Truth - a lesser author would have just written TUC and TSTSNBN and that would have been it.
EDIT: To be clear, it's the way he uses all of these associations in combination... it's nothing less than a mind-fuck.
This comment to me indicates that TSTSBN is required to complete the story. Bakker has confirmed however that the plot threads started in PoN are tied up in this book.
Do you think TSTSBN will be required to give readers a satisfactory conclusion?
TSTSNBN is required to give
me a satisfying conclusion
. Even if TAE concludes wonderfully, there's always been the mention of another time gap between TAE and TSTSNBN and I didn't get any greater insight into that. If Bakker were to keel, I would always,
always wonder what would have been. Hell, I look forward to a good number of years speculating/dissecting still with you all after we all read the official volume.
Thanks a lot for that, Madness.
So far you haven't said a single word about the No-God... Isn't there anything that you can tease on that? Was the NG's role in TUC anywhere near what you expected?
eta: Do we have new PoV characters? (Whether human or not.)
I have Calibander's (Mithfanion here) questions done up below
.
What's unclear about that, as Wilshere posted in the quorum as well, is whether or not the manuscript is in, and has been in with the publishers since the announcement on Scott;s blog, back in January or so, and that what is going on now is the publisher and Scott doing their editing work on it, which is the normal process between handing in the MS and final publication.
Or, if the manuscript has been handed in, but that there are rewrites being required in such a sense that the book is still being written. That could cause another serious delay, but I believe from what we have been told that the former is the case here. That's why publication in early 2015 would be reasonable.
Yeah, I can't make it clearer myself, I'm sorry. This was something we talked about a fair bit proportionate to any non-content discussions we had - as I'm very interested in doing what I can to facilitate Bakker's writerly career but also our bounty of reading material from the man. And I really, really just don't understand how publishing works for all that discussion.
I know that, in Bakker's hands, there have multiple, whole-book, revisions. I think the process of shopping the book around to his draft-readers has also taken longer than he thought. And the people in the business who need to have the book at "this stage" have the book...
I realize a date is what everyone really wants... all I can say is to be patient, help us do something to gain some notoriety (i.e. sales) for the books that are out now, and we'll get the book sooner.
On that note, this is also the surest way to see some kind of Bakker book-tour funded after the release (bar us patronizing him ourselves or doing some kind of SA specific meet-up and crowdsourcing him there). Besides raising one author above the many, publisher's seem to do very little that isn't in their interest of returns. And established authors make returns
.
Anyhow...
Here are maybe a third of the Qs that Mithfanion posed in lieu of everyone's "onslaught" of questions
.
Obviously, many I wouldn't touch and some I included specifically because I promised to try and illustrate what kinds of things I probably can't say.
But in the hopes of whetting some fevered appetites. Enjoy. And thank Calibander all ye Westerosi ingrates a'hovering, if you aren't partaking here.
Will it be published as one book? Do you have any idea about the publication date?I really don’t know. Of what I’ve read, I definitely voiced the thought that it would benefit from being split up into two books. I think I’ve already answered the publishing question as best I can. As soon as it’s locked into the pipeline, we’ll get it. And, basically, not a minute before the queue makes it so. It really seems the case that if the publisher thinks Bakker will sell more, then we’ll get it earlier. But again, quarters, priority authors, etc, seem to dictate release entirely.
Do we meet new characters? If yes is there anything you can say about who they are, what race or group they belong to?Hmm… I guess this would be a moment to tease. Yes? No?
Meppa is Fane reincarnated I read on the board. That does away with all the Moenghus rumours that I never bought into. Does he have a big role in the next book? It's an interesting revelation btw. If Meppa is the reincarnation of Fane, is there a reincarnation of Inri Sejenus as well?Lol – Trisk has you all misled.
Couple of questions regarding the Nonmen: Do we go to Ishterebinth and really see the place described? Do we meet new Nonmen characters? Do we find out who the current Nonmen King is, and what his true alliance is? Finally I am very interested in knowing whether we get to see the Nonmen display their prowess in the last novel?Mithfanion had asked me most of these Qs before I posted the transcript. Aside from where SilentRoamer asked about the Intact, he also asked me this one while we were playing chess the other night. Is “going to Ishterebinth” actually serious question still
? I made the joke that I should have answered that Sorweel just stands there and masturbates for several hundred pages.
I’d much prefer to let you all live Ishterebinth yourselves
.
Without revealing the plot or his fate, can you say if the No God makes an actual appearance?I don’t think I can speak on that.
