Raven Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Which character was that?I have to say my concentration probably isn't good enough to notice the whole SE/SW mix up. I think I know the explosion you're talking about and the position isn't too important. If it was some destination they were travelling to it would bother me more since I'd have that map in my mind's eye. The character Jafe becomes Rafe. I only noticed it because Jafe is mentioned several times before Rafe suddenly pops up, and I had to stop and go back to see if I'd read it right. And again, I only noticed the change in direction because south-west is mentioned twice in two consecutive paragraphs before becoming south-east in the third. Neither points are important to the overall plot (well, not yet anyway), but both pulled me out of the story. I think the mark of a good book [for me] is one where you don't look at the page numbers; I've been finding myself doing that a lot this evening. But, I'm not throwing in the towel just yet, back to the grind-stone I go . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 LOL @Steve regarding Karril. I adore Karril Raven: I totally did not notice that stuff, although I vaguely recall both Rafe and Jafe and thinking one must be a typo. Which, obviously it is, but I thought it only happened once. Sorry you're finding it hard. Moral of the story: don't EVER listen to my recommendations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Sheesh, after reading this thread a couple of days ago I had a look for these books in Waterstones today and they didn't have any of them Which is good, cos I prefer the US covers. So I've ordered them from Amazon.com Thanks for the heads up. Officially the first recommendation I have taken from this board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeeeve Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I hope you enjoy them Karsa I'm on chapter 20 of Crown of Shadows. So: Gerald's just been rescued from Hell (except not really Hell because the Unamed said they'd let Hell have him when they were done). But he's had his pretty face scarred! Shaaaame. I'm enjoying it. Looking forward to seeing how everything gets tied up. If the war on the forest will happen and if it does whether it will be against Amoril or Gerald or what. Obviously Andrys has to be built into the story but it does slow down whenever he pops up and carries on moaning. Especially with the dull love story between him and Narilka. I don't know if that bit's just badly written or if I'm just not into love stories. It's like Friedman treats you to a good chapter and then says "You ave to trudge through this rubbish bit befoe you can read the next exciting bit". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted March 29, 2010 Author Share Posted March 29, 2010 A lot of people had that opinion and while I was indifferent to it, I didn't find it hard to trudge through it at all. A lot of people say there's nothing to justify the romance between Andrys and Narilka, but it's not as if it's meant to be a true love at that point - it's a simple case of, here is the human embodiment of the man Narilka has a connection and obsession with, and here is someone for Andrys who knows who he is but cares for him all the same. Yeah it's pretty selfish at first, but it's not unjustified. I think it was just badly written. Unfortunately a lot of that book seems quite rushed. (And then the ending is dragged out.) Also, thank you, you proved me right about something (ish): Someone was trying to tell me once that, that time in Hell, Gerald had died, and I said no, that he was just taken to a place on the Iezu's plane for punishment. That didn't necessarily mean he was dead, and since they said he'd go to Hell when they were done, that probably means he wasn't dead yet. ...Right? The only downside to that Hell bit was it was rushed - it could have been fantastic (and in a lot of ways, it was) but she did seem to rush through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeeeve Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Yeah I took it to mean he wasn't dead at that point. Kind of odd that they had to go through Hell to get to a place he'd go to before Hell but what the hey. I guess that creature is supposed to be the most evil thingy imaginable so no reason it wouldn't be beyond Hell. I think it's hard to write about Hell. I can't explain why exactly. I think this is a Gothic novel in that it's quite melodramatic. Everything is the worst panic or the deepest dark! It can feel kind of redundant when each book they're supposed to face a terrible evil and then they realise that,oh, this wasn't really that evil! You should see this next evil thing! I can understand why Narilka wants to be with Andrys. Did seem a bit weird that she's just told him she loves him after meeting him a few times so I can see what you mean by rushed. It does seem like Friedman didn't go back and read what she had just written. Like when Damien goes to Karril for help. At first Karril is saying no so Damien tries to make him feel guilty by saying "Sorry to bother you" then they chat for a bit more and Damien's still getting no help and says..."Sorry to bother you". Just seems a bit lazy. Or makes Damien look retarded. Either way it's not good. So yeah. Those are my criticisms but I am enjoying it. Maybe I shouldn't have read them all so close together since it can make you tired of an author's style but hey ho. I wanted to know what had happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I hope you enjoy them Karsa Thanks, I'm looking forward to reading them Although I do have to get up to date with A Song of Ice and Fire first - I'm on book 3 and have two more to read after that. My TBR pile seems to be growing out of control at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeeeve Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 So! I have finished the trilogy and really enjoyed it. Now back to the spoilers I'm not sure I really get it. I'm not sure what the mother of the Iezu did to Gerald. I mean I know his death changed the currents...didn't it? So they couldn't be used anymore. But why was he brought back to life? I thought he was a new kind of Iezu? I have clearly missed something. So he's in the body of Riven Forrest now. Except I don't know how he got into that body. And he's evil again with the blood drinking and the hunting and feeding on fear? I'm so confused. So when I said I'm not sure I really get it what I mean was I'm certain I don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 1, 2010 Author Share Posted April 1, 2010 Really? I didn't find it that hard to follow. Okay: The Iezu mother is a lifeform from another planet that crash landed on Erna, just like the humans. In order to reproduce, she started creating new lives from the aspects of her mates. What she actually did was take a certain aspect, and make that a life. The earlier ones didn't survive, but the later ones became the Iezu. That's why Karril's only aspect is pleasure (the mother