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Well I just finished off The Blade Itself. I enjoyed it, but coming to the end (though I assumed this would happen about half way through), it's very FOTR in that there wasn't really any payoff. I had not planned on going through the whole trilogy in one go so that was a little disappointing, but it was a fast read so I'm not too bothered that I now have to. Still not really sure what blade the title was referring to though.
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Dec 19, 2010 04:47
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John Charity Spring posted:That map pre-dates Best Served Cold, which actually gave us an accurate map of Styria. Post-BSC, this map was made by someone calling themselves Scubamarco: I always pictured it as being Europe. I mean Aangland = England obviously. The Northmen, well it literally translates to Normans and they were vikings so... Midderland was the mainland with sort of a mix of Spain and France going on culturally. The Old Empire was Rome, Ghurkhul was northern Africa. Styria feels like it was meant to be Portugal. I could be completely wrong though. And now onto Best Served Cold before the next book comes out in a couple weeks.
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Dec 27, 2010 20:36
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Yeah that works, that works even better if the old empire is Jerusalem or something.
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Dec 28, 2010 01:36
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I still need to start that one.
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Dec 28, 2010 02:33
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Evfedu posted:I (probably because I'm English) always pictured the Northmen as the Scots. Though I suppose axes (especially one of the ones on the front of The Heroes) were a more traditionally nordic weapon. The guys who join up with the Dogman and take them to that fort were pretty clearly highlanders. I think the Northmen were just Normans. e: oh and someone just go ahead and spoiler me, I'm 25% through BSC and seriously, were Monza and her brother getting it on or what? I swear GRRM ruins everything. IRQ fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Dec 29, 2010 |
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Dec 29, 2010 02:14
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Flatscan posted:The Northmen are meant to be Anglo-Saxons. If anyone is meant to be the Normans it's the Union. Learn your history. No! keiran_helcyan posted:Now ask yourself, would Joe Abercrombie put something that depraved in his books? yes Ok good, at least I wasn't catching that vibe out of nowhere.
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Dec 29, 2010 16:02
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Brandon Sanderson's first Mistborn book is basically Fantasy Ocean's 11 if that counts. He does write in the traditional fantasy style though rather than "UH URR UH poo poo." The rest of the series is normal fantasy though. Not that I'm knocking Abercrombie. I am a little. Uh.
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Dec 30, 2010 03:11
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A Nice Boy posted:Im digging these so far. I'm on "The Silver Spike," and a lot of people say to stop reading after Omnibus 1, but I can't figure out why. Aside from Croaker's POV changing and Lady narrating, then Chase narrating, the writing is still really tight and fun to read. I love the world he's created, and I'm digging the books. You should stop after the first omnibus because as ridiculous as characters coming back to life for no reason at all in the first one are, they aren't completely obnoxious. In the second omnibus they are COMPLETELY OBNOXIOUS. Seriously, just stop after the first set and consider that the end of it. It doesn't go anywhere good after that. And I am saying this as someone who has read the entire Sword of Truth series: the second set of the Black Company books I simply could not get through.
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Dec 30, 2010 07:51
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That is just how very unreadable the second set of Black Company books are.
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Dec 30, 2010 18:45
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anathenema posted:My brain has shut down and I can't remember, but was it ever explained what Fenris the Feared was? Not an Eater? An old demigod thing created by Glustrod. Not an Eater.
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Dec 30, 2010 21:32
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Slanderer posted:I'm grasping at straws here, because I havent read the books in a good while, and I don't have access to them atm, but: I think his "can't be wounded on the graffiti tagged side" thing was all Glustrod, but his super strength was partially the witch as he got weaker after Black Dow killed the witch. Logen in Bloody Nine mode was apparently slightly stronger than Feared's regular state (which was still obviously superhuman), but we don't really know what exactly was going on there either, other than that it's hinted at that Logen draws from the spirits or something when in Bloody Nine mode. It wasn't explained terribly well, which is a complaint I do have about Abercrombie (see also: describing the shanka).
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Jan 1, 2011 04:47
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There was something funky going on with the house of the maker. Bayaz flat out said the first time that they went in there that following him closely was important because one passage might not lead to the same place at a different time. We also know there were temporal irregularities from what Bayaz said. My interpretation was that it was some sort of (at that time) detached capsule separate but influenced by the rotation of the planet/universe by means of the Seed running that mechanical model of the universe thing in the main room (I know there's an actual name for that thing but I can't bring it up right now).