So you've said that many of the mysteries will be resolved, but that many new questions will arise.
Without revealing the outcome of any of the mysteries, can you name a few mysteries that will be resolved?Not really, no… Bakker’s a madman. I can think of one plotline specifically, which will torture me for its “resolution.” Perspective is a big deal with Bakker. So many “solved” mysteries are still entwined with ambiguity, of course.
I am insanely curious about anything you could say about Kellhus in this novel. Does his power here rise to a new level? As with the Nonmen question, does he get to show his full prowess in this one, does he get to let go? How desperate does the situation get? Do we see things from him that we have not seen before, or on a greater scale? His screen time was limited in the first two novels, also in terms of showing his ability.Ah, the balance of power. Lol… the straits are most dire. What can I say about this to raise some hype? That both the exercise of power and the proportionate desperation have, so far, exceeded the speculative journeys of all but very few dark souls.
Will there be dragons in it?I just thought I’d take the opportunity with this one so that any TSACast listeners may note, the podcast was the very last piece of content speculation I engaged in
before reading.
What about the Hundred? What I mean is, do any of the other Gods, manifest physically in the world, or through an Avatar? If yes, could you say who manifests physically or through an avatar?I can’t speak on this
.
How special is Mimara? Is she a reincarnation too? The same questions I also have about her child.I really think the first question depends on who you are
?
What were you most pleased about while reading the book?Great question. There were simply so many moments that ping the associations he’s built up throughout the books. In a way, that hasn’t bottomed out on me yet anyhow, the more immersed you are in the world, the more rewarded you are in terms of “a-ha!” moments.
I was most pleased that we’ve gotten a chance to watch Bakker find his stride and just in time too. So many chilling, shiver-worthy moments of awesome.
But I’ll say Ishterebinth, in terms of a straight answer, though there are several other contenders. I still cannot believe that
Bakker wrote those passages though… Not that I thought him incapable, it simply seems so foreign and flawless to anything else that he's written before.
Was there anything in it that blew you away in terms of revelations, or were their characters that you really liked in this novel? Moments or set pieces that stood out?I cannot stress enough that from here on out the striptease is over. It gets real. I happen to think that basically everything is a major revelation. There were so many times I had to pause after a section to digest significances. Or in my initial reading when I just read to read, rather than to scrutinize, where I would stop reading entirely in order to better savor how my world had been so overturned.
I’d rather not get into specifics so that the wonder can impact you all first-hand.
Do we learn more about the history of the Nonmen, and the Inchoroi? Do we hear more references to their ancient battles such as the Cunu-Inchoroi wars? More about Sil, Ciogli the Mountain, Cujara Cinmoi?Ishterebinth. Infodumps
.
Do we go to Dagliash?That does seem to be on the map towards Golgotterath
?
Does Kelmomas have a significant role in this book?Kelmomas remains a significant POV. And, as climactic entries into a series such as this should, I feel like his plotline was one of the best and most surprising!
Do any Mandati sorcerers stand out in this novel?I feel like this is a good moment to let my awe bleed through but I really don’t want to spoil anything for anyone.
All of them
?!
Does the storyline surrounding Meppa, Fanyal and Malowebi get significant screen time in this novel?You forgot Psatma in their little crew of adventurers but yes. As should be expected, I think?
Are the adventures of Kellhus and the Great Ordeal the main, central storyline of this novel?It really depends on how the book takes form, I think. In accordance with taste, different plot-lines have different potential to impact different temperaments of readers. I know that the Ordeal and Isterebinth really stood out for me as whole arcs. But again… so many revelations everywhere.
Are there more flashbacks to the time of Seswatha, Nau Cayuti and Celmomas? I really enjoyed those.Yeap. One will stay with me as one of the best passages Bakker has ever written. Definite chills and shivers.
Are there new POV characters? Can you say who will be a new POV?Lol, another good opportunity to tease? Yes? No?
Do you think the character and faction glossary at the end of the book will be expanded for publication of TUC?I think I can see how this question could be leveraged to garner you implications… As should be expected, I think that the Expanded Encyclopedia will receive an infusion of entries following TAE.
Any additional maps you think, or do the two from WLW suffice?Bakker’s a world-building junkie
? Shimeh featured as a map in TTT, I have a feeling some other places could get map treatment? Something like this, at this point, probably depends on a readership interested in this kind of “extra-content.”
Will the Judging Eye be used, and if yes, more than once?Another moment where I think my excitement should bleed through but that I absolutely will not speak on.
Cheers all.
I think Bakker probably deserves some thank yous for dropping this on us
.