took the 'pleasure' aspect from someone and created Karril). What she took from Gerald Tarrant was his hunting aspect. Now there is a new Iezu, Forrest, which is made up of Gerald's hunting aspect. Whether or not the parents also retain the aspects is unknown. Also, Forrest isn't evil. His agency has been set up for good. It's implied by him looking at a picture of the Hunter and saying 'thanks, dad.' As for Gerald, he sacrificed his life, twice. The first time was in stopping Calesta, but he only died momentarily because when the Iezu mother took his hunting aspect, she shocked his heart back to life. Then, when Gerald meets Andrys in the Forest library, you're obviously supposed to think he's dead. And that body is dead. What the olive skinned rich kid in the last 4 pages explains that, it's theoretically possible that Gerald made another sacrifice - agreed with Andrys to give up his whole life and start over - giving it up so completely that to even suggest his connection to the old life would eradicate this new one. So, the olive-skinned guy IS Gerald, but he can never admit it, and he has to stay away from Damien too because obviously Damien is a link with that old life. I personally think two deaths was a little two much, it should have been one or the others (I was actually sure Gerald was going to die on the mountain, and then I was sure he was dead in the Forest). If he had died on the mountain, I would have been happy. But I wasn't happy with the beheading, so the two in conjunction makes me happy with the actual ending, in which he lives. I also think it fits in with his character - Gerald has always run on two things - knowledge and survival. He made the second last sacrifice because he wanted to save the world, and therefore everything he had spent 900 years creating. He made the second sacrifice because he had finally brought about a world where humans couldn't fleetingly use the fae - a world like the Earth he had strived all that time to achieve, and he didn't want a miss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeeeve Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 I understood all about the Iezu mother and how she created her children (at one point I thought maybe Calesta or Karril were going to have been created from Gerald but...I was wrong) but I thought...I don't know what I thought now. So Forrest was created as the Iezu from Gerald. I got that far in my tiny mind with the "thanks dad" bit (although I have to admit for a few minutes I was wondering if Gerald had other relatives or if that was Andrys before what he meant by "dad" occured to me). And I can see how he's kind of good. He's helping a dad find his children and whatnot. Although he was charging the man more for not hurting his ex-wife which doesn't seem especially nice. But, so, Forrest the Iezu is also now Gerald? Oh I'm contradicting myself all over the show at the moment. I'm going to shut my piehole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 1, 2010 Author Share Posted April 1, 2010 The guy in the epilogue, the nameless guy who meets Damien and strikes up a random conversation with him? He only turns up about 4 pages from the end. That's Gerald. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeeeve Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 Ahh. I just realised I was being an idiot. I knew that was Gerald but I also thought that guy was the hunter the man had hired to find his wife. I seeeee now. Ok. Everyone carry on with what you were doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 1, 2010 Author Share Posted April 1, 2010 Lol it's okay. She did pack an unnecessary amount into the ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 Mine have arrived. Only took eight days. I'm quite surprised as I went for the cheapest delivery option from Amazon US and wasn't expecting them to come for a couple more weeks at least Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 1, 2010 Author Share Posted April 1, 2010 Wow that's incredibly fast!! Mine took 8 weeks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 2, 2010 Share Posted April 2, 2010 Yeah, I was expecting at least 4 weeks. My history with ordering stuff from the US usually involves the parcel getting stuck in Customs for ages. The box had been opened but I guess they didn't find anything untoward. Maybe the Customs official is a fan One of the covers got a bit knackered in transit, which is annoying, but hey ho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Crisis Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 *Sidles in* Ooooooh. These sound good! I was going to get Glen Cook's Black Company series, but now I'm torn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 I was going to get Glen Cook's Black Company series, but now I'm torn! Get 'em both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 9, 2010 Author Share Posted April 9, 2010 Get 'em both Sounds like the best plan to me :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 I'm about a third of the way through the first book, my reading mojo has been pretty poor lately. I'm going up to London tomorrow though, so that's a good two-three hours of enforced reading time . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Crisis Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Get 'em both Oh I will, eventually but I can only really afford one at the mo! I might just toss a coin. Or make it best out of three. Or five.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Ah well, in that case, value for money says you could get the first three Black Company books in one volume (Chronicles of The Black Company) from Amazon for a tenner. Or you could get the first Coldfire book for about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 I'm about a third of the way through the first book, my reading mojo has been pretty poor lately. I'm going up to London tomorrow though, so that's a good two-three hours of enforced reading time . . . So much for enforced reading time, I managed about six pages on the way up and on the way back the train was full of Chelsea supporters, so not real progress. It's annoying, there is just enough here to hold my interest, but not enough to stop me from putting it down. I think if there was more happening that just people chasing after other people I would be reading this faster. Anyway, for anyone who is interested, I took a look and Forbidden Planet in London has the complete series (in those natty little black covers, though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Crisis Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 Ah well, in that case, value for money says you could get the first three Black Company books in one volume (Chronicles of The Black Company) from Amazon for a tenner. Or you could get the first Coldfire book for about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 The Black Company can wait a couple weeks Poor Black Company Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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