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Messages - Wolfdrop

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76
Atrocity Tales / Re: The Carathayan [Short Story Spoilers]
« on: May 20, 2017, 12:15:30 pm »
Awesome, thanks Madness!

I had thought that they weren't mutually exclusive, but part of me was convinced that something was in the wrong order and that "towering" should have been referring to Bogyar.

Looking forward to reading this one.

77
Atrocity Tales / Re: The Carathayan [Short Story Spoilers]
« on: May 19, 2017, 08:54:13 pm »
This is going to sound like a weird question but is his appearance described in this?

In TGO he's described as "towering" and "thin and stammering" in the same sentence which confused me.

78
Literature / Mark T Barnes - Echoes of Empire
« on: February 02, 2017, 01:53:34 pm »
Anyone checked this series out?

I just started reading the first book "The Gardens of Stone" yesterday. I've had it for over a year and bought it purely because of the awesome artwork.

It seems pretty good so far but I can't help but wondering if the author has read/been influenced by TSA.

Don't get me wrong, its an extremely different style of world building,we've had wyvern riders, lionmen, half-horse men, glass armour that changes shape, and a number of other concepts different to TSA in the first chapter, but there's a lot of similarities.

The names are in places fairly similar to both TSA and Malazan and in the first chapters there has been a number of similarities with the magic in particular:

Sorcerers organised into Schools and Covens, taking the field.
Their eyes and mouths glowing when they use it (or so it seems) "made a lantern of their faces".
Agonic collar equivalents, "salt-forged steel" that renders magic users harmless.
Spells describes as cantos and theorems
Spells taking the forms of blue-white geometries
Rotating geometric "Wards"
A seemingly anagogic spell that takes the form of "butterflies of light" that explode when they fly into people.
The main character uses the "Possibility Tree", a technique taught by an ancient order of warrior-mage-scholars, to decide on what to do. The process and the name just made me think "Probability Trance".
We've got a "Mark" equivalent too looks like.

There's a couple of maps, and a fairly expansive glossary of Houses, Factions, Races and terms in the back, reminiscent of Dune.

All the races and terms are pretty heavy going and the writing is definitely not on a level with TSA, but the first couple of chapters have convinced me to give it a fair chance. It's a trilogy that can hopefully tide me over a little until TUC.

I'll post updates as I read!

EDIT: I've posted a link to the glossary if anyone wants to check it out beforehand.

http://www.marktbarnes.com/pdfs/Glossary%20-%20Terms.pdf

79
The Great Ordeal / Who are The Jaguars?
« on: November 22, 2016, 09:05:48 pm »
In Chapter One of the Great Ordeal, Hituridas, the Ainoni soldier mentions his "fellow Jaguars".

This is the quote: "Hatturidas continued tramping. Beyond him, thousands of his brother Jaguars toiled, and innumerable others beyond them as well, bent beneath packs and arms and armour. The World seemed to roll as a ball beneath them, so vast was the Great Ordeal."

I missed it on my first read but I'm trying to recall any mention of these guys. I'm assuming they're some sort of company of Kishyati/Ainoni soldiers but as far as I can tell they're never mentioned again in the book, or in any of the battle sequences.

Any got any thoughts on this?

I'm hoping for at least a small mention on them in the expanded glossary in TUC.

80
The White-Luck Warrior / Re: TWLW editions
« on: October 24, 2016, 07:13:39 pm »
It's changed from what's known as an A-format paperback (17.8 cm) to a B-format (19.8 cm)

It's not so much Orbit that's made the change as all UK publishers. Bookshops over here now stock almost exclus B-format these days. Unfortunately it's the new norm, where it used to be A-format. It's especially annoying when it happens mid-series.

It happened with Malazan but Bantam were good enough to put out both formats to complete the set. That said, I had to get them online, only ever seen B-format for Toll the Hounds onwards in stores.

It annoys me too!

81
Author Q&A / Is Sarl Norsirai?
« on: June 30, 2016, 05:00:53 pm »
Pretty simple question.

I always imagined he was but don't recall if it was mentioned.

82
The Canadian editions are actually my favourite.

I've got the small Ian Rankine ones, the funny sized Canadian small ones and the trade Canadians for loaning out.

Among others...

83
Author Q&A / Re: Heraldry and banners
« on: June 26, 2016, 02:41:08 pm »
Nice finds Auriga!

I remembered the Kyranean lions now from Anaxophus/Kellhus's breastplates!

The rest I had totally forgotten about! So thanks for that.

Good points made on the earlier nations not having heraldry as such, I just find it interesting.

Hope we hear about some more banners of the Great Ordeal. 

84
Sometimes my partial OCD helps!

Less so, when you need to rebuy the series so your books are the same size 😭.

85
Author Q&A / Re: Heraldry and banners
« on: June 25, 2016, 07:00:10 pm »
Nil Setrax: Thanks man, I think it's actually a three-head snake and the Ainoni pictograms for "truth" but that's the closest the tool would allow!

Madness: I posted them on the subreddit ages back, before I discovered here, I really ought to get more involved!

86
Author Q&A / Heraldry and banners
« on: June 25, 2016, 02:53:03 pm »
I really enjoy the banners and symbols of the various armies and potentates through the series.

Enough that I cobbled together this: http://imgur.com/a/s7zX1

Will we ever hear about or see the banners of ancient nations like Kuniuri, Aorsi or Kyraneas?

Or the Copper Tree symbol of the Cu'Jara Cinmoi expanded upon or other Nonman banners?

Cheers

87
From my reading of the scene I gathered that a Quya was onboard, creating an echo of the ground for the chariot to ride on. An invisible road basically, in the same manner the sorcerers are so often seen to "walk in the sky".

I think the chariot and horses are totally mundane and the the embassy involves the envoy Nin'Sarriccas himself, a charioteer/pilot and Quya to provide the sorcerous road.

I dug out some quotes from my copy (Penguin Trade Paperback) for reference, p355-356.

"He saw black horses-a team of four. He saw wheels..."

"The sorcerous chariot rode a low arc over the churned landscape. Sunlight flashed across panels laden with graven images. Sorweel saw three pale faces hanging above of the gilded rail-one of them shouting light." 

There's your Quya.

"The hooves of the blacks bit into the denuded turfs, and wings of dust and gravel sprawled about their glossy flanks"

I think this is when they touch down, and transition from riding an echo of the ground, to real ground.

"The centre figure leaned back, pulling hard on the reins."

There's your charioteer.

Hope this helps clear things up!

88
Question: Was Nau Cayuti in the No-God carapace?

89
Prediction: Yatwer will manifest to Sorweel again during Ishteribinth 

90
Question: Is Mimara's Sheara a scale or mail hauberk, it seemed to change a few times and I'm OCD

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