Some final TGO reread comments

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Hiro

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« on: July 03, 2017, 05:16:08 pm »
Ishterebinth, still awe inspiring, albeit quite slow.

Dagliash, great to read in its entirety again. It seems the riders from the Ordeal, save from one or two passing references, have been left out of the battle. Where are they at? I assume east from the infantry, or driving the Horde westward, toward Dagliash? Not so clear to me.

Also, I'm less certain now that the nuke wiped out the entire Horde. It seems to be the case, but this did not stand out in my reread as fact. Lots of Sranc died, that's for sure.

A lot of 'scowling' in this book again, lots in Istherebinth, leading up to a point where not just the faces are scowling, no even the sorcery, on

page 337: Scowling lights crowned them, the flicker of distant sorcery.

It made me smile.

The Survivor metaphysics, I still don't fully get it, and I don't find it the most compelling material of the book. Which relates to my concern about the Judging Eye as a principle and element.

One small oddity concerning Malowebi, his presence at Fanayal's side as required as a narrative p.o.v. character becomes strained as the Momemn thread progresses.

Overall, this read as a much more thoughtful novel than the previous. My impression is that while the writing seems less coherent and propulsive as WLW, coherence is build in another way: a hall of mirrors of recurring and developing images and ideas, such as:

- The madness of Kellhus, of Kelmomas, of Koringhus, Ishterebinth, the Ordeal, the Sranc, CnaiĆ¼r, etc.

- Kellhus off to Momemn to save Esmenet, echoed and set up earlier by Koringhus saving and protecting his son.

- The sense of '...this already happened...', Koringhus and Kelmomas, possibly Kellhus and a faint echo Saubon at Dagliash--Mengedda.

- Koringhus taking the leap, Proyas held back from the edge by Kellhus.

Lastly, who thought it was a good idea to take a pregnant woman to Golgotterath?

That concludes my reread. Mildly, ahem, looking forward to TUC, I'm expecting it in the mail any day now.
« Last Edit: July 03, 2017, 08:11:21 pm by Hiro »
Mystery denotes darkness

Walter

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« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2017, 05:23:29 pm »
The Slog nears its end!

Monkhound

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« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2017, 05:41:57 pm »
Nice summary, Hiro and Walter.

On the subject of "it has already happened before":
In one of the first passages with Korringhus, I was intrigued by a mention of none of the Dunyain caring when monks started dying in their cells, without any apparent cause (way before the Sranc attacks).
Cuts and cuts and cuts...