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I'm about 2/3 done with Toll the Hounds and I have the horrible feeling that everyone will get to Darujhistan and the entire city will blow up killing all of the characters at once.
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Oct 17, 2014 05:08
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Tokelau All Star posted:I'm about 2/3 done with Toll the Hounds and I have the horrible feeling that everyone will get to Darujhistan and the entire city will blow up killing all of the characters at once. Pretty much, yes. Also got the biggest "gently caress, he is dead?" scene in the series.
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Oct 17, 2014 07:29
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I still don't really get/remember why Shadowthrone let the Hounds run wild destroying poo poo and killing things in Darujhistan. I feel like I should know, but...
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Oct 17, 2014 15:03
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Levitate posted:I still don't really get/remember why Shadowthrone let the Hounds run wild destroying poo poo and killing things in Darujhistan. I feel like I should know, but... IIRC, to assist in keeping Dragnipur out of anyone's hands after Rake's death and prior to Brood's arrival.
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Oct 17, 2014 16:01
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Distracting the Hounds of Light would be my guess.
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Oct 17, 2014 16:06
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Ahh that's right, thanks
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Oct 17, 2014 16:19
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Spermy Smurf posted:Did anyone ever figure out why the tall-many-jointed-people are scared of humans in turtle shell armor? Quoting myself from page 128. I was just rereading the series again and could the answer to why turtle shells are great armor against the Forkrul Assail is simply the noise? Spax walking around the queen is continuously mentioned with how loud it is. If they can't hear, it takes away the assails voice power right? Ganeos did it with cotton in his ears at one point for fucks sake. It may not be about un-punchability and more to do with their Voice?
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Oct 18, 2014 02:33
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Finally got around to reading Blood And Bone, and I'm really surprised at how bad ICE's prose is. SW and OST were a considerable improvement from RotCG, so I don't understand how he could have taken such a massive step backwards. He really needed a better editor to crack down on the awful sentence fragments and misplaced modern slang.
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Oct 18, 2014 02:36
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I love how Erikson subtly worked in Marx and labor value theory into Tides of Midnight while simultaneously bashed syndicalism. Erikson is awesome on so many levels.
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Oct 23, 2014 06:48
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Reading WiLLFUL CHiLD right now and its pretty funny and also really short and easy to read.
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Oct 23, 2014 18:50
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Spermy Smurf posted:Quoting myself from page 128. I was just rereading the series again and could the answer to why turtle shells are great armor against the Forkrul Assail is simply the noise? Spax walking around the queen is continuously mentioned with how loud it is. If they can't hear, it takes away the assails voice power right? Ganeos did it with cotton in his ears at one point for fucks sake. It may not be about un-punchability and more to do with their Voice? I think maybe you're reading too much into it. More likely it is just well suited to taking force out of fist-sized blunt impacts.
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Oct 25, 2014 07:26
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I need to get through Dust of Dreams. I keep trying but I lose it somewhere around 1/4-1/3 of the way through. I just need to buckle down and stick with it because I want to finish this series.
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Oct 25, 2014 15:27
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02-6611-0142-1 posted:I think maybe you're reading too much into it. More likely it is just well suited to taking force out of fist-sized blunt impacts. Yeah this was loosely how I interpreted that bit - the curvature or some other quality of the shells somehow being ideal for deflecting said impacts.
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Oct 25, 2014 15:51
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Daric posted:I need to get through Dust of Dreams. I keep trying but I lose it somewhere around 1/4-1/3 of the way through. I just need to buckle down and stick with it because I want to finish this series.