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Jan 1, 2011 05:08
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Finally finished Best Served Cold, just in time for The Heroes!  Pretty sad the way things turned out for everyone involved. Everyone except Cosca anyway. Cosca owns though. IRQ fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Jan 8, 2011 |
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Jan 8, 2011 19:38
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Bummey posted:What are the sex scenes like? I don't even want to think of someone reading those aloud. Gross. AH UR AH UR OH Those marginal vocalizations were easily the only complaint I have about Ambercrombie. Uh
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Jan 9, 2011 06:26
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brizna posted:I'm hesitant about starting the first law trilogy because word has it that the ending sucks. My question: how bad is it? GRRM isn't that bad because the characters that get bitched over all have big flaws which make it somewhat deserving. Can the same be said for first law or will the end just depress the poo poo out of me for the sake of being depressing and no other reason? Are there any redeeming qualities about it? Everyone ends up very unhappy, and they deserve to be. The ending doesn't suck at all, and the ending isn't unsatifying or bad. The characters all have flaws like GRRM's do that lead to those unhappy endings being very deserving. Nobody in Ambercrombie's books is innocent, good, or undeserving of their unhappy fate. Grey(black) morality is actually a huge central theme of his, and nobody is ever really the good guy; you will in fact empathize most with objectively horrible people, but while you like them, they do deserve what they get. If that bothers you then don't read Abercrombie. I think it makes his books especially compelling. But the ending does NOT suck.
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Jan 9, 2011 08:08
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Also Glokta being the cause of Ardee basically becoming his nurse must torment him, and she's probably more of a drunk than ever too. On top of that he has to continue living, deal with that retard Jezal, and be beholden to Bayaz when all he really wants, even if he can't manage it himself, is to die. There is literally no happiness to be had in Abercrombie's world. Even the guy who logically comes out on top of everything returns to being a raging alcoholic. IRQ fucked around with this message at 05:39 on Jan 10, 2011 |
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Jan 10, 2011 05:37
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Oh, Glokta is in constant danger, probably more than ever, since he's now the most powerful guy in the Union. When he was just some guy, he wasn't important enough to poison, now he's important, and responsible for that dumbass Jezall. All it would ever take is someone hiring a poisoner like Morveer to do him in. Glokta was presented as clever, but not cleverer than Morveer.
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Jan 10, 2011 09:47
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Bummey posted:Actually I'm pretty sure Ardee got exactly what she deserved. That's pretty dark Bummey. What did she do to deserve that? Be an abused/abandoned daughter/sister who later developed a drinking problem because nobody would let her do anything?
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Jan 11, 2011 04:57
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KillRoy posted:Even if Glokta did get a happy ending by marrying Ardee and gaining more influence, Isn't Angland going to go the way of the ancient empire Glustrod destroyed? Using the seed started the plague that killed off the Old Empire, and weren't cases of it popping up at the end of the third book after Bayaz used it again? Do we still need to spoiler tag? I will but it seems pointless after 14 pages for books that have been out years. The radiation sickness seems to be fairly localized, and it seems follow conventional radiation sickness, which is not communicable if initiated by a solid mass rather than something in liquid or powder form. The Union wouldn't fall to it at all, and Best Served Cold would seem to indicate that the Union is doing just fine years later aside from having more trouble with the north. Whatever Glustrod did was a huge catastrophic event compared to Ferro running the seed through the streets before putting it into its lead box.
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Jan 11, 2011 05:40
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KillRoy posted:Black Dow seems to have come out alright. Not sure what he's up to during BSC, but at the end of Argument of Kings he's sitting pretty. I imagine we'll find out when The Heroes comes out. Don't know why but for some reason I thought it was today. But it isn't. 
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Jan 11, 2011 19:52
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Bayaz also went back and forth from appearing young to old, healthy to on death's door etc. I don't see this series ever being made into a movie or show so no big deal.
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Jan 12, 2011 02:48
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A Nice Boy posted:The thing about series like this/Malazan/etc is that there are new fans coming here to talk and ask questions all the time. There's only one thread on this board that delights in loving poo poo up for people, everywhere else is pretty cool about not loving things up for newbies. Hate Giammati. Actually that kid that shot up Arizona last weekend screams Bayaz to me. I think he's probably otherwise occupied, however. And it's not like I posted a bunch of spoilers or anything, I just asked. The Bad Thread doesn't leak that badly.
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Jan 13, 2011 03:02
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Bummey posted:Dude, I got pissed off at Family Guy last week Me too, Family Guy blows. Snape kills Dumbledore, Romeo and Juliet die, the Romans kill Jesus.
