|
Wahad posted:Chapter 14: Daylight Huh, I’d forgotten all about Dorath reappearing in this book. I thought that he was only in Taran Wanderer. For that matter, I’d forgotten that Medwyn told the animals to help against Annuvin. I wondered what the hell the wolves suddenly showed up.
|
# ? May 3, 2024 04:34 |
|
|
# ? Jun 5, 2024 04:11 |
|
Chapter 15: The River of Icequote:UNDER THE SUDDEN OUTPOURING of golden light, the Huntsmen shouted in alarm and a wave of fear rippled along the marching column as they faltered and fell back into the protection of a deep gorge. Instantly Taran realized how closely he had come to leading the Commot horsemen into a fatal trap, but a cry of joy sprang from his lips. Good old Doli. quote:After a further show of reluctance, which deceived no one, except perhaps Doli himself, the crimson-haired dwarf consented to do as Taran had asked. Doli wrinkled his eyes shut, took a deep breath, as though making ready to plunge into icy water, and flickered out of sight. Had it not been for a stifled sound of irritable grumbling, Taran would not have believed Doli to be there at all. Only the faint click of pebbles stirred by unseen feet told Taran that the dwarf had moved from the tunnel toward the enemy lines. Hullo! quote:"YOU HAVE AN ODD WAY of welcoming people," Eilonwy went on, as Taran, his heart too full to speak, stared speechless at her. "You might at least say something." As the prophecy foretold! And our party is back together in full strength. All the better to tackle the most dangerous part ahead; Annuvin itself.
|
# ? May 4, 2024 20:47 |
|
Good old Doli!
|
# ? May 4, 2024 21:17 |
|
Genghis Cohen posted:Eh, he got his throat torn out by a wolf. I think the details of the description are occluded in line with the YA audience of the books. Most violence in them seems to be portrayed that way, people bloodlessly expire like an early 20th century swashbuckling movie. But it's definitely not a lovely way to go. Given his threats to Eilonwy were something rather past the PG line themselves, I think a nice brutal throat tearing was terribly appropriate really even for YA fiction.
|
# ? May 5, 2024 03:35 |
|
MadDogMike posted:Given his threats to Eilonwy were something rather past the PG line themselves, I think a nice brutal throat tearing was terribly appropriate really even for YA fiction.
|
# ? May 5, 2024 09:15 |
|
This whole situation would be a lot simpler if Glew were a giant.
|
# ? May 5, 2024 16:47 |
|
Darthemed posted:This whole situation would be a lot simpler if Glew were a giant. Just send Glew to fend off/hopefully get swarmed to death by the Cauldron-Born. Everyone wins.
|
# ? May 6, 2024 06:35 |
|
Mintymenman posted:The Kestrel/Westmark books are delightful and Time Cat keeps getting reprinted for a reason. Also, just going to drop this here: Catching up on the thread, and wanted to say thanks to everyone for the recommendations about Alexander's other work. Looking forward to starting the Westmark series. Also, that Youtube link is fantastic.
|
# ? May 6, 2024 15:32 |
|
Chapter 16: The Enchanterquote:LIKE A WEARY CHILD, the old man hunched over the bookstrewn table, his head upon his arm. Across his bony shoulders he had flung a cloak; the fire still flickered in the hearth, but the chill of this winter sank into him more deeply than any other he could remember. At his feet, Hen Wen stirred restlessly and whimpered in a high, plaintive voice. Dallben, who was neither altogether asleep nor awake, reached down a frail hand and gently scratched her ear. The pig would not be calmed. Her pink snout twitched, she snorted and muttered unhappily and tried to hide her head in the folds of his robe. The enchanter at last roused himself. Hey, Dallben does know magic! How about that.
|
# ? May 8, 2024 16:28 |
|
Wahad posted:Chapter 16: The Enchanter Probably my favourite chapter in the entire series . The guy who effortlessly sacked the capital of Prydain and killed the High King shows up with his crew to raze a tiny farm in the middle of nowhere, encounters a real wizard with a real divine artifact in his care and just gets erased from existence in three sentences. Yes, it's a cheap way of dealing with a villain who vastly outstrips the heroes in power and who they could never defeat in a fair fight, but it's no less awesome to see it go down.