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Oct 25, 2014 20:58
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Finished B&B today. I wasn't into it at all to begin with, but I liked the way that the different stories started to link up as they moved towards a convergence. Unfortunately, as with several of ICE's other books, the ending feels rushed and unclear. I've reread a few sections, and looked up some analysis on some Malazan forums, but I'm still not really sure what exactly Saeng and Osserc accomplished. I guess they stopped the Thaumaturges from bringing down another Crippled God-like entity, but it wasn't clear to me if they were working together or not. Similarly, the T'Riss/Ardata confrontation was one of the book's crucial scenes, but the resolution happened "off-screen," and the subsequent explanation seemed pretty lame. I actually liked the "army in the jungle" plot, until it turned out to be completely pointless. The funniest part about B&B for me is that its best scenes are literally just Osserc and Gothos sitting at a table doing nothing.
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Oct 26, 2014 00:50
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Juaguocio posted:but the resolution happened "off-screen," and the subsequent explanation seemed pretty lame. An ICE book, you say?
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Oct 26, 2014 03:34
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I'm just finished chapter 15 of DG and I'm kinda confused why Felisin got summoned to be Sha'ik reborn. The book made it seem like one minute she was crying at Baudin and the next she's zapped in by Sha'ik's corpse to gently caress poo poo up, and was just kinda like "whatever". Did I miss a bunch of foreshadowing? Also, the scene at the end of the chapter where Icarium walks through the ruins of the city he totally hosed up is exactly as awesome as I was hoping his storyline was going to be. mustermark fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Oct 26, 2014 |
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Oct 26, 2014 04:05
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She's kind of angry at her sister and takes the whole Sha'ik business as a way to get some revenge. And you'll get much, much more of Icarium. Just you wait.
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Oct 26, 2014 08:20
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anilEhilated posted:She's kind of angry at her sister and takes the whole Sha'ik business as a way to get some revenge. I just started Reaper's Gale and I sort of loving hate Icarium. Yet I get the impression somehow over the last few books that I'm supposed to at least feel bad for him, if not outright like him.
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Oct 26, 2014 18:06
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ZombieLenin posted:I just started Reaper's Gale and I sort of loving hate Icarium. Yet I get the impression somehow over the last few books that I'm supposed to at least feel bad for him, if not outright like him. Icarium's circumstances change a bit over the final four books or so, essentially beginning with when [spoiler] he is picked up by the Edur with his new 'guardian'[ /spoiler]. Personally, I've felt bad for Icarium and Mappo since halfway or so through DG. I get why some people are put off by him, as for most of the series he's a circular plotline that seems to have no resolution, but why do you hate him?
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Oct 26, 2014 18:18
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Almost through HoC for the third time, and it is interesting how much this books serves as a setup for the rest of the series. It is kinda like a movie, start with 3 action-packed books and then slow down to describe the background for various characters. Although, slowing down the story is pretty much an exaggeration. ZombieLenin posted:I just started Reaper's Gale and I sort of loving hate Icarium. Yet I get the impression somehow over the last few books that I'm supposed to at least feel bad for him, if not outright like him. Well, for all his powers Icarium is merely a side character for the series. From HoC, a Jaghut mentions that Jhags are half Jaghut, and then half something else and she implies they are half Thelomen Toblakai? Juaguocio posted:I actually liked the "army in the jungle" plot, until it turned out to be completely pointless. The funniest part about B&B for me is that its best scenes are literally just Osserc and Gothos sitting at a table doing nothing. To be fair, any scene with Gothos is great. In FoD he is pretty awesome. (Note to self, time to reread FoD). We haven't seen Tiam yet in FoD? Cause I kept mixing her up with T'riss for some reason.
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Oct 26, 2014 18:22
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Habibi posted:Icarium's circumstances change a bit over the final four books or so, essentially beginning with when he is picked up by the Edur with his new 'guardian'. Personally, I've felt bad for Icarium and Mappo since halfway or so through DG. I get why some people are put off by him, as for most of the series he's a circular plotline that seems to have no resolution, but why do you hate him? I do like, and feel terrible for, Mappo. It's just Icarium I do not particularly care for. I kind of view Mappo as the person who still sees the "good" in some serial killer and cannot bare the truth that despite that "good," if given the chance the serial killer would go back to raping and murdering prostitutes in 5 seconds flat.
