I'm beginning to remember why I always failed in the slog of a reread. it's like Bakker thinks if he introduces a really compelling character, like Kellhus in the prolouge, or Cnaiur in Chapter 6, that he must then bury that character, or at the very least subvert the audience's expectations of following someone so active and fascinating. Following Kellhus, Bakker tries to make us forget him for 300 or 400 pages, and following Cnaiur, Bakker tries to make us forget him for several hundred pages as well. IIRC, after the wonderful section 8.1, Cnaiur is gone while the readers have to further endure unceasing exposition and self loathing and self congratulation with Esme, Akka and Conphas and Xerius--what a fucking drag.
The Cnaiur bit is very awesome, are we seeing the gods here, Gilgaol riding Cnaiur? Note that Bakker is carefully avoiding showing us Cnaiur's perspective here. If Cnaiur is being ridden by Gilgaol here, using Yursalka's perspective rather than the already established Cnaiur perspective is a good way to hide from the audience the crucial information of the Gods' active participation in the world--but note that there was at least one explicit hint in Cnaiur's chapter six perspective that suggested that that Gilgaol takes over Cnaiur in the heat of battle.
There's some bullshit with Bakker putting in hints that Skeos is a skin spy and that grandmother is a skin spy. whatever. There's more bullshit with the Scarlet Spires which is basically the first major sin of Bakkerepetition in the series as the same material hashed over by various characters is hashed over yet again ad nauseum here. Note that Conphas is as smart as Esmenet and figures out the same anomaly of Maithanet being aware of the Cishaurim secret war and how immensely troubling this is. Whatever, for devoting a dozen pages to the drama of Maithanet being clever, it's all just a big fucking Maguffin meant to get the Spires to join the war instead of the Saik, it really doesn't matter other than for authorial narrative convenience.
There is an invocation of "trifles" which reminds me that the term "trinkets" has extra-special meaning in this world. I was going to post it, because I remembered noting that, but on reflection I realized it's not a flag and Bakker didn't use trinkets, I made a mistake confusing trifle for trinket.
Eventually the chapter ends, thank goodness, and we get an incredible end quote to end things on, I'd love to see what Sologdin makes of the
contradiction of being 'outside' and 'transcendent' yet also simultaneously being 'inside' 'hidden' a womb.
For an instant, Conphas felt like a thief, the hidden author of a great loss. And the exhilaration he felt almost possessed a sexual intensity. He saw clearly now why he so loved this species of war. On the field of battle, his every act was open to the scrutiny of others. Here, however, he stood outside scrutiny, enacted destiny from a place that transcended judgment or recrimination. He lay hidden in the womb of events.
Like a God.
Just how much metaphysics are packed into that paragraph? Are the final two sentences an explicit authorial reveal of what a God is?