An error in the FIRST book, that is. Yes, David—the master of logic, aerodynamics, and physics—has found a plot hole in Abandonment Party.

And it has nothing to do with the MASSIVE FLYING OBEJECTS that are present in the final pages. He said all that was fine. So where is the error? It begins in the “Clash of Automatons” chapter. Open your Kindles and join me there, won’t you?

Oh, whoops, don’t do that. I plan on fixing this mistake and if you read this blog entry in the future then the error won’t be there. 😒

These are spoilers, just in case you haven’t read that far. I even have an old spoiler warning graphic:

Okay. In this chapter Parlay’s plan has been set into motion and Vornis confronts Tyle at the base of the Dhaston Building. Vornis wants to know why Tyle is helping Parlay with his plan. Tyle responds:

Tyle laughed. “I’m not explaining anything to a freak like you.”

Responds AND laughs, I mean. The point is, Tyle doesn’t tell Vornis anything. Then Tyle sees on the monitors that Error has been destroyed.

“What?” Tyle rolled forward to read the scrolling captions. “Lord ley and local man delete Error!? Bombing aborted!?” He fumed on his mechanical perch. “No. I can still win this.” His eyes darted between the monitors. “If they see that monster Parlay made, they’ll never trust him. I need that thing’s carcass. I can still tell them it attacked me and I killed it.”

“That would make you a liar,” Vornis said.

Tyle yelped and swiveled to see the great beast squeeze through the hole in the garage door. The plated scales hanging at Vornis’ chest were charred black. One dangled from a tendril and fell to the floor with a clatter. He marched into the room toward Tyle.

“And you don’t seem to have any problems with using our hex door technology. Guess that means you’re a hypocrite too.”

Vornis believes that Tyle is a hypocrite; he wants to demonize magic, but he has no problem using magic for his own ends. The only problem is that Vornis never heard Tyle express his loathing of magic! 😑

TRISK is the one that Tyle explained it to—but that was last chapter. And Trisk is out cold right now, so it’s not like she whispered it to Vornis at any point.

When David was telling me about the mistake, I wanted to use my practiced Brad Smith method to come up with a brilliant excuse. “Oh, but Vornis was listening in to Trisk’s conversation!” I’d say. “His senses are very good; he could hear their words from the nearby rooftop!”

But I never said in the narrative that Vornis could do that, and I don’t want his skills to overlap with Tome’s ‘pattern-reading.’ I want Vornis’ senses to be more animalistic.

So yeah, it’s a mistake. I’ll either take out the ‘hypocrite’ line or have Tyle explain his entire plan AGAIN to Vornis. 😅

AP 2 PROGRESS, CHAPTER 12:

A grand masquerade begins;

Fool, villain, and prisoner are all present;

As one bows out of the dance, another steps up;

A prisoner is freed. A prisoner is created.

Okay, that’s enough for this month. See you next time!