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Jan 13, 2011 03:27
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Teenagers posted:Bought the first (only?) three books in 'The First Law' series. Opened book two, and it says: "THIS IS AN UNCORRECTED MANUSCRIPT PROOF" blah blah blah. Nope, sorry. That's an advance reader copy that publishers do runs of before they do the final printing for sale. Usually they're only uncorrected in the sense that it hasn't got the final coat of polish, but I've read some where there's major plot discrepancies and timeline issues. They get given to the author to spread around, sent to reviewers, people responsible for purchasing stock for a bookstore, and/or just anybody who knows somebody, etc. They aren't supposed to be resold though, so you actually sorta got ripped off if it's on the worse end of the ARC spectrum, but it's probably perfectly readable.
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Jan 19, 2011 02:00
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Bummey posted:Look at all of you with your paper books, second hand tree genocide. I just use ebooks because I don't hate the environment. I hate the environment so I purchase a separate kindle to read each book on then mail them to China to be burned in an open ditch by children for their trace amounts of precious metals.
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Jan 21, 2011 19:15
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Hughmoris posted:Anyone else reading through The Heroes right now? I got the ebook yesterday, but I'm trying to finish The Way of Kings first.
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Jan 29, 2011 05:44
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I am suddenly a million less times pumped for The Heroes
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Jan 30, 2011 10:14
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zedar posted:Ugh, could we spoiler any discussion of actual plot developments please? Your response to the previous spoiler gave away what it said with your reaction. I don't see how. I could have meant pretty much anything. If you were even able to deduce what I was talking about you've probably "spoiled" some things for yourself already.
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Jan 31, 2011 03:23
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I liked seeing more of Cosca. He's awesome.
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Jan 31, 2011 03:44
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Ornamented Death posted:Amazon regular book, bitch; I had my copy like two weeks before you and your fancy Kindle version Whatever grandpa, you gonna do some cave paintings of your latest mammoth hunt next? Paper books. 
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Feb 10, 2011 18:27
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Ornamented Death posted:A Kindle does not allow me to stand back and bask in the glow of my shelf full of signed and limited edition books I agreed with this until the last time I moved and had to carry all those loving books.
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Feb 11, 2011 06:03
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SammyWhereAreYou posted:I haven't read Heroes yet because I'm finishing up this Locke Lamorra stuff, but I really liked that the technology in the trilogy and BSC were a little bit past medieval level - a little beyond the average level of most fantasy. Sanderson sounds like he might be going there in the future with the Mistborn series, just to keep that on your radar. It's also really good for being rather standard medieval tech fare fantasy. As far as Abercrombie pushing into what appears to be 19th century gun tech, one thing about his world that stood out to me is that it's very, very compartmentalized. The Union, for all that they're supposed to be medieval/renaissance France are horribly ignorant of other cultures, and the other places don't seem to be any better. There could be a wild west teched not-China or something already using 19th century firearms if the gulf between the Union's knowledge of gunpowder and the Gurkish's holds true to other regions'.
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Mar 5, 2011 07:23
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Grand Prize Winner posted:So who plays the Dogman in the inevitable HBO miniseries? My money's on Steve Buscemi. Good god why? Am I really the only person in the world who hates that guy?
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Mar 31, 2011 04:15
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Khatib posted:Probably. He's a great actor and a pretty great guy. Well that's pretty cool and yeah he's a good actor I just hate him in everything he's in. Regardless he's not at all believable as a mass murdering viking like the Dogman or really anyone in Abercrombie's books except maybe Bayaz (because Bayaz is a skeezy rear end in a top hat).
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Mar 31, 2011 15:49
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RobattoJesus posted:I dunno, Glotka used to be a handsome hero-type. It would take a whole lot of torture to turn someone like that into Steve Buscemi. My take on the geography is that the Union is France and the North is the british isles. As far as Glokta, Wallace Shawn is too old for it now but would have been great.
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Mar 31, 2011 18:22
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Daico posted:I'm watching the first episode of Camelot and I'm suddenly struck by how very close Merlin and Bayaz are. I mean, I grant, it's basically the point that Bayaz inverts the trope, but the difference is hardly a nudge away. Eh, Merlin in that is still trying to do what he thinks is best for England or whatever. Bayaz only breaks the trope in that you don't really know what the hell he's about, for that matter I'm not convinced Abercrombie knows himself. Being secretive, short tempered, manipulative, ruthless, etc and whathaveyou aren't really anything new.
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Apr 9, 2011 02:59
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