Finished Assassin's Apprentice(16), by Robin Hobb. I thought it a decent enough book. As I said in my previous post, not a whole lot of action. Mostly had a whole lot of world-building and character development. If ever read a set up book this is it. On to Royal Assassin, by Hobb. Want to see how things shake out until I pass judgement.

I'm finding American Gods extremely interesting.
Its a nice intersection of history, american folklore,  fantasy, mystery, and a discussion about modernity. Great prose, Gaiman is a hell of a writer imo.

Great book, it is. I loved the writing also. Though at times the prose was a bit...jarring? Not a huge complaint, all things considered to be honest. But, as you said, the combination of history and it being a fiction, fit really well. The coming to America scenes really hit the spot.

I didn't say he knew for sure either, and yes, I do know he did it multiple times (though we know those were unsuccessful) to keep Harry from trying to stop his plans while still having his valuable help with the whole project. My previous comment was a bit unclear, but what I meant was: after the sabotage and they were both left dying of radiation poisoning, Vincent might have started to have some suspicions. He wouldn't know for sure, of course, but what I thought was that even a slight suspicion might be enough to get him to pretend to be honest with Harry and give him plausible-sounding information. After all, Harry wouldn't be 100% sure the information was true until he went in search of Vincent's parents during his next life. Again, this might just be me being overly pessimistic/paranoid, but I feel like the likelihood of this happening is not zero...

You definitely made me think about this and I understand where you are coming from. Now, looking back, I think I felt the same way in the hospital scene. Almost that Vince did feel that Harry remembered. And, maybe that's why Vince told him his origin point. Because, if he couldn't wipe Harry's memory, then he knew he was fighting a losing battle and Harry would continue to sabotage the quantum mirror.

-Am I the only one that thinks that Vincent might have eventually suspected the Forgettings weren't working on Harry and actually gave him false information at the end? Maybe I'm just pessimistic, but I don't think it's impossible either...

I don't think Vince knew that the Forgetting didn't work on Harry. He might have had some reservations about it, maybe. But, I believe the reason for him wanting to do it again and again, was to keep Harry from "learning" about his self. That was just my take on it, but you've got me thinking with your thoughts.

-For that matter, are kalachakras themselves sterile? I think we're led to assume they are - Harry mentions a couple of times that he never had children with any of his wives, and if I remember correctly there are others that are mentioned as not having any children as well in passing.

Yes I believe they were all sterile. And, it was a question on my mind during the whole book. I think it's quite clear when we meet Akinleye. Before her Forgetting she has tons of sex, drugs and rock n roll. Ends up with AIDS. So, all that sex unprotected and no babies. While it's possible she was on birth control, I believe it was just a clue that they are all sterile.

So, I have finished the book and wanted to discuss with anyone who has read this. Such a great book.

What really kept me engaged the whole time was the premise. Which is, imho, a play on morality, a "what if", if you will. If you could live your life over and over, and remember this previous lives, what would you do? And North tackles this subject very well. Would you change thing to benefit yourself? Would you stay in the monotony of your everyday life and not effect catastrophic events? Or would you?

Harry doesn't mess with any of these events such as WWII, Cold War, Vietnam War or any other of the huge events of the 20th century. Well, to an extent any way. And, what I loved was that these events happened over and over again. He does dabble a little here and there, but the action starts when his close friend, or enemy, Vince/Vitali does begin to. Vince wants to know what created the world, and all that is in it. And, believes he can by creating a Quantum Mirror, to look at life on a microscopic(?) level. He does this by slight of hand, introducing tech from the 80's and 90's well before the 60's. And, this makes the "end of the world" come sooner and sooner.

A whole lot more to talk about, but would live to hear the opinion of others first. I'm looking at you ThoughtsofThelli!

Yea, after you've shook my memories loose, I'd say that the action that does occur in the 1st book is very hit and miss. I still enjoyed it and the "real" action doesn't start til nearer the end of the book. I think the mysteries, which do get answered, is what kept me going. Ultimately, your right, some books aren't for everyone...

P.S.
I've tried to read Codex Alera twice, and it just seems very boring. The start of "The Eye of the World" level of boring.

Codex Alera is very good. Tavi, is interesting to follow and as he grows he might become a bit of dues ex machine, but overall it's good, and keeps you interested. I admit it did start off a bit slow, but picks up shortly. Magic system is pretty cool too.