MG, I just saw Eyewa. Redeagl is a fucking genius.

My general tastes? Classical/baroque periods, Stravinsky, Chopin. Almost no modern classical. Prog rock, jazz fusion, singer-songwriters (Dan Fogelberg, Joni Mitchell), folk, bluegrass, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett. Animals As Leaders, the current incarnation of King Crimson, Rush (especially late-period, such as Clockwork Angels,  Counterparts), mid-70s Yes, mid-70s Genesis.

Quote from: Beardfisher King on April 21, 2017, 11:05:54 am

H. recommended two acoustic indie/folk artists yesterday. The late Jason Molina and Joanna Newsom. Check them out.

Indeed, two stellar artists.

Not sure if you know of Iron & Wine, but he is also fantastic (at least the older stuff is, kind of lost track now).

Don't know about Iron & Wine, but I sure dig Sippin' Wine!
<ba dum tish>

Quote from: H on April 20, 2017, 07:58:58 pm

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (i.e. the ancient Three Seas Board), I asked Bakker about the practicality of supplying all of the Fanim's horses in the desert.  Water would be a huge issue, let alone the fodder necessary.  He pointed me to a fantastic little book called Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army, but ultimately he said he takes a "mana from heaven" approach.  I think a bit of the same would be applicable here too.

That's probably the correct answer - "they can breathe fine because huge mountain cities are badass!" Nothing wrong with a few judicious applications of the Rule of Cool. Still fun to hypothesize, though!

Since you just finished TJE, you may remember the early chapter which describes the logistical difficulties of even creating the Great Ordeal. IIRC, Kellhus needed ten years to build enough granaries, etc. for the Great Ordeal to even get started.  And Sakarpus is a critical launch point, which adds to Sorweel's importance. It's a great section.

Outstanding! Welcome from a fellow newbie. Grab a thread and have at it!

Right. But, does that make Kellhus right? He's been wrong before and Locke has made threads about it. So, I'm always skeptical that just because Kellhus thinks it, it becomes the Truth.

ETA: Hell, in TGO he even admits that killing Moe was a mistake. If he thinks it's a mistake after the fact, I think he realizes that Moe wasn't going to kill him.

IIRC, in the Moe/Kell stand-off, Kellhus saw that one future possibility included his assassination. So I think that, though it's possible that Moe wasn't going to off Kellhus right then and there, Kellhus saw that his Shortest Path required him to off Moe.

I agree that Kellhus is always Conditioning the Ground, and so taking his statements as necessarily true would be a mistake. However, he is certainly capable of Conditioning The Ground by using Truth. Very perplexing. Kellhus is probably one of the greatest unreliable POVs ever created. As I put it in my stand-up routine (cf. the "Earwan Jokes" thread), Kellhus is an arrogant bastard, an utterly devious prick, and a master bullshitter.

(How 'bout that for shameless self-promotion?)

I think this question ties into the matter at hand (if not, please feel free to start a new thread, Wilshire 😊): What does "madness" mean in Bakker's Earwa? This has been gnawing at me since TTT. If Kellhus is "mad", then what are we to make of his insights? Now, his Imprompta sermons are given before the experience of the Circumfix, so he is presumably sane. In TTT, Moenghus considers Kellhus "mad". Similarly, Koringhus is described as "broken" and "mad". What is the status of his revelation? It seems to me that "madness" is a desirable condition in this Earwan context. Thoughts?

Quote

“I’m not asking you to see,” Kellhus said. “I’m asking you to witness.”
Blank face. Desolate eyes. The nameless knight blinked, and two tears silvered his cheek. Then he smiled, and nothing, it seemed, could be so glorious.
“To make myself …” His voice quavered, broke. “To m-make …”
“To be one with the world in which you dwell,” Kellhus said. “To make a covenant of your life.”

Is it just me, or is there something of a unity concept here, along the lines of Koringhus' Zero-God?

Bingo, H. There's also a conversation between Akka and Kellhus in which K. confuses Akka over where "here" is. But you've nailed it.