Amphylon is a minor character in the first two chapters of The Eternal Front. In an earlier version of the book, the first chapter was all about Amphy, his two friends, and the last day he spent on the eternal front. This chapter sadly hit the cutting room floor during edits… but now Amphy gets a chance to speak from the fire.
I look at this early version and I still like it. It sets a mood and frames the battlescape where much of the book takes place. Milieu details like the trench war and artillery barrages are floated into view. Recurring themes like madness, superstition, and service waft through the explosions. It rolls out the Pollution and shows it in action.
I regret to report that there are even earlier versions of this chapter. It’s chapter-ones all the way down. Seriously, the collected drafts of the first chapter, by itself, is an 8-inch stack of printed paper, each version obsessively tracked and catalogued. If I ever run out of topics for the website, or if I want to punish someone, I’ll post even more alternate versions of the first chapter.