|
# ? May 8, 2024 17:03 |
nine-gear crow posted:Probably my favourite chapter in the entire series . The guy who effortlessly sacked the capital of Prydain and killed the High King shows up with his crew to raze a tiny farm in the middle of nowhere, encounters a real wizard with a real divine artifact in his care and just gets erased from existence in three sentences. It doesn't feel cheap because its the exact kind of dumb poo poo you expect Pryderi to do. I also interpreted the "cannot kill" line less as Dallben not having the power to do so and more that Dallben being vehemently opposed to it. It's the contrast between the real power Dallben has vs Pryderi's shallow power based solely on violence.
|
|
# ? May 9, 2024 14:24 |
|
Chapter 17: The Snowstormquote:THE FAIR FOLK WARRIORS, all save Doli, had turned back at the line of treeless crags marking the westernmost edge of the Hills of Bran-Galedd, for beyond that point the land lay under the sway of Arawn Death-Lord. For some days now the companions had toiled painfully through a wilderness of stone, where not even moss or lichen flourished. The sky was gray, and the few thin clouds no more than shreds of darker gray. It was as though an evil mist had seeped from the stronghold of Annuvin, stifling all living things and leaving only this rocky waste. Good old Doli. Also, it's a little harrowing to see what effect the realm of Annuvin has on the Fair Folk. No wonder Gwystyl was so miserable all the time, having parked as close to the borders as he was. quote:Fflewddur was first to sight the gwythaints. In the distance, above a shallow ravine three black-winged shapes soared and circled. Gained a powerful (though not so much at the moment) sorceress, lost a harp. Is that an even trade?
|
# ? May 11, 2024 18:37 |
|
Lotta good moments in this chapter. I had forgotten about Fflewddur burning his harp - personal sacrifices like that always get me.
|
# ? May 11, 2024 19:27 |
“Since the day she threw me in her dungeon, I’ve noticed something unfriendly about her” is a great line (one among many).
|
|
# ? May 12, 2024 15:09 |
|
TheGreatEvilKing posted:I also interpreted the "cannot kill" line less as Dallben not having the power to do so and more that Dallben being vehemently opposed to it. It's the contrast between the real power Dallben has vs Pryderi's shallow power based solely on violence. I figured it was just the usual rules-lawyering where Dallben's like "Yeah *I* can't kill you but if I set some fires and then die.... "
|
# ? May 12, 2024 15:28 |
|
Wahad posted:Chapter 17: The Snowstorm Flewddur sacrificing his harp was probably the bit that got to me most as a kid. As the harp has appeared in all 5 books, along with its spell that makes the strings break whenever Flewddur lies, it’s almost a character in its own right. It’s a beautifully written bit, with details like the fire it made lasting all night, and only the magical unbreakable string being left by morning.
|
# ? May 12, 2024 22:49 |
|
Hemp Knight posted:Flewddur sacrificing his harp was probably the bit that got to me most as a kid. As the harp has appeared in all 5 books, along with its spell that makes the strings break whenever Flewddur lies, it’s almost a character in its own right. It’s a beautifully written bit, with details like the fire it made lasting all night, and only the magical unbreakable string being left by morning. Yeah, that was surprisingly gut-wrenching when I first read it, and I was already less than cheery from Coll going down earlier. Though of course it ain't over yet.
|
# ? May 14, 2024 07:30 |
|
The harp burning through the night playing a final song is proper myth n' legend stuff, that is how you write magic.
|
# ? May 14, 2024 10:50 |
|
Chapter 18: Mount Dragonquote:AS DOLI HAD FORETOLD Llassar had led the warriors to shelter in a cave and had saved them from the full fury of the snowstorm. The companions now made ready to continue their journey. The sharp crags that were their last obstacle lay not far distant. The crest of Mount Dragon loomed dark and forbidding. With the help of Taran's healing potions and Eilonwy's care, Achren had regained consciousness. Fflewddur was still reluctant to come within fewer than three paces of the black-robed Queen, but Gurgi had finally taken enough courage to open his wallet and offer food to the half-starved woman--- although the creature's face wrinkled uneasily and he held out the morsels at arm's length, as if fearful of being bitten. Achren, however, ate sparingly; Glew, for his part, lost no time in snatching up what remained, popping it into his mouth and glancing about to see whether more might be forthcoming. Achren's fever had left her weakened in body, yet her face had lost none of its haughtiness; and after Taran had briefly recounted what had brought the companions so close to Annuvin it was with ill-disguised scorn that she answered him. Well, at least the gang has a way in. Maybe. quote:ANOTHER DAY'S TRAVEL brought the companions across a harsh, uneven valley that lay within the shadow of Mount Dragon itself. The summit had been well named, for Taran saw its peak was in the rough shape of a monstrous, crested head with gaping jaws, and on either side the lower slopes spread like outflung wings. The great blocks and shafts of stone that rose to form its jagged bulk were dark, mottled with patches ofdull red. Before this last barrier, poised as though to swoop downward and crush them, the companions fearfully halted. Achren strode to the head of the waiting column and beckoned them onward. Did we really make it this far, only to fall now?
