That likewise reminds me of this quote:

“I will strip you to your footings,” the Nonman grated. “Though I love, I will upend your soul’s foundation! I will release you from the delusions of this word ‘Man,’ and draw forth the beast—the soulless beast!—that is the howling Truth of all things … You will tell me!”

Mekeritrig threatening Nautzera as Seswatha for the location of the Heron Spear. It sounds very Dunyain,  especially with the capital T Truth.

I'm not too far ahead of you, Wilshire, I'm past Memories of Ice. I also read the first Bauchelain & Korbal Broach story since I wanna do everything in chronological release order.

I like that I'm more inside the heads of Bakker's characters, Erikson's are always holding something back to build the mystery. Erikson is more Epic in scope, which is quite a feat, but the PoN Trilogy was much more powerful than anything else. I'm more along for the incredible ride with Malazan but TSA just haunts me with that gnawing desperation to know what happens next. Hard to say which I enjoy more, really, although Erikson covers a broader range of emotions, something that's much needed after slogging through Earwa. I will say that reading the lengthier fantasies makes me appreciate that Bakker doesn't need 1,000 pages to get his point across. I wouldn't mind seeing what a longer novel of his would be like, though, should they keep TUC as one volume.

Welcome! Erikson and Bakker are my two favorite fantasy authors of today, I don't think you will be disappointed!

Definitely stay away from spoilers, this series is all about building mystery and not knowing what will happen next.

I guess it's a chicken or the egg scenario but I tend to think the Inchoroi's proclivities preceded (and caused) their damnation. It comes back to them being a very technologically advanced society for two reasons:

1) I read an interview where Bakker was asked about the Inchoroi and he only vaguely answered by pointing out how division of labor gives people more time to pursue their interests or pleasures. Given how advanced they are, they've likely had plenty of time to refine their adoration of the flesh.

2) this is Bakker's universe and he is of the opinion that scientific understanding necessarily displaces our notions of cosmic significance. On such a teleological timeline, their scientific sophistication suggests they probably had a very nihilistic view about themselves and the universe. It's easy to see how such a race would be inclined towards hedonism, without any fear of an afterlife, karma, or any format of idealism for that matter.

So they were free of conscious and obligations to go to pursue their carnal pleasure, only to discover (or accidentally misinterpret) that damnation is actually real. I suspect Bakker is positioning the Inchoroi as what we may easily become, and alot sooner than you might think. As we recognize the arbitrary nature of our traditional sexual prohibitions and further develop our ability to physically modify ourselves, it's not to far fetched that we would be rocking clam heads with wings and pheromone releases

I haven't ruled out that Fane was a Dunyain and the solitary god is related to the meaning and free will that they hope to achieve. It makes me wonder if the history of the three seas and the second apocalypse have been orchestrated by them to culminate in the event that allows them to unlock this.

I'm leaning towards the Fanim being right and the Inrithi being wrong for a couple reasons. There's the Inchoroi origins of the Tusk and since Sejenus was hailed as its culmination, it doesn't bode well for where he comes from. The fact that he ascended to the nail of heaven, which is heavily speculated to be an orbital space station, also concerns me. Despite all the inconsistencies and nuances between religions in our world, the fact that so many faiths keep coming back to the idea of The Sacred Heart leads me to believe the Fanim might be onto something. Unless it's just another self-flattering deception

Looks like that magazine is really cheap (and cool)

Since The Aspect Emperor was a title mentioned in the preceding books, my prediction is...

The Solitary God