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Oct 26, 2014 19:04
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ZombieLenin posted:I do like, and feel terrible for, Mappo. It's just Icarium I do not particularly care for. I kind of view Mappo as the person who still sees the "good" in some serial killer and cannot bare the truth that despite that "good," if given the chance the serial killer would go back to raping and murdering prostitutes in 5 seconds flat. Well, Mappo isn't exactly an innocent dumpling - his descriptions of his life before becoming Icarium's guardian are...not flattering. He doesn't have as much blood on his hands as Icarium, but...at some point(s) over the last half of the series you get a better explanation of where his rage comes from and what it is, and that puts his crimes in a different light.
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Oct 26, 2014 19:17
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Cardiac posted:It is kinda like a movie  quote:From HoC, a Jaghut mentions that Jhags are half Jaghut, and then half something else and she implies they are half Thelomen Toblakai? quote:To be fair, any scene with Gothos is great. In FoD he is pretty awesome. (Note to self, time to reread FoD). And no I don't think we see Tiam in FoD.
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Oct 26, 2014 19:22
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Habibi posted:Well, Mappo isn't exactly an innocent dumpling - his descriptions of his life before becoming Icarium's guardian are...not flattering. He doesn't have as much blood on his hands as Icarium, but...at some point(s) over the last half of the series you get a better explanation of where his rage comes from and what it is, and that puts his crimes in a different light. Well already I get the impression that Icarium was fashioned or created by the Nameless Ones--at least his murderous rage; however, I just do not really like him. I don't know what it is, but every time it becomes a pov that focuses on Icarium I get annoyed. That and I like Mappo twice as much now that he's separated from Icarium. Edit Re: Jhags. I never understood why T'lan Imass don't really care they exist. ZombieLenin fucked around with this message at 19:26 on Oct 26, 2014 |
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Oct 26, 2014 19:24
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Habibi posted:Well, Mappo isn't exactly an innocent dumpling - his descriptions of his life before becoming Icarium's guardian are...not flattering. He doesn't have as much blood on his hands as Icarium, but...at some point(s) over the last half of the series you get a better explanation of where his rage comes from and what it is, and that puts his crimes in a different light. It is not like that the Nameless Ones are paragons of virtue either. Besides Beak, is there any character in this series that can be considered genuinely good? But I guess that is also Eriksons intent and why he likes portraying soldiers, whose actions are often determined by necessity.
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Oct 26, 2014 19:26
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Habibi posted:Pretty sure Jhags are any Jaghut/X hybrid. There is a scene with Karsa where he comes to believe that Icarium in particular has TTT blood (or, as some speculate, the blood of their precursor - Kilmandaros), but otherwise even the 'Icebloods' of Assail are technically Jhags, being part Jaghut and part human. But Kilmandaros is worshipped by Forkrul Assail and her son is a Forkrul Assail. If she is also the ancestor of TTT and therefore also the ancestor of Barghast, Trell and Fenn, they must be related to FA then? It is all getting pretty mixed up.  I have thought about Icarium being a Jhag/Forkrul Assail mix, but that seems kinda far-fetched and I have a hard time seeing Gothos being romantically interested in one as well. Icariums power comes from Chaos, and FA are pretty much the definition of order.
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Oct 26, 2014 19:36
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ZombieLenin posted:Well already I get the impression that Icarium was fashioned or created by the Nameless Ones--at least his murderous rage; however, I just do not really like him. And I believe that spoiler there is wrong, by the way.
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Oct 26, 2014 19:47
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anilEhilated posted:I think I can see where you're coming from; he's sort of an one-trick character. He'll get a twist on the very end that makes the entire storyline much more interesting but I'm fairly sure Mappo is the one you're supposed to sympathise with. Like I said, that was just the impression I got based on what has transpired since Icarium and Mappo have split. I wasn't trying to say it was fact at all, just speculation from someone who hasn't finished the series yet. I only spoilered it because even that speculation might give stuff away people might not want to see.
