So when I heard that Lynn Davis, one of my favorite alternate cartographers, was making a map based on Ian's version, I was excited. As I write this post the map hasn't come out yet, but here is the flag that goes with it:
All things considered, I like the flag. The design is simple, but I do like how stylized the dragon is. More importantly, it keeps me excited for another Lynn Davis map.
What do you think of the flag?
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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger for Amazing Stories, a volunteer interviewer for SFFWorld and a Sidewise Awards for Alternate History judge. When not exploring alternate timelines he enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the day when travel between parallel universes becomes a reality. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.
Ian Montgomerie's response to the Drakaverse is a trip down memory lane. I remember being impressed with it until a few things Ian said turned out to be incorrect - e.g., just off of memory, he pooh-poohed the notion that volcano erupted in the 1780s in Iceland (causing the Ingolfsons and other Icelanders to migrate) when, in fact, there was just such a major volcanic event in 1783 (the Laki eruption) and the subsequent "Mist Hardships". Just goes to show that some criticisms can be criticized themselves. Even after all these years, Stirling's "Drakaverse" is easily remains one of the most (if not *the* most) provocative alt histories out there.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the flag, the iconography of the Domination's Drakon holding the manacle and bush knife remains too central to the narrative to be abandoned in this flag version, though visually it is interesting. I lack enough heraldric knowledge to tell if this drakon comports with strict heraldry.
Yeah, sorry about that. Very new at heraldry and this was a gift. Just tried to make it look as nice as I could. - KingWillhamII
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