Whew, I *just* finished KoA. I was waiting until I was done to reply to this.
Great questions!! And great answers to your own questions!!
"Revealed in All His Glory." I love this, because it sort of puts a spin on the same thing Teleus said, "You are revealed at last." And how funny it is, because it's the first time they're seeing him undressed.
I think I've made it super obvious that Irene is my favorite character in this series :). Here, I see her slowly coming to accept that she is worthy of love, not just the necessary evil to keep her people alive and as fairly ruled as possible. Seeing her through Relius's eyes, as well as Costis and Aris, has fleshed her out - one sees her as both daughter figure and beloved, terrifying sovereign, one loves her as the embodiment of strength and justice, and one is fiercely loyal while also regarding her as completely alien, if necessary. Seen from below, Irene is just as awesome as seen from Gen's perspective in the second half of The Queen of Attolia.I love that entire paragraph. I love
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Oh, interesting, I don't think I've seen those complaints before about Erondites in particular. I did hear of "telling-not-showing" complaints in QoA, the most common of which was that all the characters were talking about how awesome Gen was, but some readers didn't see it. I agree with what you're saying; I think it was deliberate. It also adds to the subtlety we all like about the books. There were so many things I thought I was being "told" in the narrative, when I was actually being "shown" something else.
I think the whole "telling instead of showing" is actually silly - it all depends on what you want told and what you want shown. I think MWT got the perfect balance of reader desire to be shown some things and told others.
Here are my (complex, disorganized, and in some cases emotionally compromised) thoughts:
Erondites may be the main villain in a Sauron-esque sense (the evil puppet master, pulling strings and sending out his minions in pursuit of his own consolidation of power, while remaining himself out of sight)...
But I would say the main conflict in KoA arises from Eugenides fighting with himself. (And by extension, his servants, his wife, his gods, etc.)
Re-reading the end of QoA reminded me just how cleverly MWT set this up beforehand. Similarly, we see some foundations laid in KoA for Sophos' journey in ACoK. I look forward to slapping my forehead repeatedly once it's revealed how Thick as Thieves fits into the larger scheme of things. :)
"Gen's faith in the god of thieves is a fascinating picture of what it would mean to really have faith in a god who was there."Gen's relationship with his god is the most memorable, original, insightful, well-crafted (in other words, best) depiction of faith I've encountered in a fantasy novel. (With
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Ahh, Sauron - that's a good comparison (though obviously not in power levels :) ).
I am half agony, half hope about how Thick as Thieves pays off things...
Agree about Gen's faith (I totally forgot Puddleglum! :) Shame on me!)
Costis's stoicism is such an endearing trait, I think. I just melt when Gen calls him mini-Teleus. Your comment about honor makes me think of Zuko from Last Airbender, too.
I would be SO ON BOARD with a Costis/aristocratic lady romance.
I like the Player idea for Costis, both in Costis's Thug life sense, and the chess metaphor sense!
Belated random thoughtsan_english_girlApril 16 2017, 18:50:17 UTC
1. Does Teleus' and Gen's conversation at the end remind anyone else of where Anne Shirley says in 'Anne of Avonlea': "I never expected to win Anthony Pye's affections by whipping him" ?!? 2. Erondites is a very realistic villain: a chap with a Villainous hare lip and pockets bulging with papers marked "Treason" would not have been at all a problem to Irene! 3. This section contains what is probably my Totally Utterly Favourite Line in the whole series, which always makes me grin unstoppably just like Costis: "Because Eugenides was King of Attolia."
Re: Belated random thoughtsibmillerApril 18 2017, 14:21:27 UTC
Interesting - I hadn't made the Anne vs. Pye connection, which is odd, since I just watched the BBC Anne of Avonlea miniseries that actually includes that episode.
I definitely agree Erondites is super realistic - just not very present (as in, on screen/page).
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Great questions!! And great answers to your own questions!!
"Revealed in All His Glory." I love this, because it sort of puts a spin on the same thing Teleus said, "You are revealed at last." And how funny it is, because it's the first time they're seeing him undressed.
I think I've made it super obvious that Irene is my favorite character in this series :). Here, I see her slowly coming to accept that she is worthy of love, not just the necessary evil to keep her people alive and as fairly ruled as possible. Seeing her through Relius's eyes, as well as Costis and Aris, has fleshed her out - one sees her as both daughter figure and beloved, terrifying sovereign, one loves her as the embodiment of strength and justice, and one is fiercely loyal while also regarding her as completely alien, if necessary. Seen from below, Irene is just as awesome as seen from Gen's perspective in the second half of The Queen of Attolia.I love that entire paragraph. I love ( ... )
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You should, because Irene deserves more love =P
Oh, interesting, I don't think I've seen those complaints before about Erondites in particular. I did hear of "telling-not-showing" complaints in QoA, the most common of which was that all the characters were talking about how awesome Gen was, but some readers didn't see it. I agree with what you're saying; I think it was deliberate. It also adds to the subtlety we all like about the books. There were so many things I thought I was being "told" in the narrative, when I was actually being "shown" something else.
Ahh yes, good point about the trust!
Reply
I think the whole "telling instead of showing" is actually silly - it all depends on what you want told and what you want shown. I think MWT got the perfect balance of reader desire to be shown some things and told others.
Reply
Erondites may be the main villain in a Sauron-esque sense (the evil puppet master, pulling strings and sending out his minions in pursuit of his own consolidation of power, while remaining himself out of sight)...
But I would say the main conflict in KoA arises from Eugenides fighting with himself. (And by extension, his servants, his wife, his gods, etc.)
Re-reading the end of QoA reminded me just how cleverly MWT set this up beforehand. Similarly, we see some foundations laid in KoA for Sophos' journey in ACoK. I look forward to slapping my forehead repeatedly once it's revealed how Thick as Thieves fits into the larger scheme of things. :)
"Gen's faith in the god of thieves is a fascinating picture of what it would mean to really have faith in a god who was there."Gen's relationship with his god is the most memorable, original, insightful, well-crafted (in other words, best) depiction of faith I've encountered in a fantasy novel. (With ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
I am half agony, half hope about how Thick as Thieves pays off things...
Agree about Gen's faith (I totally forgot Puddleglum! :) Shame on me!)
Costis's stoicism is such an endearing trait, I think. I just melt when Gen calls him mini-Teleus. Your comment about honor makes me think of Zuko from Last Airbender, too.
I would be SO ON BOARD with a Costis/aristocratic lady romance.
I like the Player idea for Costis, both in Costis's Thug life sense, and the chess metaphor sense!
Reply
2. Erondites is a very realistic villain: a chap with a Villainous hare lip and pockets bulging with papers marked "Treason" would not have been at all a problem to Irene!
3. This section contains what is probably my Totally Utterly Favourite Line in the whole series, which always makes me grin unstoppably just like Costis: "Because Eugenides was King of Attolia."
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I definitely agree Erondites is super realistic - just not very present (as in, on screen/page).
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