Let there be Nothing, and there was Nothing.
Currently reading: The Thousandfold Thought, Book Three of the Prince of Nothing trilogy.
Randomly Bespattered Thoughts
- You know what this book is? Ultimately? It's Blindsight, tackled from an opposite angle. No, Blindsight is this book tackled from the other side of the coin, all for definitions of "this book" that really translate as "this book's central thesis." Except that it's not even PoN's central thesis, but a side-effect of the point the writer is really trying to make, a side-effect I can't seem to let go of.
- Alternatively, since I am only capable of I choose to only address this book via comparisons to other things I've read, the entire story is the nitty gritty of how a Missionaria Protectiva is successfully exploited. As you'd expect, the "messiah" soon finds themselves surfing a wave too vast to partition, too fast to escape. This ride ends only in Apocalypse.
- there must be a reason why the magic system is so frighteningly limited. No teleport, no enchanted items (except the Chorae of course, which only sort of technically count), absolutely no healing. What they do have is supremely destructive attacks and defense that barely counts as such (arrows don't stop in midair, they're immolated, ya dig?) However, the difference between Anagogic sorcery and that of the Gnosis is really really clever and explains a lot. Wee!
- Dune-parallels are so numerous, I'm not surprised R. Scott Bakker started the first book sometime before I learned to walk. Dunyain are Bene Gesserit with a side of Mentat, Xerius is Baron Harkonnen (only less stable), Conphas is Feyd-Ruatha (only smarter and crazier), Inchoroi = Bene Tleilaxu, skin-spies = Face Dancers, chanv = sappho-juice ... and the list goes on.
- Kellhus is a human - no, humanoid - instance of the Blight (see: A Fire Upon The Deep).
- What motivates the Dunyain? Their culture, That Which Comes Before Itself. They are nodes of a mobile philosphy, nothing more. Funny thing is, they can't possibly be zombies, which was the only way I could think of to explain what they do. Got Scramblers on the brain, I know. Nah, far from being unconscious, they are super-conscious. He is Siri Keeton and an infinitely cynical Paul Atreides, he is Michelangelo Kusanagi-Jones and he is Vincent Katherinessen, he is Jesus Christ and Tao. You? You're just ... an extension of his phenotype, that's all.
- all told, the asskickery of Prince of Nothing is so unbridled I could just shit.
PS
You understand, of course, the bullet-point system is an excuse to not have to gather my thoughts into a decent essay before posting, which is what the Prince of Nothing books deserves. Riiiight ... but Hey! This isn't PhD, this is LJB!!!
Randomly Bespattered Thoughts
- You know what this book is? Ultimately? It's Blindsight, tackled from an opposite angle. No, Blindsight is this book tackled from the other side of the coin, all for definitions of "this book" that really translate as "this book's central thesis." Except that it's not even PoN's central thesis, but a side-effect of the point the writer is really trying to make, a side-effect I can't seem to let go of.
- Alternatively, since I am only capable of I choose to only address this book via comparisons to other things I've read, the entire story is the nitty gritty of how a Missionaria Protectiva is successfully exploited. As you'd expect, the "messiah" soon finds themselves surfing a wave too vast to partition, too fast to escape. This ride ends only in Apocalypse.
- there must be a reason why the magic system is so frighteningly limited. No teleport, no enchanted items (except the Chorae of course, which only sort of technically count), absolutely no healing. What they do have is supremely destructive attacks and defense that barely counts as such (arrows don't stop in midair, they're immolated, ya dig?) However, the difference between Anagogic sorcery and that of the Gnosis is really really clever and explains a lot. Wee!
- Dune-parallels are so numerous, I'm not surprised R. Scott Bakker started the first book sometime before I learned to walk. Dunyain are Bene Gesserit with a side of Mentat, Xerius is Baron Harkonnen (only less stable), Conphas is Feyd-Ruatha (only smarter and crazier), Inchoroi = Bene Tleilaxu, skin-spies = Face Dancers, chanv = sappho-juice ... and the list goes on.
- Kellhus is a human - no, humanoid - instance of the Blight (see: A Fire Upon The Deep).
- What motivates the Dunyain? Their culture, That Which Comes Before Itself. They are nodes of a mobile philosphy, nothing more. Funny thing is, they can't possibly be zombies, which was the only way I could think of to explain what they do. Got Scramblers on the brain, I know. Nah, far from being unconscious, they are super-conscious. He is Siri Keeton and an infinitely cynical Paul Atreides, he is Michelangelo Kusanagi-Jones and he is Vincent Katherinessen, he is Jesus Christ and Tao. You? You're just ... an extension of his phenotype, that's all.
- all told, the asskickery of Prince of Nothing is so unbridled I could just shit.
PS
You understand, of course, the bullet-point system is an excuse to not have to gather my thoughts into a decent essay before posting, which is what the Prince of Nothing books deserves. Riiiight ... but Hey! This isn't PhD, this is LJB!!!