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Oct 26, 2014 20:05
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Cardiac posted:Besides Beak, is there any character in this series that can be considered genuinely good? I'm just starting Dust of Dreams, but Brys Beddict?
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Oct 26, 2014 23:12
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Cardiac posted:But Kilmandaros is worshipped by Forkrul Assail and her son is a Forkrul Assail. If she is also the ancestor of TTT and therefore also the ancestor of Barghast, Trell and Fenn, they must be related to FA then? It is all getting pretty mixed up. quote:I have thought about Icarium being a Jhag/Forkrul Assail mix, but that seems kinda far-fetched and I have a hard time seeing Gothos being romantically interested in one as well. Icariums power comes from Chaos, and FA are pretty much the definition of order. Yeah pretty sure there is no FA in Icarium. Though, the Chaos thing he's got going in is the result of his attack on the Azath, so I wouldn't take that as evidence of anything regarding his ancestry. TTT / Kilmandaros makes sense for a number of reasons aside from Karsa's conviction - eg: his shepherding of TTT progeny as found out in HoC.
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Oct 26, 2014 23:24
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Is it weird to anyone else the change in Katilian (audiobook so don't know the proper spelling) and Shadowthrone from book I? Specifically I'm thinking of how the "must get revenge against the empress!" poo poo. Now a good 100 pages into Reaper's Gale it's like they don't give a poo poo about that "betrayal," never did, and it was likely part of their scheme all along.
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Oct 26, 2014 23:35
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ZombieLenin posted:Is it weird to anyone else the change in Katilian (audiobook so don't know the proper spelling) and Shadowthrone from book I? Yeah there are a few retconny things like that from GotM, in large part I'm sure because a decade separated it and the other books (all together having taken only slightly longer to write). The desire for vengeance was at least partially rewritten as a feint of the 'of course this is everyone would expect so we let them see what they wanted to see variety, though there are a few Cotillion moments in GotM that make it difficult to accept that it is all a feint. Tayschrenn also undergoes a harsh change that isn't, IMO, well enough explained by the story later. He for all intents and purposes becomes a completely different person in all subsequent encounters. Those are the two big ones I can think of offhand. There are a bunch of other minor things that seem out of sync, though most (though not all) can be reasonably attributed to unreliable narrator syndrome - eg: the just awoken from a who even knows how many eon long hibernation and not quite caught up with current events K'rul claims that Tool has no equal in the world, which is proven false both later in the book and many times again later in the series.
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Oct 26, 2014 23:56
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It's pretty explicitely said that Kilmandaros literally created the entire Forkrul Assail race, just like Draconus created the Tiste and Olar Ethil the Imass. Grizzin Farl, Kilmandaros husband, is described as a Thel Akai halfblood by a not very well informed character, so those could be his work, I guess. And the old god of the FA is one that they created themselves.
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Oct 27, 2014 00:01
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Re: Shadowthrone stuff In many ways the Cotillion in GoTm seems like a totally different character than he does in later books. In GoTm he comes off as a sniveling blood thirsty lackey, just eager to "send his hounds" to murder innocent people and to murder as many people as he can. Later on he becomes a rational empathetic person--kind of weird for the God of assassins--who is completely distinct from Shadowthrone (is that written as a 1 or 2 word title in the books). If anything Cotillion seems more conservative when it comes to acting and interfering with mortals than Shadow Throne. Also the excuse that the revenge thing was just a feint doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you consider that for most of the books nobody (or near enough) is actually aware that ST/Cotillion are actually the Emperor/Dancer.
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Oct 27, 2014 00:22
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ZombieLenin posted:Also the excuse that the revenge thing was just a feint doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you consider that for most of the books nobody (or near enough) is actually aware that ST/Cotillion are actually the Emperor/Dancer. To be fair by the second or third book it's pretty much past being even an open secret to what seems like common knowledge. I mean, I know the series pretty much follows the most capable and knowledgeable actors in the narrative, but still.