|
# ? May 15, 2024 16:39 |
|
Chapter 19: The Death-Lordquote:THE GWYTHAINT, GREATER THAN any Taran had ever seen, screamed and beat its wings, churning a wind like a gale of death. Taran saw the curved, gaping beak and blood-red eyes, and in another instant the gwythaint's talons sank into his shoulders, seeking to grip the flesh beneath his cloak. The relentless bird pressed so closely that the reek of its feathers filled Taran's nostrils. Its head, deeply scarred by an old wound, thrust against him. Taran turned his face away and waited for the beak to rend his throat. Yet the gwythaint did not strike. Instead, it was pulling him from the rocks with a strength Taran could not resist. The gwythaint no longer screamed, but made soft keening sounds, and the bird's eyes fixed upon him not in fury but in a strange gaze of recognition. The bird seemed to be urging him to loosen his grasp. A sudden memory from his boyhood flooded Taran, and again he saw a fledgling gwythaint in a thorn bush; a young bird wounded and dying. Was this the ragged bundle of feathers he had nursed back to life? Had the creature come at last to pay a debt so long remembered? Taran dared not hope, yet as he clung, weakening, to the side of Mount Dragon, it was his only hope. He relaxed his grip and let himself fall free. We finally, however briefly, come face to face with the Death-Lord. He's a sneaky one. quote:THE COMPANIONS NOW PRESSED into the Great Hall and Taran hurried toward them, crying the warning that Arawn still lived and had escaped. Gave 'em the ol' spicy crown. How could Arawn give his pal Magg the spicy crown? quote:GURGI AND GLEW HAD LOST TRACK of the companions and were now pelting through the maze of winding corridors trying vainly to find them. Gurgi was terrified at being in the heart of Annuvin and at every step shouted Taran's name. Only the echoes from the torch-lit halls came back to him. Glew was no less fearful. Between gasps, the former giant also found enough breath to complain bitterly. Way to go, Glew. quote:BEFORE THE GREAT HALL OF ANNUVIN, Gwydion rallied the last survivors of the Sons of Don and the Commot horsemen. There the companions, with Kaw squawking jubilantly overhead, joined them. For a moment, Taran stared searchingly at Gwydion, but his doubts vanished when the tall warrior strode quickly to him and clasped his hand. ...well, I guess it's over, now. All the evil has perished. And Achren found her redemption, and her vengeance, in death.
|
# ? May 22, 2024 16:53 |
|
RIP Arawn Death-Lord, he died as he lived: not really being a thing in these books. Also get smoked Magg Now it's all over but the ugly crying at the epilogue (and maybe The Foundling And Other Tales, if we're going there).
|
# ? May 22, 2024 17:10 |
|
Glew still has dibs on the treasure, by the way. He called dibs first, so he’s got it. I don’t make the rules here. Edit: nine-gear crow posted:Now it's all over but the ugly crying at the epilogue Oh man I’m going to be ugly-crying so hard
|
# ? May 22, 2024 17:11 |
|
Shame about all the treasure though.
|
# ? May 22, 2024 17:11 |
|
GodFish posted:Shame about all the treasure though. Pretty sure there’s going to be a moral message about that before the end. And whoever said that there needed to be another book between Book of Llyr and The High King made a good call. Without it, the story would have been way too rushed and Taran would lose a lot of character development
|
# ? May 22, 2024 23:04 |
|
Not even just the treasures, didn't he have a lot of tools and knowledge locked away that would make life better for everyone?
