soon mysteriously lost contact with each other and disappeared. Centuries later, a Patryn known as Xar escaped the Labyrinth, and started returning to the Labyrinth to rescue others (5th or 6th). He learned how to access the other worlds and dreamed of freeing all his people from the Labyrinth and conquering the other worlds. The books follow the fiercely independent Haplo, a Patryn agent (not revealed until 3rd or 4th) sent to scout the elemental worlds and throw them into chaos in preparation for his Lord's conquest of them ... Conflatuman (talk) 14:56, 16 March 2009 (UTC)

Corhen

I knoticed that there was no reference of Alfreds True name in this article, that is, "Corhen"... He reveals it shortly before the assult of the Town at the center of the labyrnth.... as i use the name Corhen as my online handle, i have intrest in that blank spot being filled out Corhen (talk) 07:08, 18 May 2009 (UTC)

Actually his name is "Coren", which supposedly means chosen or chooser in the Sartan language. I don't see it's relevance in an encyclopedia entry however. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Donkyhotay (talk • contribs) 19:55, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

Patryn Society

I think this segment would benefit from an expansion showing the two branches of Patryn society: "Runners" who traverse the Labyrinth alone and the villagers who ban together to form cohesive societal units while still moving through the Labyrinth, albeit at a slower pace. I can't remember the name given to the villagers though I want to say squatters. I believe it's covered in the first book. Miconis (talk) 20:46, 9 August 2011 (UTC) Miconis