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Oct 27, 2014 01:25
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It's been mentioned before in this thread, but I'm reading A Confederacy Of Dunces right now, and the similarity between Ignatius J. Reilly and Kruppe seems too close to be a coincidence. Has Erikson ever discussed a possible John Kennedy Toole influence on his writing?
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Oct 27, 2014 01:41
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Wolfsheim posted:To be fair by the second or third book it's pretty much past being even an open secret to what seems like common knowledge. I mean, I know the series pretty much follows the most capable and knowledgeable actors in the narrative, but still. Yeah it kind of bugged me along those same lines that in Gardens of the Moon the Malazan High Mages had to dig through some arcane poo poo to figure out who Caladan Brood and Rake were, and that the Adjunct didn't know about Omtose Phellack and the elder warrens, then after that everyone seemed to know everything about everything. But I guess the alternative would be lots of reiteration in the future books and that would be awful. I'm getting started on Dust of Dreams, but I have a few thoughts on Toll the Hounds I wanted to discuss: Highs: About 95% of the book. Can you say dread? I fully expected Crokus to get killed by Vidikas, and then when that didn't happen I fully expected everyone to die facing off against the Hounds of Light. I thought the whole city would blow up leaving everyone dead but Kruppe (of course) and maybe Karsa. I am glad that things didn't turn out that way. I really enjoyed Seerdomin's unwinnable eternal battle versus Salind (who I pictured as Spiral from X-Men). The return of Iskar Jarak! I figured the Army of the Dead would end up battling the forces of Chaos, but the way they ended up there was great. Kallor skyrocketed up in my list of favorite characters. Really want to see how he screws up whatever plans the Crippled God has. Also any section narrated by Kruppe. We need more of that, please spoil me if we get any more of that or not. I wish larger parts of the series had been written that way. "Lows": Not enough time with my favorite guys! I was pumped for the return of Rallick Nom, only to get barely anything. I guess it was part of the theme that Erickson is riding, that the old world is being replaced by the new, and that Rallick getting hosed up in the alley by Crokus and Crokus stealing his thunder over avenging Murillio's death led to him not having much to do in the book. Also, I know Rake is the big death that everyone talks about, but I was crushed more by Murillio. Second saddest death after Trull Sengar. Actual Lows: Any section with Endest Silann's Kharkanas flashbacks brought the book to a halt for me, killing the quick clip at which I was running through the series. I was looking forward to jumping into Forge of Darkness after I finish the main series, I hope they aren't as boring as those parts. I guess they were boring because I still don't really understand what the gently caress Mother Dark actually did to get all the Tiste Andii so mad at her, thus greatly lessening the impact of the reveal that Aranatha was Mother Dark the entire time. God[s below], there's so much to talk about in that book, I'm sure I've missed a ton of things. I love this series so much.
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Oct 27, 2014 04:21
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Wolfsheim posted:To be fair by the second or third book it's pretty much past being even an open secret to what seems like common knowledge. I mean, I know the series pretty much follows the most capable and knowledgeable actors in the narrative, but still. You're right. It's just a bit of a stretch to get there from GoTm.
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Oct 27, 2014 04:56
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Mygna posted:It's pretty explicitely said that Kilmandaros literally created the entire Forkrul Assail race, just like Draconus created the Tiste and Olar Ethil the Imass. Grizzin Farl, Kilmandaros husband, is described as a Thel Akai halfblood by a not very well informed character, so those could be his work, I guess. And the old god of the FA is one that they created themselves. Huh, I guess I forgot all about Kilmandaros' hand in that. Do you have a citation for the FA god being one they created themselves? And Draconus creating the Tiste? What? e: I was also under the impression that the Imass were not so much literally created as...adopted...by Olar Ethil. That at least is what I thought FoD seemed to suggest, but I do need to reread it. Habibi fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Oct 27, 2014 |
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Oct 27, 2014 17:26
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