|
# ? May 22, 2024 23:25 |
|
bird food bathtub posted:Not even just the treasures, didn't he have a lot of tools and knowledge locked away that would make life better for everyone? Yeah, the folks from the Free Commonts had all sorts of magical artifacts that made perfect version of whatever they were trying to make and Arawn just stole them and shoved them in a vault somewhere in Annuvin. Then again, it kind of goes against the rugged individualist message of that part of the books where a bunch of characters go "The things we make with our own hands are better than what we ever could have made with [machinery]", and then you just hand them back that machinery. The books have always kind of equated magic to cheating vs. actual hard work when creating, developing or learning on your own, so while it sucks that they're lost forever now, if it wasn't anything that anyone could eventually replicate on their own with enough time and talent then it probably wasn't worth having in the first place, as far as the books are concerned.
|
# ? May 22, 2024 23:44 |
|
Hmm, guess I can see that point. I thought it was all magical field plows and techniques for growing more food and so on.
|
# ? May 23, 2024 00:32 |
|
IIRC it was both? I think Arawn locked up the farm version of the turbo encabulator but also stole the book where somebody wrote down the secrets of crop rotation and the moral of Taran Wanderer was that it would be nifty to have a machine that could supply inverse reactive current for use in unilateral phase detractors while also being capable of automatically synchronizing cardinal grammeters, but that if they had a choice they'd wanna know about crop rotation again.
|
# ? May 23, 2024 00:44 |
|
Chapter 20: The Giftquote:THEY WERE HOME AGAIN. Gwydion had ledthe companions westward to the coast where the golden ships waited. From there, with Kaw proudly perched on the highest mast, the great vessels with their gleaming sails bore them to Avren harbor. Word of Arawn's destruction had spread swiftly; and even as the companions disembarked, many cantrev lords and their battle hosts gathered to follow the Sons of Don, to do homage to King Gwydion, and to cry greetings to the Commot folk and Taran Wanderer. Gurgi unfurled what remained of the banner of the White Pig and raised it triumphantly. Yet Gwydion had been strangely silent. And Taran, as, the little farm came into sight, felt more heartache than joy. And so our story is nearly at an end - with a goodbye to everything and everyone we have come to know. quote:That night Taran drowsed fitfully. The joy that so lightened his heart had strangely flown, fluttering out of reach like a bird of brilliant plumage he could not lure back to his hand. Even thoughts of Eilonwy, of happiness awaiting them in the Summer Country could not regain it. At last he rose from his pallet and stood, uneasy, by the chamber window. The campfires of the Sons of Don had burned to ashes. The full moon turned the sleeping fields to a sea of silver. From far beyond the hills a voice began to lift in song, faint but clear; another joined it, then still others. Taran caught his breath. Only once, long ago in the Fair Folk realm, had he heard such singing. Now, more beautiful than he remembered, the song swelled, in a long flood of melody shimmering brighter than the moonbeams. Suddenly it ended. Taran cried out in sorrow, knowing he would never hear its like again. And, perhaps in his own imaginings there echoed from every corner of the land the sound of heavy portals closing. Even one last encounter with the triple O's. Wonder where they're going.
|
# ? May 29, 2024 14:38 |
|
Wahad posted:Chapter 20: The Gift This bit does feel like a straight ripoff of the Grey Havens chapter from LOTR. The heroes getting the chance to go to a magical country to live forever in peace as a reward for their efforts…? "Dear chicken," said Orddu smiling sadly, "when, in truth, did we really give you anything?" This quote has always stuck with me for some reason.
|
# ? May 29, 2024 15:02 |
|
I'm glad to see that Glew is finally getting the respect due his stature as an ex-giant.Hemp Knight posted:This bit does feel like a straight ripoff of the Grey Havens chapter from LOTR. The heroes getting the chance to go to a magical country to live forever in peace as a reward for their efforts…? I do have to wonder if Alexander pulled this section from Lord of the Rings, or if there's some larger Arthurian myth they were both ripping from? I guess Alexander could have easily grown up reading Lord of The Rings as a kid and it is the sort of ending that really sticks with you if you're young.
|
# ? May 29, 2024 22:25 |
|
I love the ending - a very nice capstone to the lessons of the books - but I also remember thinking, as a child, that Taran was a bit of a mug. (For his decision which we'll get to shortly)
|
# ? May 30, 2024 03:06 |
|
|
# ? Jun 5, 2024 04:11 |
They are a version of the Norns right? (sorry just dropping in I have not been following extremely closely if this was discussed previously)
|
|
# ? Jun 2, 2024 23:04 |