Pocky In My Pocket posted:

Chef Boyardeez Nuts posted:

You may want to pick up Sharp Ends, which features short stories that start before the first trilogy and end after the the standalones. If you don't read ahead you'll get some extra insights without spoilers. Khadia's story after Dagoska falls is included in the short story Hell.

For those who are all caught up, I just noticed that Salem Rews gets the chronologically first line of the universe in Sharp Ends. He's clearly the main character and everything else is just window dressing.

Yorkshire Pudding posted:

I don’t think he gained the name “Steepfield” until after the events of the original trilogy. He held a shield at the Fenris/Logan duel, and since that was 30 years ago and he’s maybe in his 50s now he had to be young. In The Heroes he obviously wasn’t much of a name because one of the themes is “most of the old heroes are dead” and it would be surprising if someone like Craw wouldn’t know him, and he wouldn’t have been mentioned or rounded up by Black Dow to either fight or be killed.

My theory is that he gained his “Steepfield” name during the battle of the Heroes (the final charge by the Union, on a real steep hill). The fun theory would be that he was the one who killed Whirrun of Bly (putting a spear through his back while he was fighting Gorst is pretty in character for him) but I don’t think that’s actually what happened, since they would have been on the same team and I don’t think he’d get much credibility for bragging about it. I do think he served under Cairm Ironhead though, and probably betrayed and murdered him.

Notahippie posted:

There's a line in TTWP where somebody says "Steepfield? *He* was the guy who held the pass in the High Places?" or something like that - I figured that was his naming battle, and it was something that happened totally offscreen since I can't recall any battles it would fit with.

Pocky In My Pocket posted:

Finished book 2 and about to start book 3. I've accidentally seen a Jezal spoiler in the blurb of another book. I have a feeling, I don't know where it comes from that Ferro is going to end up in a fight with Bethod in which either Ferro or both of them will die. Theres been too many "vengence is pointless" explicit callouts for someone not to lose someone they care about in the pursuit of vengence. If I was forced to guess I'd say Glotka dies doing something selfless but I have no idea where his plot is gonna go really.

eta: It seems so telegraphed that Quai is gonna betray Bayaz that I'm starting to suspect some kind of double-bluff instead at this point.

Yorkshire Pudding posted:

I do not remember that, anyone who just finished the book want to post that line?

quote:

But all Stour gave Leo was another dose of the side-eye. “Once you’ve heard one song of victory you’ve heard ’em all. Swap the names out and it’s the same spears shaken and horns blown and bodies carpeting the glen and all that poo poo. You see my friend Clover down there?” And he pointed out that balding bastard, the one who’d had the girl beside him with all the belts. “That fat fool used to be Jonas Steepfield.”

“Steepfield?” Leo frowned. “The one who held the pass at Grey Breaks? The one who killed Cairm Ironhead?”

“Aye. That one. He had all the glory a man could ask for. Now look at the fucker.”

Yorkshire Pudding posted:

Any other reference to the Grey Breaks? Could just be an area Joe made for this book, but if it’s mentioned in another book maybe that could help piece Clover’s story together more.

Chef Boyardeez Nuts posted:

It would make sense for him to recognize Northern notables as Bayez Inc. took over as the North's hegemon under Scale and Calder.

I think Clover exists because Abercrombie wanted to keep writing a Curdon Craw type but the timeline didn't allow for it to be Curdon Craw.

Magitek posted:

I love this. It's like a Let's Play for a novel, but more entertaining

Pocky In My Pocket posted:

I'm bad at guesses

Pocky In My Pocket posted:

Finished Last Arguement of Kings. Overall i really enjoyed it. Though it felt, to me, like the trilogy as a whole had more of a sanderson-avalance than i've ever felt from sandersons books.

The Rat posted:

I just finished that last one and hoooo boy that was a wild ride. I spent a good portion of the book growing to dislike Leo and Savine more and more, and the payoff at the end was lovely. Can't wait to see what the next book brings!

Alikchi posted:

I think my favorite bit was how Orso and Leo handled King Jappo. Orso gets Jappo to drop the facade and hammers out a deal; Leo can't stop staring at Jappo's happy trail and storms out flustered.

Chef Boyardeez Nuts posted:

I don't think Finree really *does* sad. I can see mad though.

Fly Molo posted:

And then, to cap it all off, angrily decides to invade Styria and take that disgusting pervert down a peg once he wins. You want to scream, for gently caress’s sake Leo, never gently caress with Monza. She will wreck your poo poo in a heartbeat.

Fly Molo posted:

Overall: I just finished re-listening to TTWP, and it just made me sad this time. Yes, Leo 100% brought that all this poo poo on himself, but it just seemed more tragic the second go-around. Leo’s the sort of guy who can be an inspiring leader, but the necessary fusion of administrator, politician, and capable military leader is something so few of the characters in the book series are able to balance. Off the top of my head, only Uthman, Monza, and Bethod were able to balance all 3 well enough to Accomplish Big Things, almost all of the other leaders fall well short in 1 or more areas (Rogont in military, Logan in politics, etc.). And after all this catastrophe goes down? The King and the nobles are both nearly broken as a military force, thousands of people are dead, Leo’s crippled, their baby probably has fetal alcohol/pearl dust, and for what? Nobody’s better off, except maybe Pike and Rikke. And now we get to see sad Ardee and Finree next book.

Fly Molo posted:

Leo’s the sort of guy who can be an inspiring leader, but the necessary fusion of administrator, politician, and capable military leader is something so few of the characters in the book series are able to balance. Off the top of my head, only Uthman, Monza, and Bethod were able to balance all 3 well enough to Accomplish Big Things, almost all of the other leaders fall well short in 1 or more areas (Rogont in military, Logan in politics, etc.). And after all this catastrophe goes down? The King and the nobles are both nearly broken as a military force, thousands of people are dead, Leo’s crippled, their baby probably has fetal alcohol/pearl dust, and for what? Nobody’s better off, except maybe Pike and Rikke. And now we get to see sad Ardee and Finree next book.

Suxpool posted:

I think Finree's time of relevance is safely at an end. I see no reason why her name would get mentioned in the 3rd book.

Artonos posted:

Now that I think about it Leo got way more people killed than Stour ever did.

Chef Boyardeez Nuts posted:

But my lady I carried this scribe all the way from Adua!

Suxpool posted:

why has it never been mentioned whether or not any of the magi have progeny? it's so conspicuously absent i wonder if the implication isn't that the use of magic makes one unable to have children. or maybe their children and grandchildren and so on died so long ago they lost any connection they had to family. though you'd think at least one of them would put their kid on a throne somewhere if they weren't going to train them to be magi as well.

shenkt has kids but while he used to be an apprentice to bayaz there's never been any hint of magical ability.

Vichan posted:

God, just imagine if Leo and Savine were content with being a power couple bringing prosperity to Angland while the rest of the Union goes to poo poo.