[TUC SPOILERS] Thoughts about the overall story, ending etc

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Cuttlefish

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« Reply #210 on: July 15, 2017, 06:24:31 pm »
Moenghus reminiscies that Harapior told him "you will become my son after this"
Dunno if it's an euphimism of death (nonmen sons mostly died in wombs or battles), a note of kinship building (a 8000 year culture of battling alzheimer with rape and torture), or a sliped out though about surprise butt sex.

Might have something to do about loving and hurting, the way Nonmen do - Harapior thinks he'll remember Moenghus, because he has brutalized him so much

themerchant

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« Reply #211 on: July 16, 2017, 09:52:43 am »
I thought it was to do with shaping him. Kellhus was his "father" he believed his beliefs etc. Now Harpior stripped that all away, showing him he isn't a dunyain at all, he is most certainly not an anasurimbor. He follows Harpior's path now, so his son.

Francis Buck

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« Reply #212 on: July 17, 2017, 12:36:45 am »
It is a western. A dark one doesn't come close to describe it. Ink-black, primal-primordial, existential-poetic; perhaps.

It's a tough one. You could consider starting with McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses. Less bleak and stark. Albeit, not a walk in the park either.

His style is unique and worthwhile exploring.

You could probably start with No Country for Old Men too, if you really wanted.

But I guess I should have pointed out the genre difference though.

I honestly consider Blood Meridian to be right up there with Lord of the Rings and Dune as essential reading for anyone with scholarly ambitions regarding TSA, particularly if one's interest is in the stylistic prose and philosophical aspects of the series (not to mention the sequences of war depicted in all its mind-shattering terror and bleakness).

Simply reading analyses of it afterward is almost guaranteed to open up new perspectives on TSA, even regarding how the metaphysics (might) work, a considerable amount of which would be pretty hard to catch on unless someone happens to be familiar with esoteric Gnostic myth and theology.

No Country For Old Men has less (and less obvious) elements of influence, but it's also perhaps my favorite standalone book of all time and is a very good introduction to McCarthy's style. It's nowhere near as dense or challenging as Blood Meridian and is actually a relatively "light read" (in terms of accessibility -- it's still bleak as all hell). 

H

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« Reply #213 on: July 17, 2017, 12:11:18 pm »
No Country For Old Men has less (and less obvious) elements of influence, but it's also perhaps my favorite standalone book of all time and is a very good introduction to McCarthy's style. It's nowhere near as dense or challenging as Blood Meridian and is actually a relatively "light read" (in terms of accessibility -- it's still bleak as all hell). 

Yeah, it lacks a lot of what makes Blood Meridian great, but like you say, it does give one entry into McCarthy's style...
I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor. . . ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and for the No-God in the great wars that authored this wilderness. I have scaled the ramparts of great Golgotterath, watched the hearts of High Kings break for fury. -Cet'ingira

themerchant

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« Reply #214 on: July 17, 2017, 01:10:50 pm »
On the actual ending. I thought Kellhus saved himself.

H

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« Reply #215 on: July 17, 2017, 01:18:12 pm »
On the actual ending. I thought Kellhus saved himself.

It's also plausible that Kellhus' head is either on his own belt at the time, or possibly even on Malowebi's body (even if that is unlikely).
I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor. . . ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and for the No-God in the great wars that authored this wilderness. I have scaled the ramparts of great Golgotterath, watched the hearts of High Kings break for fury. -Cet'ingira

Walter

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« Reply #216 on: July 17, 2017, 01:18:28 pm »
Saved himself?  What do you mean?

themerchant

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« Reply #217 on: July 17, 2017, 01:20:14 pm »
Well he isn't damned and his soul was one of the last to slip out of the world. Seems as sweet a deal as a Dunyain could get. Koringhus bit the hand off the absolute when offered the same. (if we assume he wasn't damned anymore)

themerchant

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« Reply #218 on: July 17, 2017, 01:20:51 pm »
On the actual ending. I thought Kellhus saved himself.

It's also plausible that Kellhus' head is either on his own belt at the time, or possibly even on Malowebi's body (even if that is unlikely).

I'm Moe Sr squad so yeah, now we have both Kellhus and Moe running things from the outside :)

TLEILAXU

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« Reply #219 on: July 17, 2017, 10:45:17 pm »
I finished TUC earlier today and I'm a bit overwhelmed. I REALLY looked forward to seeing the Unholy Consult, to seeing the final confrontation with ancient Shauriatis and the enigmatic Aurax, who surely must be a master of the Tekne. Instead, Shauriatis is long dead and Aurax is grovelling at the feet of inhuman humans. For all the alien horror and ancient wicked sorceries, it's the home-grown monstrous sons of the Dûnyain that bring about the apocalypse. I definitely did not see that coming.

Regarding Kellhus, since the Inverse Fire burned true and since he did see himself not suffering in it, I believe he has been cast to the Outside as a Ciphrang, or absorbed into Ajokli's being somehow.

MSJ

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« Reply #220 on: July 18, 2017, 01:41:41 am »
Regarding Kellhus, since the Inverse Fire burned true and since he did see himself not suffering in it, I believe he has been cast to the Outside as a Ciphrang, or absorbed into Ajokli's being somehow.

He is his own soul in the Outside or Ciphrang/God what have you. Me thinks, he tricked the Trickster. And H was right all along and its IS Kellhus talking to himself in the dreams. Kellhus...more to come in TSTSNBN. He's gonna destroy the hundred to stop damnation.
“No. I am your end. Before your eyes I will put your seed to the knife. I will quarter your carcass and feed it to the dogs. Your bones I will grind to dust and cast to the winds. I will strike down those who speak your name or the name of your fathers, until ‘Yursalka’ becomes as meaningless as infant babble. I will blot you out, hunt down your every trace! The track of your life has come to me,

Anwurat

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« Reply #221 on: July 18, 2017, 01:57:31 am »
Why would he destroy the Hundred to stop damnation? Assuming that he could? He saw himself descending as hunger in the outside and he was quite fine with that...

MSJ

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« Reply #222 on: July 18, 2017, 07:24:19 am »
No hundred to feed on $ouls, no damnation. Or, then he can throw objective morality out the window.
“No. I am your end. Before your eyes I will put your seed to the knife. I will quarter your carcass and feed it to the dogs. Your bones I will grind to dust and cast to the winds. I will strike down those who speak your name or the name of your fathers, until ‘Yursalka’ becomes as meaningless as infant babble. I will blot you out, hunt down your every trace! The track of your life has come to me,

themerchant

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« Reply #223 on: July 18, 2017, 10:17:50 am »
Kellhus saved himself, only Moe Sr can save Earwa.

Wilshire

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« Reply #224 on: July 18, 2017, 11:19:21 am »
Haven't maxed out a thread in a long time :), how exciting.

Go forth, all ye speculators. Make threads - and please, have some decorum. Make a topic about something so that someone in the future might be able to query our database and find what they're looking for.
(ie, if someone makes a "[TUC SPOILERS] Thoughts about the overall story, ending etc. Part 2" thread, I'll delete it).

One idea might be to quote a post, copy it, and use that as part of your initial post for whatever your new topic is.

Thanks!
« Last Edit: July 18, 2017, 11:38:41 am by Wilshire »
One of the other conditions of possibility.