Obvious in retrospect.

[freenarnian]

I hope I'm not the only one ready for another round of obsessive, in-depth, delight-and-amuse-Megan-by-finding-what-isn't-(or-is-it?)-there book discussion!

Because I just finished a 2nd reading of A Conspiracy of Kings.

Comments

[drashizu]

The Thief takes place entirely in summer; The Queen of Attolia starts in summer one year later and finishes in spring not quite two years after that; and The King of Attolia takes place entirely in the following summer, making for 3 full years (approximately) since The Thief. Sophos's captivity in A Conspiracy of Kings must begin some time before the end of the same summer, then, because it's already news in The King of Attolia.

As for when it ends, Sophos describes the way the slaves' work changes for the winter season ("Our jobs changed for the winter season. We worked on indoor tasks more often, repairing tools, patching clothes, fetching in loads of wood for the household." p. 59). Then, when he and the magus are in Attolia, it appears to be summer again ("The long summer twilight was in the sky outside, but the lamps were lit in the small dining room, casting a warm glow over the diners reclined on their couches." p. 190).

I see that as evidence that, all told, A Conspiracy of Kings spans one year, if you're counting by seasons and the exact dates don't matter so much. This means that by the end of the series so far it has been approximately 4 full years since the events of The Thief.

I also learned that my Kindle version will provide page numbers for me if I copy and paste the words. Cool!

Edit: Also, this is such a cool discussion, and I'm glad that you asked these questions because I think reading everyone else's opinions has helped me solidify my own ideas about the oath-swearing thing. We should do another reread of these books so we can ask more questions like these!

[freenarnian]

Good detective work. You rock.

[drashizu]

Thanks! :)

[hazelwillow]

This is really helpful. I've never been able to keep track of exactly how many years pass. :)