(Still trying to get my thoughts to make sense, where do I even start...)
I know there have been many, many posts since then, but I'll address Jackehehe's points from the first post anyway.
In general: my main impression of the book comes off as positive - while there were a few things that were mildly disappointing (though that's more a matter of subjectivity) and some loose ends that maybe should have been addressed (I agree with everyone who's said that Bakker left gave us far more mysteries than reveals), I really liked it as a whole.
The ending itself: Very bleak (I thought to myself "well, that's a downer") when reading the last few pages, but definitely thematically appropriate. It's not like it came out of nowhere or anything, I recall many people had predicted this or something like it would happen. But yes, still depressing.
Kellhus' death: I admit I was a bit confused at the time and had to go back and reread that passage. It does seem like the Kellhus greeting the Ordeal was some sort of hologram like it has been suggested. As for him not noticing Kelmomas: it makes sense to me, remember how little attention he had always paid Kelmomas, he had not even noticed his true nature until it was far too late. He thought he had him controlled after taking him and Esmenet away from Momemn and once again underestimated him and his weakness (feelings for Esmenet) caused her to release Kelmomas. Kellhus' blind spots ultimately doomed him, which for me, is a good resolution and ending for his character arc.
Kellhus: good or bad? That is a difficult question. It's not just a black or white kind of morality with him. I think he genuinely wanted to save the world, no matter how many heinous acts it would take, or how many people he would have to sacrifice as pawns to his plans. Ultimately, he thought himself fully capable of handling the threat of the Consult and was brought down by his own weaknesses (see above). I think I'll always see him as a (very) dark grey character in the morality spectrum.
Dûnyain take over the Consult: I was
not expecting that. While I was a bit disappointed that Aurang, Aurax, Mekeritrig and Shauriatas were defeated so easily (and the Dûnyain Consult had even killed/broken Shauriatas and Aurax before we even got to see them!), it does fit the theme of the story. If one Dûnyain can take over Eärwa, five of them certainly can take over the Consult. While my first reaction wasn't great, the more I think about it, the more I like this development.
Momemn story arc: It definitely wasn't pointless: it served to flesh out the character of Kelmomas and his relationship to Ajokli as well as his role as a narindar (and we had his interactions with another narindar, too). Plus, there was Esmenet's descent into despair over the loss of her children and the (assumed) betrayal on Maithanet's part, which led to her hating Kellhus for it (more than she could ever hate Kelmomas, even after learning the truth). That subsequently caused her to give Kelmomas the means to free himself and indirectly resulted in Kellhus' death at the end.
(
And this arc gave us Thelli, my favourite Anasûrimbor, how could it be pointless?
)
Kayûtas: I have to mostly agree with Jackehehe here...I thought he was a boring character for the first three books of this series. Nothing distinctive about him (unlike his siblings), he was basically a more human Kellhus, "Kellhus Lite", if you will.
While I agree he did have a role as a Kellhus stand-in to Sorweel and later Proyas, and was the tiniest bit more interesting to me by the end, I ultimately came away from the series with (almost) the same impression I had at the beginning. I guess that can be more of a subjective thing, though, as some people out there might like him as a character?
He may be, however, the only one of Kellhus' children left alive for the next series, as it seems possible he survived. Kelmomas, as the No-God, isn't really "alive" anymore (at least not as himself). Serwa likely died at the end or shortly afterwards, given that she had already survived that blast which left her disfigured and covered in burns, and was later struck by the Chorae and lost at least part of an arm.
Malowebi: Again, the wonders of subjectivity.
I liked Malowebi's POV, it was a way to have direct access to what was happening with Kellhus when he wasn't close to any other POVs. A Kellhus POV might have given away too much, especially at the end. But again, that's just my opinion, and I didn't even mind the constant cursing of Likaro. (as a side note: I kind of hope that we get to see Likaro himself in the next series, even if briefly)
The Boy: I kept wondering about him when I was about halfway through the book and realized we hadn't seen him make an appearance yet. I presumed it's not random at all and he is being saved for a greater role in the next series, as (mostly?) everyone else seems to think.
Cnaïur: He is always a fascinating character to have around, I also enjoyed every scene he was in. I hadn't realized I had really missed him in this series, even with the scene at the end of TGO. About his confrontation with the No-God, after a quick reread of that scene, it seems like he was possessed by Ajokli? (Or was it Gilgaöl, as some think? Gilgaöl had possessed him before in PON, as I recall...) Not really sure what to say about it, just that I might need to think about it for a longer time.
Achamian: While I have to agree about the Akka/Mimara storyline not having a proper resolution at the end, it did contribute to worldbuilding as people have pointed out. I believe they, along with the Boy, will have more important roles to play later on (though I still wish they'd got to do more).
Serwa: Unlike Kayûtas, it was very much her time in the spotlight in this book, and she did get amazing moments even if there was no followup to the fight with the dragon. I think she had a good conclusion to her arc anyway, going by the assumption she died at the end/not long after.
More thoughts to follow later...probably.
